Tommy

Tommy collapsed onto the ground, his tired body staggering after tripping over a tree branch. Instead of righting himself, he laid against the dirt and grass. He could hear Kristin sigh when she turned around, but she didn't call out to him. She lowered herself down right beside him with more control but just as little grace as he did. Tommy's bones felt like solid rock that was dragging him down closer to its fellow earthenware. There was a burning ache in all his muscles, and he knew that if he looked at his bare feet, blood would drip down with many bruises and blisters. His stomach growled painfully, contorting inwards to nibble at the air that was barely managing to heave into and out of his lungs. His fear of dying was a persistent thought that faltered in the face of his unprocessed grief.

He knew that his best friends were dead, but that thought had not registered in his mind. He had witnessed the event. He still had blood on his hands and clothes. He knew that the heaviness in his soul was partially because the people that he cared about had disappeared from his life like grains of sand in a storm. He couldn't save them. He almost refused to accept the truth. He wanted to fabricate a reality around him where his friends were alive, the blood wasn't there, and he was adventuring with Kristin instead of running for his life. Those thoughts were stolen from him when Kristen leaned against him for support, her body shuddering with sobs. Tommy knew that if he mentally broke, Kristin would only suffer more. As far as reasons went for staying sane, it was pathetic, but it was the strongest thought driving him forward.

Kristin had lost her friends, too. She lost the people she trusted, and she had even learned that one of them was a traitor all along. She had lost her people, the villagers she had spent her life protecting and governing. Kristin had led the effort to unite Business Bay under one banner, and it was all gone in one swift attack that was brought to their shores. It was by some stroke of luck, by a consciousness grown in a second, that Tommy was saved. The blonde knew that if his life had been taken by an arrow, Kristin would not have the strength to persevere. She would have allowed her life to be taken instead of escaping. The fact that Tommy was the one reason Kristin was alive was not lost on him, mainly because the same applied for him when their positions were reversed.

Tommy sluggishly forced himself to sit up. He wrapped his arms around Kristin's shoulders. It was not the first time they had broken down in front of one another. In a world where she was a leader and he was a military commander, they were supposed to be the images of indomitable spirits and unshakeable strength. It was only in each other's company that the facade was allowed to drop to reveal two children trying their hardest to be what they thought they were born to be. Tommy wondered if it was all a lie. For as much good as they had done, their metaphorically empire had crumbled like it was made from glass instead of abiding stone. Kristin should have commanded utmost respect from her people, and she was betrayed by someone she had put the most trust in. Were they truly strong enough for the positions they had fought and suffered for when it had been taken from them like an adult taking a toy from a child?

Kristin breathed out before pushing away from him, leaning against a tree trunk to look at him. Her hand came up, brushing against his cheek with a worried look alighting her eyes. Tommy opened his mouth to reassure her, to say something that would convince her that he was still himself, but the words became dust on his tongue that choked him. Kristin's features softened with understanding, and Tommy leaned down to bury his head in his hands. Kristin grabbed onto his hand, pulling him forwards. Tommy tucked his head against her neck. She held the back of his head like he was a baby that needed to be supported or else he would fall. That comparison should have felt patronizing, but Tommy was allowed this respite. He had witnessed all his friends die and his people get recaptured. He was allowed these weaknesses in his sister's warm embrace.

They didn't say anything, and the silence was heavy around them. There was so much that could have been said. Lies about how everything was fine or would get better. The practical truth about how they needed to find somewhere to go. The horrible truth that nothing would ever be the same. The lonely truth that they had no home to return to, no one who cared enough about them to come looking. Bitter curses aimed at Oceania and Wisp and everyone else who plotted their demise. Wistful blessings to the spirits of the dead. The decision on whether to forgive, forget, or plot revenge. They could have filled that silence at any moment. Some of their choices of what to say were certainly things worth saying and would eventually need to be. They needed to find shelter for the night, and they needed to hold some sort of parting ceremony for the fallen. They needed to establish what their plan going forward would be.

Tommy let the silence tightened around them as if it were a pair of arms holding them in a hug that was well-meaning but a little tight. He didn't want to push away the iron curtain because that would mean facing everything outside of the silence. He didn't know why Kristin didn't speak. He didn't dare look at her face, knowing that it would be warring between making rational choices about their safety or giving attention to the emotional problems that plagued her. He couldn't help her, no matter which one won, so he would provide a small bit of physical comfort that could soothe her soul for a single moment.

Their silence was broken by someone other than them. Krisin looked up swiftly, her dark eyes searching the darkness of the forest's shadows. Tommy shot up to follow her movements, his hands ambling towards the sword he had found discarded on the battlefield. He had gotten Laevatein off the battlefield. Kristin had not gotten her signature weapon, but she tore the gloves off her hands. Purple energy created cracks that glowed just beneath her skin. Tommy felt his own magic rush forward, strengthening the blade in his hand using what little of his vitality was left. They rose unsteadily to their feet, ready to defend each other instead of just themself.

A woman stepped into the light, holding a cutlass sword in her hand that she used to cut away the underbrush. She looked up at both of them. She was wearing the Oceania uniform, but the spot where her badge that signified her rank had been torn clean off. She was covered in mud and blood. Some of the blood was her's, however, because parts of her uniform had been cut open by a sharp blade. She had long brown hair that flowed down her back with ivory white bangs to frame her face. She was wearing a red tricorn hat, and her tanned skin denoted her as someone who spent a lot of time outdoors. She seemed like a wavefarer to Tommy, but he didn't have any proof of that other than a gut feeling.

"Wait," The woman said, throwing her cutlass to the ground near Tommy and Kristin. It clattered at their feet, out of the woman's reach. She raised both of her hands up, taking her tricorn off her head to show that the roots of her hair were the same white as her bangs. With the hat gone, Tommy could clearly see the woman's eyes. He hated himself for faltering. This woman looked exactly how Kristin looked: exhausted and horribly sad. The woman's voice reminded him of what he was feeling: heavy and cold. "I don't mean any harm to you. In fact, I never wanted this. Our orders were not to attack you. It was to sail up the river to join the war between Manberg and Pogtopia. That bastard Asglow must have heard what he wanted. He always hated how the villages banded together. I should have known he would pull a stunt like this."

"Why have you abandoned your post? Should you not return to inform your superiors of his treachery?" Kristin asked, gesturing towards the missing patch that had left the woman's shoulder empty. The woman touched the spot gingerly, and a dark look flitted over her face. Tommy kept his sword steady in case that look was actually intended for him and Kristin.

"They are not my superiors. That would imply they are above me, and they most certainly are not," The woman said with venom laced into her tone. She let her hand fall away. She placed the tricorne back on her head, and she was the perfect image of a pirate. "My name is Captain Cara Puffy of the Maelstrom. I was once a pirate who only answered to the seas and the sky. My son was kidnapped by Oceania. The only reason I ever followed their orders was because my child's life was at risk. I was recently informed, however, that my son has escaped. He should be in the area that was formerly L'Manberg where the war is taking place. It was my intention to travel with the Oceania fleet and betray them once we arrived. The Maelstrom is still my ship, and her crew is mine to command. I was going to take revenge on Oceania before venturing to find my son. It seems that my plans have been ruined before they came to fruition. I do not wish to fight you. In fact, I want to help you find safety. Not just because I feel guilty over not stopping Oceania sooner, but also because you remind me of my son."

Tommy lowered his sword. He had heard tales of Captain Puffy and her elite crew of pirates. They were adventurers who had founded many of Oceania's islands. Their smuggling, as illegal as it was, is one of the main reasons that Oceania's islands are populated with a rich and diverse culture. In fact, with the aid of the captain, communication between the mainland and Oceania would have taken much longer to progress. This was a woman who accomplished many incredible feats in her lifetime. She was more than worthy of respect. She commanded it from everyone around her, and Tommy felt personally insulted by the fact that Oceania tried to control her. He thought that his hatred for Oceania couldn't get stronger, but he felt all the more angry at the island nation.

"Why should we head to the area of the war? Have we not suffered enough? If you did not know, Business Bay had chosen not to participate. There is no guarantee that either side will allow us to stay with them, especially if Oceania puts a target on our heads for being some of the only ones that could unite our former people to rebel once more?" Kristin said quietly. Tommy loathed when she made valid points.

"I swear that my crew and I will protect you from whatever harm comes your way. I am a worthy addition to the war effort, and I will make sure that you two are safe and away from the fighting. Once the war is over and my son returns to me, we can attempt to rebuild Business Bay or you can join my crew. I would not mind a few more additions to my crew," Puffy said with a soft smile that fit her face in a way that Tommy never expected. He had imagined the captain as a genius with an inflated sense of self. Instead, he was getting someone who was so much like a caring mother that wanted to help all the children that she came across.

Kristin looked at Tommy. He could see the question in her eyes. He nodded once. She nodded back at him. Tommy put his sword in his scabbard, and Kristin put her gloves back on. They breathed out once before Kristin raised a hand out to the captain. "We will trust you for now and believe that you speak the truth. However, if we even suspect that you are planning to betray or sell us out, we will not hesitate to eliminate you. I am sure that just as we have heard rumors about you, you have heard rumors about us."

The captain's eyes widened. "Are they true? Are the two of you blessed and cursed with magic?"

Tommy reached to touch Kristin's hand. He knew how difficult it was for her to remember that her power was equal parts blessing and curse. The only person she could touch was him. If she tried to embrace anyone else, they would die quickly but painfully beneath her cursed hands. Tommy had seen it happen once to a person that Kristin had cared dearly for when she was too young to know the consequences of physical affection. It had been a horrible thing to see, and Kristin refused company for weeks afterwards. Tommy squeezed Kristin's hand, subtly reminding her that she still had him. He looked at the captain. "Some of the rumors are true. Others are not, and even more are fucking worse than the rumors. We will let you decide what is true, false, or under exaggerated."