Rigged from the Start

Chapter 27

The Sad Reality

Morning came swiftly, and silently. There were no songbirds heralding the coming dawn and the rising sun, nor warmth in the dull, orange rays that peaked up from the east. Since I took the first watch the previous evening, that meant I was the last to wake. That did not excuse me from the camp cleanup.

All six of us quietly worked to pack our camp back into the cart. Donnel and Lon'qu made sure that we left no evidence of our travels through this place, choosing to scatter the ashes of our campfire once it was doused. I made sure all of our inventory was accounted for, with the exception of our stir fry ingredients, then we loaded up. Since there was limited space in the back of the cart, someone had to sit up front with me while I drove. The first shift belonged to Lucina, and I had a feeling why she wanted to sit next to me first.

So there we were, rumbling along the dead countryside of Ylisse, wagon wheels rolling over gray fields. The first couple of hours of travel were silent, probably because everyone in the back fell asleep again, and I was too sleep-deprived to chat. Despite our weariness, once the dull sun rose high enough into the gray sky, Lucina cleared her throat.

"Hm?" I replied, my eyes focused on the rolling hills in front of us.

"So," Lucina ran a hand through her hair, "You're not an amnesiac."

I glanced over at her, the reins sitting loose in my grip as I lounged back in my seat.

"Nope."

Saying that one word felt like such a relief. For some reason, the more people learned that secret, and the less I cared about keeping it, the less weight I felt on my shoulders. I mean, it was a terrible lie in the first place. How on earth could I keep such a charade up for long? It still amazed me it lasted for as long as it had. Given that Anna, Tiki, Morgan, and now Lucina knew the truth, I doubt my secret would stay that way for long. So, might as well relax around the Princess, and speak with candor for a change.

"Why lie then?"

I flicked my gaze to Lucina once again, then shrugged, "To be honest, I'm not even sure anymore. Self-preservation, maybe? The result of me panicking, most likely." My mouth drew into a thin line as I thought about it, "Maybe I just wanted to make sure I wound up in the right spot, and that seemed like the best path forward."

"The right spot?"

"Y'know like," I measured my next words carefully, "getting to where I thought I would have the best chance of survival."

Lucina furrowed her brow, "You said the same thing when I spoke to you in Nixtas's library. Yet, like then, your reasoning still makes no sense to me."

I shrugged back, "People can be pretty senseless. At least that's my personal experience."

That bus driver definitely was.

Lucina remained unconvinced, "It still puzzles me that you would think joining the Shepherds would give you the best chance at survival."

"Yeah, well… I'm not known for making the most informed decisions under pressure." A slight laugh left my lips, "I did drink poison so I could steal Miriel's notes about this mission."

"Yeah, you-" Lucina's eyes widened and her jaw fell open, "You what?"

I blinked, "You didn't know about that?"

"No! No, I did not!" Lucina cried, "Why would you do something like that?"

I cringed at the pain that I recalled from that day, "To be fair, Henry made me do it."

Lucina's gaped at me. Before I could continue recounting the entire, horrible affair, she raised a hand.

"Henry was involved, that's all I need to know," Lucina stated, causing me to chuckle.

"Makes sense."

We fell back into silence for a moment, likely because Lucina was still processing my rough decision-making skills, and I really did not know how to proceed forward in this conversation. I revealed I wasn't an amnesiac, and she didn't have a violent reaction. So now what?

I furrowed my brow, "Lucina, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why are you not… I don't know, freaking out?" I asked, "I just told you that I lied about my past, used amnesia as a cover, and yet, unlike a few others, you're not ripping my head off and-"

"Why would I rip your head off?" Lucina asked.

"Well, I figured you'd be angry and-"

"That sounds horribly painful, not to mention difficult to do." Lucina continued, making me realize that the metaphor flew completely over her head. "Besides, I may possess a fair amount of physical strength, but I doubt I could tear your head from your shoulders without some sort of help."

"That's…" I trailed off into soft laughter, making the Princess appear even more confused, "That's not what I meant. Um," I thought about explaining the metaphor, but eventually decided to keep the conversation going, "why are you not angry with me?"

Lucina's confusion remained, "And why would I be angry with you? For that matter, who else knows?"

I drew in a deep breath, "Anna, Tiki, and I'm pretty sure Morgan's figured it out at this point."

Lucina raised her brow, "And you still considered the truth a secret?"

Again, I chuckled, then scratched the back of my head, "Yeah, apparently. But you haven't answered my question."

Lucina's lips drew into a thin line, "How about this, we play a game?"

"Oh?"

"Cynthia and I used to play it with people we met all the time, and sometimes with people we already knew." Lucina leaned back in her seat, "Ever heard of Twenty Questions?"

I snorted, "Who hasn't?"

Lucina smirked back, "Fair enough. So, your first question is: why am I not angry at you?" She brought her hand to her chin, rubbing it a moment as she pondered my question. "Well, I supposed I don't see the point of being angry with you for that. It's not a devastating lie, nor does it define who you are to any degree."

I looked at her with disbelief, "Define who I am? I'd say being an amnesiac or not is a pretty distinctive detail."

"Does it determine whether you are a good person or not?" Lucina replied, making me fall completely silent, "Does it determine whether or not you are willing to do the right thing when the time comes? I meant what I said back in Nixtas' library, Samwise. Your actions have spoken louder than words, or secrets, could. Every time you were called upon, you did the right thing." She drew in a breath as I stared at her, a bit surprised by her reasoning, "Not all of my Father's Shepherds had savory pasts. Gaius was a thief who defected from Plegia when my Aunt Emmeryn was assassinated. Henry was a dark mage for the Grimleal. Anna… well… you know Anna. She has a bit of a selfish streak."

I furrowed my brow at that, "Perhaps a bit, but that can't be all there is to her."

"And that is exactly my point." Lucina nodded, "You may have lied about your past and your amnesia, but has that prevented you from being a good Shepherd? In my eyes, it has not. So why should I be angry about it?"

"Huh…" I sat up a little taller in my seat, the reins to Harold still loose in my hands as the cart rumbled along, "If only everyone thought that way."

A long frown came over Lucina's face, "Who's angry with you over such a trivial thing?"

"Some people don't find white lies to be trivial, Princess." I said with a sigh, "I know Morgan's pretty pissed, but she's been having a hard time lately, so I don't hold it against her. Anna was more than a little miffed, but she's accepted it at this point. And Tiki…" I shivered, "If Anna didn't already trust me, then she probably would've annihilated me."

"I would've done no such thing."

I jumped in my seat as Tiki's head poked out from the canvass covering behind us. Strands of her green hair waved gently in the cold breeze that swept over these empty hills. Her emerald eyes flicked back and forth between me, still caught off guard by her interjection into the conversation, and Lucina, who didn't seem surprised in the slightest.

"If anything, I would've interrogated you, figured out you were relatively harmless, and let you off with a fair warning." Tiki stated, "And I would have made sure to monitor you as I do with Henry."

I arched an eyebrow, "You monitor Henry?"

"Wouldn't you?"

I thought about Henry, and his pure, dangerous, insanity, then nodded in agreement.

"Fair."

Nice to know I would've been considered as crazy as that nut job had Anna not found out first.

"So…" Tiki slipped out of the cart and managed to squeeze her way between me and Lucina. As she took her seat, she folded her hands in her lap, and looked back and forth between myself and Lucina, "I believe that was my first question?"

I blinked, "Uh… does that mean-"

"Yes, it was." Lucina nodded, not missing a beat, "I just answered Samwise's question, which means it is my turn." She thought for a moment, then nodded, "Samwise, where do you hail from?"

"Hail from?"

"Yes. I don't believe you are from Ylisse. Am I wrong?"

Tiki glanced over at me, giving me a look that told me I better tread very carefully. Her glare was a silent reminder that I better obey the rules of Twenty Questions. The first rule of the game: No lying.

And… what was the point of lying about where I was from anymore? Jumping through all of these hoops, juggling all of the little white lies, had become so exhausting. I've never been able to handle such things in my entire life. Either the guilt would get to me first, or I'd slip up badly and the truth would come fumbling from my lips. The fact that I held out this long, and it took this long for this many people to figure out the truth, was a stroke of pure luck.

Plus, when a dragon in human form is giving you the "I'll know if your lying" look, you damn well better tell the truth.

"Another world." I exhaled.

Lucina appeared puzzled, "Another world?" Her lips drew into a thin line, "Do you mean-"

"That's not a metaphor this time." I muttered, keeping my eyes on the reins in my lap.

Silence. Cold silence, made even chillier by the biting wind sweeping along the dead hills, making the dead grass whistle a mournful song. I did not want to raise my gaze, because I dreaded the reaction. As the silence dragged on, I worked up the nerve to glance over at Lucina and Tiki. There was a look of quiet approval on Tiki's face. A sign that I did the right thing in her eyes. Meanwhile, Lucina's brow was furrowed in deep contemplation. She hummed to herself, nodded, and glanced at me again.

"Very well then. You are from another world."

My jaw fell open.

"J-just like that?"

Lucina tilted her head to the side, along with Tiki, "Is that your second question?" The Princess asked.

"I- we're still playing and-" I uttered a long groan, pinched the bridge of my nose, and nodded.

"Yes." Lucina responded.

"Yes what?"

"Wait your turn." Tiki chided me.

"That wasn't meant to be my-" I let my head fall back, and my eyes stared up at the gray sky, "Fuck me running."

"That would be difficult to do." Tiki hummed.

My cheeks heated up, turning redder than the ripest tomato, "I- well-"

"What would be hard to do?" Lucina questioned, confused.

Tiki waved off her question, "That's your second question, and I'll answer it by telling you to ask your Aunt."

Lucina leaned forward, looking to me for an answer. My cheeks reddened even more, and a harsh cough came from my lungs. I quickly covered my mouth and shook my head, once again earning an approving nod from Tiki.

"Very well, I'll speak to my aunt when we get home about the topic."

"I'm sure you will." Tiki nodded, holding back some light laughter.

"What have I done?" I muttered under my breath, doing my best to fight back the intense blush on my cheeks.

"If that's your second question for me," Tiki began, "You will find out soon enough. I'm sure you'll learn via Maribelle."

A quiet whimper left my lips as I envisioned an enraged, pink-clad, short, blonde terror tearing me apart with a parasol for saying such horrific words in front of the Princess. God, the bruises were already forming. That, or the bumps from the rough ground beneath the cart were starting to take a toll on my backside. Either way, I knew once (or if) we made it back to Ylisstol, I was in for a world of pain.

I'm good at bringing that on myself, aren't I?

"My turn for a question." Tiki began, turning to me, "Where did you live in your world, and what was it like?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, "That's two questions."

"What was it like?" Lucina butted in, "There's my next question."

I'm getting tagged teamed! I thought, staring at both of them incredulously. I caught a ghost of a smile on Tiki's lips, betraying her enjoyment at making me squirm in my seat.

You mischievous lizard.

"I lived in a place called the United States of America." I answered, "Specifically the state of Wisconsin. As for what it was like," I fell silent for a moment as I thought about my old home. It felt so strange to be talking about it like this, as if I'd never go back. That quiet voice in my mind once again began to ask me how I would even manage to get home, or even if I wanted to? I quickly shushed it so I could answer the question, "It's a northern state. Similar to southern Regna Ferox. Short, mild summers, followed by long, harsh winters. Nothing ever really happened in the town I lived in. It was getting to be a bigger town when I left, but it was still considered a small place in comparison to a city like Madison or Milwaukee."

Lucina frowned at me, "Not a very revealing answer."

"But not a lie." I chirped back.

Tiki rolled her eyes beside me, "Very well."

"My turn then," I continued, "What… what the hell is that up ahead?"

I pulled on the reins as we crested a particularly tall hill. Stretching out before us were great, gray plains, filled with brown grass and dead shrubs. A dry riverbed snaked its way through the plains. Small puffs of dust kicked up from the riverbed with each passing whisper of wind. It reminded me of those old photos of the Dust Bowl I'd see in history books. A dry, dead land where nothing could grow, and where people barely scraped by with whatever scraps they could get their hands on.

Sitting on the bank of the dry river bed was a ramshackle looking village. At one time it must've been a prosperous place, as I could see the skeletons of several homesteads littering the land further away from the town proper. But now, it appeared to be little more than a ghost town.

An uneasy feeling settled in my gut. The last time I wandered into a ghost town, I was attacked by Risen and had to be saved by Frederick, Severa, Laurent, and Noire. Part of me contemplated whether or not we should circumvent the town, but before I could voice my opinion, Lucina spoke up.

"Get us down there." She said with a sharper edge to her voice as one hand drifted down to Falchion.

Tiki furrowed her brow, while my anxiety grew.

"You sure we should?" I asked, "Could be walking into something nasty."

"If there was something vile nearby, I would have sensed it already." Tiki muttered, "Perhaps this is one of the few villages to escape Grima's wrath. Regardless, we should check and see if there is anyone who needs help."

A heavy sigh left my lips. Of course, Tiki was right. But I also figured the last thing we needed to do was slow ourselves down by stumbling onto a problem that will take time to solve. The mission to steal Sable is time-sensitive and, with each day, grows more perilous. I just wanted this quest to be over as soon as possible.

But, that was not my decision to make.

"Better don those disguises then." I told Tiki, while also glancing at Lucina.

Lucina furrowed her brow, "Why me?"

"Who else has blue hair and wields a sacred sword?" I remarked.

Lucina drew back, "Er- fair point."

Before I could say anything else, she surged into the back of the cart. A sharp crack sounded, and Severa howled. My hand went to my forehead as I heard the princess stumble through an awkward apology. I could hear Severa's sharp curses, along with Donnel's biting laughter, as the cart jostled behind me.

Finally, snow crunched as boots stomped towards the passenger seat. Severa jumped up into the seat next to Tiki, folded her arms, and scowled. A boot print rested on her forehead.

I tried to fight my laughter, but I clearly did not do a good enough job. My sputtering laughs earned Severa's ire as she glared at me.

"What!?" She snapped, causing me to laugh louder as I caught a better look of Lucina's boot print over her reddening face.

I waved a hand, "N-nothing. Tiki, you'd better get a disguise of some sort on too. Try to cover those ears."

"I'm already aware of what I must do, Samwise. But thank you for the reminder." Tiki replied, somehow disguising her tone and leaving me wondering if she was being sarcastic or genuine.

The cart jostled some more behind me as Tiki stepped back into the cart, grabbing something to cover her distinctive pointed ears and vibrant, green hair. Meanwhile, I took in a deep breath, and looked out to the small town before us.

"You gonna go or not?" Severa grumbled.

I rolled my eyes.

Always abrasive.

I snapped the reins, Harold snorted, and we trundled down the hill to the ghost town.

Derelict, desolate, utterly lifeless. That was my first impression of the little village as we crossed the decaying wooden bridge that lay over the dry riverbed. Wooden planks creaked and groaned beneath the weight of the cart, announcing our presence to whatever occupied the ghost town. I cringed with each creak. My entire body tense and ready to react to anything. One of my hands held the reins loosely, while the other gripped my kukri, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

Severa seemed just as uneasy beside me. Her hand kneaded the grip to her sword as her head remained on a swivel, scanning our surroundings for any threats. There wasn't the usual scowl on her face anymore. Instead her face was as unreadable as stone. Her sharp eyes scanned the shadows along the various huts lining the lone dirt road into the village, making sure there were no threats nearby.

Eventually, we entered a town square. A dry fountain, which likely served as a source of beauty for the village long ago, sat in the center of the square, overrun with the corpses of vines, grass, and scraggly bushes.

A small church rested on the other side of the square from where we entered. The steeple had rotted after years of neglect. The stained glass windows lining the walls were shattered, the images within them completely unrecognizable. Dead vines crawled up the stone bricks that made up the exterior walls. There were larger buildings lining the square, which appeared to be shops that were now abandoned. Overall, it looked like something I would see straight out of a terrible horror movie. Which did little to help my nerves.

As I glanced over at the shops, Harold snorted hard in front of the cart. The sturdy horse then whinnied and stomped a hoof, grinding our progress to a halt. As soon as the cart stopped, Severa rose to her feet, ready to draw her sword. I could hear Lon'qu and Donnel jump out from the back of the cart, the sound of steel sliding against boiled leather causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.

Donnel cautiously moved around the cart over to Harold, running his bandaged up stump along the horse's flank.

"What is it boy?" The Knight muttered, doing his best to calm the animal.

Lon'qu stepped out in front of the cart, his blade drawn and held at the ready. Tiki and Lucina remained in the cart, wisely so in my opinion. The last thing we needed was for those two to wind up in any sort of immediate danger.

Then again, they're probably the best fighters here, so maybe they should be the ones out of the cart right now.

"Who goes there?" Lon'qu growled, his voice rising to a volume that I did not know the silent swordsman was capable of.

Footsteps scraped against the ground. Multiple sets of them. Slowly, I drew my kukri, sweat beading on my brow as my mouth turned dry. The last time I saw true combat, I nearly died to Risen, a brigand, and one of my own allies. Needless to say, I was not keen on experiencing that ever again.

The shuffling came from the ruined church. I narrowed my gaze on the shadowed doorway, watching as one of the heavy doors creaked open.

The terrified visage of a half-starved, middle-aged man poked out from the church. A scraggly beard lined his gaunt chin. He glared at us warily, sunken eyes filled with terror.

Lon'qu drew back at the sight of the villager. He lowered his sword, a gesture of friendliness to the terrified man. Meanwhile, I watched, silent, unsure of what to do in this situation.

Donnel noticed the man next. He glanced up at me and Severa, gesturing for us to sheath our weapons. As I jammed my kukri back into its scabbard, Donnel carefully stepped past Lon'qu, making sure to keep his sword sheathed as well. He raised his one hand and stump, showing he held no weapons.

"Howdy!" Donnel called to the man, "How ya doing?"

The villager did not reply. He eyed Donnel warily, then froze as a little girl came up to his leg, hiding behind it as she looked out at us with scared, brown eyes. Her long, brown hair was matted and tangled. Her clothing looked ratty, looking more like a bundle of rags than an actual dress. I spotted a few more fearful faces looking out at us from the church, and my eyes widened.

This town is still here. They're all still living here.

Donnel took another careful step forward, and the man stiffened, pushing the little girl further behind him, making Donnel freeze in place. Clearly the gentle approach to contacting these people was not working.

So let's try something different.

"Alright, everyone!" I clapped my hands together, forcing any anxiety back to the deeper recesses of my mind, and drawing on my brief experience as a door-to-door salesman in order to sell this new persona of mine, "I've got plenty of goods here for sale! Soup! Pickled vegetables! Jerky! Come on and get it!"

That caught the villagers hiding in the shadow of the church off guard. The man at the lead glanced at me, stunned, then looked back to the villagers hiding behind him. I thought I heard muffled voices barking up at the lead villager, before he finally stepped out from the shadows.

He was even frailer than I thought, and still as fearful as a deer in the middle of hunting season. He crept out of the church, tiptoeing his way towards Donnel and Lon'qu, eyes flicking back and forth as if he expected some sort of treachery. When no ambush occurred, he visibly relaxed and motioned for the other adults hiding in the church to come out.

In total, discounting any children hiding within the church, there were about two dozen villagers still holding out in this little ghost town. They carefully approached the cart, and Donnel and Lon'qu let them. I grimaced a little, realizing I had to keep the act of a merchant up.

"H-How-" The first villager began, his voice a hoarse whisper before he cleared his throat, "How much for water and bread?"

That made my chest ache. I drew in a deep breath, thinking about how valuable such commodities were to us as well. I glanced over to Severa for some help, only to see her visibly shaken by what she was seeing around her. Rendered silent by the squalor and desperation.

I sighed, "What do you got, friend?"

The Villager's eyes were downcast, "N-nothing really. Um… there may still be some stuff in the church not yet plundered and-"

Oh Anna is going to kick my ass if she hears about this.

I raised a hand, cutting off the villager. Despair washed over his face, as he assumed I was about to tell him that I had nothing to sell to him. I pursed my lips, and glanced back into the cart.

"Hey, how much water do we have back there?"

"Samwise…" Lon'qu breathed, warning me not to give them too much.

Tiki poked her head out, her appearance hidden beneath a deep hood that shadowed out her face and hid her hair beneath red cloth.

"Enough." She said, her shadowed out eyes filled with compassion as she looked out at the villagers around us.

I nodded, and returned my attention to the starving villager, "We have water then, as well as a sack of potatoes and a few loaves of hard bread that we can spare. Unfortunately, I need to keep plenty of stock for my own crew, but I can spare that much and-"

The villager surged up to me, taking my left hand in his.

"Bless you sir." Cracked, dry lips pecked the top of my hand, making me wince a little bit. He shook my hand, still not letting go, "Naga's blessings be upon you."

I gently pulled my hand back, worried about offending the poor guy, but also not wanting it to be held anymore. I did my best to hide my disgust at having my hand kissed, and instead nodded down to Donnel and Lon'qu.

"Oh faithful bodyguards! Mind helping distribute?" I asked, as I hopped down from the cart and moved towards the rear, ready to receive the potatoes, water, and bread from Tiki, Lucina, and a still silent Morgan.

The villagers swarmed the cart at that point. Not in a threatening way, but more so in a grateful surge. I received more hugs on that day than I had in years, all from people who hardly knew me. With each potato I passed out, and each loaf of bread I placed into a villagers' grimy hands, I was repaid with a genuine thank you, and a bright smile. Despite how cold this place was, and how dilapidated the village was, I felt a surge of warmth rise within me.

We did not stay for long there, seeing as how we had to get back on the road towards our dangerous destination. We left the villagers some bronze weapons, of which we had only a few, so they could defend themselves. We also informed them that Ylisstol still stood, and if they could, they should make their way there, where the Exalt would welcome them. Though, a part of me doubted they would travel there. They were all simply too malnourished and weak to make such a treacherous journey. The food and water we gave them would likely sustain the village for maybe another week. But after that… I was not so sure.

Still, my heart felt a little less heavy as I snapped Harold's reins. Our loyal horse snorted and trotted forward, pulling the cart down the road that led out of the village. The villagers waved to us as we left their run-down home, all of them filled with renewed strength and hope that I was more than happy to help give. I simply hoped it lasted for them.

When night fell, we continued to travel for a few more hours, until the darkness became too thick, and Harold a bit too weary, to continue. When the cart did stop for the night, Donnel started a small fire for us to gather around, and the Knight set to work cooking a couple of the jars of soup loaded into the back of the cart. Tonight would be plain old vegetable soup. I could smell the many aromas of carrots, potatoes, peas, and green beans simmering in the cast iron pot over the fire, making my mouth water.

As we waited, the others chatted, and I remained quiet, thinking over things by myself. Today was the first time I really saw the full impact of the war on the average person. That village, and the poor people within it, were on their last legs of survival, praying for something to save them. Eventually, Risen will come to their homes, to burn and kill all that they know and hold dear. Part of me hoped that they would be able to pick themselves up and flee for Ylisstol while they could. Another part of me wondered if doing so would even be a good idea.

I wasn't going to delude myself. I knew the events of the game well enough to know that eventually Ylisstol will fall too. So if those villagers did make it to the Exalt's city, then what? Would the temporary safety and shelter they'd receive be worth it in the end? Likely not. Unless our mission to steal Sable succeeds, and the Shepherds are able to figure out a way to defeat Grima using it, then all of those villager were as good as dead, whether they got to Ylisstol or not. Hell, we were as good as dead if this mission fails. Lissa and Tiki made it sound like Sable was absolutely essential to their plans, and without it we were all doomed.

No pressure, right?

A sputtering breath left my lips, and I heard someone sit down beside me.

"Samwise." Lucina said, tucking her knees close to her chest in order to fend off the biting cold. Winter's vicious hand had gripped Northern Ylisse, and if I know winter (which I should, given I lived in Wisconsin) we will see snow very soon.

"Your majesty." I replied, causing Lucina to laugh to herself.

"Just Lucina is fine." She exhaled, blue eyes staring into the fire, "Are you going to tell them?"

"Hm?"

"You know." Lucina nodded to the others around the fire, "Tell them."

I froze where I sat, "I uh… haven't given it much thought honestly."

I wrung my hands in my lap, once more debating both the pros and cons of speaking the truth now, of all times. The pros being I would finally have a weight off my shoulders, and no longer have to worry about slipping up. The cons being… plentiful in my mind, the most glaring of which being that I might cause an unnecessary distraction when we should all be focusing on the mission.

"Not sure it's a good idea." I muttered, glancing over at Morgan and Severa. I trusted Donnel and Lon'qu to at least act like adults, in that they won't try to kill me but would likely give me a verbal beat down. As for Severa and Morgan, well, I remember how well Morgan took it when she figured out some of it in Nixtas's library.

Lucina frowned back at me, "Samwise, this could be it for all of us."

"It?" I gulped, already understanding the connotations behind what she was trying to say.

"We all could very well die in the coming days. Doluna is… not the best place to go right now." Lucina breathed, faint nervousness washing over her features, "I think it'd be best if those who fought alongside you knew the truth. Before anything bad can happen."

That felt like a veiled gut punch, which it probably wasn't. After seeing Lucina awkwardly struggle with some of the metaphors and sayings I threw her way, I doubted she even knew how to give an underhanded comment. Perhaps it was my brain looking too deep into things, but my thoughts wandered to Gaius. That wily thief took me in, taught me everything he knew, trusted me enough to give me the key to his sweets stash when he died, and he never knew I had been lying to him. Or maybe he did, and just chose to ignore it? Regardless, I never told him, and that weighed on me as Lucina's words hung heavy in the space between us.

I flicked my gaze over to the others sitting around the fire. Donnel had a wooden spoon in hand as he gently stirred the simmering soup. Lon'qu had a small book in his lap, the swordsman deciding to read during this quiet evening. Morgan was muttering to herself as she flicked through pages in her spellbook, causing Severa to look a bit annoyed as she scooted a few feet away from her sister. Lastly, Tiki knelt on the cold ground, eyes closed, as if she was in some sort of meditative state. It was admirable for a moment, then I heard her snort, snore, and realized she was actually taking a nap sitting up.

Still impressive.

"Samwise?"

A heavy sigh left my lips, "Fine. Just give me a moment to-"

"Everyone, Samwise has something he would like to say." Lucina announced, causing me to suck in a sharp breath.

All eyes turned to me. Donnel continued stirring the soup as he looked at me. Lon'qu briefly flicked his eyes up from his book before returning most of his attention to it. Severa gave me a grouchy look that was asking why would I disturb the peace and quiet. Morgan continued muttering to herself.

And Tiki snored.

I grit my teeth, "You couldn't have given me a moment to prepare." I hissed out the corner of my mouth.

"Why would you need to prepare?"

"I-" I huffed, and hung my head, "Always throwing me into the fire." I cleared my throat, "Fine, might as well just say it. I'm not an amnesiac."

Morgan stopped muttering, her eyes glancing up at me, surprised I would admit such a thing. Severa's grouchy scowl turned into a look of disbelief. Donnel stopped stirring the soup, his weathered eyes turning to look at me, wondering if I was pulling his leg or not. Lon'qu's sharp gaze shot up from his book, dark eyes narrowing at me, making me shrink a little bit beneath his harsh gaze.

And Tiki snored.

Silence strangled the camp. Before it had been a peaceful, albeit nervous silence, with everyone more focused on the coming trials in our quest. Now it was an accusatory silence. A silence that grabbed me and shook me hard as I shrank beneath everyone's glares.

"Knew it." Morgan muttered, before returning her attention to her spellbook.

"You-you knew-" Severa stammered, her face reddening with anger, "What!?"

Lon'qu grunted as he marked his page with a blade of dead grass and closed his book. Donnel meanwhile, did something I did not expect, but probably should have.

He surged at me, and before Lucina or I could stop him, smacked me hard on top of the head with the wooden spoon.

"Ouch!" I howled as Donnel drew back.

"That's for lying, you damn kid!" Donnel spat, tapping the spoon against his stump as he glowered down at me.

"Was that really necessary, Sir Donnel?" Lucina asked.

"Yeah!" I cried, rubbing my head as I felt a welt forming beneath my hair. I hissed as my figures brushed over, "Jesus, no wonder you're married to Maribelle. You two respond to things you don't like in the same way."

"I ain't berating ya incessantly, so I'd say you're wrong." Donnel argued back.

I glared up at him, "And just what do you think you're doing now?"

Tiki snorted, and snored. Her head tilted a bit forward as she fell further into a deep sleep. Morgan decided to continue studying her spellbook instead of joining in on the scolding I was getting, and Severa… well… she looked way less than happy.

"Are you kidding me!?" The older redhead roared, storming to her feet and marching up to me, "You've been lying to us this entire time!?"

Lucina frowned over at her, "Sev, if you would please calm down and-"

"What else have you lied about, huh? Age? Name? Origins? Are you really from Southtown?"

"Severa!" Lucina barked, making Severa's mouth snap shut, "He can't answer if you don't let him."

Severa glared back at Lucina, but backed down when Lucina's own glare failed to waver. A heavy breath puffed from the furious girl, and she folded her arms, still standing over me.

"You better explain, and fast."

"I'm in agreement." Donnel nodded, his voice holding much less fury than Severa.

I scratched the back of my neck, unsure of how to go forward with this conversation, or rather, interrogation. At least, that's what it felt like, with both Donnel and Severa glaring daggers at me. I looked over to Lucina for some support, and thankfully she gave me a small nod.

"Well, where do you all want to begin?" I asked.

"Why?" Severa growled, earning a warning glance from Lucina. Severa drew in a deep breath through her nose, and her voice came out with less edge as she continued, "Why did you say you had amnesia?"

I shrugged, "Well, the actual explanation for my origins is way more outlandish, even if it's true. So I lied in order to make sure I didn't wind up on my own. I figured that I'd be safer sticking around all of you than being on my own, which contains admittedly flawed logic. "

"Very flawed logic." Morgan piped up, signaling that she was still listening in while reading her spellbook.

I winced, "I think everyone gets it, but anyways…" I cleared my throat, "The truth is that I am not from this world, so to speak. I somehow got sent from my world, to here. And, in a moment of panic, I lied."

Donnel arched an eyebrow, "You ain't from this world?"

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Severa asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes." Both Lucina and I said together.

Severa gawked at Lucina, "Y-you," She pointed at me, then let out a mocking laugh. Her hand fell back down to her side, "Naga, what is going on anymore?"

"You're asking me?" I replied, my lips twitching into a slight smirk, "Cause I have no idea either."

"N-no, I'm not asking you." Severa snapped back, "I don't know why I'd ask you anything, considering I wouldn't know if you were even telling the truth."

"Well I just did, so-"

"Where are ya from then?" Donnel mercifully cut in, preventing Severa and I from devolving into needless bickering.

I inhaled again, bracing myself for the inevitable flurry of follow up questions, "I'm from a place called Wisconsin. And before you ask how I went from there to here, I have no idea. One day I was walking to work, then I got hit by a bus, and I woke up outside of Southtown."

The others were quiet for a moment. Then Morgan looked up from her book.

"What's a bus?"

"A very big, horseless carriage." I replied with a nonchalant shrug, "Very heavy, very fast, and more than a little painful to get run over by."

Severa's intense ire receded even more. Probably because she knew Lucina believed me. It surprised me a little just how much the other kids respected Lucina. Despite Lucina's awkwardness in general conversations, she was clearly the leader among them, and the other kids treated her that way.

"So…" Severa continued, "That song, on the way to Port Ferox, that was one you knew because you didn't have amnesia?"

I sighed, "It all comes back to that damn slip up doesn't it?" I shook my head, kicking myself mentally for being careless, "Yup."

"So why are you still here?" Lon'qu asked, speaking up for the first time. As he stopped speaking, Tiki snorted and snored again.

"Good question." Donnel nodded over to Lon'qu. The Knight exhaled as he stepped away from me and Lucina, returning to his work stirring the soup, "If ya are from a different world, why the hell ain't ya going back?"

"Yeah," Severa nodded, her scowl fading as she spoke, "Why are you fighting alongside us, instead of going home?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but was unable to come up with a response. Instead, my mouth closed, and I furrowed my brow, pondering the question. It was a question I had been asking myself during our entire quest so far. Why haven't I taken a more active hand in finding a way home? Sure, trying to survive the apocalypse would distract from such a goal, but you'd also think that would drive me to escape and get home even more.

All I could manage was an uncertain shrug, "I don't really know. Maybe I feel like I owe you all."

That made Morgan snort, "After taking an ax for Severa when you arrived, I'd say the debt from Southtown was paid in full."

"Nobody asked you." Severa snapped over to Morgan, causing the younger sibling to give her older sister a weary look.

"Easy, Sev." Donnel chided, "No need to get cross with Morgan like that." He raised the wooden spoon out of the soup and gave the steaming broth a quick sip, "Yup, she's done. Lon, ya mind grabbing bowls. Morgan, nudge Tiki awake."

Lon'qu marched over to the cart as Morgan inched her way towards Tiki. Meanwhile, Severa returned her attention to me. Her lips were drawn into a tight line as she kept her arms folded over her chest. While she wouldn't look me in the eye, I could see there was visible frustration with me in her gaze.

"Well…" Severa huffed, "Don't lie anymore."

"I won't." I replied, even as she stormed back to her seat.

My eyes drifted over to Tiki. I watched with a little amusement as Morgan nudged the Manakete with her hand. Tiki snorted, mumbled, then pitched over to her right, hitting the frozen ground with a dull thud as she continued to snore.

"I told ya to nudge her, not knock her over." Donnel teased Morgan.

Lon'qu marched past me, chuckling under his breath as Morgan tried to wake up Tiki with more light taps to her shoulder. Donnel scooped up soup for all of us, and I soon found myself munching on some delicious vegetable soup alongside the Princess and the other Shepherds. A result that caught me by surprise. With the exception of Severa, who still appeared a bit angry with me for lying about having amnesia, the others seemingly chose to move on from the topic. Much like Lucina, they were clearly not pleased that I lied, but they didn't let that define their perception of me.

Eventually, Tiki woke up, as the aroma of soup drifted into her nose and stirred her. With a small yawn and a happy sound that caused Donnel to laugh under his breath, she dug into her dinner with us. The evening once more fell into silence, although now, for me, it was somehow a lot less stressful. Which would probably help my mood for the next week, because I knew the closer we got to Doluna, the more anxious I would feel.

Just enjoy the soup, Sam. I thought as I scooped up some of my dinner and spooned it into my mouth. Quiet conversation broke out, and I simply observed, Enjoy the soup, because, in a week, you might not be able to.

And chapter! This felt like a bit more of a filler chapter when I wrote it, and I did go back and forth on whether or not to include it. In the end, I decided to keep it, because I do feel like this is an important character chapter, especially for Sam as he finally admits he's not an amnesiac, and is actually from another world (no more juggling that, yay!). Also, writing those Sam, Lucina, and Tiki bits were way too much fun.

Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!

Come join the Treehouse! Discord code is: 9XG3U7a

Also, come check out the Fanfiction Treehouse podcast! Myself, Narwhal Lord, Stormtide Leviathan, and RedXEagl3 are the hosts. We talk about writing, writing tools and advice from our own experiences as writers, fanfiction stuff, and it's honestly a lot of fun. You can find it on Spotify, and on Soundcloud. Hope to see you all there!