Warm Return
"Come on Lydia we have had plenty of time to heal now it's time to head back. Misty is probably worried sick." Ren says as he continues to guide Lydia through the forest remembering most of the path home like the back of his hand the runs through the forest providing a much more detailed mental map then usual.
"Alright. Ren, can I ask you a question?" Lydia says as she nervously fidgets with her fingers.
"Sure sis what's up?" Ren calls back moving through the dense brush and branches with ease still getting used to the minor aches in his left arm.
"Why did you give me the credit that could have easily taken you to much higher places? Why give the achievement to me." Lydia questions as her voice cracks a little from the guilt.
"Sometimes people need a leg up. You don't know if this kind of opportunity will present itself again. I'm young so i have more time but a feat like this is one unbelievable for a child and two this will open many many doors for you. I mean they did give you the spirit crystal didn't they." Ren says turning back with a grin of satisfaction seeing Lydia given rare opportunities.
"But I don't think I deserve this." Lydia struggles to hold back her tears as her voice continues to break.
"Then prove that you do like I said opportunities like this come up rarely but have the chance to change your whole life. Look at the money in your hand you can now help Misty out of the dire straits she's in." Ren says, flicking his eyes over to Lydia's coin pouch on her waist.
"Ren? How did you know that we have been keeping it hush hush for a while?" Lydia exclaims, shocked.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure out the furniture and menu selection were getting worse and worse. Why do you think I didn't go for the money?" Ren says, rolling his eyes like its obvious.
"You gave me the credit for that?" Lydia stutters a little.
"Yeah and you're my big sister and I want to see you go far and I want my people to be safe and secure in their finances." Ren says with a smile as he continues to move deep through the brush of the forest getting closer to familiar territory.
"Ren…I…i don't know how to thank you." Lydia says as tears begin to stream down her pale face.
"Just keep improving and become the strong warrior I know you to be." Ren says, tilting his head down with a sigh as more of his past leeks in.
"I will. I'll do my best, thank you Ren. I mean it." Lydia says as she realises how odd it is to bow to a 6 year old.
"If you want to do me a favour in return Lydia i wouldn't mind a bow you know." Ren grins taking advantage of the opportunity.
"I can sort that out for you. I owe you more than you can ever know. I'll make sure Misty doesn't try and take it off you. I do have a question though Ren, Can you teach me to properly fire an arrow i'm nowhere near as accurate as you." Lydia says, putting her hands together in front of her waist as she nervously asks.
"Sure but that means you're following my training regiment too, you need to develop your muscles to fire a powerful shot." Ren chuckles as he grabs his bicep flexing the dormant nascent muscle.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Lydia questions as some of her hair becomes more frazzled.
"Just like our ancestors we build up our back muscles through climbing." Ren smirks ready for the grimace to appear on Lydia's face.
"You're kidding, I've barely climbed in my life." Lydia says as the rest of her becomes frazzled thinking about the future training.
"Perfect, that means you should be easy to train from your blank slate." Ren says as he pushes another branch out of his face already preparing a regiment attuned for Lydia.
"I guess." Lydia says as her head begins to spin from the possible future.
"I'll be making sure to get you a high quality bow. It's the least I can do to pay you back now." Lydia says brushing her blonde frazzled strands out of her vision thinking about a couple bows for Rens size already.
"I'll hold you to it. Don't drag your feet now, we're only 5 minutes away from the inn now." Ren says as the inn grows closer and closer to them.
"I know, I know." Lydia says, biting down on her thumbnail.
"You have to face this. There was once a young boy who was very playful and distracted, one day during one of his missions he got distracted once again, not watching the flank of his squad they were torn to pieces by a raging demon beast. The boy ran for his life with his tail between his legs and heart full of regret." Ren says reliving one of his past lives memories explaining as a story.
"What happened to him?" Lydia questions already growing intrigued by the story and its tragedy knowing full well that Ren is a bookworm through and through.
"He went back to his people and he confessed to his mistake, he was severely punished and taught further, Your people are everything you must always keep an eye out even if things are calm." Ren continues to navigate through the forest as his tone grow more and more melancholic.
"What was his punishment?" Lydia asks, growing more and more curious.
"40 lashing." Ren says solemnly remembering each and every lash on his back like it was yesterday something that he will never forget.
"WHAT!" Lydia exclaims in horror.
"The boy, however filled with grief and regret, took every lashing, knowing full well that his comrades felt much more than pain and their families worse. The boy accepted each and every one of the lashes and vowed through the stinging agony to never let another one of his men go unwatched." Ren details slowly coming to the end of the story as the pathway to the inn comes into view.
"He really took that many, why?" Lydia says completely stunned by the beating the boy took.
"He wanted to learn and he wanted to understand the mistake he made so he put himself through that pain as a way to never forget his mistake. He chose to face it and become a better man from it in the end, one that people could rely on. Or so the story goes." Ren says as he closes the book of the memory making sure not to have it relate back to him in any way.
"What happened to that boy?" Lydia questions still in awe by the boy's decisions.
"Nobody knows unexpected things happen in this world. I'm sure wherever he is he hasn't forgotten a single one of his people." Ren says as he lets out a deep sigh.
"Where did you hear this story?" Lydia says still awestruck not even hearing of this story before.
"It was in one of the books that some of the guests left behind, it was a good story that's for sure until it ended." Ren says as his tone grows more melancholic reliving parts of his past.
"He's brave, I can only hope to follow his example. I'm going to face Misty." Lydia says as her resolve starts to grow fiercer.
"There you go sis." Ren says as a smile grows on his face seeing the inspiration of his past hit Lydia.
After a couple hours of travel from the platoon camp the two of them are finally outside the comforting inn they both grew up in.
*Knock Knock* Lydia's hand begins to tremble as she forces her knuckles to hit against the sturdy oak door.
"Sorry I've already said no guests for the next couple months. We've had an unexpected crisis happen and I apologise but we won't be taking guests for a while now." Misty's voice comes out in a broken sigh. Holding back her tears as she addresses possible guests.
"I'm sorry, we're okay mom." Lydia says as she stands tall to face her mistakes.
"Lydia! You're okay!" Misty rips through the door nearly off the hinges seeing Lydia.
"Is Ren with you." Misty says as she instinctively brings Lydia into an embrace starting to cry from the fear of never seeing her again.
"This Is a miracle. I thought you two had died in the hunt." Misty says as her tears come down like an unceasing waterfall.
"Me and reiner have been looking non stop for you two everywhere. We had no idea what had happened in the end." Misty says struggling to form words through her nonstop tears.
"The red bear was stronger than we thought, however i managed to take it out, i pierced its skull with this arrow. I was able to save Ren and me." Lydia says struggling to keep her composure as she shows off the bloody arrow.
"Lydia, Ren I'm so glad you're safe, I really thought I lost you two in the end. Lydia you really do take after your father, a hunter just like him." Misty says as she brings the both of them into a deep embrace.
"I'm sorry I scared you mom." Lydia cries as she grips Misty's shoulders.
"You're alive aren't you? Its okay" Misty says as she puts her hands on Lydia's face kissing her forehead as her eyes catch sight of Ren's scar.
*Gasp*
"Ren your arm are you okay!?" Misty stutters seeing the deep red gnarled scar on Ren's let arm.
"Yeah I'm fine, just a flesh wound." Ren smiles as he raises his forearm showing off the wound.
"Oh my god that scar there's no way that was a flesh wound. It looks like it was nearly severed." Misty says as her face grows pale.
"Nearly Lydia managed to save me in the end. So thankfully it's just a scar. Although we did have to heal in the army for a while." Ren giggles pulling at the scar as if nothing happened.
"Explains why you two were missing for so long." Misty says piecing together the last 3 days.
"One of the other archers managed to inform the knights and they were able to provide us medical attention. It also turns out that the bear was a massive thorn for the knights for more than a while and they decided to reward me in kind." Lydia explains going explaining the rest of the situation.
"They gave me the bear's demon crystal and a gold coin as well as the pelts." Lydia says, trying to stifle her guilt as she shows off the spoils.
"A gold….coin!" Misty gasps nearly falling over herself, never seeing that much in one coin.
"Yeah they paid me out a lot, I was thinking we could finally revamp the inn." Lydia smiles a little.
"You got a demon crystal too! Does that mean you're gonna bond with it like dad did with his!" Reiner exclaims not having seen one for years.
"Well have to see Reiner, she has to be able to tame the spirit if she wants to bond with it," Misty says as she brushes off her tears kissing the forehead of her daughters.