Round 09 - "The Resistance" - Namesake
Story Code: RD08ST02
Rating: T
Summary: The Cains were not the only ones to be reunited in the Resistance attack.
Warning: none
The memories of her father were lost in a haze of wishful dreaming and fairytale stories. Her mother told her after they moved from the city into the farmland that he had been a brave man, incredibly smart and handsome and playful.
All Emrys had of her father was a faded picture of him secured tightly in a small oval locket, always hidden under her layers of worn fabric and dirty scarves. As she grew up, her mother moved them from place to place until they found a home among the resistance fighters in the East.
It was a young man about her age that she bonded with immediately, a boy who was also an only child being raised by his mother, whose father had also been murdered by order of the Sorceress. They bonded over their similar situations, becoming the closest of friends. He saw to it that she was trained properly to defend herself in a fight. Who made sure she always took care of herself, sleeping and eating properly. Who held her long into the night when her mother died from fang pox.
Emrys grew into a strong, independent woman with the help of her best friend, who would lead their band of rebels in what would otherwise have been a routine rescue but turned out to change their entire worldview.
Still catching her breath, the rush of the victory coursing through her body, she made her way over the fallen Longcoats, stick in hand and long, curly red hair flowing behind her in messy tangles. The smile froze on her face as she reached the men they had liberated, watching as Jeb pushed the cloak from his head and said in an awed voice, “Father?”
She looked at the man who replied, not hearing anything past the roaring in her ears as her eyes swept over the chained prisoners. And locked on a face she knew better than any other, as she had looked at it every night before going to sleep. A reminder of what they were fighting for.
“Daddy?”
Glitch snapped his head around at the small, high voice that had broken through the tension between the Cain men. He spotted a tall young woman, watched as the stick in her hand fell to the ground unnoticed. Putting on his best smile, he asked her, “I’m sorry, have we met?”
Her lovely face seemed to collapse as she brought a hand to her mouth, turned and ran.
Behind him, he heard the young man Cain had called “son” curse. “Emrys! Emmy, wait,” he called after her, shooting a glare at Glitch briefly before grabbing one of his men. “Get them free and send them to my tent.”
Blinking slowly as a sudden whirl of activity seemed to descend on them, Glitch looked over his shoulder at Cain. “What just happened?”
“My son’s alive,” Cain said simply, his voice still holding a thread of disbelief. He shook himself before directing a look at Glitch. “And I think you’ve got a kid.”
They both turned to Raw, who shrugged, just as baffled as they were. “Glitch hides past behind magic. Raw cannot see much.”
“Oh, well, that’s just...I can’t even...oh, cripes, I have a daughter!” Glitch went white and his end of the log took a dip toward the ground as his legs gave out. “What...how do I even...Cain, what do I do? She thinks...”
“We’re going to get our hands free first,” Cain cut in before Glitch could work himself up any further. “Then we’re going to go introduce you to her properly. She’ll understand; it’s not as if you can hide the zipper.”
“Right, right, of course,” Glitch nodded uneasily, twitching impatiently as his wrists were unbound and he rubbed them with stiff fingers while the others were freed.
The man who had unlocked them jerked his head toward the slope to their left. “This way.”
Raw laid his hand on Glitch’s shoulder as they made their way to the concealed tents, soothing warmth seeping into him to counter the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. Cain was the first to enter, pinning the flap open for the others. They stood there a moment, eyes adjusting to the dark. On a short, makeshift cot sat both Jeb and the girl, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.
Jeb looked up at them, the sharp words he held back clear in the tightness of his mouth as he finally got a good look at them. Noticed the way the light leaking in through the pinned flap highlighted the metal embedded in the anxious man’s head. “Emmy, I think there’s someone here who would like to meet you.”
Giving Glitch a light push on the back, Cain watched the reunion silently. Glitch knelt in front of the young pair, a nervous smile trembling on his dark lips. “The name’s Glitch, on account of sometimes my synapses don’t fire right.”
Emrys sniffed and returned his smile with a sad one of her own, unable to keep her eyes from glancing up at the zipper in understanding. “My name is Emrys,” she held out her hand, which he quickly took. She reached for the ever-present chain with her other hand, pulling the locket from its hiding place. “I...I have this.” Fumbling with one hand, she was grateful when Jeb helped her open the latch. “My...my mother gave it to me. It’s a picture of my father. She told me he...you...died. Died protecting the O.Z.”
Glitch let the cold metal rest in his palm, turning the picture to catch the light and suddenly he was seeing himself, much younger and grinning proudly as he held a tiny girl to his chest. His heart jumped into his throat, mind reeling at what he had apparently sacrificed. “This...is you?”
“It’s us,” Emrys nodded, jostling the chain. “After you...died, Momma and I moved East, away from the city. The Resistance was just starting to get a solid system of communication going and a bunch of us broken families were gathering up here in the mountains. Jeb’s mother and mine were good friends; we grew up together.”
“Both of our fathers had died resisting the Sorceress, we had a lot in common,” Jeb added, looking up at Wyatt meaningfully. “If we’d known...the gods could not have stopped us from finding you, I swear.”
Cain stepped forward, behind Glitch. “You had no way of knowing.”
“The important thing is, we’re here now, right?” Glitch grinned, closed the locket in his hand and reached up to hesitantly touch Emrys’s hair. “I’m...I truly wish I could remember you, doll, but I would love nothing more than to have you tell me everything now. If...that’s all right?”
She smiled back, looking at Jeb as she nodded. “I think I’d like that.”
Jeb pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her temple before he stood. “I’m going to check on the wounded.”
“We’ll come with you,” Cain shared a look with Raw, who nodded readily. “I get a feeling Raw here might be willing to lend a hand.”
Glitch chuckled softly and watched his friends leave, wondering what was in store for the Cains when they finally sat down for a much-needed conversation. He moved from the floor to the cot, wringing his hands between his knees. “In case I forget later, I just want you to know how very proud I am of you. I saw you out there, you really gave it to those Longcoats; I couldn’t have done better myself. Who taught you to fight like that?”
“Jeb did, but my mother always told me I got the skill from my father,” Emrys told him shyly. “I know this has to be very awkward for you,” she shifted, looking at him. “I’m not quite sure what to call you, to be honest. Momma used to say I was named after you, but you said earlier your name is Glitch?”
He nodded with a resigned shrug. “I’d forgotten my name for a very long time,” he admitted, tapping a finger against the end of the zipper. “It was only in the last couple of days that Raw found it for me - it’s Ambrose. But to tell you the truth, I haven’t been Ambrose for such a long time that I would rather just stick with Glitch.”
“Then that’s what I shall call you,” she gave a firm nod.
Glitch sat up, tilting his head to the side with a curious smile. “You look familiar. Have we met?”
With an accepting smile of her own, Emrys held out her hand. “The name’s Emrys. I believe you knew my mother.”
Please take a moment to rate this story, keeping these guidelines in mind:
Rating: T
Summary: The Cains were not the only ones to be reunited in the Resistance attack.
Warning: none
The memories of her father were lost in a haze of wishful dreaming and fairytale stories. Her mother told her after they moved from the city into the farmland that he had been a brave man, incredibly smart and handsome and playful.
All Emrys had of her father was a faded picture of him secured tightly in a small oval locket, always hidden under her layers of worn fabric and dirty scarves. As she grew up, her mother moved them from place to place until they found a home among the resistance fighters in the East.
It was a young man about her age that she bonded with immediately, a boy who was also an only child being raised by his mother, whose father had also been murdered by order of the Sorceress. They bonded over their similar situations, becoming the closest of friends. He saw to it that she was trained properly to defend herself in a fight. Who made sure she always took care of herself, sleeping and eating properly. Who held her long into the night when her mother died from fang pox.
Emrys grew into a strong, independent woman with the help of her best friend, who would lead their band of rebels in what would otherwise have been a routine rescue but turned out to change their entire worldview.
Still catching her breath, the rush of the victory coursing through her body, she made her way over the fallen Longcoats, stick in hand and long, curly red hair flowing behind her in messy tangles. The smile froze on her face as she reached the men they had liberated, watching as Jeb pushed the cloak from his head and said in an awed voice, “Father?”
She looked at the man who replied, not hearing anything past the roaring in her ears as her eyes swept over the chained prisoners. And locked on a face she knew better than any other, as she had looked at it every night before going to sleep. A reminder of what they were fighting for.
“Daddy?”
Glitch snapped his head around at the small, high voice that had broken through the tension between the Cain men. He spotted a tall young woman, watched as the stick in her hand fell to the ground unnoticed. Putting on his best smile, he asked her, “I’m sorry, have we met?”
Her lovely face seemed to collapse as she brought a hand to her mouth, turned and ran.
Behind him, he heard the young man Cain had called “son” curse. “Emrys! Emmy, wait,” he called after her, shooting a glare at Glitch briefly before grabbing one of his men. “Get them free and send them to my tent.”
Blinking slowly as a sudden whirl of activity seemed to descend on them, Glitch looked over his shoulder at Cain. “What just happened?”
“My son’s alive,” Cain said simply, his voice still holding a thread of disbelief. He shook himself before directing a look at Glitch. “And I think you’ve got a kid.”
They both turned to Raw, who shrugged, just as baffled as they were. “Glitch hides past behind magic. Raw cannot see much.”
“Oh, well, that’s just...I can’t even...oh, cripes, I have a daughter!” Glitch went white and his end of the log took a dip toward the ground as his legs gave out. “What...how do I even...Cain, what do I do? She thinks...”
“We’re going to get our hands free first,” Cain cut in before Glitch could work himself up any further. “Then we’re going to go introduce you to her properly. She’ll understand; it’s not as if you can hide the zipper.”
“Right, right, of course,” Glitch nodded uneasily, twitching impatiently as his wrists were unbound and he rubbed them with stiff fingers while the others were freed.
The man who had unlocked them jerked his head toward the slope to their left. “This way.”
Raw laid his hand on Glitch’s shoulder as they made their way to the concealed tents, soothing warmth seeping into him to counter the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. Cain was the first to enter, pinning the flap open for the others. They stood there a moment, eyes adjusting to the dark. On a short, makeshift cot sat both Jeb and the girl, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.
Jeb looked up at them, the sharp words he held back clear in the tightness of his mouth as he finally got a good look at them. Noticed the way the light leaking in through the pinned flap highlighted the metal embedded in the anxious man’s head. “Emmy, I think there’s someone here who would like to meet you.”
Giving Glitch a light push on the back, Cain watched the reunion silently. Glitch knelt in front of the young pair, a nervous smile trembling on his dark lips. “The name’s Glitch, on account of sometimes my synapses don’t fire right.”
Emrys sniffed and returned his smile with a sad one of her own, unable to keep her eyes from glancing up at the zipper in understanding. “My name is Emrys,” she held out her hand, which he quickly took. She reached for the ever-present chain with her other hand, pulling the locket from its hiding place. “I...I have this.” Fumbling with one hand, she was grateful when Jeb helped her open the latch. “My...my mother gave it to me. It’s a picture of my father. She told me he...you...died. Died protecting the O.Z.”
Glitch let the cold metal rest in his palm, turning the picture to catch the light and suddenly he was seeing himself, much younger and grinning proudly as he held a tiny girl to his chest. His heart jumped into his throat, mind reeling at what he had apparently sacrificed. “This...is you?”
“It’s us,” Emrys nodded, jostling the chain. “After you...died, Momma and I moved East, away from the city. The Resistance was just starting to get a solid system of communication going and a bunch of us broken families were gathering up here in the mountains. Jeb’s mother and mine were good friends; we grew up together.”
“Both of our fathers had died resisting the Sorceress, we had a lot in common,” Jeb added, looking up at Wyatt meaningfully. “If we’d known...the gods could not have stopped us from finding you, I swear.”
Cain stepped forward, behind Glitch. “You had no way of knowing.”
“The important thing is, we’re here now, right?” Glitch grinned, closed the locket in his hand and reached up to hesitantly touch Emrys’s hair. “I’m...I truly wish I could remember you, doll, but I would love nothing more than to have you tell me everything now. If...that’s all right?”
She smiled back, looking at Jeb as she nodded. “I think I’d like that.”
Jeb pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her temple before he stood. “I’m going to check on the wounded.”
“We’ll come with you,” Cain shared a look with Raw, who nodded readily. “I get a feeling Raw here might be willing to lend a hand.”
Glitch chuckled softly and watched his friends leave, wondering what was in store for the Cains when they finally sat down for a much-needed conversation. He moved from the floor to the cot, wringing his hands between his knees. “In case I forget later, I just want you to know how very proud I am of you. I saw you out there, you really gave it to those Longcoats; I couldn’t have done better myself. Who taught you to fight like that?”
“Jeb did, but my mother always told me I got the skill from my father,” Emrys told him shyly. “I know this has to be very awkward for you,” she shifted, looking at him. “I’m not quite sure what to call you, to be honest. Momma used to say I was named after you, but you said earlier your name is Glitch?”
He nodded with a resigned shrug. “I’d forgotten my name for a very long time,” he admitted, tapping a finger against the end of the zipper. “It was only in the last couple of days that Raw found it for me - it’s Ambrose. But to tell you the truth, I haven’t been Ambrose for such a long time that I would rather just stick with Glitch.”
“Then that’s what I shall call you,” she gave a firm nod.
Glitch sat up, tilting his head to the side with a curious smile. “You look familiar. Have we met?”
With an accepting smile of her own, Emrys held out her hand. “The name’s Emrys. I believe you knew my mother.”
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