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awkwardgtace · 5 months ago

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Almost Stranded

Another prompt for @gtgotcha4gaza this time an anonymous donor! Donations are still open until June 30th 2024!

Rare occasion of fanfic. We got fire emblem with Saber and Celica, hope I did the prompt justice!

Saber goes inland to look for people and resources after a shipwreck. He returns with something very different.

Almost Stranded

Saber had only signed up to help the lass and her group cross the sea. Not to wind up on some island with no way off. The ship was damaged, enough they couldn’t just find a way to put it back in the water and move on. The hole from the rocks near this island would just make them sink. They needed to repair it. Which meant they’d need food and water.

“Lass,” Saber said. Celica turned to him, she wasn’t panicked like the others. “I’ll head inland, see if I can’t find some help. The rest of you start setting up a camp for us. Can’t run the risk on the boat if a storm rolls in.”

“Saber, wouldn’t it be best if we all sought out help or a solution?” she asked. He sighed, they’d merely slow him down. He knew places like this.

“That will be later, lass, for now I’ll go see what I can find. I’ll move faster on my own.” Saber turned to walk away, pausing a few steps away. “Besides, we’ll need to be able to rest after the pirates we already fought. If we all tire ourselves out we’re ripe for an ambush.”

“That is a good point, be cautious Saber.”

“I will be lass.”

Saber walked straight into the brush. There would be something to find inland. At least clean water. This wasn’t what he’d expected the pirates to do. The choice to strand them wasn’t unheard of, but he thought they’d rather see him dead. It was all too likely they’d show up once supplies had run low. A fight he didn’t want to see.

He let out a heavy sigh as he kept walking. Deeper into trees that felt out of place. Not the right kind to be near the water. Too tall for the island too. Wrong. If he let the others out here they’d likely get lost. He’d stay close to the lass, make sure he got his payday once they reached Valentia. That golden dagger had to be worth it after all this.

Trees kept getting taller. Saber huffed as he started to find vines he could barely step over. He’d never seen plants like this. He didn’t want to risk his life out here in a mess. Just before he turned back he heard a sound. A kind of screech that almost reminded him of metal being sharpened. That wasn’t something to ignore.

Saber found a path between the massive plants. It almost seemed to clear out for him. Saber grumbled a few curses under his breath. The screech grew louder, he prepared for a fight. Sword drawn he walked and walked until leaves bigger than he was tall blocked his view.

With a deep breath, Saber pushed through the leaves. The sight before him made him freeze. What looked almost like a desecrated place of worship for Mila sat before him. Statues broken, pieces turned to dust. Vines, trees, weeds, undergrowth of all kinds grew over the marble. If he didn’t know better he’d assume they’d arrived at Mila’s temple a few thousand years late.

“What do I tell the others?” he whispered. “The lass won’t be happy to see this.”

The screech of a sword sharpening died down. Saber took the silence to inch forward. Investigate the ruins that appeared to grow as he walked. Statues bigger than he’d seen made by the most skilled artisans. Roots and vines that were thick enough to reach his waist. He tried to cut a vine next to him; his sword barely scratched it.

In an attempt to find the source of the sound he no longer heard, Saber kept moving. The place almost seemed to get bigger. The statue of a hand sat on the ground, partly disintegrated, but still bigger than him. Bigger than anything he wanted to picture. That didn’t deter him. Someone who might be after him or the others could be here. He was going to damn well earn that payday.

A swish that reminded him of an arrow shot from a bow came from a large cavern. Part of him considered retreating. If he left he could warn the others. Prepare for battle when they’d have a bunker prepared. That didn’t sit well when he hadn’t seen the enemy. It could lead them all to death when a minor army marched on them. He wasn’t dying on some forgotten rock in the middle of the ocean.

Saber entered the impossibly large cavern. Almost missed the rubble that looked eerily like a door. The sound of arrows flying didn’t stop. In fact it increased. As though a battle raged inside, one he’d witness at least.

“Remember,” he whispered as he stepped through the darkness, “you were paid to protect them. Can’t earn your pay when you turn tail at the first sign of trouble.”

That reassurance spurred him on. Step by step into a darkness that left him on edge. A green light began to coat the hall he was in. Another part of this place that reminded him of Mila. Maybe some long forgotten blessing could get them out of this mess. Back to the mainland where he could get his pay and move on.

Either way the sound of arrows grew louder. It was joined by the swish of swords. Quickly met with the clang of metal clashing. Saber slowed his pace. Moved beside the wall, stuck to the shadows. Prepared to escape.

The green light grew brighter. The noise louder. He swore there were voices echoing in front of him. Yet the source was found and the room empty.

Saber found a room so big he couldn’t even see the other side. The ceiling above him was merely darkness. In the center sat a glowing green light. One that felt inviting. Against his better judgment, he walked forward.

The sound of battle surrounded him again. An all too familiar sound. Saber could picture his last major battle. Before the duel, before he ran. It pushed him forward. Towards the glowing in the center. A promise to fix it. To change it. To become what he needed. To protect those under his care.

Before he knew it, Saber stood in the green glow. Inside was a gem. A brilliant emerald. Shaped like the mark the lass had on her palm. This place was too dangerous to bring her. Even with her allies. He reached out to it. The gem looked gigantic next to his hand. Impossible to hold, yet it was easy to grab. Almost… small after the fact.

The light died. The noise gone. Saber moved to leave. His body felt strange, light and heavy all at once. The room felt smaller than when he’d first entered. All of it had to be a trick. The light of Mila’s artifact merely made it feel huge. Even the presence of the artifact itself could be it. Gods were powerful, she could make that happen… probably.

The entrance hall through the cavern felt shorter. The dilapidated statues looked more as he expected. The vines up to his waist made it just over his ankles. Strange, but clearly the work of the magic he held. Once he brought the gem back there’d be an explanation.

Saber kept repeating that thought as he walked. As the impossibly tall trees felt more normal. As they started to feel small. As the ones he had recognized in the beginning only reached his knees. The island had greenery because of Mila’s power. The gem was the source. He’d taken it, but someone would know the best option. The lass was a priestess after all.

His denial ended at the beach. When the boat looked small enough he could hold it in one hand. As prepared as he usually was, the surprise made him stumble back. Which brought out screams from where he now saw the tents he’d told the group to set up. Too small… or was he too big?

“Stay calm everyone!” the lass called. Her voice was still easy to hear at least. Saber crouched down, arms on his knees as he tried to get a look at them. The red hair stood out to him first. The others were more of a blur. “Saber?! Is that you?”

“Lass, I don’t suppose you’ve heard of any strange artifacts Mila left behind,” he said. While squinting, he could see the arms move to cover small ears. How the books held in Boey and Mae’s hands shook. The staff Genny held painfully close. All prepared for a fight, one against him that he knew they couldn’t win. They knew it too.

“Saber, I couldn’t quite understand you.”

Still polite. Collected. He didn’t have to see her clearly to know she was likely more terrified than the others. Saber held his hand in front of his face. In the center of his palm he could see the gem. The one that he thought was a remnant of Mila’s strength. That changed him, not the world. Maybe did change the world until he took it for himself.

As carefully as possible he set his hand down. Tensed at the way all his charges stumbled. He was still on the job. Paid to protect this group. Whatever did this to him wasn’t going to change that. Although that gold dagger wouldn’t do much when he was too big to even see it clearly.

“Lass, I found this inland. Do you recognize it?” he whispered this time. The weapons stayed ready, but the lass didn’t let that stop her. She approached him, too collected. The small shake of his head was too obvious, but he couldn’t hold it back. That made her pause.

“I… can’t see it from here, Saber,” she said. A simple nod from him.

He tilted his hand towards himself. There wasn’t a chance he’d risk hitting the lass. The gem didn’t move. Saber lifted his hand off the sand. Shook it a bit in the air, but the gem stayed. He used his other hand to pry it off, but couldn’t get a grip. Reached for his sword only to realize two things. He didn’t remember sheathing it and if it was there it was too small to be of use.

“I can’t get it off, lass,” he said.

Silence. Unending silence. Until suddenly, “Then you’ll need to put me in your hand.”

“Lass, what are you thinking?”

“I can’t see it on the ground and if it’s something from Mila I might be able to help. I can’t leave you like this.”

Saber thought about it for a bit. He could try grabbing her. The idea of her small body held between two fingers. Dropped on his palm that made her look as big as a bug. A part of him was confident he could do it safely. A part he’d ignored for too long wasn’t willing to risk it. So he took another route.

Saber reached over her to the boat. Lifted it out of the water with ease. Set it down next to her, or rather close to her. Then placed his hand down beside it. This was safer, no need for him to pinch her to get her on his palm. To risk a bad estimate of his own strength and killing the one he’d been hired to guard.

“Climb on by using the boat. It’s safer, lass,” he said. The others looked almost calmer when he said that. Maybe trusted he hadn’t lost himself to the sudden change in his size. At least this way… “Wait… Lass we should look at this later.”

Celica had already started to climb up the ladder to the deck when he spoke. The way the rope ladder acted like his voice was a storm wind bothered him. At the same time, his task was easy. Like this he couldn’t fail to protect his charges. The faint promise of the green light echoed in his head. He couldn’t fail.

“What do you mean?” she cried out once the ladder stopped. Saber used his other hand to put a finger under her. Lift her up and onto the deck. She weighed nothing against his finger. Nothing could fight him. He could defeat the gods like this… That might be pushing it.

“Lass, there’s no way off this island. You were in a rush. I can get us to the mainland,” he mumbled.

“What if you need something from here to get back to normal?”

“We’ll add that to what you owe me for the protection.”

“Saber, are you sure? We could repair the boat.”

“If you want to spend the time here we can lass. I thought you had some mission to see through.”

He could feel her stare from the deck. A glare that burned him. She was feisty. Strong, determined. He didn’t mind working for someone like this. Maybe he’d stick around after the job was done. Especially if they got him back to normal.

“Boey, Mae, Genny, climb on the boat.” Celica called. “Saber’s right, we can’t wait for rescue here.”

Saber smirked. The other three kept wary gazes on him. They’d get where they needed to go. Maybe not to a port town, but near enough. Although it wouldn’t be easy to hide himself from people on the coast even avoiding cities. That was a problem for later. Might even get the pirates off his back.

The three were slow going. The finger closest to the ladder twitched. Quiet screams came from the three. Clearly he couldn’t lift them as he did the lass. Rather he could, but he didn’t want to see how a mage’s spell would react to him right now. If they were unlucky it could bounce back and hurt the one who cast it.

As soon as they were on the ship, Saber stood up again. Like this he couldn’t imagine being the size of the others. The ship fit in a single hand, hearing and seeing them didn’t even make sense. The magic that changed him had to be the cause.

A quick stretch for his back before bending over to grab the ship. All four of his charges watched him. The idea of this seemed like a strange dream. He’d wake up to the lass telling him to get to the deck. Watch for pirates. Question himself how he’d fallen asleep in the first place.

That wasn’t the truth. Cemented by the prick on his skin of the splintered wood of the ship. Saber placed the part with the hole on his palm. Over the gem that had gotten stuck to his skin. His other hand wrapped around to keep the three safe from water and air. He brought the ship up to his chest. Near his heart where he could make sure they were safe from the water.

“Lass, I put the hole over the gem. Feel free to take a look, but I wouldn’t try anything until I tell you we reached land,” he breathed. This close he tried to keep his voice as quiet as possible, worried it could hurt the others.

“I’ll take a look,” she yelled. It made him smile. The lass showed no fear.

Saber wasted no time in starting his trip. His steps small and slow. Until the waves were under his feet. He’d never considered the depths of the ocean. His guess was he could walk them to safety, but there was no guarantee. He could try holding the others and swimming. Abandoning the boat completely.

Those thoughts didn’t matter as he waded into the water. It stopped rising just above his waist. He barely repressed the shiver that sent down his spine. His eyes widened when he felt a tickling sensation on his hand. Near the hole in the boat.

Saber focused on his steps, not the tickling. He knew it was the lass, her friends too probably. It was lucky he knew these waters. Knew the dock they needed. Steady focused steps. Every other step he tested the area ahead, making sure he wasn’t about to drop into the sea. He begged for the tickling on his hand to stop. He wanted to curl his fingers in to stop it.

It wasn’t clear how long he’d been walking when the tickling stopped. It was more of a relief than he wanted to admit. A bigger relief was the sight of the coast he wanted. Valentia was in sight. The sun was low already. Saber decided it was best to wait for nightfall. The others would ask if they got concerned, but it wasn’t far off. Maybe an hour of standing in the water before he moved again.

Careful, soft steps to reach the mainland. Ones to avoid drawing too much attention. He paused near the coast. He had to find a cove, a place where he could sit to hide. They could deal with the rest later. A few sweeping glances found what he wanted. Saber took long, gentle strides to the area. Scanned for signs of people before resting his own back against a cliff.

A sigh left him. They made it. He just had to get his payday, which would hopefully include fixing his size. Carefully he lifted the ship. He planned to set it down next to him. He paused when he found the source of the tickling on his hand. All four of his charges sat near the gem. Papers and books spread all around.

Boey had fallen asleep hugging a book tightly. Genny and Mae hugged each other. Celica had fallen asleep on the gem. In a way that didn’t look comfortable. Saber gently put the ship down nearby. Hole on land, the rest in the sea. Then brought his free hand close

“Lass, that can’t be comfortable,” he whispered. All four stirred for a moment then returned to a blissful rest. He smiled to himself as he brought his finger up and gently pushed the lass off the gem. She curled up quickly. “We’ll deal with my payment tomorrow.”

Saber chuckled to himself. Held his hand with the four near his chest. Used his other to protect them from cool air. If he could at least get smaller maybe he’d hang around. The lass was reliable. Could use someone who saw through her collected nature. That was something for tomorrow.

#gt #g/t #giant/tiny #giant tiny #g/t writing #gt writing #gianttiny #gt community #g/t community #fire emblem gt #giant saber #tiny celica

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