"I need a nap..."

“…!!” Goddammit, you’ve gone and agitated him even further. It was Jakob’s fault he was hurt. The fact that he couldn’t bring himself to talk… The anguish he had to face. He did this. The least he could do was try to be a father to him.

“Shh… It’s alright, Son. I…” He choked on his words, but he holds back any expression on his face.

“I’m sorry, it’s alright. Save your strength.” The silver-haired butler moved Dwyer’s hair from his face once more. The troubador’s steed limped closer, though its armor was dented and stained with dirt and scratches.

As the dust settled, it’s clear that the battle was over for the day, though the butler was in no state to think of whether they’d won or not. The injured, but loyal horse rests next to its master.

“This never should have happened…” Jakob never should have let this happen to him.

A stinging stream of tears escapes from his eyes,  though he tries to turn away. Where are those damned supplies!?

Dwyer takes a deep, shuddering breath, recovering a bit from the coughing fit. Each cough sent a horrid burning sensation through his chest, and even breathing normally was more difficult than usual.

That fact frightened Dwyer more than the attack. His eyes open again as he hears his horse approach. He rests a shaking hand on the resting mare’s muzzle for a moment before attempting to speak again. 

“Didn’t think... you were much for apologies. I don’t-... I don’t even know what you’re apologizing for...”

Damn it… This is going to need stitching, but he hadn’t the supplies. With the treated bandage in hand, Jakob wraps the bandage around his son’s torso, as tightly as he could muster. That fabric was not meant for mending wounds; the blood seeped through almost immediately. Not good enough… But hopefully the pressure itself will hold for now. 

With a huff, Jakob takes only a second to look over his son’s appearance. He’d grown so much… Dwyer’s father gently caressed his cheek for a moment, an unfamiliar gentleness in his voice.

“…Good. There’s a good lad. Keep it there, now.”

He uttered, Dwyer’s hand once again placed on his chest.

Although the opposing army had been mostly routed, the allied forces remained scattered.  The pitiful, weak whinnies of Dwyer’s steed crying out not too far off from where they were.. Too many others were wounded. But Jakob didn’t care. He pointed directly to a soldier returning back to the encampment. 

“You. Summon a horse and fetch me a stave, a vulnerary, and bandages.”

The soldier, armor scuffed and exhausted, took a moment before he recognized that he was being spoken to. He looked puzzled as he processed Jakob’s words.

“NOW, gods damn it!”

The hapless lancer dashed off, with a salute.

Turning his attention back to Dwyer, Jakob cradled his son in his arms.

“Boy, the battlefield was never meant for you…” He whispered as the emotions washed over him.  The enemy soldier was dead, but not soon enough. He never should have been able to break their formation and hit their support. How could he have been so careless…? 

Jakob moved a strand of Dwyer’s hair out of his face. He always did hate those unruly locks. 

“No more talk of joining us here from now on, understand?” Agh, damn it… Is all he can do lecture him? 

He was lucid enough to register all that was going on as far as sound and touch goes, but that was as much as he could muster. Hearing. Feeling. Gods, was he feeling.

It’s the whinny of his horse that causes an eye to open, his vision blurred by pain. The blur only serves to make him feel dizzy as he suddenly finds himself in his father’s arms. 

The words from his father cause his eyes to squeeze shut once more. He had been helping the soldiers, hadn’t he? He had been trying! That was why he had dismounted his horse in the first place, wasn’t it? He had climbed down that ledge to help a soldier, unaware of the enemy hiding nearby. Had it been foolish? Yes. Would he regret it? No. Never. After all, that soldier lived another day. Should Dwyer take a hit for it, so be it. That was the bloody truth of battle, wasn’t it?

“...I-”

@cuttingedgeservice

It was the worst time to be out of staves. Time almost seemed to skip in the moment Dwyer realized he could not dodge the attack. At first, it was slow, the dagger taking its time to make contact as Dwyer’s body turns as if it were submerged in tar.

And then it was quicker than light, lancing into his right side before he can register it. Pain explodes in his chest, and the impact of the projectile sends the young troubadour staggering backwards, a hand latching onto the hilt in an attempt to keep the dagger in. However, as luck would have it, Dwyer finds himself falling down hard on an exposed tree root, the jolt of the fall driving the dagger in deeper before pulling it out entirely as he ends up with his back to the tree itself.

@cuttingedgeservice

“Ah...”

So was this to a talk about his future? Perhaps a lecture or the like on making the ‘right decisions’ and ‘being less lazy’. Sure, his father had mentioned choices, but...

“... What choices do I have?”

That statement wasn’t really supposed to be out loud, but there’s no taking it back now. Deciding to roll with his slip-up, Dwyer continues.

[Cue a lovely rotating shot of a baby gate]

Corrin: Now you can keep your retainers from doing things they -and you- would regret! It's easy! Just place your retainer inside, and the Retainer Restrainer does the rest for you! But don't take just my word for it! Listen to these satisfied customers!

Leo: My retainer? Out of control. But thanks to the Retainer Restrainer, I've gotten him to stop trying to sleep with everything that breathes!

[In the background, Niles winks at the camera]

Hinoka: My retainer just can't seem to keep herself out of trouble. But ever since I got the Retainer Restrainer, I can rest easy knowing that she'll stay safe.

[In the background, Setsuna has her head stuck between the bars]

Elise: My retainer is just so strong! I was so worried that she may end up hurting herself or others on accident! But now, the Retainer Restrainer has everything under control!

[in the background, Effie bends open the bars, leaves, returns with a loaf of bread, and bends the bars back.]

Corrin: Amazing! But the Retainer Restrainer works on more than just retainers! Use it for your unruly children! Your siblings! Even use it for your evil father! The possibilities are endless! But wait! There's more! Order now, and we'll throw in the accessory as well, absolutely free!

[Corrin holds up a sign that reads "Gay Baby Jail"]

“A moment...?”

“Mother, this is a ridiculous amount of pillows... where did you even get all of these?”