Chapter Text
Lloyd sulked in the footbath and lazily swayed his legs. It should have been relaxing, but his mind continued to run rampant the same way it had since his brother’s murder. Despite taking in all he could of the fresh mountain air, his thoughts remained trapped in the haze of his dejection. The past two months had been a blur of pain. Guy was gone, and Lloyd was forced to leave his friends and home behind. He still hadn’t fully processed everything. He didn’t even know if he wanted to process it all, as if remaining in limbo would hurt less than meeting reality head on.
His movements were more sluggish than they had ever been, and he stole more downward glances. It felt like a lifetime ago that he had genuinely smiled.
He had made little progress with his emotions despite Uncle Henry's efforts to show him around Calvard during his time off work. His awful state of mind must have been uncomfortably apparent if planning a week-long special trip to the Empire seemed like the next best tactic. Given the current political climate, it was a strange choice to Lloyd, but his uncle insisted that it would offer him a more refreshing change of pace. Sure, Lloyd felt better than he did when he curled up in bed and wished his current life was just a nightmare he would eventually wake from, but it wasn't by much.
Lloyd sighed. Since he was on such a special vacation, he shouldn’t have been moping around. Guy probably would have teased him for it. At the very least, he could try to honor his brother and find something fun to take his mind off of everything. He recalled his uncle saying that he would be resting in their room at the Phoenix Wings, but more time indoors was definitely not what Lloyd needed right now. He finally looked up from his feet and turned his head to study the town that surrounded him.
It was early June, though Ymir wasn’t nearly as warm as Lloyd was used to late spring being. His uncle had told him about the wonderland the town became during the winter, and he imagined the wooden buildings covered in snow and children playing in the cold. He had asked Uncle Henry why they came here if winter was the prime time to visit and was met with a shrug and a ‘Hot springs are perfect in any season’. He suspected the real reason was because it was far from home.
The weather was comfortable enough for Lloyd to wear his lightweight white jacket open with a blue tee and dark brown khakis. The pant legs were rolled up so they wouldn’t get wet, and his brown sneakers sat beside him. Temporarily taken out of his gloomy state, he felt like he was starting to genuinely enjoy the water, but he knew he needed to find something to occupy him, or else his inner peace wouldn’t last long. As he was about to pull his feet out of the water, he heard a voice call out to him.
“Um, hello, there!” Lloyd flinched and whipped his head around to see a boy with messy black hair, who looked about his age, approaching from behind. The boy laughed nervously and fidgeted with the collar of his red short-sleeved shirt as he approached. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, gazing at Lloyd with apologetic lilac eyes. “Do you mind if I sit next to you?”
“Oh, n-not at all!” Lloyd stammered. With how quiet it was, he had forgotten he was in a public place.
He watched the other boy remove his brown boots and sit next to him, rolling up his blue jeans and sighing in relief as his feet entered the water. Lloyd could quite literally see the tension melting off of him and wished the bath could be even half as potent for himself.
The other boy spoke with his eyes still closed. “Man, the only thing that beats this is the hot spring at the Phoenix Wings.”
Lloyd chuckled. “I’ll have to spend some time there while I’m here, then.”
“I’d say it’s your biggest priority.” The other boy nodded and turned his head to look at Lloyd. “If it was winter, I’d also say snowboarding is a must, but I guess fishing will have to be number two for now.” He held out his hand. “I’m Rean, by the way. Rean Schwarzer.”
Lloyd extended his arm to shake the boy's hand. “Lloyd Bannings. It’s nice to meet you, Rean.” He smiled, but it must have looked forced since Rean’s face flashed with concern before smiling back.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Lloyd,” Rean said as they both retracted their arms. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you here on vacation?”
Their conversation progressed, and Lloyd talked about his life in Crossbell, living with his brother, and how he was now living with his uncle in Calvard, skipping over the recent tragedy. It wasn’t fair to dump his grief onto someone he’d just met. He expected Rean to ask questions that would end in him spilling the rest of his story, but he luckily didn’t. Whether the other boy did it on purpose or by chance, Lloyd was relieved.
Rean explained that was the son of Baron and Lady Schwarzer, that he had a sister named Elise, and that he was an Eight Leaves One Blade Practitioner, a student of the Sword Hermit Yun Ka-fai. At the last bit of information, Lloyd's eyes widened.
“You mean like Arios MacLaine?” He was in shock. Rean must have been super strong, or at least much stronger than him and his ‘baby arms’ as Guy had called them more than a few times.
Rean gave an embarrassed laugh and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, but I’m nowhere near as good as him. I’m not even considered a proper Beginner.”
“Well, no one starts out as a master of their craft,” Lloyd remarked. “I bet you’ll be even stronger than him one day.”
Rean became flustered. “I-I’d like to think so, but I don’t know how practical that is.”
“Well, practical or not, I think it’s possible with time,” Lloyd said.
Rean smiled. “I’m glad you believe in me.”
At some point during their chat, they learned that Rean was younger by a year, and Lloyd was struck by a pang of inadequacy. He had always wanted to be as strong as his older brother and had figured that the best way to achieve that was by enrolling at the police academy in July. Now, he was face to face with a younger boy who had not only already begun training but had been doing so for the past four years. It made Lloyd feel like he had lost so much precious time. If he had started training in something when he was eleven like Rean had, maybe he could have found a way to save Guy. He could have been strong enough to back him up on that rainy night. He could have stopped this nightmare from happening at all. His features began to falter as he continued to exchange words with Rean. His mind started to run in circles again, and he could feel himself fighting the pull of his bitter thoughts.
“Sorry if I’m overstepping my bounds,” Rean began, “but you look like you have a lot on your mind.” Lloyd had apparently done a horrible job hiding his mental turmoil.
“You’re not wrong,” Lloyd sighed. “My uncle brought me here to help me relax, but so far, it’s not going well.”
“Well then, I’ll make sure that by the end of your trip, you’ve done everything a spring in Ymir has to offer,” Rean stated with conviction.
“Y-You really don’t have to!” Lloyd insisted, waving his hands in front of him. “I don’t want to take up your time.” Rean suddenly taking it upon himself to essentially be his tour guide wasn’t necessarily unwelcome, but it felt like overkill.
“Trust me, I’m no stranger to helping people out around here, residents and visitors alike,” Rean replied. “I’m sure my family wouldn’t even mind if you and your uncle had dinner with us.”
“There’s no need, honest!” Lloyd partially wondered if Rean would suggest they have a sleepover next.
Rean looked at him skeptically. “Are you sure? I’m worried you’ll spend the whole time being stuck in your own head otherwise.”
Lloyd pressed his lips into a thin line. Rean was right, and he was already about to leave the footbath and find something else to do before their encounter. “Well, okay,” Lloyd said. “I’ll take you up on your offer.”
---
They eventually left the bath, and Rean invited Lloyd to the Schwarzer Mansion. They needed gear to go fishing, and since they were headed to the mountain path, Rean wanted to bring his tachi for protection. Lloyd stared in awe as the two of them walked inside. It was a wry large home but somehow had a cozy air to it. He could imagine all the winter nights when the family would gather around their living room fireplace and share time together. He wished he could enjoy more tender moments with both Guy and Cecile, but that could never happen again. He started to get dragged back into the void in his head but was stopped by a woman’s voice and the sound of approaching footsteps.
“Oh, Rean!” Lloyd turned to see a black-haired woman walking out of the living room. “Is he a new friend?”
“Hi, Mom. Yeah, this is Lloyd.” Rean made a gesture with his hands. “He’s spending the week here with his uncle. He lives in Calvard.”
“Why, hello, Lloyd.” The woman gave a small bow. “I’m Lucia, Rean’s mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Lucia.” Lloyd smiled back.
“We’re going fishing, so we came to pick up some gear,” Rean explained.
“All right, dear. Remember to be safe, both of you.” Lucia eyed them sternly.
Rean nodded. “We will.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lloyd replied.
“And Lloyd,” Lucia started with a warm smile, “We would be more than happy to have both you and your uncle for dinner later this evening.”
Lloyd turned pink. The hospitality Rean and his mother were giving him was too much for him to handle all at once. “I-It’s fine, really!”
“Please, let us take care of both of you,” Lucia insisted. “You deserve to make this trip special for coming such a long way.”
Lloyd was eventually forced to relent and promised that he and his uncle would join the Schwarzers that evening. He and Rean gathered what they needed and left the mansion, making sure to stop by the Phoenix Wings to let his uncle know about their dinner plans before setting out to fish. Uncle Henry beamed at the two of them as if making a new friend meant Lloyd was making significant progress in healing. Whether he was or not, Lloyd didn’t know, but he felt some relief in knowing that Rean was going to help him take his mind off the harsh realities of his new life.
The two boys arrived at a stream and cast their lines. Luckily, the activity didn’t remind Lloyd too much of Guy for it to make him spiral, but he did find his face drooping a little at the idea that he would never fish with his brother again. To shake the thought away, he turned to see how Rean was doing. The boy now wore a scabbard on his left hip, attached to the belt around his waist, and Lloyd couldn’t help but stare at it. Rean was on a journey to become stronger. For what reasons, Lloyd didn’t know, but he was jealous that the younger boy was already working towards something so grand.
He wondered if he could catch up to Rean one day.
Rean turned his head towards Lloyd and smiled. “These fish aren’t going to catch themselves,” he teased.
Lloyd couldn’t help but smile back. “You’ve got that right.”
Fishing was surprisingly relaxing. Whenever Lloyd felt like he was slipping deep into his thoughts, Rean’s voice would pull him back out. He was thankful for it and called himself foolish for initially trying to turn down the other boy’s offer to show him around. Rean was fun to talk to, and it was in the midst of their conversation that Lloyd realized how fast they had clicked. Maybe at the end of his vacation, he would ask Rean if he wanted to become pen pals.
The two of them brought their catches back to the Schwarzer Mansion just in time to help Lucia prepare dinner. The thought of having freshly-caught fish for dinner with a new friend and his family made Lloyd feel warm inside. Lucia seemed pleased with his work gutting the fish and chopping vegetables in the kitchen, and he felt proud of himself for it.
When it was almost time to eat, the boys left to fetch Uncle Henry, who enthusiastically asked about their day and Rean’s family. Lloyd was simultaneously amused and embarrassed by his uncle’s behavior, but Rean didn’t seem fazed by it at all.
They returned to the mansion in time to see the rest of the family beginning to gather around the dining table. Lloyd and his uncle properly introduced themselves to Baron Schwarzer, who insisted they simply call him Teo, and to Rean’s sister, Elise.
It was the first time since the tragedy that Lloyd truly felt like he was eating with family. He found himself grinning throughout their mealtime conversations and was excited for what the rest of the trip would have in store. At some point, he made eye contact with his uncle across the table who flashed him a face that screamed ‘I told you this trip was a good idea’ before continuing his chat with Teo about hunting. He shook his head exasperatedly and resumed eating, pausing every now and then to talk to Rean and Elise.
“You two seem to get along well,” the girl giggled from Rean's side. “I have a feeling that you could become very close friends.” The two boys exchanged glances and turned their heads to look at her again. Elise gave her brother a stern look. “You better send him letters, Rean! You know how little you get to meet other boys your age.”
Rean scratched his cheek nervously. “Er, what do you say, Lloyd? I think it would be fun to stay in touch.”
Lloyd's mind stuttered. He didn’t think that this would be brought up after knowing Rean for only a few hours, especially when he was going to hold off until the end of the week to ask the question himself. “T-That would be great!” He blurted.
Elise beamed at both of them, and Rean shyly tittered.
She continued to elaborate that her brother didn’t have many friends since Ymir was so small and that he needed to make more. Rean huffed and attempted to argue that Elise had the same issue, but the girl’s response was that the situation was ‘different’ for Rean.
The siblings had a wordless exchange of faces after the remark, which left Lloyd to tilt his head in confusion. He was clearly missing some context but decided not to press for information. Their expressions gave him the impression that it was a very serious matter.
Just as Lloyd had jokingly thought to himself earlier in the day, the Schwarzers asked if he wanted to sleep over. At this point, there was no way he could deny their kindness, so he found himself lying on a futon in Rean’s room. His uncle insisted on staying at the room he booked at the Phoenix Wings. Lloyd guessed it was to give him more space to hang out with his new friend, and he would have lied if he said he wasn’t grateful.
“Are you comfortable?” Rean asked from his bed. “I can always grab more pillows or blankets if you need any.”
Lloyd never expected to be welcomed so adamantly into someone’s home in his life, let alone on a vacation to another country. “Everything is perfect,” he replied. He was already rolled up in his blanket and ready to fall asleep whenever Rean decided he was too tired to continue their conversation.
“Are you sure?”
He was going to leave Ymir in a body bag, killed by Rean’s kindness. “Positive.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.”
Lloyd exhaled exasperatedly. “I’ll be fine, Rean. I swear.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll drop it,” Rean giggled.
The two boys talked and laughed late into the night.