Originally written for AuroraDerall as part of Yuletide 2018 and posted on AO3.
Viktor was in one of the unused rooms at the top of the castle, just like Leona had said. It wasn't one that the cleaning and rebuilding crews had gotten to yet, but it wasn't one Neclord had redecorated either. It was just a simple, stone cube with a thick coating of dust on the floor. A couple lonely, equally dusty crates sat abandoned in the corner, forgotten while people still lived in the town. Viktor was sitting in the window, watching the setting sun.
Filk stomped to let Viktor know he was there, his feet sending up clouds of dust with every step. It didn't make Viktor turn around, which thankfully gave Flik enough time to repress his sneezing fit. He'd make some soldiers clean this place up first thing tomorrow for sure.
"Found Rikimaru and Hanna wandering around to the south, right near the Cave of Wind. They didn't have any soldiers with them, but Riou's squirrel landed on my head on the way back. They're all scarfing down whatever Leona's managed to scrape up for dinner now."
Viktor nodded absently. "Good to hear. I found Li's platoon lost in the forest, which brings our strength up to about 750 men."
"If we can find everyone we lost, that's about 1250 regular soldiers. Up against Luca Blight's army..." They weren't great odds. In fact, they were downright terrible odds. The only reason Flik was even trying was because it was fight or die. "I hope Apple's strategist friend is as good as she says he is."
"It's our only chance," Viktor said, still focused on the horizon. It wasn't strange to see Viktor serious, but it was strange to see him distant. Flik had hardly ever known his friend to have many thoughts past the here and now. It was what balanced them out.
"So what's on your mind?" Flik asked, and planted himself down in the window too. It was more than big enough for both of them.
"Destiny." Viktor settled back against the window frame and finally looked at Flik. "Doesn't this all seem a bit familiar? We're running around getting our shit kicked in by some bastard with an army, a kid with a True Rune shows up, we do a bit more running, and now the kid's off to find a strategist. Next..."
Flik smiled. "Next we start winning, right?"
"If we're lucky. Barbarossa was never as bad as this Luca." Viktor looked away again. "Even Neclord's here."
Flik didn't know what to say to that. Neclord and North Window weren't exactly forbidden topics between them, but they didn't come up a lot. They had both agreed to leave their pasts behind them to focus on the present, and if Viktor occasionally drank a bit too much burying the dead after a battle and if Flik sometimes spent an entire evening polishing his sword in the moonlight...well, it was just for the night. They'd pick each other up in the morning and never mention it.
But Neclord was back, Annabelle was dead by an ally's hand, and they were living in North Window. Viktor had spent an evening in Kaku buying Flik beer and listening to him rant about the snot-nosed punk running the Liberation Army in Odessa's place without complaint or blame, just sympathetic smiles and occasionally mentioning that the snot-nosed punk wasn't so bad when you got to know him. And he'd been right, in the end, and Flik had never quite figured out how to thank him for not letting Flik run off and split the Liberation Army in two over his own petty feelings. Maybe the time was now.
If he had the slightest idea of what to say.
"Neclord will be back, and this time we know his tricks," Flik said finally. "We're not going to fall for another clone. It's not good, having to deal with him and Highland at the same time, but we'll manage. We did it before, right?"
"I'm sure as hell not letting him get away again. The sword thinks he's got some sort of rune backing him up, but swears he can handle it this time. All we need is for him to stand and fight."
"Speaking of...where is your pal?" He wasn't slung over Viktor's shoulder like usual, which was odd in and of itself. Viktor wasn't the kind of man to lay down any sword easily.
Viktor looked a bit embarrassed. "Well...I got sick of his complaining, so I tucked him into bed and left him there. Should be nice and comfy, right?"
Flik mentally prepared himself for a long night of soothing the Star Dragon Sword's ego.
"Someone will probably check on him if he kicks up enough of a fuss, so it's not like I left him alone or anything. It's fine." Viktor looked back out on the darkening land, the fading light painting him dark and red. "Don't worry, Flik, I'm not going to run off on my own. I know Neclord isn't the real enemy here."
"I didn't think you would."
They sat in silence after that. Just above them, right where the sky faded from pale blue to dusky purple, the stars were coming out. Flik wondered which ones were theirs.
"I still can't believe we lost Muse just like that," Viktor said, breaking the silence. "If those Matilda knights hadn't deserted us, if we'd held on a bit longer..." If Jowy hadn't turned hung between them without being said.
"We're going to have a hard time rallying the rest of the City-States without Annabelle." They had already been having a hard time getting all the bickering mayors to work together, and that was with Annabelle providing the support of the most ancient and respected city. If anyone else held back even after seeing what happened to Muse and South Window...
"Yeah, she was sharp enough to see the real threat. Most of the rest of these old men would rather die separately than give up a scrap of their power."
"Viktor..."
"Hey, don't worry about me." There was still just enough light to see the bitter smile pass over Viktor's face. "She was way too good for me from the beginning. A clever, educated mayor can't fall for some grubby mercenary, there'd be riots in the street. With that Jess kid at their head."
"You could say the same thing about me and Odessa." Flik gave Viktor a light kick to the shin. "Look...if you want to talk, I'll listen. Or we can go down and see what liquor Leona managed to save."
"Three casks of rice wine and a bottle of port. I was planning on breaking open the port when the kids got back, so that's off-limits. Right now...I think I'll just stay here."
"All right, I'll stay too. It's getting a bit chilly, though." The nighttime winds were picking up, and they went through Flik's cape like it wasn't even there. He shivered a little, despite himself.
Viktor's teeth flashed in the fading light. "Ha! You southern types can't take a real North Window breeze, can you? This here is nothing compared to how it'll be in the winter! We get real snow up here, not like that wussy stuff down in Toran." His smile faded. "Thanks, though."
Flik shrugged.
"Still...it's Riou you should feel sorry for. If this is like the last time, it's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better."
"'When the True Runes gather, men fall as destiny shakes.' I saw that in one of the Qlon Temple books." Flik had spent a long time talking with Fukien while Viktor and the others were in the cave. There had been enough True Runes running around that war to make him want to know everything about them - and none of it had been reassuring. Odd to think that the Star Dragon Sword was by far the most friendly of its brethren.
"I don't like blaming everything on destiny, but something's going on, something we don't know about." Viktor's fingers tapped on his arm the way they did when he wanted to be swinging his sword around and couldn't. "It's stupid of me, but Jowy had a reason. He must have."
"That's what Riou and Nanami think."
"I believe them. You can say it's wishful thinking, but... I guess I just don't want to believe that a kid who'd fight an entire fortress to rescue his friend would betray that same friend for no reason. Maybe I'm just a sap."
"Who are you kidding? You're definitely a sap." Flik smiled at him. "But so am I, I guess. I don't want to think he really turned either."
Viktor raised his hand in a mock-salute. "Here's to saps."
There was a loud crash and cursing beneath them, and looking down, Flik saw a fire outlining Zamza arguing with someone he couldn't see. He looked up at Viktor, who sighed. "Look like break time's over. C'mon Flik, we got a castle to run."
"No time for moping in a war, huh?" Flik picked himself up and stretched, listening to his back pop with a bit of dismay. He was getting old. "But if we live long enough to get some good liquor...I'll spend the evening drinking it with you."
"...thanks. I appreciate it." Viktor clapped an arm around Flik's shoulder and together they stumbled towards the door.