Eliwood
I find myself in a quandary I never thought I'd consider. Young Lilina is reaching her second birthday, and as she grows, she more and more resembles your Ositian friend. She doesn't tell me, but I have seen uncertainty cross Florina's face as she cares for her. At the same time, your letters have made me aware that my return to Sacae has left a power vacuum behind, with the title of heir or heiress to the Ositian throne left to Father Sky.
As much as it pains me to ink these letters, I believe I have a mutual solution to both our problems. I will be willing to return Lilina to her father in Ositia. Beth has birthed a daughter, so we will not be without a child to call our own. My only fear is that Lilina will not be safe in the care of your friend. If I were to return Lilina to Ositia, I would require your word that she will be watched over. The decision to willingly give up my own child will not be taken lightly.
A thousand blessings upon your family
Lyn
Eliwood looked up from Lyn's letter, any formality of resembling a Lycian paper shattered by the sheer fact it was written on Sacaean parchment. Nevertheless, the words written upon it were no less significant to Eliwood than those he encountered in his duties as the Marquess of Pherae.
"Ninian…" Eliwood called, the uncertainty in his manner certainly demonstrating itself. Ninian entered the room, and looked at Eliwood. She was still nursing young Roy in her arms, and it was for that reason she chose not to react to the sight of the Sacaean letter before her.
"What did she say?" Ninian asked.
"She wants… no, she'll allow Lilina to return to Lycia… to Ositia…" Eliwood told her. The shock in his manner was evident. He was clearly remembering that fateful day, even though it was two years ago… that day, when Hector made his greatest mistake… even though it was two years ago, Eliwood could not deny that he still harboured resentment to that moment. He had not seen Hector since, and although both claimed the stress of becoming Marquess as the reason, all involved knew better.
"She'll make a sacrifice for the good of Lycia?" Ninian asked, surprised. It would be hard not to be. Lyn was the rightful heir of Caelin, but after that incident, that would be as far as her faith in the country went.
"Well, she does say Beth's got a daughter… but yes. She does say that she's not going to accept that Hector'll keep Lilina well on good faith," Eliwood explained. Ninian nodded, the whole story making more sense than the few parts.
"We'll have to discuss this with Hector. In person, as much as either of us would prefer by letter," Ninian told him, stroking Roy's hair.
"What's your problem with him?" Eliwood asked, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion. Ninian demonstrated remarkable patience with Hector, despite everything. However, it was not because of Hector that she showed reluctance. Roy let out a small burp, letting out a dribble over himself.
"Oh…" Eliwood realised, Ninian's concern clearing up.
"Yeah, I don't think Roy's up to a trip to Ositia…" Ninian told him simply.
"That's fine… we can leave him with Rebecca, it shouldn't be too bad," Eliwood observed. Ninian agreed with him, but still felt uneasy leaving her child.
Eliwood and Ninian arrived at Castle Ositia the next day. Ositia towered over them, a keep of pure, idealised beauty. Eliwood knew Hector was one to prefer the more informal charms of Pherae and Caelin, but he could hardly knock down a castle to suit his whims. Eliwood signalled to the castle's guard, a young-looking knight.
"Lord Eliwood! What brings you here to Ositia?" the soldier asked, constantly shifting about. It was clear as day this guard was new to the job.
"We are here on private business with Lord Hector," Eliwood told the soldier, keeping his tone firm.
"I'm afraid I can't accept that answer, not even for you, Lord Eliwood. I need to know your official business," the soldier stated, his voice cracking slightly.
"Barth!" a voice cracked like a whip, sending the soldier (clearly named Barth) to attention. Eliwood looked up, and waved at the approaching form of Oswin.
"Barth, Lord Eliwood is a special case with regards to access to Ositia Castle. You can let him in. I will not blame you for your mistake this time, since it's been a while since Lord Eliwood has made an appearance, but take more care when allies approach the castle. It's all well and good to remain tough on enemy approach, but not at the expense of allies," Oswin told Barth. Barth saluted, chanted a well-rehearsed 'sir-yes-sir', and returned to his post.
"Got good potential, that one. So what can I do for you, Lord Eliwood?" Oswin asked, standing at attention, if a little informally (if that were possible).
"We received a letter from Sacae with interesting news for Hector. I would rather not discuss the fine details out here, though," Eliwood explained, taking care to subtly stress certain syllables to Oswin. From the knowing look on Oswin's face, it was likely that he caught the intended message.
"Then you'd best see him as quickly as you are able, then," Oswin stated, and, after Eliwood and Ninian sent their horses to the stable, escorted them up to Hector's meeting room.
Eliwood and Ninian were waiting barely five minutes before Hector arrived. He nodded coolly at Eliwood, and held out his hand for his letter. Ninian raised her eyebrow.
"Come now, Hector, is that any way to treat your old friend?" Ninian asked. Hector turned to Ninian, ready to claim her wrong, but the words lost themselves on the way up.
"My apologies. It's great to see you again, Eliwood… at least, that's what I would say. I know why you're here, though, and that's what's causing this…" Hector let out, his attempt at a joyful smile quickly being thwarted.
"Oh…" Ninian responded, looking down. Eliwood held out the parchment, and Hector took it. He read it through at least twice, to make sure he understood it, before returning it.
"So she's going to give me my daughter, but she doesn't trust me with her?" Hector asked, somewhat furious. Not quite, though.
"Hector, I'm your best friend, and I wouldn't trust you with a kid," Eliwood stated. Hector didn't argue- he knew it was true. But at the same time, it seemed a million times more insulting coming from Lyn. And he'd need to provide a solution for her.
"I have reliable caretakers, do I not?" Hector asked.
"Serra? I know Florina trusts her on a personal level, but I'd agree she's probably not very child-friendly. Matthew would be better, if you weren't sending him out of the castle every other day. And Oswin's not one for daughters," Ninian suggested.
"She could visit Pherae and have Rebecca take care of her?" Eliwood asked.
"Thanks for the offer. I'm probably going to lean on that while I wrap my head around this responsibility thing. I'll go compose a letter for Lyn right away," Hector exclaimed.
"I'll compose the letter, thank you," Eliwood stated. Hector growled, as he realised why that was accurate- Lyn's refusal to acknowledge Hector's existence ran deep. A letter from him would likely get ignored regardless of content- if it even made it to Lyn in the first place.
"She's really going to hold that grudge, isn't she?" Hector asked.
Eliwood and Ninian were on their way home not long after, Eliwood thinking long and hard about what he was going to write in his letter. Sure, he had written letters to Lyn that avoided discussing Hector before, but this letter was a lot more important than simply catching up with a lost friend. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that, while he stopped when Ninian did, he missed why, and the fear in both Ninian and Rebecca, until Ninian directly addressed him with the message.
"Roy's been taken," Rebecca stated. Eliwood seized up.
"By whom?" Eliwood asked, trying not to mask his frantic fear. If Rebecca couldn't keep Roy safe… there was no way Lilina was coming to Lycia.
"Bandits," Rebecca stated. Eliwood jumped- that wasn't what he had expected.
"Then we go after them," Eliwood stated confidently.
"I've got my bow and your rapier… but I don't think you're quite that good. No offence," Rebecca told him.
"…We'll go fetch Hector and then go after them," Eliwood conceded, chuckling.
Hector was the one to lead the small party on the bandit's stronghold. Rebecca served as their guide in terms of tracking, but really, Hector could've probably done that, too. Eliwood pulled up the cowl of a cloak, and approached the bandit stronghold cautiously.
"This was a terrible idea…" Hector whispered nervously, watching Eliwood proceed.
"It's your own damn fault for sending Matthew on some fool's errand, now for Elimine's sake, shut up!" Ninian whispered back. Hector looked down, humbled.
Eliwood was focused on his goal, but made sure to keep one ear out for potential scouts. As far as he could tell, they were largely ballista users- while the heavy footfalls of bandits echoed in front of him as they drank to their heart's content, there seemed no sign of bandit footsteps outside the hold. Hector and Barth could shrug off ballista bolts easily. Eliwood stepped up to the door, and knocked on the door. The yells quietened down, and a yell sounded. The door opened, and a rough-looking face with an ale-soaked shirt looked out the window.
"Who do ya think ya are?" the bandit asked.
"I'm a travelling merchant, wandering the continent in search of valuables to buy. Rather unlike a traditional merchant, wouldn't you say, but no one turns down gold!" Eliwood explained. The bandit looked at Eliwood's unassuming robe.
"Duh… wha?" the bandit asked. Eliwood sighed. Of all the things to go wrong with this plan, this was low on the likelihood scale.
"Oy, Pete? Wha's a da door?" another, stronger voice yelled from down the hall.
"Merchy guy? He's here to give us gold?" this bandit, named Pete, called. He seemed genuinely confused by Eliwood's gambit… which Eliwood could not understand why, but the chance to find the smartest bandit in the bunch would not be rejected.
Pete led Eliwood to the bandit leader, the dirtiest and most ale-soaked of the bunch. He was cussing out some other lackey as Eliwood approached, but dropped the tone as soon as he laid eyes on Eliwood.
"So… you're the merchant who buys our goods for gold, eh?" the bandit leader asked, spitting food all over Eliwood's cloak. Eliwood winced, hoping the cowl was enough to conceal his disgust.
"Yes I am. Do you happen to have any goods worth selling?" Eliwood asked.
"S'matter of fact, I do. However, I'm not telling it to any damn merchant who walks in here like he's somebody," the bandit leader drawled, trying his hardest to seem intelligent.
"A child?" Eliwood asked. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realised what a poor tactical decision doing so was.
"A kid? You think we're selling a kid? That's only if them Pherae nobles don't give us enough monies to do otherwise. They get first call on getting that kid," the bandit leader spat. His eyes screwed up, and he held up his hand. Any chatter around the room was silenced, as he started looking around.
"Do you hear that?" the bandit leader asked. Eliwood pricked up his ears, and listened for the sounds the thug heard. Heavy, armoured footsteps, and the creaking of a ballista changing positions.
*Thwip* *Plink*
*Thwip* *Thud*
"The ballista are firing! Somebody's found us!" the bandit leader exclaimed. He went to move, before finding a rapier at his throat. Eliwood had removed his cloak, revealing his identity across the hideout.
"If you give me back my son, I will think twice about having you all executed," Eliwood rumbled, any trace of pleasure the merchant identity might have happened to convey vanishing with the identity.
"Heh… you think you're so smart, pulling the wool over our eyes like that? We have you surrounded, don't we?" the bandit taunted. Eliwood cast his eyes around. The only one with an axe was beside the door, and the rest were simply staring at the leader slack-jawed. Eliwood smirked at these odds.
*Thud* *Thud*
"Surrounded by one guy," Eliwood boasted. The bandit leader noticed what Eliwood had a smidge too late, as Eliwood thrusted his rapier right into his throat. The one bandit with an axe was crushed by the door, as Hector barged into the room, the Wolf Beil flying around with a sinister whirl. Bandits began quivering in fear, as Hector slammed the Wolf Beil down on one head, two heads, three heads at once. He kicked aside broken bodies into swarms of other bandits. A pair of thugs, bigger and meaner than most, threw solid punches from two directions. Hector swung Wolf Beil at one, relieving him of his right hand, while he caught the other punch in his left, only losing a few centimetres due to the force. Hector twisted, causing a very distinct snapping sound, and dropped thug number two to the ground. Thug number one tried slinging another punch with his left hand, only for Hector's Wolf Beil to cut that off, too.
"What the hell, man?" the thug roared in pain.
"You lost the right to mercy when you took my godson!" Hector bellowed in fury.
"Godso… ROY!" Eliwood cried out. He looked around in a panic. He had failed to run a headcount on the bandits, so the possibility that one slipped away for Roy was very real. Whether the bandit would try to sell him or kill him was up to him, a fact Eliwood was going to do his darnedest to rectify before the crook's mind was made up.
This fellow, name of Edmund, had mercifully taken the 'sell' route. He had nabbed Roy shortly after Eliwood had expressed interest in the boy, and snuck out a back door to make sure that the boy could still be sold. As far as he was concerned, a rout here would mean that there would be less people to share with. He saw Hector's cape enter the castle, and quietly cheered. The entrance was clear.
Or so he thought.
"Just where do you think you're going with that boy?" a knight clad in blue armour asked. His lance was readied, and his stance firm.
"Ey! Git atta da way if ya know what's gud fer ya!" Edmund yelled, brandishing his axe.
"I have no idea what that means, but I assure you, you will need to beat me. And I will not be an easy foe!" the knight boomed. His voice cracked slightly, but it was clear this foe at least had the resolve to back up his claim, if not the strength. Edmund began with an axe stroke that landed far from the knight, and he himself was struck in the side by the knight's lance. If Edmund were to fight the knight on proper footing, he'd have to set down the baby.
"I'll take him off your hands," a heavenly voice told him. Edmund passed off the baby without a second thought, readying his axe. The ballista bolt sung a deadly arc, striking Edmund straight in the heart and sinking him there.
"Good thing I did that minor in ballista use!" Rebecca called from the bandit stronghold's wall.
"Well aimed, Rebecca," Ninian responded, Roy in her arms. As it should always have been.
"Well… it was definitely very bloody, but we got Roy back," Eliwood remarked, as the group made their way back to Ositia.
"Easier than I had expected, too. Though it's not like I'd have flinched if they were all Fire Dragons!" Hector proudly claimed. Eliwood chuckled to himself, but let Hector's claim go unchallenged.
"And he was just your godson… imagine if that were your child," Ninian gently stated. Eliwood nodded, and Hector looked between the two, confused.
"What are you talking about?" Hector asked, confused.
"You'll see…" Eliwood told him. He had a strong suspicion that this could be a tipping point in favour of Lyn sending Lilina to Ositia. After all, Hector's strength was legendary, and Lyn had to have fallen for him somehow…
Lyndis
I am sorry to hear that you feel that way about Lilina, but I cannot deny how much Ositia, and Lycia as a whole, needs her. We would be honoured to take Lilina into our care.
I am aware of your lack of faith in the Ositian lord, but he has proven his worth. Young Roy was taken by bandits, and it was with his strength that Roy was saved. While Pherae may be required to provide for Lilina, there can be no doubt that there is no safer place for her to reside than Ositia.
Eliwood
Florina read the letter a third time, nerves still settling over her. This was her responsibility- to bring Lilina to Ositia. The thought of being this close to him send a shiver up her spine, but her memory of the Ilian code kept her focused and resolved. She looked down at Lilina, who remained sound asleep, and Lyn's letter still folded on her sheets. Florina thanked Father Sky- if Lilina were awake, it would be much harder for her to do what she had to do.
Florina landed a distance away from Ositia Castle, and took Lilina's basket off her pegasus. She turned in the direction of the castle, and let out a heaving breath.
"Still scared of him?" a voice asked from behind her. Florina jumped, almost dropping Lilina were it not for her white-knuckled grip. Lilina stumbled in the basket, but neither her nor the letter was dropped.
"Matthew!" Florina exclaimed softly. She didn't want to wake up Lilina… she didn't want to have to see her again.
"I know why you're here. Thanks for the heiress… if you wish, I could take her from here," Matthew remarked. Florina looked down at Lilina, and then back at Matthew.
"That… would be nice. Thank you…" Florina muttered, holding out the basket. Matthew took it, careful not to touch it, and looked inside. Lilina stirred in her sleep, a bright smile on her face, and the letter still wedged in her hand.
"Do we still need the letter?" Matthew asked.
"Yes… that's for Lilina…" Florina whispered. Matthew nodded knowingly, and Florina hopped astride her pegasus. Matthew looked at the envelope thoughtfully. The revelation that it was for Lilina's eyes, and not Hector's, set him up for a lot of double-guessing himself on the way to Ositia. Were it for Hector, he'd read it without a second thought. But for Lilina… the letter seemed much more personal, addressed to her.
Lilina
I know not how old you will be when you first read these words. But I want you to know, no matter your age, that I love you with all my heart.
I left your father because of personal reasons. This is not a mark against his character- for all I'll know, he might be a great father. But I will not be able to visit you in Ositia while he still rules, nor will I permit him to come and visit in Sacae. Besides, I expect he will be far too busy to do so regardless.
In my absence, I have it on good faith that Lord Eliwood of Pherae will ensure that you, in addition to his own son Roy, will grow to be a strong, fair ruler on your own terms. Lady Ninian is kind and forgiving beyond belief, and Rebecca is a caring nursemaid. I'm sure these two will take care of you.
Someday, I vow to see you again. I love you dearly, my daughter…
A thousand blessings upon you
Mother
Florina
Beth
Lilina reread the note to calm herself. She knew that she couldn't die here- she hadn't met her mother yet, and there was no way Mother Earth would let her fall before doing so. She cast another glance around the room. It was an admittedly nice one, but her fear of heights prevented her from moving from her bed. The fact that her mother's letter was on her person was the only reason that she could continue to read it and draw comfort from it.
Footfalls sounded on the stairs. But it wasn't anywhere close to mealtime…