1

It's a normal day in the Kingdom of Askr; Reinhardt had just finished grooming his horse and is now sitting down by the stables reading a book on ancient Askran magic. He picks his head up from his book as he hears footsteps heading his way. Soon enough standing before him is Kiran, the trusted strategist of the Askran army. "Reinhardt!" Kiran's voice is filled with excitement, "I've got some great news!"

"Oh?" the thunder mage stands up from his seat. As he gets up he notices the empty bag hanging around the tactician's waist. A deflated sigh leaves him, "don't tell me you went summoning again. I thought you said you were going to save up this time."

"I did," the tactician's voice trails off slightly, "but I just had to summon today!" The mage knight inwardly shakes his head, thinking of all the efforts he went through yesterday to get those orbs. "Anyway, I went summoning, and this time I got a friend for you!" Reinhardt can only blink as a response. A friend for him? How unusual. Usually Kiran's summons just end in nonsensical rants and disgruntled muttering. His daze ends just in time to hear a soft set of steps, accompanied by...hooves?

Right then an elegant looking woman appears before them. Her long green hair is in a single ponytail, and her face portrays a kind and courageous spirit. She has a bow in one hand and the reins of her steed in the other. "Reinhardt, this is Lyn. She'll be your main partner from now on." Reinhardt and Lyn both look at Kiran briefly before facing each other. "You two should get to know each other. There's a long road ahead of you."

The now partnered Cavaliers stand in silence once the tactician leaves, their eyes each evaluating their new ally. "Reinhardt," the knight of Friege extends his hand, breaking the ice.

The lady of the plains smiles as she accepts his handshake, "Lyn."


2

Over the course of battling side by side for a few months, Reinhardt and Lyn find themselves to be a much better team than either had imagined. It is a battle like any other: the pair are stood right beside each other, awaiting Kiran's instructions, while their other teammates wait similarly in a different part of the field. "Reinhardt," the strategist commands, "move to your right, behind the tree, do not engage the enemy."

"Understood," the mage knight follows the orders. The bow cavalier watches on, more anxious than she's willing to say, knowing that he'll be hit. The opposing mage strikes the mage knight, causing him to falter back. As he gets back up, she involuntarily lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Reinhardt then draws his tome, producing a powerful counter attack and defeating his foe.

The brave lady's relief is only momentary though, as she soon hears Kiran call for her, "Lyn, from above you!" Lyn looks upward to see an axe flier gunning straight for Reinhardt.

She draws her bow in an instant, "the enemy!" Her shot is precise and deadly like a sniper's. The flier immediately dives straight into the ground. From a few spaces away, her partner gives her a small appreciative smile. Lyn returns his smile, then turns back around to find herself face to face with an armored knight. She fires an arrow, but he simply shrugs it off. The knight raises his sword.

"Magic is everything!"

The knight instantaneously falls over in defeat right before the archer's eyes. Lyn turns around to see Reinhardt, with his tome open in his hands, a few feet behind her. She looks down upon the fallen knight, "Kiran didn't give you orders to do that."

He too stares at the knight, sure that their tactician will soon be coming down to lead them back to the castle. "I know."

Back at the castle, Lyn and Reinhardt are discussing the battle they just took part in. "You know, I was really worried when that mage hit you. If not for my trust in both you and Kiran, I would've charged in there."

"I was more worried about when that axe flier was about to end me. It's all thanks to you that I'm even here to have this conversation," the mage speaks in admiration, truly thankful he has such a reliable partner.

"Well you were the one who saved me from that armored knight, I thought I was completely done for," the archer replies with equal appreciation. A comfortable silence dispels between them, a silence of gratitude and kinship.

It's only a couple of seconds before the castle doors open and Kiran walks by with an empty bag in hand. "Again?! We just got those orbs! I thought you said you were saving!" the lady of the plains exclaims at the sight of their now empty handed strategist.

The mage knight can't help but be slightly amused by his comrade's shock. The tactician gives a nervous laugh and shrugs, then leaves the area while tugging along a muscular man with an axe and a mustache. "Another one of him?" Reinhardt comments, only half surprised.

Lyn nods, sharing his sentiment. "I swear I've seen at least five of him come by in just this past week." The two allies share a small laugh as they finish packing away their things. They then bid each other adieu and head to their own quarters for the night.


3

The day is starting its shift into night as Reinhardt and Lyn sit out along the hills of Askr together, unwinding from another tough day of continuous battling. They sit on the soft green grass, overlooking the Sun setting against the town. Over the course of their time as combat partners, they've found themselves spending more and more time together off the battlefield.

"Do you ever think about it, Rein? Past, present, future: how different they can be? Where we came from versus where we'll go?" Lyn speaks up as the shadows of the world crawl out from under the day. The Friege knight turns his head toward her, waiting for her to continue. "I mean, recently so many powerful heroes have stepped into the castle."

Reinhardt looks back out at the town below them. This is indeed a thought that has pervaded his mind quite a bit recently. The army now has many exceptional heroes. "Yes, that is true. But I have pledged my service to Kiran, no matter the circumstance."

Lyn smiles softly at his unwavering loyalty to their summoner, "yes, and so have I."

She gazes at all the beautiful colors swirling about in the sky, a mixture of memories floating all around her. "My parents were killed by bandits when I was young," she recalls, her voice akin to a crystal set to fall. "I set out into the world to get stronger, so that I could avenge their deaths one day."

The mage knight glances over at her, watching the way the light dances across her face. He turns his attention to the ground beneath them as he now reflects on his own past. "My sister greatly admired me when we were younger," his demeanor is smooth as steel. "But we eventually ended up on different paths, on different sides of the battle field."

Lyn's eyes flicker over to him, now studying the way the shadows cast themselves onto his profile. She moves closer to him just as he shifts his head to the side, causing their gazes to lock. The only thing he can hear is the thudding coming from his own chest. "Lyndis," his voice comes out as a soft whisper. He tries to push forward, but something in his own mind stops him from saying anything further.

She takes one of his hands into her own. "Yes." At that word, he feels his mask begin to crack as he first smiles, then starts to laugh. She soon starts laughing too, finding an unnamed type of joy in this moment.

There in the outskirts of the kingdom all that's heard are the birds, the trees, and two people laughing together, genuinely, for the first time in a long while. They truly do make a great team. Their laughs quiet down to a silence as they sit, side by side, fingers interlocked, and watch the sunset together.


4

After yet another long day of grueling battles, Lyn and Reinhardt are looking forward to some time off the field. "Great job out there you guys!" Kiran cheers as they begin to put away their things. The cavalry duo look on as their tactician counts the orbs they won that day. "I knew I made the right decision when I paired you up all those years ago."

The pair raise their brows as the strategist makes to exit the castle, the bag of orbs deftly in hand. "You're not going to summon again, are you?" Lyn asks with concern.

Kiran swiftly pivots around, one foot already outside the door, "of course not! I said I was gonna save up, didn't I?" The two combatants sigh, knowing all too well what that really means.

Once Kiran leaves, they put their horses back into their stalls and ready themselves to depart for the night. As the locks on the stalls click, they hear two hurried tracks heading their way. "Mom! Dad!" The pair turn to see two young children running straight for them.

"What're you guys doing here?" Lyn inquires once they've run up to them.

"We were just walking the grounds," the girl explains, "and some of the heroes asked if we wanted to practice with them!" Reinhardt and Lyn look at each other, knowing exactly which heroes their daughter is referring to. "Mom, dad, look, I got a new spell book," the girl proclaims excitedly, handing the book off to her dad.

Reinhardt takes the book into his hand and examines it. Indeed, it's a copy of Thoron, a more advanced spell than the Elthunder she was working with only a month ago. "Very impressive; even at your young age, you are a quite talented mage," he praises as he hands it back to her.

"You really think so?" she looks up at him with stars in her eyes.

He nods and gives her a reassuring smile, "of course, but be careful to not do too much too quickly."

"Man," the boy standing next to the girl complains, "I would've had a cool thing too, but they all said I was too young. They only let me use a practice bow." Lyn lets out a breath of relief, thankful that the heroes in the army have enough sense to at least not allow their all too young son to shoot with a real bow and arrow. "But they said next year I'll be able to shoot with a real iron bow!" his voice picks up as he jumps with enthusiasm.

"That's great!" Lyn mirrors his excitement, "but be careful, we're around all the equipment and everything." As the boy gets his feet firmly settled on the ground, the castle doors open, revealing a returning Kiran muttering about something.

"Kiran! Kiran!" The two kids run up to the tactician and retell the stories they just shared with their parents. The tactician responds in kind, very impressed by how far they've gotten in such a short amount of time.

The girl stops in her excitement and pokes at the bag around Kiran's waist. "You don't have any orbs?" She turns around to her parents, "I thought you guys went out just today."

"We did," they respond in unison.

"What?!" the boy gasps, "you said you were gonna save!"

The tactician stares at the four of them blankly, knowing that there's no saving grace. Kiran then walks away, trudging through the castle with a muscular man with an axe and a mustache in tow.

"Him again?" the boy is astonished at seeing the same hero yet again.

"That's like the tenth time I've seen him this week!" the girl raises her arms above her head in exasperation. Lyn and Reinhardt look at each other, sigh, and shake their heads. Some things never change.