Chapter 2) Pieces

We sent the messenger off, and waited a week. Once a week had passed, we sent a team of scouts. Two weeks after we sent her off, our messenger returned. In pieces. At least this time, we had most of the body recovered. The last one had only returned as a hand.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Still, seeing her little sister sob, and desperately try to 'wake up' her dead sister, not noticing or ignoring how there was a noticeable 'gap' where the head should've met the neck. "Please, wake up!" Rot and scavengers had set in, though we'd used magic to keep the body as intact as possible, and to reduce the smell. "Please!"

I lingered in the shadows, watching it all. It was just the sister and the mother this time. While the sister vainly tried to get her sister to open her eyes, the mother screamed at Adair. More than screamed, even. She battered his shoulder and chest with small punches. I kept a careful eye, but still kept my distance. I would have to step in if it looked like she was going to do real damage, but something like this, I didn't intervene with. Adair had asked me to, knowing that sometimes, you really needed to hit something when grieving. He didn't mind being that something.

"Why?! Why did you send her to die?!" the mother sobbed as she finally stopped hitting Adair, simply resting her fists against her chest. Tears streamed down her face, though it was hard to see because her head was bowed. "Why?!" She hit him one more time, this time hard enough to make him wince. He held up a hand to stop me from intervening, and I nodded, staying in the shadows. "Say something, damn it!"

"Is there anything I can say that will ease your pain?" Adair asked softly. He gently took her fists and removed them from him, cradling them in his. "I try to think of what I would like to hear, what would help me, but I'm drawing a blank. I have no excuses. I asked your daughter to perform a task, and it led to her death. I can think of no greater pain I've put you through." He let go of her hands, stepped, back, and bowed to her. "Whatever I can do or say to help, simply tell me."

"...Just end this war." The woman covered her face, anger deflating. Her sobs echoed through the room, and her hands did nothing to hide her tears. "Just end this stupid, gods' damned war!"

"I intend to do that, as soon as I can." Adair moved to her side, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you have some tea? Candace makes a wonderful cup, and I'm sure you have a headache by now."

"My daughter…" She looked to her youngest, and now only, daughter, who now was simply wailed into her sister's dead chest. "I…"

"Clara is here." At his words, I stepped out of the shadows and bowed to her. "I promise; no harm will come to your daughter. She is my strongest warrior, and the person I trust most."

"I'll stay here for as long as your daughter needs," I promised, smiling gently. "Candace really does make the best tea, though. Knowing her, she's probably got a pot ready, just for you." The mother hesitated a bit more before nodding slowly. "Adair, don't go far. If the girl wants her mom, I want to be able to reach you quickly."

"We'll be just two doors down, where there's a bit more light," Adair promised. That made the mother smile a bit, clearly relieved she wouldn't be far. "Come on then, ma'am. Would you also like anything to eat?" He gently led her out of the room, and I went over to the body, crouching down next to it.

I reached up and brushed the hair out of her face, careful to tuck the hair back so that it wasn't obvious she was still missing an ear. The face was bloated, though better than before, thanks to the healers. I didn't know how they managed to 'erase' parts of the decomposition process, but I also knew it wouldn't last long. By the end of the day, their magic would have worn off, and the process would redouble. But, for now, she was recognizable, and her family could actually look at the body.

The families really wanted to do that. I was glad we had something to show them, this time.

"Thank you for your service," I whispered. I then repeated the phrase in broken Ancient Ylissean, since there was an old story that the dead could more easily hear those words because they weren't used as much anymore. I barely knew the words, though. It was the stuff for nobles, and while Adair had tried to teach me, I simply had no head for languages. But, for the dead, I tried. I owed them it.

"W-what was that?" the sister asked. She lifted her head from her sister's chest, and I moved over next to her, so that she didn't have to look over the corpse to see me. "What did you say?"

"I was simply thanking her," I replied. I smoothed her hair from her face, noting how similar the two looked. "That's all. What's your name?"

"Ph-Phila…" She hiccuped, tears clinging to her cheeks. No more fell, though. She likely had cried herself out. "M-my sister… did she do good?"

"...Yes, she did." I ran my hand through her hair, and let her rest against my chest. "Your sister was a brave, kind, and talented woman. That was why we asked her. I'm sorry we took her from you."

"But she did good? She was…"

"Yes. She was braver than anyone, and a kind soul." I hugged Phila, and looked down at the messenger. Maya was her name. I remembered that. Dame Maya, who agreed to the task with a kind smile. She had known the chances of her surviving were low. We had made no secret of it. But the chance, the chance, that we could end this war now, with no more bloodshed… the chance that this war would end before her sister took up arms… that had been enough. That had been worth risking her life. That had been worth courting death.

I just wished Death wasn't so possessive a lover.

After Adair comforted the mother, he made a point to spend some time with Phila, wiping her tears and even managed to get a watery laugh out of her. He then told both of them that Maya would be buried with full honors, the highest honor we could give the dead, and that he'd pay for the funeral personally. He left the preparations to them, though, at the mother's request, since it was more of a familial thing. He agreed, of course, but told them that if they needed any help, he would make sure they had it.

It was what he always did when messengers died.

"I'd really hoped this time would be different," Adair sighed. He stood by the window in his study, looking out over the Ylisstol as the sun set. "Surely, they're as tired of war as we are…"

"I suppose they just want to win and end the world," I replied. I sat in my usual chair, sprawled across. "How's the southern route looking?"

"Last report stated that they're still checking, but as far as they know, the only viable path will lead you straight through the Dragon's Table."

"The headquarters of the Grimleal themselves." I paused, thinking. "Are the vessels there? Because if they are, we can end this just by storming the place and destroying them."

"I'll put someone on that." He rested a hand on the glass, looking ready to cry. I dragged myself up and walked over, wondering what triggered that. I figured it out instantly; there was a funeral procession. "How many more have to die to save everything?"

"I don't know." I really didn't. But after two years of war, our numbers were beginning to thin. We were losing soldiers faster than we could replace them. It took four years of training to replace one pegasus knight, army mage, or cavalier. It took even longer to replace a Falcon Knight, Sage, Valkyrie, Paladin, or Great Knight. We were going through so many damn clerics, priests, war monks, and war clerics that the local temples were honestly worried that they'd have to stop lending them to us, as they'd only have the initiates left. "Hey, Adair?"

"Yeah?"

"There's this Feroxi mercenary I know, Flavia, from my patrols on the northern border. She's in good standing with the ruling Khan." I glanced at him, gauging his reaction. "I could get a message. Hire some more forces, or maybe even an alliance?"

"I…" He groaned, leaning his head against the window. "I'm tempted, but I don't want to drag the whole continent into a war, Clara."

"I understand." I didn't like it, but I could understand. It was the duty of Ylisse to safeguard the world from darkness. It was his duty in particular, since he was a descendant of the First Exalt, and the Hero-King himself. "I hope Falchion remains in the temple."

"Hoping I won't one-up you in the field?" He tried to make it joking, but his smile was weak and his tone was soft. We both knew I was the stronger of us, and he simply didn't have the time to both run the country and fight the war.

Still, I decided to take it seriously. "They're only getting to Ylisstol through me." I gripped his shoulder reassuringly. "And you are going to stay here and direct all the war efforts, doing the things I can't so that I can do what I can."

"I…" He sighed, shaking his head before reaching up and resting his hand on mine. "No, you're right. I can wield Falchion, but I should take all the steps needed to ensure that I do not need to wield it. For everyone's sake."

"It's bad enough on Emm and Chrom." I was often away now. Adair and Candace had their duties. No one was really around to play with them anymore, but still, they smiled. I wanted them to always smile. "Besides, think of how much of a tragedy it would be if you never got to see your youngest."

"Very true, but you better stay alive to see their birth too." He gave me a playfully stern look and I laughed. "I mean it. They need to be spoiled by their 'aunt' too."

"Yes, yes." I almost continued, but the door suddenly squeaked and I whirled, hand dropping to my sword. I almost pulled it out, but then I realized who the intruder was: Chrom.

"Daddy!" Chrom called, toddling over as fast as he could. Adair scooped him up easily, lifting him high above his head before safely tucking him against his chest. "Play?"

"I…" Adair began. He paused, though, making a face. There was work to be done, but he wanted to spend time with his son. There was a war to fight, but he didn't want his son to feel unloved. "Well…"

"Let's talk later, Adair," I suggested, stopping his internal debating. He gave me the most grateful look. "I need a break too. Maybe nap or something. I actually have a bed here. I might as well use it."

"Thanks." Adair smiled down at Chrom and kissed the top of his head. Chrom giggled and hugged him tightly. "Now, then, what do you want to play? Would you like to go for a ride?"

"Don't go too far, now, I'm not with you." I poked Chrom's cheek to make him squirm and headed out the room, waving as I did. I made sure to shut the door behind me, as a subtle clue to the servants. 'Only disturb if there is an emergency.' They knew how much Adair loved his family, and how rarely he got to spend time with them now.

"Oh! Clara!" Right on cue, though, Emm appeared, rushing over. She tripped on her hem and sulked a little as she took my hand. "Do you want to walk in the gardens with Mama and me? You've been away so much…"

"That sounds wonderful," I replied. I squeezed her hand and started down the hallway, towards the gardens. Emm smiled brightly and followed closely. "Do you want to play a game while we're out there?"

"Well, Mama isn't allowed to run around, so no tag, but maybe hide and seek?"

"We'll discuss it with Candace and see if she can." I remembered how frail her health became when she was pregnant with Chrom. We'd have to be careful. "But even if she can't, she can watch while you and I play."

"Yay!" Emm giggled and smiled even brighter. "I love you, Clara!"

"Love you too, Emm."

Hide and seek went on until Candace tired, and then, Emm and I played tag while Candace watched and laughed. When Emm tired, we went inside to the solar, where Emm curled up in front of the fireplace for a nap. Candace and I decided to have a snack together, since it would still be some time before official dinner, but she was craving, and I never said 'no' to food.

"Ah, thanks for eating with me," Candace murmured. She smiled shyly as she sipped her tea. We were both sitting at her table, not far from where Emm napped, just relaxing now that the servants had cleared out the plates. "I always feel bad, bothering the cooks."

"That's why you send me to bother them instead!" I teased, laughing as I nursed my wine. I enjoyed a cup whenever I was home, especially since it was so hard to keep good wine out in the field. "Want a sip?"

"You know I don't drink even when I'm not pregnant." She huffed and I grinned. "You're just teasing me some more."

"Of course. It's my job to make sure you don't get too full of yourselves. Why do you think I prod Adair all the time?"

"Because you're a mean person we happen to love."

"Eh, true." My grin grew and she laughed. "So, how are you doing? Baby wise, I mean. Anything unusual?"

"If anything, I'm bearing this one better than Emm and Chrom." She rested a hand on her stomach, smiling softly. "Oh, little one… I wonder if things will be peaceful when you're born."

"Hey, I'll end the war in five months!" I made my voice as dramatic as possible and she giggled. "More seriously, Adair and I will do what we can, Candace. I'd rather you deal with your last few months of pregnancy with as little stress as possible."

"I love you." Her smile warmed. "Oh, yes, do you have ideas about what their name should be? You named Emmeryn and Chrom, after all."

"That's because you and Adair suck at naming things." I shuddered dramatically. "I mean; if I didn't intervene, Emm would've been named Clara!"

"I don't see anything wrong with naming one of our children after you." She sulked, puffing out her cheeks even. "But no, you think there's something off!"

"Can you imagine the confusion? We had enough problems when you named that cat after Adair." I paused for a brief moment before cackling at the memory. "The servants seriously thought he'd knocked up ten girls!"

"It's not my fault kitty-Adair turned out to be a ladies' tom." She stuck her tongue out and I continued to giggle, remembering. It had been a sad day when kitty-Adair had passed, though he'd had a long and happy life. And one filled with lots of cat sex, given the number of kittens he ended up having. We employed most as mousers. "But I concede your point, if you pick out names again."

"This is just your roundabout way of saying you want me to be the godsparent again." I pouted and she laughed. "Fine." I took a big gulp of wine, and swirled the remainder in my glass as I thought. "Well, why not 'Lissa' for a girl? You can make it short for Melissa or something, but Lissa sticks out."

"Lissa?" Her eyes sparkled and she glanced at her stomach. "Maybe I should wish for a girl. I really do like that name."

"Should I even think of a boy's name?"

"Well, yes!" She sulked a brief moment before laughing. "Ah, I always miss these talks when you're away. Adair never banters with me."

"That's because you two are too busy complimenting each other and being like 'you are the cutest', 'no, you are the cutest' nonsense." I rolled my eyes and took another big gulp of wine. "Drives a woman to drink, that."

"You just enjoy alcohol."

"I appreciate alcohol, thank you very much." I grinned. "Sure you don't want a sip? It's a good vintage."

"No!" She glowered for a second before sighing. "Oh, whatever. Let me be serious."

"If you can."

"Quiet." Her cheer faded slightly. "You're family, you know?"

"Yes?" I gave her a confused look. "I know?"

"Good. My husband's precious sister, and mine as well. Emm and Chrom's aunt. I want this child to know their aunt too." She smiled sweetly as she placed her hands on her stomach again. "So, please, be careful out there, will you? I know I always say it, but..."

"I'll do what I can, Candace. But I have no intentions of dying." I grinned. "Death isn't my lover, for all it likes to court me."

"No, it seems war is, while death wishes for you to have an affair."

"Who could blame me, with so sucky a spouse?" I grinned, laughing a little. The words were more morbid, but this was an old game. Candace would try to encourage me to court someone, and I'd laugh it off. I was too busy to give someone the attention they deserved in a relationship, and whoever I'd get with would have to understand that they would always be second in my heart. That wasn't really fair to someone. Besides, I was perfectly content with my life, war aside.

Sudden pounding footsteps was all the warning we got before the doors burst open, revealing a page. "Lady Clara!" they cried. I mimed for them to quiet down, glancing worriedly at Emm. But she remained asleep. "My apologies, but this is important." They bowed quickly, yet respectively, to Candace before focusing completely on me. "It's the Plegians!" Everything froze at the words. "They're assaulting the border!"

"Damn them," I growled, wondering how they got to the border. There were supposed to be defensive outposts. Did they go around or kill them all? "Gather my elites and tell them to prepare at once. We'll leave within the hour." I stood up quickly, nearly knocking the table over. My hands shook a bit, thinking rapidly. There were two border areas with Plegia: Themis and Prosa. Duke Themis had a newborn daughter from what I understood, not even a year old, and Duke Prosa had three kids, two sons and a daughter. I knew the daughter, Soiree, as one of Chrom's very few friends. "The rest will follow us, no more than a day behind, and I'd prefer half-a-day if possible." I had to protect both. I had to keep them all safe. "Tell Adair at once."

"Of course, my lady!" They saluted me, gave Candace another respectful bow, and bolted down the hall, not even bothering to close the door.

"...You're leaving again…" Candace whispered. Her expression crumpled. "You've only been back for two weeks, and yet…"

"I'll be back before you know it," I reassured. I walked around the table, hugged Candace tightly, and kissed the top of her head. "You just rest. You're need your strength for the baby." I moved to Emm, kissed her cheek, and moved the blanket a bit higher on her. She still didn't stir. "Tell her I'm sorry for not saying a proper goodbye? I will be back soon."

"I will. I'll tell Chrom and Adair too, if they don't see you first." Candace still looked ready to cry. "Why did this all happen?"

"Someone wants the world to end." I gave her another hug, not wanting to leave her looking so sad. But I had no choice. "I'm off!" I darted out the room and down the hall, thinking of what I'd absolutely need for a battle on the border.

They weren't getting anywhere near here. Not while I breathed.

Author's notes: I mentioned format would be slightly different, and this is kinda what I meant. Very few, if any, chapters will have an opening journal, or notes at the end. Soiree is Sully's Japanese name, and her birth name in this series, with Sully being a nickname. There is no name attached to her family and holdings, so I picked Prosa, but her having older brothers is revealed in her supports.

Next Chapter - Borderlands