Eirika retired back to her bedroom and lay in the bed once more. She felt sleepy as she closed her eyes, yet she was still unable to fall asleep. Once again, she could only see the sage of Caer Pelyn, and it filled her with longing. She recalled some more of the words that Saleh had spoken to her.
"Master Saleh, when we have to fight no more, please let me visit you in Caer Pelyn. I would like you know more about your home. About Valega and Nada Kuya."
"You are welcome anytime. Caer Pelyn and I will welcome you with open arms."
Eirika opened her eyes again. "I have to see him," she told herself, "and then I could relax...I hope.
"What's the best way to reach Caer Pelyn? A Pegasus would be the fastest way, but I know that Pegasi won't let just anyone ride them. I guess by horseback is the only way to go."
Eirika sprang out of her bed and dashed out of the room.
Right outside the castle, Ephraim, Kyle, and Forde were still placing the bricks together to rebuild the wall. Forde was on his hands and knees on the ground. Kyle was on Forde's back, also on all fours, while Ephraim slowly climbed onto Kyle's back with a sack full of bricks on his shoulder.
"All right, Kyle, easy does it..." Ephraim said, his voice quivering.
"Here goes..." Kyle stood very slowly, pressing his hands against the wall, Ephraim also learned on the wall for support.
"Are you sure there's not a safer way to do this?" Forde called.
"Why are you worried about safety, Forde?" Kyle responded. "Ephraim and I are the ones who could potentially break our necks up here!"
"Steady now..." Ephraim carefully pulled a brick from his sack and placed it at the top of the wall.
Forde continued to strain on all fours when he heard a horse galloping in the distance.
"Huh? What was that?" Without thinking, Forde jumped to his feet and ran around the castle corner.
"Hey!" Kyle and Ephraim screamed as the support beneath them disappeared. They both fell, hitting the ground with a thud.
As Forde reached the castle gate, he caught a brief glimpse of Eirika, riding away on a brown horse.
"M-M-My horse!!"
Ephraim and Kyle joined him at the castle gate.
"Forde, what was that all about!?" Ephraim scolded. "I almost broke my neck!"
"It's Princess Eirika!" Forde replied. "She rode off with my horse!"
"That's not good," Kyle said. "Where do you suppose she's riding off to?"
"Well, she talked about Saleh yesterday," Ephraim said, "so I wager she's heading for Caer Pelyn."
"My prince, we must pursue her," Kyle said. "The climb to Caer Pelyn is exhausting. Given Princess Eirika's condition, I'm afraid of what might happen to her."
"You're right," Ephraim agreed. "Have you seen Tana?"
"I believe she and Prince Innes were still asleep when we came out here."
"See, why did they get to sleep in?!?" Forde protested.
"Never mind that!" Ephraim ran into the castle. "Tana! Tana!"
As he crossed through the dining room, he heard the sound of shattering glass from the kitchen. After that, he heard Innes and Tana's voices arguing.
"That was my plate!" Tana shouted.
"You shouldn't have left it there!" Innes told her.
"You're cleaning it up!"
"It was your plate!"
Ephraim only shook his head.
Tana stormed out of the kitchen with Innes close behind.
"Ephraim!" Tana exclaimed. "Do you know what he did!?"
"I did not!" Innes protested. "I DID NOT!!"
"Hold it, hold it!" Ephraim cut in. "Tana, I need your help."
"Oh...what is it, Ephraim?" Tana asked.
"Eirika has ridden off with Forde's horse."
"Ah! She's probably riding to Caer Pelyn to see Saleh."
"That's what we figured, but Eirika is already suffering from exhaustion. She shouldn't be traveling at all. I need you to fly after her with your Pegasus."
"Okay, I'm on my way!" Tana ran out the castle gate.
"Are you sure she'll be all right?" Innes asked.
"Don't worry, Innes," Ephraim told her. "The war is over. Tana has become much stronger as a result. She'll be fine."
Innes gave him a look. "I was speaking of Eirika."
"Oh, that, I'm not sure. That's why I sent Tana after her."
Eirika rode without rest all day to reach the Caer Pelyn range. As she reached the foot of the mountain, she looked up at the rugged terrain. It would be too risky to try to ride up the path with the horse. Eirika looked up at the sky as it was slowly turning dark blue. The sun had already set behind the peaks.
"Looks like I'd better walk from here," she thought.
Thus she began the climb of the mountain. It didn't take long for her exhaustion to center in her mind. As she climbed ever higher, she could feel her legs starting to burn. Her heart was beating rapidly, and her chest felt as though it would explode at any moment. She wanted so badly to stop and rest, but she knew how dangerous it was to sleep outside alone. She had to reach Saleh's home first. Eirika stopped to catch her breath.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps clammering behind her. She spun around to see a group of brigands gathering behind her. Most of them carried axes, while a few of them carried torches.
"Heh heh, we've found quite the catch!" one of them said.
"Wh-what do you want?" Eirika asked in between heavy breaths.
"Boss, she must be rich!" one brigand said. "She looks...like a princess!"
"You're right," the lead brigand said. "Take her!"
Eirika unsheathed her rapier. "My life is not yours for the taking!"
One brigand rushed at her, swinging his axe. Eirika ducked and moved to the right. Remembering what her brother had taught her, she bent her knees slightly and lunged forward, stabbing the brigand in his exposed side.
"Raaaarrrrgh!!" A second brigand rushed in to attack. Eirika spun around and raised her sword in defense.
Then seemingly from out of nowhere, a man in a light green cloak jumped in front of Eirika, slamming a red tome into the brigand's face. The brigand was knocked backwards, and he hit the ground hard.
The other brigands gasped. "It's him...that sage."
Eirika looked up as well. "Master Saleh?"
Saleh continued to face the brigands. "Leave this village at once! I don't want to settle this with violence, but if your atrocities continue, you leave me with no choice."
"You wanna bet?" the lead brigand growled. "We'll make you pay for ruining our career!"
As the brigands moved in for another attack, Saleh hurled a blast from his elfire tome. The blast hit the ground by the brigands' feet, creating a rising fireball. The brigands let out a yelp as they scrambled to avoid the flames.
"Hurry!" Saleh took Eirika by the hand and dashed away from the road and into the darkness.
"M-Master Saleh!" Eirika exclaimed.
It felt as though Saleh ran for an eternity. Eirika's exhaustion once again got the better of her, as her legs began to burn again, and she found herself gasping for air. Finally, Saleh ran behind one of the houses and stopped, still holding Eirika's hand. Eirika propped her free hand into her knees as she fought to catch her breath.
"Princess Eirika!" Saleh said. "Are you all right? You don't look well."
Eirika looked up at him, her vision becoming a blur. "Master Saleh...I'm fine. I'm just...exhausted..."
Saleh placed his other hand on Eirika's shoulder. "Everything is all right now. Just take a deep breath."
Eirika tried to comply, but her breaths still came out as a series of uneven rasps. Then, with a soft moan, she passed out.
Saleh caught her before she hit the ground. "Princess!"