Interlude - Evans

Lord Sigurd's capture of Evans comes too late. Lady Aideen is well within Verdane's borders, kidnapped by Prince Gandolf. I do not have high hopes of her escaping, and even less on her avoiding some of the worst dangers of being a captured woman.

For now, though, we rest and recover. Villagers from all over Chalphy and Jungby flock to Evans castle, eager to lend their aid to the cause. Lord Sigurd and Lord Quan train them diligently and the other knights welcome them with open arms.

I only see many, many fresh faces who were going to be dead or dying in the infirmary before long, but there was nothing I could do. I just had to prepare as best as I could.

Thankfully, Sir Midir was a model patient. Though it was clear he wished to go find his lady immediately, and even clearer that he wanted to train to 'make up' for not being able to protect her before, he listened to my instructions faithfully and was careful to not push his limits. Between that and his being the only 'long term' patient, he was healed before long and the infirmary was empty.

I used the free space to clean and to check that we had enough bandages and changes of clothes for potential injured. When that was done, I mended blankets and wove more bandages, because you could never have 'too many'.

A knock on the door made me pause and I had to count to ten to ensure that I could be calm and serene. I already had an incident where Sir Alec and Sir Noish had gotten too enthusiastic in their training and nearly gave each other concussions.

"Come in," I called once I was certain of my temper and smile. The smile softened into something a little more 'real' when I saw it was Lord Oifeye. "Hello there."

"Hello, Miss Alicia," he replied shyly, holding up a small tray with two mugs and a plate of sliced fresh fruit. "You want some spiced cider?"

"That sounds delightful." I moved my mending to the side and cleared off the table so that he could set it down. "It is very kind of you to get me some."

"Oh, it wasn't just me." His smile warmed as he handed me a mug and sat down. "Lord Azel was the one who wondered if you'd gotten any. I'm just the one who volunteered."

"It is still very kind of you, but I shall make sure to thank him as well." I couldn't deny that I was happy that Azel thought of me, especially since I had told him once in a letter that I loved spiced cider. "Where did the fruits come from?"

"Lord Lex checked in on a nearby village and they gave him some. It seems like most of them are pretty happy about the change in lordship." Lord Oifeye looked a little confused. "I thought they'd be madder."

"I suppose it is a showing of how poorly they have been treated." I didn't doubt, of course, that Lord Sigurd would be judged harsher than a native Verdanite lord would've been, but for now, the people were simply glad that the previous lord was gone. "Do not doubt those instincts. All of us will have to work to earn their trust and goodwill."

"Right!" He beamed, but the smile soon fell as he fidgeted. "Um…" He paused, biting his lip, and I smiled reassuringly, waiting for him. "I wanted to apologize."

"For?"

"For freezing up. At the church, when Sir Midir was injured." He looked almost ashamed. "You needed my help, but I just stared."

"Many do, when they see that much blood. Part of a healer's training is to learn how to react and not freeze." I made sure to warm my smile. "You did what I needed when I prompted you. That was what you needed to do."

"I'll be better next time." He looked so determined that I didn't have the heart to point out that 'next time' would likely be worse. "So, do you need help here?"

"I will likely head into town later to pick up some medicines and herbs, but for the most part, I am mending." I laughed a little. "Rather, I am taking a break from mending. I've been in here all day. Has anything occurred?"

"Um… oh!" He clapped his hands. "A messenger from His Majesty arrived earlier. He's already left, though. But he said that not only is His Majesty giving us full permission to press forward, but we're also getting funds and soldiers!"

"I thought there were none."

"We're getting some of the soldiers left to guard the capital." He beamed again. "Lord Arvis arranged it. He determined that his own forces could cover both Velthomer and Balhalla."

I wondered how, before deciding that he likely was relying on the Meteor tome. His forces specialized in it, and a few strategically placed mages could easily devastate an army with it. "That is good news for the army." It was bad news for me, though. We already had farmers going from sickles to swords. Now we would have actual soldiers who were likely too green to be fielded. The infirmary was going to be filled.

"Ooo, is this a private party~?" Lady Ethlyn's chipper voice interrupted us, and made Lord Oifeye squeak. "Hello!" she chirped, skipping inside. "Sorry, I should've knocked, but the door was open." She still should've knocked. "Oh, fruit!" She promptly sat down in the remaining chair at the table and stole a slice. "Nothing beats fresh fruit, except sweets." She smiled. "So good!"

"As always, Lady Ethlyn, you are a hurricane in human form," Lord Oifeye deadpanned. He sighed. "Thank you for the heart attack."

"You're welcome!" She laughed and I wondered at how easily they interacted. Then again, they were only about two years apart in age. "Ah, but Miss Alicia, I was wondering if I might steal you for a bit?"

"What do you need?" I asked, returning to sipping my cider. It was well made, with just the right amount of spices. "Is someone injured?"

"Not that I know of, but that's the point," she explained. She leaned forward eagerly, but amidst the cheer was a somber seriousness. It was an odd expression. "I was thinking that you and I could head to the village and check for injuries and illnesses? We did just impose ourselves in the castle, so I thought that would help ease hurt feelings. Plus, helping people is just a good thing to do."

"That is true." I wasn't looking forward to being barraged by people insisting on receiving treatment for simple papercuts, but I couldn't think of a polite way to refuse. "I did need to get medicines."

"I can get them for you," Lord Oifeye immediately volunteered. He was all eagerness, and seemed delighted at the chance to help. "Just give me a list?"

"That will save me some time, so thank you," I replied. I would've prefered to get them myself, but again, there was no way to politely refuse. "Let me get some paper."

The mending was going to have to wait, wasn't it? I could only hope they wouldn't be needed immediately.

When Lady Ethlyn, Lord Oifeye, and I returned from the village, we were instantly drawn into the section of the castle town devoted solely to fighting. It appeared that all of our soldiers were testing their skills at the arena, which meant healers were needed to ensure there were no accidental deaths.

I doubted I would ever understand why soldiers were so determined to treat death as a mistress.

"Go, go, go!" It didn't help that the soldiers seemed to treat it all like a sport, cheering in the stands and making bets. The whole thing made me uncomfortable. But I sat in the stands, staff in my lap, and projected an aura of calm serenity to reassure the spectators and the fighters. Lady Ethlyn had been sitting next to me, but she had gone to treat Sir Alec, and now we were watching Sir Finn try his luck. Lord Quan, from my understanding, was somewhere below, ready to help get Sir Finn out of there.

I was absolutely uncomfortable about all of this.

"Miss Alicia!" Lord Sigurd appeared next to me, taking Lady Ethlyn's seat. "I thought I saw you," he continued, smiling. I simply smiled back, and tried not to grip my staff too tightly when I saw Sir Finn take a wound to his side. "How is the village? I heard you and Ethlyn checked on them."

"They are well, though it is clear that they were not so earlier this year." When we passed the graveyard, I had seen many fresh graves. "My guess is that an illness ravaged them, and they received no aid."

"I cannot understand why the local lord would not protect the people he served." He frowned heavily. "It is our obligation."

"Many lords do not share that mentality. The people serve 'them' in their eyes, and they are free to do whatever they wish." I had to keep my smile from becoming wry as Lord Sigurd squirmed uncomfortably at the mere thought. He truly was a good man, perhaps too good. "You need only to look to Darna."

"Everything about that attack seems strange to me." Lord Sigurd sighed. "Isaach is ruled by those of Holy Blood. I find it hard to believe that fellow descendants would just slaughter innocent people, especially given what little I know of their culture."

"It has been more than one hundred years since the Holy War, Lord Sigurd." I closed my eyes, and shook my head. "Historical facts are now simply legends. The Crusaders are more myth than human. You hear nothing about how good they were, but no one is perfect." I opened my eyes again and looked at him. "Who is to say that the 'blood' cannot become tainted during that time? Look to Lord Victor of Velthomer. He was a Vala major, yet he was, by all accounts, a horrible man."

"And then the next thing to follow the lecture is that children do not choose their parents, and just as good children can be born to horrible parents, as Lord Arvis and Azel prove, bad children can be born to wonderful parents." He smiled slightly. "I know. I got this lecture before. Yet I still cannot feel as if there is something strange behind all of this."

"You should not look for more conflict." I nodded to the soldiers fighting in the arena. "You have enough to worry about."

"And if I do not, I shall simply give you more work." His smile warmed. "I thank you again, Miss Alicia, for joining us in this."

"I am a healer, Lord Sigurd. I am simply performing my duties."

The crowd suddenly cheered and drew our attention to the fighting. Sir Finn had emerged victorious, though his heavy injuries showed that he'd have to be healed before continuing through the 'ranks'. So, I stood up, and made my way down to where Sir Finn was resting.

The cheering made my stomach turn, but I was good at faking a smile. That would be enough.

Author's note: The Arena in FE4 works a bit differently from later incarnations. Your characters cannot die, but there's also only seven levels per chapter. Sigurd and Alicia's conversation is based off a conversation Sigurd and Arvis have in the Oosawa manga. In between chapters, you get gold for each castle you take and do not lose to the enemy.

Next Chapter - Verdane's invasion begins