Chapter 3) Partners

The friendship between Queen Cheryl and Lord Alberich was legendary. Even now, it's a source of songs. Most of them go into how they had an affair, despite there being no evidence to it. In fact, if you look into records from that time, you got how devoted the two were to their spouses.

A lot of people use the explanation of how, during a bloody attack on the castle, Queen Cheryl ran to Lord Alberich instead of her own husband as their justification. I think those people ignore how her husband died in that attack, and then just like punishing her for going to a living person who could keep her, and her children, safe.

I… had boots. I had boots again. I also had clean, new clothes that I did not have to steal. This was weird. This was incredibly weird. Also, Uther looked like he was debating laughing and calling a healer.

"I take it you like Mother's gifts?" he finally said, settling for laughing. I did not reply, just carefully walking, enjoying the feel of having shoes and non-scratchy clothing. "She'll be thrilled." Yes, this was all because of his mother. After agreeing to work together, we had separated for the night, and then he had come by the old storehouse in the morning to bring me to the castle to discuss things. That led to meeting his mother, a sweet and tired thing, who had immediately snagged me for boots and clothing. I had no idea why. "Hello, you in there?"

"Yes, I am here," I finally turned to face him, giving him a look. "I was waiting for you to say something meaningful. Not sure why."

"Ow, rude." He leaned back in his chair, and gestured to the other chair at the table. I deliberately ignored the indication. "What? Is the chair so displeasing?"

"It is the height of impropriety for a lady to sit in a man's personal chambers."

"…What do you know about propriety?" A lot more than him, apparently. "And isn't that rule more that ladies shouldn't be in the rooms?"

"It depends on the country." Etruria allowed noblewomen to be in a nobleman's room, but to sit would be seen as an 'invitation'. Standing implied that the visit was simply business. "There are different rules of etiquette for different countries."

"Ugh, don't remind me." He groaned, leaning further back in his chair, tipping it onto its back legs. "I had to be in Etruria for some conference not long ago and there was smoking when it was just us guys." Ah, that. I remembered Nicky complained about it. He did not have a taste for it, but had to have one for society. "They looked appalled when I refused, and they glared daggers at the poor girl who came in to deliver a message, for some reason."

"It is improper for a man to smoke in the presence of a lady. They probably put out all their cigars."

"Yeah, they did." He sighed, and I tilted my head as I tried to figure out how he had not fallen yet. "Then there was the dinner party. I was given the weirdest looks for arriving on time."

"It is required for guests to arrive fifteen minutes late."

"Then why not schedule the party for that time?" There was this term 'fashionably late'. I was certain Etruria invented it. "Then there was the awkward procession, the ten courses, and the fact that I apparently had to converse with the lady on my right, and never on my left." That was to ensure a good and steady source of gossip. "And the balls! So tedious!" I had always found them fun. I could not wait to be 'presented' as a young girl.

"Let me guess. You also had to deal with polite glares when you removed your gloves during a call." His response was to simply groan. "I thought so. For the record, keeping your gloves on is the height of rudeness in Bern."

"Seriously, how do you know so much about this stuff?" He let the chair rock forward, resting his elbows on the table. That, also, would have gotten him in trouble in Etruria. "I don't."

"…I did not always live on the streets. You can tell by how few scars I have."

"Ah." I could tell he was curious. But I could also see him bite the words back, and instead, he changed the subject. "Those rings are proving difficult to clean," he said instead. I gave him a small smile in reply, as silent thanks, and he smiled right back. "It isn't impossible. Hopefully, it will be done by the end of the day."

"So, you want suggestions of where to look today?" I asked, crossing my arms and rocking back on my heels slightly. My fingers twitched to open the window, as it was far too… confined in here, but this was his room. It would be beyond rude. "Well, I do actually have an idea."

"Excellent!" He stood up, and already went to get a cloak. To my surprise, he pulled out one for me as well. "Mother said that if we head outside, you are to wear one of her old ones."

"…You have a very kind and gentle Mother." I took the cloak, eyeing it skeptically. "But I imagine she is where you inherited your 'make a decision for everyone involved' mentality."

"Ouch." Still, when I had difficulties tying the cloak, he reached over to fix it. Lycian cloaks buttoned differently than Etrurian, and did not rely on a pin to hold it shut. "So, where are we going?"

"You shall see when we get there." I could not help but grin evilly. "Oh, and be sure to bring a heavy purse. You are going to have to pay for their time."

It turned out Uther had an adorable side after all. He shuffled awkwardly, eyes firmly on the floor, face turning a distinct pink tone. All because I had dragged him inside a brothel. Now, to be fair, it was one of the ones that doubled as a tavern, so the girls and guys that worked here were meandering about the 'main floor', in various states of undress. But it was still rather adorable to me.

"I take it you are one of those rare lords that does not frequent places like this," I teased. I laughed when he lifted his head just enough to give me a glare. "Come along. We need to walk. Oh, and do not let anyone take you into the back. You are just handsome enough for some of the drunker clients to try and buy your time."

"Just enough?" he noted dryly. He stuck close to my side as we walked through. "I don't look that bad, do I?"

"Well, the scars do give you an air of mystery." I grinned and he rolled his eyes. "Just don't get separated."

"I have no intentions of it." He eyed the clients warily. "It's not even noon yet."

"Some people really like morning sex." Now, where was… oh, there she was. I forgot she worked the bar in the mornings. "Their spouses are gone for the day too, so they can more easily sneak down here." Strangely, he scowled at that. "You do know affairs exist, right?"

"Yes. I have a half-brother." …I had not known that. "A half-brother I love to bits, once I was actually told about him, but while Mother might have forgiven Father for that break of trust, I will not. I saw how much she cried." Oh, so he had a much stronger bond with his mother than his father.

"Actually told?"

"Orun was eight when I discovered his existence. On accident. That was also when Mother found out."

Well, that seemed awkward. "How old were you?"

"Nine." Perhaps this was why it had taken so long for Uther to get a 'legitimate' brother. I also guessed that, like Bern, and unlike Etruria, divorces and marriage annulment were not something nobles could do here. "Who are we looking for?"

"Relax, she is mostly clothed." Though, Debra was wearing that dress of hers that looked like it was showing more than it actually did today. "Hey there."

"Oh, if it isn't my favorite thief and assassin~?" Debra immediately cooed. Her smile was warm, though her eyes immediately darted for Uther. "Oh, my, and who's your friend?"

"Partner, Debra," I corrected immediately. This was a business thing. "We're partners."

"Congrats on getting hitched~"

"Not that kind. You know I am never getting married." Sighing, I sat on one of the stools, and tugged Uther down for him to do the same. "Now, are you on-duty or on-duty?"

"Are you wanting to buy my services?" Debra grinned and batted her eyes. "Oh my stars and garters, how thrilling! I imagine you are quite good with your hands~"

"You can keep imagining. Let us also tone it down before he has an apoplexy." I pointed to Uther's very red face for emphasis. "I still need him alive and capable of thinking."

"Fine, fine~" Debra laughed and picked up three glasses from the back. "Since this sounds so serious, you can buy me a drink."

"Sounds good." I nudged Uther's leg. "What do you want? The place has decent stuff."

"I… don't suppose there's whiskey?" Uther tentatively asked. I noticed he was very careful to look only at Debra's face. "If not, then I'll just… take what you recommend, miss."

"Oh, he's a proper one," Debra laughed. She worked on his drink. "You're in luck, pal. We're the only place in the red-light district that has whiskey. We're also the only one that has Huntress's favorite alcohol, which is how she and I became acquainted."

"And what's that?"

"Absinthe." Specifically, I liked it with sugar water; Debra already had it set up. "She's got weird tastes."

"…Doesn't that have a high alcohol content?"

"If she gets drunk, I've never seen it." That… that was mostly because I skipped the 'drunk' part and went straight to the 'hangover' part. Grandfather had that problem too, so I think it was just something I inherited. It was not fun. "Anyway, here we go~" She set down our drinks, and dragged a chair over to sit down too. "So, what's up? It's rare you're here this early."

"Well, truthfully, we are here for information," I explained. I smiled when I sipped the drink. It was as good as always. "Namely, the recent murders."

Debra's cheerfulness dropped like a rock. "Why do you want information about that?" she asked sullenly. She fiddled with her drink, eyes darting to the side. "No one is doing shit about them."

"I am hoping to change that," Uther whispered. He leaned a little forward, smiling gently. "I never gave you my name, Miss Debra. It's Uther."

"You're-?!" She squeaked when I reached over to cover her mouth. I could feel the stares burning into our backs as she flailed, but slowly, she calmed down, and I uncovered her mouth, returning to my drink. "What are you doing here?" she hissed. Her wide eyes darted to me, but I focused simply on drinking. "I mean… um…"

"As I said. I'm hoping to do something about the murders." He laughed a little at her skeptical look. "Look, is there any reason why she would be with me?" He pointed to me. "You know her well enough, right?"

"…True…" She sighed, and downed her drink in one go. "Okay, okay, what do you want to know? Not that I know much."

Uther glanced at me, deferring, and I nodded. "The girl who was pulled from the river," I began slowly. Debra shuddered, hugging herself tightly. "I remember trying to convince her to come here."

"Yeah, and she did," Debra whispered. Her eyes filled with tears. "She was so happy at coming and joining. She said she just had one job to do, and then she would move in. But then I never saw her again."

"Do you know anything about the person she was meeting?"

"A bit. He came to pick her up from here." Uther and I exchanged an incredulous look at that. "He was dressed nicely, and had this very peculiar hat. It had a feather in it." A… feather? Really? "It was distinctive, and when I told some of the others about it, they mentioned they had seen him at the arena a lot." She bit her lip, eyes shut. "If I think about it, I might be able to get more, but I hadn't paid much attention."

"So, the man with the feathered cap might be our next lead," Uther murmured. He sipped his drink, eyes thoughtful. "Arena, huh? Well, I suppose that's our next stop." I guess so. I avoided that place like the plague. There were too many guards to really be successful in stealing or assassinating there. "You have my thanks, Miss Debra. If you remember anything else…"

"I will figure out a way to get it to Huntress here," she promised. She opened her eyes, and they were deathly serious. "You get them. Whoever those sickos are, you get them. I don't care if you have to go outside the law to kill them. What they've done is… not even Saint Elimine would forgive them for it."

"I will do everything I can. They will answer for this. I promise." Uther smiled slightly. "Also, you are an excellent bartender. This is the best whiskey I've had in a while."

"…Flatterer." Still, it was enough to get her smiling again. "Look after Huntress, will you? She's all tough, but she can be surprisingly fragile." Hey! I was right here, damn it!

"I promise." Oh, forget this. I was just going to drink the rest of my drink and pretend they weren't here.

"Is… is there a particular reason why we went back to the castle for me to change clothes?" I asked awkwardly. I clung to Uther's arm, grimacing at all the people. Normally such a thing would be great, but I could see the guards keeping sharp eyes, and sharper swords, for any would-be pickpockets. One poor kid had already nearly lost his hand. Arenas were not a place you did things illegal. "I liked what I was wearing before. It was simple and did not make me stand out."

"If you'll look around, you'll notice that 'simple' would stand out," Uther pointed out. I grimaced at how right he was. But I still felt like… it felt like I was 'between' things. These clothes were not as fancy as I wore as a noblewoman, but they were too fancy for the 'Huntress' who had made her life on the streets. I did not like being 'between'. I was one or the other. I could not be both. "Hmm… interesting fighters today…"

"I thought we were here to see if we spotted that damned feathered hat."

"We are, but if we don't gamble, we'll look odd."

"…Is this revenge for how amused I was at the brothel?"

"No, but I am enjoying it nonetheless." He grinned and I scowled. "So, we'll bet, and mingle. You are my shy wife, and I'm trying to win a bit of extra money to buy you a gift for our anniversary."

"I cannot believe you came up with that story on the fly." Still, I pressed into his side, tilting my head down. It was not a hard image for me to replicate. What little memories I had of my mother had her being shy, frail, and hopelessly in love with my father. I just had to mimic her. I used to do it all the time.

"It's a bit of a gift."

"That is a fancy way of saying you are a born liar."

"You have such a sharp tongue." Still, he grinned down at me. "Now, to place our bets!"

"…You are enjoying this. Have you fought before?"

"No, I am not that reckless. I am the heir, after all. But gambling is fun, if you are careful to not go overboard."

"…If you do, I am informing your mother straightaway."

"That… that is a serious threat." He shifted to shield me as someone started flailing, sloshing their drink around and making it spill. "Bets, now. Then we shall watch and see if our prey is flitting about."

"You are having too much fun with this." I sighed at his grin. "Let us get this over with."

Uther went to place a bet, and I appropriately squeaked and hid when the worker complimented him of 'his pretty wife'. From there, we went to the stands to watch the matches. I noticed that, unlike Etruria, they did not open the matches with fighting lions, but just jumped straight into fighting people.

It still had people screaming for blood and death. They cheered as the fighters crushed each other's heads with swords soaked in grease and blood. Roared like beasts when a winner crushed his opponent's flesh even when they no longer moved. Some things were consistent no matter what country you were in. I used to do the same, thinking this was a grand fun.

All I could focus on now was how young some of them were. There were children down there, likely hoping for a bit of money to not starve, if they had not just been sold to the arena in the first place.

So, instead, I looked through the crowd, hunting for the feathered hat. And then, sometime during the final match, I saw it. The feathered cap. I nudged Uther in the side, and pointed when he glanced at me. Without a word, the two of us made our way out of the stands, towards the feathered cap.

We caught him as he was leaving the spectator ring entirely. "My pardon," Uther called to him. The man glanced at us and his eyes widened. "I would like-HEY!" And he was running.

"Well, I guess it is time for a chase," I whispered, sighing a bit. Well, at least I would get some play time today. "Shall we?"

I gave him my most incredulous look. "Just watch." And I was off, easily leaving him behind. Heels were not very comfortable, but with a decent balance, they were not all that hard to run in. I used to practice all the time, and things were only a little awkward considering that I had not done this is a while.

Besides, all I had to do was run enough. I had to run to catch him. And, once I had him, it was just one well-placed stomp later to completely break his foot and make him incapable of getting away. He flopped down on the floor, and when I saw him reach for the knife on his belt, I stomped on his hand. And… had to remove the heel because it was lodged in said hand. Oops.

"Do I even want to know?" Uther asked when he finally caught up. "By the way, we won the betting pool. We'll be dining out tonight so I don't have to explain where all the money came from."

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, nudging the guy. His hat went flying when he fell, and he glared murderously at us. "So…"

"You do know that the only things he is 'guilty' of is that he was the last person a murder victim was seen with, right?" Mmm… I guess so. I just had not wanted him to get away, and I had not wanted to deal with that knife. "Hey, I'm sorry about my friend." Uther crouched down, smiling winningly. "If you can answer a few questions for me, I'll make sure she doesn't break anything else, and get you to a healer." The man continued glaring. "I could, however, leave you to her mercy. She still has another heel." The man closed his eyes and sighed, nodding. "Excellent. Now, let's… okay, first thing is getting the heel out of your hand. Why is it in his hand?"

"Large amount of force in a small area results in a large amount of pressure. It is simple physics." I stepped back to give them room. "Shall I go collect the winnings?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"I shall be right back." With a wave, I left, kicking off my other heel as I went.

Now, if he just had a lead…

"So, he had spent the night with her, and in the morning, his patron had caught them and had arrested her for prostitution?" I summarized. We were back at the castle, where I changed back into my preferred clothing and shoes and Uther had questioned the man, and were now in Uther's study. I think he picked that room so I could sit. "Who is the patron? And why did he run."

"The Marquess of Thria, and there are some dark rumors about him," Uther murmured. "He ran because he hadn't paid the entrance fee, and thought we were getting him for that." He drummed his fingers on his desk, frowning heavily. "Thria is on the way to Laus, or can be." He glanced at me. "How up are you for traveling?"

I hesitated. I had agreed to help, but… "I… am worried about the children."

"I can bring in the group you are staying with into the castle proper, and prod Father into pushing ahead those new orphanages being built." His face softened slightly. "It is not a perfect solution, I know, but…"

"It does ease my mind some." I smiled wryly. "Thank you."

"Partners. And I will need you at your best." He paused. "But that does remind me. Let's try to not break bones for people we don't know for sure are guilty?"

"I was simply incapacitating him."

"Knock them out or something that is a little less obviously 'I hold your life in my hand'."

"It got you what you wanted quickly."

"Yeah, and he ranted half the time about you being a monster."

"I do not care."

"Yes, you do. You wouldn't take steps to try and avoid it otherwise." …I could not refute that. "Though, I am curious as to how you broke his foot so easily."

"It is not that hard. Truly, the body is more fragile than it looks." I gave him my best smile. "I can snap your elbow with a quick twist, easily."

"…Note to self. Avoid making you mad."

"Oh, yes, do not. I have a horrible temper."

"How horrible?"

"You have not seen me angry yet, and you have seen what I do." I smiled wryly at how nervous he looked. "Want to back out?"

"No. Like I said, I'm trusting you." His smile softened. "Just, for the future, if all they're doing is running… maybe just bruise something." I was very tempted to roll my eyes at that, but decided it was probably better to just nod. "Thank you. Now, if they're fighting, have at it. And teach me that elbow snapping trick." Ha! "Regardless, though, the signet rings are finally cleaned." Oh? "Here." He reached back to a bowl sitting on a shelf and picked up the rings. "I didn't recognize either seal."

But I… I recognized one. "That is a cluster of three hyacinth blossoms. If they were colored, they would be blue, purple, and white." Despite my best efforts, my hands shook when I picked it up, holding it to the light so I could confirm I wasn't imagining things. But I wasn't. "It belongs to the Etrurian House Kerinei."

"Etruria?" His eyes widened when I nodded. "What's that doing in the hands of a murder victim?"

"I do not know. But I do know that it has to be someone from the main house. The base is silver, and that is only used…"

"For those of the main house. Meaning someone pawned it, or someone of the main line of a Etrurian house is involved in the killings here in Lycia." This… just got complicated. "You knew it instantly. Was it…?"

"No, it was not my house." Hanover's crest was two chrysanthemums, red and white. All Etrurian houses were marked by flowers. "I was supposed to marry into it, though." I set the ring back on the table. "It was an arranged marriage, decided by my grandfather when I was a baby. I was content in listening to him, but my fiancé…" I shuddered, remembering just how cold he had been. There had always been something off about his eyes. Like he was trying to devour the people he was looking at. "I thought I was being too sensitive, just jittery because I was going to marry him. But then two of my dearest friends told me they were scared of me marrying him." Cristina and Hellene thought there was something wrong too. That gave me the courage to confront Grandfather about it, but then… "…I am sorry. I do not…" I cannot believe I just rambled all that. Seeing that crest must have rattled me even more than I would have thought.

"Okay." Uther's smile was kind. He reached over, likely to pat my shoulder or hand reassuringly, but when I flinched back, he immediately retracted his hand. "Any ideas what the other is?"

I picked up the other one, forcing myself to focus on the present. I was no longer 'Lady Amanda', and it would be better for me to forget I ever was. Grandfather had made that all too clear. "The fact that it is a bird suggests it is Bernese." But I could not, for the life of me, identify the bird. They all always looked the same to me. In lessons, I had depended on colors to identify them. "Lycia uses four-legged animals for theirs, right? Like Pherae using a rearing horse?"

"And Ostia using a howling wolf." He gave me an incredulous look. "Bernese?"

"Yes?" …It took a second to click. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me." This… just got complicated. "…Okay, I do not want a war, but…"

"I will keep my promise. This just might have to be kept quieter than I would like." He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Okay, let's just plan for going to Thria and Laus. We'll… ah… figure out what to do about the signet rings later." Part of me wanted to just charge, but I told that part to shut up. We simply could not.

So, instead, I shifted my chair a little closer to the desk and leaned forward to listen. "What are your ideas?"

"Well, I was thinking…"

People

· Amanda, me. Once the 'Jewel of Hanover', now the 'Huntress of Ostia'. I use daggers primarily, but just in close-range. I have no idea how to throw them, and never attempted to learn for fear of losing my weapons. Because I spent five years on the streets, I have lost my hesitancy about killing and am inured to dead bodies in general. To keep myself from becoming a monster, I take care of the street kids. I'm particularly fond of Alyssa and Melanie. Blonde hair, amber eyes, 19 years old.

· **Uther, the heir to Ostia. In terms of political power, he's about equal to a 'prince', but he corrects people quickly about that term, since Lycia has no kings or princes. He's a skilled liar, but does not know how to react when in a brothel. He has a half brother named Orun, and the secrecy surrounding said half-brother led to him being closer to his mother than his father. Wields axes. Blue hair, brown eyes, 19 years old.

Author's note: Like in Thief's Legacy, I will mark when bios change with (**).

Hyacinth is a very pretty flower, imo, which is actually a bit poisonous. I believe it is just the bulb, and that you need protective gloves when handling them, but I could be wrong. The description of the matches comes from Ogma's base conversation with the My Unit in FE12.

Next Chapter – Mercenaries