Title: "Silver Restoration"
Author: Joanne Blessing
Series: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Disclaimer: It goes without saying, but I will state it nonetheless: I own nothing of this franchise, it belongs to Nintendo/Intelligent Systems. I took some license with the characters' backgrounds, building off details released in the Support conversations I got in my game.
Special Note: Unfortunately, I didn't realize there was a timeline introduced in Seth and Franz's A-support, so when I wrote this, I made my own timeline for Seth's career as a knight. By the time I learned the details of the Franz-Seth A-support, I had already established this story, so I am ignoring it. If this bothers anyone, I'm sorry, but theoretically, that information isn't necessarily canon considering you only learn it if you get the A-support through Franz and Seth, which you don't get if you have an A-support for Seth and Eirika. Again, my apologies, but I'm standing firm on this. Any reviews complaining or criticizing the anomaly of my timeline versus that in Franz and Seth's A-support will be summarily ignored.
"Silver Restoration"
Part Three
Eirika awoke shortly after dawn in a bit of a haze. She'd cried herself to sleep - silently, so as not to alarm anyone - in an attempt to alleviate the strain on her emotions, but the hydration imbalance now from such an act left her with a dull headache and eyes that felt entirely too sensitive. She burrowed in her covers a little bit and massaged her forehead. This unpleasantness was weighing her down. She needed to get back home and get busy with the rebuilding of her country. Maybe then her traitorous heart would stop aching so much. At least some distraction would be welcome.
Finally, she got out of bed, stretched herself to get rid of the kinks in her joints, and dressed. She knew she should go get something to eat, but her stomach felt leaden, uninterested in food. As she pulled her boots on and belted her sword scabbard to her waist, she sighed in resignation and opened her tent, stepping out into an overcast daylight.
She fully expected to see Seth directing the breaking of camp, as was his usual routine. The paladin was an early riser in general, and of late Eirika had gotten a small kick out of watching from her tent as he directed the methodical deconstruction of their campsite. On sunny mornings in particular, the way the morning light glanced off his bright red hair had made for an enjoyable sight, at least up until now.
However, today, things were different. Seth was nowhere in sight, and in his usual place stood a very groggy Ephraim.
"Brother... what happened? You look awful."
"Didn't get much sleep last night. Had a lot of stuff to think about and talk about." He stifled a yawn. "You don't look like you slept very well either, Eirika."
"I... well, I sort of did. I just... am so very tired."
"Mm. Well, I don't want to tarry too long at Rausten court when we reach it, no matter how insistent L'Arachel is. One or two nights at the most. We really need to get back to Renais and start wrangling in the outlaws."
"Agreed." She looked around surreptitiously, but the only red hair she saw immediately was the long mane belonging to Joshua, the swordmaster prince from Jehanna. "Brother... where is Seth?"
"Hm? I don't know."
"Doesn't he usually supervise the breaking of camp?"
"Well, he wasn't there to start it this morning, so I've taken it up. I do need to get used to this 'commanding large groups of people' gig, after all."
Eirika tried to quell an uneasy feeling in her gut. This was altogether too unlike Seth for comfort. She noted that the other Renais Knights were starting to gather around the prince and princess, and to a one, they looked a little concerned. Amelia was tagging along with Franz, and looked remarkably intimidated. There was a loud rustle behind them as Cormag and his wyvern Genarog took off into the sky to hunt for a morning meal for the dragon. The horses panicked briefly, but settled down once the wyvern was gone. The three pegasus knights' mounts, on the other hand, were completely unconcerned.
"Wonder where he's run off to," Forde said with a lazy yawn. "'s not like the General to disappear like that. He can take care of himself, so we shouldn't need to worry about him, but his lance is still propped up against his tent and his other weapons are with Hyperion's tack. And Hyperion's still in the pen."
"Well, I will say this much," Ephraim said, glancing mischievously over at one of his most trusted companions, "unlike a certain lazybones I know, I believe Seth has earned a vacation once we get home to Renais."
Forde made a face in mock-offense. "Like he'd take a vacation. He's never done it yet. You'd have to issue an actual sovereign order for him to relax before he'll do it. He makes me tired just watching him."
Kyle sighed in exasperation. "Forde, your laziness knows no bounds."
"Indeed. I'm still alive though, that has to count for something."
"Your incredible luck, most likely."
Franz looked troubled. "I've never known General Seth to shirk his duties like this. Are you sure he's all right, Prince Ephraim? You were the last person to see him, weren't you?"
"I don't know that, Franz. I don't know who else he encountered after he left my tent. I went to bed shortly after he left. Couldn't sleep, mind you, but I did go to bed."
"I... I saw him," Amelia said hesitantly. "I was just getting off my watch, Sir Kyle had just relieved me, and I saw him with his horse. He looked... he looked really sad. And yet, he still took the time to cheer me up, even though I was mostly just so exhausted that I was being silly in the head."
Eirika blinked. Seth "looked really sad"? The Silver Knight almost never emoted, choosing to let his actions and words speak for him instead. The stoic leader of the Knights of Renais was a firm believer in controlling one's emotions and remaining calm no matter the circumstances.
"I saw him too," Kyle said. "He was pacing a lot, seemed lost in thought. He also, uh, wasn't very truthful with me and I called him on it. I mean, it was so obvious that he was upset about something and yet he tried to pass it off as just concern for his horse. And looking at Hyperion, there's nothing wrong with him. General Seth did tell me that whatever was bothering him was of no concern to me, that it was strictly personal."
Eirika shifted uncomfortably; "Brother, shouldn't we go looking for him? This is really unusual. Or do you know something you're not telling me?"
"Just try to have some faith in him, Eirika."
She did her best to quell the growing sense of panic that was taking hold of her belly, sticking close to Ephraim's side while he directed the convoy to assemble nearby and oversaw the methodical breaking down and storing of the sleeping tents.
"My most profound apologies for my tardiness, Prince Ephraim," a voice said from behind them, and Eirika whipped around in surprise. Seth was approaching, and he looked about as ragged as she felt. "I have no excuse for my tardiness."
"Just don't do it again," Ephraim said good-naturedly. "I wasn't worried, but everyone else was a little concerned, and Eirika here was freaking right out."
"I was not, Brother!"
"Pshaw," the prince grinned. "You've been attached to my side since you got up, like you were afraid to let me out of range and you bugged me about Seth more than once. You were freaking out and you know it."
"Are... you okay, General Seth?" Franz inquired. "You look terrible. Did you not get any sleep?"
"No, I did not. I did not even go to bed. I... had too much on my mind. I lost track of time, as well."
"Hopefully things are a little clearer for you now," Ephraim said. "It was a rough night for several of us, I think."
"Mm," Seth was noncommittal in his response, "Princess Eirika, might I have a moment to speak with you in private?"
"What?" She blinked stupidly at him. "Oh, sorry, yes, of course. You'll have to forgive me, Seth, I'm a little foggy today."
"There is nothing to forgive, my lady." He gestured off to one side, and she followed his direction to a somewhat secluded part of the campsite.
Once they had gotten themselves situated, she looked at him expectantly; "What is it, Seth? You really do look terrible. I'm not used to seeing you so disheveled."
"Ah," he looked a bit sheepish, "I am truly sorry that I worried you, Princess. I merely had some things to sort through in my own mind, and I can't think straight if I'm not on my feet."
"I see. What did you need to speak with me about?"
He cleared his throat, looking extremely agitated. "Your brother spoke with me last night. About, er, what has been bothering you lately."
She closed her eyes in dismay, doing her best to ignore the welling sense of horrified embarrassment that Ephraim had disclosed to Seth what she felt; "Well that didn't take him very long, did it! I had hoped he would exercise a little more confidentiality than that."
"He is very concerned about you, Princess. As am I. You have not been yourself for a while, and..." He looked uncomfortable. "I do not think I can beg forgiveness for having caused you this pain, my lady, but I fear I must still do so. I never intended to cause you such grief, and I can only beg your forgiveness for my lack of foresight."
"You don't have to beg forgiveness, Seth," she said softly. "I'm not angry with you at all. None of this is your fault."
"I beg to differ, my lady. I did not realize that my words would cause you so much pain."
"They didn't."
"Then why...?"
"I am just weak at heart right now," she said, though she didn't believe it herself. "My father has died, my dearest friend has died a horrible death, and now my brother and I must rebuild our country. And you have been my pillar of strength through it all. Perhaps I've been projecting my insecurities and transferring them to a feeling of love? I don't really know."
Was it her imagination, or did he look a little deflated at that? "I see. I am not surprised."
She looked away. "You should feel no obligation to me, Seth. My feelings are my own and I will work through them. Even if it really is love and not some facade..."
"Milady, if I may...? You do not seem overly convinced yourself."
She flinched. "Well, convinced or not, this is how it must be, right? Did you not say that you would never again forget your duty?"
He closed his eyes wearily. "I did say that. I fear I may have overestimated my own abilities, though."
She blinked, trying to parse that. "What do you mean?"
He heaved a heavy sigh; "I must beg your forgiveness, my dear princess. Despite all my best efforts to steer it aside, it seems that my heart cannot forget what it has felt. I fear that no matter how hard I try, I cannot abandon the affections that seem to have taken root. Improper as it may be for a man of my station to a woman of your stature, it seems I cannot let these desires go."
She couldn't help herself; she stared owlishly at him; "Seth... are you saying...?"
"I am saying, my princess, that I love you, far more than a knight should ever love the princess to whom he is sworn." He bowed his head down. "I should be ashamed of myself for this. When Prince Ephraim told me, I wanted to be sad for you, but inside, I was... well, I was sort of glad to know that you feel this way. And if my affections can make you happy, Princess, then I will do everything in my power to see to it that you stay that way. But if we are mistaken..."
Her eyes welled up with tears. This was too good to be true...
"Princess?"
"Please," she said softly, "say it just one more time. Tell me I wasn't hearing things. I have wanted to hear those words, that confession, from you... tell me just one more time, so that I can't possibly be mistaken..."
He reached out and put a hand at her cheek, hesitantly; "My princess... I love you-" he was cut off from saying anything further by her lunging at him and flinging her arms around him. She did it so abruptly and unexpectedly that it caught him completely off guard and he lost his balance entirely. The two of them crashed to the ground in a heap.
"Ow..." he groaned as their mutual collapse caused him to land awkwardly, jarring his injured side, close to where that wyvern general, Valter Moonstone, had stabbed him all those months ago, a spot that had remained vulnerable to attack since then despite his best efforts to shield and heal it. "Princess Eirika... I understand you are happy, but that sort of hurt..." Then he laughed feebly; "Ah, my lady, if I had known that my saying so would make you so happy, I would have said this much sooner! My most sincere apologies for misreading the entire situation. I am a war commander, not an expert in matters of the heart."
She was sobbing softly, hugging him as she did so; "I don't care at all, Seth. I was just as foolish, to assume you couldn't possibly truly love me, because of the social dividing line... I misjudged you. I thought you were all about the chivalric code and vows... I never considered that you might feel other than what you're dictated to do by your knighthood. And I promise, when we get home, I'll see to it that the finest medics in all of Magvel have a look at you, to end this suffering you've endured from that wound Valter gave you while you shielded me."
"Milady, please, I have told you before that you owe me no-"
"Be quiet," she said in a fierce whisper. "I want to do this. I can't bear to see you in pain like this. It has nothing to do with guilt or feeling that I owe you anything. It has everything to do with the fact that I cannot bear to see the man I love suffer from something if there is anything I can do to help. You're not merely my subject anymore, Seth. You're the love of my life."
He shook his head in resignation; "I should know better, shouldn't I? You can't be dissuaded when you believe in something. Very well, my lady, I submit to your decision, but do understand that I will not take kindly to you continuing to feel guilty over this. I became a knight in order to protect your family. This is what I was knighted to do. The fact that Valter Moonstone's lance was able to pierce my armor so easily is a testament to how powerful a wyvern knight he was." He shifted onto his knees and started to stand up, wincing in acute pain.
"Seth," she said softly as she offered him some support as he got to his feet. "Please, don't be stupidly proud. Let me help you once in a while."
"Milady," he said gently, "I am still a knight in service to the crown of Renais. My love for you has not changed what I am. I am here to help you, not the other way around."
"Are you two quite finished?" A voice said from behind them. Ephraim was peering at them. "What on earth happened? You're both covered in dirt."
Seth chuckled softly; "Lady Eirika is certainly boisterous when she is in a good mood."
"Ah. Good mood, huh? And given your proximity, and what I just heard, am I to assume that my gamble paid off?"
"Brother, I should slap you for this," Eirika hissed, flushing in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have to tell you to keep confidential something that was confessed to you in private!"
Ephraim looked sheepish; "I debated for hours whether to do anything, Eirika. It was clear to me that you weren't going to say anything to Seth about it, and if left alone, the whole situation would have just soured and made you all the more miserable. I really, really wanted to help you somehow, but I couldn't figure out how to, unless I figured out how Seth fit into everything." Then his brow furrowed. "Seth, are you all right? You're standing awkwardly."
"I landed wrong, is all, my prince."
"'Landed wrong,' my ass," another voice said from nearby. "Looks like you might've reopened a recent wound there, General. Let me go fetch Natasha for you." Joshua, the wayward prince of Jehanna, vanished as quickly as he'd appeared.
Seth glanced down, but there was no visible blood on his side and he just shrugged.
Eirika's eyes were welling with tears; "You tell me not to worry about your wound and yet-"
"My lady, this is not where Valter Moonstone stabbed me. This is from a javelin thrown by a bonewalker in the Frelian tower."
"It doesn't matter where you got that injury!" She retorted, dashing the tears from her eyes. "You're in agony, I can see it, and yet you still act like nothing is wrong. I can't bear to see you in so much pain."
Sister Natasha, a cleric from Grado who had become the company's most trusted and most potent healer, hurried over; "I came as fast as I could. Joshua told me that you have reinjured yourself, General?"
Seth groaned in frustration; "It's just an old wound that I jarred when Princess Eirika knocked me over."
"An old wound?"
"Well, all right, a location that has been wounded several times over the course of this war."
She placed a hand hesitantly against his ribcage; "Is this the spot where your ribs were broken before?"
"Yes it is."
"I see. Hold still a moment, General. I will strengthen the mending again." She drew out her Mend staff and activated it with a prayer. A warm blue light enveloped them both briefly. The pain left Seth's expression, replaced by a sense of relief and calmness, the very one that Eirika had relied upon so much.
"Thank you, Sister Natasha," he said gratefully.
"Would that I could return to Renais with you, General, and tend this while it heals. It will be a long time healing."
"Are you going to return to Grado?" Eirika inquired.
"No, she's coming back to Jehanna with me," Joshua said, reappearing. He put an arm across Natasha's shoulders, almost as if in possessiveness. Still, Natasha didn't seem to mind in the slightest; in fact, she seemed to lean just a tiny bit closer to the redheaded swordmaster.
"I really would like to go back to Grado and help it rebuild," Natasha said softly, "but Joshua needs my help, and if the people of Jehanna can benefit from my help, then it doesn't matter where I am, I suppose. And I do rather feel that I, as a person of Grado, owe Jehanna some help in its rebuilding. It was my country that caused Jehanna to fall into such disarray, and to lose its beloved Queen Ismaire."
Joshua made a sort of "harrumph" noise and grinned; "Mind you, she's not going to be doing the actual building, no matter what it is she wants to do. There's a difference between what you do as a cleric, and what you do as the queen."
Natasha blushed and looked away. "You keep going on about that, Joshua, but you know you'll be rolling up your sleeves and helping out too."
"Yes, indeed, I will. And you will too, I've no doubt. But there's a limit on how much help you'll be able to do, my dear."
"Ah, so this is the bride you were going on about, hmm?" Prince Innes of Frelia said as he approached. "I wondered who this mysterious bride you had chosen was, if she was someone amongst us or not."
"Some genius you are," Joshua smirked. "Ephraim at least had an idea and asked outright when I told him."
"Ephraim asked you if you intended to marry his sister, not our esteemed healer," the Frelian prince snapped. "You forget, I was there. You insult my intelligence when you say he is smarter than I am."
"Enough," Ephraim said, waving it off. By now, the convoy had finished breaking up the camp and two workers had brought over Thrush and Storm to Eirika and Ephraim. Franz brought over a tacked-up Hyperion, who was snorting and prancing, eager to set off.
"You're not my squire anymore, Franz," Seth admonished gently as he took his stallion's reins. "Why did you do this? You know I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my own horse, even with a broken arm, which I most certainly do not have right now!"
"Prince Ephraim told me to." Franz's eyes were bright with optimism as he all but skipped over to his own horse and climbed aboard. "Come on, General, we should get moving! Everyone's waiting on you!"
The paladin sighed and looked over at his prince and princess as they mounted their horses. Then he smiled to himself. This was promising to be an interesting day.
As they stopped for a rest in late afternoon or early evening, Ephraim flagged down the four aerial fighters to get an updated report on the area around them. Syrene and Vanessa had nothing to report, Cormag had only spotted a small band of thieves fleeing into the mountains the moment they spied the wyvern lord, but Tana had the most disturbing news.
"I saw what looked like an organized group of brigands advancing on a village not far from Rausten court. I didn't fly in close enough to ascertain anything, because at least two of them appear to have bows on them, and I didn't want to alert them to our presence by letting them see me."
L'Arachel looked slightly annoyed; "How dare they! We should go chase them out at once!"
Ephraim rubbed his forehead in resignation; dealing with the Rausten crown princess could be so tiring sometimes. "Princess L'Arachel, we are all exhausted, and..."
"Our weapons are in shambles after that ass-kicking we got in Darkling Woods," mercenary commander Gerik said. "My sword has so many cracks in it, one more strike with it will break it."
"But these ruffians are-" L'Arachel started to argue, when Seth interrupted.
"I have a much better idea, Princess. Why don't we hurry to Rausten court, inform Pontifex Mansel about these brigands, and let him deal with it?"
The princess brightened. "Of course! Uncle will surely handle it! You're pretty smart there, General Seth. I should like to have you commanding Rausten's sacred army!"
"Oh no you don't!" Ephraim said. "Seth is staying in Renais. We need him."
"Well if Seth defects to Rausten," Forde said with a grin, "Kyle can be promoted to Knight General like I'm sure he would want. Then I can resign and - "
"Shut it, Forde. Seth's not going anywhere," Ephraim insisted. "Are you, Seth?"
The paladin chuckled as he shook his head; "With all due respect, Princess L'Arachel, Rausten has suffered the least from Grado's atrocities. Also, Renais is my home."
"Oh, very well." The Rausten princess just mock-pouted a moment and then laughed. "I was joking anyway, Ephraim. You should know that! Well you can always visit. You and Eirika both! I insist! And you, General. You should visit too! You and Eirika must visit together."
Seth flushed a bit at the obvious implication, and after a moment, Eirika blushed as well; "L'Arachel! Please!"
The energetic princess wheeled her rouncey around; "Let's go! To Rausten court! We will return to my beloved uncle with our heads held high and proud!"
"When does she ever not have her head high and proud?" Seth overheard Forde mutter and shot the blond knight a dirty look. L'Arachel had already heeled her horse and was galloping off.
"But we stopped to rest..." Franz said, sounding disappointed. "I'm exhausted and the horses all need a break."
"Tana," Ephraim looked up at the hovering FalcoKnight. "Can you round her up? I don't want her getting too far ahead of us, but our horses need a breather."
"Leave it to me!" The Frelian princess said cheerfully, tugging at her pegasus's reins. "C'mon, Achaeus, let's go!"
"With all due respect, your highness," a sardonic voice said from just behind Storm's rump, "if it's a band of brigands in Rausten, they're not going to wait for us to catch our breath before we go report on them."
"I'm aware of that, Rennac," Ephraim said without looking back, "but what exactly would you have me do?"
Rennac, a sour-faced, snarky rogue hailing from Carcino, made a face; "I don't give a damn one way or another. I was just pointing out what should be obvious." Then he looked haughtily over at another rogue, a young man by the name of Colm, who came from a burned-out western Renais village named Lark. "See what happens when you try and play nice guy? These regal types step all over ya. Or they stiff ya, like that crazy princess does."
Colm bristled and looked away. Unlike Rennac, he wasn't a rogue by choice as much as by necessity. In order to keep himself and his childhood friend Neimi (who was the company's only ranger, and a crack shot with a bow and arrow, able to outshoot even Innes at times) alive during devastating poverty, he'd learned to steal to sustain the two of them. He wasn't all that proud of it, though sometimes he acted like it just to downplay how badly he felt about it.
The tense moment was snapped when Hyperion reared up suddenly, neighing loudly and clawing at the air with his hooves. An instant later, Cormag's wyvern began shrieking angrily and beating his great wings, kicking up a small whirlwind of dust and road-dirt.
Eirika was bewildered and looked at her brother in concern, but before she could even ask a question, Seth's horse body-slammed hers, knocking her off Thrush's back with the force of the collision. As she fell, she felt rather than saw or heard the arrow whizzing just past where her head had been a few seconds before. The moment she hit the ground, she tucked into a roll and came up onto her feet with ease, returning to her horse's side in a few heartbeats.
"Franz! Amelia! With me!" Seth roared, unsheathing his sword and spurring Hyperion forward. "Forde, Kyle, you protect our sovereigns!" The three paladins charged into the thicket after the source of the arrow.
"Circle up!" Duessel commanded. "Armored units to the outsides, healers to the inside! Archers, prepare your bows! Magic users, be ready to strike!"
Ephraim leaned over Storm's neck, flattening himself against the gelding so as to make himself harder to hit. "I hope that was one of those bandits Cormag saw."
"Couldn't be," Cormag said as he steadied his wyvern, making the dragon mantle its wings so as to lessen itself as a target. "They were too far away. Either it's someone operating alone, or it's part of the brigands Princess Tana saw."
Kyle positioned himself and his horse in front of Ephraim, his shield raised defensively, as Forde did the same with Eirika. Duessel circled the tightening formation, barking orders and forcing the company to withdraw itself in further to maintain its nucleus.
"This is just bad timing," Innes grumbled as he readied his bow and his quiver of arrows. "You idiot, Ephraim, you sent my sister off to get that idiot princess, and now she could get shot down on her way back!"
"She'll be fine," Syrene said as she and her pegasus sidled into the center. "The moment she sees this formation, she'll know what's up and she'll get out of range. She's not stupid by any means, and she knows her weaknesses."
Ephraim fidgeted, uncharacteristically nervous. "Be safe, Tana," he murmured, so softly that Eirika only barely heard it. Then the thicket in front of them shuddered and surrendered a riderless dun stallion with familiar Renais tack. Eirika's heart flipped in alarm. No, not now... not after everything, not to some lousy bandit...!
"General Seth..." Kyle said, his voice laced with horror. "Hyperion never leaves his side in battle!"
"Amelia and Franz were with him; it's not like he went alone! Why is that horse the only one to come back?" Forde sounded almost panicked. Eirika found herself starting to panic with the obvious anxiety that both Kyle and Forde were exhibiting, and seeing Ephraim second-guessing himself wasn't helping. "Dammit, Franz and I made it through this war, there's no way I'm going to let my kid brother die now!" He reached for his lance, but Kyle was faster.
"We can't follow them, Forde. There's no way our horses will be able to get through that underbrush with any kind of decent speed."
"Pull yourselves together!" Duessel bellowed to the two Great Knights. "Don't drop your guards! You have a job to do! I shouldn't have to remind you of your own General's orders!"
Neimi had drawn her rouncey alongside Eirika's, her bow drawn and ready to fire into the thicket. "He'll be okay, Princess," the young woman said softly. "After all, he took down that crazy wyvern general in the desert of Jehanna, didn't he? Just have some faith and keep yourself safe so that he won't have to worry."
Then the thicket moved again, and Neimi fired her arrow.
"Yikes! Hey! No thanks for the friendly fire!" Franz protested loudly, just barely getting his shield up in time to block the arrow. "Sister Natasha! We need your help! Amelia's horse got hurt."
"Where's Seth?" Kyle demanded. "Where'd the General go? His horse came back, but he didn't come with it."
"He's got the archer pinned." Franz glanced at the prince and princess and grinned sheepishly when he realized that they were both worried. "We're not hurt. General Seth might've gotten a bit of a scrape when he catapulted off Hyperion to pin the archer, but he's not hurt. That archer... She didn't get a chance to graze any of us, but Amelia's horse got hit by an arrow. Oh and she was operating alone, we think. She won't talk beyond saying she's a bounty hunter. So I think the danger's past." Then he helped Natasha aboard his horse and disappeared again.
Ephraim relaxed, and dragged his hands across his face; "I am ashamed of myself. I completely froze, unable to handle this whole mess. This isn't even a real crisis and I couldn't act at all!"
"Thank the gods that Duessel had the presence of mind to take up the command," Innes muttered.
Duessel gave Ephraim a sympathetic look; "It happens to all of us. You've been through a lot, Prince Ephraim, but you haven't commanded enough for it to be second nature."
"My nerves are completely shot. I let this get the better of me."
"Me too, Brother." Eirika was shaking. "I think we're more traumatized by what happened to Lyon than we realized."
"Lyon? What, the Demon King we fought wasn't traumatizing?" Innes snapped. "Regardless, Ephraim, if you want to be a decent king, you'd better steel those nerves. You can't drop your guard like that, and you won't have Duessel to cover for you forever. You may not even have Seth to cover for your faults much longer, if you don't watch it."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just that your carelessness will get even the Silver Knight killed, given enough time." The Frelian prince was calmly unstringing his bow as he spoke. "It'd be a great shame, for you to foolishly waste the life of such an enormously talented and renown knight."
"Innes, please," Eirika said softly. "Please stop antagonizing my brother, and please stop talking about something so morbid."
Time seemed to have solidified, as it felt like forever before the absent paladins returned. Franz's horse had a bound-and-gagged prisoner slung across its saddle and Amelia's horse had dried blood on its chest but seemed otherwise alert and unharmed.
Seth was the last to reappear, and to Eirika's horror, there was fresh blood on his right shoulder. Natasha hurried over to the convoy and dug through one of the packs, withdrawing a fresh Heal staff.
"I'll take care of that wound, General," she said. "I apologize for not having another one on me. I didn't expect to have to heal twice."
"Please stop apologizing, Sister Natasha," the paladin said tiredly. "I am used to this kind of injury; it was more important that you heal the horse on the spot, even at the expense of your Mend staff, than to fix this minor injury. I warrant you it's bleeding more than I expected, but it is nothing serious, just a tear in the flesh."
"What happened?" Ephraim demanded. "Franz said you weren't hurt, that no one was hurt except the horse."
Seth let out a grunt; "Franz wasn't there when the bounty hunter pulled a knife and tried to stab me."
"She didn't just 'try,' General," Amelia said mildly, "she buried that dagger to the hilt in your shoulder."
Seth just looked annoyed; "Need I remind you that my armor stopped most of the blade?" Then he glanced up and met Eirika's gaze, and looked a little sheepish; "Princess Eirika, Prince Ephraim, my most sincere apologies for having worried you both."
"We were only worried when your horse came back without you," Ephraim said. "I've never seen you parted from him in battle."
"I gave Hyperion the command to flee because we were in tight quarters in that grove, and when Amelia's horse got shot, I did not want to chance any other horses getting hurt. I apologize, as I did not consider what his solo return would mean to you."
Eirika had dismounted her horse and was sidling up to the Silver Knight. "Seth..." She willed the tears away. For the briefest of moments, while he'd been struggling with the would-be assassin, she had had to consider continuing her life without him at her side, and the thought frightened her now. Seeing him wounded like this...
"I am sorry, Princess Eirika," he said gently. "I did not intend to upset you. I merely did what I as a knight have been charged with doing my entire career."
"There," Natasha said, stowing away the Heal staff once she'd finished using it. "General, you really must be more careful. That was no ordinary flesh wound. It might not have looked like much, but that blade bit deep enough to very nearly pierce a vital artery."
Seth blinked in surprise; "Surely you are exaggerating... it couldn't have been that bad..."
She shook her head; "I'm sorry, but no, I'm not mistaken and I'm not exaggerating. You said you are used to this sort of injury? Perhaps that is why you do not believe me - you are so inured to pain that you did not realize the wound was so deep."
Ephraim reined his horse around; "I presume that you captured this rogue archer for a reason, instead of executing her, Seth?"
"Indeed. We are within the jurisdiction of Pontifex Mansel. The attempted assassination of the princess of Renais within the borders of the Theocracy of Rausten would therefore fall to his discipline."
"Then let's get a move on. We've wasted enough time idling here, and the fact that Tana hasn't returned can only mean that L'Arachel refused to backtrack."
"Ephraim and his bizarre logic. And he uses my sister as the test-creature!" Innes muttered.
Syrene rolled her eyes and elbowed him gently; "With all due respect, Your Highness, Prince Ephraim is in charge here. In a manner of speaking, anyway. And besides, he trusts Princess Tana to be careful and to be efficient. Perhaps you should have a little more faith in your sister?"
Innes glared at her but said no more, conceding the point. He was a proud, somewhat vain and arrogant individual, but he wasn't stupidly so. He was smart enough to know when he'd been outmaneuvered, and of the Frelians present, only Syrene seemed to have the guts enough to actually point out that he was in the wrong.
Syrene and Vanessa took to the skies as the company began moving again, headed directly toward Rausten court, which was just visible beyond a small rise in the landscape. If they hurried, they'd get there by nightfall. Eirika steered Thrush over to match strides with Hyperion.
"Seth..." She could only breathe his name, unable to form any other words. It made her almost angry with herself; she didn't like to think of herself as a lovesick damsel. She believed she had more self-respect than that. Nevertheless, the mere thought of losing him now, after all they'd been through, was almost too much to bear. She was still reeling from the loss of her beloved father, and the horrific way in which one of her dearest friends had died.
"My dear princess," he said softly, reaching over to cover her hand on the reins, "please do not worry. Once we are back home in Renais, there should not be anywhere near the danger. The work will be hard, make no mistake, but there should not be the mortal danger that we have been facing for so long."
"I know," she said with a sigh, shifting her hand so that she could hold his. It felt awkward to hold hands like this while on horseback, and she had a feeling that Seth was uncomfortable with the outward display of affection, but for the moment, she didn't care what anyone saw or thought. "I just... don't want to lose anyone precious to me again." She shook her head abruptly. "I'm sorry. I'm being so maudlin lately! I think I'm just too traumatized by what all has happened recently. I hope that when we get home to Renais, my nerves will recover. I can count on your support, right?"
"Of course you can, my lady. You needn't ask. I will be at your side the entire way. I have dedicated my life to serving the throne of Renais, and that is what I intend to do to my very last breath. I wear my title, and this armor, with pride."
By now, the company had gotten moving at a fairly decent pace and they could no longer maintain any physical proximity. She contented herself with riding alongside him, casting glances at him every now and then, allowing herself to admire his features and marvel that she could have captured the fancy of such a fine, loyal man. Her heart swelled in her chest. This wasn't just any fine, loyal man, either. This was her father's most trusted confidante, as well as the most highly regarded knight in all of Renais. And this was the man who had saved her countless times.
The sun was sinking low in the sky as they pulled up before the walls of Rausten Palace. Pontifex Mansel was waiting for them at the gate, with L'Arachel at his side. As the company came to a halt and began to dismount their horses, Tana came out and approached Ephraim.
"I'm really sorry, Ephraim," she said, looking very unhappy, "but she just wouldn't be denied. I tried everything I could to get her to come back, but she was too determined. She even threw a Shine spell at me! I thought about returning to tell you, but decided it would be better if I just made sure she made it safely home. You're not mad, are you?"
"Of course I'm not mad. I'm just glad you're safe. We had a little bit of a scare, dealings with an archer." He glanced over at L'Arachel. "She threw a spell at you?"
"Yeah, she did!"
"Oh, please," the Rausten princess grinned, "it just bounced off your pegasus anyway! I knew it would! My spells are only for the vile creatures that leak out of Darkling Woods, after all."
Ephraim frowned; "Princess L'Arachel, attacking one of your own comrades is called friendly fire. Even if you knew it would bounce off, it's like throwing a rock at someone, knowing it won't kill them but it'll still sting!"
Mansel cleared his throat and then smiled brightly at the twins; "My dear L'Arachel has informed me of everything! We will celebrate with a big feast tomorrow! We would have done so tonight, but it is far too late. I insist that you all stay at least two nights. You may stay as long as you need, of course."
"Two nights is all," Ephraim said firmly. "The people of Renais have waited long enough for my sister and I to finish this campaign and bring back justice and order to Renais. There is much, much to be done to rebuild our shattered country."
Eirika stepped forward and presented the Rausten king with a package; "Here, Your Holiness. As promised, the Sacred Twin relics of Rausten, returned to you intact. Well, gently used."
Mansel accepted the package graciously and passed it off to a bishop standing behind him, with instructions to return the relics to their reliquaries.
While Ephraim worked out the details of their stay with Mansel, Eirika looked over at Seth, and resisted the urge to sigh like a lovestruck teenager.
"Milady, will you come walk with me?" He glanced at her as he handed over Hyperion's reins to a Rausten stable attendant. "I would certainly enjoy your company."
She perked up at the invitation. A chance to walk together, away from prying eyes and ears? It sounded perfect. She guessed he wanted to talk with her in private about something, most likely their newly changed relationship to each other. "I would be delighted to, Seth. Let's go."
He offered his arm to her in a chivalrous and proper manner, which she accepted as calmly as she could.
The evening breeze felt good, and it was pleasant to be able to walk with the man she loved like this, even if something felt slightly amiss. He seemed calm enough and for a moment she had almost convinced herself that he merely wanted her company, that he had no other motives.
Then he stopped and glanced back to ascertain that no one was in sight or earshot. "My princess," he said, uncomfortably, "we must proceed with caution now."
"Hm?" She blinked at him. "What do you mean?"
"Regardless of whether or not you can treat me as just another of your subjects, at present, I am nothing more than a ranking knight in your employ. We must be very discreet and very careful. If you show too much favoritism toward me, other subjects of yours will come to resent us both. It will undermine my authority... and yours."
She looked down; "I was afraid you'd bring that up again. Is this really that important to you? Is it really that hard for you to accept that I love you?"
His eyes narrowed a moment, but not in anger; "You appear to be misunderstanding me, Princess. I am not saying that we cannot be together, though part of me believes I should say so. I cannot let go of these affections, and I have no desire to try to, even if the knight in me says I should."
She looked up again, confused. "Then what are you saying?"
"I am saying that we need to be careful how we act around others. In private... well, that is another matter entirely, though we must still be careful not to fuel any unflattering rumors."
"I really don't care what the other nobles think of me, Seth. I just got done saving all of Magvel by defeating and killing one of my dearest friends. If they wish to judge me because I've fallen in love with one of my own knights, they can just..." She trembled a little in anger. "They can just move to Frelia or Grado, or better yet, to Carcino, for all I care."
His eyes saddened; "Princess, it is not that easy. You perhaps forget that I am but a common-born soldier. Yes, I am the leader of the Knights of Renais, and yes my father was a knight before me, and his father before him, but that does not change the fact that I am a commoner, and you are the crown princess. The very nobles that you disdain so are also the backbone of our nation."
She leaned against him, resting her forehead against his shoulder; "Seth, I love you. I don't care about your past, that you were born a 'commoner.' You're not a commoner to me. This feeling has been growing inside me for a long time, I know it has. I don't want to have to deny it. Nor do I really want to hear you tell me that you're not supposed to love me."
To her mild surprise, his arms encircled her gently and held her close; "I'm not asking you to do that, nor am I saying any of that. I think you are determined to misunderstand me, Princess." He brought a hand up to her face, drawing her head up to look at him. "While it is true that a knight should not fall in love with the princess he is sworn to protect, I cannot dictate what my heart feels. And I can see that my telling you how I feel has made you happy. You have been almost floating all day, except for that skirmish a short while ago."
"I don't think I'm following what you're saying..."
Their faces were so close to each other that she felt the warmth of his breath when he sighed; "I'm saying that we must be discreet about our love, my princess, not that we must deny it. I have political enemies, and until we can figure out a way around this - or a way to make this acceptable to them - we should not give them any more reason to hate me and try to undermine either of us." He gently bumped his forehead against hers in an affectionate manner. "It may not matter to you what my origins are, but I guarantee you, there are nobles who do care. And they will go to great lengths to make trouble if they are sufficiently upset."
She sighed as well, twining her arms about his torso and leaning against him; "I don't understand how anyone can hate you, Seth." She was relieved at the clarification, though it still left a cold knot in her gut.
"They see me as a threat. It is rooted in something that happened a long time ago. You probably don't remember when I received my title and paladin's commission. You were very young."
She blinked, a bit startled at the sudden reminder that he was a good ten years older than her. "I'm sorry. No, I don't remember. Was I even there?"
"Yes, you and your brother were there. It was a big deal, after all." He chuckled. "I was the youngest cavalier in history to be knighted as a paladin, after all. I'm not sure, maybe I should be offended that you don't even know this much, Princess!"
"Sorry," she snapped, a bit more peevishly than she meant, "I was too busy being schooled about all of Magvel and the five Sacred Stone nations. Ephraim didn't even bother to learn most of that! In any case, military strategy was never my forte anyway."
He didn't seem offended at her tone. "Mm, well, suffice to say, many people felt I was too young to be made a full paladin. These same people had opposed my being knighted as a cavalier a few years before and for the same reason. To be honest, it might have even influenced their protests at my promotion to Knight General in later years."
"I don't understand; no one had any problems with Franz being knighted as a cavalier, and his origins aren't really any different from yours. And he's pretty young. I don't know any Renais knight who comes from noble blood, now that I think of it. Is it because of Forde that everyone had higher expectations of Franz and therefore didn't complain when he exceeded them?"
"With all due respect, Princess Eirika, Franz is seventeen. I was fourteen when I became a cavalier, and sixteen when I became a paladin. There is quite a difference between those ages. My background had little to do with their protests; they were upset at my age. They thought I was too young, and therefore too much of an upstart."
"Your political enemies have held this against you all this time, Seth? For fifteen years, they've hated you just because you were 'too young' to be promoted?"
"That, I believe, sums it up, yes."
"Wow," she shook her head, "that doesn't make any sense... but I know you are speaking the truth. I only wish I could understand."
"Now do you understand my concerns, milady? I am not about to give you up now, but we cannot be foolish about this."
"Yes, and I'm sorry for being so obtuse. I was just afraid that you were panicking and were going to try and back away from me." Her arms squeezed a little, as if clinging to him. "Now that I have found out how happy it makes me to love you and be loved by you, I don't want to let go of that, ever."
"I have no intentions whatsoever of doing any of that, Princess Eirika. When I told you that I love you, I meant it. It was a decision that I have not taken lightly. I did spend pretty much all of last night mulling over everything, after all."
She let out contented sigh; "I'm sorry. I don't even know what exactly I'm apologizing for, but... Seth, I love you."
"Mm, and I love you, my dear princess," he said softly, tilting her face up, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.
Considering it was their first kiss, it was surprisingly underwhelming. No lightning struck her dumb, no fireworks in her mind, no warm jelly-like weakness in her knees. It was nothing like the song ballads said your first kiss with your true love was supposed to be like. All the same, it made her indescribably happy; her eyes stung with tears that caught her by surprise.
Any further interaction was interrupted by a change in lighting; the torches around the palace walls were being lit as the sun descended, and the combination of firelight and twilight sent shadows dancing askew.
"We should head back," Seth said finally. "They will be wondering. And it is getting dark. Shall we?"
She nodded in response and stepped back, sighing in both resignation and ennui. It wasn't until now, with the light from the torches falling unsteadily across the ground, that she noticed just how utterly exhausted the paladin looked.
"Seth, you really should have gotten some sleep last night. You don't do very well on no sleep, do you?"
He chuckled tiredly; "I should take offense to that, milady. My reflexes are hard-wired. I might be a bit foggy in tactics, but I've been a paladin long enough to know what I'm doing and to do it without thinking. That, to some degree, is why I reacted the way I did to that archer. If I had been thinking clearly, I wouldn't have dragged Amelia and Franz into the fray, knowing how tight the quarters would be in a thicket grove."
They reached the spot where the company had broken apart for the night, with the convoy wagons being lined up neatly and guards being posted around them. Ephraim and the other Renais knights were still nearby, loitering, probably waiting on the two of them.
"How long will we have to play this charade of being indifferent to each other?" She asked quietly.
"Until we can find a way to make it acceptable," he replied.
"Surely Forde and Kyle won't have a problem with this, and I can guarantee you that Franz won't. And we've already seen that my brother approves."
"My fellow knights are the least of my worries, Princess. They know me well enough to know that I have not changed."
She sighed softly; "I wish you wouldn't call me 'Princess' quite so much, Seth. It redraws that invisible dividing line between us."
"My apologies, my lady. It is a habit that will be hard to break."
As they arrived where the others were gathered, Ephraim turned to them; "Seth, I had no idea you had already spoken to Amelia about officially joining the ranks of our Knights. Why didn't you just offer her a commission right then and there? You have that authority, you know."
"I wanted to wait and speak with you first, my prince."
"I was prepared to offer her a lucrative commission to keep her, but she wants to join us anyway, commission or not."
"You are going to give her a decent commission, though, right?" Eirika inquired. "I will have to protest if you don't!"
"Of course I am, Eirika, don't be silly. I just... thought I was going to have to justify a more lucrative commission than normal. Imagine trying to explain to the court nobles why I wanted to offer a commission on a par with Seth's to a sixteen-year-old girl from Grado!"
"They protested enough when I was promoted at that age," Seth said with a chuckle. "They would have vapors over that, Prince Ephraim."
"Exactly. Which is why I'm relieved I don't have to do that."
"I am glad you have chosen to offer her a commission. She will be an asset to us."
"Not to be a pain or anything," Forde said petulantly, "but Prince Ephraim, can we please be excused to go find somewhere soft to collapse? I'm about to fall over here."
There was an audible slap as Franz brought his hand to his face in dismay; "Brother, stop it. You're embarrassing me." Kyle groaned in agreement.
Ephraim just laughed and waved his hand at them; "Sure, go ahead. I need to speak with Seth about something but yes, you three may go. I only wanted you to attend to me for the purpose of appearances, you know. You're my most trusted knights, after all. Go on, go on. The less whining we hear from Forde, the better."
"Hard to believe that this guy is among the best of us," Kyle said gruffly, giving Forde a companionable shove toward the Palace. "Lazy as you are, Forde, you ought to be dead a hundred times over."
Ephraim waited until the three knights had left before turning to his sister and the paladin; "So, I presume you had something to work out. Anything I can do to help?"
"Not tonight, my lord," Seth said, stifling a yawn. "I am completely done in for the night." He glanced around to make sure it was just himself and the twins, and put an arm around Eirika; "My princess, we will have to discuss our options tomorrow. I have no energy left to deal with anything tonight." He gave her a soft, chaste peck on the cheek and then saluted Ephraim. "By your leave, Your Highness."
"Rest well, Seth," Ephraim said in acknowledgement of the paladin's request to retire for the night.
He waited until Seth had climbed the stairs and disappeared through the entry into the palace before turning to Eirika; "Mind telling me what that was all about?"
She shifted uncomfortably; "He's concerned about the nobles of Renais having a fit over the fact that he's common-born and I'm royal. He's concerned about them trying to undermine authority."
"Hm," her brother mused on this, "he has a point. A very valid point. Do remember, Eirika, that the reason why Seth was chosen as the leader of the Knights of Renais over older and more experienced paladins like Orson, is because of his prowess in politics. Father felt he could trust Seth to be able to adapt to political situations more so than any other paladin." He grinned mischievously at her. "Isn't it sad that I know this and you don't?"
"You only know it because Seth himself told you!" She retorted, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "You forget that I was there when he said so. You never listened to what Father was saying when he was trying to tell you about how to rule Renais, so don't give me that hogwash, Brother!"
Ephraim laughed and gave her shoulder an affectionate nudge; "Cover blown, dear sister. All the same, we shouldn't disregard what he has to say, because he's been doing this a lot longer than either of us."
She nodded in agreement; "I know that. I wasn't disregarding anything he's said. I just... wish it weren't a problem. I love him. I don't want to have to pretend that I don't."
Ephraim patted her shoulder sympathetically, before giving her a brief hug. "I'm sure we can work this out. You and I both owe that man more than he will ever let us repay him. I'll think of something, so let's discuss this tomorrow." He stifled a yawn. "Meanwhile, I think I will find a bed to fall into. Good night, Eirika. I hope you sleep well."
to be continued in part four