Chapter 2) The Protected
And so we leave Frelia, making our way towards Grado. King Hayden gives us three soldiers, including a healer, some money, and some supplies, apologizing for not being able to send more. I'd kind of hoped Eirika would realize the recklessness of this plan, but she's stubborn as all hell, as if she simply takes this as a challenge. Either she's as reckless as Ephraim, or she's trying to emulate him since we're in a war situation. Neither sound good to me.
Seth has a map planned out for us, and so we swing by a remote village of Ide, barely within the borders of Renais. I have a bad feeling, though. Remote villages… always went down quick in the stories. No one could protect them anymore, after all, and bandits always existed.
Gilliam joined us, and Franz continued tagging along. A pegasus knight named Vanessa had been with us, but she went ahead to scout, at Eirika's orders and Father Moulder's suggestion. With General Seth, and myself, that meant our little party was a grand total of seven. Seven. We weren't even twice the size of the group Ephraim took with him down south.
I shifted awkwardly, wincing at every little bit of noise I made. It wasn't loud, but it was off. I shouldn't 'clang' with each little movement, and there shouldn't be any weight on me. But there was, because I was wearing armor now. I held a hand in my hand. It was just so… odd. I was a soldier, technically, in a group of other soldiers. I never did anything like this before. I never wanted to.
"You look tired, child." Father Moulder, whose name brought to mind a boulder covered with mold, walked over to me. "Did you not sleep well?" he asked, studying my face. "Vanessa states you were awake when first watch ended."
"I slept as well as can be expected," I replied. I tried not to stiffen. I knew priests were skilled at healing, but it was hard not to remember how the only times I'd ever dealt with them, they failed to save my loved ones. I knew it wasn't their fault, and certainly not his, but it was hard. "There's little need to worry about me."
"I am afraid I disagree. King Hayden specifically asked that I might speak with you."
"Oh. Great." I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes, now just feeling sour. "Is it about how I'm a horrible person for yelling at him? Because I get that yelling at him is a stupid thing already."
"If King Hayden were less kind, it would have been. I imagine those who speak out against Emperor Vigarde right now will find themselves executed."
"Is this an attempt to convince me of how lucky I am? Because I already know that if not for being Eirika's guest, I likely would've been imprisoned or something." I gave him a droll look, but he continued to simply study me. "I also already know that kings have duties, sacrifice the one for the many, are allowed to be selfish because they're people, are allowed to make mistakes… what else am I missing?"
"I could lecture you on how you cannot read people's minds and do not know what they are thinking, but I imagine you'd point out you're already aware of that." His eyes narrowed slightly, but not a glare. Simply worry, and contemplation. "Combined with some other things I have heard, I should simply come to the conclusion that your brutal honesty is born from anger, bitterness, and a disregard to your own life."
"...Huh?" My expression blanked, but he still just… watched me. "What the hell?"
"You are angry over the sudden changes in your life, bitter towards those in power, though you also acknowledge how things are really no one's fault. You are nursing an old pain, a reopened scar, one that shapes your very being because of how deep it is. You are, however, honest by nature, and do not believe in hiding except to protect someone else. Your anger bleeds over, likely because of a selfish, but understandable, desire to see someone else in pain, because then you feel a little less alone in your own. Misery likes company, after all. But you also have no real value in your own life, and that gives you a reckless courage. It's easy to be brave when you are not afraid to die."
"...I never said I'm not afraid to die." I thought of Valter, and barely checked the urge to shudder. I'd been afraid then. I'd been very afraid then. "But you seriously came up with all of that just now?"
"No, it is simply an opinion based on these past few days of traveling, and the typical patterns I see in people." He shrugged. "Every person is unique, but many in pain tend to act the same. That is what I see in you."
I was saved from answering by Vanessa returning. "Bandits to the east," she called, sounding remarkably calm for the news. "A village has already gone under torch; we'll likely see the smoke before long. I saw two people escape, but one, a child, is injured."
"Well, this has become a dilemma," Moulder murmured. He glanced at Eirika. "I can treat the injured, but sadly, they're too far away. We'd need to get closer, and to do that…"
"We have to help," Eirika whispered. Her hands were shaking, but her eyes were determined. "I cannot… we cannot simply stand by while others die. We have to at least try. Vanessa, can you retrieve the boy at least?"
"I will do what I can to find and ferry the injured," Vanessa promised. She saluted before bowing, still seated on her pegasus. "Shall I simply bring them directly to Father Moulder?"
"Yes, please." Eirika smiled. "Seth, determine the best way to utilize our smaller force. I'm going to go warn the nearby villages." She glanced back at me. "Do you mind coming with me, Emma?"
"Sure, that's fine," I reassured, shrugging. It wasn't as if I knew what to do in a situation like this, and I wasn't exactly in a hurry to go off and continue killing. "Right behind you."
So, Eirika and I raced off to the village not far away, while the others charged forward to assist where able. As soon as we crossed through the village gates, I noticed a few things. One, this area expected danger, since it actually had gates. It had a wall. These people must've dealt with threats frequently.
Two, this village was like mine. Before the war. It was happy, and lively. People laughed and smiled. I wished I'd spent more time appreciating my home. I wished I hadn't spent so much time being depressed over Monica. But then again, it had been slowly dying ever since the war began. There wasn't much to 'appreciate'.
I walked through the village slowly, helping some tripping children right themselves as Eirika ran ahead, shouting her warning. I smiled reassuringly at them as they looked frightened, and nudged them towards their parents. Then, I quietly followed Eirika's path, wondering what my home looked like now. Were there buildings left? Was it just a bunch of rubble? The rain would've made it hard to burn, but they could still destroy things. Did corpses line the paths? The fields had likely been trampled…
Another child tripped next to me. I caught them and helped them on their way. As I did that, I found Eirika talking to a lady with blonde hair, a green cape, and clothes that were simple, but clearly expensive.
"You're no simple traveler, being so well-armed," the woman murmured. She held herself in a deceptively relaxed posture. "Who are you?"
"My name is Er…" Eirika began. She hesitated, and I nearly facepalmed. I had a sneaky suspicion she was rather bad at lying. "Erina. I'm a mercenary."
"A mercenary named Erina?" The woman's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?" She took off one of the her gloves and offered it to Eirika. I stiffened, recognizing what was going on thanks to Mom. This was a common trick among mercenaries, to check if their clients were nobles like they said. "My name is-"
"Rina, there you are!" I called, purposely shifting my voice slightly, trying to emulate my mom's rolling Jehannan accent. I waved and walked over as both of them jumped and turned towards me. "Oh, whoops, are we in front of a client?" I smiled at the lady as I came to Eirika's side, doing what I could to mimic Mom's lazy walk. I used to copy her all the time; Monica and I made a game out of it. But this game had some stakes to it. "The name is Emma. Erina and I are a mercenary duo traveling with some others while we get through this lovely little hellscape the country has turned into. Safety in numbers and all." I held out a hand to her, nodding to Eirika. "She didn't act pompous or anything on accident, did she? She's the daughter of a count, and gods, some days she acts like she's still in court, despite the two of us being partners for three years."
"Three years?" the woman repeated. She took my hand automatically, with the ungloved hand, and I noticed the faded, but still there, calluses. She was common-born; no noblewoman had calluses on her hands like this. I knew mine were the same. "You look so young."
"Not uncommon for a Jehennan to be a mercenary young, miss. The desert is harsh, and the sandstorms, more so." I grinned, silently thanking Mom for everything because emulating her was really helping now. "I'm even worse, as the kid of a merc. It's why we got nice stuff. Inheritance. So, you looking to hire?"
"Actually, yes, I would like to." She stepped back, and tugged her glove back on. This woman was intelligent. "My name is Selena."
"...Wow, a Grado General herself." I nudged Eirika again, this time to make sure she didn't look quite so shocked. "Didn't expect one way out here."
"I was looking at the Frelian border, and was called to return. Sadly, though, since Prince Lyon's message tells me it is utmost importance, I must make haste. It is rare that he calls on me, and I worry for him, given this war." General Selena shook her head. "If you are mercenaries, though, I should like to hire you to deal with these bandits. That way I can continue with my orders, but do not have to leave these people undefended."
"Well, can't say that I mind some bandit killing. But you're Grado, right?" I narrowed my eyes. "Why you even bothering? The bandits are only attacking because you lot attacked, right? Taking advantage of the chaos?"
"That is even more reason to involve myself. These are people, not soldiers-"
"Soldiers aren't people now? That's new."
"...I misspoke." She smiled slightly. "They're civilians. It isn't right for them to suffer because their leaders fight."
"But anyone with a knowledge of history knows they're the first and last victims of every war." I shrugged. "Whatever. We'll cut you a deal, since it's bandits, and they suck."
"Whereas you might have charged me more, since I am of Grado." General Selena reached into her pack, and pulled out a handful of beautiful red gems. As she did, I caught sight of a beautiful pale green gem, set inside some sort of clear case. "Fluorspar."
"Pardon?" I glanced up at her, and noticed she was smiling slightly. "I know you're called the Fluorspar, though I doubt that's your last name."
"No, like those of Renais, non-nobles don't have a 'family name'." Her smile grew. "The gem in the case is a kind of Fluorspar, the one Emperor Vigarde gave me. Like the other generals, I keep it close."
"Oh, it's pretty." I held out my hand, and took the small red gems. "Payment received. We'll route them."
"Thank you. I can leave with little reservations." She glanced at Eirika then, who smiled sweetly. "A count's daughter?"
"Yeah, why?" I paused and then made myself laugh. "Oh, wait, we had this happen before. Last time we were in Ivroria, some Renaisi knight confused her for Princess Eirika and threw a damn fit at his precious princess being in a tavern!"
"I… was wondering, yes." Her eyes narrowed slightly, and I could see there was still some suspicion. But there was nothing she could prove, especially with Eirika keeping her mouth shut, so she simply nodded. "A shame. Prince Lyon had begged for any information I might come across about his friends. He's worried desperately…"
"Really?" It was easy to be surprised. "Even with their countries like this?"
"Yes, well…" She shrugged. "Regardless, they're his friends."
"True." I glanced at Eirika, and saw her shift awkwardly. She wanted to reassure, but to do so would out her, to a Grado General, while the two of us were alone. But still… "Heard a rumor she made it to Frelia. The princess."
"Is that so?" General Selena gave a genuine smile then. "I'll let my prince know. Thank you."
"Well, it's just a rumor." I shrugged. "Well, we need to get to doing that job."
"And I must be off." She bowed to us. "My thanks. Stay safe."
"We'll try." I put the gems in Eirika's pack, while Eirika waved goodbye to General Selena. When we heard her ride off, I slumped, feeling like a rag doll suddenly. "Holy hell, that was something."
"I need to learn to lie like that," Eirika noted. She laughed a bit, but it was high, tinged with nerves. "I really need to. I was certain I was going to give it away."
"It doesn't help that people know you as a noble on sight, just by how you hold yourself," I pointed out. That wasn't her fault, though. "Slump more or something."
"I'll think about it." She sighed, leaning against me. "I'm glad you intervened. I'm bad at lying."
"I could tell 'Erina'." I gave her the most incredulous look. "You seriously almost gave her your real name!"
"Yes?" She had the grace to look sheepish before she frowned. "Wait, but you gave her yours!"
"'Emma' isn't that unusual, and isn't attached to anything remotely related to the royal family, missy!" I groaned and she sighed. "Whatever. We made it, and got paid, and the village is getting its gates shut, so wins all around." I glanced down at my hand, though, thinking of what caused me to get involved in the first place. "Hey, Eirika?"
"Yes?"
"Try not to shake people's hands for a bit." I held out mine for her to feel, specifically the calluses that lined my palms and fingers. "You're developing some calluses from your sword, right? But you don't get these just from that, and you have lots of lotions and the like, right? That can be felt even through your glove, I'm pretty sure. Not as well, which is why she took hers out, but she was feeling for calluses."
"I did have lotions, to smooth out my hands." She poked at a particularly large one, and I thought it was from helping in the fields. "Ephraim would tease me about it, saying that I'll never have a warrior's hands with those."
"They're the hands of someone who worked for a living. I imagine that if Ephraim did his job, he'd have a callus on his finger or something from holding a pen." I smiled slightly. "So-"
"Teach me?" She glanced up shyly. "Teach me how to sew or things like that? I was never allowed to do anything but embroidering."
"...Sure. As soon as we have time, and thread. I'll even teach you how to cook."
"I've always wanted to learn." She smiled. "We should… join the others, though."
"Yep." I grinned and closed my hand around hers. "Come on. I have your back."
"And I have yours." She grinned back, but I saw the fear in her eyes. I knew she saw the fear in mine. "Let's go."
"Agh…" I hissed as an axe struck me across the arm again. No bleeding, this time, but I could really feel the bruise forming, under everything. Lances really didn't hold up well against axes, as I rapidly discovered.
"I've got you!" Swords, however, did wonderfully against axes, apparently, since Eirika was dodging a lot more than I was. Then again, she was also luckier than me by a long shot. "There's so many," she whispered. She wiped the sweat off her face, and smeared blood across her cheek. I chose against telling her. "Why are there so many?"
"Remote reaches and bandits go hand in hand," I told her. I caught sight of an archer, and darted around her. "Get down!" She dropped, letting the arrow fly over her head, and I lunged forward, skewering the archer. It took me a few attempts to jerk my lance out, though. I had no idea how Gilliam could do it so easily… strength, perhaps? "Frontier villages are often ignored."
"I see…" Eirika looked saddened by that. "My poor people…"
I debated saying something to try and comfort her, but a loud yell startled both of us, and I whirled to see a young boy wielding a hatchet charge for a bandit, with poor Franz desperately trying to keep up, despite being on a horse.
I blinked slowly, convinced I was hallucinating from exhaustion, but when the scene didn't change, I turned back to Eirika, who looked similarly baffled. "Who's the reckless loudmouth?" I asked. "I don't recognize him."
"You were helping the villagers secure the gate when Vanessa brought him back," Eirika explained. "His name is Ross."
"So, the injured one, who is not being an idiot and undoing Moulder's work." I sighed heavily. "Let's maneuver to get closer to him? It seems they're heading for the woods, and Franz will have difficulties maneuvering through that."
"Yes, let's." Eirika led the way, and I followed closely behind, trying not to trip over the various debris. We didn't exactly have fields of corpses, but there were a lot of splintered branches and weapons scattered about.
Of course, as we approached Ross, he'd gotten himself into trouble, mostly by picking a fight against a particularly strong looking bandit and getting his arm injured. Eirika gasped and tried to run faster. I debated chucking my lance like a javelin, and seeing if I could get lucky. A look around showed Franz had left, likely to fetch Vanessa, and there were no others near as the bandit swung his axe up and back, planning on getting a little extra momentum for a harder hit.
Then the axe slipped from his hands, because a different axe cleaved his skull in two. I skidded to a stop, startled by the ferocity, and my eyes widened when the corpse fell to reveal the wielder of said axe.
His face was older than I remembered, with more lines, and he wore simpler clothes. But I did recognize him, after a moment. Sir Garcia.
Eirika hadn't stopped. She'd gone straight to Ross and helped him up, letting him lean on her. Ross mumbled something, looking frustrated and embarrassed. Sir Garcia just watched them closely, silently, as if he didn't know what to make of any of this.
He certainly bristled when I stepped forward and accidentally snapped a twig. He paused, though, when he whirled to look at me, axe stopping mid-swing. He simply studied me, with fierce eyes, and I remembered how Dad always explained how Sir Garcia's glare was often enough to unnerve his enemies. I could easily believe it now.
"...It's a pleasure to see you again, Sir Garcia," I whispered. I didn't know what else to say. I felt horrifically awkward. "My name is Emma."
"Emma?" he repeated. He slowly relaxed. "Alex's youngest?" He looked almost incredulous when I nodded. "You grew."
"Little girls have a habit of doing that." I looked around the area, mostly as an excuse to not have to look at him. I felt like I was three again, and wondering why Dad wouldn't come home, and why Sir Garcia kept on crying. The last time I'd seen him had been Dad's funeral, after all. "Oh, Eirika, General Seth is riding over here, so I'm guessing the bandits are routed." That, or they had fled.
"That will be good," Eirika murmured. She fussed over Ross, who made a face but didn't protest. "Emma, do you mind getting Moulder?"
"Yeah, sure." Eager for the excuse to escape, I dashed off, tripping over nothing in my haste. I passed General Seth on the way, who gave me a worried look, but I waved him off, intent on finding Moulder as soon as possible. I found him before long, checking on an injury Franz had taken to his leg. Franz waved when he saw me, and Moulder nodded absently towards me. I wondered where Gilliam and Vanessa were, but then saw them in the distance, towards a village to the south, and figured they were ensuring there was no damage there. So, I-
"You… you blasted fool!" Ross's sudden shout made me jump and whirl, but it was apparently the extent of his loudness. From here, I heard nothing else, simply watched Ross flail and glare at his dad, while General Seth and Eirika stood awkwardly near. I wondered what, exactly, they were talking about, but shrugged and continued heading over to Moulder.
"Ross kid is injured again because he's reckless," I explained as soon as I was close enough, not even bothering with a greeting. Moulder nodded again, and continued examining Franz's wound. Franz shifted awkwardly on the rock he sat on. "How did you get hit, Franz? Forget that your legs aren't as armored?"
"Yes," Franz whispered, face coloring from embarrassment. He smiled sheepishly, and pointed to where his horse was grazing nearby. "I was trying to make sure they couldn't hurt my horse, and… well…"
"Nearly lost your leg. Idiot." I smiled to soften the words, and his own widened. "Though I guess your horse has less armor than General Seth's."
"Yes." He sighed, drooping. "I have to get stronger."
"You and the rest of us." I went to ruffle his hair, but I saw how bloody my hands were, so instead, I patted his shoulder. "It's fine. No one dead, yeah?"
"Not this time." Still, he smiled. "I'll be okay."
"Yes, you will," Moulder confirmed. He stood up slowly, and pulled down Franz's pant leg. "Go join Gilliam and Vanessa, Franz. No riding, and mind that leg. I'll give it another check later." He turned towards me. "The boy?"
"Over there," I said, pointing to where the other group was clustered. I saw Eirika walking this way and waved. "He's on his way!"
"I figured!" Eirika laughed, waving back. She bowed to Moulder as he passed, and smiled at Franz as he walked away. "So, we'll help the nearby villages secure their walls before continuing on. And see if they've extra supplies they can lend us, but considering everything…"
"Everyone's going to hoard what they can," I murmured. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, grimacing at how much pain I was in. I ached all over, and I swore I felt every tiny little scratch. The stories never mentioned anything like this. "Since no one will have any idea on just how much they'll have in the coming months. Merchants might not even travel."
"True." She sighed, reaching up to rub her temple. She winced at the movement, and I wondered if she was in as much pain as I was. "I hope at least they have an extra bedroll or two for Garcia and Ross."
"Yeah, that'll be…" I trailed off as I realized what she said. "Wait, they're with us?"
"Yes, they'll be traveling with us." Eirika smiled. "Isn't that good?"
"Well, I suppose?" I was worried for Ross, truthfully, but I did have to agree that having 'twice' Ephraim's numbers was definitely preferable. If his dad agreed, I didn't see how I could say anything else. "I'm worried about baby stories."
"Oh, right, he would've known you." Her smile became a grin. "I'm going to ask!"
"Eirika!"
The villagers had offered to let stay with them, but we refused, both to get just a little bit extra distance, and because we worried about rumors. The longer we lingered, the more likely tales of us would reach Grado. We'd already accidentally ran into one Grado General already, and we knew a second at least had been torching the countryside. Our 'stealthy' little group wasn't doing that good of a job on stealth.
Still, the villagers shared what they could, giving us more food and some basic essentials, like a couple more pots and bedrolls. A couple of the women had given Eirika, Vanessa, and me extra pads, and warned us to be careful, since stress could alter our monthly cycles. One even gave us some tea mixes for cramps. We were all so touched that we could even begin to comment on how we didn't have an extra tent. It wasn't as if we couldn't share anyway.
When it came to make camp, though, we got into little arguments over who would share. King Hayden had given us enough tents for everyone, so at worst, only four would have to share. Garcia and Ross instantly offered to be one of the pairs, easy for them. The arguments, therefore, resulted over who would be the other pair. Because everyone in the group was damn noble-minded about it. After a bit of circular argument, I'd literally just seized a tent, set it up, snagged Eirika's stuff, threw it in, and then threw in mine before crawling inside to change into some clean clothes and out of the armor. Afterwards, I told Eirika the tent was empty for her to change, and then asked if everyone would get their dirty clothes off so that I could wash them.
Eirika had given me a victorious grin. The rest of the group gave me little stares, though Sir Garcia had burst into laughter. Supposedly, my dad had pulled something similar, once.
After that, Vanessa and I had done laundry, while Sir Garcia and Ross cooked, Eirika and Franz cared for the horses, and General Seth and Gilliam double-checked the perimeter. Things continued to be remarkably quiet throughout the night, with a few scares from passing does and birds. Ross had freaked out over a hawk, and that had made us all laugh, though it wasn't a 'normal' laugh. It had been too loud, too high, to be anything but mocking, mocking ourselves, and near-hysterics, because everything was literally going mad around us. It was on that note that we all went to bed, and Vanessa and Franz took up first watch.
However, I couldn't fall asleep, and just laid there in my bedroll, staring at my hands. I picked at my nails, so certain there was still blood on them, despite the fact that between the quick bath I had, and all the washing, there really shouldn't be anything on them. If there was blood, it might've been mine, because of the repeated washing drying out my hands.
Blood on my hands… Mom had always hoped Monica and I would never fight for a living. She had always hoped we'd be able to live without ever having to bloody our hands. 'We live in prosperous Renais,' she had always said. 'And your father was a good man, and we live in a good village. You two will never have to kill to not starve.' I supposed it was still true. I didn't kill to make sure I didn't starve. Instead, I killed because this was war. If I didn't kill, I would die. I didn't really want to…
The thought made me pause, and I curled into myself, thinking about what Moulder had said earlier. A complete disregard to my own life, huh? I supposed… that was true. I didn't necessarily want to die, but… I supposed I didn't necessarily want to live either. I was afraid to die, but I wasn't really attached on living either. I was apathetic towards the whole idea, too drained to even make a decision on that.
But, really, if I died, would anyone care at this point? Orson was the only person who'd mourn me. Maybe Helena, Sam, and a few others from the village, but really… if something happened, few would be affected anymore. So, maybe that did play a part in why I yelled. I mean; I yelled at a king. If I'd been with anyone but Eirika, I had little doubts that the yelling would've gotten me in a hell of a lot more trouble. I wasn't stupid. No one yelled at kings, assuming they could even get close enough to yell in the first place. Which wasn't likely. They stayed in their castles, running the country, and things remained stable that way. They got their fancy shit in exchange for keeping the country safe, for being there for the people, for taking care of everyone as best as they could. They had some of the hardest of jobs, and so, they were 'paid' well for it. Fancy clothes, fancy foods, fancy houses… doctors that tended to you when you got pneumonia instead of dying from complications because there were too few healers and even less medicine.
That was why Ephraim pissed off so many people. He didn't do his 'job', yet he still got 'paid' for it. Worse, when others died, he was the one who got praised. Maybe King Hayden didn't mean for it to come out that way. Maybe he'd been just trying to comfort Eirika, and it came out badly. People misspoke. I did all the damn time, and often, I 'misspoke' by simply speaking at all. I knew that. I also knew that intentions meant jack shit compared to action. That was why I got in trouble a lot, speaking so much. I might intend to only speak the truth, but if I hurt someone, it was my own damn fault, and even if I didn't 'intend' to, it didn't change that I did hurt them.
But maybe Moulder was right. Maybe I did say some things to hurt, without realizing it, because I wanted some sort of consolation that someone else was suffering too. I wasn't sure how much I liked that…
Some whimpering caught my attention, and I pushed myself up to see Eirika curled up in a ball, shivering. I scooted a bit closer, and gently tapped the side of her pillow, just loud enough to make some noise. She still startled awake with a gasp, blinking slowly even as her eyes darted around. It took her a moment to focus on me, and she opened her mouth to say something, but the words died in her throat, so her mouth moved uselessly for a bit before she closed her mouth, and simply shrugged.
I studied her for a moment, noticing her pale face, the sweat dripping down her neck, the tears in her eyes. She'd been having a nightmare, likely of the fall. It took me only a moment to realize that as different my life was now… hers was just as different. She felt just as lost, likely, but still tried to hold strong. But that didn't mean she wasn't afraid, just like me.
So, without a word, I shifted things so that our bedrolls were side by side, with our blankets thrown over both of us, and settled down into the little nest, waiting for her to do the same. When she did, looking both touched and confused, I began whispering some of my favorite fairy tales, such as Sleeping Beauty and Donkeyskin. Stories I'd memorized, because Mom had read them to me, when I had trouble sleeping after Dad died, and Monica had done the same, when Mom had died.
The tears in her eyes faded with each little story I told, and shyly, she whispered some that she loved, like Snow White and the Ill-Fated Princess. They weren't necessarily stories children should know, but they were comforting, both to her and me, and we whispered any and all we could think on until we fell fast asleep.
Fairy tales had happy endings, mostly. It was nice to hear of them, when everything was so uncertain.
Notes on Vanessa:
18 year old pegasus knight, who keeps calm in all situations
A recent knight, who takes things seriously, perhaps too much so. She has difficulties relaxing, though she has a drier sense of humor
Tends to her pegasus, Titania, carefully, and enjoys teaching others how to care for the wings
Notes on Moulder:
34 year old priest, who has served as an advisor for quite some time
Takes on a fatherly role with ease, as well as a mentor role. He encourages people to come speak to him for advice. Has a sharp eye, to discern things about people with only a handful of words. It's useful for cutting to the heart of matters.
Can be a bit absent-minded, though, and devoted to his work to the point of forgetting things like dates.
Notes on Ross:
15 year old boy, training to be a warrior like his dad, who he is very close to
Wild and impulsive, who still hasn't outgrown the idea that being strong means showing no weaknesses, and that recklessness is courage
Like me, he has very little experience in fighting, or even training, but he throws himself into lessons with vigor. I want that energy.
Notes on Garcia:
45 year old fighter, a famous among the knights, one of Dad's friends, who came by once or twice when I was little
Retired from the army when Risa, his wife, died, and shows some signs of being out of practice. Still, he's skilled, and his mind remains sharp.
However, his personality hasn't changed. Fierce on the field, but gentle off of it, and always willing to listen and give advice.
Author's Note: Technically, there's another scene for this chapter (Actually two, but one happened off-screen), but I moved it to the next chapter to help things flow a little better. Garcia is mentioned to be around Dolza's age, and Dolza is confirmed to be 47 in a support conversation. As for fairy tales, I looked up random ones that I thought might be able to be 'adapted', so to speak, to Magvel.
Technically, Eirika has the extensive conversation with Selena, but considering how Eirika also goes with the most paper-thin disguise ever, and only gets away with it because Selena's like 'I have more important things to worry about', I'm guessing Eirika's a poor liar, and had Emma step in to make it a little more plausible that Selena believes them enough to let it go. As a result, the conversation is extended a bit. Fluorspar (also called Fluorite) is a really colorful gem, with various shades possible, and Selena's has no color mentioned in game, that I could find. So, I picked 'green' because Selena's cape is green.
Next Chapter - The Bandits of Borgo
