It's back~
No, seriously, welcome to the fourth chapter of "A Moment of Mercy!" We at Ariaeris & Co. would like to extend our greeting to you, dear reader, as well as a few precautionary notes.
First: Do I have to explain the concept of a Life Debt to anyone? If so, then just read this chapter with an open mind; maybe you'll be able to learn something today. If not, then yay, hopefully I won't have that many confused readers on my hands. If there are some though, I'll explain it to anyone who needs a definition.
Second: Because I know I am going to have complaints from someone if I don't clarify this, Eliwood's logic is supposed to be absolutely faulty in the first section. He's panicking, okay? Not many people would have a level head with someone who just tried to kill you. This is just an example of the whole reading between the lines thing, though really, I basically spell it out in one paragraph.
Third: About halfway down the fic, Lloyd demands that Eliwood speak 'in Modern.' This came from the revelation that since everyone is in Elibe, they can't be speaking English. So, Elibe's version of English is Modern. Although this raises so many linguistical problems (Eliwood references carte blanche, a French term that, technically, shouldn't exist since there is no France and therefore no French language in Elibe), this will be the only mention of it for the rest of the fic.
Other than that, I think this will be a fairly good chapter. After all, we have Lloyd finally! Oh, and a moderately badass Eliwood, which is a cause for celebration as well!
Enjoy~
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Warnings: Total ruining of Fire Emblem Seven canon, the necessary removal of Fire Emblem Six canon from this work's universe (not really though - there are still hints of its continued existence. Example: Hector's God-awful beard), Swearing, Violence, Mature material, OOC-ness for the sake of poor humor and plot continuation, etc.
Pairings: Lloyd/Eliwood (this will be fun!), one-sided Hector/Eliwood, Raven/Lucius, Legault/Heath, Lyn/Florina, Others to be determined.
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A Moment of Mercy
Chapter 4: Speaking to You through a Cracked Wall.
The distance doesn't matter; it is only the first step that is the most difficult.
-Marie du Deffand
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Eliwood shivered as the flat of Lloyd's dagger was drawn across his neck before Lloyd released him. Scrambling to his feet, Eliwood stared cautiously at the casual-looking swordmaster.
"You spared my life," Lloyd said, breaking the wary silence that hung between the two. "And now I have spared yours from death at my hand. We are even."
Eliwood blinked, tensing as Lloyd held his dagger in a more ready position, staring at him.
"We are not," Eliwood asserted. "Yes, I spared your life, a debt which you just so unorthodoxly repaid. But I have also given you asylum, and because of that, your debt to me remains."
Lloyd looked mildly annoyed for a moment before smirking faintly. "Fine, I acknowledge that such a debt remains; but what is stopping me from simply…saving you again?" Lloyd played with his dagger, twirling it between his fingers. "Two debts, two repayments…" The older man trailed off, stilling his weapon. "Then what will you do?"
"Your second repayment would not be sufficient," Eliwood replied with a steadiness that he did not truly feel. His mind was abuzz with plans and strategies, and yet everything he thought of was flimsy and easily shot down. Could he bank on Lloyd's honor? He would never have mentioned his debt to him if he did not have some sort of sense of honor - he would have just killed him, or taken him hostage in order to assure his safe escape - and yet…
"Oh?" Lloyd asked, walking casually closer. Eliwood tensed but stayed his ground, and Lloyd almost chuckled amusedly. "And why is that?"
"I have given you sanctuary, and for that you owe me," Eliwood repeated, meeting Lloyd's impassive gaze. "As long as you remain in my care, you remain in debt to me; as long as I provide shelter for you, you owe me the life that I spared."
"Logical and concise," Lloyd murmured with the faintest hint of sarcasm, ghosting his knife's tip over the redhead's cheek. "But flawed. What is stopping me from leaving you care as you put it, and then coming back for you? It would take, what, ten minutes to leave your campground and then return? Ten minutes, and you won't have such weak excuses to hide behind any longer."
"Be my guest," Eliwood mocked with a faux-polite smile. "It would take, what, two minutes for someone to notice the injured commander of today's battle and take you down? If you want, I can count the seconds for you."
"Injured? Legault's elixir healed me completely," Lloyd laughed and Eliwood felt something in his chest freeze suddenly. The only way that Lloyd could have known that it was Legault's elixir that healed him…was if Legault told him himself. A slightly bitter smile crept across Eliwood's face; he would have to finish up here soon in order to intercept the thief before he left. "I'm not injured at -"
Lloyd paused, shocked at the feel of cold steel suddenly pressed against him. A quick glance down confirmed his suspicions; the tip of a sharp looking dagger was pressed against his abdomen, his blood dripping down from the small puncture wound it caused. Lloyd stared at the cut for a long moment before meeting Eliwood's gaze once more.
"You will be," Eliwood promised, his sapphire eyes frosted over. "Listen to me and listen to me well; I will say this only once. I saved your life; you owe me said life. Your life, which I saved from death, is mine to do with as I wish. You gave up the right to control your life when you lost to me in battle."
Eliwood's smile was frigid, but Lloyd managed to keep an impassive façade in place. "Tell me where Legault is going."
"Go to hell," Lloyd snarled, and Eliwood pressed the tip of his dagger into Lloyd a bit farther.
"I loath violence," Eliwood mentioned flippantly. "And I would rather not resort to such barbaric means as this to get you to talk, but I will if necessary."
"So, this is the true face of Eliwood of Pherae?" Lloyd mocked. "Someone spurns you and you lose that gentle veneer, revealing your true nature. You're the worst kind of person, Lord Eliwood; worse then the trash on the streets. They know what they are, but you, you try to fool yourself and others into thinking you're better than everyone else. You try to fool yourself, but on the inside, you're as filthy as every other corrupt noble in the world."
At the end of Lloyd's tirade Eliwood was deathly still, his eyes closed. The blond allowed himself a moment of triumph - he had been right, the crimson-haired lord truly was nothing but a farce, just like his father had said - before blazing blue eyes shot open, pinning him with their inner fire.
"Fool," Eliwood whispered his voice sharp and biting. "Fool amongst fools. You do not even realize how very wrong you truly are." The lord shook his head, looking more than a little disappointed with the swordmaster.
"You will remain here," Eliwood ordered, turning his eyes from the now silent Lloyd. "You will not leave; if you do, someone will find you and they will kill you without a second's hesitation. After all, you would do the same in our position, wouldn't you?"
The lord left without an answer, leaving the swordmaster to contemplate the confrontation that had just occurred.
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Eliwood walked quickly towards the stables, stifling his disappointment. Despite his repeated acknowledgements of the stupidity of saving Lloyd, he had still held on to the childish notion that he might be able to help the swordmaster, and get to know him. Or at least talk to him, and try to understand his motives.
Eliwood snorted, breaking into a brisk jog. Lloyd lived up to his title: the White Wolf. A beast. How dare Lloyd accuse him of being so base, so reprehensible! What had he done to deserve the blonde's ire, besides being born with royal blood flowing through his veins? From the other's response, apparently that was enough evidence needed for Lloyd to pass judgment on his character.
That man was not worth his thoughts; Eliwood shook his head, and put the blond out of his mind for the first time that day.
A relieved smile broke through the lord's bad mood as he spotted Kent tending to his horse beside the stable.
"Kent!" Eliwood called, jogging to the other redhead's side.
"Lord Eliwood," the cavalier greeted, running a cloth over his sweaty forehead as he stood up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Have you seen Rath or Legault lately? Or perhaps, Isadora?" The young lord asked, glancing around as if to catch sight of them.
"Yes, I have, Lord Eliwood," Kent said, closing his eyes in recollection. "The three left shortly after I arrived, all on horseback."
"Do you know how long ago that was?" Eliwood questioned, biting his lip in frustration.
"Hm," Kent glanced up, measuring how far the sun had traveled since he last checked. "Maybe twenty minutes, my lord. I am not certain."
Eliwood swore, and Kent sent him a surprised and scandalized look. "Do you know how many mounted units are currently equipped for travel, Kent?"
"I can saddle up quickly if need be, Sain as well. Florina and Fiora are with their Pegasi over there," Kent waved his hand in the duo's general direction. "Priscilla is ready, as is Sir Marcus I believe. That is all…wait, Heath is ready as well."
"Thank you, Kent," Eliwood said, pinching the bridge of his nose in deep thought. The last thing he wanted to do was split up the army, especially considering how low on forces they were, but there was no way he could leave Rath and Isadora alone with Legault. The thief had proven himself untrustworthy, and he could be an extremely skilled assassin when he wanted to be. Leaving an unsuspecting Isadora and Rath with Legault could be tantamount to singing their death warrants, and Eliwood was nowhere near hard-hearted enough to allow that to come to pass.
"Kent could you call…" Eliwood closed his eyes, a quick plan sketching itself in his mind. "Sain, Fiora, Priscilla, and Heath over here."
"Right away, Lord Eliwood," Kent replied, quickly saddling his horse and riding away.
"I will be right back!" Eliwood shouted after him. Legault could have led his companions into a trap or an ambush by now, so the group who would be going after him would need all the help they could afford.
A few minutes later, Eliwood returned to the group Kent had summoned, Erk and Wil by his side. "Come here please," the lord asked.
"I have an extremely important mission for you all," Eliwood began as the group encircled him. "Approximately thirty minutes ago, a group of three left on an assigned mission to recover an important object, one vital to the army. This group, consisting of Rath, Isadora, and Legault, are unknowingly entering into an extremely dangerous area even as we speak; recent information has come to light that the Black Fang have been spotted too close to their goal for comfort.
"Your mission is to track and intercept the three and then return them to safety, preferably back here at camp. If it takes longer than a day to locate them though, then stay with them and aid them in their task. Afterwards, reconvene with us a soon as possible. Do you all understand?"
The group replied with their various agreements, although Wil's was noticeably less chipper than usual.
"Then suit up and leave as soon as possible. You do not need any further instructions or permission from me or anyone else; just leave as soon as you all are ready," Eliwood ordered, dismissing them with a solemn nod. "Godspeed and good fortune."
The group of seven left towards the armory, and Eliwood would have left as well, if not for the sound of Hector calling him.
"Eliwood!" Hector hailed, clasping the redhead's shoulder. "How did you know that Mark had told us we were leaving within the hour?"
"At this time of the day?" Eliwood asked, looking at the slowly setting sun. "What is Mark thinking? I thought we were waiting until tomorrow to leave…"
"You didn't know? Then why were you speaking with them?" Hector asked, motioning towards the group that had just left.
"…I assigned them a personal mission of the utmost importance," Eliwood said, his tone warning Hector not to press the subject.
"Shouldn't you have talked with Mark beforehand?" But of course, Hector purposefully missed the point of subtly.
"I was just about to," Eliwood lied smoothly.
"Then I'll walk with you until then," Hector said, grabbing Eliwood's arm, and for a moment, the redhead wished that Hector truly was the idiot that many people thought he was. The blue-haired lord was too smart to let things best left unmentioned go.
"I can walk on my own you know," Eliwood groused.
"I know, but it's fun to drag you around," Hector smirked.
"Fool," Eliwood muttered.
"And what has you so stressed, Eliwood?" Hector grinned. "Usually you're so calm, or at least you pretend to be, and it takes a lot for you to start losing your temper like this. Have you been sleeping lately?" Hector asked worriedly.
"I apologize, Hector," Eliwood said, head bowed. "It is just…I have learned some things recently that have put a bit of a strain on me."
"Anything to do with the party you just sent out?" Hector asked, digging for info.
"A bit," Eliwood replied. At Hector's questioning gaze, the redhead sighed. "I sent a group of three out earlier on one of their request - those seven are those three's back-up."
"Ten people, Eliwood?" Hector whistled, sending him a pitying glace. "I hope this mission of yours is fruitful, because Mark is gonna kill you for splitting the army otherwise. Who did you even send out?"
"Legault, Rath, and Isadora were the original three, and the second faction is composed of Kent, Sain, Fiora, Heath, Priscilla, Erk, and Wil."
"Damn, Eliwood," Hector sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "That was almost all of our cavalry, and a healer as well! Mark is going to kill you."
"I am well aware that Mark is going to be angry with me!" Eliwood snapped, destroying the blue-haired lord's grin.
"No need to act like a brat, Eliwood," Hector chided. "I was just playing with you."
"Hector. Hector," Eliwood grabbed his retreating friend's hand, stopping him. "I am sorry. I have been put under a lot of stress recently, but that is no excuse for taking it out on you. I'm sorry."
"Heh, it's fine," Hector laughed, lacing his fingers with Eliwood's. "I was actually hoping you'd blow up at me - maybe if you'd talk about your problems for once, you'd be less stressed out."
"Maybe," Eliwood admitted. "I have the feeling though that this situation I am in will not be resolved any time soon."
"Then come to me," Hector urged. "I will be here to help you. I will always be here."
"Hector…" Eliwood whispered, surprised by his friend's admission.
The blue-haired lord blushed faintly and, with a slightly-nervous chuckle, started dragging Eliwood towards Mark once more.
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Mark had been surprisingly accepting of Eliwood's actions, merely sending him a searching look and a quiet nod. Hector had been confused, but Eliwood had sent him away with a few comforting words, promising that he would explain everything to him another day.
Eliwood retired to his tent, pausing outside the entrance flap. He could hear Lloyd shifting inside; had the swordmaster calmed down yet?
The redhead knocked softly on one of the tent posts before entering. Lloyd was sitting on Hector's bedroll, legs crossed, watching Eliwood silently. The lord paused, unsure about what he was supposed to say. Was he supposed to apologize for his earlier behavior? Greet him genially? Ignore him?
Lloyd had his own ideas on what needed to be said. "I apologize," the blond said softly.
"Why?" Eliwood asked, moving to sit across from Lloyd on his own bedroll.
"My behavior earlier was unacceptable," Lloyd replied. "Legault told me earlier that you were not a bad person; not like all the other nobles in the world. That you spared me for unselfish reasons. I didn't believe him though."
"Why not?" Eliwood asked gently.
"It would be easier to ignore it than to accept it. My entire life, I was trained to abhor nobles; to me, people who abused their power, who took advantage of others simply because they were born lucky, were anathema. And to meet the exception to that rule, to meet a just noble, went against everything I had ever believed in," Lloyd said, rubbing his left eye tiredly.
"And why face the problem when you can eliminate it?" Eliwood asked, staring at his lap.
Lloyd snorted. "I wouldn't have killed you," Lloyd said, glaring when Eliwood looked at him in disbelief. "I had a life debt owed to you; that needed to be repaid if I wanted to leave. And with you shattering all of my personal beliefs, I was ready to do anything to get away."
"And now?" Eliwood questioned. "You still owe a debt to me."
"Which will be repaid," Lloyd said, closing his eyes. "In time. For now though, I will remain by your side. Use me as you wish."
"As I wish?" Eliwood laughed. "Do you not think very highly of your existence? You have given me carte blanche, and I am not nearly pious enough not to take advantage of it."
Thanks to his well-trained reflexes, Lloyd was able to catch the razor Eliwood tossed almost casually at him, and the blond looked at the lord inquisitively.
"Even minor alterations to one's physiognomy can be enough to create a sufficient enough disguise when necessary," Eliwood smiled innocently, and Lloyd growled slightly.
"In Modern?"
"Shave off your beard-chin thing," the redhead said, scoffing at Lloyd's indignant look. "Please; you do not nearly look as good as you think you do with it."
"Have something against beards?" Lloyd asked, accepting the hand mirror and basin full of lather Eliwood offered.
"I would hardly call that thing a beard," Eliwood teased, chuckling at Lloyd's glare. "But yes, I do have something against facial hair in general. Father, though I love him dearly, had the most horrid of moustaches and Hector, only a year ago, thought it was the greatest idea ever to try and grow out a beard."
"And?" Lloyd pressed as he carefully shaved around his chin, listening amusedly to Eliwood's anecdote.
"It was horrible!" Eliwood exclaimed, laughing uncontrollably. "The first time I saw him, I though an ape had stolen his clothes!"
"That bad, huh?" Lloyd murmured.
"I thought I would never see my friend again, he was so matted down by hair. I ordered him to shave it all off immediately – I could not stand the sight of such a mess. Thankfully, Hector has sworn that he would never grow out a beard again," Eliwood sighed thankfully.
"Do you put a lot of weight in the promises of others?" Lloyd asked, washing off the lather that lingered on his cheeks.
"Yes, I do," Eliwood admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Which is why I get so angry when people break their promises to me."
"Do you have personal experience with that as well?" Lloyd questioned, sitting still as Eliwood carefully mussed his already messy blond hair.
"Case and point, Legault," Eliwood replied, biting his lip in frustration. Had anyone noticed Lloyd' distinctive eyes on the battlefield? They were hard to hide with the blond's relatively short hair, and tawny eyes such as his were fairly rare.
"Legault?" Lloyd asked, turning to face Eliwood directly. "When has Legault ever betrayed your trust?"
"He asked to leave camp a few hours ago with an extremely small contingent of soldiers for an unnamed task, but more importantly, he left without warning me you were awake!" Eliwood almost pouted, but resisted the childish notion. "For all he knew, you could have killed me – you even tried to in fact!"
"I told you, I was not going to kill you; merely free myself from my life debt by sparing your life as quickly as possibly. And besides, Legault knew that – I might as well have told him such," Lloyd said, brow furrowed in a small frown. "I don't know why he didn't tell you where he was going though; based on what I know of your character from him, I'm sure you would have helped him without hesitation."
"Wait, you know where Legault is? Why did you not tell me when I asked?" Eliwood asked.
"Not for certain, but I know where he should be. I asked him to do something for me," Lloyd shrugged nonchalantly. "And you were kind of threatening me with a dagger - I didn't really have that much motivation towards being cooperative."
"Any specifics?" Eliwood pressed, masterfully ignoring the reminder of his earlier uncouth behavior.
"Before our…scuffle, there was someone I knew that was near the battlefield. I sent Legault out to check and see if she was okay."
"If I might ask, who is she?" Eliwood inquired.
"She is…my sister," Lloyd's eyes softened at the remark, tawny-gold melting into honey-brown, and Eliwood was shocked by the seemingly stoic man's emotional confession. Then, the swordmaster returned to his more guarded state, leaving Eliwood wondering if he had imagined the whole scene. "I also asked Legault to bring Nino, that's her name, back here if possible." The blond shot Eliwood an inquisitive look, and the redhead chuckled internally. Someone was an over-protective big brother.
"That will be fine; I assume she is a member of the Black Fang?"
"She is young, but she is a skilled mage," Lloyd said, clenching his hands in what seemed like a reflexive motion. "Though not everyone sees her as such. Yes, she is a member, but she has never undertaken an assassination mission in her life. Her hands are clean."
"Undoubtedly they are," Eliwood murmured. "I do not believe you would speak so fondly about someone undeserving of your praise. I will be happy to meet her – the only problem is that we are being forced to march on shortly, on our tactician's orders."
"So soon after a battle?" Lloyd asked incredulously.
"We retained no grievous injuries, and therefore we must continue on," Eliwood shrugged, motioning for the blond's coat. "Or at least, that seems to be Mark's line of thinking."
"How will we meet up with Legault then?" Lloyd asked, reluctantly taking off his coat and handing it to Eliwood. That was his favorite jacket!
"I though Legault had betrayed us earlier, and I was concerned for the two soldiers accompanying him…" Eliwood trailed off, smiling sheepishly. "So I sent out a contingent of my own out after him."
"How large?" Lloyd asked, vague amusement coloring his voice.
"Seven members, mostly from our cavalry, for a total of ten including Legault's group," Eliwood replied, folding Lloyd's coat gently and placing it with his own clothes.
"You cavalry must be almost depleted then," Lloyd mused.
"Almost," Eliwood admitted. "They know where our destination is though, so hopefully as soon as they find Legault, they will be able to rejoin us."
"Did you give them a reason for trailing after Legault's group?"
"A very generic one: that they were on a mission, Blank Fang members were spotted, recover them before they enter enemy territory and get ambushed, et cetera," Eliwood handed Lloyd a plain brown coat that managed to nevertheless bring out the swordmaster's eyes. "Short but sufficient – the three would be returned unharmed and whatever I thought Legault was planning would be abrogated."
"And how long did it take to come up with that plan?" Lloyd asked, watching as Eliwood fidgeted at the sight of the bond's roughed up coat.
"How did you possibly ruin that coat already?" Eliwood muttered crossly. "To answer your question though, it took only a few minutes, which is probably why it is so sloppy."
"Not necessarily," Lloyd argued. "Under a stressed situation you acted in a quick and efficient manner based on the resources at hand. There is nothing wrong with that."
"Save for the fact that the army is now at a loss of almost one-third of its forces because of me," Eliwood frowned.
"If that is the case, then the blame lies more with me then," Lloyd said simply. "It was at my request that Legault left, setting into motion the events that caused you to suspect him and send out a force to follow him. Therefore it is my fault that your army is now weakened, not yours."
"I would never blame you for all that!" Eliwood exclaimed.
"Nor would I you," Lloyd replied.
Eliwood gaped at him for a long moment, before closing his mouth with a blush.
"Done with your pity party?" Lloyd smirked, and Eliwood glared at him. "Good. Now, how do I look?"
Even with a considerable lack of material, Eliwood thought he had done a good job. The blond's distinctive coat had been done away with and replaced with a less unique one, and his hair was in a slightly different style. The blond's clean chin also made him seem a bit younger and, though it wasn't much, the combined effect would be a good enough disguise for the moment.
"We will have to keep you out of the public eye until we can get you some different clothes, but you don't look half bad," Eliwood laughed suddenly, a bright and cheerful sound. "I have found the perfect way for you to pay off your debt to me: you can be my life-sized dress up doll!"
Lloyd took a step back away from the lord, his face pale.
"I am just kidding, Lloyd," Eliwood laughed. "Though your face – too funny!"
"How childish," Lloyd smirked.
"Not at all!" Eliwood rebutted.
"Oh?" Lloyd asked with a raised brow, and Eliwood opened his mouth to answer, when a soft voice outside the tent interrupted him.
"Eliwood?"
"Hm? Come in," Eliwood said, smiling when Lloyd shot him a startled look.
"Eliwood, Mark wanted me to tell you – oh!" Lucius halted, staring wide-eyed at Lloyd. "Um, how are you feeling, Sir Lloyd?"
"Just Lloyd, please," Lloyd requested, and Eliwood almost laughed again at the slight blush Lucius' honorific had caused. "And I am fine, thank you."
"That is good," Lucius smiled gently, turning to Eliwood. "Mark wants us to leave soon; apparently the bandits Lord Hector heard about in town might leave their fortress soon or something or another, and he told me to tell you to start packing up."
"Thank you, Lucius," Eliwood said, smiling even after the blonde bishop left. "So debt-boy," Eliwood purred, stalking towards the nearly horror-stricken Lloyd. "You heard him; start packing."
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Like many other pubs, the air was filled with smoke and raucous laughter, the sounds and smells disorientating Legault slightly. By his side, Isadora was visibly nervous, and Legault swore he saw Rath sneer at least once at the drunken crowd.
Legault could never stand bars, or any other places that served alcohol; too many things could go wrong, especially in terms of sudden violence, and the three were at least trying to be inconspicuous to avoid something like a bar fight. Unfortunately, they were failing royally thanks to Isadora who had refused to remove her sparkling, silver armor on the grounds that she did not want any lecherous men staring at her chest.
Not that it was stopping them.
Still, he had an important message to deliver and then the trio would have to begin again their so-far-fruitless search for Nino. Although there had been some sightings of a green-haired girl around town (they were fairly unique after all), Legault was far more worried about the rumor that she was being accompanied by an injured red-haired man. Unless Eliwood had decided to teleport down to Nino's side, Legault knew he had reason to be worried for Nino's continued safety.
Speaking of Eliwood, Legault wondered idly over how his first meeting with Lloyd had gone. The thief doubted that Lloyd was serious in considering continuing his assignment (he wouldn't have left otherwise), but hopefully the blond hadn't said or done something rash to set off Eliwood's temper – after all, if he had, all the redhead would have to do is drag Lloyd out of his tent and the blond would be as good as dead.
Which would be bad because Eliwood would never forgive himself, and the last thing the lord needed in Legault's opinion was more reason for depression. The redhead had remained remarkably strong underneath all the sudden weight heaped upon him from being elected one of the heads of the army (especially when he seemed so uncomfortable in an authoritative position) and from his father's recent death, and Legault was loath to add anymore pressure on the peace-loving lord.
A shift of brown caught Legault's eye, and the thief grinned slyly. Just who he had been looking for.
"Jan, old pal!" The addressed man spun on his heel, a reflexive motion that came hand-in-hand with being part of a high class assassination/terrorist group for years.
"Legault? Is that you?" The aging man asked. "I thought you'd be dead in a ditch by now."
"Sorry to disappoint, but I've come for that favor you owed me," The elder stiffened in expectation, but Legault just laughed disarmingly. "Relax, Jan; it's nothing bad. I just need you to deliver this," Legault pulled out a sealed envelope from his cloak and handed it to Jan discreetly, "to Linus."
"Linus?" Jan asked curiously before tucking the letter away in a hidden pocket. "I assume you want this letter to stay confidential?"
"Yes, thank you," Legault replied, glancing at Rath out of the corner of his eye. The quiet Sacaen nodded, and wandered off to go collect Isadora. "Try and sick around a few more years, old man."
"I'll see what I can do," Jan laughed wryly.
"I suppose that's all I can ask for," Legault shrugged. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Legault whirled around much like Jan had earlier to face the source of the noise. A flushed Isadora stood above an unconscious man, muttering under her breath murderously about perverts and where their wandering hands could be shoved.
The thief sighed, hanging his head. "And that's my cue. See ya, Jan."
The elder man merely snorted, returning to his drink. Legault quickly made his way over to Isadora, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her towards the door.
"Come on, Isadora; you can rant all you want about evil men and why we should rot in hell when we're not in a pub filled with numerous, easily-offended, very strong men ready to tear our heads off."
"Let them try!" Isadora shouted. "In the name of all women, I will crush the testicles of all those who wish to grope me!"
Rath joined Legault in his sigh this time and quietly grabbed the furious paladin's other arm, dragging her to the stables where they had left their horses.
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So, how did you all find this chapter? From canon, I'm starting to diverge~
Well, apart from the fact that Lloyd is still alive that is, but that was the beginning plot point, and these are the effects of said not-death.
Now we have the dramatis personae split in three: Eliwood's faction, Heath's faction, and Legault's faction. What will happen next? Who will come together and who will fall apart? What new romances will occur (psst; check the top of the chapter), but more importantly, what romances will be written about in depth (psst; hopefully a surprising amount)?
So stick around, the journey is just beginning!
Ariaeris~
