A frustrated Eliwood made his way back to his tent early the next morning. Florina and Heath's absence had not been lost on the troops; Fiora, especially, was angry over the loss of her sister. In the meantime, the queen of Bern would not see them unless they found the Fire Emblem. The Black Fang was hounding their every step; they had already reached the king of Bern, and made him oust the queen and prince. Every day, it seemed like the world was coming more and more to bear on the shoulders of Eliwood and his friends. He entered his tent and started packing; they were moving out to the palace.

"Lord Eliwood," came a voice.

Eliwood jumped in surprise, bringing out his rapier. "Who's there?!" he demanded.

Kent stepped into the tent, and stopped at the sight of Eliwood's blade. "Please, do not be alarmed. It's just me, my lord."

Eliwood let out a breath, and sheathed his blade. "Kent. I'm sorry I reacted that way. I suppose..." he shook his head. "I've been a little on edge lately. I apologize."

Kent shook his head. "It is I who should apologize; I didn't mean to startle you like that." He stepped forward. "You'll forgive me for my intrusion, but feel I must speak with you."

"Be fast," Eliwood said, returning to his packing. "We have ten days to find this 'Fire Emblem,' or the queen won't grant us an audience. We need to get moving to the palace."

"You need to get moving," Kent said. "But I..." he took a breath. "I request that you give me a different mission."

Eliwood stopped, and turned around. "What do you mean?"

"Heath and Florina," the knight replied. "Their absence is affecting the morale of the troops."

"I've noticed that," Eliwood replied. "But what can I do about it? We have too little time to try and find them, if there's anything to find. Fiora and Lyn will have to accept the fact that we may not see Florina for some time."

"It's not just their close friends who are affected by their absence," Kent said. "You, Peter, and Lord Hector have held this army together remarkably well so far. We have not yet suffered one casualty."

Eliwood remained silent. The word "casualty" brought thoughts of his father.

"But with Heath and Florina gone," Kent continued, "That record is flawed. The troops as a whole are frightened that we left two soldiers behind. Each one is asking himself, 'What if that had been me?'"

"Your point is made," Eliwood said. "But as I explained, we can't retrieve them."

"We can't," Kent agreed. "But I can. And if I were able to..."

Eliwood spun around angrily. "You have an obligation to your lady and to this army to assist us! We're heading to Bern Palace, and we have no idea what awaits us there. I cannot spare one man, and I find it appallingly presumptuous of you to ask that I make an exception!"

Kent remained calm in the face of Eliwood's outburst. The lord saw his face, and quickly calmed down himself. "I apologize," Eliwood sighed. "The truth is, we have had casualties before. Leila, and my father, and everyone who fell before us for the wrong reasons. Not a member of this army has been killed, true. But when you said we had a spotless record, I..." he trailed off and turned away, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Kent looked down. "Please, my lord," he said gently. "Do not add Heath and Florina to those you just named." He hesitated before continuing. "As you mentioned, Dame Fiora is having a hard time dealing with her sister's absence. It pains me to see her like this, and... I know you care about her as well."

Eliwood tensed up, but nodded his agreement.

"My lord, I ask this of you for her sake. Allow me to ride south, back to the village near where we battled Lloyd. I'll look there, and then meet you at Bern Palace. If I find them, I'll bring them." He hesitated. "If I don't find them..."

"...If you don't find them, the sun will stop shining and the world will stop turning," Eliwood finished. "So you had damned well better find them." He looked at Kent. "Permission granted. If you move quickly, you can make it to the village by dusk."

Kent smiled, and bowed. "Thank you, my lord."

"Lyndis has direct command over you," Eliwood reminded him. "Be sure you get her approval as well."

"I doubt it will be a problem," Kent replied. "But thank you for reminding me." He turned to go. "By your leave..."

Eliwood nodded, and the knight was gone. The lord returned to his work with a slightly lighter heart; if nothing else, the encounter with Kent had cheered him up. If Kent was successful in finding Heath and Florina, it would be a huge boost to morale. It also interested Eliwood that the knight seemed to have picked up on his feelings for Fiora—especially since the lord didn't really haveany feelings for her beyond simple friendship.

He smiled to himself. Well,he thought, if I ever do become interested in her, it looks like I'll already know who my rival is.


"And so, valorous Lord Kent prepares to ride alone to the rescue of his wayward comrades, the fair Florina and her stalwart companion Heath!"

Kent sighed. "What did I say that sounded like 'Hello, Sain, would you provide a running commentary as I'm trying to get ready?'"

"You asked for a commentary when you asked Lady Lyndis for this mission," Sain replied, standing in the entrance of their shared tent.

Kent did his best to ignore his companion, and continued packing.

"Aren't you packing a little light?" Sain noted, looking over his friend's shoulder.

"It can take a day to ride down and another back," Kent said. "Or, if I pack light, it will only take half a day to get down, I can find Heath and Florina tonight, get us all an inn room, and set out the next day."

"A sound plan," Sain said, nodding his approval. "But you're only taking one day's rations."

"I'm also bringing extra money," Kent replied, holding up a bag weighed down with gold. "If it has to, this can buy us food and inn rooms to last a week, maybe more."

"Very good," Sain said. "You've prepared yourself well."

"Unlike someone I know, I try to do my best at these things."

Sain ignored the quip, and approached his companion, lowering his voice. "Listen, Kent... aren't you worried you'll be... well, a burden to Heath and Florina?"

Kent frowned. "A burden? Well, no. If my load is light enough, my horse could more or less match the airspeed of their mounts. It will be a strain on the poor creature, but..."

"You know what I mean," Sain prodded.

Kent sighed. "Sain, I never know what you mean."

Sain hesitated a moment. "Well, Heath and Florina are alone together. Don't you think they might... be enjoying it?"

"Why would they..." It took Kent a moment to understand. He smirked a little. "Of course. I forgot this is you that I'm dealing with."

"Oh?"

Kent sighed. "In all seriousness, Sain, I doubt it. Florina's fear of men has kept her out of romance so far. Being alone with a man would only heighten that fear. And even if Heath felt something for her—which is doubtful, though certainly possible—he'd respect her enough not to act on it. Besides, we don't know if they are together, or alone, or what. That's why I'm going; to check on them and help them get back with the main group."

"I see," Sain nodded. "But... well, I must tell you something, Kent."

Kent arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"The other night, I had trouble sleeping, so I took a walk around the camp," Sain said, shifting nervously. "And I heard a scream coming from Florina's tent. When I got there, she told me she had had a nightmare. She was fighting wyvern riders, but none had a distinct face, except for one, which she recognized. That rider caused her to fall."

Kent shook his head slowly. "I... don't understand..."

"Neither do I," Sain sighed. "But there's only one wyvern rider I think Florina would recognize, and that's the one she's probably with now. And think about it; she must have fallen during battle. They both did."

Kent shook his head again. "Perhaps it does have some meaning," he sighed, "but perhaps it was just a coincidence. Either way, it changes nothing. I'm still going to try and find them." He took a breath. "...but maybe I'll be keeping an eye on what happens between the two as well," he said. "Just in case."

Sain smiled. "Thank you, Kent," he said. "That certainly puts my heart at ease. I was quite concerned about Lady Florina, but between you and Heath, I'm sure she'll be in good hands."

"Thank you," Kent replied. "Now, will you please leave me alone to prepare?"

Sain smiled and bowed out of the tent. Kent sighed. "He's a difficult one, but..." he shook his head and continued his packing.