After their lopsided victory at Renvall, there was the mutual agreement that they retire to somewhere appropriate in order to assess the situation further. Although Ephraim remained keen on the idea of staying at Renvall- after all, he had won it- his sister expertly drowned the plan by explaining that it was best to head back to Frelia, for Renais was still in Grado's possession, and sitting in the middle of enemy territory was unwise.

And so, a month passed as their small "army" trudged their way back to Castle Frelia. Hayden seemed unsurprised that Ephraim had been found so quickly- a tribute, perhaps, to Frelian intelligence, and added happily that Innes had just returned back as well. A meeting of war was quickly announced, and Eirika soon found herself treading a similar path as she walked down to the meeting room. This time, however, there were no elders, nor was there a Tana comforting her. Instead, she slipped into the seat next to her brother, who nodded to acknowledge her presence.

"Now that we have all arrived, we may begin planning our next course of action. Our intelligence has been working hard, and we have managed to produce results," Hayden announced. "It seems that Grado is after the Sacred Stones. While we see no motive for doing so, it appears that their destruction is Grado's goal."

Eirika stood up quickly. "We recently captured an enemy mage who was very interested in the bracelets my brother and I own. I do not know if there is a connection, but with your intelligence's recent report, I can only conclude that there is."

At this, Ephraim's eyes widened, and he glanced swiftly down at the gleaming piece of jewelry on his wrist before standing up next to his sister. "Recently, my men and I discovered a young girl with wings. Her name is Myrrh, and according to what she has told us, the world has been getting, well, in her words, 'darker'. Myrrh also told us that a foul presence was inside of Grado. This foul presence that she speaks of could possibly be connected to the Sacred Stones." All eyes darted to the small girl in question who was hiding behind Ephraim's chair.

"What Ephraim says…is correct," Myrrh said in an almost-whisper.

"I'm afraid she's a bit shy," Ephraim said by way of apology.

"And so we arrive at the pieces, but have no way of connecting them," Hayden murmured. "I suppose the matter will have to be left for later. In the mean time, we have doubled security at the Tower of Valni. Hopefully that will be able to stave off any attack Grado might make. Now- Innes- what news do you bring?"

Innes made no effort to stand up, remaining in his seat impassively, fingers laced together. "No new reports come from the front. I recently visited Carcino on the pretense of asking for aid. It seems that our neighbor is having a bit of an issue deciding on sides," he added. "We will have to be on our guard. A certain 'Pablo' especially caught my attention." There was a moment's silence before Innes asked irritably, "So? The plan?"

"I plan to storm Grado Keep," the twins chorused. When they realized what they had both just done, Eirika blushed before Ephraim erupted into the typical "What? It's too dangerous!" speech.

"Brother, I understand your cause for concern, but I will not allow you to leave me behind," Eirika said firmly. "I have a…promise I have to keep."

"But you--" Ephraim caught her meaning just in time. "…I see." Eirika gave him a weak smile. "I- that is to say- we will both attempt to cut off the snake's head, so to speak."

"And what of the other nations? Should they not be warned as well?" asked Moulder. "Surely we should send a second party out to accomplish that mission."

"That can be arranged," Hayden replied. "Commander Syrene- would you be willing to take a detachment of our knights and so warn our sister nations of Grado's intentions?"

"I would be more than willing," Syrene said. "Do I have permission to see to your request immediately?" At her liege lord's slight nod, Syrene stood up and departed.

"Knowing our knights' efficiency, they will depart within a matter of hours," Hayden said heavily. "I suppose that solves that particular issue. Anything else we must attend to before we conclude?"

"I see nothing else, Your Highness," said one advisor.

"We can only hope that we have not forgotten anything," added another.

A flicker of relief crossed Hayden's face. "Then we shall end for today. I'm sure many of you have preparations to attend to."

"Indeed," murmured Ephraim as he rose from his seat. Walking out of the chamber and into the sunlit hall outside, he managed to catch Innes doubling back to meet up with his sister just in time. As the two slowly moved into a corner, Ephraim dove behind the nearest pillar. He'd always thought that Innes had fancied Eirika, but now it was time to see if that was truly the case.

"…might have been a rash decision. If you were to come to harm, Ephraim would surely be distressed, as would we all."

"Innes, now you're sounding like Sir Franz. I would not have demanded to go along had I not been sure of my ability to protect myself."

"I have no doubt in your sword arm, Eirika. However, in the slight chance that you might be injured in any way, it would certainly cause regret for—"

"Are you suggesting something deeper, Innes?"

"Not necessarily."

"Your face says otherwise."

"Fine. I admit it- there is indeed 'something deeper' involved, Eirika. I want to—"

A sharp intake of breath nearly gave Ephraim away as Innes stopped short and peered around, frowning.

"Yes, Innes?" Eirika, on the other hand, seemed to have failed to notice his slip.

"I want to come with you two. Yes, I admit I cannot stand by and watch Ephraim take all the glory. However, that did not completely influence my decision. I feel that you both need a more…rational voice; one that does not necessarily abide to the laws of status and society."

"Your skill as well would be most appreciated, Innes. I'm sure my brother won't mind; I know I will not."

Ephraim laughed inwardly at the image of Innes uncharacteristically cheering like a madman at this piece of news.

"Very well then- I will take no more of your time, Eirika. Thank you." The sincerity shone through even though Innes tried to hide it within his usual snide tone.

"You are most welcome." The two departed from their corner, and Innes looked as if he would have liked to escort Eirika to her room, but then changed his mind and walked straight past Ephraim without noticing his rival's presence.

"…Alright, brother. I know you heard us talking. You can stop hiding now," Eirika said, laughing.

"How did you find out?" Ephraim asked, coming out from behind the pillar.

"Brother, pillars do not suddenly breathe. Innes may not have noticed, but I certainly did. Also- your cloak was peeking out as well."

"Am I really that bad at hiding?" Ephraim asked wearily.

"I suppose you are in need of a leaf out of Colm's book," Eirika replied.

"Of course…"

"May I add that, knowing your heated rivalry with Innes, I know you would not pass up any attempt to 'save' me from his so very evil clutches?" Eirika teased.

"You can't blame me for being curious, sister. I'm very protective of you- you deserve only the best," Ephraim said solemnly.

Eirika laughed at his expression. "Only the best, Ephraim? And I suppose we will go by your standard of 'the best'?"

"Naturally- I am the king, and my word is law, oh questioning one."

There was a cough from behind them, and the bantering twins spun around to find Orson, looking as if he'd stumbled upon a forbidden intimate moment. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important." He looked from Ephraim to Eirika. "If I could have a word, prince..."

"Oh no, nothing at all," Ephraim replied as Eirika excused herself, noting the want for privacy. "Just siblings being siblings. What did you need me for, Orson?"

"I need to ask you about something- it concerns our- your mission. I…I have a request that might sound a bit odd."

Ephraim frowned. "The times are odd, Orson, so no request is considered such."

"I would like to ask that I be deployed with Commander Syrene's pegasus knights." Orson said in a rush.

"Why?" The word fell out immediately.

Orson sighed. "Circumstances and certain meetings have led me to believe that Grado might be pursuing me. The reasons I am not sure of, but I do have evidence."

"Explain."

"Some weeks ago, I was approached by a certain man while on night watch. This man claimed to be Riev, a general of Grado. He…wanted me to betray Renais." The last words came out regretfully, as if Orson had already agreed to Riev's deal.

"For what price?" Ephraim asked. "Surely he planned to give you some benefit."

"Riev said that he would resurrect my wife."

"That's insane!" The prince exclaimed. "Everyone knows it's impossible to raise the dead. What sort of madman was this Riev?"

Orson sighed. "That I'm not sure of, but I did refuse his offer. He seemed rather put out, but he left soon after with a few parting words which generally speaking said 'I'll be watching you.' I wouldn't be surprised if he contacted me again."

"Orson, I know your loyalty to Renais is unwavering. Surely you could put this aside and come with us? We need someone with skills like yours."

"I would, but I'm afraid that temptation might be too overwhelming. If I were to go with Lady Syrene, at the very least I would never reveal any of your plans. You and your sister carry our best hope to end this war quickly." Orson replied.

Ephraim looked as if he were developing a headache. "I see. Very well then Orson- you'd best hurry. Syrene will be leaving within the hour- you can ride a pegasus, can you?

Orson looked taken aback. "…What?"

"Well they are going by that particular mode- I don't think your horse can manage to keep up, especially if it comes to…crossing mountains and the like."

"Oh. I…"

Ephraim finished his sentence. "…didn't consider that, hm?"

"I apologize; it must have slipped my mind." The knight blushed.

"Do you still plan on going now, Orson?" Ephraim asked, laughing slightly. "I will deploy you if you insist, but the idea of you figuring out how to ride a pegasus while embarking on an urgent mission is a bit absurd."

"It seems my request has been struck down, and not by either one of us," Orson said. His blush seemed to lessen, but a pink tinge still lay on his cheeks. "Very well; consider my previous words duly eaten. I must have been too hasty in my assessment."

"You think too lowly of yourself- I'm sure you can resist any further offers the man may give."

"Thank you, but just don't tell Forde or Kyle what I just asked for. I'm afraid I still need their respect."

"I won't mention it, Orson," Ephraim said. "Shall we head to dinner?"

"Lead on, milord." The two began walking down the hall when Ephraim suddenly stopped.

"One more thing, Orson, before I drop the matter for the time being: the next time that Riev fellow contacts you, make sure to tell me right away instead of waiting for several months to go by."

"I hear and obey," Orson replied, tongue in cheek.

"That's more like it."

Dinner was its usual affair, but a strange tension seemed to fall upon the preparations for the next day that followed. The energy level was running high, but Ephraim noticed that it seemed to be only those who had been present at the meeting who were unusually excitable. All the members of his sister's previous band acted as if they went on high-risk journeys into the middle of enemy territory all the time, or at least seemed oblivious to the hurrying of everyone else.

Despite the tension, everything was set to go shortly around 2 a.m., at which point everyone had collapsed into bed, unable to run through yet another supplies check. The next morning saw the arrival of the very same anxiety, but nothing really happened until right before they were about to leave. Tana had just asked Eirika to watch out for her brother and Ephraim (especially Ephraim) when a knight stumbled into the courtyard, armor practically unrecognizable through the red that so thoroughly stained it.

"Sir Gilliam!" Hayden exclaimed, fear suddenly clouding his face. "What- how- aren't you supposed to be at the Tower…?"

Gilliam gasped for breath, and it was realized with horror that most of the red staining his armor belonged to him. The knight made to walk toward Hayden, but instead fell to one knee, unable to move any further.

"Grado…attacked…two…generals…overwhelmed completely…" Gilliam rasped.

"Say no more!" Hayden entreated. "Your wounds, Sir Gilliam- we need to—" Gilliam cut him off, using the last bit of his strength to wave his hand.

"Only survivor…I escaped…with…the stone…intention…bring it…to…you…" With those dying words, the man collapsed with a thud, the Sacred Stone of Frelia rolling from his slack grip to stop right before his liege lord's feet. Hayden bent down and slowly picked it up, gazing at the Stone as if it were a harbinger of doom.

"Father," Innes yelled, "there's no time to waste; we must move quickly! The enemy will be sure to—"

A scream rent the air, and from the top of the ramparts the shout went out:

"It's Grado- they're practically at our front door! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

To be continued…

A/N: It's been four months, which has got to be my longest hiatus ever. Oh well- I can't really pull that again now that I've left it at an exciting part, can I? Hopefully the story will get moving a lot faster now that I'm over this semi-boring part—these meeting scenes are hard to write! Then again, this is all with school permitting- I'm going to kill myself with my schedule this year. I have to admit I got carried away with some of the dialogue later on though; I hope I didn't make anyone too OOC. (And I'm really sorry for killing off Gilliam…winces)

And yes, my attempt at Innes/Eirika was sort of lame.