Author's Notes: Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo.

Extra long chapter!!

Fire Emblem:

Blazing Sword of Justice

Chapter 9: Our Pride As Sacaens

As the sun peaked over the white ornate church of St. Elimine, the city of Araphen rose to life. The wide cobblestone streets began to fill with the everyday vendors of foods, jewelry, and odd trinkets. People emerged from their houses in sleepy stupor or vague alertness, dressed in their trousers or plain clothes for another day of work. Although Araphen was the second largest city in Lycia next to the grand Ostia, Araphen had its own regal charms, something of which its Marquess reveled in.

Since Araphen was also the closest city of Lycia to the Bern/Sacae border, the Marquess Auste ensured the security of the city with great care. Along the perimeter of the city was a large stone fence that stood over many of the houses and buildings in Araphen. At each of the four corners of the city were tall watchtowers, manned by four guardsmen. The city only had two gates of which people could pass through; east and west. Each of these gates had four guards as well, rotating every twelve hours. With these security measures, the people of Araphen as well as its Marquess were confident in their security from bandits and marauders from Bern and Sacae.

All of this ran through Lyndis' mind as she and her legion approached the eastern gate. Kent had told her everything he could about Araphen, which was not much, he admitted to her in embarrassment. "It is a Lycian knight's duty to know of its neighbors by his own territory. To think I have been so neglectful, I feel a failure to Milady." Lyn had told Kent it was okay and after some rather crude remarks from Sain, he seemed to have recovered a bit.

Lyn looked between two of the guards that were attending to her and her group. Brown steel helmets covered the majority of their faces, and they had matching breastplates of the same material. Thick brown pants and shirts covered their limbs, and each one had a tall iron lance clutched in one hand. Both of the guards had been eyeing the group warily, which Lyn could understand why.

There were nine people, five of which only possessed a horse. Kent stood at the front of the group with Dorcas sitting behind him like a statue. Lyn noticed that he usually kept a stony expression on his face no matter what. Sain was next to Kent with Serra behind him, both coyly flirting with each other which made Erk, Serra's companion who was riding with Lyn, groan in disgust. He was polite and very smart, but Lyn figured it was normal for mages. To Lyn's left was Faren, the tactician of the group that Lyn had gotten very close to. She caught Lyn looking at her and smiled her trademark cheery smile. Lyn smiled back at Faren, feeling a sudden shot of guilt toward the amnesiac girl. Lyn forced herself to push it out of her mind yet again, telling herself she would definitely help Faren once she saw her grandfather.

Behind Faren sat Wil, the friendly archer. Although Faren and Wil seemed to Lyn to be getting pretty close, Faren's black stallion Renegade had a hard time adjusting with a second rider. He nearly pitched Wil off his back twice. Lyn thought that the horse was merely jealous of Wil for getting Faren's attention more. Lastly, on Lyn's right was Florina, her good friend from Illia atop her Pegasus Huey. With Huey's wings, a second rider would have been very uncomfortable, so Florina rode alone. Lyn was beginning to note gradual changes in her shy friend, such as more willingness to approach their companions, less stuttering, and even cracking a tiny smile at the men occasionally. However, she still seemed afraid of the womanizing Sain.

Both of the guards nodded at Kent before stepping out of their horse's way. He looked back at Lyn and bowed his head slightly before speaking.

"We are allowed to head into the city, Lady Lyndis."

Lyn smiled and edged Rain into a trot, followed by Faren and Florina. Kent began talking again. "The guardsmen have provided us the location of the inn where we may let our horses rest in the stables. And that is where I part company with you for a moment, Milady." Kent looked off a little regretfully. "I will speak to the Marquess Auste on your behalf and tell him of our troubles. Afterwards, he shall want to meet with you, but I am sure that he will grant us aid..." Kent's gaze wondered to the inn's stables where he and Lyn stopped their horses. Lyn looked at the knight's face.

"...Kent?"

"Hm? Oh, it is nothing, Milady. I shall ride off to the castle now...please rest at the inn..."

He gave her a small smile before bowing his head slightly. She sighed, echoing his small smile before leading Rain over to a nearby stall. Kent gripped his reins and called Sain to him. The green knight was leaning against the building post, raising his arm in a flex as Serra giggled. At the sound of his own name being called, Sain glanced over at Kent. At first, his mouth opened in what Kent could tell would be another "Sainish remark". Kent frowned at this, which caused Sain to stop what he was going to say. Sensing his companion's utmost seriousness, he strode over to Kent and smiled.

"Yes, my boon companion?"

"Sain, please, I implore you to keep your guard up and guard Lady Lyndis with utmost diligence."

"Oh worrisome Kent, you know I take my duty most seriously. I will stick to Lyn like glue!"

"Sain, I am serious! I have been...uneasy since we've approached Araphen...I think someone spies on us."

"Kent, I think you're being a bit too paranoid here. You need to loosen up some, have some fun, you old stiff!"

"Sain..."

"Hurry up and speak with Marquess Auste on Lyndis' behalf and then perhaps we could have some entertainment tonight at the inn." He raised his eyes suggestively and made a gesture. "I'm sure they'll have the sort of entertainment where you can decide what side of the lance to be on."

"Ugh! Lout!" Kent finally snapped his reins and with a look of disgust, galloped off toward the Marquess' castle.

Sain chuckled as he watched Kent ride off, waving after him a little. He was about to resume his flirting with Serra when a stern voice spoke up behind him. "You're being awfully mean to your 'boon companion', Sain."

Sain turned, with his smile still on his face, to face Faren, who had her arms crossed and an uncharacteristic frown upon her face. "Ah, beauteous Faren, that frown does not suit you. If you would give me a chance, I would be more than happy to relieve that frown."

"No Sain, I'd rather not." She eyed him with that stern look, causing him to raise his hands up in defense. "Sain...let's just behave while Kent's gone and be careful. He may have a point about someone spying." Sain put a hand on one of Faren's shoulders, keeping his smile on his face.

"You know, Faren..." Sain began softly, looking at her with a little concern. "If we gain some troops, we might have issues with you as our tactician."

She looked at him confusedly. "...what?"

"Well, any time Lycia has any tacticians under her employ, they must show certain credentials...which we have failed to see from you."

Faren stared at Sain for a moment before moving her eyes from his gaze. "Kent and I take a big chance in trusting you because Lady Lyndis does. I suggest if you want to continue as our humble tactician, you might want to find those credentials." With that cryptic message hanging in the air between them, he bowed his head slightly, turned, and headed back to where Serra was standing.

Faren stared at the spot where Sain was. I think he just said that to avoid what I said, she thought. She sighed and turned back to the stables as the others finished securing their horses in their stalls. But he does have a point. I can't rightly tell everyone that I have amnesia, but I've studied tactical military advice for two years and seem to have a knack for it, can I?

"Faren?"

Faren shook her head and looked over at Lyn who was smiling at her. The emerald haired girl scratched the side of her face almost nervously, an uncommon gesture for her. She glanced a little at the others of the group, who were heading into the inn. Both Wil and Florina glanced back at the two before slipping inside the oak doors.

Lyn sighed almost in relief while Faren stood there, watching her curiously. "Faren...we need to talk."

Suddenly she felt nervous. What if Kent or Sain said something about seeing my credentials as a tactician? I have no credentials! "Um...sure.." Faren spoke unsurely, but kept a smile on her face.

Lyn looked at Faren seriously. "We need to pay everybody."

"What?" Faren blinked, taken aback. Well that wasn't what I was expecting. "That's it?"

"Um...yeah...is there something else that's bothering you?"

"Oh...no! No, no of course not! So...we had decided to pay everyone when we talked last, right?"

"That's right. We had decided on 500 gold apiece, and including Kent and Sain, that would be about...3,500 gold."

"That's...that's a lot of gold, Lyn."

"I know. But I feel that everyone needs something because they are doing so much to help me. On Sacae, no good deed goes unpunished and I feel that everyone should get a little something for their part...including you."

"Ah...I...I don't need any gold, Lyn..."

"Oh, I think you do." The green haired girl crossed her arms in front of her chest and simply looked at Faren. "You need it a lot more than you think you do. It may come in handy for you. I will make you take it."

Faren laughed a little. "Okay, okay. I'll take some. So instead of 3,500 gold, we need 4,000 gold right?"

"That's right. How much gold do we have now?"

Faren reached into her green cloak and pulled out a moderate sized brown money pouch. Both she and Lyn frowned when they saw it looked mostly empty. Faren untied the strings and dumped the contents of the bag into Lyn's outstretched hands. She grimaced as she saw not enough gold tumbling out. Counting it, she bit her lip and looked up at the waiting Lyn.

"Well? How much do we have?"

"...about 850 gold."

"That's it?!"

"Well..." Faren hurriedly began putting the pieces back into the bag and tying it back tight. "Weapons are expensive...and a group this size, growing by at least one person every few days...makes everything cost more. I'm sorry, Lyndis."

Lyn looked away toward the inn as she fingered the hilt of the Mani Katti. "I can't not pay them, Faren..., or you. We know Dorcas needs the money for his wife. What about everyone else?"

"I know, Lyn. We will figure out something." Faren ran a hand through her hair then suddenly stopped as she felt her rubied bracelet slide down her arm a little. Putting a hand over her bracelet, she could feel the intricate design of the bracelet through her cloak and long sleeved shirt. Hesitating for only a moment, she made up her mind and smiled up at Lyn with her cheery smile.

"Don't worry about the gold, Lyn. I'll get it. Why don't you go rest at the inn with the others?"

"Huh?" Lyn's face filled with confusion. "But...how will you get it?"

Faren put a finger to her cheek and simply smiled at Lyn. "A tactician must know of ways to get money, Lyn. I can't reveal trade secrets, you know." Lyn sighed but smiled a friendly smile. "Okay, okay. You win. I'll wait in the inn. Just...don't take too long, okay?"

Faren smiled back at the young Sacaen. "Don't worry. It should not take long at all. It will be quick and painless."

"That is an extraordinary tale, Sir Kent." Marquess Auste murmured over his glass of wine in his hand, gazing down at the kneeling red headed knight. Perched upon his chair in the black stoned audience room, Marquess Auste had the authority of a king. In reality, he was merely a lord of a territory with powers that were similar, but not as strong as a king. He tipped the wine glass back against his lips, sucking down the wine in one quick gulp. He set it down on the oak table beside him. Kent looked up at Auste. The man's face was rather pointed; crease lines around his eyes that gave him an evil look sometimes. His stringy blonde hair, littered with strands of gray was slicked back against his head. Marquess Auste raised a hand, indicating for Kent to stand. He rose slowly to his feet, standing alert as his steady gaze met the Marquess'.

"Very well. I would hate for Madelyn's daughter to get killed in some petty inheritance dispute." Auste rose to his feet, his cerulean cloak swirled around him. "Sir...?" Kent looked at him almost hopefully.

Auste put his hands behind his back. "I have decided to aid the Lady Lyndis. I will provide some supplies as well as additional men. But I wish to meet the Princess of Caelin first."

Kent sighed in relief and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Grace. This will make our journey much more bearable."

Marquess Auste nodded, stepping down to where he was level with Kent. He motioned for Kent to follow him as he walked on the red carpet that stretched from his chair to the entrance of the room that was flanked by two guards. "Let us decide on what you need. Caelin is at least two weeks on horseback. Perhaps a wagon would be most beneficial."

"That would be very generous of you, Your Lordship."

"Yes..." Auste smiled a little at Kent's praise. "You are a fine knight, Kent. We will discuss the topic of supplies as well as more soldiers with my Captain, Rath. He will know of what you need. He is used to traveling."

"I will be honored to hear his advice on this matter."

"Well, do not be too honored, young knight. He is only a nomad from Sacae. It seems some of them can be quite knowledgeable...for savages, anyway."

Kent stopped short, staring at Marquess Auste's back. "S-Savages, sir? Surely, they are not as savages..."

"Oh, they are, Kent. They are." Auste glanced over his shoulders, a hand on the door in front of him. Both of the guards that stood beside it had stony expressions on their faces. Mindless drones, they already knew of their Marquess' feelings on those from Sacae.

"Everyone of them are savages. Thieves. They take our jobs, our food...and our women. To think if one ended up as Marquess! No, those Sacaen savages are best under our feet, the feet of better men. Now, enough of that talk." Auste turned and pushed open the oak doors into the interior of another room. "Let us go discuss with Rath."

All Kent could do was stare at the man. His throat was dry and his mind was suddenly at a lost for the words to defend the woman he was protecting with his life.

The large man with bulging arms glanced down at the rubied bracelet placed on wooden counter in front of him. Picking it up between his fat fingers, he examined it carefully. His small eyes glanced at the golden swirls that were carefully laid around the brightest cuts of rubies he had ever seen. Truly, this piece was made with lots of care and possibly could border near priceless. With that in mind, he set it down and raised an eyebrow at the brunette that stood in front of him. He chewed the end of his cigar.

"...3,000 gold."

Faren stared at the man incredulously. "What? It can't be worth just that much!"

"It's-a got a few cracks on the gold...and some of the red glass is chipped." The man lied through his teeth, but he figured the girl must be in need of some gold if she were desperate to sell such a fine trinket off. With that in mind, he planned to pay as little as possible, far away from the real price it deserved.

"Glass? That isn't glass, it's ruby."

"Girlie, I've-a been in jewels since before you were born. Ah know glass from ruby and that's glass." Again he lied, but he could see the doubt in her eyes as she glanced down at the bracelet.

"Maybe I should go somewhere else to sell it..."

"Ah, don't want to be doing that..." He felt his heart beat a little faster. If he could get that bracelet and sell it to one of the lords, he'd make a fine penny. "None of the other shops around here will offer you as much as I am."

Faren bit her lip, staring at the bracelet. This is more painful that I thought it was going to be, she thought. "But that's still so low..."

He sighed. "Okay, okay...how about 5,000 gold?" Still nowhere near the price of piece he planned to sell it for, but he could see how desperate she was for gold.

Faren put a hand to her chin and murmured, "That'd cover the pay..."

"So we have a deal then?"

"Ah...um...can't you raise the price a little more, mister?"

"Nope. 5,000 gold is the best I can offer you. And it's the final offer. No one else will be willing to go as high as I am, missy. I'm spoiling you." He cracked off another lie through his teeth, his hands sweaty in anticipation.

Faren sighed. "...okay. You have a deal."

"Wonderful!" The man yelled so loudly he made Faren jump. He quickly snatched the bracelet off the counter and pulled out a bag from below. Counting up 5,000 gold quickly, he slapped it on the counter. "Good doin' business with ya, girlie!" He laughed joyfully, holding up his latest find. Faren sadly collected the gold and placed it in her money pouch. She glanced one last time at the bracelet the man held before turning away.

She put a hand to her chest, her heart seeming to ache as she walked away. It's for everyone else, She told herself, trying to reassure her pained heart. Clinging to a past I don't know won't help Lyn right now. I did a good thing.

She stopped and clutched the bag tightly. Faren closed her eyes and felt a tear suddenly run down her cheek. She whispered to no one. "If it was a good thing...then why do I feel so terrible?"

Faren shook her head and placed the pouch back in her cloak, hidden from prying eyes. Wiping away the tear, she took a long walk back to the inn to collect herself. She was so engrossed she didn't notice a young man had been watching her from a nearby rooftop. He squatted on the roof across from the jeweler's stand. His short sandy hair gently swayed in the wind and his long tattered red cloak fluttered behind him. A blade of wheat grass poked out between his lips, his teeth crunching against the end of it. His sharp brown eyes had seen everything that had gone on between the crooked jeweler and the young girl. When he heard the price he paid her, the young man shook his head.

"Tsk tsk tsk...Greed seems to be the currency these days here in Araphen." He mused for a moment then smiled. "Perhaps this 'deal' will give me and my nimble fingers some exercise."

Faren pushed the oak door to the inn inward, stepping into the lamp lighted entranceway. Hearing familiar voices from the foyer to the left, she took a deep breath and walked over to the doorway. She peeked around the doorframe. Everyone had settled in comfortably, all seeming to be relieved that the traveling was on a break for right now.

Erk had chosen a plush red chair in the corner, his head bowed as he read a book. He was probably trying to drown out Sain and Serra's sillyness, who were somehow still flirting with each other on the couch. Lyn was sitting beside Florina and Wil in matching chairs all three in deep conversation. Lyn glanced up when Faren peeked in and excused herself from the conversation. As Lyn approached Faren, she caught sight of Dorcas. Dorcas was sitting on the edge of the bay window, staring out it like stone. Faren wondered if he thought of his wife while he stared out at the blue sky of mid morning.

Lyn gently grabbed Faren's wrist and pulled her away from the foyer to a safe whispering distance. Lyn looked down at Faren hopefully. "Did you find some money, Faren?"

Faren reached into her cloak with her free hand to produce the money bag. It was much more swollen than when Lyn had saw it last. Her eyes lit up as she smiled happily. "Oh, Faren...I can't believe you got all that money!"

"Ah...yeah! Me neither!" She laughed, a fake laugh but it was enough to fool Lyn. "There's 5,850 gold in there, including what we originally had. So we have enough to pay everyone...this time."

Lyn took the pouch from Faren. "Yes...we'll have to find additional money on the way. I'm going to go disperse the money now!" Faren watched Lyn run back into the foyer. She wrapped her arms around her and sat down on one of the chairs beside the foyer. She closed her eyes. Only enough pay for this time and that's if we don't get anyone else, she thought. Her hand found the sapphire amulet around her neck. She clutched it tightly. I really don't want to sell this one...but I may have to. Her thoughts were interrupted by the voices of the others from the foyer.

"Oh, Lady Lyndis! You truly are an angel on high!"

"Milady Lyndis, this is too much...I can't accept it..."

"Then I'll accept it for you, Erk! Oh Lyn, Sain is right! You're an angel!"

"Lyn...thank you! You really shouldn't have. I'm here of my own accord in your lovely legion!"

"Lyndis...thank you. This is a good start toward what I need for Natalie's medicine...thank you..."

"Ah...Lyn...I...I feel like I am really a mercenary now!"

"Everyone...you're welcome. But really, this money wouldn't be here without the help of our wonderful tactician, Faren!"

Kent gripped his reins tightly as he allowed his horse Gavin to slowly trot through the streets. There weren't many people out on the street he traveled which gave him some time to think on Marquess Auste's words.

The people of Sacae are savages. Thieves. Kent shook his head. No...he thought. Lady Lyndis is...she is not a savage, nor a thief. Sain and I sought her out on the Marquess of Caelin's orders. If it had not been for us, Lyndis would still be living her life on Sacae, unaware of her maternal grandfather being alive.

Kent sighed and gazed up at the sky. I swore to protect her. And today, I failed at protecting her honor. If Sain had been there, he would surely have spoken up in her defense. Kent looked straight ahead. Squinting his eyes, he could see a crowd heading his way. Nudging Gavin toward the side of the street as everyone else hurried there, he could make out more of the coming crowd. It was not a crowd, but a platoon of soldiers. Soldiers of Lycia. Kent counted them. Twenty in all. A rather small platoon, but they marched on stiffly toward Marquess Auste's domain. Suddenly, something caught Kent's eye on the red armor the soldiers wore. Looking harder as the men passed, his eyes widened in realization. He turned his horse toward the platoon.

"What are soldiers of Caelin doing in Araphen?"

Faren rubbed her wrist where her bracelet had been. It felt odd to her that the golden trinket was now gone, but she told herself it was for the best. It was for the best of everyone. She stood out on the porch of the inn, looking up at the sky. It was nearing mid day, Kent had been gone for a few hours now. She had seen Lyn ask Sain about him, but he reassured her everything was okay. However, when Lyn stepped away, Faren could see his eyebrows narrow in worry as he looked off in the distance to the Marquess' castle.

"It is taking an awfully long time for Kent to return to us, eh?" Wil's voice made Faren jump. He chuckled, sliding up beside her to lean on the banister. He smiled at her, his soft brown eyes watching her. Faren smiled back and unconsciously put her hand on her arm that was missing the bracelet. "Yeah...it is. I wonder if something has happened."

"I hope not. But I would think Kent could handle himself. At least more than Sain would anyway."

"Sain is worried too. I see it when he looks away from Lyn."

"Really now? Perhaps we should head to the castle to look for our red knight...Faren, is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing is wrong."

"...Tell me. Where did you get the money to pay us today?"

Faren smiled at Wil. "Trade secret." Wil chuckled, looking off in Lyn's direction. She was talking with Florina and Erk. "That's what Lyn said when we asked. I take it you did something you don't want to tell anyone."

"That's not true..." She lied to the archer, fiddling with the folds of her cloak. "I just would like to keep the secrets secret."

"Uh-huh...you sold something didn't you?"

"Ah..."

Wil suddenly grabbed her arm gently and pushed back her cloak and sleeve. He saw what he expected: nothing on her arm. He dropped her arm and sighed heavily. "Faren..."

Faren grudgingly pushed her sleeve and cloak back down. "It was my decision."

"Faren...you shouldn't have done that. You are missing your past. What if that was a key to you past that would have helped?"

"Clinging to the past will not help Lyndis right now."

"That's stupid, though. If Lyn knew what you had done, she would get your bracelet back. I'll go get it back!"

"No! What's done is done, Wil!"

"Dammit, Faren!"

"Is something wrong?" Sain's voice interrupted the two. Both Wil and Faren stopped and looked at the green knight. Faren spoke first. "Nothing is wrong, Sain. Thank you for asking." Wil looked away, scowling.

Sain sighed. "Well, that's good." Faren decided to change the subject quickly. "Sain, what is taking Kent so long?"

"I'd like to know myself." Wil looked back at the knight. "It doesn't usually take this long?" Sain shook his head. "He should have been back at least an hour ago, Wil. Something is wrong. I can feel it." He put a hand to his head. "I should have been more observant..."

Faren opened her mouth to say something when suddenly an explosion rung out from the direction of the Marquess' castle. She felt the earth shook beneath her and it pitched her forward. Wil's arms quickly grabbed the girl and flung him to his chest as he nearly fell to the ground. Screams from the panicked townspeople sounded as they ran through the streets, heading away from Castle Araphen. Lyndis ran out into the street amidst the panicked people and stared at the rising column of smoke coming from the castle. "Kent..."

The fire was only at one point of the castle and that was the drawbridge. It roared on the wooden bridge, sending vast columns of smoke into the sky. Soldiers that belonged to Araphen were yelling at each other furiously, holding buckets of water to douse the flames with. Each time water connected with it, the flames only seemed to roar higher. Lyndis and her legion were greeted with this scene.

Sain cursed under his breath. "It figures, the only way into the castle and they block it off." He had run out without his horse, not that it would help him much here. Florina was flying above the castle, trying to see what she could through the thick black smoke. She landed beside everyone a moment later, coughing. "I...I can't see anything!" Erk spoke up quickly. "That fire is not natural! A mage set that fire!"

Lyn looked back at the mage. "Is there anything you can do?"

Erk thought for a moment. "I can try to quell it, but I don't know if I can. If the mage that cast this fire is stronger than me, I will not succeed."

"Try anyway!" Faren called out above the roaring flames. "Dorcas! Watch Erk's back as he tries to stop the fire! The person that set this fire may still be here!"

Wil stood beside Faren, notching an arrow to his bow. He started scanning the area, hovering around the tactician protectively. Serra stood near Sain and Florina as she healed a wounded soldier that had been burnt by the magical flames.

"St. Elimine, bless this soul with thy healing light..."

Erk raised his hands as he began muttering an incantation under his breath. He felt sweat already starting to pour down his face, but he kept on. He tried to push the fire down, but it held steady. Cursing under his breath, Erk continued to try to push the fire down.

Lyn gripped the hilt of the Mani Katti as her eyes scanned around the castle. She could see the soldiers trying their best to put out the fire with water. Where are they? Where are the louts that did this?!

As Lyn turned, she suddenly felt a tug on the back of her ponytail. Before she could turn around, she felt a cool blade press against her throat. Her back slammed against a man's chest and she could feel hot breath on her ear. "Don't move, Lyndis."

"Who are you?!" She demanded as she gripped the man's arm that held a knife. At the sound of Lyn yelling, Faren turned and gasped. "Lyn!"

"Don't move!" The man yelled and pressed the blade tighter against Lyn's throat. She grunted, trying not to show any pain. Sain watched in horror, unable to do anything for fear of Lyn's life. Dammit, I screwed up. Kent, where are you?

The man chuckled darkly. "Sorry, Lyndis. But it's time for you to die." Lyn squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the blade to slide across her throat and let her blood escape but it never came. Instead, she felt the man's grip on her loosen as he screamed. She felt herself being pulled away. She opened her eyes and saw Sain look at her worriedly. "Lady Lyndis! Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Lyn shook her head, looking confusedly at Sain. She looked back at the man who was on the ground, bleeding. She saw an arrow lodged into his throat. At first, she thought Wil had shot the man but staring at the arrow more closely, she saw familiar triangular shapes engraved on the arrow. A nicker of a horse made her look up. She felt her breath get caught in her throat.

Atop a powerful looking gray horse sat a man, a bow in his right hand. Lyn stared at the man dressed in Sacaen red robes, triangular patterns of gold and maroon lined the edges of the outfit. A blue sash was coiled around his waist, the tail ends dropping down to brush against his dark trousers. Green hair, the same color of Lyn's, escaped in tufts underneath a red bandanna. His face looked harsh and his dark eyes narrowed in on Lyndis.

Lyn stood breathless, still staring at the man. Sain put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her in concern. "Milady Lyndis?" Faren and Wil exchanged looks as Florina clutched her lance nervously. Ignoring Sain, Lyn took a step toward the rider. "...May I ask your name?"

The rider did not respond. Instead, he gripped his reins tightly and nudged his horse toward another direction. "Wait!" Lyn called, running close to him despite the protests of her comrades. "Why did you help me? Sir, please!"

The rider looked back at Lyn with his dark eyes, making her stop. At last, he spoke. "I thought a Sacaen plainswoman was being attacked. I was mistaken." He turned back.

"No you were right! I am from Sacae! I am Lyn, daughter of Hassar of the Lorca!"

The rider snapped his head back at his, staring at her with a surprised look. "There were survivors?!"

Lyn nodded timidly. The rider stared at Lyn again before speaking. "You should leave. This blaze is not natural and will spread faster than a normal wildfire. Do not be foolish and waste the life I just saved."

"Wait!" This time Sain had spoken up. He ran up beside Lyn, staring up at the rider. "Are you from the castle? How severe is the fire? Is the Marquess safe?" The rider sized up Sain before answering.

"The castle is under attack. The marauders set the fire at the drawbridge to prevent us from entering. The Marquess has been accosted inside where I believe one of your knights are." He nodded to Sain, who paled a little. "As captain of the castle guard, it is my duty to rescue the Marquess."

Faren walked up beside Lyn and Sain, noticing more marauders coming from the direction of the back end of the castle. Wil took up his bow and took aim at the approaching men while Faren whispered to Lyn.

"I think we should help, Lyn."

Lyn nodded and looked at the rider. "Please let us help you. These brigands are after me. If they are attacking the castle, it is because of me. I must help if I can!"

The rider glanced over Lyn and her group. Wil had begun firing arrows at the approaching men, striking one in the throat. The other had successively dodged his arrows so far until Florina sunk a javelin in his chest. Erk was on his knees, being healed by Serra by the still flaming drawbridge. Apparently, he had failed to stop the flames and there were visible burn marks on his arms.Dorcas was fending off an axe man who threatened all three of them. He drove the axe into the man's throat.

"It seems like you're involved..." The rider murmured. He looked down at Lyn. "You'll accept our aid?"

The rider nodded. "I am Rath of the Kutolah. Our tribes my be different, but I will not abandon a woman of Sacae."

"Thank you Rath...a thousand blessings upon you..." Lyn murmured softly as she unsheathed the Mani Katti. More of the marauders had emerged from behind the castle. Eight in all, Lyn had counted. Rath strung another arrow on his bow and aimed it at a nearing bandit.

"And a thousand curses upon our enemy!"

Rath let the arrow fly and it sunk into the nearest man's throat. Lyn slashed at an approaching swordsman, felling him in two blows because of his armor. Wil fired off another barrage of arrows, some flying into the men's arms and others into their legs. They dropped to the ground quickly, becoming easy targets for Sain and Lyn to rush and finish off. Erk had rejoined the group, standing shakily as he helped to defend the rear of the group with Dorcas, who was swinging his axes like a mad man. A hurricane of blades, he single-handedly defeated four men in armor as Erk torched three. Serra was tending to the wounded of Araphen, muttering her prayer as the light of St. Elimine hovered over their wounds. Florina took to the skies and with her javelin, struck two men in the chest.

Faren sat behind Rath, who had grabbed her up before an arrow claimed her life. Clinging to the Kutolah, she directed everyone as best as she could. After what seemed like hours and as the last marauder they could see fall, she sighed in relief. "Is that all?"

"No." Came Rath's stony reply and he edged his horse into a trot toward the back of the castle. Faren motioned for the rest of the legion to follow, Lyn already jogging to keep up with the Sacaen nomad. Sain watched and followed, his right arm looking rather bloody. Serra walked with him, whispering the soft prayers as she gently touched it. Erk looked pale but Dorcas supported him who was covered in blood. Thankfully, it wasn't his own blood; it belonged to those he had slain. Wil and Florina brought up the rear, Wil limping a little while Florina hovered above a few feet above ground on her Pegasus.

As Rath rounded the corner, he stopped his horse. Faren tried to look over his shoulder to see. When that didn't work, she sighed and slid down. "What's wrong?" Rath stared straight ahead at the barracks, the housing of the soldiers. On the large pine doors was a large iron lock. "Our way is blocked."

Lyn looked at the lock. "Did the marauders do that?" Sain pounded against the door and tried to hack at it with his sword. "Dammit! Can't we just burn it?"

"No. There is enough fire here already. It seems they knew about the secret passage here in barracks to the castle." Faren bit her lip and crossed her arms. "What to do, what to do..." She murmured. A voice in her ear made her jump.

"Would you like to buy my services?"

"Ahh!" She screamed and jumped away from the source. The sandy haired man jumped back also, raising his hands in defense. The others hand already drawn their weapons and were glaring at him. The sandy haired man chuckled nervously. "Peace! I mean you no harm!"

Wil had put a protective arm around Faren as he stared at the man suspiciously. "Right. And what do you want?"

"Like I said, to offer my services."

"And what services are those?" Lyn asked, still looking at the man with suspicion.

The man smiled. "Why, I'm a specialist in acquisitions of all kinds."

Lyn frowned and turned away. "We've no need for a thief."

"But what about that grotesque lock upon the barrack door?"

Lyn looked back at the man. "Ah...um..."

"Oh, let's just hire him!" Faren spilled out. "We've got enough gold to pay him..." The man smiled at Faren and bowed a little. "The name's Matthew. The first one's free, Milady." As Matthew walked past Faren, he whispered quickly as he shoved something in her hand. "Free since you've already paid enough today." With that, he ran almost excitedly to the lock and knelt down, examining it.

"Ooh, what a strong lock they've picked. But I've picked better." Humming as he went to work, Matthew reached into his red cloak and pulled out a pick. Lyn and Sain just looked at each other, and with a sigh, patiently waited for the lock to be picked.

Faren opened her hand and stared down at the rubied bracelet she had just sold hours before. She looked over at the thief, who was busy with unlocking the lock, everyone's eyes on him. Faren quickly put the bracelet back on her wrist. She felt like she acquired a lost part of her. She mentally noted to thank Matthew later.

A loud clunk sounded as the iron lock fell to the ground. Matthew raised his hands up and smiled smugly. "All thanks to my nimble fingers, my friends."

Kent grunted as he tried to push back the knight in front of him with all his strength. Bleeding profusely from a wound on his side and several cuts on his face, Kent stood protectively in front of Marquess Auste. Auste looked frightened upon his throne and made no move to help nor escape. Three men had been dispatched by Kent's sword, but the last man remaining presented more of a challenge. He was wearing thick red armor in head to toe; there were only two small openings in the helmet that allowed the man's eyes to see. In reality, this man was a human tank. He thrust his long lance toward Kent again, which he parried as best as he could with his sword. Kent felt the sweat pour down his face as he glared at the man behind the helmet. "Why are you here?"

The man sneered at Kent and kept pressing on him with his lance. Kent groaned, pushing as hard as he could with his sword. Kent knew he would not have much longer; swords were no good against lances. Panting as he pushed with all his might, he heard the man's voice from inside his helmet.

"Give up, boy. You're beaten. You're no match for Bool!"

Kent felt something hard and metal hit his leg. "Ugh..." He felt his knees buckle but clutched onto his sword and tried to draw it against his enemy's stomach. He heard Bool laugh as the sound of metal scraping against metal rang out. Kent landed on his back, still clutching his sword. Bool stood over him, holding his lance in both hands, the pointed end aimed at Kent's throat. "Lord Lundgren will be so pleased to find that you two knights and Lyndis are out of the way that cuuurgghh--"

Marquess Auste moved his hands from his eyes and let out a breath of air. He saw Bool just standing over Kent, his lance dropped to the floor. Slowly, the armored knight fell to his left and as he dropped, Marquess Auste and Kent could see an arrow in the back of his throat, an arrow that had triangular marks on it. Kent let out a gasp as well as a man in green armor suddenly burst out from behind the armored knight as he fell. "Sain..." Kent spoke softly as he clutched onto his companion's arms, his eyes traveling over the bloodstained armor that he wore. Sain looked down at him worriedly, "Kent, Kent are you okay? No, you're bleeding...Serra! Please!"

Serra ran in, her white robes stained red with others blood. "Ew, ew ew...not fashionable...oh, poor Kent..." Serra leaned down next to Kent and putting her stave and hand near Kent's wounds, she murmured her prayers. Rath appeared in the doorway, calmly stepping over the dead body and approaching Marquess Auste. He bowed his head slightly to the man. "Are you alright Marquess Auste?"

A few hours later, Marquess Auste sat calmly on his throne, sipping a glass of wine. To his left stood his captain Rath, staring straight ahead. Marquess Auste's gaze wandered over the ten people before him. In the very back stood four people. One of them was a priestess that fussed with her pink hair, muttering something about blood and dirt in it. Next to her stood a pale violet haired mage that looked ready to fall down had it not been for the tall, red headed axe man supporting him. Next to the axe man stood a rogue looking man with a piece of wheat grass in his mouth. His brown eyes traveled over the walls of the castle. In front of those people stood three others. A young orchid haired girl that looked like a Pegasus knight. She seemed to be trying to scrunch herself down to hide from the Marquess' eyes. Next to her was another young woman, a brunette with hazel eyes. The man next to her had his arm around her protectively. His hair was reddish brown and he was an archer, like Rath.

Finally, his eyes settled on the three people that stood in front. Two of them were Caelin knights obviously, Kent being one of them and Sain the other. Both had sustained noticeable wounds, but each one stood proudly next to a young woman who's gaze seemed to be locked onto Rath. The emerald haired girl looked exactly like Madelyn. It was no doubting who that young woman was. However, there was something else that he saw in her that disturbed him greatly. After a long silence, the Marquess spoke.

"Rath...leave us for a moment."

Rath glanced at the Marquess, hesitating for a small moment. He finally bowed and with a quick glance in Lyn's direction, walked out of the room. The large oak doors closed loudly behind him. Lyn looked at the spot where he stood, disappointed to see him go. She looked up at Marquess Auste, who was studying her again.

"Lady Lyndis..." He began, speaking in a hard tone. "Do you know the identity of those responsible that set fire to my castle and tried to accost me?"

Lyn glanced at Kent who nodded at her reassuringly. She looked back at Marquess Auste. "I believe it to be the work of my granduncle, Lundgren. He has been after me for quite some time."

"That's correct." Marquess Auste swirled the wine in his glass before looking at Lyndis again, his eyes narrowed angrily. "Which means my castle has been damaged in your family's petty inheritance dispute!"

Lyn gasped silently, taken aback by the Marquess Auste's scolding tone. "My-My apologies, Marquess Auste..."

"Hmph." He tipped back his wine glass before glaring back at Lyndis again. "When I heard that Lady Madelyn's daughter was in trouble, I thought to rush to her aid. I've changed my mind. I withdraw my offer for aid."

Lyn stared at the man with an open mouth. "Wha..?" Everyone else seemed to share her shock. Kent stepped forward, wincing slightly. "Marquess Auste! You...you gave me your word, sir..."

Marquess Auste slammed his wine glass on the oak table beside him as he stood up. Kent stared up at the Marquess. "Kent...you failed to inform me of one most vital, important detail!"

"What...what do you mean?"

Marquess Auste waved his hand in Lyndis' direction. "This girl does resemble Lady Madelyn, but...I did not expect to see someone so tainted with the blood of Sacae."

Lyn narrowed her eyebrows in anger. "What?!"

"I believe the Marquess of Caelin would be troubled to meet with this nomadic mongrel. Perhaps it would be better to return her to where you found it in the woods."

"You!" Sain started to rush forward, but Kent thrust out an arm to block him. Sain could feel the other's hands on his back, pulling him back away from the Marquess. Kent took a deep breath and biting his tongue severely, he bowed his head at the Marquess.

"My apologies...my Lord Marquess."

"Your man is poorly disciplined, Kent...I hear that the Marquess of Caelin is ill. I question whether he will survive to meet this mongrel. In which case, his brother Lundgren will claim his title. He and I will have discussions over what has happened here, but I certainly wish to avoid trouble with the coming Marquess. After all, it cannot be this...this...savage."

"ENOUGH!!" Lyn yelled out, causing Florina to jerk a little. She clung to Faren, staring at the young emerald haired Sacaen as she stepped forward toward the Marquess. He glared up at her. "Step down, nomad."

She continued to stare at him angrily. Faren could see Lyn's fists tightening. Finally, she spoke. "Kent, Sain... we take our leave of Araphen at once."

Kent stared at Lyndis, baffled. "Milady Lyndis..."

Lyn ignored Kent, still staring at Marquess Auste. "I am proud of the Sacae blood that runs through my veins. I will NOT accept aid from one who disparages my heritage. I have held my tongue around you long enough, Marquess Auste. It is you who is the savage here. The savage that you claim me to be has saved your castle from marauders and was content to keep silent until you decided to slander the blood my father gave me. This will be one woman of Sacae you shall not crush under your boot!"

Lyn ran outside Castle Araphen with the others following behind her. She growled and yelled loudly, before quieting down and wrapping her arms around her. Faren went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Lyn...are you okay?" She nodded. Sain practically skipped over to her and grabbed Lyn's other shoulder. "Milady, that Marquess was a lout! We're all here for you, no matter what flows in your veins, be it blood or water!"

Lyn smiled at Sain, laughing a little. Serra suddenly popped up and grabbed Lyn's hands. "That man was so uncouth, Lyn. Not befitting a lord at all!" Erk put a hand on Serra's shoulder, and smiled a rare smile at Lyn. "Sain was right, Lady Lyndis and you were too. He is the savage here." Wil nodded in agreement along with Florina and Dorcas, who spoke up. "All of us can see here, Lady Lyn...the pride you hold as a nomad of Sacae. We respect it, and that is why we are here with you."

Matthew chuckled, leaning against a tree with a bit of wheat grass in his mouth again as he watched the group around Lyn "What a cheery group, this is...I think I picked a right one this time. I just met you, but I'll just throw in the 'All for one and one for all' bit. Just so you don't think I'm like that troll in there." Lyndis chuckled and felt tears in her eyes. She blinked them back and smiled at everyone. She caught sight at Kent, who looked sullenly at the ground. "Kent?"

Kent avoided her eyes as he spoke. "I beg your forgiveness, Milady."

Lyn approached Kent, looking up at him."Why is that, Kent?"

Kent looked down at her. "I was so concerned with seeing you to Caelin, I failed to take your feelings in account. I blinded my eyes to that man's prejudiced ways."

"Kent..." She gently reached up and placed a finger on his chin, making him look at her. A slight blush appeared on his face. "Trouble yourself no more. You have put my safety above all else. I have seen that. Be proud, my knight of Caelin..."

"Milady Lyndis..."

With another full glass of wine in hand, Marquess Auste glared out at the window at Lyndis and her legion. He could see them all rally around the dirty savage. "Arrogant child!" He screamed, taking a sip of his wine. "If she had shed a tear, I would have given in. Those prideful savages...I'll never understand what makes them proud of their duty blood!"

"It is because we know our blood is full of honor and no deceit, Marquess Auste."

Marquess Auste turned toward the doorway to find his captain, his Sacaen captain, Rath in the doorway. "I...I did not see you there, Rath. You know my comments do not reflect on you." He took a sip of wine as he looked back out the window. "You are my captain and I am proud of your service."

"Of course. As long as I bend my knee, you care not where I come from. But when an equal from my lands comes, a 'princess' by your standards since she is the daughter of the leader? What horrible conceit your words show."

"Rath!" Marquess Auste exclaimed, turning to face the Sacaen again. "How can you speak to me like that?! I have treated you better than your filthy kind deserves!"

Rath's expressionless face suddenly twisted into rage. Such a change caused Marquess Auste to gasp and drop his wine glass, shattering into a million pieces as the violet wine stained his cloak.

"You will never understand, Lycian noble. I will follow the Lorca child's example and raise my knees. My service ends here."

At the western gate of Araphen, Lyndis and her legion gathered with their horses. The sun was beginning to set, but Lyn decided to leave Araphen. "I do not wish to stay in such a city that may hate my blood." Despite some of the group having sustained bad wounds, they agreed with Lyndis.

As Lyn led Rain away from Araphen, she murmured half to herself. "Marquess Auste...he said my grandfather was ill. We must hurry to Caelin..."

Kent rode up beside Lyn with Dorcas sitting behind him. "As we approach Caelin Milady, Lundgren's obstacles will be more difficult to overcome. However..." He smiled. "I've vowed to see you through to the end, no matter what!"

"As am I!" Sain called from beside Kent. He gently kissed Serra's hand who giggled. "Why, we would do anything for you, Lady Lyn! Hee!"

"I agree with them as well, Lady Lyndis." Erk's voice came from behind her. Florina's voice floated above Lyn's head. "I...I'm with you all the way, Lyn!" Lyn looked at Faren who smiled. "You can't get rid of us, Lyn. We're with you." Wil agreed, smiling that big smile of his. "I'm much too fond of Lyndis' Legion to leave." Lyndis smiled broadly. "It will be...because of all of you that I...that I will persevere! My spirit will never be broken!"

"It warms my heart to hear your strong conviction, Lyn of the Lorca."

Lyn turned toward the sound of the voice. She felt her breath be caught in her throat again, just like the first time she saw him. It was Rath, sitting atop his gray stallion. Attached to the stallion was a medium sized wagon with a covered roof of white cloth. With the flapping cloth door, Lyn could see lots of supplies inside. She stared at him incredulously. "Rath...what are you..."

"I overheard the Marquess talking to himself." He looked downward. "I have shamed the Kutolah by bending my knee to one who hates Sacae..." He looked up at Lyn and slightly bowed his head. "Proud daughter of Sacae...I would join you. I would add my strength to yours."

Lyn blushed, putting a hand to her mouth. She looked at Faren who nodded eagerly, grinning. "Accept it!"

"Ah...Rath...yes...thank you..."

"Also..." he waved to the wagon. "I notice many of your companions do not have their own horses. This wagon will be able to carry your supplies as well as them. It was your man Kent that suggested many of these supplies before the Marquess showed his true face. I also have about 7,000 gold inside for further supplies."

"Rath..."

"He really shouldn't have, should he?" A voice from the tent called out. A hand reached out and pushed the flap aside. Matthew laid rather comfortably in the wagon, chewing on another piece of wheat grass. Faren pointed at him.

"Matthew! You disappeared when we left Araphen!"

"Yeah, well..." He stretched his arms. "I decided to accompany you, so this nice man over here allowed me to ride in the wagon." He saluted to Rath, grinning. Kent raised an eyebrow. "...what do you specialize in?"

"Why..." Matthew began and wiggled his fingers at Kent. "I'm a specialist in all sorts of acquisitions. Me and my nimble fingers are quite capable!"

"You're a thief!"

"That's rather rude name to call someone, isn't it? I prefer a jack-of-all-trades kind of title. Or nimble fingers. Besides, your lovely tactician over there already hired me."

Faren giggled nervously as Kent whipped his head around to stare at her. "Faren!"

"He was really useful, Kent! Besides, he's got nimble fingers!"

Lyn chuckled along with Rath. She looked at him and felt a slight blush on her face. She held out her hand to him. He gently took it and shook it.

"Let us never allow someone to speak ill of our blood in our presence, Rath. Our pride as Sacaens is just as important as our lives."

Rath smiled at the emerald haired girl. "Yes, Lyn of the Lorca. You are right."

Author's Note:

Whew...I hope you guys liked this long chapter. This chapter is actually about three times as long as some of the earlier ones. I actually wrote about five pages while I was on a two week vacation at an aunt's house (Hence, no updates for two weeks). When I got back two days ago, I wrote the rest. I felt like I could have ended the chapter at earlier points, but then I'd have to post another chapter with the conclusion. So, perhaps this was best. I hope those of you that were awaiting Matthew liked his entrance as well as Rath's. And thank you, Astral Sage for reminding me that there ARE Sain/Serra supports in the game. I'm surprised theirs wasn't more...flirtacious.

And also, thank you guys for your reviews. I wouldn't have gotten this far without your encouragement. Chapter ten will be here soon with two of my favorite characters! Until then...keep reading and be safe this summer.