I'm really in the mood to write this lately so don't get too comfortable. My mood may change.

Anyway, side story, kinda filler, but it does talk about questions people have had. and I need to have Lloyd's character development happen similar to the game don't I? Anyway, enjoy!

11 – Ava's Story

Lloyd kept rotating his shoulder as he read from the large history book he was barreling through. Learning about the different lands of Aselia made him wonder more and more about the two worlds. Mostly he wondered how all of this worked. Kratos talked about how no one would notice a mana shift if they did the ritual every ten years or so before, but why was it necessary for this to happen? From what the book was describing, Tethe'alla and Sylverant, along with a lot of other countries, were part of the same world. "So what changed?"

"Much changes."

In an instant, the teen jerked up right, surprised by the answer. Just inside the doorframe was Ava with her usual tray of food. Lunch. He was so preoccupied with his book he didn't hear her come in, or notice how hungry he was. As soon as the smell reached his nose, he was ravenous. Soup and sandwiches, and they weren't small ones either. The lady angel approached him on the bed, letting the door close behind her. "The only constant in this life is change. Are you hungry?"

"Starving. Thanks." Quickly he met her among the books and took the tray from her, setting it across some books he leveled out to act as a table. Almost instantly he was devouring his food. Since the training started, he really needed the food.

"Does Lord Kratos know you use your books like this?" Ava inclined her head towards the two stacks keeping the tray up as he ate. She didn't seem to approve.

Lloyd shrugged. "I don't think he really cares. I mean… it's not like I really use them." He jerked his head back to the three books on his bed. "I'm pretty busy just reading that one and learning about all those other countries. Did you know Dwarves were from Moria? My dad said he was separated from his people a long time ago, but he never told me where he came from."

"I doubt he thought it was important to your survival." The lady looked over the books on his bed, frowning slightly. The lad watched her and started to remember the discussion he and Kratos had about angels the other day. Ava was originally a half-elf, right? And it was her compatibility to her Cruxis Crystal that gave her wings… were they painful? And what was she before she became an angel anyway? She didn't do anything to hint at what her life was like before becoming an angel. Instead, she was curious about what he was doing when no one was looking. "Did Lord Kratos restrict you to just study from these books?"

"Well no…" Baffled by her question, he watched her even more. "Did he say I should read something else too?"

"I believe it's implied." Ava looked around the room and the piles of books around them. "A general history is good, but expanding your knowledge is important as well. Literature, arithmetic, the sciences, politics, legends, everything is important in one way or another. You should switch to another subject every few hours or so, so your mind remains sharp."

"Like what?" He finished off one sandwich and picked up what had to be his third before joining her. This was the first time he could remember having a real conversation with this lady. It was kinda nice.

She raised an eyebrow at him then looked around at the stacks. "What subjects interest you?"

He shrugged. "I like astronomy. And I'm really good with my hands. Machines always made sense to me."

"I see. Anything else?"

Lloyd shrugged again, not knowing how to respond. "Eating, sleeping, making things, looking at the stars, swords, that's pretty much my life until I left Iselia."

"Quite a simple life." Gracefully the woman moved between the stacks before kneeling down and picking out one or two.

"I wouldn't call it simple," the teen grumbled automatically, but she ignored it. She often ignored his side comments, and now it really made him think. "Hey, what were you like before you became an angel?"

Instantly she stopped moving, as if he struck her with something. Was he not supposed to ask? Before he could do anything to retract his question, she came back to life, taking another book from a pile. "I take it Lord Kratos informed you of the true nature of angels."

"Yeah… he did." Fiddling with his sandwich, he tried to explain what he learned. "He said you guys were all half-elves then were given Cruxis Crystals and that gave you wings and stuff. He didn't say much more than how you've got high compatibility with yours and that's why you're easier to talk to than other angels."

"I see…" She stacked the books she dug out on top of each other, keeping her back to him. "Does this disturb you?"

"A little. I mean…" It was hard to explain what really unnerved him. "Why would you risk losing your soul to become an angel? Isn't it painful for you too? I just don't understand why anyone would willingly change who they are like that."

Her shoulders seemed to relax a bit before she stood up and turned to face him, books in hand. "I cannot speak for everyone, but in my case, it was to save my family."

"What?"

Ava placed the books on the bed near the large tome he was reading just minutes before. "I don't know the circumstances you grew up in, but in Tethe'alla, half-elves are heavily discriminated against. There are laws prohibiting us from prospering like others would. Many half-elves are homeless, and others are kept in laboratories to develop magitechnology.

"My husband was human." That stopped Lloyd for a moment, surprised. She continued on, looking at the stack of books rather than him. "I was separated from my family a long time ago, but I found solace in him. Max was an average carpenter, but honest and earnest. We had three children together."

A sad smile graced her face as she spoke, remembering someone who died some time ago. "We always knew I and our children would outlive him, and he said he was glad for it. I watched the man I loved grow old and die silently. And when he was gone, it wasn't long before the people of my village turned against us. We had no choice but to leave.

"Not long after, the king of that time was drafting half-elves for mining operations. My son was strong and old enough to work, but he wasn't enough. All three of my children were taken from me and put to work in mines… for coal and iron." She took a moment to breathe before continuing. "My girls were younger than you physically, small and much weaker than their brother. Going into the mines like that was a death sentence. They put me to work on their jailors' laundry. I was helpless to stop them."

"That's horrible!" Lloyd grew up hearing about the conditions in mines and how they could do real damage to people if they weren't properly equipped or built for it. That was the main reason Dirk never let him help with that part of his work. Who were these people sending them into the mines like that?! Where they even human? Somehow he doubted it could be any other option. The thought of what could happen made him feel sick.

"Once I tried to get them out of there," she continued, somehow gaining courage from his words. "They caught me. I barely managed to get out of the encampment with my life. My children somehow managed to escape punishment.

"That was when I met Lord Kratos." A smile appeared on her face, though it was slight. "I was actually found by another angel, who managed to whisk me away to Exire, a haven for half-elves in Tethe'alla. Cruxis was recruiting half-elves for the Desians, and a handful to become angels. That's when I saw him, scowling against a tree, just watching everyone. I ignored those who wanted revenge on humans who joined the Desians and walked straight to him, begging for help to save my children. I didn't want to fight, just to get them out.

"Lord Kratos said nothing at first, then told me to hold a stone." She almost laughed for a moment. Almost. "I didn't know anything about magitechnology then. The stone tested my mana and compared it to the signatures of the Cruxis Crystals in stock. When the analysis was complete, he passed it over to another angel and asked how far I was willing to go to save them. I told him as far as it took. Then they left.

"The next day he returned with my Cruxis Crystal. He warned me there would be no turning back once I put it on, and he couldn't guarantee the crystal wouldn't reject me, but it could give me the power I needed to save them.

"I put it on."

Ava stopped there, finally looking at Lloyd again. "Three days later, Lord Kratos helped me settle my family in Exire before taking me to Welgaia. Angels cannot stay among other half-elves for very long before everyone demands wings. Thanks to him and this crystal, I was able to save them, but wearing it binds me to Cruxis and the will of Lord Yggdrasil. Though I must obey Lord Yggdrasil, I choose to assist Lord Kratos. Especially now. I owe him my children's lives."

"Whoa…" It was a lot more to take in than the teen expected. So Kratos saved her… by making her an angel? But she did get the power to save her family. That explains why she was with him rather than floating around with the others.

"I also taught my children much of their studies," she informed him steadily, tapping the new stack of books. "Which is why I feel you should read these as well. Lord Kratos asked me if I knew any alternate ways to learn math. I can only assume he will be increasing your studies when he finds a method you would best adapt with. I am willing to assist in your studies if you ever wish it."

"Ah… I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." Right then, Lloyd just wanted a moment to think before Kratos came in and dragged him out to train more. Ava was more incredible than he first thought (course he first thought she was just another angel working for a tyrant but that didn't really matter, did it?). She nodded properly, then moved to pick up his nearly empty lunch tray. In an instant Lloyd grabbed the last sandwich on the platter before it would be lost forever. He ate the soup first and was more than glad to have something more.

Before she left, she stopped before the door. "Lloyd… what are your feelings towards half-elves?"

Blinking in surprise, he could only shrug. "They're people too. I hate Desians because of what they do, but I know a couple half-elves in Sylverant who want nothing to do with them and just want to live normal lives. They're pretty incredible. And I can't say I know very many angels, so I can't make a judgment on them either."

Ava nodded, then asked, "What do you feel about the prejudices against us as a whole then?"

"I…" Mentally stumbling, he tried to find an answer, and couldn't. "I'm not sure. I haven't seen as much as you, but I can't say I agree with it. My best friend is an elf, and I feel horrible when people judge him. People don't like my dad because he's a dwarf, but he raised me. If he wasn't a good person at heart, he would have left me to die when I was a kid. Instead he changed his entire life for my sake. I bet I'd feel just as mad at people if they were treated the same as you and other half-elves.

"I guess I really don't like it. I just don't know a lot about it. I've always been an outsider, so who cared. So long as I did all I could to prove them wrong, I knew one day they'd realize they were wrong."

"Has that worked?" She seemed really interested on his feelings in this matter, but Lloyd went with it anyway.

"I'll tell you when it does." He grinned sheepishly, hiding how he really felt for a moment. "But it really doesn't matter what they think. If I can't look myself in the eye in the end, then I'm not doing the right things. I can't control anyone but myself. And there's always Dwarven Vow number one: let us all work together to make a peaceful world. I don't want to see anyone suffer, but I can't stand by and watch others be hurt either. I'll do whatever I can to make that a reality."

Once more she nodded, pleased. "The one who raised you did well. Continue thus and you will be a good man. Continue your studies to become a wise one."

Lloyd watched her as the door opened before coming up with something last to say. "I bet you were a great mother."

She stopped one last time, pausing before speaking sadly. "I pray I was."

Then she was gone and the teen was left with the books. Sighing slightly, he took a big bite from his sandwich. 'Well, guess there's nothing else to do but go back to reading.' Carelessly he looked through the pile she made, his eyes widening at the titles. Beginning mechanics? Introduction to magitechnology? Astronomy? Titles and Governments? Swallowing hard, he tried to make heads or tails of the pile. "Holy… They write books on these things?!"

Lloyd smirked to himself when he recognized the area they were training in that day. The place was as shabby as he remembered it. Kratos wasn't amused, like always, and just uncuffed him like usual. "You seem to be in a good mood."

"Well, I just learned some interesting things today." Rubbing his wrists, they hurried over to where he hid the wingpack in that area. The sooner they got started the sooner he could learn everything he needed to leave.

"Hm. I thought there were more books on your bed." The mercenary played it off as nothing, and likely didn't care much at that moment what he had learned.

"Ava picked them out," he said helpfully, goading him into conversation. The lad grinned. "She also told me how she got her wings."

The seraph stopped for a moment, then took out the gear they were using that day. "Ah."

"You're a bit of a softy aren't you?" Lloyd grinned, teasing him for once. It was about time he had something on the guy. Something he could tease him about at least. "You helped save her family's lives. Just like you saved mine and my friends."

"I only did what I could." As always he wasn't very eager for personal conversation. Informative, yes, but this?

Still Lloyd continued. "You're actually a really good guy aren't you? I bet if it didn't look suspicious, you would have protected Colette and the rest of us for free. I mean, you were pretty eager to- HEY!"

Chainmail landed over the teen's face, stopping his teasing for good. "Enough yabbering. Get dressed and get into your practice stances. Time is of the essence."

Lloyd peaked out from behind the mail at the man's back, grinning impishly. "Awe… so shy!"

Kratos slowly looked over his shoulder at him, one menacing eye visible to him. He started rushing, collecting his gear to get to work. "Going! Going!"

He barely caught sight of the man shaking his head, exasperated. He really was shy after all!

A/N: So Lloyd isn't just going to learn about the past and fighting, he's also going to learn about things that interest him! Eventually we'll get to math...

Ava's story is pretty much all here. It'll be a while before Marcus' comes out, but right now that's not important. Lloyd's world is expanding, and he needs to know why angels exist on a personal level. He also needs to know how Kratos has any kinds of allies among them. There's a lot he needs to learn in completely new ways. Plus a lot of me theorizing.

Anywho, there will be more chapters like this and the previous one where there's a lot of talking and not a lot of action. This is going to be a slow going story. Sorry. Hope you enjoy it anyway.