It's nice to see you all again so shortly! I'm sure you're also glad to see how much there is below this little portion to read! ...You're welcome. =P

Oh, and I realized I didn't do review replies last time!

Fluffystuff101324: Sylvia can't do anything but scare everyone...that's what makes her the loveable Sylvia we all know! I'm glad you liked the part with Ulki - he's kind of grown on me since I feel like I've given more of a personality. Hope you like this chapter as well! Thanks as always for your great reviews! They usually make me laugh. =D

animeman12: A set up? What could you possibly mean?! (insert innocent laugh here) Hope that my battle is epic enough for you and that I put enough in there... Thanks for the encouragement and your review!

On one note: I do not own the song Liquid Sunshine that I have Mihara sing. I just love how well it seems to fit. You shall see. Now...onward!

XxXxXxX

Chapter 10

Mihara sat obediently in a chair while Ginia brushed her hair, preparing for doing...whatever it was she was going to do with it. Tibarn was standing in the room, telling Mihara of the beorc rulers that would be arriving later in the afternoon. She was listening, but was also trying to watch Ginia as she moved her hair in several different ways, trying to decide which route to take. Even though Mihara was not one for being dressy or formal, it was kind of mesmerizing to watch. Still, she made sure to listen to her father.

There was Elincia, whom she hadn't met when they went to Crimea, and more than likely be bringing along several people, some Mihara had met, and some she hadn't. The Greil Mercenaries would also be on the same ship with them. There would be Micaiah, with her husband, Sothe, that was the Queen of Daein, also known as the Maiden of Dawn. Apparently, Micaiah was born with the ability to hear the voice of the goddess Yune and helped free Daein from a tyrannical reign by neighboring country, Begnion, lead by the apostle, and Micaiah's younger sister, Sanaki. Tibarn just said that Begnion had two separate forms of the government, the apostle's word and the senate's word, said they had a rough past, and left it at that. At least the beorc weren't very many to keep up with.

Once he finished speaking, Tibarn remained silent, letting Ginia finish working her magic on Mihara's thick, shimmering hair. She had taken it and braided it tightly before twisting it around to sit securely on her head in a bun. She let some of Mihara's shorter strands of hair remain loose in the front, framing her face on both sides. For final touches, she took hold of some golden daffodils, not revealing where she'd gotten them from when Mihara asked, and set them strategically in her hair. With one left, Ginia allowed Mihara the choice on which side of her head she wanted it to rest near her ears. Giving a shrug, Mihara randomly selected her left, and Ginia set it there, making sure it would stay. Gesturing with excitement, Ginia helped Mihara from her sitting position to stand and model for her.

Ginia smiled with pride and said softly, "You look positively stunning. I do believe you'll have several young men giving you a second look- Shutting up now, sir!" Tibarn had shot a quick glare at Ginia, in both a teasing manner and a serious manner. The raven woman was wearing her own form-fitting bronze colored dress that fell to just above her knees. Her shorter hair was half pulled up into a small ponytail near the top of her head, a single blue clematis resting within it. Tibarn had cleaned up, as well; he had removed his ever-present headband and combed his hair. He was adorned in a clean silver, well-fitting coat that was buttoned up with black buttons. It was sealed until his waist, but still hung freely to just above the back of his knees. He wore black pants that he had tucked into his large black boots. Ginia gave a weak chuckle, told Mihara she would do well during the party, then left the room to just the father and daughter.

Mihara turned to face him and held out her arms, giving a small back and forth twist. "Umm...what do you think?"

"You look very lovely." Tibarn offered her a smile, followed by his arm. She came near and looped her hand through, resting it on the inside of his elbow. Mihara couldn't help but awe at how large he was compared to her. The two walked from the room, not having to move slow thanks to the golden sandals Ginia had found for Mihara to wear with her dress. Tibarn then said, "I heard you can sing?"

Already knowing who the culprit was, Mihara groaned before swearing, "I'll kill that cat."

Tibarn chuckled, not surprised she knew right away who had subtly shared the information with him. "It would mean a lot to me if I could hear you sing a song from your other country."

Mihara's eyes widened with fear. "In front of all those people?!"

"Yes. I am sure they will love you. It would be a nice way to begin the party."

Horror shot throughout her, and she reminded herself to kill the one responsible for this. I never should have sang for him in the first place! Still, this was a chance to please her father, and perhaps it would double as her finally accepting the fact that she was his daughter. She had sang with others before, back in Staltone, but with groups of other people, never by herself. She saw the tiny glimmer of hope in Tibarn's eyes and caved. "...Fine."

This broadened the Hawk King's smile. "Thank you. Now, let's go and greet our guests, shall we?" Mihara grimly agreed, and that was that.

They stood together, arm in arm, at the foot of the stairs in the main hall, the laguz already gathered and were mingling, all dressed in finer clothes than when they arrived. Mihara was glad she wasn't the only female laguz there that felt awkward in a dress - she could see Lethe constantly adjusting her thin-strapped amethyst gown, and Nailah glaring at her own elegant light grey dress, as though her stare would make the fabric disappear and be replaced with her normal clothes. Already, Apostle Sanaki had arrived with her company of Sigrun and Tanith, the trio going to Tibarn and Mihara, thanking them formally for their hospitality. Mihara noted how young Sanaki was and pondered on if having youthful rulers was typical for beorc. Not only that, but Sanaki seemed to examine Mihara with curiosity before introducing herself and her two loyal subjects. When Tibarn inquired on if they had brought a ship for just them, Sigrun informed him they had just flown by pegasus, deeming it a quicker way, though they also thought it hadn't been very risky, despite Tibarn's own thoughts.

An hour or so passed, and Mihara had admired the decorations that adorned the hall from flowers to banners, all the colors bright and warming. She had then spotted the group that would be provided music, sitting atop a balcony that overlooked the hall. There were stringed instruments, like harps, violins, and a cello, woodwind instruments that dominantly appeared to be wooden flutes, and brassier type instruments, like small bugles. When they began warming up, Mihara assumed they would more than likely sound splendid. Then, the last group arrived, apparently Daein and Crimea sharing a ship.

They piled in, Micaiah, Sothe, and Elincia at the head of the crowd. Following in behind them was a large number of people, some Mihara recognized, but about half, she didn't. Accompanying Micaiah and Sothe were their old companions, Edward, Leonardo, Nolan, Aran, Laura, and Jill. Along with Elincia were many more. Geoffrey, Lucia, Oscar, Kieran, Sylvia, Giselle, Muarim, Tormod, Marcia, followed closely by all of the Greil Mercenaries. When they were all being introduced, Mihara knew there was no way she was going to be able to remember everybody, but she at least knew she would recognize faces and who they were with. The chattering in the hall grew to a louder volume, and just as Mihara spotted Ranulf among the people, giving her an innocent smile and even dared to wink, Tibarn lead her to the top of the stairs and began to speak, filling her with dread.

"We thank you all for coming today for this gathering. May it be pleasing and a time for old friends to reconnect and new friends to be made. To begin, my daughter, Mihara, will be singing a song for everyone." As the applause resounded, Tibarn released her arm and whispered, "Don't be nervous," as he stood off to the side, all attention in the room now focused on her.

Mihara could nearly feel herself shaking as she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Her eyes darted throughout the crowd, trying to pick out a familiar face. She found Reyson's, standing with his family and a few other comrades, giving her an encouraging smile. Deciding to keep her focus on him so that she wouldn't grow even more anxious, she took a breath and began to sing, picking the same one she had sang for Ranulf. It wasn't a very exciting song, since it was more of a lullaby, but she felt most comfortable with it.

"A field of lavender I gaze

"With the wind and the morning haze

"The wind blows soft my hair

"With the fragrance of the morning air..."

The words now began to flow more smoothly, overcoming her nerves. This song brought her comfort, and she loved singing it when she took slow strolls in the rain. After all, the song was about the rain.

"In the hills I wander alone

"Just a thought of my island home

"The echoing of your voice

"Fills a harmony in my mind as crystal pure...as the liquid sunshine..."

The hall was eerily silent, save for her soprano echoes bouncing off of the walls and ceiling. Now, this song held much more for her than the rain. Most people would interpret the verse as being Altiaire, when it actually now reminded her of Staltone, Nylonti, and Ailon, her three old landlocked countries, surrounded by the ocean in all directions.

"The water glides off your skin

"Sparkling as the purest of gems

"Your eyes, they glitter and shine

"Captivate my gaze in the warm sunshine..."

Thinking of it now, the song also seemed like a song about a lover that someone had when the song was written. Perhaps it was just her reading too much into things again, as William had pointed out to her. She knew he was there, too, having seen him awkwardly standing as close to a wall as possible, trying to stay out of the main areas of the crowd. Mihara hadn't even realized until she took a breath that there were four voices humming a harmonizing part to her song, belonging to the herons. They had caught onto the basic melody and were helping her along, keeping her voice strong.

"Under wings of purity, a dove

"Lands soft on my shoulder with love

"She whispers words in my ear

"This song, you long to hear."

It remained silent until the last word of the song had faded, along with the herons' underlying harmony. Once Mihara looked around in the crowd, spotting many smiling faces and entranced looks, they then took the hint that she was finished. Keeping her voice as steady as she could, she gave a slow smile and said, "Please enjoy the party."

Applause once again dominated the hall as she released a sigh of relief. Tibarn appeared at her side to escort her down the stairs and praised her. "That was beautiful. You sounded just like your mother."

Mihara took the compliment with a smile and replied, "Thanks, Dad."

Hearing the title she called him by now without hesitation, Tibarn grinned in return and patted her back. "There will be dancing, but you don't have to go out there if you don't want. However, don't be surprised if you get many offers after your performance."

With those words, the two parted ways to mingle with the guests. Mihara was given praise by many of those she passed by, and she thanked them all. She quickly found her way to the herons, receiving a hug from Leanne. "That was lovely, Mihara!"

"Thank you, Leanne. Although, whenever I heard you guys start singing, too, I nearly didn't know what to do." Mihara gave them a sheepish grin.

"It's a good thing you kept singing, then," Reyson retorted. "It was quite an interesting song. Where did you hear it? Or did you come up with it?"

"Oh, no, it's from my old country. It can be sung in many different ways, but singing it slowly is my favorite, personally."

Lorazieh spoke slowly in the modern tongue, "I found it...very en...enjoyable?" He looked towards Rafiel to make sure he had used an appropriate choice of word, and when Rafiel nodded confirmation, he looked back at Mihara with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Lord Lorazieh."

"Mihara! I knew you had it in you!"

Hearing her name and knowing who the source was, Mihara swiftly turn, lashed out, and held tightly onto one of Ranulf's ears. He yowled softly and pouted. "Look, I'm sorry! Hey, it all turned out for the better- ow, ow, ow! Come on, let go! Is this any way for the host's daughter to be behaving?"

"Spare me," she muttered as she released his ear, giving him an icy stare. "I want to kill you! That was positively horrid to go through."

Ranulf rubbed his ear with a small whimper, upset that it had just gone through that torture. He narrowed his eyes icily at her and muttered, "Please. Ask anyone else and they'll tell you how much they enjoyed it."

"There she is!" Mihara heard through the chatter and music. She barely had time to turn before she was face to face with Sylvia, her hand extended towards Mihara's red wings. The Hawk Princess had no time to move before Sylvia then began to stroke her feathers, a sly smirk on her face. "You escaped me once! It shall not happen again!"

"Sylvia!" Kieran cried, a slightly horrified look upon his face as he came up behind her. "Release her at once! Do not subject her to your torture!"

"It's not torture!" Sylvia insisted, placing her free hand on her hip as she continued to "pet" Mihara's wings, the black-haired young laguz woman unsure of what to do. She could hear the suppressed chuckles from Ranulf and the murmurs from the confused herons behind her. She raised an eyebrow at the redheaded man, as if challenging him to stop her with force. Once she saw that Kieran debated internally on what course of action to take, she turned her attention back to Mihara. "Oh, and I didn't know you could sing! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Because we spent very little time together and you're terribly strange? Mihara thought silently to herself. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tensed slightly. "It's not something I commonly tell others," she offered meekly.

"No, no, Mihara! That won't do! We're practically sisters now!" Sylvia beamed, as if this news were the most wonderful thing she'd ever delivered. All Mihara could do was stare blankly back at her.

"Since when-?"

"Hey, Mihara! Come dance with me!" Ranulf took hold of her hand and pulled her away from the awkward situation to which Mihara was probably about to say something that might have offended the arch sage. Mihara breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt her heart start pounding from fear. She had to dance now?! As Ranulf spun her around to face him, he set his hand on her waist – with a light flush of red – and offered his other hand for her to rest hers in. She submitted and set her hand in his and remembered her right hand was supposed to rest on his shoulder. Sensing her unease, he assured her as the music began to play a ballad, "Don't worry. I'll lead you. It's not very difficult."

Mihara was too focused on making sure she wasn't about to step on his feet for the first few measures of the song, but Ranulf was right. The rhythm of movement wasn't too difficult. They were stepping to the left, then she was stepping forward as Ranulf stepped backwards, then they stepped right, and backwards, making a box. After doing it a couple of times, Mihara felt confident enough to look away from the floor. At Ranulf's impressed smile, she gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "I suppose dancing is universal like music? We usually don't have formal dances back in Staltone."

"Well, I think you're dancing beautifully."

Mihara smiled her thanks and then took time to see what Ranulf had cleaned up into. He had removed his headband, like her father had, and combed his back. There were a few defiant strands hanging in his amethyst and emerald colored eyes. He was wearing a slightly tight black button-up shirt that was tucked into his black dress slacks. She didn't bother to look at his shoes before commenting, "You clean up nicely."

He shook his head, grinning still. "Not as much as you do. You look…well, stunning." He cleared his throat and averted her gaze for a moment.

While the compliment made Mihara feel good, she wasn't entirely sure how to take it, either. She nodded her head carefully, so as not to disturb the daffodils in her hair, and whispered, "…Thanks."

Silence fell between them as the music swelled and softened, now unconsciously dancing in the correct form. Mihara looked over Ranulf's shoulder, spotting others that were dancing. She saw first Micaiah with Sothe, the two smiling broadly, dancing as though they were floating. Giselle and Muarim were together, Sylvia and Kieran just joining the floor nearby them. There were couples of hawks and ravens that were dancing together, mixed within them Leanne and Rafiel, appearing like they were enjoying themselves. Just as Mihara had spotted Elincia and Geoffrey together, Ranulf faltered a step in the dance. She turned her eyes back to his and inquired, "Is something wrong?"

"…No. I thought I'd smelled something, but perhaps I just imagined it." The music concluded, and while Ranulf bowed to Mihara, she quickly curtseyed like how Ginia had taught her, holding it for a couple seconds before straightening up. Ranulf escorted her off of the dance floor and said, "Thank you for dancing with me, My Lady."

"I'm just glad it wasn't difficult," she admitted. "Otherwise, I'm sure I would've stepped on you."

"I would have survived."

"Mihara," Reyson called softly as he laid a surprisingly warm hand on her shoulder. When she turned to face him, he smiled gently. "I would like to be so bold as to request a dance with you by the end of the evening."

Mihara stared into Reyson's beautiful green eyes and saw the genuine, hopeful smile reaching them. She found herself smiling back at him before nodding her head. "Umm…sure. I would like that."

"Great. Then I will look forward to it later, then." Reyson gave her one more smile before weaving and disappearing into the crowd, no doubt to return to his father's side.

Ranulf elbowed Mihara lightly in her side. When she turned to him with a puzzled look, she saw him bearing a pouty expression. "You didn't say you would like to dance with me…!"

She smirked and shook her head at him. "That's because you just dragged me out there. Besides, I will not lightly forgive you for telling Dad that I could sing."

"It didn't turn out badly," he insisted with a crooked grin. "I think that everyone liked it."

"That doesn't mean anything-!" Mihara stopped short of both her sentence and her rapid movement she had begun to lightly strike her friend. Ranulf had flinched, bracing himself for the blow, but when it never came, he gave a look of inquiry to Mihara.

"Is everything okay? You seem to be distracted by something."

Silence answered him at first until she whispered, "I need to step outside."

"Umm…okay. May I accompany you?"

Her golden eyes flashed to his own quickly before looking back towards the large wooden doors that led outside to the garden, where the vegetation had all retreated for the winter. "I suppose so," was her quick response as she then took long strides across the room, Ranulf following along behind her. She had seen Leanne speaking with Naesala, and the heron princess had caught sight of Mihara. She thought about calling out to her or having her come join their conversation, but when she saw the look in Mihara's eyes, she decided to leave the matter for the moment. She could sense that something was conflicting Mihara greatly.

Mihara allowed Ranulf to push one of the doors open wide enough for them to slip through before he shut it behind them. As soon as the door closed, Mihara looked about them, making sure that no one else was around. When she was satisfied, she called, "Come out! I know you're here!"

"Your senses are as sharp as ever," came a low, masculine voice from the shadows. Ranulf snapped his head to a corner of the garden where two shadowed figures stood, cloaks pulled over their heads. How could I not have sensed them there? There's plenty of laguz and beorc here tonight, sure, but I still should have known that they were here as soon as we came outside…

Mihara took a cautious step forward, her eyes shimmering with tears. "…Is that really you…?"

One of the figures threw off their hood and ran forward, embracing Mihara before Ranulf could even react. Atop the feminine figure's head was a set of horse ears, and her dark brown hair flew out behind her. "Mihara! I can't believe that you're actually here! We thought we would never find you! I mean, we never gave up hope, but we had no idea where else to look, and then this beorc man came to us and-!"

"Aislyn, calm yourself," the male said gently, also removing his hood to reveal that he was truly Keenan of the Horse Tribe.

Aislyn's words stopped flowing, but her hug with Mihara didn't end. As the hawk woman gave her own embrace back, she whispered, "How…? How are you here?"

Keenan heaved a heavy sigh, his ears in constant movement, listening for anyone that may be approaching. "We had received word from Xavier that you never arrived at Nylonti, so we searched for you for as long as you have been gone. A few days ago, a beorc man appeared to us and brought us word of this land and how to find you."

Ranulf spoke up, his voice low and serious. "This man… Was his name Ike?"

"…It was," Keenan confirmed, his eyes set upon Ranulf, studying him with honest curiosity. "We promised the others that we would come find you, but that if you were happy here…we would not interfere."

Aislyn finally released Mihara and took a step back, a few of her own tears of happiness at finding her friend shedding down her cheeks. "We know that you've always been lonely, but now that you've found your own people…"

"We will think no less of you if you wish to stay here," Keenan assured her. "No one will."

"This is-… This is so sudden…" Mihara wiped her own tears away. "I mean…I love all of you back in Staltone, but… It's as you say. I've found my people here in this country. I've even found my father." She paused, obviously conflicting within herself. "But, still…"

"All we want is for you to be happy."

Mihara looked at the man who had raised her, who had been like her father for all of these years. Even in that time, she had never seen him this open with his feelings before. The only one that he would do that with was Gwenna. It didn't help her case much – it felt like someone had grabbed ahold of her heart and was attempting at ripping it out of her chest. She had grown up back in Staltone, alongside horses, otters, and swans. Here she had been thrown into another entire reality, but it felt more like she belonged in Altiaire.

"…Would it be at all possible to move all of your people over here to Tellius?" came Ranulf's suggestion.

A loud creak was heard as the doors leading inside began to open. Mihara barely had time to hiss, "Hide!" to Keenan and Aislyn before Janaff and Ulki stepped outside. Janaff's sharp eyes caught Mihara and Ranulf standing there. "Ah-ha! There you two are! We were just coming out to check on you-!"

"Quiet," Ulki suddenly said, rather sharply to Janaff. Though he looked offended, Janaff did as Ulki said. The quieter of the two listened closely, his eyes dark and cross. "Something is coming."

Janaff cursed and looked towards the sky. "It's too dark for me to see anything. What is it?"

"Wings…and metal… Soldiers of some type." He glanced up. "We need to warn Tibarn. Now."

Janaff didn't even wait for anything else to be said before he ran back into the castle, making a beeline for Tibarn. Instantly, the chatter in the room quieted, wondering what the urgency was. Ulki moved towards Mihara and Ranulf, saying quietly, "I don't know who it was that you were talking to, and I don't really care, since I know they're in the shadows over there. But right now, you need to get somewhere safe."

"Safe?" Mihara echoed. "No! If there's someone coming to attack, I'm going to help!"

"We have more than enough help here," Ulki insisted, his eyes shooting to Ranulf for assistance.

Ranulf shook his head. "Whoa, don't look at me. If she wants to protect her home, that is all up to her. Naturally, I would like it if you were elsewhere, too, since we don't know what we're up against, but it's your choice."

"I'm going to fight!"

Ulki nearly sighed with irritation, but instead said, "Perhaps your friends should wait elsewhere, then?"

"We will aid you," Keenan said, stepping forth from the shadows once more, Aislyn slowly following him.

Ulki merely looked at the two for a split second before shaking his head. "Your presence here will only alarm everyone. I must insist that you leave until this problem has been resolved."

Aislyn grit her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. "I don't like it either, but he has a point, My Lord. Remember what the beorc said."

Ranulf looked at Mihara, then back at Keenan and Aislyn. Not giving the Horse Lord any more time to say anything, he gestured to them. "Put your hoods on. I'll take you to Mihara's room, and you can wait there until this is over." Begrudgingly, the two approached Ranulf, throwing their hoods back over their heads, hiding their ears. Ranulf raised a stern eyebrow at Mihara and said, "Stay with Ulki. I'll be back shortly."

Everything happened so quickly from then. The doors open and much of the hall emptied into the garden and beyond, all of the heroes of Tellius looking with all emotions towards the sky. Some were worried, some were cross, and others were even excited. It had been a long peace, as far as the history of Tellius was concerned, but there had been rebellions popping up here and there. The organization had made it known that they were against the entire existence of laguz, but that was nearly all they would let be known. From the crowd of people, William found Mihara and came to her side. "Do you think it's the people that took Jessa?"

"I have no idea," Mihara answered honestly. When she saw the tome tucked under his arm, she inquired, "You're going to fight, too?"

"If there's even the slightest chance that Jessa was taken by them, I have to find her." Mihara left it at that.

During all of the movement, weapon preparing, laguz readying to transform, and steeds being fetched for riders, Ulki remained close to Mihara, knowing Tibarn would not be pleased if she were not in sight. The Hawk King himself then appeared, Janaff at his side, still struggling to spot anything in the night sky. As he towered over Mihara, he placed a hand on her shoulder, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by his daughter. "I'm going to fight, no matter what you say."

Tibarn gave a look to Ulki, to which he just returned with a shake of his head. "…Alright. Just try and stay close. They might have arrows or wind magic."

"Deal."

Glancing about the mild chaos, Mihara saw that the magic users and healers were forming together at the back while the soldiers and laguz, save for the herons, were moving further out from the garden. Janaff squinted his eyes and exclaimed, "Wait! I see them!" There was a pause and silence as he added, "It's lots of pegasi and riders… They have strong beorc steel and magic tomes… But they aren't coming any closer now. Wait…one of them is. There's…a flag that one of the riders is holding."

Tibarn's anger flashed in his eyes as he transformed. Mihara didn't wait for an invitation she probably wouldn't receive – she too shifted into her full form and followed him as he took to the skies, flying swiftly for the pegasus and its two riders. For whatever reason, Tibarn did not protest to her accompaniment. The winged horse stopped moving forward, and Tibarn and Mihara met it in the air, a safe ten yards away. Tibarn reverted back into his half form, but Mihara decided this time to stay in her full form and leave any talking to him. She looked at the riders and saw that the two looked strikingly similar, one being male and one female. The female grinned and said, almost in a purr, "Hawk King Tibarn. You are as large as the stories say. The question remains if you are still as powerful as they say."

"Who are you?" he snapped. "Tell me why you are in my country."

"It's simple. We are here to kill you and the remnants of the hawk laguz. You barely remain as a people, and you know it." The woman's eyes narrowed challengingly.

"Now, now, sister," the man said soothingly. "He asked us who we are. It's only polite when entering someone else's home to introduce yourself. I am Stasik, and this is my sister, Karoline. We are the leaders of the Befreier."

Tibarn's lips curled up into a twisted grin. "Ah, so your little group has a name, does it? Perfect. It makes it that much easier to track all of you down and eliminate you."

"Well, it seems like we are all in agreement that there is no talk of surrendering on either side." Stasik moved the reins about, turning his pegasus around. "May the best warrior win."

"…Indeed." Tibarn shifted back into his full form and turned his back on the duo. With a powerful flap of his wings, he sped away. Mihara hovered for a moment, noting how the two were looking at her, almost as though they were both shocked, yet like she was a prize that they were hunting. It nearly sent a shiver down her spine, but when they flew back to their small army, she also returned to her father. She noticed that the heroes had all organized themselves into different ranks, and the leader of each one was looking towards Tibarn. Perhaps it was because that it was his country that they were in that they decided to wait for the word from him.

He landed at the head of the group and heaved a sigh as his quickly shifted beorc feet touched the ground. "It looks like they are here just for laguz. Beorc, if you wish to not be a part of this…"

"Don't be ridiculous. We are your friends, are we not?" Micaiah said, offering a smile to the Hawk King.

"We will aid you to the best of our abilities," Elincia assured him, now mounting her pegasus since Geoffrey brought it to her, along with his own horse.

Tibarn smirked in return. "In that case…let's get rid of them before they become an even greater threat, shall we?"

The cry of battle that he received nearly scared Mihara. It was an incredibly loud mixture of beorc bellows and laguz roars from such a group of that size. The fact that they were all so determined sent the adrenaline in her veins pumping at a great speed, exciting her for battle, too. Tibarn joined his fellow laguz brothers and sisters in a battle cry in his full form. Getting caught up in the moment herself, even Mihara released a mighty scream from her throat.

Once the silence fell, a cry of battle was heard from the beorc enemies that were now kicking their pegasi into gear, rushing for the heroes of Tellius. Mihara only remembered looking and seeing an army of at least one hundred in number, perhaps more, before she caught the shift in the air around her. She beat her wings and moved higher, avoiding the weak wind spell that had been cast at her. That was all that was needed to trigger a reaction from everyone else. Tibarn gave a powerful screech and shot forward, Janaff at his side. Mihara flew at the nearest pegasus rider, her talons extended in front of her. The beorc that was riding was a man wielding a spear, which he aimed at her talons. She narrowly missed the tip of the weapon as she veered off above him, which caught him off guard. He was beginning to swing his spear around at her to defend himself, but he was slowed by his armor. Her talons crushed his armor with a deal of effort, and she was close enough to see his eyes widened in fear before the light faded from them.

She tossed his lifeless body below, his mount fleeing with fear at being the next victim. Turning her eyes to the next beorc, which was also a man, but was holding a fire tome tightly in his young hands, she began to fly at him. He yelped with shock and steered his pegasus lower towards the ground, where both he and his steed were swallowed up in a dark orb. Seconds later, the orb faded and both were dead. She knew instantly that it was William's necromancer magic, and that he had an eye out for her. With that small extra feeling of reassurance, she quickly spun about to face another opponent. As she did, she caught a glimpse of a dark hawk laguz and assumed that it must be Ulki keeping close to her since Janaff had gone off to help Tibarn. Just as she was about to go and assault a woman shooting arrows at Soren and Rhys, she heard a roar of pain from one of the feline laguz. Her eyes darted down and saw that it was Lethe, a sword having cut into her side, staining her beautiful orange fur with red blood. Mihara tucked in her wings and dove, her talons piercing the body of the man that had just hurt Lethe, to which he had probably never saw her coming. Lethe shot a look of gratitude towards Mihara, but the two had no time to rest. Lethe slunk back for a few moments until Mist held up a staff and helped quickly stitch up the gash in her side.

A flash of blue passed before Mihara's eyes and she knew instantly that it was Ranulf, her friend having returned to join the battle. He was quick, leaping and bounding all over the place, never remaining still, his claws extracted and slashing left and right. Mihara could have laughed. There's no reason on why he should have all of the fun!

She took higher to the skies once more, looking for another target. For the leaders of this group being such big talkers, their soldiers were dropping like flies. They didn't seem to be seasoned soldiers that had seen big battles before. Still, she did spot the brother and sister still alive and fending off Naesala's quick attacks with ease. She decided to save them for last. Every few seconds, she knew that they lost people, but that their own were being wounded, too, even if just from sheer numbers. Hearing approaching wings, she saw that it was a pegasus rider with a bow and arrows, so she rejoined the fight, her vision turning red.

She might have felled five or six more people, she couldn't recall correctly. Her attention was interrupted when she saw that a few of the soldiers were fleeing from the battle, heading for a ship that was not far away from their own growing port. She glanced about, seeing that no one was yet in pursuit of them. Perhaps they didn't see where they were running to? Shifting her direction, she began to fly down towards the port, but she heard a female call, "Mihara! Wait!"

Stopping, she saw that it was Sylvia, an unusually serious look upon her face. Not too far away from her was Tormod, casting his fire magic to help protect Muarim and Giselle as they rushed forward to attack soldiers that had landed on the ground. "You saw them heading there, too?! Take me with you! My magic will help!"

Not wanting to waste too much time arguing, Mihara descended quickly and landed, leaning over so that Sylvia could climb on her back. Just before she was about to take off, she then saw William, giving her a silent question, his eyes narrowed decisively. She jerked her head and he too joined Sylvia atop her back. She knew that William seemed certain that it was these people that had kidnapped Jessa and were holding her prisoner, so if there was a ship, maybe Jessa was aboard it. There was no stopping him.

Mihara would've warned the two to hang on, but they wouldn't have understood her laguz tongue anyways, so she ascended carefully, but once she felt them grip her feathers tightly, she sped off, leaving the sounds of battle behind them. Within a solid minute, they were at the port, but Mihara only then noticed that the pegasi, those that had been left riderless, or even if they had riders, were not flying for the ship – they were going on past it. Still, that ship did not belong to anyone that had been invited to the gathering. There was something suspicious about it.

She touched down on the ship's deck, which was completely silent and void of presence. Sylvia and William scaled quickly off of her back so that she may revert to her half self and stand alongside them, still in her lovely dress, though it was now stained darker in areas because of the blood she had shed. The three shared a look, all asking each other who was going to move first and search the lower areas of the ship, since the deck was clearly not holding any clues. William took a step forward and Mihara fell in behind him, Sylvia right behind her, holding her tome close.

Their footsteps creaked loudly on the ship as the waves brushed up roughly against the sides of the vessel. William spotted the stairs and started down them, his eyes peeled and his tome ready to be used. It was then that Mihara could smell something: other laguz were down below. One of them smelled extremely familiar to her, but she couldn't place where she would have known it from. In a low whisper, she said, "Be careful. Someone else is here."

William nodded ever so slightly to indicate that he had heard her, but didn't speak out loud. He moved onwards, his head moving about as his eyes darted from dark corner to dark corner, looking for anyone that may still be on board. Outside, the sounds of battle were beginning to grow quieter, signaling that the battle was drawing to a close. Suddenly, William stopped walking, so Mihara and Sylvia too halted, wondering why he had done so.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The sounds of footsteps that belonged to none of the three approached them. With only the light provided by the candles that were lit along the ship, they narrowed their eyes, trying to focus on the approaching figure. They could tell by the broad shoulders that it was a male, and with the shadow of wings behind him, they knew he was a laguz. His red eyes gleamed at them through the darkness, eyeing each one of the three individually. Even in the darkness, they could see that his hair too was red as blood. Each of them tensed, not knowing if the man was friend or foe.

Mihara recalled now; his scent had been familiar to her because he was the whole reason she had gone to Crimea. He was the dragon laguz with the rebellion that had attacked that village - that had attacked William. "You... You're allied with these humans?"

His intimidating eyes fell upon her as he analyzed her. Without a word, he tossed something at William's feet: a set of keys. He then walked forward again, brushing by the trio. He paused beside Mihara only to say softly, "Take them from here. Watch yourself, Hawk Princess. If you are your father's daughter...I will come for you next."

Just like that, before Mihara could comprehend his words, he was gone, having vanished in the darkness. William knelt and picked up the keys, tucking his tome under his arm. As he stood back up, he said, "We'll figure out what he meant later. Right now, we need to see who is here."

"He's right. I mean, that guy was obviously weird as hell, but if there's prisoners, we can't just leave them." Sylvia stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Mihara's shoulder, accompanied with an encouraging smile.

Even though the laguz's words puzzled Mihara, she figured that they were right. Right now, she needed to do what she came to do, which was to investigate the ship. Even though she thought that the soldiers were fleeing to the ship, apparently she was wrong about that.

William led the way once more, taking a quicker pace this time, heading down the corridor that the laguz had just come from. It brought him to a locked door with no way of looking in to see what was in there. He grumbled about the dim light as he fumbled with the keys, trying each one individually in the lock once he had found it. While he searched for the correct key, Mihara froze when she caught wind of another scent. It was also the same one from the village where they had been ambushed...where they had found that feather. This was the scent that smelled so similar to her father's...and to hers. It sent a shiver down her spine since she had no rational explanation for it.

"There!" William suddenly pushed the door open, looking about furiously. "Jessa! Are you in here?!"

"William?!" a female voice cried from a corner of the room. "Is that really you?!"

William hurried to Jessa as soon as his eyes caught the outline of her silhouette, kneeling beside her cell, keys still in hand. "Are you alright?"

A smile came to Jessa's face as she reached a hand out to touched William's cheek, convincing herself that he was real. "I'm fine, especially now that you're here." Her eyes then widened with realization. "Oh! But it isn't just me here. There's...him, over there. He's a captive, too." She pointed at the direction opposite her cell, where the young hawk laguz man was sitting up, his golden eyes wide with pure confusion.

Him. The scent was coming from him. Mihara couldn't move as William hurried and unlocked both Jessa's cell door as well as the young man's. However, he didn't move. William held Jessa in a tight embrace, momentarily not concerned about anything other than her and her safety. Sylvia moved closer towards the door and extended a hand. "It's alright, we're here to help you. Why don't you come out?"

He slowly shook his head and seemed to shrink back against the wall. He pushed himself into the farthest corner of the cell and pulled his knees up to his chest. "N-no... I'll... They'll kill me if I leave... You don't understand... Stay away from me!"

Sylvia's hand fell back to her side as pity swelled in her eyes. He's been scarred so bad... Just how long has he been here? Aloud, she whispered, "No one will-"

"Don't come near me!" he shouted, almost viciously. Jessa flinched at the tone of his voice. She hadn't heard him speak louder than a whisper before, yet here he was yelling at them. "They'll kill me...and you all, too! Anyone who comes near me...gets hurt... Please, just leave...before they come back."

Mihara's body seemed to move on its own as her feet carried her into the cell, though she was nearly trembling. There was something about this boy that stirred something inside her that she didn't understand. When she was directly in front of him, she knelt down and sat on her legs, taking care in her dress. This seemed to make him nervous and even frightened. He buried his head in his knees and refused to look at her. Mihara leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding him gently. I feel like...he might shatter if I hold him too tight. There has to be something I can do to prove to him that we want to help him... I've never seen cruelty like this before, ever... I can't even begin to imagine what has been done to him, especially since I don't entirely grasp the concept of prisoners from battle or anything of that manner...

Footsteps were suddenly heard above the small group, and they were moving fast. A familiar male voice called, "They're down there!"

It only took a few seconds before Tibarn burst into the room, his eyes searching the room quickly. He saw Sylvia, William holding a female hawk laguz he didn't know, and then he saw Mihara, down inside of a cell-

"...Leave, you three."

His tone was so low and authoritative that Sylvia, William, and Jessa said nothing in response. The trio filed out of the room and back to above deck, where Ranulf was waiting, having tracked them down by their scents. Mihara barely even acknowledged Tibarn's presence, even as he took slow, heavy steps to the cell door and peered in, his body shaking. She just held this quivering young man who couldn't be much younger than she was.

Who are you? Your scent, your appearance...

"...Look at me," Tibarn demanded.

The two weren't sure who he was talking to, but he sounded nearly dangerous. There was the tiniest growl in his voice as he spoke. Both Mihara and the young man pulled their heads up and faced him. Tibarn felt a shiver go down his spine. To him, in the darkness, it looked like two identical expressions upon their faces: confusion. When he saw the two pairs of golden eyes, he was never more positive of anything in his life. His legs felt weak, but he refused to show weakness before them.

"Alright! Hey, Dad, watch this! Isn't that the coolest thing you ever saw?!"

"...Shoen...?"

A feeling of remembrance shifted inside the young male hawk laguz. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Is... Is that my name...?"

Mihara couldn't catch her breath, not sure what was happening with her father. "Dad... What's going on?"

Tibarn's eyes turned towards Mihara, but he wasn't really looking at her. His gaze was elsewhere, not quite focused any more. "Mihara, this...is Shoen. Your younger brother."

XxXxXxX

Well, I thought that was a nice place to leave off at, don't you think?! Such a twist on Shoen's entrance compared to before, no? Personally, I find this much more dramatic. Bring it on, sibling bonding time!

Please feel free to give a small review on your way out! They really do help me stay inspired to keep the new chapters coming for all of you!