Dragons, Dragons, Dragons (Indefinite Hiatus)

by nomey1

This is the follow up to the prologue of this story. Don't have to read prologue but it is suggested. Luna returns to battle alongside of Mark. She meets new people and those from the past. Things are different, though. Read to find out what happens!

14. Chapter 14

Hello, everyone! It's 10 o'clock at night so I'm sorry I am posting this at a late time! On Thursday my friends and I hung out and somehow we had a sleepover at one of their houses. Then on Friday I got home in the late afternoon and a friend picked me up for a concert with Manchester Orchestra, My Chemical Romance, and Blink 182 in it! It was amazing, btw! XD I never really listened to any of them before but they were awesome live and they have officially gained a new fan! XD Alright, so, let's get started with this (very long) chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or characters. Just my OC. Have fun reading! :D

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Chapter 14:

For some reason the Marquess of Ostia asked us to go down to the Nabata desert. I have no idea why we should come here if Bern is in the other direction. But, we are almost there. I have caught up with Rath a bit and that makes me happy. We didn't have much of a conversation but I expected as much. I mean, it is Rath we are talking about.

I also have been able to avoid Heath affectively. Whenever I see him I leave and go to another area for a while. If he walks in my direction I either run away or past him not giving him a chance to say anything to me. It may seem childish but that is the only way I can stay comfortable within the group without making it seem like I'm losing my mind.

"…So hot." I hear Nils. "I'm… going to die."

I don't blame him. It is blazing hot. My hair is fizzy and not pretty looking so I have tied it up in a bun. It will keep it off of my neck for a while. I just hope I don't get sunburn. Those are not fun.

"Hey, do you want me to carry you on my back?" Lord Hector asks.

I look at him a bit surprised and so does Nils. It's not like Lord Hector to be this nice. It's a good change but, I'm wondering if the sun is getting to him. He is wearing all of that heavy armor so he has it bad along with some other heavily armored people. Like poor Oswin!

"Huh?" Nils asks.

Lord Hector glares at the kid. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Nils shakes his head. "Such kindness from you surprised me, Lord Hector. Is this some fever dream?"

Lord Hector gets mad. "What's that supposed to mean? I was concerned that you might collapse again, like the other day."

I start laughing. Lady Lyn, who has been walking by me for a while, laughs softly.

"You're usually so brusque." She says to the lord. "It's no wonder he's confused." Lord Hector glares at Lady Lyn but she brushes it off. She kindly looks at Nils. "Don't be shy, Nils. Let him help you out."

Nils pauses looking at her. He looks at me briefly and I nod. He then looks at Lord Hector. "But…"

"Do as you're told, boy!" Lord Hector yells.

It makes me jump along with Nils. Lord Hector picks Nils up and places him on his shoulders.

"Waaa!" Nils exclaims. He starts wobbling. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I start laughing again and so does Lady Lyn. "I'm going to fall! I'm going to fall!"

To my surprise, I see Lord Hector smiling, too. I step behind Lord Hector and help him balance Nils. Nils looks down at me and smiles gratefully. Once he is balanced I return to my spot by Lady Lyn.

I look behind me to see Lord Eliwood and Ninian walking close together. I smile. Those two look perfect together. They are talking. And then I see Ninian taking Lord Eliwood's arm looking apologetic. I smirk. Yep, definitely perfect together.

"Oh, Luna." Lady Lyn says.

I turn to her. "What is it?"

"Do you mind if I go walk by Rath?"

I shake my head smiling. "Go ahead."

She smiles back. "Thank you."

Lady Lyn walks back and I watch as she takes her place by Rath. She starts talking to him and he turns his head towards her to listen. I smile. There is another example of two people looking perfect together. I sigh as I keep walking forward. I don't have a guy like that. It's alright, however. It's not like I'm desperate for a guy. I just want to be me and let life take its course. Whatever is meant to happen will happen. That's what I believe, anyway.

"Luna."

I look next to me and smile. "Hi, Mark."

"Are you alright?" he asks. "You look tired."

I shake my head smiling. "Maybe a little light headed but that is normal, right? We are in a desert after all. The sun is not going to be friendly to us." I laugh softly.

My brother smiles a bit weakly. He takes off his cloak and places it on me pulling up the hood. My eyes widen. It is warm but at least the rays are off me. I turn to him.

"This should help." Mark says.

"You don't have to do this." I say. "I'm fine. I'm worried about you."

He smiles wider. "I'm fine. I'm more used to traveling then you are." He sighs. "You are my younger sister so I have to take care of you. Mom and dad would want that."

I smile sadly. "It's been a while since you and I have seen them." I comment.

He nods. "When this is over, let's go see them."

My eyes widen. "Really?" I ask happily. "It would be nice if we could see them together!"

Mark laughs. "It would."

"Ah!" Lord Hector exclaims. We both turn towards him. "That must be him!"

We both turn towards where he is looking to see a man surrounded by a bunch of others. This can't be good…

"Looks like… a lone man and a crowd of bandits." Lord Hector says.

"Let's help him!" Lady Lyn exclaims. "I dislike seeing someone facing overwhelming odds!"

She runs ahead. My eyes widen.

"Hold on, Lyn! I'm going with you!" Lord Hector yells chasing after her.

Why are those two always running ahead? I sigh.

"Hey, you two!" Lord Eliwood yells at them.

"Where do they get all that energy?" Nils asks. "Unbelievable."

Oh, he must have gotten off of Lord Hector's shoulders. I wonder when that happened. I didn't notice.

"…What will you do?" Ninian asks.

"Let's go!" Lord Eliwood replies. "Have to keep up with one's friends, right?"

Mark runs off after the two without a word. He probably needs to bring them back in order to make a proper strategy. I sigh heavily. I should give my brother his green cloak back soon. If I am going to fight I don't want to ruin it. As far as I know this is the only one he has. Mark shortly returns with the lords and starts talking with all three of them. I go to listen when Canas coming in my direction.

"Actually, this is quite fascinating." He says to himself. I look at him in confusion. He spots me and walks over to me. "Luna, the Nabata wasteland is a bit of a paradise to magic adepts."

My eyes widen slightly. "Oh, really?" I ask.

Canas nods smiling. "Stories tell of the many magical artifacts lost in these sands. I'll keep my eyes open. Of course, I'll be fighting as well."

I giggle softly. "Okay. You better be careful."

He smiles wider. "I will."

He goes off. Soon, everyone including me is ready to fight. My brother wants me to run down to the house along with Lord Eliwood, Florina, Lord Hector, and Ninian. When I had my little group together we went down.

An archer attempted to shoot an arrow at Florina but Lord Eliwood ran up and attacked him. Ninian stayed back so she wouldn't get attacked. I see a mage ahead so I go to fire my arrow. It scratches his shoulder. Florina flies at him and stabs him with her lance. That's it for him.

I spot the house and run up to it. When I knock at the door a little kid answers it.

"Hello." I say smiling.

"Oh, hello!" the kid says. "You know what? I'm watching the house all by myself." I nod being patient and listening. "Do you know how to do that?" I shake my head. The kid smiles. "You have to sit and be good. So that's why I'm here."

"Oh, okay." I respond kindly.

"What are all of you guys doing?" the kid asks. "Are you hunting for treasure, like that other guy?"

I look at the kid confused. I wonder who the other guy is. The one being attacked by bandits? "Um… sort of." I reply.

The kid looks around before motioning for me to come closer. I lean forward. Quietly, the kid says. "Let me tell you a secret. There's something good buried near the bones." The kid smiles widely. "I know stuff like that."

I stand up straight smiling. "Thank you. I'll keep that info in mind." I wave. "Bye, now."

"Bye, lady." The kid returns waving.

I giggle before leaving the house. That's when I notice it's just Ninian and I together. I look around confused.

"Where are the others?" I ask.

"They went ahead." Ninian replies. "I wanted to make sure you weren't alone so Lord Eliwood let me stay behind."

I nod smiling. "Thanks, Ninian. I'll make sure to protect you."

She smiles back. "Thank you, Luna."

I pause for a moment. "I think we should head back to where everyone else is. It will be safer that way. I can't protect you if an enemy is too close to us."

"I understand." Ninian says. "Let's go, then."

We start running up. We didn't get far when I see a mage. He is a lot closer then comfort. I shoot but I miss. For some reason Ninian wasn't paying attention and was still running. The mage notices this and starts to read a spell aiming at her.

My eyes widen. "Ninian! Stop!" I yell at her.

She stops looking surprised. She sees the mage and she becomes pale. I sprint forward over towards her. The mage is still reading the spell book. I'm almost there. Just a little closer. The fire ball is shot at her. I jump in front of her and the fire ball hits me directly in the chest. I yell out in pain as I hit the ground.

"Luna!" Ninian exclaims.

"St-Stay back." I stutter out.

I stand up and aim an arrow at the mage. It hurts a lot but I shoot the arrow anyway. Lucky for me he doesn't dodge fast enough and it goes right through his chest. He falls back as he yells out in pain. Afterwards he doesn't move. I fall on my knees.

"Luna!" Ninian exclaims kneeling next to me. "I-I'm so sorry!"

I look at her. She looks so sad and pale. I smile through the pain. "I-It's okay. I'm j-just glad… you are not… h-hurt."

Ninian looks around in panic. "Somebody, please hurry!" she yells. "Luna needs help!"

That's when I hear the flapping of wings. There is a loud thud near us. I turn to see it is a wyvern. Oh, please, no. I have no strength to attack. Wait… the wyvern is green. And the rider is running towards us. Is that… Heath?

"Please help!" Ninian exclaims. "Luna is hurt badly!"

That's when I feel myself get picked up bridal style. I gasp as Ninian stands up. I feel myself growing pale. No! He's a wyvern rider! I'm scared! I'm really scared! I don't think I can handle this!

"P-Put me d-down." I say weakly.

"Shut up." He says darkly. My eyes widen. "Just shut up and don't move."

I close my mouth. I look up at him. I see anger and what looks like pain within his eyes. He starts jogging towards the wyvern and mounts it being careful with me.

"Ninian!" I hear Lord Eliwood exclaim. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine." Ninian says. "It's Luna that is hurt."

I can't hear anything else because that's when Heath's wyvern starts flapping its wings and flies into the sky. My heart beats very quickly but I try to stay calm. Moving hurts very much due to the injury on my chest. My vision becomes blurry and my eyes feel heavy.

"Stay awake." I hear Heath say. "We are almost there."

I blink a few times and look up at him. He is still looking forward. He is glaring with determination. Why is he so panicked? I've been avoiding him. I thought he wouldn't care if I got hurt. This seems so strange.

We land and Heath climbs off the wyvern with me still in his arms. His arms feel strong. Isn't he getting tired of holding me? He walks forward. He trips a bit but still stands. The sudden movement makes me wince in pain.

"Sorry." Heath says gently.

My eyes widen slightly. He sounds so kind now.

"Heath?" Serra asks. She gasps looking at me. "Oh my goodness!" Serra exclaims. "Luna!"

"Can you please heal her?" Heath asks. "She looks like she is in a lot of pain."

"Of course I can!" Serra exclaims in a bit of a scolding way. "I'm a cleric! It's my job to!"

I giggle but the effort to make the sound hurts my chest making me wince. Heath kneels on the ground placing my head on his lap. He then removes the armor on my chest making the wound more visible.

"Luna, we are going to have to get you a new shirt. Yours looks ugly now." Serra says.

I giggle even though it hurts. "Okay, Serra."

She smiles sweetly as she starts to use the healing staff. I close my eyes as I feel the magic start to take effect. The pain lessens slowly but surely. When I feel better that's when I stop feeling the healing. I open my eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Serra asks.

"Better." I say softly.

I hear Heath sigh with relief. Serra smiles. "That's good." She says. "Let's get you a different shirt, okay?"

I nod. She leaves towards Merlinus's tent. I sit up slowly with the help of Heath.

"Be careful." He warns.

"I'm fine now." I say.

I take the long sleeves off. They are useless now. I also take off my brother's cloak. I examine it quickly. I sigh with relief as I see there is no damage to it at all. The only problem is my shirt. It is damaged, torn, and burnt. Serra runs back holding a whole new set of clothing.

"Serra…" I say. "I just need a new top."

"There is nothing that matches your skirt." She says. "So you are going to have to change completely."

I sigh heavily. "Alright."

Heath helps me stand up. I'm still hurting but it is more of a sore feeling then really bad pain. He leads me to the tent. Once I am there he stays outside and Serra helps me inside. I take off my shirt. Serra wraps bandages around the area.

"To keep it safe." Serra simply says.

I nod. Once she is done I put on the red, short sleeved shirt and black shorts. She finds replacement armor for me and helps me put that on.

"You can come in now." Serra says.

I look at her confused. Then it goes away as Heath steps into the tent hesitantly. I didn't know he was waiting outside. I thought he would have left already.

"If you two will excuse me I have to return outside so I can heal the others." She says quickly. "Priscilla can't do it all by herself." She winks at me. "Bye."

I open my mouth to stop her but Serra exits the tent too quickly. I sigh. I turn to Heath and I feel the fear set in. Crap. I am alone in the tent with him. I can't run or hide anywhere. I am forced to talk to him. Did Serra do this on purpose? I'm going to have a serious talk with her later.

"Why do you keep running from me?" he asks.

"Wh-What do you mean?" I ask. Playing dumb isn't going to work but I try anyway.

"You have been avoiding me ever since I joined the group." He says. "Why? Did I do something wrong? Did I say something insulting? I'm I ugly or something?"

My eyes widen. "It's not that! You are definitely not ugly! In fact, you're-" I cover my mouth before anything else can be said.

My face feels very warm. Crap! I almost told him something very embarrassing! That would have been really bad if I blurted all my thoughts out.

"Then why?" he asks.

My heart skips. He looks so sad. I should tell him. I really should. But I am THAT scared. What is wrong with me? I uncover my mouth and take a deep breath.

"I'm scared." I say. "I'm scared of wyvern riders." Heath's eyes widen. Tears form in my eyes. "Ever since I was little they have scared me to death. That's why I've been avoiding you." I close my eyes. "I'm sorry! I know it was wrong, but I-"

I feel arms wrap around me and my eyes widen. I see his dark blue armor and it feels warm from the sun. So he is that much taller than me. I haven't noticed until now since I was too busy trying to stay away from him.

"I'm sorry." Heath says. "I'm on your side so you don't have to be scared. Can you please trust me?"

A tear slips down my cheek. "O-Okay." I stutter out.

He let's go of me and smiles kindly. "We better rejoin with the others."

I blush. "R-Right."

Heath exits the tent and I follow being mindful of my bandages. I see him mount his wyvern. He looks at me for a few moments. I wave at him letting him know he can go on ahead. He takes off into the sky.

"Luna!" a voice calls.

I look to see its Matthew holding my bow and quiver. I was wondering where those disappeared to. I must have left them on the ground when Heath picked me up. I wonder why Matthew has it now, though.

"Are you alright?" he asks worriedly.

I smile. "I'm fine. Where are the others?" I ask.

"They are fighting the last leader along with an enemy wyvern rider."

I nod taking my stuff back. I carefully strap my quiver back on. Lucky it doesn't hurt my injury or mess with the bandages. I grip my bow tightly.

"I better go help." I say.

"What?" Matthew asks. "You shouldn't! You just got attacked! You are still hurt!"

"I'm fine." I say. "I can't stay weak forever."

"You are not weak." He scolds. "You are temporarily injured. You don't have to fight."

I sigh. "Can I at least catch up with the rest? I'm sure they are almost finished by now."

Matthew looks me over. He sighs in defeat. "Fine." He points at me. "No fighting!"

I smile. "Thank you, Matthew."

He nods. We then walk forward to join up with the group. He stays close to me and looks around. He sure is cautious now. I feel like I have a personal bodyguard or something like that. I hide the giggle. Then I become worried. Mark is probably going to scold me. He is going to get mad and start babying me.

"There they are." I say pointing.

I watch as the last enemy in sight is defeated. Then everyone settles as the lone man walks up to Lord Eliwood. Matthew and I hurry up ahead so we can hear their discussion.

"You really helped me out. Thank you." The man says.

"We couldn't watch such a lopsided battle. That's all." Lord Eliwood replies.

I stand by Mark silently.

"So why have you come to this wasteland?" the man asks.

"Well…" The lord pauses. "We were told to come here and meet a living legend."

"Living Legend?" he repeats confused. I then watch as his eyes grow wide and he starts laughing. "I see. That's well said."

Lady Lyn looks at him confused. "But do you know what it means?"

"Yes, I suppose I do." He becomes serious once more. "Looks like we share a common destination. Hawkeye! You're here, too."

That's when I see a very large man with blond hair in a pony tail and a large axe. He doesn't wear a shirt and has but he does have tattoos. My eyes grow wide. He is so large and scary looking! No one would want to mess with him, that's for sure! Since when did he appear? I haven't seen him at all!

"Pent, did you find it?" Hawkeye asks.

"That I did." Pent replies. "And as I thought, it's spectacular."

He nods. "It's getting dark. Let's go back."

"Yes, let's make haste." Pent looks at Lord Eliwood. "Desert nights are treacherous."

"Oh… okay." Lord Eliwood replies.

Pent and Hawkeye lead the way and the rest of us follow behind. Mark looks at me.

"You scared me." He says. I look at him carefully. "When I heard you got hurt I feared the worst. Are you truly alright? I don't want you lying to me."

I smile. "I promise you that I am fine." I reply in order to comfort him. I then notice he is now wearing the cloak. I smile. "I'm glad you got it back. I was afraid it got damaged."

He chuckles. "Yes, it's fine. You need to worry more about yourself then a silly old cloak like this."

"I would have felt bad if it was damaged." I say pouting.

Mark turns serious. "I would have felt worse if you were seriously hurt or, I dare say, dead."

I smile patting his arm. "I'm not going to die anytime soon."

He sighs. "I believe in you."

I take a weird step on the sand making me wince. Sudden movements still hurt my injury. He looks at me worriedly.

"Maybe you shouldn't walk." He suggests.

"I'm fine." I reply quickly.

"Oh, fair Luna!" Sain says exaggeratingly from behind me. I turn around surprised. "Allow me to serve you by letting you ride my steed!"

I sweat drop slides down the side of my face as I look at him. "I-I'm okay, really." I stutter unsure.

"Nonsense." He says still smiling.

He picks me up suddenly so I gasp as he places me on his horse. He pulls on the reigns and guides it forward. I stare at Sain to see he is beaming. Why do I have a feeling he enjoys this way too much…?

(Later)

"I've brought them." Hawkeye says to an old man.

He has long white hair and beard and is wearing blue clothing. He is also holding an old looking brown staff. Looking at him I see he is a very wise person with much knowledge. Something about him also seems sad, however. Like a hidden pain inside of him that just won't go away.

"Welcome, children of Roland." He says.

I look at him confused.

"We've come from Lycia, old man. Do you understand?" Lord Hector asks.

I glare at him. "That's rude." I say to him.

He glares back at me.

"What do you mean?" Lady Lyn asks him.

"I think I know." Lord Eliwood says. "Thousands of years ago, man and dragon fought on this continent."

"Yes, mankind won, and the dragons fled this world." Lady Lyn says.

"That's correct." Lord Eliwood continues, "Man against dragon… The war that we know as the Scouring. And you know of the Eight Legends, the heroes who led man to victory?"

"Yes, we've all heard of the stories of the Eight Legends." Lady Lyn says. "I was raised in Sacae, so I know of Hanon, the horseman."

"Sacae is where Hanon was born." Lord Hector says. "Our country, Lycia, was founded by the hero Roland."

"That's why you called us 'children of Roland', right?" Lady Lyn asks the old man.

"That is correct, daughter of Hanon and Roland." The man replies.

Lord Eliwood asks, "Who are you?"

"I am Athos." He replies. "Many choose simply to call me Archsage."

My eyes widen.

"Athos?" Lord Eliwood exclaims. "It can't be…"

"Huh? What?" Lady Lyn exclaims.

Lord Hector looks at the man with doubt written on his face. "Archsage Athos was one of the Eight Legends. If you really were him, old man… you'd have to be over a thousand years old."

"The world is full of mysteries." Athos says. "Solve one, and along comes another… Before I knew it, I'd grown distant from my fellow man. Hunger… It knows no bounds."

My eyes widen even more. That sounds so sad. I can't imagine living as long as he has so far. It's incredible… It's seems so unreal.

Lady Lyn says, "A thousand years… That's a long time."

"Yet thanks to such longevity, we're meeting here today." Lord Eliwood says.

I look at him. That is very well said, Lord Eliwood. Very well said.

"Living legend…" Lord Hector says. "Now I see it."

It does make sense. I look next to me to see Mark looking at Athos with much amazement. Knowing him, he is probably going to want to ask questions. Hm… I wonder about Canas. He is the one that travels around for knowledge.

Athos asks, "You're here because you want to stop Nergal, aren't you?"

"Yes." Lord Eliwood replies. "Did you receive word from Marquess Ostia?"

"No…" Athos pauses. "I am aware of most things that occur on the continent." He closes his eyes. "However, knowledge is not enough for me to prevent disaster."

"Nils said something similar to that before." Lady Lyn says. She then quotes him, "With my special power, I can sense danger coming, but I can't do anything to stop it."

Athos looks at her. "Nils… One of the children of destiny."

"He's here with us, but something outside caught his attention." Lady Lyn explains.

Athos pauses not really looking at anyone. "I'm sure something stopped him…"

I look at him confused. What would stop Nils from entering? Ninian, too… Is there something that I don't know about but Athos does? I'm very curious now.

"Hm?" Lord Eliwood asks.

"Let's talk about Nergal." Athos says quickly. "How do we stop him?"

Lord Eliwood shakes his head quickly. "Yes, what can you tell us? What wisdom can you share?"

"Mm." Athos says nodding. "Your foe is, like me, no longer… altogether human. It will be difficult to slay him through traditional means." My eyes widen. This doesn't sound very good. "He wields a terrible power. His endless strength stems from an ancient, forbidden magic… To defeat him, you will need a suitable response."

"Response?" Lord Eliwood asks.

"…While he is resting, you must find the power to oppose him." Athos continues explaining.

"Tell us what it is! We'll do anything!" Lord Eliwood exclaims.

I look at him with amazement. I can understand the seriousness of the situation but I never thought how serious the lord was taking this. Well, we all have to take this seriously. Nergal is trying to bring dragons around. That CAN'T be good at all.

"It will be harder than you can imagine." Athos says. "Great trials await you. …As does great despair. You may regret your decision. Will you stay the course, children?"

The lord pauses. "Our will remains fixed."

Athos warns, "This is a road from which you cannot turn back."

Lord Hector glares at the old man. "We've known that all along!"

"We can overcome anything. You'll see." Lady Lyn adds. "Together, we are strong."

I smile at her. She does always seem to say the right things. She helps things feel positive. I know she has helped me out quite a bit whenever I needed it.

Athos looks at all of them including my brother and I before sighing. "Very well. Let me tell you what you must do."

"Luna." Mark whispers to me.

I turn to him. "Yes?" I ask.

"You've been wobbling the whole time we've been standing here. You should go sit down somewhere."

I pout at him. "I'm not a child. I'm fine."

"Please, Luna." He says. "I'm saying this 'because I am worried, not because I'm babying you."

I sigh quietly. "Okay. Just fill me in later, alright?"

He nods. I walk away finding somewhere to sit. I spot a pair of stairs and sit. I'm just glad the bandages are still tightly in place. I don't want Serra getting mad at me about ruining them and having to get them fixed again. She is definitely the type of person to scold me about that. I smile. If it wasn't for her, however, I would have been in trouble. I should thank her. I should probably thank Heath, too.

"O-Oh, Luna."

I look up to see Florina looking at me. I smile. "Hi. Want to sit with me?"

She nods and takes her spot next to me. "How are you feeling?" she asks.

"I'm getting better." I tell her.

Florina smiles softly. "That is good news."

"However, my hair is a mess." I say laughing softly.

She giggles. "If you want, I can help fix it once we have a chance to."

I smile widely. "I would love it if you could. We could talk, too."

Florina nods. "Luna…" I wait patiently wait for her to speak. "I-I like talking t-to you. I-It helps me c-calm my nerves. I a-also miss home a bit less. Thank you for that."

I smile patting her back. "I'm glad. You help me out, too." Her eyes widen slightly. "I feel like I can tell you anything without worries of you scolding me or disapproving." She blushes. "Thank you."

She smiles. "You're welcome."

I giggle. "We sound a bit silly, don't we? It's like we are confessing our feelings or something."

She giggles along with me. "It is strange."

A shadow falls over us. I look up to see Hawkeye standing in front of us. Since I am sitting it looks like he is a giant. I look next to me to see Florina has grown pale. I nudge her with my elbow.

"You are to gather in the plaza." He says.

I gulp. "Th-Thanks." I stutter.

He silently leaves. Florina and I both stand up. She sighs with relief. "H-He is scary." She says.

I laugh. "Yeah, he is."

Florina smiles at me. We both make our way to the plaza where everyone else is at. I can see Athos is talking to Lord Eliwood. I say bye to Florina before I make my way over to Mark's side.

"The border lies in the mountains." I hear Lord Eliwood say.

"Very good." Athos says. "Now please envision a nice, wide place in Pherae… Next, think of the name of a person you might meet there."

"As you say." Lord Eliwood closes his eyes.

"Now, children of Roland, it is time to say farewell." He says to everyone. "You must reach the Shrine of Seals. There your destinies' doors will open wide before you."

Something strange starts to happen. The scene around us starts to vanish. I get light-headed. Mark hugs me close to him and I shut my eyes tightly. In a matter of moments my headache goes away.

"Mother! I'm home! I've returned!" Lord Eliwood exclaims.

Huh? What did he just say? I open my eyes and gasp. We are no longer in the plaza with Athos. We are now in a large castle that looks gorgeous and well designed. Did Athos really send us here? That's amazing!

"Ah! Eliwood!" A woman exclaims. I look to see a very beautiful woman with long purple hair. "Is it really you? Oh, how did you… You startled me so!"

"Forgive me, Mother. The Archsage sent us." He explains.

"You look so tired." She pauses looking him over. "Have you lost weight? Oh, come closer and let me see your face."

She steps closer and looks at Lord Eliwood closer. She places her hands gently on his cheeks.

"Mother, about Father…" Lord Eliwood says sadly.

His mom removes her hands from him. "I heard his last moments were glorious. Though he's gone, he will ever be my life's joy."

I look at her sadly. I feel so sorry for her. She must have been really sad when she heard about her husband's death.

"I know." The lord replies.

"Come… Let us make everyone comfortable." She says. She looks over the group. "You all look in need of a rest."

"I'm sorry, Mother. We must hurry onward…"

"I know that!" She says quickly. She then looks very sad as if begging to Lord Eliwood. I don't blame her, either. "But for one night… here in the castle… Eliwood… just for tonight."

"Mother…" he says slowly looking pained.

"One night's not going to hurt us." Lord Hector cuts in. "Who knows when we'll be back this way?"

"Yes, let's do it. I am so exhausted." Lady Lyn adds in.

Lord Eliwood looks at the two of them. "Hector, Lyn…" He smiles. "Thank you."

I lean against Mark feeling my legs fail me. He holds me tightly. "Luna?"

Lord Eliwood's mother walks over to me looking worried. "You poor child… Let's get the rooms set up quickly so you may rest."

I smile up at her. "Thank you." I say politely.

"Rath." Lady Lyn says to the nomad. "You should carry her."

He nods and walks over to my brother and I. He takes me from Mark and carries me. He then walks down the hallway following the very kind lady.

"I'm sorry, Rath." I say to him. He glances down at me. "I always seem to need help from others."

"It's okay." He says. "You fought hard today."

I smile. "It feels like the old days, right?"

He nods. Lord Eliwood's mom shows us the room and opens the door for Rath. He carries me in and places me gently on the bed. Mark is right there sitting on the edge of the bed looking down at me.

"Thank you, Rath." I say to him.

The nomad nods before leaving the room. Mark takes my hand. I smile looking up at him. Like when we were little… I close my eyes feeling the weight of the day finally hit me. I feel myself drift away. I should be strong by tomorrow. For tonight, however, I need rest.

---

So, how was the long chapter? Was it good? Well, review me and tell me what you think! Come on, don't be shy! The button doesn't shock you or anything! When I reply to them I am very nice, I promise! No matter if you are mean, critical, or whatever in the review I reply with a positive attitude. :) So... let me thank the following people for reviewing the last chapter:

Meru-64 (Don't get shot too much, alright! It can't be healthy. XD)

Hyralc (I hope Heath was good in this chapter, too! He is an awesome character so hopefully I showed him justice. X) )

SuperNova23 (I know you have been looking forward to this chapter since we have messaged a bit so sorry this is late! X( Hope you still like it! ;D)

patattack (I hope this chapter was nice and good. It was long so I'm hoping it was worth working on it all day today! XD)

Well, that's it! I hope you all have a wonderful evening (or whatever time of the day you are reading this) and can't wait to see you all next Saturday with the next chapter! :D I promise I won't procrastinate (or, at least, try not to)! ^_^'