Chapter 21) Capital

In order to solve the conflict, Lord Jason did a bold move. He used his military prowess to seize control of the army, effectively creating a new title: Great General. After doing so, he swore loyalty to the King, and all the Great Houses, ensuring that the Eturian Army could not be forced into a civil war.

Lord Cedric, on his end, worked on winning the people of Hanover, earning their trust, respect, and love. By the time the two were done, the two friends had essentially taken complete military control over the country, and with it, delivered a clear warning: cease this idiocy or we will make you.

Things quieted down after that.

"Welcome to Bern Castle, everyone." We were on the edges of the capital city, amazed by how defensive it looked. "There are wyvern patrols all over the place," Nicky continued. He and Urien had actually been here before, for Hellene's wedding. "Though, their visibility is reduced thanks to the fog." Yeah, the fog had rolled in sometime last night. I could see fairly well, all things considered, but we had to send Hassar after Madelyn because we could hear her bumping into things as she went to go practice. "Of course, aside from the wyvern patrols, the only real guards are inside the castle."

"Hartmut picked a damn good castle to make into his capital," Elbert noted. He looked just as impressed as the rest of us. "I never thought I would see a castle whose defenses rival Ostia's."

"H-hey, it never weathered a siege of dragons!" Uther immediately yelped, looking very defensive. It made the rest of us laugh. "Hey!" He scowled, and it deepened when Brendan just quietly patted him on the shoulder. "You're all horrible."

"Yes, we are, but we all horrible people who need to think of a way to infiltrate such a defensive city." Well, that put a damper on things. "Brendan, you mentioned having people within?"

"Yeah, though there's no real 'hideout'," Brendan replied. He shrugged off the looks. "Not exactly a place assassins want to stay long, especially nowadays when tensions are so high. Not a lot of people are amicable in the wake of everything."

"Yes, Nicholas and I noticed that when we were last here," Urien murmured. He crossed his arms, side-eyeing the city. "It was clear the people were devastated by the loss of their crown prince, and did not look kindly on his 'replacement'." He shrugged. "Of course, by all accounts, Victor was the perfect prince and heir, skilled at fighting and diplomacy, the darling of the people. Desmond is a poor to mediocre shadow." I wondered why people thought that if you talked down about someone, they would 'magically' get better. Sure, some rose to the challenge, just to be spiteful, but most just broke under the weight. "Before we infiltrate, Eagler? You're shifting and fidgeting." That he was. "Are you mad we sent Hassar instead of you?"

"No, his eyes are better than mine," Eagler quickly replied. He shook his head. "I just think that they've been a while." That was probably true.

"Here, I shall go look for them," I volunteered, already breaking off from the group. "In these conditions, I have the best sight." We could probably send Maria up, but that would increase the risks of wyvern knights finding us. "Be back soon."

Waving, I wandered in the general direction Madelyn, and later Hassar, went. It was strangely quiet, and some part of me wondered if I might be 'interrupting' something. I doubted it. But I couldn't help but wonder anyway.

A yell, more like a bellow actually, startled me, and I ran towards the sound, wondering what the hell was going on. Still, I could only stop and stare as I saw a heavily armored knight attacking Hassar. Madelyn was left alone, and suitably bewildered.

"Amanda!" she called, waving me over. Her eyes were wide. "I'm sorry! He just appeared out of nowhere and started attacking!"

"And ignoring the easy target of you for the much dodgier target of him," I noted, wondering what was going on. For his part, Hassar was just dodging, looking more and more exasperated. "He say anything before attacking?"

"Something about kidnapping a fair lady?" Oh, great. Hassar got mistaken for a kidnapper. Again. No matter where you went, some things remained constant. "Hassar! Be careful!" At this point, I was actually far more worried about Hassar losing his temper. "Um… Amanda, I don't know how to help, but…"

"Hassar, go ahead and show off." I was not worried. It was pretty clear who was in control of the fight here. "Not sure why you are not handing his ass to him."

"I am trying to get him to listen and solve this without injuries," Hassar snapped. Yeah, he was losing his temper. "But it seems he isn't listening!" Hassar suddenly shifted, and then flipped the armored knight over his shoulder, sending his head crashing hard enough into the mountain side for the helmet to dent. "…Didn't mean to do that. He's heavier than I anticipated."

"Are you all right?" Madelyn asked. She ran over to him, taking his hands firmly. "I'm so sorry!" She sighed. "Every time you're out with me, you run into some trouble."

"…To be fair, this wasn't exactly a place one would expect an ambush." Hassar smiled, crouching slightly to look her in the eye. "I'm fine, Madelyn. Just a little winded."

"But still…"

"If you truly feel bad, then please, smile." His words took a very hesitant tone. "Your smile is very pretty, Madelyn."

"Oh!" Her face colored, but she did actually smile. "Thank you. I think yours better, though."

"I respectfully disagree."

"That's fine. Because it's what I think, and I'm not really known for changing my mind once it's set."

Noticing the two of them were in their own world, I decided to let them be and check on the armored knight. He was still breathing, groaning slightly from the pain. I nudged him in the side, to see if he was faking, but decided he was not when he did not do much more than groan again. So, I crouched down and removed the helmet. There really was a nice dent in it.

The knight himself was a bit younger than I would have thought, early twenties at the eldest, with some blood trickling down his face from the head injury. Hassar really threw him, huh?

Footsteps caught my ear, and I glanced up to see Hassar and Madelyn coming over. Madelyn was still blushing, but I noticed Hassar had a look I could only described as 'happy fear'. Happy, and being afraid of it.

"So, this is our ambusher?" Hassar murmured. He still looked a little exasperated. "I suppose we need to get Yodel to treat him?"

"You are very kind to treat someone who ambushed and insulted you," Madelyn grumbled. Her blush faded for an annoyed look, but that vanished for shock when she came a little closer and got a good look at the knight. "…Wallace?!" She knew this crazy person?! "U-um… I am so sorry! He is one of my bodyguards from Caelin…" WHAT WAS HE DOING HERE?! "Oh… this is so confusing…"

This… this was definitely going to be the weirdest recruitment in the group. I had a sure feeling about this.

We set up camp on the outskirts of town, hiding behind some of the mountains to escape detection of wyvern knight patrols. There, we had Eagler wondering what in all the actual hells Wallace was doing here, and apologizing profusely to Hassar for 'his fellow knight's idiocy'. Hassar looked distinctly uncomfortable by the notion.

Still, according to Yodel, despite the injury, it was mostly a surface one, and it wasn't long at all before Wallace was awake. And promptly insulting Hassar. Again.

"I can't believe a fairy boy threw me," Wallace laughed. He seemed to be in great cheer over the whole thing, which just made things far the more exasperating for the rest of us. Or some of us. Mostly, I was mad on Hassar's behalf, and he was prickling at the 'double' insult of being accused of lying, and… well, I was pretty certain 'fairy boy' was not meant as a compliment? Madelyn looked so exasperated. "We're going to be the best of friends, boy!" I gave up.

"Don't make one-sided declarations," Hassar grumbled. This had to be the first time I had seen him so off-balanced. "You ambushed us."

"Well, yes, because I saw an unknown person with my lady!" Wallace grinned. You would not think he was confined to a cot with the way he was acting. "She's been missing! It was a thing to assume!" Yes, this was all definitely a thing. "But bygones be bygones! I attacked, and you destroyed me, so I think that makes us even!" Never before had so many people wondered if someone might have taken a little too hard of a hit to the head. Never.

"Wallace, what are you even doing here?!" Madelyn demanded. She was definitely angry, and it was clear by how Wallace calmed that while he would 'write off' the attack on a stranger, he would not be quite so carefree when it came to her wrath. "I have so many issues with all of this!"

"Well, I was looking for you, of course," he replied, sounding like it was obvious. I could only glance around the area, and wonder why he thought Bern was the place to look. Perhaps because of her letter to- "I have been since we were separated in Thria." Yeah, uh… we were a long way from there. A very long way.

"I maintain you have the worst sense of direction, Wallace." Wait, had this happened before?

"I don't see why it's so bad, considering I did find you, Lady Madelyn." Well, he did have a point there. "So, who is the enemy?"

"Um…" Madelyn looked so confused. "Wallace, what are you…?"

"Look, you're not safe at home because there's an enemy. I am your knight. Your enemies are my enemies." He burst into laughter. "Let them break their weapons on my armor! I dare them to try!"

"Fine words from someone who got knocked unconscious even through a helmet!"

"That is a testament to Hassar's skill!" Okay, at this point, I was going to leave crazy Wallace in the hands of Madelyn, Eagler, and Hassar, so I crept out of the tent as quietly and quickly as possible. Uther was apparently waiting for me, and I noticed many of the others milling about the camp, doing chores.

"Well, things will be interesting from here on," Uther noted. He, at least, looked amused, though he did look a little sheepish when I gave him a look. "You have to admit. It will be interesting, and a different sort of interesting than our normal." He smiled. "And it opens up different strategies for us. After all, he's trained to take blows. We can use him as bait!"

"Tempting," I sighed. I just wanted to forget all of this. "So, if we can move past the whatever the hell that was…" I stepped to his side. "Plan?"

"Nicholas recommended us checking out this 'manse' that's near." A manse? "Before he went on a patrol with Marcus, I mean." Well, yes, Wallace was loud, and Nicky could fast-talk an explanation, in theory. "But it hasn't been used in years, according to him, meaning it's the perfect place to hide things you'd rather people not know about."

"That is true." I sighed. "So, me, Brendan, and Maria?"

"Brendan went to go check his contacts with Urien." Then Maria and me. "I best stay here with Elbert, Yodel, and our antic group there in the tent."

"Well, yeah, that makes sense." I noticed he looked conflicted, though. "Something wrong?"

"I just worry when you go off on your own." Hesitantly, he took my hand, and kissed it. "So, do, be careful, darling~"

"Uther, some days…!" I tried to ignore how I was blushing, or how my hand tingled from where he had kissed it. I did not like this feeling. I wanted to run away from it. "Besides, Maria will be with me!"

"That does not mean you cannot be careful." Ugh… "Please? For me?"

"You are a very infuriating person." I sighed when he grinned. "Fine, fine, I promise, dear. Now let me get to work!"

For a place that supposedly had not been used in years, it was remarkably clean, and the inside was decidedly modern. I frowned as I noticed the copious amounts of flowers along the halls and in every room. That was not really a 'Bernese' thing. They prided themselves in 'pragmatic practicality'. Excesses tended to be things like alcohol and extra food. Flowers were more of an Etrurian thing, a way of showing you could afford such luxuries.

"If Albert is here, I am seriously going to shove my lance up his balls," Maria quietly deadpanned as we snuck inside, using a back entrance. It was a lovely courtyard, but there were two entrances, both with easily picked locks. "You can do whatever you want afterwards."

"I think I shall just watch a little girl half his size kick his ass," I replied lightly, mostly to hide the sudden bout of fear dripping down my spine. I did not want him to be here. I wanted him to be dead, and I never wanted to even think of him again. "Keep an eye out for anything."

"I know." She made a face. "I feel like I'm going to sneeze from the lack of dust." It really was far too clean here. "Oh, I hear something." As did I, so I readied my dagger, a normal one in one hand and the Chakram in the other.

I nearly dropped both when I realized who was walking towards us, staring like she had seen a ghost. "Hellene?" I called. She just continued staring. "It… it is me, Hellene." Hesitantly, I took a step closer. "It is Amanda?"

"Amanda…?" she breathed. Just as hesitant as me, she took tiny steps closer, just until she could touch me. "Are you really…?" She quickly poked my cheek, and I automatically flinched back, making a face. "Yes, that is you. You always hated when I did that." Her eyes filled with tears. "You're okay!" I was enveloped in a huge, warm hug. "You're okay… my prayers were answered…" She had been praying for me. "Oh, let me take a look at you!" She jumped back, cupping my face. "Short hair looks nice on you."

"Thank you, though I cannot say it was a 'willing' cut," I mumbled. I almost felt like crying. "Oh, ah…" I gestured to Maria, who kindly bowed. "This is Maria. She is a friend." I bit my lip. "Truthfully, we snuck in for information?"

"I am afraid I live here, so I doubt you will find much." She lived here? What was wrong with the castle?! "But let me see if I can help." Yeah, that sounded good.

"My lady, is everything okay?" I was… really confused to see a small boy, almost frail looking, rush up. "Oh, when did they arrive?" he asked, looking startled at Maria and me. "I didn't… see them…" He bowed. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Murdock," Hellene murmured. She gently stroked his hair and he smiled up at her. "Do you mind fetching my tea set for me, though?"

"On it!" He bowed and scampered off. Okay, who was he?

"Murdock is a recent recruit of the army," Hellene explained. She had a small, indulgent smile. "He's a commoner, and a bit weak, so no one expects much out of him. So, of course, Desmond assigns him to me as a 'protector'." Her smile was so sardonic. "Well, I'm not sure how protected I feel, but he's a kind boy, and does his best to make sure I feel comfortable. That alone makes me glad he's here." I was a little more confused now. "Come on, come on!" She urged Maria and me into a nearby parlor. "I was just eating some pastries when I decided to check if I watered the plants this morning." Thus walking straight into us. "Sit, sit! I made them myself!"

"Should I be worried?" I teased. She instantly sulked, and did not let up until I popped a cookie into my mouth. "Oh, wow, this is good. You practiced."

"Of course I did." She still looked a little sulky, so I exaggerated some squeaks of pleasure to make her soften. "You always did know how to pick up my spirits." She looked to Maria, eyes sad. "Ah, but before I forget, do be careful when you leave, Miss Maria. Bern as kindly on 'outsiders' as Sacaeans do." …I was not sure how to take that. "But please, tell me what you were hoping to find?"

Maria and I glanced at each other, and she nodded to me while stuffing her face with sweets. I was the one talking here. "The whole thing is a rather confusing mess," I warned. Her smile said 'then tell me what you can'. "But, basically, there have been a rash of murders, and we think Bellinis is involved."

"I can believe it." Her eyes were dark, and filled with pain. "I overheard the lord of the house saying he would find some way to kick me in the stomach until I lost the baby." That… that… okay, what now? "Few in the court want a half-Etrurian heir." Thus why she made the mention of 'outsiders'. If we were caught, things would get very bad, very fast. "Victor had always reassured me things would be fine, but Desmond…" She shook her head. "He does not exactly inspire confidence." Well, considering he was probably thrust into the role while mourning his family, I could not say I blamed him! "But if someone can make comments like that, I can believe they view others they think 'beneath' them similarly." Yeah… "The servants tell me he frequents a certain tavern in the city. I can give you the name later."

"I shall take any and all leads." Besides, taverns tended to have good information anyway. "Now, I must ask another question." I looked her right in the eye. "Do you think Desmond is involved?"

"Impossible." Her response was immediate. It might have been heartwarming, but the words were flat, and she was definitely scoffing at the very idea. "Katarina has smarter eyes than him." Katarina inherited Nicky's scary intelligence, meaning that was not a fair comparison. "He's been holed up in the archives anyway. Has been since the wedding night."

"I… ah… see…" I glanced at her belly, just starting to show her pregnancy. "That must have been… interesting."

"We both got very drunk, and I got lucky enough to get pregnant after the first night. Now I don't have to worry about his filthy hands touching me again." Despite the words, she smiled, reaching over to grasp my hands. "I am so glad you managed to escape Albert. I wish it had been kinder, but I'm glad you don't have to go through with this."

"Did your father really not give you a choice to break it off?" Had King Gawain been like Grandfather?

"No, he did." She shrugged, sitting back. "But I am the Princess of Etruria. I will do my duty." And condemn herself to misery…

"I wish you picked yourself." The words escaped before I could stop them. "I wish you had not been afraid to pick yourself, Hellene. You deserve all the happiness in the world."

"Well, you and Cristina will just have to make up for me." Her smile shook, and I knew she was ready to cry. "Ah, but there is Murdock. Please, let me treat you to a cup of tea." I knew this was also her way of trying to maintain some semblance of 'normality'. When we were in Etruria, we had a lot of tea parties.

"Yeah, that sounds good." I glanced at Maria to confirm, and she nodded. "Let me tell you some cute stories I have heard."

"Excellent. And when you are done, I will tell you what gossip I know." Perfect.

People

· Amanda, me, Thief/Assassin. Once the 'Jewel of Hanover', now the 'Huntress of Ostia'. I use daggers primarily, but just in close-range. Bad injuries to my back resulted in permanent nerve damage or something, giving me a pins and needles feeling in two fingers of my right hand. While I'm adapting, it does cause problems with my grip. I… am falling for Uther. I now wield the 'Chakram'. On Brendan's recommendation, I think I'm going to ask Hassar to train me in swords. Blonde hair, amber eyes, 19 years old.

· **Uther, the heir to Ostia, Lord. He is INCREDIBLY INFURIATING and stupidly kind. Wields axes. Thankfully, his encounter with Albert this time turned out better than last time. He is very careful about my fears, and is just… very gentle in general with me. He also keeps his promises to me, distressed when it seems like he might not be able to. He's upset that we must sacrifice the few for the many, even if it logically makes sense, and resigned to the idea that we might just be buying time. Likes buying me things, for some reason. I've also noticed that he'll kiss my hand whenever I let him. Blue hair, brown eyes, 19 years old.

· **Hassar, Sacaean mercenary, Bow Knight(?). Hails from the Lorca tribe. Quiet, but has good and honest eyes, the type you rarely see in this day and age. Fights with bows primarily, but does know swords for emergencies. I think he might be falling for Madelyn, but it is difficult to say. At the least, he is very protective of her, and it is clear her being in danger is a great fear of his. Unlike the rest of us, it's pretty clear he puts a lot of stock in fortunetelling. It's also increasingly clear that there is SOME sort of trauma in his past involving a child, and some sort of trauma that makes him scared of falling in love. Also, he does actually lose his cool. It just took a bombastic armored knight to make it that way. Green hair, green eyes, 18 years old.

· **Maria, Ilian Knight, Pegasus Knight. Though she had been fighting without a paycheck, she's cheerful about Nicky's offer of payment. Knows hand to hand combat. Fretter, but good at flying. Wields lances. Got a haircut thanks to Douglas, meaning her hair is short now. Seems to think Uther and I bicker like 'an old married couple'? Very good at knitting and sewing. She's also skilled in field medicine. Cannot tolerate heat well at all. Either has a major sweet tooth, or is so used to sweets not being plentiful that she gobbles them up. Pale purple hair, blue eyes, 16 years old.

· **Madelyn, the heir to Caelin. Often called a 'princess', and many think of her as Lycia's Treasure. Despite the danger, she is determined to help. Falling in love with Hassar, and is surprisingly all right with it. Is rather good at moving quietly, due to sneaking around her own castle, and is perhaps the bravest of us. Or the most foolish. I have no idea which one. An expert poker player. Doesn't mind that we're only buying time, since that's all we can do. Very mad at Wallace at the moment. Black hair, blue eyes. 17 years old.

· Elbert, Marquess of Pherae, Cavalier. His son, Eliwood, is about the same age as Hector, Uther's brother. He is almost scarily idealistic, but seems rather sharp. He is definitely the type to keep walking forward, no matter what. He is very kind, almost too much so, and very accepting of people, careful to not tread on nerves. That said, he's sometimes a giant idiot. He, Uther, and Madelyn are childhood friends. Upset that we cannot do more than buy time, as he wants to protect his son. Sulky because we had to leave Pherae so soon. A cavalier who specializes in swords. Red hair, blue eyes, 18 years old.

· Marcus, knight of Pherae, Cavalier. Or is it butler? He's certainly very good at taking care of people. All of his actions confirm that he's a traumatized knight who fights for a single person: Elbert. He is cautious and wary by nature, a trait that makes him very valuable. Specializes in lances. Purple hair, purple eyes, 23 years old.

· **Eagler, knight of Caelin, Paladin. While it is clear who is the knight and who is the noble, some of my observations make me think he and Madelyn share an almost sibling-like relation, though her spending time with Hassar makes it difficult to see if I'm right. Still, I think he's acting more like a protective older brother when it comes to Madelyn's affection for Hassar, instead of a knight. I think he's utterly exasperated with all of us. Equal skill in swords and lances, though he is still obviously learning axes. Seems glad to have Wallace around. Green hair, brown eyes, 22 years old.

· Nicky, Count Hanover, Paladin. My dear cousin, who I grew up with. Was a 'young knight', becoming a full-fledged knight at only fourteen. Hates himself, but keeps sane by remembering that others love him. Is fighting with us because we helped his family, not out of any sense of duty or righteousness, in clear contrast to the rest of us. Brown hair, amber eyes, 24 years old.

· **Yodel, Priest. He has an excellent bedside manner to cooperative patients. He retains his no-nonsense demeanor though, even as a healer, and despite having no weapons training, I'm certain he still remembers how to 'fight dirty'. I'm willing to bet he could knock someone out with his staff. I think I annoyed him by scarring up Brendan's face. I also think that he's getting good at keeping calm in all situations. Blonde hair, blue eyes, 25 years old.

· Urien, Count Reglay, Sage. I know him mostly secondhand, as he and Nicky hung out more in a formal setting than a familiar one. He's a little judgy, but he has the good tact to keep the thoughts in his head instead of voicing them. A powerful mage like most of Reglay's leaders, and he has a son named Pent. Back-up healer for Yodel. Treasure-hunter and scholar happy. Silver hair, silver eyes, 24 years old.

· Brendan Reed, Leader of the Black Fang, Warrior. Founded the Fang after killing the lord who raped and killed his wife. Takes in children and 'outcasts', giving them a home. Really, he is too kind to be an assassin, but it is only because of his kindness that he became one in the first place. Has keen insight, probably because he needs to have a good feel for his 'employers'. Wields axes and bows. Brown-blonde hair, brown eyes, 26 years old.

· **Wallace, Armored Knight of Caelin. A bombastic knight who wears heavy armor and is completely devoted to Madelyn. He has a tendency to act first, think second, and one-sidedly declaring things as if they are fact. Still, seems he isn't the type to hold grudges, or can at least admit he's at fault. Wields lances. Brown hair, brown eyes, 22 years old.

Author's Note: Murdock is mentioned to being 'in his forties' during the events of FE6, which is 37 years after this. So, I have him at about 'twelve' here, and just joined up in the army. He'll make his reputation in the years to come. Little references to the Bern interlude in Tactician's Testimony. The place where Maria and Amanda sneak into the manse is the 'starting place' from the 'Battle Before Dawn' chapter. Also, have a Wallace, and a Hellene before 17 years in Bern made her jaded and distrustful.

Next Chapter – Cloaks and Shadows (Providing, btw, that I don't add chapters, we're about… 15 chapters away from the end?)