Chapter 18) Camus the Sable

Diana POV

General Ordwin, one of the heroes from the old war, was the founder of Grust. Alongside Anri, Cartas, Iote, and Marlon, he led the armies against Medy and then later used his prized knights to unite the people in the west to form his own kingdom. Or trample them into the dust. It depended on which history book you read. Regardless, his descendant, Ludwik, is as different from his forefather as they come. Cowardly, weak, generally uncaring of duty ever since his wife died. Because what better way to live than to turn your love into a symbol of when everything went wrong for your own country. Thanks to him, Grust is a shade of its former glory.

They say Ludwik has taken ill in response to everything. I'd argue that he's just hiding because he's not brave enough to see his country fall because of his own actions. Because it's going to fall. It had taken far too many losses. The momentum was ours.

Home sweet home, I supposed. It figures that I'd only return when it fell apart.

Sewing was a very calming exercise. Nothing but you and the thread. Well, not really, but it was easy to let your mind fall into a rhythm. Even if you had a dragon child constantly gasping at each stitch.

"That's so cool!" Tiki breathed, watching me intently. I wouldn't have thought an excitable little girl like her would've been interested in watching someone sew, but she treated it like it was a show at the opera, sitting patiently on the ground by my chair. "It's like magic! Like Ban-Ban's pickling!"

"You should see Caeda's baking," I teased, continuing to sew. I wished I had more cloth to spare so that I could teach her, but unfortunately, I didn't. It had taken a bit to find enough to make a dress like this. "She makes amazing cookies and candy."

"Really?" She whimpered, sulking. "I'm hungry…"

"I'm afraid you will have to wait a bit." I thought about something that I could use to distract her. "Ah, yes. It might take a while, but how about I make you a pretty dress too?"

"Really?" Tiki's face lit up with a smile, hunger forgotten. "Yay! What color?"

"Hmm…" I paused in my sewing to study her, taking note of what she already wore and her coloring. "Red."

"Red?"

"Yes, a red dress, with maybe a pink ribbon. I think that would look good on you." I smiled, and she beamed. "Pink is definitely a good color on you, though."

"You think?" She looked down at her dress, laughing. "Ban-Ban picked it out for me!"

"Did he? At your home?"

"No, at the first village we visited. It was fun!" She giggled. "Everything is fun! Way better than sleeping and nightmares." Before I could ask what she meant by that, she suddenly sat up straight and looked outside my tent. "Oh, Ban-Ban's calling me!"

"Then you'd best go see what he needs." I heard nothing, but I didn't doubt her. Her hearing was far keener than mine. "Don't trip, okay?"

"K! See you later, Diana!" She hopped to her feet and skipped off, laughing and greeting people as she went.

I laughed a little and returned to my sewing, glad she no longer felt 'bad' about not giving me a nickname. It had taken a little while to explain to her why I didn't want my name shortened. It was special to me, given to me by someone I loved dearly. I had to explain that it was like my treasure, and from there, she had understood, mostly. She still delighted in finding nicknames for practically everyone else in the army. Only Nyna had escaped, but that was just because Tiki couldn't figure out a shortening she liked, and Tiki had felt horrible to the point that Nyna improvised an 'slumber party' just to cheer her up. Of course, Nyna had probably focused on that to distract herself from the coming battle. It was the same reason why I was sewing, after all.

"Diana, are you in here?" Minerva walked in without knocking, as was quickly becoming just our custom, and smiled when she saw me sitting in the middle of my tent. "Somehow, I'm not surprised to see you sewing," she murmured. "It was either that or checking your weapons."

"I did that earlier, so now I'm sewing," I explained. I didn't bother looking up. I knew she'd get to her point before long. She was just like that. "It's soothing."

"I never get how you can sew so straight, or not have your hand cramp."

"And I never get how your hands don't cramp gripping the reins of your wyvern from dawn to dusk."

"Fair." She sighed, and rolled her shoulders, slowly relaxing. "Sorry for barging in. I needed some sort of sanity." She laughed when I gave her an incredulous look. 'Sanity' wasn't something people normally associated with me. "Maybe that was the wrong word. But everyone is tense, and while it's understandable, it's enough to make me feel like snapping. I figured it would be very calm here."

"Ah, I understand." I nodded to my work, smiling. "That's why I'm sewing. It's very soothing. The only other thing I could be doing at this point is fussing over Yuliya and Jubelo, and I'm worried that'll be detrimental to them." I didn't want them to become re-dependent on me, no matter how much I liked being needed.

"They were helping Est and Abel with the mounts, last I saw them. It let them pretend that we're not about to battle right in front of their home." Minerva tensed again with the words, and I had to fight to keep from wilting. That was the crux of the problem, and the reason why everyone was tense. We weren't just in Grust. We were at Grust's palace, poised to take it over. "The last messenger returned, refused entry just as the others."

"I'm not surprised." I checked my stitches and nodded, almost done with the dress. "Scouts?"

"They have reported that Grust's most decorated generals, Camus the Sable and One-Eyed Lorenz, have taken the field with the soldiers. It looked like they were preparing for battle."

"So, it's come to that."

"Yes." Minerva tensed more, running a hand through her hair. "Are you scared?"

"Of battle? Not really. Of hurting people I love because their loved ones won't back down, however..." For the first time in a very long while, I almost pricked my finger while sewing. I was very scared of that. "Yes. I'm scared."

"Me too. Not of battle, but that we'll have to kill two people Yuliya and Jubelo love. I don't like that."

"You've half-adopted them."

"They're Maria's age. And I already know I'll have to inflict that pain on Maria because of Michalis. But…"

"I'd like to spare them more pain too." I didn't bother pointing out that if she asked, Marth would seek diplomacy with her brother. She already knew it, but didn't bring it up because he wouldn't take it. She'd known that ever since she joined with us. "But, truth be told, I have a bit of a plan for Camus."

"Do you need help with it?" She smirked when I looked up in surprise. "Children shouldn't have to suffer. They've gone through enough. Is it really so shocking that I'd help prevent that, given what we were just talking about?"

"I suppose I was expecting you to wait to hear the plan first, for some reason." I laughed, tying off my the last thread. "The answer, by the way, is possibly, but I first have to convince the leaders to let me do it before I figure that out."

"If they refuse?"

"I do it anyway. I'm no soldier." I grinned and she laughed. I knew she'd appreciate the audacity. "But I do hope to convince them. It's polite." I held up the dress, finished at last, and grinned at Minerva. "So, you think Maria will like it?"

"You made it for her?" Minerva crouched a little to study it, still laughing. "I thought it was for Yuliya."

"I considered it, but then decided I'd make her one when she's put on a little more weight. So, I made this for Maria, as a thank you for everything she's done. And because I noticed that her dresses are getting a little small. She's hitting a growth spurt, isn't she?"

"She is. She's complaining about the growing pains." Minerva nodded, smiling softly. "She'll love it. The dress, I mean. Shall we give it to her now? I'm sure she could use the cheer and distraction."

"Sure, sounds good." I folded the dress carefully and draped it over my arm. "Lead on."

Shortly after I gave Maria the dress, and nearly got knocked over from her enthusiastic hug, a War Meeting was called to discuss the inevitable battle. It was almost hard to breath with all the tension in the air. War Meetings were never fun and games, but this particular one weighed heavily on us all.

"I still do hope we can resolve this peacefully, for Yuliya and Jubelo," Prince Marth explained to the rest of us. Kris was standing at his side, just as always, while Hardin stood on his other side. Nyna was sitting, as was our normal, and I was perched on the arm on her chair. Caeda stood between Nyna and Kris, representing the fliers for Minerva, who opted to do an aerial patrol instead. "They've gone through so much, and it's clear they think the world of these two generals." Prince Marth's eyes, however, did dart to Nyna, telling me that she had managed to tell him everything, and that he wanted to resolve things peacefully for her sake too. "So…"

"Unfortunately, we might need to make them buckle before they'll listen," Hardin pointed out. While he pretended to be the calm counterpoint to Prince Marth, he also gave Nyna and me concerned looks. He worried too. I tried to smile to reassure him, but it only made him worry more. "I sent mine to check again, but Wolf's report stated he thought they were moving. If so, we won't have long."

"But how do we make them buckle without…" Marth leaned over the map, fingers digging into the table. Kris nudged him and smiled reassuringly when he glanced over. "I don't want to turn the rivers red if we can help it. Not like the strait."

"Well, I think I can neutralize General Lorenz," Caeda volunteered. She smiled sweetly when we all looked at her, laughing. "You see, while I was doing a patrol, I caught sight of him and realized that I actually know him. He's one of my father's best friends, and I've known him since I was a little girl. I'd forgotten he was a general in Grust. He was always just 'Uncle Lorenz' to me."

"Well, shit, yeah, just send Caeda to him," Kris laughed. That laughter did wonders in easing the tension in the tent. "I mean; Caeda's got a good recruiting record with people she doesn't know. Isn't she like… four for four when it comes to convincing enemies to side with us?"

"You make it seem far better than it is!"

"Caeda, you're amazing. Let me praise you. Or Marth can, if you'd prefer it from him."

"Kris!"

"To keep us somewhat on track, much as I am certain we'd rather tease and be lighthearted..." I began, interrupting. Someone, unfortunately, had to. "I met Sir Lorenz back at Archanea palace, and he was absolutely disgusted that Grust sided with Dolhr." Caeda shot me a grateful look and I smiled back. I did wink when Kris playfully sulked, as a silent apology. "The trickiest part will be making sure she doesn't get shot down, but since she knows Sir Lorenz, she might be able to get away with 'Uncle Lorenz! Let's talk!' or something."

"Meaning we have a plan for Lorenz." Nyna murmured. She clasped her hands in her lap, and held herself a little taller to hide how much she wanted to slump. "So, that leaves Camus…"

"Leave him to me."

"Alone?!" Prince Marth immediately yelped, voice cracking a little from how loud he was. He was the only one surprised Nyna closed her eyes, expecting that I'd say that. Hardin winced, since he knew I'd do this too, while Caeda looked worried, but not shocked like Prince Marth. Kris, of course, grinned. We'd spent a long night discussing this. "You can't just-!"

"Forgive me, Prince Marth, but I am afraid I wasn't asking you for permission," I cut in. I made my voice as even as possible, my tone perfectly calm. People were more likely to listen to you if you made it clear you'd made your choice. "It hasn't come up, not really, but I am not a soldier in your army. I am Nyna's bodyguard, and I assist you on her orders, but when it comes to this, it is not your permission I seek." I got off the arm of the chair and knelt by Nyna. She still had her eyes closed. "Nyna. I can do this. Trust me."

"Always," she said without a single hesitation. She opened her eyes again, and I saw the fear and worry in them, but then she looked at Prince Marth and Hardin. "Very well. Marth, Hardin, please leave Camus to Diana, and whoever else she needs."

"But…" Prince Marth began. I stood up again, knowing I'd need to appear perfectly confident in this. I was nervous, truthfully. But I wouldn't let it show. "To go alone, against…"

"I know him better than anyone here," I, once again, interrupted. If I controlled the conversation, then I had this. "I lived with him for a year and a half. I've sparred with him. I know how to get through his stubbornness and pride. If you want to get him to surrender, I am your best chance at getting him to listen."

"She's actually discussed this with me," Kris chimed in. She caught my eye and winked. I smiled back, grateful. "I think it can work, and I'm careful about my plans. Dead thieves don't make gold. So, come on. Let her try. We can get back up for her easily with a little bit of care."

"Minerva's already volunteered to help me, actually." Well, she sort of did. They didn't know she didn't know the full plan. Yet. "We'll only really get one shot at this. The only other option is battering him into submission, and pray he doesn't die."

"I know she's always getting injured when she does missions like this, and that's why we normally ban her from it, but seriously, this is my plan, made with Diana's knowledge. If anything will work, this will. Not to be prideful or anything." Kris nudged Prince Marth, and Prince Marth sighed but nodded. "Thank you for the trust, pretty boy."

"And, with that settled, I'll go ahead and get ready." But I made sure to rest a hand on Nyna's shoulder to reassure her. "It'll be okay. I'll keep my promise."

"I have one order for you," she whispered. Slowly, she looked up at me as seriously as she could while hiding tears. Today was going to be a rough day emotionally, no matter what. "Don't die. Please."

"I won't," I promised. I squeezed her shoulder. "Wait for the good news, okay?"

I left the tent, mostly before Hardin or Caeda decided to weigh in with no doubt enough good sense to figure out a way to stop me. I strode through the camp without paying attention to anyone, focused entirely on what I would need, and who I would need to talk to. Kris, of course, to go through the plan again. Minerva, to actually tell her what was going on. Probably Midia or Jeorge to ask them to take over my normal infirmary duty. Lena was probably a good idea as well, to warn her that I was going on a 'mission' and, given previous experiences…

"Diana!" Jubelo's voice made me panic and I whirled, expecting some sort of trouble. Instead, I barely had time to brace myself before Jubelo and Yuliya crashed into me, clinging desperately to my legs. "Diana, please don't kill Camus and Lorenz?" Jubelo begged. Tears were already streaming down his face. Yuliya was crying so much that she couldn't do anything else but nod in agreement. "Please? They're nice and we love them and-"

"Easy, easy," I whispered, kneeling down to hug them properly. I rubbed their backs and kissed the top of their heads as I worked on calming them down enough to listen. Asking why they ran to me and not, say, the war meeting wouldn't solve anything. Besides, in this sort of state, they might've just defaulted to 'Diana makes everything better'. "I know you're worried, but we remember our promises to you. We even have a plan that we're almost certain will work for Sir Lorenz."

"B-But not Camus?"

"Camus is going to be tricky, because of his pride, his loyalty, and his guilt. But that's why I'm going to deal with him myself." A thought occurred to me as I wiped the tears from their faces. A thought that would not leave me alone, even as my heart keened at it. "Do you two want to help me, actually?" I hated asking. I really did. But some part of me thought it would do them some good to be at least a little involved. They had spent so much time helpless and stuck waiting and helping out in the infirmary had done wonders for their recovery. Maybe this would too. "You don't have to. It'll be scary. But if you want to…" It broke my heart how quickly they nodded. Yes, they were eager to do anything they could to keep from being helpless. "Okay. Then the first thing… well, the absolute first thing is cleaning your faces. Then we're talking to Minerva."

There was a lot that could go wrong with this. I knew that better than anyone. But if I didn't take the chance…

I could hear the sounds of battle in the distance, but I ignored it. Part of me felt guilty, not guarding the infirmary as I usually did, but the rest of me was completely focused on navigating the woods and not getting horribly lost. Thanks to the scouts, we knew where Camus was, more or less, and I needed to hurry to make sure I made it to him. There was a bit of timing to all of this, and my nerves were making me a little shaky. Not just because of how many things could go wrong. This would be the first time I'd seen him since Nyna and I left the palace. I'd talked about him with Sirius, but I hadn't seen him. It was like going on a long job and then coming back 'home' to the Wolf Pack. Nervous about what all might've changed. Worried that things would be too different to adapt.

With those thoughts bouncing through my skull, I made it to the clearing where our scouts had spotted Camus, and I got my first bit of good luck for the day. He was alone, letting his horse graze a bit on the grass. He looked up when he heard my approach and froze when he realized it was me. After a moment of staring, he dismounted and opened his mouth to say something. But he closed it without saying anything.

I remained silent for a while too, studying him. Making sure it was really him and not Sirius, and then looking him over when I confirmed it. "No wonder you hid in Gra," I whispered at last. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Pardon?" Camus replied. He smiled slightly, like he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Well…"

"And when was the last time you ate properly? You've definitely lost weight, and I'm not sure you had a lot to spare." I sighed gustily, shaking my head. "For crying out loud… don't you know how to take care of yourself?"

"The first words out of your mouth are to scold me for my health? Really?"

"Well, clearly, no one else has." I gave him a stern look, and he attempted to retain some sort of stoicism. But within a handful of heartbeats, we were both laughing at how ridiculous this all was. "Well, aside from what I mentioned, you're looking good. Ish. Better than I would've thought, given your time in whatever Medy put you in."

"A cage and a dungeon. I've a few more scars, but nothing that affected my fighting ability."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not. You and Nyna made it."

"We did. And we got the army, just as Nyna promised she would when Archanea fell." I grinned at him. "I'd say we've done very well for ourselves. Somewhat. There's still issues."

"I'm sure." He continued laughing for a bit, but soon, it quieted. After all, no amount of cheer could erase the reason why I was out here. "Sirius delivered your message. With a laugh, I may add." His smile disappeared, but my grin only grew. "I don't intend to come quietly, you know. I have lived as a knight, and I intend to die as one. There are no other paths for me to walk."

"Luckily, I don't need you to walk. I told you that I'd drag you kicking and screaming if I had to." I dropped a hand to my sword, and he took Gradivus off his horse's saddle. "I keep my promises, Camus. I always do. And I made on, to both you and Nyna."

"You are the most stubborn person I have ever met."

"You and Nyna made the mistake of making me feel again. That includes stubbornness."

A low, deep, rumbling roar echoed through the air then, rolling like thunder. It was quicker followed by a higher, louder roar. I glanced up to see Tiki and Bantu's heads just above the trees, both having transformed into their dragon forms. Camus gaped at them, probably taken very off-guard because we hadn't really used dragons in our strategy since Archanea fell. I, however, had been expecting it. Hardin had insisted on some sort of distraction to help Caeda and me reach our destinations safely. But I didn't need it for safety. I needed it to get the jump on Camus. Because even with that distraction, I barely landed a gash on his arm.

He retaliated instantly, and I got a graze across my abdomen as I tried to dodge. He parried my next strike, but I kicked him. He caught my leg and yanked me forward to be off-balance. And so our fight began.

He didn't mount up, even though he was best at fighting while mounted. He didn't use his full strength, and it was easy to see just because of how long I was lasting. Ignoring how he was wielding Gravidus, the most powerful lance on the continent, he was wielding a lance. I was wielding a sword. Honestly, he could've skewered me and be done with this. But he didn't. I knew he wouldn't. Because for all that he swore to put aside his feelings to be the knight, he considered me his friend and he didn't want me to die. For all that he tried to harden his heart, he didn't want Nyna to cry, and if I was hurt, she would. He had to hold back, or add to his guilt.

I was a very horrible person, using that to my advantage, but I would take it. I had to, really. If I didn't, there was no way I'd keep my promise.

After a while, about the time where the battle-fever turned everything from 'dear gods, what the hell am I doing?' to 'haha, I am invincible! Except not!', I decided to go for the next part of the plan. As I dodged a couple hits, I reached into my pocket, and pulled out one of Kris's 'little gifts', given to me shortly before I left. I dodged a couple more strikes before I threw it as hard as I could at him. Camus automatically slashed at it, releasing the smokescreen, and in the midst of the coughing, I ran. After a few steps, I glanced back, just to make sure he was following, and seeing that he was, I focused on running as fast as I could. I knew he'd follow. At this point, his pride and stubbornness was kicking in. And by running, I reduced the chances of others intervening, and I knew he'd prefer that. If his soldiers saw him fighting me, they'd strike me down easily. Because I was the 'enemy'.

I kept on running, ducking through the trees to slow Camus down just a little bit, heading for where I knew the trees thinned out. Even knowing where I was, though, I had to skid to a stop to keep from tumbling off the cliffs that over looked the river. A quick look around showed that I was probably further upriver from the spot I'd scouted out earlier with Minerva, but it was close enough to work. Hopefully. So, I settled into a stance and dodged when he struck. When I parried another one, teeth rattling even from the glancing blow, I made a mental note to thank Hardin for all the sparring practice. His lessons vastly improved my ability to hold out against a lance user.

However, those lessons did give me the time to realize something crucial that I stupidly hadn't considered. The fighting style he used was different now. Which made sense, considering it had been quite a few months since I'd last fought him. It was less aggressive than before, but guarded his legs more, especially the one I knew was crippled. With the range advantage, and his general skill, I knew it would take a long while to break through it. A while that I didn't want to risk. So, glancing to the side, I made a quick change to the 'plan' and mentally thanked Kris for insisting on giving me three of her 'little gifts'.

Ducking under a slash, I brought out another of Kris's 'little gifts' and threw it. Camus didn't slash at it this time, but dodged it instead to make it land harmlessly far away. I used that as a distraction to grab the third and throw it on the ground to set off another smokescreen. Camus coughed and looked around, clearly expecting me to run. But I didn't. Instead, I took advantage of the dropped guard to sheathe my sword and land three blows to his leg. The second of the three hit that scar, left from Charles two years ago, and Camus buckled instantly, gasping in pain. I tried to pin him down as the smoke began fading, but I couldn't get a good enough angle to overcome the strength difference. So, I made a mental apology to pretty much everyone, kicked Gradivus out of his hand, made sure I had a good grip on both him and my sword, and twisted us both off the cliff.

It wasn't a long fall. I'd planned for that. Not because the plan including me cliff-diving, but just in case one of us fell. It also had a lot of sand and other soft ground, so it was a relatively soft landing. Mine was even softer, since I managed to angle my landing to bounce off of Camus and knock the air out of him. I scrambled to my feet as he tried to recover, and managed to actually pin him this time, thanks to having more room to maneuver and him not fighting me as much. He did still try to struggle, but I got my blade out of its sheathe, messily enough to accidentally fling the sheathe somewhere behind me, and got the blade against his throat. With that, and the pin, I had him. Barely.

"I win," I declared, breath ragged. I was really feeling all the bruises and a very quick glance showed I was bleeding, scraped up by something. "Surrender."

"Not quite yet…" he growled. He tried to flip me, but I managed to dig in my feet. And made him wince and give up because of my 'conveniently' stepping on that scar on his leg. If it sent enough pain to make him buckle, then continued pressure had to be the worst. "Ugh…"

"You know; you really should've expected dirty tactics from the start. I'm a mercenary, not a knight. I don't have honor the same way you do."

"What even were those smokescreens anyway?"

"Kris made them. She's Prince Marth's guard, basically. You met her."

"The mage knight."

"Yep. The Thoron tome has been very useful, by the way."

"I figured." Camus began laughing bitterly then, hanging his head and slumping. Definitely giving up. "Why do you not give up on me? Given everything that happened. Why?"

"You mean besides 'hey, you are kind of my friend' and 'I made a promise and I damn well meant it'?" I sighed gustily, retroactively apologizing to everyone who ever had to deal with me. "I told you. You need to stop denying yourself happiness out of guilt. If I need to do that, then so do you. We are not the only ones allowed to sacrifice for loved ones." I shifted my grip on him, hands and arms aching. "We're both idiots, thinking that way."

"But that is what a knight does."

"Trying to protect loved ones at the cost of your life is admirable, but that's not what you do. That's not what I do. We have no regard for our lives at all, and we just happen to keep the people we love safe. So, no, it's not what a knight does. It's just what people like you and me do. And I won't let that kill you. I won't."

"Even if I deserve it?"

"Well, I don't agree. Nyna doesn't agree. Sirius doesn't agree." A shadow passed overhead, and I smiled when I saw Minerva land not far from us, basically only far enough to make sure her wyvern didn't kick up sand in our faces. "Do you think they'd agree?"

"Who are you talking about?" Camus lifted his head, frowning at Minerva as she helped her 'passengers' off the wyvern. And he stiffened, because he knew them. Of course he knew them. "Prince Jubelo? Princess Yuliya?"

"I saved them. Thanks to what you told me, I found and saved them, with a lot of help. I've been taking care of them." I smirked, amused. I had this. "I told you. I fight dirty. Let's see you try to explain to them why you're trying to fight to the death."

"You are a very mean person."

"I'm a very loyal person." I glanced up and saw Jubelo and Yuliya racing for us. "And it's always been my biggest flaw."

"Camus!" Jubelo slipped in the sand, but he caught himself and threw his arms around Camus. I hastily removed my blade from Camus's throat. "Camus, you're okay!" he sobbed. "You're okay!"

"We've missed you," Yuliya added. She tried to be a little calmer, but lost the fight and tucked herself into his chest to hide her own tears. "You're horribly late, by the way. Why are you fighting? They're nice. Mostly."

"Well, that's…" Camus began shakily. But, as I knew would happen, he didn't have the words. He struggled for them, but all the excuses in the world didn't really work on children. "I…"

"Is it because of us?" Yuliya looked up at him and tugged on his shirt. "B-because we're safe. We're here. We're home."

"So, you don't have to fight anymore," Jubelo added. He managed a smile through his tears. "So, please? We're tired of all the fighting."

"…Okay," Camus whispered. I stepped away, but he didn't try to get up. Instead, he just hugged Yuliya and Jubelo. "Okay. I'll stop. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, you two."

I watched a moment longer before limping over to Minerva. She leaned against her wyvern with a smile, eyes soft as she watched the heartwarming scene, but she looked over to me when I got close. "You threw yourself off the cliff?" she asked dryly. "I swore the plan was to meet on the cliff, because the openness would make it easier for the two of them. But I was flying by, and saw you throw the two of you off of the cliff."

"I couldn't pin him, and had no idea how close you were," I protested before groaning. I ached all over and I just wanted to curl up and fall asleep. "Why can I never do a mission that doesn't leave me bruised?"

"At least you're not near death this time." Minerva laughed and nudged me to her wyvern. "Let's get you patched up while they continue to guilt him."

"Thanks." I smiled at her, as brightly as I could. "Really, thanks for playing along with this."

"They're smiling. You're smiling. Nyna will smile too, hopefully." She gave me a knowing smirk, and I smiled back. She hadn't been 'officially' told, but she guessed. I probably made it obvious by accident. "But let's get you bandaged, okay?"

"Thank you."

It took a bit to figure out some way to safely return to the fight, and even longer to find Gradivus. But when we did, Camus 'officially' surrendered, and Yuliya and Jubelo shamed the Grust soldiers on our side of the field into standing down. On the other side, closer to the castle, Caeda successfully talked down Sir Lorenz, and got them all to surrender. From there, we moved into the castle. King Ludwik was in his rooms, refusing to leave, even to meet with his children. Yuliya and Jubelo didn't care, and honestly, I thought that was the saddest thing of all.

"I can't believe you," Nyna murmured, much later, after everything had calmed down. She carefully tended to my bruises and scrapes, struggling to not cry. "I mean… I believed, but I also… oh, how do I explain?"

"You believed that I would do everything I could, but also believed that life would kick us in the ass," I helpfully translated. I winced as she picked a rock out of a scrape before cleaning it. "Also, this is a nice room. Much better than the guest rooms used to be."

"I'm glad you approve." She sniffed, and rubbed roughly at her eyes before returning to cleaning my injuries. "Well, it's nice and soft. The bed is nice."

"They replaced the mattresses. You can actually bounce on this. Trying to jump on the mattresses last time I was here simply led to the bed collapsing."

"You know this first hand?"

"Maybe." I grinned and, after a moment, she giggled. "But yeah, they're much better. Though, not necessarily cleaner." I frowned as I noticed dust in the corners. "Who cleaned these rooms?"

"Now, now, it was meant to be a quick clean anyway."

"Quick cleans involve corners." I grumbled a little more, and she continued giggling. "So, how are you?"

"Hmm? About?"

"Camus. Being here with us. Finally."

"Oh, well…" She smiled shyly. "I get to see him again. I get to talk to him. I get to walk beside him again. That's enough."

"What? You don't want him to kiss you breathless against a wall, among possibly other things?" I laughed when she went bright-bright red. "Come on. It's just me here."

"…W-well, maybe. If he wants. I do want to talk to him again, and… you know… maybe have a more traditional courting?"

"Make sure the spark is still there." I smiled gently at her, and she smiled back, still blushing badly. "Well, from here, it won't be all sunshine and rainbows, much as I wish it were." No matter how much people liked her, Nyna was hoping to make a former enemy her lover. That wasn't going to go over well. "You'll have a long fight ahead of you. But I'll be here, for both of you."

"If you don't bruise everything first."

"At least I didn't break anything?" I made my smile sheepish, and she pouted at me before tying off the last bandage. "And I'm not horribly bloody?"

"If you ever have to go on a mission again, Kris is making the plan."

"You won't hear me complaining." I might've said more, probably to tease her more, but the door suddenly slammed open and I jumped off the bed to scoop up my sword and prepare for the interlopers. However, before I settled into a stance, I realized our visitors were Yuliya and Jubelo, who were both grinning at me. And holding the hands of a very awkward Camus.

"Diana!" Yuliya laughed. She let go of Camus to hug me. "Lorenz wants to have dinner with us, but we can't remember what foods we can safely have."

"You're still on mild foods as per healer's orders," I replied. I looked up at Camus, who apparently found a spot on the floor very interesting, and then over at Nyna. Nyna had stood up as well and smoothed her skirts, awkwardly looking away because the wall was incredibly intriguing somehow. "But you two are horrible at picking them out, so you must be very careful."

"So, can you come with?"

"Is this a roundabout way of asking to have dinner?"

"N-no!"

"Yep!" Jubelo answered without a shred of shame. He also let go of Camus to hug me. Yuliya gave him a dirty look. "We know you're busy, though. Are all your injuries okay?"

"They are," I reassured, ruffling his hair. I glanced up again, and saw Camus and Nyna just standing silently, not quite looking at each other. Except they repeatedly did peek, and look away again. "Was Camus watching you while I was getting tended?"

"He was." Jubelo frowned at Camus, noticing the slowly growing awkwardness in the room. "Um…"

"Right, you two head outside." I nudged them towards the door, crossed the room to rest my blade in the back corner, and then when I returned I 'accidentally' shoved Nyna right at Camus. She yelped and struggled to not fall, but Camus caught her automatically. They stared at each other for a moment, before Nyna clung to him with all her strength, and Camus hugged her back.

Jubelo and Yuliya, still in the doorway, looked very confused, but I ushered them out and closed the door behind us. "Diana?" Yuliya asked as we walked down the hall. Both of them took my hands and stepped closer to me. "Is Nyna Camus's lover?"

"Not officially, yet," I replied. Both of them gasped, but smiled happily. "Excited?"

"It's like the stories!" Yuliya's eyes sparkled and there was a bit of a bounce to her step now. "The princess and the knight! They'll live happily ever after, right?"

"Well, they'll have to fight a little more. I'm sure you've noticed the world can be complicated. But I'm sure they'll reach it."

"Aw, that'll probably mean Camus will have to leave, right?" Jubelo asked. His smile faded a bit, and Yuliya's own cheer diminished. "Nyna will have to go to Archanea. She'll be the empress."

"There is nothing that says you can't visit, or that he can't visit you," I gently reminded, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "I'll be living with Nyna too, but I know I'll always welcome you two."

"Promise?"

"Promise." I kissed his forehead, and hugged them both. Yuliya pouted before I kissed her forehead too. "I'd miss you too much."

"We'll miss you too," Yuliya murmured. She coughed, struggling to regain some sort of dignity, and tugged my hand. "B-but, come on! Lorenz is waiting!"

"He is," Jubelo agreed. He tugged my hand too, and both 'dragged' me down the hall. They were too weak still to really do that, but it was amusing. "Actually, there he is."

"Oh, you're right! Lorenz!" Yuliya waved with her free hand to Sir Lorenz, who was waiting at the end of the hall. "We're here!"

"So I see," Sir Lorenz laughed, smiling softly. He looked around in confusion, though. "I thought Camus was with you."

"He was, but he's kissing Nyna now," Yuliya explained. I nearly choked on a laugh. "So, Diana is going to join us."

"I see." Sir Lorenz focused on me, and bowed. "Truthfully, I didn't expect to see you again, Dame Diana. I must thank you for keeping Prince Jubelo and Princess Yuliya safe, and for saving Camus."

"Well, I had help," I replied, torn between pride and humility. Pride almost won. I felt amazing and… mostly unstoppable. The bruises reminded me that I was, in fact, very stoppable. "And I'll continue protecting him. And Nyna."

"Then there's nothing to fear for them. I'm glad for that." He laughed and looked down to the twins. "Now, then. What do you two say to a good meal? I'm starving."

"They can't eat too fast. And not too many sweets yet." I scowled as Jubelo and Yuliya groaned. "You don't want to be sick again, do you?"

I didn't see Camus or Nyna until the next morning, partially because I chose to celebrate the victory with Astram, Wolf, Hardin, and the other soldiers. And paritially because they'd spent the rest of the day talking to each other and tentatively making their plans for the future. I teased them silly. I felt I deserved that.

Notes on Lorenz:

A general of Grust and an old friend of King Mostyn of Talys. He lost his eye long ago, charging ahead recklessly instead of holding the line as he should've.

His age is catching up to him, making him weaker than he had been in his prime. However, he is still capable of guarding with the best of them, and his experience helps dearly for planning these final battles.

Despite his intimidating presence, he acts like a doting uncle to Caeda, Yuliya, and Jubelo, as well as a doting father to Camus. He loves nothing more than listening to them explain their day, and teasing them.

Notes on Camus:

Leader of the Sable Knights, widely regarded as Grust's finest knight, and many call him the strongest warrior on the continent.

Strong, reasonably fast, with a lot of stamina and skill. That he also wields Gradivus, a lance capable of healing the wielder, makes him almost unkillable.

Honorable, righteous, loyal, stubborn and prideful. Prone to guilt complexes, but does his best to protect the people he loves with all that he has. His loved ones are, truly, his only weakness.

Author's note: Okay. Here's where I have a canon deviation, a fairly big one. In game, you have to 'kill' Camus, because… well, there's a reason why it's called the Camus Archetype (others in the archetype include Eldigan in FE4, Galle in FE6, Selena in FE8, and Xander in FE14 Birthright). Full disclosure, I am not fond of this archetype, as both a reader and a writer. It can be done well, but most of the time, I get irritated at the characters and writing in question. And, funnily enough, the way Camus got handled is the most infuriating to me. For multiple reasons.

1) On the very same map, you recruit Lorenz. With the argument that a true knight should guide the country, and that a true knight should protect the people and all that lovely stuff. An argument that was never said against Camus, despite him basically saying the same thing as Lorenz. (Ftr, yes, Caeda can recruit Lorenz, but so can Marth, and they basically use the same argument. Marth also talks with Camus, and the conversation involves Nyna pleading to Camus to stand down.) This is the least of my annoyances because I can actually think of a few in-character things for it. I heavily dislike it, but I could've figured out a way to make it make sense. Maybe. (Hey, I made something work for Eldigan. Ish. If this was the only thing, I could've made it work.)

2) Camus doesn't actually die. No, really, he doesn't die. Somehow, despite him being an enemy commander, and despite him being someone that Marth and Nyna actually want to survive, he is simply left for dead with no one checking and he survives. (Why does Fire Emblem think people won't check that commanders are dead?)

3) He somehow manages to wash ashore in Valentia, across the sea to the west, while being only mostly dead (because apparently no one bothers to check that enemy commanders are dead in Fire Emblem games, yes this bothers me a lot). He loses his memory from the trauma and is renamed Ezekiel, or 'Zeke', a playable Gold Knight from FE2/FE15. Except, based on dialogue (admittedly, could be wrong here), he not only washed ashore (while being near dead based on the memory prism specifically mentioning his very bad injuries) he also washed ashore on the wrong coast. The dialogue in Echoes implied, to me at least, that Tatiana and Zeke have always lived in that Rigelian village. Which is visited in Alm's story. Which is in the western half of Valentia. For reminders, Archanea is east of Valentia. (If I'm wrong on this, feel free to correct me. I don't mind.)

There are a few other lesser reasons (well, not lesser, but more personal things instead of 'I disagree with the writing choice' things), but mostly, I am annoyed by these story decisions and this is a fanfiction where I can bend things and I decided that the headaches of accounting for this canon deviation were less than the headaches of trying to reason all of the above out. So here, have Camus surviving. And we'll 'pause' the discussion there for now, to continue in the next chapter's author's notes. I'm sure most can guess the rest from here, but still, pausing for now because it'll be a little more relevant in the next chapter.

For additional notes, in this chapter, you can obtain the Hammerne staff, which repairs items. Lena is the only one capable of using it because, as dialogue outright states, it's been passed down through her family. (You're near her home village and get the staff from visiting and talking to her grandfather.) If you're curious about why Diana recommends a red dress for Tiki? Check out Tiki's Awakening artwork. There is no indication in game that Lorenz has his own little title-epithet thing. I just added that in. Bantu having a liking for pickling things comes up in his FE12 supports with the Avatar.

Next Chapter – Men and Monsters (Shadow Dragon Paralogue; also, fun fact, including interludes and intermission and epilogue, we are 9~ chapters away from the ending)