Author's note: The song from last time I sing much like the Misty Mountains cold from The Hobbit movies. On that note, I really enjoyed that trilogy. I always felt like the Lord of the Rings movies were rushed and even then they added in weird filler in the Two Towers like that whole section where Aragorn 'died.' In contrast, the filler to The Hobbit movies fits well and I barely notice which is filler and which isn't.

Oh right, another thing. NEW FIRE EMBLEM GAME! ARE YA'LL AS EXCITED AS I AM ABOUT THAT? Man I am so excited, the new fire emblem game is already looking really solid, though I'm unsure of when they plan to actually release it. My guess is 2016 but who can say. If that's the case, I've got a lot of work to do. I really want to get this fic done so I can novelize some other games, like Fire Emblem 6, Sacred Stones, and definitely Awakening now that I've set up that plot thread.

This chapter sees the two teams finally meet and Hector and Eliwood working together once more! What exactly has happened to Lord Darin anyway? I guess we'll find out! If you can, please leave a review. I really enjoy hearing from my reviewers. Special thanks to the generosity of Flipnhaole, for Wallace truly in not a master of directions.

Chapter 36: Birds of a Feather

An excerpt from the journal of Tactician William:

To get to Laus, Eliwood and our small band must first move through Santaruz. It makes me remember my necklace, which was made in Santaruz judging by its inscription. It's something I continue to wear even to this day, more for its sentimental value than any other. I can't say men look very good in necklaces. To aid in our quest, Eliwood arranged a meeting with the local ruling lord to see if we can learn anything of his father's movements. I suppose I should have foreseen the trouble that was yet to come.

Inside the Castle of Santaruz, Lord Helman paced back and forth with an anxiety of a man half his age. His old bones shouldn't have been able to move that quickly, but in the face of the coming danger he knew his fate was perhaps sealed forever. He should have never listened to Lord Elbert or Lord Darin those few months ago. Santaruz had never been a particularly prosperous Lycian nation, and ever since his daughter had left for the Sacaen plains with some nomad… what was it with Lords of Lycia losing their daughters to nomads? At least Lord Hausen had finally gotten some sort of vindication for their suffering. His granddaughter had returned to aid him in his time of need.

He opened up a small box, taking out the only letter he had ever received from his daughter. He opened it for what must've been the one thousandth time, taking in each line as he desperately looked for something new.

Dear Daddy,

I hope my letter finds you well. I know you've never been particularly fond of my choice of mates, but I also know you've never sent out search parties to find me. For that, you have my gratitude.

I've adjusted well to life on the plains, though I think me and my husband will be leaving them soon. I can't say I will be coming home though.

Our son has not fit in well with the tribe. They were kind enough to take us in, perhaps because their leader is also wed to a Lycian, but a child unable to help the tribe will only be a hindrance here on the plains. Not that I don't believe he is meant for greatness. Being your grandson, and my son, means he's just a bit of a late bloomer is all.

If we do move, I will try to write you again. Perhaps living in a port town of some kind will give you an excuse to come visit us. Until then, I just wanted you to know how much I love you, and am so thankful for you letting me go.

Your Daughter,

Caitlyn

He closed the letter as well as his eyes, tears stinging them. If only he had gone to see them sooner, he would've perhaps been able to at least wish them well before their fateful boat ride. That ship that had sunken beneath the waves what felt like only yesterday to him. It was only months afterwards from eyewitness accounts at the port had they even managed to get a death tally. Unfortunately, and undoubtedly among them had been his Daughter and Son-in-Law, not to mention his still young grandson. Fate was not always kind.

Looking out the window, he squinted his eyes when he noticed a small band of warriors headed his way. Of course, it must've been Lord Eliwood. He should've expected this. A cloaked messenger appeared, his golden eyes shining from beneath his hood. "Eliwood is here already?"

"Yes." The soft voice crooned. It had a strangely hypnotic effect to those who heard it, making his words seemed wise even when Helman knew it could be absolute madness. "They have set up camp on a hill just south of here. He has sent a request for an audience. With you."

"Could it be…" Lord Helman muttered, bringing his hand to his chin thoughtfully, stroking the under chin hair of his beard, "That Eliwood has come to ask of his father? If that's the case, I… I know not what to tell him."

"Tell him you know nothing." The voice crowed softly. "Then let him be on his way."

It was true that Eliwood would likely take him at his word, but Lord Helman felt guilty for even considering lying to the young lord. "I know young Eliwood well. His father and I are old friends. I… I no longer have children of my own, and I've always treated Eliwood with the kindness I could show a child." Lord Helman closed his eyes again, regretting losing himself in memory a few minutes before. "I do not believe I could look him in the eyes and lie to him. No, it would be more accurate to say that I could not do that to him."

The cloaked man seemed to consider this, with no small amount of confusion. "If that's the case," the voice said, carefully weighing its options as it sized up the Lord, "Let us chase the boy away." Lord Helman shot to attention, looking at the shadow differently than before. "If you do not speak with him, you need tell no lies."

"I will not harm Eliwood." Lord Helman said, his hand drifting to the dagger he kept at his belt. Something had struck him odd about this man, but to outright suggest he attack Eliwood to avoid giving him information was madness.

"Not harm." The voice amended quickly, "Frighten. A scratch or two will leave no scars. Eliwood will run home to Pharae and be done with this little adventure. After all, aside from his mother he is all Pharae has left."

That cryptic statement silenced Lord Helman, and though he didn't want to, a part of him was considering it. Getting Eliwood to return home may yet be the best course of action, even if he had to get a little rough to do it.

"Instead of entering Laus which such a small group, meet with Marquis Santaruz and request assistance." Marcus repeated what Will had just told him. "I can see the sense in it. It is a good plan."

"Truly so." Eliwood said. "I had not originally planned to ask for help, but Lord Helman… he's not only a close friend of my father's, but I've known him since I was a child and he always treated me kindly. I'm sure he'll help us."

"Lord Eliwood," Will said, his eyebrows furrowing as a rather strong looking group dressed in beggar's clothing approached, "All may not be well here."

"Noble sirs," the man leading the small group said, his voice a low chuckling hiss, "alms for a poor villager?"

"Poor?" Will asked, his eyebrow raised suspiciously. Marcus stepped forward in front of Eliwood to protect him. "You look nothing like and honest man to me."

"Clear the road." Marcus demanded. "Step quickly or—"

"Step quickly?" The man hissed and cackled. "Good advice. Maybe you're the one who should follow it?"

"What do you mean?" Eliwood asked, though Marcus continued to protect him.

"Someone wants the boy in an early grave." The hiss continued. "A pity, but he'll die here today. C'mon boys, earn your keep!"

He turned tail and ran, calling out his men as the two who had approached with him attacked. Marcus stopped one with a swift stab of his lance and while Will managed to block the other assailant as he tried to slip past Marcus, it was Dorcas who delivered the fatal blow. Running up, Dorcas retrieved his hand axe before patting Will gently on the shoulder. "Here we go again, eh? Our fates continue to be bound. Let me fight with you this battle, Will."

"I'd be honored." Will said, turning his eyes to the battlefield.

"Keep close!" Will shouted to the team. "Marcus and Lowen are to use their height from the horse to take any bandits they can on the left flank! Wallace will protect our right flank, and I want Rebecca using him as her shield to fire arrows! Bartre, you'll be in front of Eliwood and myself. Dorcas, I want you guarding our back, but it'll also give you range to make use of that hand axe."

"Got it." The team nodded. The number of bandits was much larger than last time and Eliwood grit his teeth in anger. How was it that Lycia had let itself fall so far that Bandits had free reign just outside castle walls? He would put a stop to it with his own two hands.

"Lord Hector!" Matthew shouted, gesticulating wildly at the blue haired lord as he returned, the nearby houses offering quite a bit of juicy information he was glad to have. "I've found out where Lord Eliwood is! He was spotted entering Santaruz not that long ago!"

"Is that so?" Hector said, pleased in spite of himself. "Then we've guessed his movements fairly well, then. Let's move due south and get across that border. We'll meet up with him in an hour at the most!"

"Ah, there he is!" Matthew involuntarily shuddered as he heard the shrill call, and even Hector felt a strong sense of foreboding as he turned towards the voice. Galloping towards them was Oswin, his brow furrowed in concentration as he did his best not to fall from his horse, and Serra, who was waving wildly and giggling happily at the sight of them. "Lord Hector!"

"Oh, no…" Matthew moaned under his breath, though Hector caught the lament.

"Serra," Hector began, half in surprise and half in an attempt to not sound like his usual prickly self. "What uh… What are you doing here?"

Serra smiled triumphantly as she dismounted gracefully from her steed. Oswin meanwhile barely managed to stumble of the steed without planting face first into the grass. "You're going to meet up with Lord Eliwood, right? Well, I want to come too!"

"Go home." Hector said, his attempt at tact all but forgotten. "We're not playing some sort of game."

"Oswin is the one who asked me to come along!" Serra huffed, pushing one of her pigtails back over her shoulder with one hand. "And I'm perfectly aware it isn't a game, thank you."

"Oswin?" Hector asked, raising his eyebrows doubtfully at the knight who was still standing experimentally after riding on a horse for so long.

Oswin nodded. "Yes, Milord, it's true. On the Marquis' Orders, Serra and I will be accompanying you."

"Bah." Hector growled, crossing his arms. So this is why his brother had let him go so easily. "This is ridiculous. He always gets the last word. Isn't that right, brother?"

"No matter what you may think, Lord Hector, Lord Uther is merely worried about you." Oswin said, finally finding his feet again. He didn't enjoy horses very much. "You're the only family he has left."

Hector's face fell at the reminder. It had not been so very long ago when he and Uther had been forced to bury their father and mother. The mysterious illness that had struck them had taken them far too soon. "I know…" Hector said, though much more softly than before.

Matthew, who had been looking away from Serra towards Santaruz, suddenly made a sound. "Lord Hector…" he began, his eyes squinting to see the distant dots, "There appears to be fighting over by Castle Santaruz."

"Where?" Hector suddenly burst to life, looking in the same direction as Matthew. His eyes truly were exceptional, as even squinting Hector couldn't make out where Matthew was pointing. "Is it Eliwood?" Matthew shrugged. It seemed even he couldn't see that much from here. "Let's get closer then! Oswin, Matthew, hurry up!"

"Yes sir!" Matthew said with a grin.

"My lord!" Oswin said, preparing his lance for battle.

"I'm coming too!" Serra shouted defiantly, and the four made their way towards the fighting going on far below.

The midday sun was now shining down upon the battle before Hector as his motley crew reached the battle. Not wanting to waste any time, Hector quickly approached the nearest soldier. "Hey hey! What's going on over there?" He walked up to the soldier, who turned to face him. The annoyed look did not give him a good feeling. "It looks like some pretty rough business. You're a soldier, right? You're really just going to stand here and watch?"

The soldier sighed and massaged his forehead. He wanted to tell this young man off, but the entourage and regal bearing suggested he was related to one of the other Lords of Lycia. It just meant he had to word himself more carefully. "Who do you think you are, outsider?" This is Santaruz, not your nation. What occurs here is not the business of any foreign lordlings."

"Yeah…" Hector said with a derisive chuckle. "I believe we're going to have to disagree on that. You see, the man being attacked over there happens to be a friend of mine."

"A friend?" The soldier asked, surprised. Before he could say anything further, however, he found himself punched hard in the gut by the blue haired lord's fist. "Urgh!" He gasped, before falling over onto the ground.

Hector was glad he had managed to knock the man out quickly. This gave them enough time to gather themselves before getting caught up in the fight. "Sorry. I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"That's terrible." Serra berated him. "I abhor violence, you know."

"Nicely done, milord!" Matthew cheered, if only to get on Serra's nerves even further. "You're truly a fighter born."

"I'm not sure I should condone resorting to violence so quickly…" Oswin muttered.

"Chastising later, Oswin." Hector said. "First we deal with these brigands or bandits or whatever they be! We've got to help Eliwood!"

"Help?" Oswin asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully. "It's sounding more like an excuse to commit more acts of violence."

"Oswin!" Hector barked, as he readied his axe.

"Yes yes, I'm coming." Oswin sighed, twirling his lance and stamping his foot on the ground to get a feel for the terrain.

"Matthew!" Hector ordered. "Bring Serra and follow behind us!"

"What?" Matthew asked, incredulous. "With… with Serra, Milord?"

"Why can't we just stick with you, Lord Hector?" Serra asked exasperatedly.

"You'll only slow us down!" Hector growled.

"How rude." Serra huffed, puffing out her cheeks.

"Oswin, let's move!" Hector commanded. He and Oswin ran towards the battle. Matthew, scratching his head, slowly meandered his way after them, Serra trailing behind him in spite of her anger.

Perhaps because he had picked up the habit from Will, Matthew took it upon himself to warn the nearby houses and make sure the inhabitants were safe. Since Lord Hector wanted him out of the battle and protecting Serra anyway, it made perfect sense to him. It was lucky he did, for he got some interesting information from them.

The first house had a woman. She seemed to be a fortune teller, and was babbling about fate and fighting alongside companions. He supposed she was talking about love fortunes, but all he had wanted to do was make sure she was safe. When she affirmed it, he left quickly before she could begin talking again.

The second house had a bit of old news. Well, old news for him. "I saw them, I did." The man said, hiding behind his counter with a pot over his head. Matthew wasn't entirely sure that would help him if bandits did indeed break in. "Marquis Pharae and his men passed right through here. They've all gone missing now though, haven't they? Group as strong as they all vanishing at once like that. Couldn't a been bandits, too strong for normal bandits. Must've been terrible. Terrible. World's coming to an end at this rate, I'll tell you that."

"Marquis Helman doesn't ask for much from his citizens. He's also a very nice fellow, though he gives off this feeling, you know? Like he's more of a follower than a leader, that type. Lately, he's been meeting with Marquis Laus a lot, or so I hear. I just hope nothing bad comes of it. Imagine if that tyrant took over Santaruz!" The woman in the third house seemed like an infallible gossip, but a tiny prod from Serra had allowed her to gush all of her information and while Matthew doubted the veracity of it he had to admit it was interesting to hear from one so close to the castle itself. In a sense, the only way the rumor could be here is if Laus had indeed visited several times over the last year.

As Matthew pondered his newly obtained information from the safety of the third house, the battle outside had quickly gone in Eliwood's favor. Will's strategy was simple and clean, and in spite of their threats the bandits did not offer much resistance. Marcus and Lowen had dispatched their enemies with ease while Wallace was a veritable mountain, taking several arrows to the armor without so much as a scratch being dealt to his actual body. Rebecca was also getting better at aiming her shots rather quickly, either disabling or maiming every bandit she aimed for. Will did notice she seemed to be purposefully avoiding kill shots, but at the moment that wasn't causing them any problems so he thought it best not to speak of it.

Eliwood and Will made a decent combination. His elegant swordplay along with the Sacaen stance Will has learned from the Kutolah didn't work together, but they stayed out of each other's way with relative ease. Not perfection, but thankfully they didn't need it, especially with Bartre nearby going wild with his axe. Will hated Bartre's favored move, where he'd simply begin spinning his axe in a circle until he got too dizzy to move. Not only was it dangerous to allies, it left him open for a long period afterwards and Dorcas ended up having to cover for his foolish friend twice during the battle.

It helped Will understand the skill levels of their current crew. Wallace and Marcus were the highest level. Dorcas and Eliwood were below that. Both were heavilt proficient but not masters like the other two. Will would argue Rebecca would be next, with a tiny bit more training. Then came Lowen, Bartre, and finally himself. That wasn't to say he was terrible at fighting, but he was certainly the lowest of this highly skilled group.

On top of that, a duo was cutting through a few bandits that were up ahead, and as they did Will could recognize a familiar tuft of blue hair. Eliwood as well seemed to recognize the man, and ran over to meet him as soon as they were close. "Eliwood!" Hector laughed, seeing his friend approach. "You're looking fine. That's good."

"Hector!" Eliwood cried in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Later." Hector said, raising his hand as he eyed the leader of the bandits. "Let's take care of that lout first, shall we?"

"Right." Eliwood said, smiling. He and Hector quickly approached the bandit, who seemed not to fear the two lords even in spite of the decimation of his men.

"I'll just have to show these boys how it's done." He spat, raising his axe.

The battle began. Eliwood struck with his rapier, but the man dodged before leaping into the air, bringing his axe down in an overhead strike. Hector parried the blow with his own axe, knocking the axe to the side. The opening he created was followed with a rough kick to the man's abdomen, and he doubled over for a moment in pain before backing away, swinging his axe horizontally to prevent Eliwood and Hector from pushing him further.

An arrow flew from outside their fight, and the sharp thunk and scream of pain had the leader dropping his axe as the arrow became lodged in his good shoulder. Following this, Will stepped up behind the man before driving his Killing Edge through his heart. The bandit leader gasped before collapsing to the ground in a heap. "Forgive me, Eliwood." He said. "I didn't feel the risk was necessary."

Eliwood nodded, though his eyes remained on the dead man. If Rebecca's arrow had injured him so badly, he wasn't entirely sure the killing blow had been necessary. Was it simply because he knew Will's past that he found Will finishing their opponent slightly off putting? Or was it because he had let their previous opponent surrender? Eliwood sighed. Either way, he'd be receiving a lecture from Marcus on proper swordplay later.

"Is that all of them?" Hector asked, looking around in case there were any bandits left to crawl out from the woodwork.

"Where in the world did you come from, Hector?' Eliwood asked.

"Well met to you as well." Hector answered jokingly.

"I'm not saying it isn't well met, but what are you doing here?" Eliwood asked again.

"You wound me!" Hector said, with a mock gesture of fainting.

"How do you mean?" Eliwood asked in confusion.

"You're looking for your father, right?" Hector said. "Why didn't you send word, eh?"

"Your brother is the Marquis of Ostia." Eliwood answered honestly. "He's busy with the court councils. I figured he would need your support more than ever right now. You are his brother, after all."

Hector pursed his lips. He had heard the same argument from every single person who had tried to stop him from going. It was like they were all on the same wavelength. "My brother is not so weak, Eliwood. Sure, he's made some things public against the council's wishes, but even then…" He trailed off, not sure how to continue. He spotted Oswin, who was speaking with Marcus. "He knew exactly what I planning, it turns out. He still let me go."

"Is that so?" Eliwood asked. When Hector nodded, Eliwood felt his fears alleviate somewhat. The last thing he had wanted was to be the cause of a rift between the two. However, he couldn't deny that if Hector was here to help him it lifted a great weight off his shoulders. Hector brought a sense of security neither Marcus or Will could muster in the young prince. "Well then, it would be unwise to refuse his kindness. It does me good to see you, Hector."

"Think nothing of it." Hector grinned. He then spotted Will. He hadn't seen the man since their parting a year ago, though he had noticed fresh flowers placed upon Maria's grave the last time he had visited around the time she had died. "Come over here, tactician." Will obliged, though he felt awkward talking to the blue haired lord again. Eliwood began to look a little worried once more as the two stared at each other. The silence continued for a few minutes until Hector spoke. "Eliwood asked for your expertise?"

"Yes." Will answered.

"Then I'm at your service. I'll introduce you to my companions. You're already pretty familiar with them, but it can't hurt." Hector said. It was likely out of respect for Eliwood more than himself, but Will appreciated the gesture. "Oswin!"

"Well met." The orange knight said, bowing to Eliwood.

"So you came as well, Oswin?" Eliwood asked.

"Yes. Lord Uther was worried about Lord Hector traveling alone. I've been ordered to keep a close eye on him."

"Oswin is a knight, much like your friend Wallace." Hector explained. "His armor may not look as heavy, but I assure you he's built like a rock."

"I see." Will said, nodding as he looked at the knight. While it wasn't a magic user, another front line fighter with high defensive capabilities was a very useful thing to have.

"Lord Hector!" An annoyed voice sounded. "Why didn't you tell us the fighting was done!"

The voice might've been one of the angels descending from the heavens for Will. He turned just in time to see both Serra and Matthew approaching, before running over to greet them. "Serra! Matthew! It's good to see you both again!"

Serra momentarily pulled back in surprise before she recognized him. "Will? Goodness it's been ages! Your last letter did say you were headed for Pharae, but I never expected to find you here."

"You don't know how happy I am to see you." Will said. "Both personally and strategically."

"Well, I'll just go my own merry way then." Matthew said as Serra blushed at the compliment.

"Oh no you don't." Will laughed, catching the thief round the neck. "You didn't tell me what happened to that tip I gave you in my last letter! You're going to have to work double to make up for it!"

Despite his protests, Matthew grinned as the two struggled. Eliwood let out a laugh, having not seen Will act quite this jubilant before. "Are these your companions then, Hector?"

"Yes, I suppose they are…" Hector said, covering his face in embarrassment. "One might have hoped for better, but…"

"That was uncalled for!" Serra shouted. "I can't believe you said that! Matthew, did you hear what Lord Hector said about you?"

"Me?" Matthew asked incredulously as he and Will continued their little war, "He was talking about you!"

Eliwood raised an eyebrow at Hector, who sighed. "Serra's one of the best healers Ostia has to offer. Matthew is one of our best spies. Like I said, they don't always make for the best company, but they are… reliable."

Eliwood laughed again as Hector turned away from the three and their childish spat. "So… what really brought you?"

"This journey of yours," Hector began, a strange look in his eyes, "I have a gut feeling it will be harder than you can imagine. You may need to accept things you wouldn't have otherwise if you plan to survive."

"Do you know something?" Eliwood asked in confusion. Glancing back at Will, he leaned in closer. "Is it about the Black Fang?"

"Nothing specific, to be frank." Hector sighed. "Rumors abound, though. The Black Fang apparently appearing in Lycia, experienced mercenaries and bounty hunters vanishing into thin air…"

"That reminds me!" Eliwood said, suddenly coming to a realization. "One of the men who attacked us said something rather odd."

"What did he say?" Hector asked.

"He seemed to be saying that someone was watching me." Eliwood said, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "That someone wanted me dead."

"That's troubling." Hector growled, clenching his fist. He had chosen not to tell Eliwood of the attack on Castle Ostia if he could avoid it, for his brother's sake, but he was already regretting that decision. "Actually, one of the guards was just watching the fight when we arrived. He was definitely a Knight of Santaruz, and yet he just stood there and let you be attacked. I think… I think he was planning on seeing you die."

"That's worse than I imagined." Hector turned to see Will, who was clearly done berating Matthew. "Forgive me for eavesdropping, but if what you say is true, something may have befallen Lord Helman. We should hurry to the castle."

"You have a good point." Eliwood said. "We should get moving."

"Is everyone ready to go?" Hector asked, and the group nodded. "Good, then let's get moving! We march on Santaruz Castle!"

"Another crazy mission." Will muttered.

"Think you could take a castle with thirteen without a single casualty?" Hector asked.

"I'm desperately hoping we'll be able to avoid a fight altogether." Will responded. "But I'm not going to count on it."