Chapter 21) Dance in the Skies

The others march off in the morning, heading for the nearby villages and Thove castle. I spent most of that morning apologizing and reassuring Chulainn before seeing everyone off, making sure to do so with a smile. Afterwards, things are quiet. No battles come near. No real emergencies. About once a day, we get a rush of badly injured, but never enough to really overwhelm. Those that die are buried with as much ceremony as we can give, and all the flowers we can find with the snows.

It's quiet enough that, if not for the absence of everyone, it would've been easy to forget there was a battle going on. I'm not sure how much I like it. It makes me nervous, like something is stalking us. But it's good for the children, at least. They're getting a lot of extra attention.

"Thanks for handling the diapers, Lachesis," Ayra laughed, picking up Larcei from the changing table and gently tossing her up in the air. Larcei laughed and wiggled as Ayra caught her, hands going to Ayra's earrings, but Ayra tilted her head back to make sure she couldn'. "You're rather good at it."

"Well, I do have practice from Ares, Ayra," Lachesis pointed out with a grin and a wink. She winced, though, and rested her hand on her stomach. "Though, I think the smell did make my stomach turn."

"I'm sure Alicia's already got some medicine for that."

"Probably. Alicia?"

"Oh, no, I don't keep a supply of medicines to help ease your nausea despite how nauseous you get," I deadpanned, not even looking up from my mending. I heard them both giggle, and smiled slightly. "It's on the back table."

"Thank you, Alicia~!" Lachesis giggled. She caught me in a quick hug as she passed and skipped to the back. "Ugh, I'll be so glad when this nausea ends!"

"Based on Ayra and Aideen, that'll be after you've given birth."

"Ugh!"

Laughing softly, I focused on my mending again, enjoying the fun here in the nursery. Normally, I'd be in the infirmary, or at least making medicine, but considering the low number of injured and how the worst of their injuries were already tended to, Oifeye and Shanan had volunteered to watch the infirmary for me and to make medicines, since they've done both often. I'd been a bit hesitant, but I did relent, wanting to spend a little bit of time with Caitriona and Conall. I trusted them to know what they were doing, and I knew that at the first sign of something they didn't know, they'd immediately come find me.

A tugging on the end of the pants I was mending made me look down, and I laughed when I saw Caitriona batting at it, frowning and lifting herself up a little. I set my mending to the side and scooped her up, setting her on my lap to play and tickle her. She was starting to be able to sit up without support, so she'd probably be crawling soon, based on how it had been with Seliph. Conall didn't show any inclination, far more easy going than Caitriona who wanted to get into everything, but I was fairly certain he'd follow before long. Though, currently, he was content with relaxing with his rattle, particularly when Ayra dropped Larcei off with him and started playing with them both. I worried a bit about Seliph, Ulster, and Lester, but Lachesis had the latter two and Seliph looked very content in stacking up his blocks. His bear, the one I'd bought him, was tucked in his lap.

He looked up suddenly, like he knew I was watching, and pushed himself up to toddle over, carrying his bear with him. "Licia," he declared, pointing at me. Then he climbed up in my lap, almost knocking Caitriona off, but I caught her before she fell. When she scrunched up her face to cry, Seliph made his bear 'dance', really just moved it up and down, to make her giggle. "Story please?"

"Oh, you want a story?" I asked, smiling. He nodded, and I laughed. "Okay, let's pick a book for you and Caitriona, then."

Once I finished telling them the story, Seliph played with, or beside rather, Caitriona while she tried to eat one of his blocks. We had to deal with Seliph throwing a little tantrum, and Ayra took over playing with Seliph while I fussed over Caitriona and then Conall. I'd just settled down to mend again when Midir appeared, back from whatever patrol he had done to play with the children with us. The four of us chatted happily about whatever, from the birds Midir saw on his patrol to how cleanup and repairing the damages from the battles was going.

However, all the cheer paused when Midir suddenly frowned and said, "Alicia, I think Ulster might have a bruise?"

"Really?" I asked, startled. I put my mending to the side and shot to my feet, wondering how I could've missed a bruise during my last checkup. I must've been very distracted. "Let me see."

"Here." He picked up Ulster and set him on my little 'examination table' tucked in one of the corners. Ayra immediately began hovering over my shoulder worriedly, shifting from one foot to the other. "He's not bothered by it, but I did notice."

"Understood." I first checked over him with my staff and, finding nothing, I began simply prodding Ulster. All he did was giggle and babble, apparently thinking it was a game. "Where did you think you saw the bruise, Midir?"

"On his right wrist."

"Ah." I focused all my attention there and did finally see the discoloration, blacks and pale bruise implying a bruise. However, when I touched Ulster's wrist, I felt a slight 'buzz' of power that I knew far too well. "Is that… a Holy Mark?" I couldn't believe my eyes, really. I, of course, couldn't really talk about getting a Holy Mark at so young age. I'd been only a few months older, or so I'd always been told. But still, it was a bit startling. "I… I think it is." Carefully, I brought up Ulster's hand to study his wrist far more closely. Because he was small, it was hard to really see the exact designs, but I could see the black marks of Odo and the blue-grey, like steel, of Neir twining about each other, almost like a bracelet. "That's…"

Ayra leaned against my back to look too and sighed. "Wow, so his appeared early, huh?" she murmured. She didn't seem too surprised. "I wonder if it's because both Lex and I got ours early."

"You did?" I asked, curious. "Really?"

"Yep." Ayra smiled wryly. "And hey, he's older than me when I got mine. I was two months old. Lex said his appeared when he was a year and a half."

"That's… odd," Midir whispered. He frowned thoughtfully, looking down at the floor. "La… Aideen's appeared when she was five years old, or so she told me. The same age Lady Brigid's Major Mark appeared, actually. I think she said they appeared the same day."

"I got mine early too," Lachesis revealed. She scooped up the other children and set them up on my 'examination' table, for some reason. "I was about four. Ethlyn got hers at the 'normal' ten. Of course, that normal is only really an average."

"Five years old for a Major, and ten for a Minor, yes?"

"Yeah." Lachesis shrugged, but there was a dark and worried look in her eyes. "I mean; Tailtiu's appeared early too. She told me when that letter from Bloom arrived just before everyone left. Apparently her niece, Ishtar, is already showing her Major mark. She's the same age as our kids, not including Seliph of course."

"Wait, hold on, we had that many early showers?" Ayra asked, frowning. She glanced to the side briefly before looking to me. "You mentioned yours appeared very early. Do you know when Azel's appeared?"

"I'm afraid not," I replied, finishing up my check on Ulster. At the least, I couldn't remember when it was. "I haven't asked Chulainn, so I don't know his either."

"I do. His appeared when he was a year old." Ayra's expression became incredibly serious. "That's… odd. Average though it may be, to have so many minors show early, and not just early, but significantly earlier…"

"Oh, I don't like that," Lachesis muttered. She'd clasped her hands in front of her, and looked down, strangely tense. "In Agustria, it was always said that the Holy Blood would tell and make itself known if there was darkness on the horizon. Or something. I can't remember the exact warning. I only remember it at all because there were people who fretted that something bad was coming when mine showed so early."

"In Isaach, we had a similar warning, but it was decided that only two didn't mean much," Ayra whispered. Her eyes were dark now, and both Midir and I began shifting uncomfortably as the tension in the air grew. "I'd dismissed Lex's as just another coincidence, but… honestly, based on this, almost every single Minor Blood of our generation had their Mark appear early? Ethlyn, and possibly Azel, are the only exceptions? Maybe Oifeye, depending on which 'generation' he falls in, and when his appeared. But at most three out of… how many?"

"Well, Tailtiu has a younger sister that we'll need to ask about, and I don't know about Andrei, Aideen's younger brother…"

"His appeared early," Midir revealed. He frowned as well, and I desperately tried to ignore the heaviness in the air. "I remember hearing the story in Jungby, of how his appeared shortly after Lady Brigid disappeared. What about the Major Blooded? Did any of theirs appear early?"

"In our generation, I don't think there was anything unusual," Ayra commented. She leaned against the wall, sighing. "Mariccle's appeared around his fifth birthday, the normal. Shanan, though… his appeared when he was three."

"Ares's hadn't shown when I last saw him, but he's only three or four now, so I don't know if that changed," Lachesis sighed. She began wringing her hands and, morbidly curious, I decided to check over Seliph once I was done with Ulster. "We can ask about Altena in our next letters to Leonster, whenever that happens."

"But we do still have a confirmation that two of the majors of the next generation, of Shanan's generation, appeared early and-"

"Make that three," I interrupted, feeling a little ill. There, on Seliph's back, was a Holy Mark, one so defined that I couldn't believe I'd missed it earlier. It was a major Baldur mark, based on how it took up all of the left side of his back and the blue. I frowned when I thought I saw something silver among the blue, but shook my head. It had to be a trick of the eyes. Deirdre had no Holy Blood. "Seliph's is showing."

In silence, I checked all the others and discovered that Ulster and Seliph weren't 'odd' cases. All of the children were showing their Holy Marks already. Larcei's wrapped around her upper left arm, like armlets, black and blue like Ulster's. Lester's, a pale gold and only just beginning to show, stretched across his right hand and fingers, like a spider's web. Caitriona's, of Vala-red and Odo-black, curled around her left collarbone and chest, right around her heart, a place I didn't see much since Ayra or Lachesis typically were the ones who dressed her in the morning since Chulainn was away. Conall's was the faintest, only noticeable when actively looking, but it settled on his right shoulder, curving towards his back, the same colors as Caitriona's. It was a bit startling, really, and unease settled over me. Surely, of course, the stories Ayra and Lachesis mentioned were just that, stories, yet I couldn't shake the thought that they weren't. Deirdre, after all, had mentioned a 'catastrophe', more than mentioned it, in fact. Even now, I was still very certain that she and Sigurd had been 'bound' to each other, no matter how happy they had been, because of that 'catastrophe'.

It all made me sick, truly, and the worst part was that I didn't know how to explain any of this to anyone. I could only hope I was just… being paranoid. But I feared I wasn't.

With those unsettling thoughts, we tried to just go about out day as normal. The others seemed to manage it well enough, but for me, I couldn't shake that unease, no matter how hard I tried. I could push it to the side for certain tasks, thanks to long years of practice, but it inevitably came looming back. By the time evening fell, it was near impossible to ignore. Of course, I did still try. I was stubborn like that.

I watched Oifeye and Shanan spar for a while mostly making sure that they weren't overdoing it, before walking through the halls, checking that everything was still running smoothly. The injured were sleeping peaceful, with Lachesis watching over them, while Ayra was feeding the children and Midir patrolled. Things were quiet and running smoothly, all good things. However, as I stepped outside, wandering the ramparts, I found myself wishing… well, something minor would make me feel less like horrible things were coming and this was the calm before the storm. Something minor would also help distract me from my thoughts, and memories.

I remembered the last day Deirdre had seen Sigurd. She'd been so nervous because of the 'warning', because of the 'catastrophe'. We'd had a little 'slumber party' to help distract her from her nightmares.

I remembered the last day I had seen her. I thought of that dark mage I had stupidly let close, the one who had taken Deirdre away. Her screams as I fell unconscious… I still remembered them. I always would.

I remembered the day I first met Deirdre. She'd been so hesitant, because of that catastrophe. I remembered how uncomfortable I'd been at the love at first sight thing with her and Sigurd, but how I'd forgotten that uneasiness, because of how happy they were with each other.

I remembered the second time I'd met her, after Sadima's long range assault with dark magic. I remembered how I'd been convinced the 'catastrophe' would happen no matter what, and that she was just being used as a scapegoat. I remembered encouraging her, befriending her…

"Gods, if I was right, then am I responsible?" I whispered to the wind, knowing there was no answer. If it was inevitable, then there was nothing to stop it. Yet there were many times things seemed 'impossible' to change, and yet they did anyway. You saw it often with healing. "Ugh, why am I adding more things that I'm responsible for? I could be wrong." It wasn't like, say, with Travant where I knew, without a doubt, I'd pay for that. I was a healer, of course, and I knew that if I'd broken my oath, I could have never forgiven myself. But Travant was the king of Thracia, a nation at war with Leonster, Quan's home. There was a good chance that Travant could kill Quan. "I should've given Quan or Ethlyn my bracelet too. Why did I hold onto it?" Quan might not have accepted the bracelet, but Ethlyn would've. It could've protected her. Why did I hold onto it? Why did I only give the necklace away? "At least Finn should be safe?" But would that be enough?

Saving Travant undoubtedly meant that he'd kill people Quan, Ethlyn, and Finn wanted to protect and people that they fought alongside of. Since Quan and Ethlyn didn't wear stones that had cultural significance to Thracia, they could easily be killed in one of the coming battles. Saving Travant meant there was a not-insignificant chance that he'd kill them. Yet, I knew there was no other choice for me.

I was a healer. I healed people. I healed people until they had no more need of me, and then I let them walk away to meet their fate, however that may happen, whatever it may be. Letting Travant simply die, when I had been specifically brought to him as a healer, when he became my patient… I couldn't do that. That went against my oaths. There were many I had treated over the years that were not 'kind', but who had come to me as individuals who had needed help, and so I treated them as best as I could, because that was my job. I was only bothered a bit by it now because I was selfish. It was because this particular patient could hurt people I loved. Yet, that didn't mean I could just walk away from my job.

"I'm thinking myself into circles, darn it," I muttered, rubbing my temples and leaning against the outer walls. Normally by this point, I'd just cuddle with Chulainn and let his hugs relax me until the thoughts were no longer quite so overwhelming. But he wasn't here, and I had no one I could confide to in this. I had enough trouble with healing Chagall, and I was well aware that if I hadn't just 'left him to his fate' afterwards, I would've caught even more trouble. Explaining Travant as well would just… "Argh… I miss Deirdre." She'd have me laughing, even without knowing what was wrong. "I miss Arvis." I could actually tell Arvis this. It's how the two of us were, really. It wasn't like we never kept secrets from each other, but things like this, he understood. "Ugh, this is pathetic. Inside. Apple cider. That's this healer's recommendation for her own bout of self-pity."

I pushed off the wall and turned to head back inside. However, I paused, looking out over the snowy landscape, and noticed something strange. In the distance, there were shadows flitting out in the skies, graceful enough to almost be a dance. I watched it for a long while, entranced, and wondered just what it was. Eventually, though, I noticed some shadows 'falling', humanoid and winged creatures with feathers trailing, and only then did I realize just what was going on.

It was a battle. It was a battle between pegasus knights, and Silesse Castle was in that direction.

"I see I wasn't the only one who thought something was off." Midir appeared next to me, eyes narrowed. "I noticed the movement," he whispered, clutching his bow. He was fully armored and armed, a stark contrast to me. "What caught your attention?"

"Truthfully, being outside was a coincidence," I replied. I looked back to the shadows, fingers digging into the stone of the outer wall. How many were dead? What was going on? Those questions bounced through my skull without a single answer. "I wanted to clear my head a bit, and then I saw the shadows."

"I see." His eyes suddenly darted downwards and he stiffened. "That's…"

"Hmm?"

"Below, Alicia." He pointed to the shadows below the pegasus knights, a collection of what might've been horses. They all wielded bows, or so I guessed by the outlines. I really couldn't see much. "Jungby."

"Pardon?"

"Jungby. Those are Jungby's knights. I recognize the formation."

"That's…" I didn't like that implication. I didn't like it at all. "We should check for any injured making their way towards us."

"…No." He shook his head and it was my turn to stiffen. "No, we're going to strengthen our defenses first."

"But…"

"We don't have enough people to fight them. Guard against them, yes, but not go out and fight. Not go out and bring their injured in." He shot me a serious look and I flinched. "And we only have two healers on hand. Lachesis, who battles nausea and lightheadedness at random intervals, and you, Alicia, who does not know how to fight. The best you have is your offensive staves, but using them on a large group of people isn't efficient. It damages the staff faster and your hands. We've discovered this."

"I… no, you're right." There was no point in arguing. I knew he was. I also knew that no one could save everyone. There were people dying to the north, outside of Thove, just due to happenstance. I knew that. "I'm sorry. I panicked."

"I figured. But this is a time, more than ever, we need you to…"

"Be the healer." This was rather pathetic, being reminded of one of the central teachings of my job. "I'm sorry."

"It's been an odd day, and you mentioned you were out here to clear your head. I can't imagine that helped with assessing things, so you defaulted to your most basic teaching. 'Heal the injured'." Midir looked out to the horizon again, to the shadows. More and more knights fell. It was impossible to know if the fallen were 'friends' or 'foes'. "Thove was a diversion. Their true target was the castle, and they wanted to make sure Sigurd couldn't send reinforcements."

"We fell for the trap." Panic seized me again. Queen Rahna… Annand… I hoped… I hoped they were okay, for Lewyn and Erinys's sakes. But I had to try and keep calm. "We need to at least get a message out to them, don't we?"

"We do. Sigurd needs to know, and we have no idea what their secondary target will be. Thove or here." Midir frowned and suddenly leaned over the edged, eyes narrowed. "That… I think that is Lord Andrei."

"Pardon?" I looked out as well, but only saw shadows. I almost asked what he meant, but then realized the obvious. He was an archer. His eyesight was much better than mine. He was used to picking out details from a distance. He likely could just see enough of him to know. "What is he doing here? What are they doing here?"

"Questions for another time."

"Of course." I closed my eyes and made myself relax. "I'll see about getting a messenger before double-checking that the infirmary is prepared."

"I'll get the defenses ready, and I'll inform Ayra and Lachesis."

We parted and I quickly tried to think of who would be the best messenger, someone who could ride a horse, and realized that it was probably Oifeye. My first instinct was to protest, 'he is just a child', but then I remembered he was seventeen. In Grannvale, he'd be considered an adult. I really did need to think of him more in those terms. So, I found him and told him the situation, and he volunteered before I finished explaining. I helped him gather what things he needed, and packed him some medicines, just in case.

"You know what most of these medicines do, of course," I commented, passing it to him after he checked his saddle. I had thought about trying to buckle it onto the saddle directly, but I discarded that idea quickly. I had next to no experience with horses still, still avoided them whenever I could no matter how many times Chulainn tried to teach me, and I knew next to nothing about how to work the saddle. "I did label them anyway, though, just in case. Some do look similar enough."

"Thanks, Alicia," he replied, more focused on the saddle than me. But that was how it should be, really. "Should I tell Sigurd to send people back?"

"That's at his discretion. At the moment, though, we're not in danger. But do tell him that Jungby's knights were spotted."

"Understood." He swung up and adjusted the sword on his belt. He was a bit more awkward than, say, Sigurd, but he sat there more easily than I expected. I really did need to stop thinking of him as a child. "I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Just be careful, Oifeye."

"I will." He smiled and then clicked his tongue, ordering his horse out at a gallop.

I stepped back and watched him ride off, brushing my hair back as the wind seized it. As I watched him disappear, questions bombarded my thoughts again. Would Oifeye be okay? Would he make it? When dawn came, would Lewyn be an orphan? Would Erinys no longer have a sister? The questions haunted me, but I did my best to not let it show. Midir was right. This was a time where you needed someone to be the calm and reassuring one, and that was just part of a healer's job.

So, when Oifeye was out of sight, I returned to the infirmary and made sure it was ready for whatever wounded might appear. We had to prepare for the worst, after all.

The battle on the horizon stayed in the distance. No injured hobbled their way to us from Silesse. No injured were sent back via Return or Warp from Thove. Everything stayed in a very odd stability, with nothing changing. It was almost as if we had been separated from the world, cut out of reality by the gods themselves, stuck watching the world pass us by. I spent most of the time in the infirmary, doing chores. I did things like checking that the patched up window, covered by a thick blanket, wasn't letting too much cold in. I double-checked inventory, did laundry, mended clothes, changed the sheets on the beds, including the empty ones. The injured themselves slept and relaxed as I checked them over, changing their bandages, removing stitches, etc. Lachesis split her time between the infirmary and the nursery. Ayra split her time between the nursery and patrolling. Shanan stayed in the nursery to guard and take care of the children. Midir focused entirely on patrolling and defenses.

"I hope Oifeye is okay," I whispered, peering out one of the intact windows. It was horribly dark, and exhaustion made my eyelids heavy, but I dared not go to sleep. I was too nervy to even nap, stupid as it was. "It's starting to snow again." It wasn't a blizzard, thankfully, but the clouds did block what little light the stairs and moon would've given. So, Oifeye was riding, at a gallop, in the dark, through the snow. "I'm not treating him like a child worrying about this, right?" I was going to be paranoid about that for a while.

"Alicia?" Midir's voice made me turn, and I walked to the door just as he poked his head in. "Has any injured appeared from the Thove group?" he asked me, resting against the doorframe. He was a bit grey from exhaustion and he held himself stiffly, but the stubbornness in his eyes screamed how he wouldn't be resting any time soon. "It doesn't look it."

"No, things have been quiet," I confirmed, clasping my hands in front of me. I stepped out of the infirmary and sighed. "A healer having nothing to do is either a very good thing or a very bad thing. I am hoping for the former."

"I'm sure it is. Aideen and Father Claude are there." He smiled proudly when speaking about his wife, and I had to smile back. "Ah, but that's not why I'm here. It seems like the battle between the pegasus knights has ended. They've dispersed, and there's no sign of the Jungby knights anymore."

"That's good." But, of course, you had questions. Who won? Who lost? Who lived? Who died? What was going on? We knew next to nothing. "I am assuming, since you aren't very frantic, that they have not come our way?"

"Not yet, at least." Midir smiled tiredly. I was sure he'd rather be cuddling with Lester right now, but we all had our jobs, sadly. "I was thinking about getting some soldiers and grabbing some sleds to see if we can find survivors."

"That's a wonderful idea! I'll…" I trailed off as I thought of the obvious problem. "Though, maybe I shouldn't come along. It's not as if you all don't know field medicine, and since I do not fight…" I could be a liability. That was why I handled the 'main' infirmary, with the worst wounded, while Claude handled the field infirmary. A field infirmary required more experience anyway, just because of how fast and hectic it could get, and even if I was still the 'Chief Healer' of the army, we all knew that Claude had more experience.

"Ayra is coming with us, and there will be a group. So long as the Jungby knights do not return, I believe it will be safe. Certainly safe enough to go with the risk, and with you, we might be able to save more." Midir's smile grew, but there was a seriousness to it. He'd actively weighed it all out. "Though, I would recommend bringing the Sleep staff."

"Of course." I smiled back and bowed my head. "Thank you."

I got Lachesis and had her take over the infirmary temporarily. We had a worry that badly injured from Thove would be Returned or Warped in, but considering the hour, we decided it was unlikely, and if it did happen, Lachesis did have enough experience to hold them while Shanan ran to get me. When that was settled, all of us bundled up as best as we could, and Shanan saw us off with little Seliph holding his hand, waving goodbye with him.

Of course, I quickly discovered a slight problem. Hiking through the snow was a rather difficult thing and I wasn't the most athletic person. Ayra, of course, had fun teasing me for it.

"Hold onto my arm, oh hapless one," she giggled as I nearly fell flat on my face for the fourth time. At this rate, it would be faster for everyone if I just rode on one of the sleds. Midir's own smile, somewhat amused but mostly exasperated, hinted he was tempted to 'order' it. "I can see why you stay in the infirmary."

"Pardon me for learning more about how to save lives," I huffed, breath clouding up in front of me. It was horridly cold, even with the heavy coat, scarf, and gloves I wore. "I didn't think I'd need to learn how to walk through snow, only that I might need to cure frostbite at some point."

"This isn't really through snow. Not heavy, at least. It's mostly the ice making everything slippery."

"Oh, how lovely." I juggled my Sleep and Recover staves so that I could hold onto her without dropping them. "I think Chulainn and I will avoid visiting Sophara in the winter, then."

"Aw, but the snowball fights are so much fun."

"Fun as your banter is, I will remind you both that we are technically sneaking into unknown territory," Midir chided. His smile was a little more amused now, but it quickly fell for a serious look. "We're close."

"Of course," Ayra agreed, her own cheer fading. I switched back to my 'healer mask' and nodded, even as I clung to Ayra's arm. She paused just long enough to go ahead and draw her sword, probably so that she could still help me while being prepared. "Sorry. I've picked up Lex's habit of bantering to lessen the tensions."

"It's fine, especially since neither of you knew just how close we were. But for now…"

"Of course."

We all fell silent then, the only sound being the crunching of ice and the cold wind swirling around us. The wind made me think of Lewyn, and how he so frequently listened to it. Was it screaming to him now? Was it crying to him? I was very worried about that, and what things were like with the others. But then we found the first fallen pegasus knight, lying face first in the muddy snow and bloody slush, and all my worries focused on what was in front of me.

Very quickly, we all decided a system. For convenience and safety, I stayed in one place, by the sleds, while the others actually hunted for survivors. Those that appeared to be breathing and-or have a pulse were brought to me for confirmation. I then determined which ones had a chance, and which ones didn't. I tended to those who did. Midir ordered the ones who didn't mercy-killed. We searched through the snows carefully, and then only when we were certain we had found all those in our immediate vicinity did we move. Some soldiers moved those stable back to the castle for treatment. More returned with empty sleds, prepared to bring more survivors back, if any.

Eventually during our search, we started finding pegasi as well as pegasus knights. Most were dead. The still living pegasi we found… we managed to convince some to come with us. Others just laid down next to their dead riders and refused to move for anything. Still others actually brought their broken riders to us, silently begging us to save them. Thankfully, most of those ones could actually be saved.

After what felt like a long while, another pegasus slowly made its way to me, past the soldiers still searching, its rider draped over us. I checked over the one survivor we had found in this 'section', before standing to look over at the pegasus. But then I noticed something. The rider wasn't just… She clung. She clung tightly to something covered by a cloth, and to her pegasus's mane. The pegasus bore most of her weight, but she was walking, and when she lifted her head slightly, just slightly, I realized I knew her.

"Annand?" I called. She lifted her had a bit more, revealing blood trickling down her face and a nasty gash twisting up her cheek. "Annand!" I stepped closer to her and held out my hand. I didn't want to move too far, for safety reasons among others, but I couldn't just simply wait. "Over here!"

"Thank… the gods…" she managed to gasp out. Her pegasus got her all the way to me and she stumbled a bit forward before collapsing on me. I caught her and immediately started healing her up. "I wasn't sure… I'd make it…"

"You'll be fine." I sat in the snow with her and pushed her bloody and matted hair out of her face. To my surprise, despite how slowly she spoke, she wasn't even 'vaguely' conscious. Her eyes were sharp and focused on me instantly. "Midir and Ayra are leading a search for other survivors."

"Are there any?"

"Yes." I nodded to the sled, and spared a bit of time to check on the pegasus knight on there. She still breathed, and she was still stable. "There aren't many. But we have some."

"Thank the gods. Again." She managed a smile. Her teeth were bloody. She was missing a tooth, actually, maybe more. "Maybe this can get to him… after all…"

"Are you talking about whatever you're holding?" I glanced down at it briefly, barely paying attention. Then I looked at it again, realizing I knew the cloth. I recognized it, even as bloody as it was. "That's… Queen Rahna's shawl." She always wore a shawl when she came to visit. I knew that much, even if I didn't interact with her much.

"Yes, a birthday gift from her husband. The last one, actually." Annand looked down, smiling bitterly. "The blood is just mine, though. She's fine. Queen Rahna is fine."

"Is she still in the castle?"

"Yes. She was evacuating civilians when I last saw her. They… they'll be on the way soon. Or, no, they'll be here soon. Be. Sorry, I can't…" She gestured vaguely, and I worked on her head injuries, frowning. If she suffered significant brain damage, I'd have to send for Claude, somehow. "She told them to run to Sigurd. Are you all okay?" She gripped my sleeve. Blood seeped through her gloves. "Are you all safe?"

"We're fine, but we're undermanned a little." I glanced around, to see if anyone was bringing more injured. There were none, so I continued tending to her. "Thove attacked us, so Sigurd went off to make sure the villages were safe."

"We saw. We saw Deet'var and her group, I mean. We were going to assist when Pamela got us. And then… then the archers…" She started coughing suddenly, hacking really. I was startled to see blood hit my shoulder. She was worse off than I had originally thought. She… she must've been standing, and conscious, through sheer determination. "Please…"

"I'll heal you up." I'd try, at least. I honestly wasn't so certain if I could. But all those near were stable, so I could try a little longer.

"No. No, that's not what I want." She sat up and handed me the object. It was some sort of book, and my blood thrummed when I took it. "That needs to get to Lewyn. Tell him I'm sorry. Tell Erinys I'm sorry. Tell them that I love them, that I believe in them, and that… that I'll be watching over them."

"Annand…!" I shook my head and set the book in my lap. "I can still tend to you."

"Just make it enough for me to continue my fight, please. I have to fight a little longer, to buy time for the civilians."

"That is-"

"That is my wish. As soon as I am healed to that point, I wish to no longer be your patient." She spoke slowly, and I flinched. I couldn't agree to this, and yet, I knew I had to. I was her healer until she said I wasn't. It was not the first time I had healed someone, only to send them off to their deaths. Just because it was someone I knew… that didn't mean I was suddenly allowed to… "I already know the consequence. I won't survive."

"If you come with me, you will." But we both knew she couldn't. She was a knight. Coming with me might condemn the civilians running towards us. "Hold still. I'll heal you as well as I can, so that you can buy them the most time."

"Thank you." She coughed again, but not from blood. Instead, it was tears. She was crying. "Ha… I'm scared. I'm really scared, truth be told. I don't want to die. I really, really don't want to die." She tried to laugh, but it didn't sound anything like a laugh. I had no idea what the sound actually was. "I want to see Lewyn become king. I want to hear him play a song again. I want to see Erinys married. I want to see her rise through the ranks. I want to tease her and make flower crowns again. I want…" Her voice cracked and more tears fell. "I want so many things."

"I can shield you. As a healer, I can say you were too injured. You are, really."

"I know. But I'd have to live with that. And I can't do that. I am a knight. This is the only… the only life I know, and the only path I can walk." Even more tears fell. "The book to Lewyn. The messages to them."

"I will."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She managed a smile. It almost hid how terrified she looked. "Hey, can I… can I get a hug?"

"Of course." I hugged her tightly and she trembled as she leaned into me. She really was afraid. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You did your job. And now… now I'll do mine." She pulled away and slowly climbed onto her pegasus, who bent down to help her. "Good girl… good girl… I'm sorry." Her pegasus tossed its head and flapped its wings once, stirring up some of the snow. It was like it was saying 'I go where you go, always'. "Good girl. I love you."

"Sit there for a while longer." I brought my staff up and some bandages from my pack. "I told you. I will heal you as well as I am able."

"Thank you." She smiled gently, and rubbed at her face, wiping away the tears. She then took off her circlet and passed it to me. "Please, give that to Erinys."

"I will." I tucked it into my pocket, and tucked the shawl wrapped book into my pack. When I looked up, Annand wasn't crying anymore. She sat tall in her saddle, silver lance in hand, the picture of dignity. "I'll make sure they both get… everything."

"Thank you." Annand nodded and she looked at the sled, where the pegasus knight rested. Desperately needing something to do, I bent down to check her over, and found her still stable. There were signs that the cold was starting to set in, though, so I took off my coat and draped it over her. "I'm off, then."

"Goodbye." I watched her take off into the skies, and watched her slowly get smaller and smaller. Just before she was out of sight, I turned away and worked on my patient.

"Wait, that's Erinys's sister, isn't it?" Ayra appeared before long, carrying another pegasus knight. I could tell already that the knight's right leg would probably be lost, just based on how badly it was mangled. Someone had put a tourniquet on it. "Why is she flying off?" she demanded, even as she set her knight on another sled. I checked the tourniquet, making sure it was set correctly since it could be tricky, and then checked the rest of her. "We're leaving her?!"

"That's what she wanted," I whispered. My voice threatened to shake, but I held onto the healer-calm. I was on the job. I was the healer. "I offered to let her stay, due to her injuries, but she refused." I looked up and saw Midir walking up with another potential survivor. He was watching the skies, looking right where Annand had been. I couldn't see her now, but I did think I saw a shadow flitting about in the distance. "Midir, there are civilians on the way, refugees from the castle. It's fallen, apparently."

"Ah, of course," Midir whispered. He set his survivor on a third sled, and he gave me an odd look. "Where is your coat?"

"That one there was freezing and I didn't have a spare blanket," I explained, pointing to the first patient's sled. I finished up on the one Ayra brought before moving to the one he had, and did my best to ignore the pain I felt. "I'll take it back when we have one."

"Take mine for now." Midir removed his and I took it gladly. It was a bit big for me, but it was warm. "Ayra, you're glaring."

"Of course I am," Ayra snapped. She sounded frustrated, and I didn't blame her. But I continued my check, and determined that this one might make it, if we hurried, so I focused a bit more on her. "Letting her leave… we're just letting her die?"

"She's a knight," Midir replied softly. He understood her choice more than anything. He was a knight too. "She swore to protect the people, and she cannot hide while they are in danger. That's all."

"Still, though…" Ayra sighed, and stomped her foot once from frustration. "Damn it. This is bad."

"It is. We also know that we'll need to prepare the castle for more refugees, and we will need to check them over, to ensure we do not have a second Agusty. Alicia, will you stay…?"

"I'll stay back," I agreed, fighting back a wince. I knew very well that if a dark mage masqueraded as an injured person, I'd let them in without a thought again, even given what happened before. I'd be thinking too much on treating them. "Have Lachesis screen them for injuries and illnesses. She's skilled enough to do that without supervision."

"Thank you," Midir whispered. He paused, and looked back. "We'll need to head back soon. To be ready."

"These three need better treatment than I have on me soon, as well."

"Right." Midir looked up at Ayra, who still looked frustrated. There was no good answer to this. At least, I didn't think so. "Ayra, can you stay here? I'll want to get everyone grouped up to head back."

"Of course," Ayra confirmed. She dug through her pack and pulled out a tightly folded camp-blanket. "Take this. You're making me cold just looking at you."

Midir laughed and wrapped the blanket around him before heading off to gather the soldiers. They searched for more potential survivors as they returned. Some had a chance; others were mercy killed. But with them on the sleds, we made our way back to the castle. The snow began falling harder, slowing our progress significantly. One of the 'survivors' ended up passing because of it, and we left her on the ground, to be retrieved 'later' with the other corpses.

When we returned, I glanced back once and saw a shadow dancing about the skies, diving again and again, but always rising. When I next had a chance to look out though, after settling the surviving pegasus knights into warm beds to treat for their injuries and the beginning stages of hypothermia… when I next looked out, there was no shadow flitting about. Annand was gone. I wondered what her last thoughts were. I wondered if she'd still been horribly afraid and regretful. I wondered… I wondered many things, but I closed my eyes and walked back inside to do my job. No one could save everyone, but I could at least save as many as I could.

A couple of the pegasus knights died, the injuries and hypothermia being too much for us to heal. A couple I mostly kept sedated, more than a little worried about injuries to their brains. The rest healed slowly, their bodies mending. Most of them, though, screamed and sobbed whenever they were awake, though, from the physical pain and mental anguish. I heard a lot of names and knew they dreamed of watching their fellows fall, of falling themselves. I did what I could for them. No more injured came from Thove, so I was able to give them most of my time. Lachesis tended to the refugees for me.

"Alicia?" Ayra poked her head into the infirmary at some point. Logically, I was vaguely aware that it had been a day and a half since Silesse Castle fell, but it felt longer. I hadn't slept. Neither had Ayra. "Hey, Alicia, they're bringing in the corpses," she explained, walking over to where I was cleaning the wounds of an unconscious pegasus knight. She'd taken three arrows, and somehow hadn't died. When she was conscious, she sobbed out apologies, so I wondered if someone had shielded her. "Alicia?"

"One moment please, Ayra," I replied, entirely focused on my task. I finished it quickly and bandaged her up again. She, of course, remained unconscious; I'd used the Sleep staff to knock her out. I had to. She'd come close to throwing herself out of the window while I had my back turned. "Do they want me to confirm the deaths?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Ayra looked around the infirmary, frowning. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on them. Shanan is tending the kids. Have you seen them?"

"No, I haven't. The survivors require a lot of watching and quick responses." I sighed and stood up to go wash my hands and splash water on my face to try and wake up. It let me forget how much I really did want to just curl up with my children, and read stories to Seliph. "How are they doing?"

"They're fine, mostly. Seliph keeps wondering where you are, though. He keeps asking for his 'papa' too. And Caitriona and Conall look around for you and Chulainn."

"I'm sorry to push that on you. But Lachesis can't handle-" As if to prove my point, one of the survivors started screaming until her throat bled, flailing about. Working far too quickly, I barely managed to get her back asleep via the Sleep staff before she ripped open the stitches across her abdomen. Again. "That. She can't handle that."

"Ah." Ayra sighed. She wasn't too thrown by it, and helped tuck the patient back into her bedding. "So, if that happens while you're checking the bodies, what should I do?"

"You can try calming them with words. Try to pin them to keep them from breaking things. Keep an eye on those who try to run." I set the Sleep staff back in the corner and almost pulled out the sedatives. Then I remembered the obvious and put them back away. Sedatives were difficult to dose correctly. "Then send for me. I'm hoping the rest will either stay under or not have such… ah…"

"Energetic awakenings?"

"We'll go with that." I sighed and rubbed at my tired eyes. I hated keeping them under so much. It was dangerous. But I had no other real way to keep them from hurting themselves short of actually tying them down, and we didn't have enough bandages or rope to spare. "I'll be off, then. Where…?"

"Cellars. It's the coldest place in the entire castle."

"Thank you."

I left then, pushing the hair out of my face, though I did have to actually return to grab a healing staff before making my way to the cellars. I almost got lost, but a helpful soldier had been looking for me, and led me down to begin my checks. Some were so mangled that you couldn't tell who they were. Others were strangely intact, as if they were asleep. Most were some combination of the two. I checked over each of them, since I had always read stories of people surviving worse. But each one was the same, dead and cold. Every single one was dead. For my own sake, I chose against counting.

Annand was one of the last ones they brought in. Part of me had hoped she had somehow survived, but of course, she hadn't. She was one of the remarkably intact looking ones. She almost looked like she was asleep, except, of course, the utter mess the back of her head was, among other things. She must've landed on her back, when she fell. I brushed the hair out of her face, and mouthed an apology. It might've been her choice, but I still felt horrible about it. I might've healed soldiers and sent them off back to the battlefield before, but the guilt pressed into my heart. It was so much easier to keep your distance if you didn't know the people in question. But, this was my job, so I'd keep on.

"The book and circlet are still with me," I whispered to her, still just brushing her bloody, matted hair out of her face. She had scratches and gashes on her cheeks, forehead, and chin. Her nose was bloody and broken. Blood crusted on the corner of her mouth. "I haven't been able to pass them on yet, but I will." I wondered if the Thove group knew yet what had happened. "All the civilians who escaped made it to us too, you know. They remember you fighting. You really did save them. You did it all."

"Lady Alicia!" a soldier called. Reluctantly, I turned away from Annand to look at them, making sure my healer's mask was in place. "You're needed in the infirmary."

I wasn't sure if I thanked them or not before leaving. I hoped I did, but considering everything, I wasn't sure if I held onto enough of my manners. All I really knew was that the soldier passed on that message and then the next think I processed was striding through the halls, trying to return to the infirmary as quickly as possible and expecting quite a bit of chaos. But I didn't find chaos. Instead, I found a bewildered Erinys and Lewyn standing in the middle of the infirmary, staring in horror at the pegasus knights on the beds. I wondered how many they knew.

"Ah, you've returned," I replied, far more calmly than I felt. I looked around for Ayra, and didn't see her. "Ayra?"

"Ayra… gave us basics and then said she was going to let Midir know that… um…" Lewyn answered, tried to answer. He spoke very slowly and a little clumsily, far unlike his usual self. "Oifeye made it to us. We killed my uncle, were preparing to rest, and he came riding up, telling us what happened. Aideen and Claude sent us back first, they're going to send more, and…" He also didn't look at me. He just stared at the pegasus knights, while holding up Erinys. She was trembling, tears in her eyes, silent from horror. "Ayra said… Ayra said that the castle fell? That we have refugees? That my mother is probably still there and Annand is…?" The worst part, though, was how lost both looked. "Is there… uh…?"

"Last that we heard, Queen Rahna still lives. All the civilians we are taking care of saw her alive." I clasped my hands in front of me, and did my best to continue being as calm as I could. They would need that. "Annand, however… we just brought her in."

"You just brought her… but that…" Lewyn's expression crumpled, but he didn't cry. Instead, instinctively, he caught Erinys as her knees buckled. "That can't… that can't be. Sure, she could be injured, but if she was injured, she'd be here, so… but Annand… A-Annand couldn't have…"

"Follow me. I need to get someone to watch the infirmary until Ayra returns, but then I will take you to her."

I got a soldier to watch over the infirmary, with a request to another to find Ayra and Lachesis. Afterwards, I led Lewyn and Erinys down into the cellar. Both were perfectly silent, clinging to each other. One of them gasped; I thought it might've been Lewyn. But I didn't turn around. I couldn't. If I did, I knew I'd forget the way. I was just so darn tired… if I didn't focus, I wouldn't make it. So, I focused on finding Annand's body and leading the two to her. As soon as we reached her, though, Erinys just broke.

"It's not true!" Erinys sobbed, collapsing and burying her face into Annand's chest, uncaring of the breastplate. Lewyn just stood behind her, frozen from shock. "It can't be true! Annand, come on, wake up! Wake up and scold me for crying all the time! Please!"

Erinys continued screaming and I thought about hugging her. But rapid footsteps announced Lachesis's arrival, and she ran right to Erinys to hug her as she sobbed. I decided that Lachesis, who lost her sibling so horribly too, would be a far better than me in comforting hr. So, instead, I walked up the stairs, out of the cellars, holding onto my calm with everything I could. My intention had been to return to the infirmary and continue with that, with the addition of greeting whoever Sigurd sent back via Return and Warp. Stomps behind me, though, scattered my thoughts, and I turned to see Lewyn hadn't stayed down below. He'd followed me.

"Why?!" he demanded, voice cracking. I stared, a little bewildered, before realizing what was going on. "Why didn't you save her?! You save everyone! Why didn't you save her?!" He was lost, angry, and desperately lashing out. "Why?!"

"She didn't want me to," I replied softly. I fought to keep from crying, especially when he started sobbing. "She went back, even with her injuries, because she wanted to protect the civilians. So, I healed her, and let her leave, because that was her choice. Just as I have done with many others."

"Why…?!" He batted at my shoulder. It might've actually been a punch, but he was too tired, too heavy with grief, to put in amount of power into it. "Why her?! Why did she…?! Why did this have to happen?! I left to keep this from happening! Why?!"

"She said to tell you that she loves you." Even though I was certain he wanted someone else to comfort him, I pulled him into a hug. He just continued sobbing. "That she was sorry. That she believes in you. That she will be watching over you. And… well, the last thing can wait until later, I think. You just scream, Lewyn. No one can blame your for that."

Lewyn did just that. He yelled at me, at the gods, at himself while he sobbed, breaking down because he went from killing one of his uncles to learning that his home had fallen and one of his childhood friends had died. That was too much for anyone.

Notes on Erinys:

The newest of the Angelic Knights of Silesse at eighteen, with the title of 'Angel', and a kindhearted woman who can never turn a blind eye to people in trouble.

Our primary flier, and in fact our only one, she often will go out scouting and perform rescue missions. She's not the strongest, but her versatility and speed remains her greatest strength.

Looks up greatly to her older sister, Annand, and adores her to pieces. It's a mutual feeling, with Annand happily teasing her sister and pushing her to new heights.

Author's notes: So, the name of Game-Chapter 4 is 'Dance in the Skies', hence the title. Also, yep, Annand dies. In game, you seize Thove castle and then Silesse Castle gets attacked, while you're helpless because it's technically 'neutral territory' and thus, you can't enter it, even with a flier. So, you just sit there and watch as Annand and her group get slaughtered either by the other pegasus knights, or by the squad of bow knights that appear, courtesy of Jungby, led by Andrei. Why yes, Annand later got an expy in Phila from Awakening. Why do you ask? Her being afraid to die, and wishing she didn't want to die, comes from the Oosawa manga.

As soon as Silesse castle is conquered, Andrei and the Jungby knights leave the map, and a bunch of civilians appear to be saved, meaning that you can finally go into the territory. Pamela and her pegasus knights will often go to Thove after Silesse is conquered to 'take it back'. Lewyn's line upon first learning Annand is dead, and Erinys screaming about how it can't be true are both based on their lines from the game.

Around 18 months of age (which is basically how old Seliph is now), children are typically able to speak a few words (including the ever popular 'no'), often point to things to draw attention to them, and will often cling to familiar people and show affection. Among other things, but you know, these are some basics.

(Btw, if you're curious about Arvis, and his relationship with Alicia, Memoirs of Velthomer will focus a lot on that (it's a backstory, though, so it'll end about the same time this story starts in-universe)).

Next Chapter – Forseti