Chapter 31) Sands of Time
Ninian… is dead. Ninian is dead. Ninian is dead. No matter how many times I write it, no matter how many times I say it, it just won't click. Ninian is dead. My precious friend is dead. I can still hear her laughing. I can still see her smiling. I still just want to turn and smile at her, tease her. But she's not there. She's gone.
On Hector's advice, we head for Ostia. We're weary to the bone, and sorrow weighs heavily on all of us, even the more recent additions. Ostia is the most heavily guarded fortress in all of Lycia, and the only place that can surpass it in defenses is Bern Castle, I think. We… should be safe. We should be able to rest.
Ninian shouldn't have died, though. So, what do I know?
Never had this army had been so quiet. Grief had given way to exhaustion. As we all walked into Ostia castle, I could see the feet dragging, stumbling.
"Lord Hector!" Still, the soldiers were glad to see us. "We're pleased to see you're home, alive and well," one greeted. Their smile was kind. "We will have rooms prepared immediately." Strange, though… I would have thought…
"Thank you," Hector murmured. He shifted Nils a little higher on his back for more stability. Nils had passed out after screaming and wailing, so Hector carried him. "Where's my brother, though? I… need to talk to him."
"I'm sorry, little lord." …Little lord? "But Lord Uther and Lady Amanda departed for a conference in Etruria just a day or two ago." Damn, talk about bad timing.
"Will you stop calling me that? I'm not five anymore."
"Perhaps, but you are Ostia's precious 'Little Lord'." Oh, it was an old nickname. How cute. "But, regardless, Lady Amanada should return in a half month's time, but Lord Uther might be longer."
"That's weird. Amanda and Uther are never separated for long." Hector sighed. "Well, no sense moping about it. Make sure there's food, and baths, for my companions. I know it's a lot of work, but they need the rest." The soldier saluted, and trotted off. "Strange, why Etruria now? There's so much going on."
"Maybe he's meeting Father for something," I murmured. Come to think of it, if Uther knew Father, he had to have at least met Mother. Maybe he had decided to check in on Father in light of Mother's death. Hanover's lands were basically just over the mountains from here, after all. "They are friends, and they both knew Elbert." There was also that…
"Mmm, that's a good point." Hector sighed. "Well, I'll ask Oswin about it." He glanced back at the others, and I did the same. Lyn was supporting Eliwood, who was still drenched in Ninian's blood. The Legion had been hit hard by the death. Kent and Sain hadn't even been able to ride, so they'd doubled up with Fiora and Farina. I had a feeling there would be a lot of drowning of sorrows, whenever someone managed to get enough thought in their head. "…You…"
"Need to find and get to Yodel." He smiled in relief, and I nodded. "Old Man Athos is still around and he might be willing to exposit. Give me a summary later so that I have a better idea what's going on?"
"You got it, and I'll recruit Marcus and Oswin to herd everyone, so just-"
"Get going. Tell the others that's where I went." I waved goodbye and walked off, snagging a passing servant and asking them about Yodel. They were all too happy to show me where 'the honorable bishop' was resting.
One look on Yodel's face, though, told me I was in for the worst lecture ever. "I distinctly remember telling you to not do anything that would lead to you needing intensive medical treatment," he noted very, very dryly. I simply smiled sheepishly. "I distinctly remember this. You had come for treatment, said your goodbyes, and I'd giving you healer's orders."
"Things got complicated," I murmured. He waved me into the room, and had me sit down in a chair while he got his staff. "Very complicated."
"Yes, Douglas mentioned that things have been hectic. I imagine we'd have more information if your father was in a mental state to consult with all his spies… I mean 'contacts'." Ah…
"How… is he doing? I've heard from Charles, but…"
"Let's just say your mother's death hit him hard, and its exacerbated already bad habits, so I can only say his health is better than yours because he's not in as much danger of dying." Oh, Father… "He might end up retiring. Mark is doing well enough managing the lands." That… but Father was only forty-one. That was too young to retire. "Now, hold still, and tell me what you've been doing for treatment."
"Serra's healing staves, listening to everyone when I-" A wonderfully timed coughing fit had me hacking up blood. Yodel's eyes flickered with worry as he passed me a handkerchief to wipe it up. "Some medicines Rath made me…"
"Rath?"
"He's… a friend." Yodel gave me a look and I felt a blush prick on my face. "Tease me later, you." He chuckled and brought his staff up to check me over. "Anyway, he's a friend, from the Sacae, and…"
"And… that is probably what is saving you." Huh? "The cure for consumption required herbal knowledge from the plains. That is how Saint Elimine created the cure: combining healing magic with herbal medicine." I… hadn't known that at all. Based on how everyone talked about it, I had assumed it was just… really, really fancy staff-work. "Of course, no one will admit that she had help from 'savages'. Especially the church that likes to portray her as a divine being made flesh."
"Our country is filled with idiots."
"Yes, sadly." Still, he had a smile on his face. "But I mean it, Katri." Hmm? "You're still within the window. Barely." I was?! "Despite the enormous stress you have been under that should have sent you flying beyond it." He gave me a dirty look. "I must think of a suitable punishment for breaking healer's orders, though."
"It got complicated!" And I might have sulked more, but there were loud, fast footsteps in the hall. "What is…?"
"Katri!" The door crashed open, and there was Oswin, breathing heavily. I was already on my feet before he said another word. "Ambush," he growled. I could only stare. Here? And ambush, here? "Within the walls. Magic." Damn you, Nergal!
"I'll be right there," I told him. Oswin nodded and raced off. "Right then."
Yodel snagged my shoulder, keeping me from moving. "Katri, if you leave, I can't… I can't guarantee you won't be outside the window by the end of the battle," he whispered. I froze at the words. "You're deteriorating fast, and…" Yes, but…
"They need me." I gave him my best, bravest smile. "I'll come right back here when it's over."
"Okay…" Yodel let me go, and I took off down the hall. I heard him praying as I left, and grimaced. This was bad. This was really bad.
I had to stop in the middle of the hallway to cough. It hit me so suddenly that bits splatted across the ground, and the force was almost enough to send me to my knees. Only a gentle arm kept me from falling, and I looked up to see it was Rath, holding me.
"I need to get to the others," I whispered. His eyes wavered in worry, but he helped me walk. "Hey, did you know that the cure for consumption requires Sacaean medicine? Yodel said it bought me more time than I could've expected." I smiled up at him, trying to hide how scared I was. "Pretty neat, huh? Did you know?"
"I knew some of the medicines we use for consumption, and those are the ones I gave you," Rath answered softly. I nodded, and leaned into him as my head spun. I was so tired already… "Katri…" He tugged me into a proper hug. "It will be fine."
"…I know." I would not… give up. We were almost at the end. I would not give up. "And here's the chaos." Wow, this was completely frantic.
"Katri!" There was Hector and Lyn, both already covered in blood. I noticed Hector was wielding another Wolf Beil, not Armads, and didn't blame him. "Graybeard's using magic to prevent Nergal from sending more," Hector told me. He passed me a handkerchief that I gladly took. His eyes held a silent question, but I refused to answer it. "If we hold them back, reinforcements will come."
"Nils is being guarded in his room," Lyn added. She was scowling and growling, temper clearly crackling. "The leader just keeps repeated the same thing over and over. 'This is a message from Lord Nergal. I await you on the Dread Isle.'" Dramatic, much? "And… Eliwood!" I just gaped when I saw Eliwood walk up, rapier in hand, eyes resolved. "Ah, Eliwood, maybe you should…"
"I will fight," Eliwood interrupted, words firm. "Ninian wanted me to protect the lands, and I will. And then, when this is over, I will smile, just for her." Oh, Eliwood… "I will not be weak, and I will not give up. My ignorance led to a sacrifice I was not willing to pay, but it has been paid, and I will not waste it."
"Just don't overexert yourself."
"I won't." Eliwood smiled wryly at me. "I fear I must continue to cause you trouble, Katri."
"We're family," I retorted instantly. "It's our job to cause trouble for each other." He laughed a little. "Okay, get me Matthew and Legault. I need maps." And I smiled slowly. Ninian had said my smiles reassured, told everyone that things would be okay. Are you watching, Ninian? I'm smiling right now. "Let's show Nergal just why the biggest mistake of his life is underestimating us, yes?"
Nergal was seriously compensating here. Quantity over quality, and holy hell, there were a lot.
But there was something I noted with amusement. Nergal's messenger was an archer, sniper. Who were a bit notorious for something: poor close-combat abilities. And the majority of my people? Close-combat specialists.
"Miss Wolf, it seems things are going much better than expected." Legault was keeping close this time, mostly to be messenger and guard. The goal was the protect the throne. I was more or less going with the same strategy used at Laus, adapted for having way more people. It worked, though. "It seems everyone is loving the idea of being able to tear through Nergal's troops," he mused. "Well, I can understand the feeling. I didn't know that Ninian girl very well, but how she died was horrible." Yeah… "And him coming to mock Eliwood for it? That's just poor taste."
"And this has nothing to do with what he did with the Fang?" I noted dryly. He simply smiled wryly in reply. "How is Nino doing?"
"Take a look." I was. And Nino was having a lot of fun with Ursula's bolting tome. "She's resolved herself to it. It will always hurt. But she will walk forward." That… was good. "And she'll be with Jaffar. I don't think he'll leave her side." He now looked stern. "Better not. I don't like the idea of little Nino being with anyone, but…"
I laughed a little. "You sound like an old man."
"I'm not much older than you, Miss Wolf." I would have replied, but coughed instead. Everything hurt, and I could feel myself flagging. "…Things are going well. Groups are working nicely. Leaders and their seconds know what to do. It's just waiting for reinforcements." He put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a worried look. "Maybe you should go rest."
"The second I do, the second something is going to go wrong." Movement caught my eye and I grimaced. "As the case proves."
"…Is that broken record of a doll shooting from the ceiling?" Yep. Looked like he had climbed up. Somehow. I was going to figure it out later. "You have got to be kidding me."
"You have to yell for me." He sighed in reply. "Archers and mages need to redirect to aiming at the ceiling. All units need to clear out from under to avoid the arrows as they arc down."
Legualt dutifully yelled out the orders, and the field shifted to accommodate. The sniper, who seriously just kept repeating that one sentence over and over again and holy hell was that ever creepy, attempted to dodge. But I had seven people who could use bows and seven mages who were more that willing to launch spells.
It didn't take long at all for the sniper to fall, riddled with arrows, pierced by light, ripped by shadows, and the pieces charring into ash. Well, that was dealt with. Now…
I tensed as I saw soldiers appear on the field suddenly, but then I noticed the crest of Ostia on their armor. Reinforcements were here at last. "Legault, make sure they're actually with us?" I requested. He nodded and left, but it wasn't long before I saw the group relaxing and falling back. Good… good.
Taking the moment to breath, I looked at the dead enemies. All of them… looked similar to each other. All of them… looked like Ephidel, Sonia, and Limstella… What was…?
"They are all his morphs." I turned to see Athos approach me. "You missed my explanation about them prior," he murmured. I gave him a skeptical look and he sighed. "You simply do not trust me, do you?"
"I don't trust you to actually tell anyone anything," I clarified. "It would be hypocritical to not trust you because you hide things. Oh, but that does remind me." With what little strength I could muster, I punched him straight in the face. It earned me a yelp. "That… is for Ninian."
"…You were actually serious."
"I'm always serious when it comes to my army." Still, the strain made my head spin, and I slumped as another coughing fit hit me. Ugh… I needed to…
"Graybeard, Katri!" And there was Hector, Lyn, and Eliwood. "Looks like we won, again," he noted with a grin. I guess… the victory here did a lot to boost morale, huh? Certainly, I saw smiles among the group. "But Nergal… he seriously made all these morphs?"
"Yes," Athos confirmed, rubbing at his cheek a little. "It is an abomination, a crime against all that is natural." He sighed, closing his eyes. I noted with a smirk, though, that there was a beautiful red mark blooming on his face. Ha! "When Nergal began using morphs to carry out his plans, his power had grown beyond my ability to contain him. I knew his next target would be the dragons in Arcadia."
"Like Fae?" I didn't realize I had said the words aloud until Athos nodded, and the three lords gaped at me. "That… was supposed to be in my head," I sighed. I was so tired… "Fae is a dragon, a divine dragon, and I kept it quiet because I worried about what it would do to the cute little child if everyone started being scared of her. And considering everything…" I sighed again. "Maybe I should've. Maybe if I had put the idea in everyone's head about 'nice' dragons…"
"Durandel still would have moved," Eliwood murmured. I gave him a curious look. "Ah, you didn't hear it. Durandel… moved on its own. I was just the vessel." He closed his eyes, and started shivering. "If I had more knowledge, then maybe…"
"Maybe we're in over our head, but we're going to keep going," Hector interrupted, cutting through the pity party. Eliwood nodded, and smiled a little at Hector. "But how were you going to keep Nergal from the dragons, Graybeard?"
"I concealed Arcadia behind a curtain of sandstorms," Athos answered. He shook his head. "You were almost caught in one of the ones I conjured up to renew a fading one." Oh. "I then went to the underground ruins to wait for him. I didn't plan on defeating him. Just exchange blows, and draw him deep into the desert, far away from anything with quintessence, his magic drained so he could not warp away." …Well, damn, that was brutal. I approved, but still.
"But Nergal didn't show up," Lyn sighed. She looked sad. "Instead, he dragged Nils and Ninian into his mess, and now…" Yeah… oh, wait, shoot, everyone sounded far away… was I fainting? "What is the plan? Athos, Katri, what should we do?"
"I will go to the Shrine and see about getting Bramimond's directly help." Everything was spinning. I couldn't breath. "And I will… see if I can find another old friend, one never mentioned in the legends. I know where she was last."
"Then maybe… hmm… Katri, what do you think of… Katri?" Lyn was in front of me, peering at my face worriedly. I stumbled back automatically. "Yikes, Katri, you don't look so good." I was coughing again. It hurt. Everything hurt. "Katri, here, I'll help you… IS THAT BLOOD?!"
I wanted to reassure her, but I couldn't. I fell to my knees, hacking and hacking, blood splattering the ground with each cough. I automatically tried to cover my mouth, tried to hide it, but blood seeped through my fingers, dripped down my arms. So much blood. So much blood. Everything hurt. I couldn't breath. Everything was spinning.
Was I dying? I think I was dying. I'm scared. Someone…
Someone scooped me up in their arms and carried me away. I heard screams and yelps, shouts demanding answers, sobbing shrieks. They echoed eerily behind me. Everything was fading away, and I felt… I felt really cold.
But something warm brushed over my temple, and a gentle voice whispered in my ear, "you will be fine." Rath. Rath had me. I would be fine. No matter what, I would be fine, if he just… if he just stayed near… "Here."
"Guard the door and do not let anyone break my concentration." That… was Yodel… I felt like I was sinking into water… or maybe just lying in a sunlit meadow, letting time pass me by… "Katri, go ahead and faint. I have you."
That was the last thing I heard before everything disappeared.
I woke up in patches. I first noticed that I was warm again. Then I noticed that someone was stroking my hair gently, as if I was made of glass. Then there was the feeling of something blessedly cool on my forehead. The sound of quiet whispers filtered in through the blackness, a prayer or maybe a song. Then, slowly, I opened my eyes and let the world focus again. I was in a rather pretty room, tucked into a soft bed, pale colors of the walls and curtains complimenting the moonlight streaming through the windows.
"You're awake." I turned my head and smiled when I saw Rath was sitting by the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked, adjusting the cloth on my forehead. "You have a bit of a fever, but Yodel said that was normal."
"I'm… exhausted…" I rasped. But, for the first time in a while, I wasn't fighting off coughs. "How did it…?"
"You're cured." Oh…! "Yodel thinks it was simply a miracle, but Athos slipped in the room to quietly assist." Athos…? He had…? "He didn't make a show of it, but I know you'd prefer an explanation besides 'miracle'."
"Yeah…" My voice cracked, and it took me a minute to realize I was crying. "I…" I tried to free my hands from under the blankets to hide the tears, but Rath reached over to wipe them away. "S-sorry, I'm… I'm just so relieved…" I wouldn't drop dead on them. I would have more than a few weeks, a few months. "What… what are the healer's orders?"
"You're confined to bed." Rath helped me sit up, moving the pillows to cushion my back, and held out a mug of tea. "Can you hold it?" Shakily, I took the mug, and just held it for a bit. Enjoying the warmth. "As I said, you're on bed rest until we leave for Dragon's Gate, and you're under orders to rest as much as possible."
"So, we're heading there?"
"Yes, to ensure that Nergal does not send troops across Lycia. That is what Lyn said." That made sense, and was very much like them. "…Your health is permanently damaged, though." Hmm? "You will always be frail in health now. You will always have difficulties breathing." Ah… "You will never have your former strength."
"Considering how sick I was, I would be surprised if I did." Slowly and carefully, I sipped some of the tea. And smiled because it was so warm, and so good. "Thank you for making me this."
"Of course." His smile was soft and strangely hesitant as he reached over to brush the hair out of my face. "You're taking the news well."
"Like I said, I'm not surprised. Honestly, Rath, I was expecting to be told that I had pushed myself out of the window." I shrugged, smiling at him. "So, how much does everyone want to kill me?"
"Mostly, everyone is relieved you are alive. They all were sitting in the hall while Yodel, and Athos, worked." Wait, seriously? "There are some who dislike that you kept it quiet, but it was understood once your reasons came out. You are trusted still." That… "You're crying again."
"I guess being told I get to live is making me weepy." I smiled through the tears, though, and he just brushed them away. "I'll have to make my apologies to everyone for worrying them." He nodded, just smiling back. "And I've caused you a mess of trouble, and likely going to continue doing so."
"I wouldn't expect anything else." I pouted at the gentle teasing, and he laughed softly. "But… it is good." Hmm? "I am glad you are finally going to get better. I'm glad you're not going to die." Yeah… "Someone's at the door." Oh?
I tried to not slump when Rath moved away to open the door. I… didn't like seeing him leave my side. And since I was going to live, I really… really did need to think on… ah, no, not the time. I was just waking up. That would require thought, and courage.
"Oh, Katri's awake?" I blinked slowly when I saw Hector was my visitor. He… looked like hell. "Ah, good, I couldn't sleep, but…" he mumbled, glancing away. He sounded small again, fragile. "Oh, but I don't want to interrupt…" Even the attempt at teasing fell flat.
"I need to go get her some food," Rath murmured. He glanced at me, and I nodded, catching his meaning. While I did probably need food, Hector clearly needed someone to talk to. Now. "Can you sit by her?"
"Wow, you're letting someone else sit by her? You didn't move from her side since Yodel announced she was cured and needed rest." Wait, really? "Yeah, I'll sit." Rath nodded and left. "I can't tell if he's mad at me or not."
"Of course he isn't," I chided, smiling at him when he faced me. "Hey there."
"Hey." He plopped down in Rath's vacated chair and smiled at me. "That… that was a scare. I know you said it was bad, but… hell, I honestly thought we were watching you die right then."
"I felt like I was dying, so that makes sense. How much apologizing am I going to have to do for Lyn and Eliwood?"
"Don't be surprised if Lyn clings in the morning. She was breaking down in sobs. Most of the Legion was, actually. Nils wasn't, but he kept whispering something about a 'promise' as if to reassure himself." I'm sorry, everyone… "Eliwood, typical of him, is blaming himself for not realizing it, but I think we knocked him out of that. Don't be surprised by apologies, though." Yes… "Not sure if Rath told you, but most of the army was sitting outside in the hall, just waiting."
"You all should have rested."
"None of us were going to get sleep." Hector grinned. "Plus, we heard some fun stories about you, thanks to Pent, Louise, Erk, and Priscilla." Oh, for crying out loud… "Legion shared their thoughts. I think it really helped showed the newer members just why we trust you so much." That made them staying make more sense. "Your fear of horses got outed. Erk hadn't realized you hadn't mentioned that." He gave me a look. "You have a fear of horses, and rode through a storm."
"Lyn needed me." I sighed, shaking my head. "It's not something I talk about much. If anyone asked, I… okay, I would tell now. Kent tried to ask when we first met, but I avoided it."
"Rath knew."
"Rath was more stubborn about getting it out of me."
"I guess so." He snickered, before growing somber. "We… ah… heard about your mother." …Ah. "Lyn was quick to defend you there. Said you had a bad relation with her."
"Bad, complicated…" I sighed. "And then she dies when I'm not there. I didn't want to think about it. Which, of course, made me make the very stupid decision about not treating my cough seriously." I finished off my tea, though, and studied him. "Hector, did something else happen?"
"Hmm?"
"You look… well, you look not much better than me." He laughed at that, but it sounded sad. "Is it just everything catching up?"
"…No…" He sighed, and bowed his head, slumping to try and make himself smaller. "Uther is dead." …Wha…? "Uther… he died. He's gone." Oh… Oh, Hector… "I was so sure… I was so sure he had just gone somewhere to recover his strength, that the lie about the conference was just to cover since his illness was kept quiet." He just sounded smaller and smaller. But no tears. "I was… I was expecting to see him. Hoping to see him. Get a hug, get reassurance. Talk to him about my feelings for Lyn. Talk to him about how weak I feel, how helpless I am when Eliwood's hurting. Talk to him about Leila's death. Tell him that I was going to take things seriously, so he wouldn't have to worry so much."
"Hector…" I reached over to stroke his hair as he trembled. "And Amanda?"
"Amanda did go to Etruria, to mourn. She was sitting with him when he passed." Ah… "I wasn't told. I wasn't told that my brother was dead. Oswin knew." He had? "He knew. He found out at the Shrine. But Uther had wished for me not to be told, and so he didn't." Uther… Uther, that was too cruel. I could understand, but that… that was too much. "It was the same thing you did. Protect me by hiding that there was a choice. But… but you told me, when I confronted you. You didn't lie. Oswin did."
"Hector…"
"I will never forgive him for that. He hid that my brother was dead. I don't even know if Orun knows." He looked up at me, and I could see that, while he was desperately angry, he also wanted some validation. That it was okay to be mad.
So, I smiled. "You can make that choice. No one will blame you." His resulting smile was a little broken. "But don't doubt Uther in this. Know that he loved you, and was thinking of you and Eliwood until the end."
"Yeah…" He shook his head. "Sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you. You just got saved from death's door."
"Are you mad that I'm alive and Uther's not?"
"No way in hell." Oh, good. "I just wish… I just wish you were both alive." Yeah, I could understand that. "The worst thing was that I had to figure it out for myself. No one told me. No one slipped. I just figured it out, because Oswin refused to tell me anything even when I threatened him." He was shaking again. "This… I'm scared. I can't rule."
"I think you'll do fine." He gave me an incredulous look. "You know your flaws. You can learn. And you'll carve a new path. You'll do fine." I smiled at him. "Though, if you'd rather I tease you, there is always Lyn, and how you're still a reckless idiot who yells at heroes."
"Katri!"
Notes on Ostia Castle
· Apparently this used to be a fortress used in the Scouring, specifically in the last year or so. It was already a defensive powerhouse then, and it was strengthened afterwards.
· Roland took the former fortress as his castle when the Scouring ended, mostly to ensure the fortress wouldn't be laid to waste. It has stood the test of time, and it's said that most of the original architecture is still perfectly intact.
· Saint Elimine's scriptures state that it was within the forges of Ostia where the legendary weapons were crafted. Very fitting that we come here after gaining two of them.
Author's notes: And there's the end of that little 'arc'. There's enough to be had in the last few chapters that there's no point in me dragging it out. For those curious, counting interludes, Katri has had consumption for thirty-two chapters.
You only learn of Uther's ultimate fate in Hector's story, that he died prior to the end of the story. Oswin's dialogue heavily implies that the message he received from Ostia during Cog of Destiny is Uther's dying wish.
Next Chapter – Battle Preparations (which I will be treating as an interlude because… well… it's a shopping chapter in game)
