A sigh left Robin's lips as she sat herself down on the base of a destroyed pillar. The sun has risen higher in the sky, shining through cracks in the temple roof as the community began to recover from the attack. She looked out at the result of the morning's battle, watching the villagers go about their day. Fortunately, the only burying they would have to be doing would be the bandits that attacked them. Jameson had done an excellent job of staving them off without any casualties. The temple itself was relatively untouched, only a few scapes and chips where some of the battle had gotten too close.

Her eyes darted over to her companions as she nursed her side, feeling a sharp pain in her side as she breathed in. Elaine was busying tending to her pegasus; although it had managed to survive somehow, it definitely was not flying anytime soon. Pheros and Noel were tending to the wounded, healing them and binding their wounds respectively. Though there were no deaths, there were many, many injured, some pretty badly. Dalton was nowhere to be seen, presumably still interrogating the bandits outside the temple.

A small shiver crept down her spine as she remembered Pheros' reaction to her after the battle. She had chided her about putting herself in danger and to value her life more. She was, after all, the tactician of Valm's army. She also insisted that Robin be healed first, but the tactician had lied about not being hurt so that she would tend to the villagers first.

"Hey," A voice called out from her left, snapping her out of her thoughts, "How're you holdin' up?"

She looked up, the silhouette of a robed figure standing over her against the sun. She held up a hand to shield her eyes, squinting to see who it was. The figure squatted down next to her, his blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight.

"You got healed up, right?" Brady asked, "Your cleric here a second ago."

"I'm... not hurt that badly," Robin lied, grinning through the pain in her side, "I simply told her to help the villagers first."

The rough-looking cleric glared at her with his one good eye, scanning her up and down.

"Quit your lyin' and show me your side," Her said gruffly, pulling his staff off his shoulder, "You broke something, didn't ya?"

"How'd you know?" Robin asked, blinking with surprise as she instinctively shied away from him.

"I didn't become a cleric without knowin' a few things," Brady explained, pointing his staff at her, "The way you're nursin' your side. Nobody does that unless they're injured or crazy. Now, show it to me, unless ya want the pain to last."

Robin stared at him for a second, taking a moment to think. Them, she gingerly pulled her arm out of her coat, wincing as she raised it so he could get a better look. Brady's eyes seemed to widen slightly as she did, slightly averting his gaze. Evidently, he was expecting her to be wearing something more than a singlet underneath.

The blonde man brought his staff close to her torso, hovering his hand in a similar position. A warm green glow began emanating from the staff, spreading to the tactician's body. Robin felt the familiar sensation of healing magic permeate her chest, the sharp pain ebb away as Brady worked his magic. After he was done, the cleric, letting out an awkward cough as he looked away from her.

"There," He mumbled, pulling away and he looked the other direction, "I can't do nothin' about the bones, but any damage to the flesh around it should be healed."

"Thanks, Brady," Robin said, rolling her shoulders as she stretched her side, "That feels much better."

"D-Don't mention it," The blonde man replied, scratching the back of his neck, "Take it as thanks for defending this temple. There's a buncha good people livin' here and I'm glad we didn't lose anybody."

The two of them sat in silence, Robin not knowing what to say. She chanced a peek over at the cleric, observing him. He sat with one leg up, leaning the staff on his shoulder as he always did. But at odds with his rough appearance, he had a solemn, almost delicate contemplative expression on his face, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hey... uh, Robin?" Brady muttered, causing the silver-haired woman to start and look away, "Can I ask you something?"

"If I get to ask you one in return then sure," She replied, turning back slowly to try and hide the fact that she had been staring.

"Um... are ya... workin' for a nation at the moment?" The blonde man asked, "Sorry if it's a weird question. Just curious."

"Well..." Robin hummed, weighing the consequences of telling him the truth, "I'm... currently being enlisted by the army of Valm."

Robin watched as Brady's eyebrow flicker upwards, an unreadable look on his face as he listened to her.

"I see..." He mumbled, nodding his head slowly as he covered his mouth with a hand, "I see..."

"Why do you ask?" Robin asked, tilting her head curiously at him.

"Nah, it's really nothing," Brady replied, "If ya don't mind, can I ask why?"

"Long story short, I'm indebted to them," The tactician answered, resting her head on a hand, "They took me in when I had nothing and gave me everything. I don't think I can repay them. Even if I did, I would continue to work until I've paid them back tenfold."

A small smile came to her face as she subconsciously began to reminiscence upon all that happened over the past seven months or so.

"That's... nice," Brady muttered awkwardly, clearly at a loss for what to say.

A confused and lost look came over the cleric's face, adjusting his sitting position as he passed his staff over to his other hand.

"So, can I ask you a question now?" Robin asked.

"Shoot."

"What brought you here?" She asked, "I don't mean to be disrespectful, but it's just that you don't seem like the very religious type. Surely you must be here for some other reason."

Brady looked off in the distance, scratching the side of his cheek as he seemed to sink deep in thought.

"I... I came here while I was trying to find someone," He began, "I sorta ended up here by accident, and these folks took care of me. So, I decided to hang around for a bit."

"Oh..." Robin mumbled, still watching the cleric, "Do you mind me asking more about the person you were trying to find?"

"I guess not," Brady continued, his eyes glazing over slightly, "She was... I mean is one of the kindest people I've ever met. Well-mannered, to the point of bein' overbearing. Sure, she might be a bit prickly on the outside... but she's still a great person all around."

A small tear crept out of the corner of his eye, trailing down his face as he blinked out of his reminiscence.

"Wow, she sounds like a wonderful person," Robin said, "Sounds like she and I would be great friends."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Definitely," Brady muttered, wiping the tear away, "Yeah, you'd make good friends."

"Well, whoever she is, she sounds like a really lucky girl," The tactician blurted out, carefully stretching her arms, "Having someone like you to think so fondly of her."

"Umm... what?" Brady asked, giving Robin a curious look.

Robin stared at him blankly, blinking her eyes innocently.

"You two are a couple, are you not?"

"What?!" Brady cried, jumping out of his seat, "No! No, we ain't like that. Gods no we ain't like that!"

"Oh, my bad," The silver-haired woman apologised, "It's just that... I assumed-"

"She's more like... an older sister, yeah," The blonde man said, scratching the back of his neck, "Yeah... like siblings..."

"Since when did you two hit it off?" A third voice asked, the sound of boots coming their way.

Robin looked up to see Pheros walking up to them, one hand on her hip.

"Oh, hi, Pheros," Robin said, waving a hand, "I was just talking to Brady over here about somethings, that's all."

The blonde man nodded his head politely in acknowledgement, Pheros doing the same.

"Anyway, Hon," Pheros continued, "We've pretty much rounded up what we need to do here. We'd best move on to meet up with Dorothy and Ignatius."

"Yeah, that's true," Robin said, standing up and dusting herself off, "Let's go. Thanks for healing me, Brad-"

She immediately cupped a hand over her mouth, the words slipping out faster than she could stop herself. The female cleric's head snapped in her direction, her eyes shining like a hawk that found its prey.

"I'm sorry, Hon, but what did I just hear?" She asked, a frightening smile on her face.

Brady looked back and forth between the two, clearly confused by the conversation.

"Uh... nothing..." Robin replied, a bead of nervous sweat trickling down her collar.

"Hon, if I recall correctly, you told me you had no injuries, correct?" Pheros asked sweetly, grabbing the tactician by the shoulder, "So what's this I hear about getting healed?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Brady interjected, waving a hand dismissively, "She's got some cracked ribs, nothing us healers could do about it anyway."

Robin turned to the blonde man, narrowing her eyes at him with a deathly glare. Pheros' grip tightened further, making the silver-haired woman wince a little.

"Robin, it appears that we need to have a talk," Pheros said flatly, dragging the tactician away.

"Damn you, Brady!" Robin wailed, struggling to break free but to no avail.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Robin stumbled through the main hall of the temple, rubbing her ears as she let out a groan. Pheros really did not hold back when it came to lecturing her. That woman was too overprotective, so what if she got injured in the last battle? Sure she got a bit scraped and bruised, but so did every other soldier that ever took to a battlefield. No tactician ever won a battle just by hanging back in safety.

She paused for a moment, the visage of Excellus floating across her mind. Hmm... okay, if that fat blob was the default standard of a tactician, then Robin indeed was a daredevil.

As she was sifting through her thoughts, she heard a voice call her from her front.

"Why, hello there, Robin."

She looked up to see Jameson leaning back against the main entrance to the temple, a small smile across his face.

"How're you feeling?" He continued, "I saw Brady healing you earlier."

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," The tactician replied, bowing slightly, "How are the villagers?"

"They're fine, thanks to you," He said, "That blonde cleric of yours really knows her stuff."

"Yeah, she does," Robin muttered, her ears still ringing from the prior scolding.

A thought floated into her head as she saw the older man standing there, his body built like a stone wall.

"If I may," She began, clearing her throat, "Why are the group of you all living out here in this ruined temple? Even if this place is a pilgrimage site of sorts, normally you would live in a village and then make trips up here every week or so."

Jameson raised an eyebrow at her as she asked the question, but looking unsurprised as if he was expecting to hear her ask.

"Why you say?" He asked back, folding his arms, "Well, that depends on why you're asking. Out of curiosity or something else?"

"Curiosity," Robin replied frankly, "Well, this temple- forgive me for saying so- is rather... dangerous, as it were, to live in. In addition, many of you are able-bodied if not fitter and would definitely be able to find work if you headed to a village of sorts."

The older man let out a small chuckle, shaking his head slowly.

"You're a sharp young'un, aren't cha?" He muttered, a small grin creeping across his face, "Well, you seem trustworthy. Come closer and I'll tell you."

Robin walked over, coming up next to him and leaning back on the wall as well.

"You see, not all of us are here to just follow Father Nomah's way of life," Jameson explained, "Most of us have come here through... undesirable circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, some of us ran away from an abusive home," The older man continued, a sad look coming over his visage, "Others may have been survivors of a bandit attack. And others still may have been the bandits themselves, or other kinds of criminals. Some of us... lost someone precious to us and wanted to run away from it all..."

He looked up, staring out into the grassy fields outside the temple, the breeze gently blowing past his face.

"We all came here seeking some form of asylum. Somewhere we could live and start anew, away from our past."

"I... see..." Robin said slowly, averting her gaze, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive."

Jameson let out a chuckle, turning to look at her.

"Oh, you don't need to be," He assured her, "We've all moved on. Now, we're just living here in this temple. Seeking to care for others with similar circumstances."

Robin moved off the wall, dusting her back with a hand.

"Well... Jameson," She said brightly, "Though I understand why, do remember that if you do feel like returning to civilisation, I'm sure the dukedom of Laguna would welcome you with open arms."

A smile crept across the old man's face, his hands dropping to his hips.

"I do appreciate the sentiment, lass. I really do."

o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Robin gathered outside the temple, readying their horses as they prepared to set off.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest up?" Jameson asked, walking up to them, "You've all bravely put your lives on the line for us, we wouldn't mind if you stayed a little longer."

"Thank you for the offer," Robin replied, adjusting the saddle of her horse, "But we have a prior meeting to get to, and we'd best not be late."

"Then at least allow us to repay you, please," Jameson pleaded, bowing his head slightly.

"It's already generous enough that you've offered to care for Elaine's pegasus," Robin said, looking back at the cyan haired girl, "We'll come back for her later."

The pegasus knight had a forlorn look on her face as she sat on the back if Pheros' horse. It was already a miracle that both of their steeds had survived the fight, let alone the fact that Robin's could still be ridden. But the flying steed was in no condition to move. Hence, the decision was made to let her recuperate here in relative safety.

"Don't be so modest!" Jameson insisted, beckoning to the villagers behind him, "You've saved our lives, it's the least we could do."

Two villagers stepped forward each holding gifts. One of them stepped forward, offering a small pouch to Robin. The tactician opened it up, her eyes widening at the mound of coins within.

"This is-!" She blurted out, covering her mouth slightly in surprise.

The old man laughed heartily, slapping his thigh as he leaned forward.

"Don't worry, lass. We've no use for such coin," He assured her, "All we wish for is peaceful living out here in the temple."

The next villager stepped forward, presenting a long object covered in white cloth. Robin gingerly took it in her hands, slowly unravelling the item. As the cloth fell from it, the sunlight sparkled off the sky blue metal beneath it, revealing a long, elegant blade. Upon unwrapping it further, the shaft showed it to be a long polearm, similar to the one Elaine had been using. A crystal symbol sat on the socket of the weapon, scattering the afternoon sunlight as it filtered down to Robin's face.

"A blessed lance..." Pheros muttered, her eyebrows arching in surprise, "I didn't think would have something of that sort here."

Robin held the weapon in both hands, the cool metal slightly chilling her skin. From within the weapon itself, she felt a faint magical aura, similar to the heal spell that Pheros had used on her so many times before.

"Why, thank you for both of these gifts," She said, bowing in thanks, "We'll make good use of them."

"Oh, but we have one more still," Jameson said, clapping the shoulder of Brady, who happened to be standing next to him, " Please, take him as well."

Both Robin and Brady stared at the older man incredulously, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"What?" They both uttered.

"I said, take him with you," Jameson repeated, "I know you folks already have a cleric, but I'm sure another wouldn't hurt."

"Jameson, there's really no need," Robin said, "We're fine as we are. Plus, I'd hate to take Brady away from all of you. I'm sure his services would be of better use here."

"What? Are you saying his help would not be needed?" The robed man asked, his tone filled with mock indignance, "Brady's one of our finest, his healing capabilities are a par above the rest. At least give him a chance, lass."

"That's enough, old-timer," Brady interrupted, tapping him of the shoulder, "They don't need to help out there, I can stay here and help."

The older man tightened his grip on the cleric's shoulder, saying something to him softly. It was probably not meant for Robin's ears but the tactician hearing was sharp enough to hear it.

"Lad, you need to get out there. You have someone to find, don't you?"

Then it hit Robin; what exactly Jameson was trying to do.

"Hmmm... alright," She muttered, letting out a sigh, "I've changed my mind."

Both men turned to look at her, eyebrows raised on surprise.

"Will you come with us, Brady?" Robin asked, extending a hand to the cleric, "We could use your help after all."

At this, Pheros and Elaine both stared at the tactician, looks of confusion on their faces. Dalton's face turned black immediately. Noel had a lost look on his face, looking about the group around him. A smile spread across Jameson's face as he gave Brady a hearty slap on the back. The blonde man lurched forward with an audible grunt, rubbing his back.

"Are ya serious?" Brady asked, looking up at Robin, "You don't have to if ya don't wanna."

"I'm sure," The silver-haired woman reassured him, "C'mon, we'd best get a move on."

The blonde man shrugged, taking her hand as she pulled him onto her horse.

"Robin, let him ride with the other one," Dalton suggested, nodding towards Noel.

Robin could tell Dalton was upset with her decision without even looking. An intense spiteful aura radiated out from the cavalier behind her, causing Brady to flinch a little.

"It's alright," She said flatly, "He'll ride with me."

Pheros shook her head slightly, opening her mouth to protest, "But, Hon-"

"He's already on my horse, we shouldn't waster any more time," The tactician interrupted, spurring her horse move off, "Come on, let's move. We don't have all day."

Pheros nodded, following behind her with Noel in tow. Dalton too followed though the dark look on his face made it clear how unhappy he was with the situation. Robin rolled her eyes as her she urged her horse to gallop. She really needed to do something about Dalton's prejudice.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Robin squinted her eyes as her horse tore down the dirt road, her hair whipping around her face as the wind-tossed it about. They had been on the road for most of the day at this point, the sky starting to turn a deep yellowish-orange heralding the sunset that was soon to be. She winced as she bounced up and down on the horse, an intense feeling of deja vu entering her mind as she remembered the journey they had the night before. She chanced a glance back to see Brady in a similar state, the look on his face a mix of regret and agony.

She looked around her at her other companions, checking on how they were holding up. Noel, who was leading the group, seemed to be slightly weary, though not as much as her or Brady. Pheros, Elaine and Dalton both showed no signs of fatigue, their many hours of equestrian experience paying off.

Are we close?!" She shouted to Noel, cupping her mouth with a hand.

"W-W should be there soon!" The squire shouted back, his gaze still fixed on the road ahead, "Ta meeting place be near ta entrance of ta forest!"

'What forest?' Robin thought to herself, looking at her surroundings. They had been on a dirt path since the temple, walled on either side by sheer mountain cliffs.

Suddenly, Noel held up a hand, easing his horse into a trot. Robin and the others followed suit, slowly approaching a bend in the road ahead. As they cut around the corner, two black blurs dashed out seemingly nowhere, intercepting their path. With a flash of silver, they drew blades, pointing them up towards the squire. Noel's horse reared up, whinnying in surprise, causing the squire to almost fall off the back of it.

"W-Wait!" He spluttered as calm as he could, trying to calm his horse down, "I-It's me! It's me!"

The two dark figures looked at each other for a moment, then slowly put away their weapons.

"Well, come one then," One of them said as he turned around, beckoning for the group to follow him, "Sir Ignatius' been expecting you."

Noel nodded, trotting after him. The rest of the party followed behind him with the other hooded figure bringing up the rear. They were led through along the road, the mountainous side giving way almost abruptly to a dense forest. The man leading the pack halted, making a hand sign to break track. He then proceeded to take them into the foilage, expertly parting the underbrush to reveal a path.

Robin gazed about her amazedly as she rode through the forest. All the trees in Valm had either turned orange or gone completely bald by this time, and yet, the trees were still thick and green despite the oncoming winter. Her eyes were drawn to their spindly leaves, their shape reminiscent of green needles. The height of the trees was also much taller than the ones in Valm, towering over their small group as they passed through. Another thing she noticed was the sheer lack of noise. There were no chirping of birds or squeaking of forest animals. The only noise came from their horses as they clopped down the dirt path.

Soon, the leafy canopy above gave way to the sunset sky as they stepped out onto a clearing in the woods. Ignatius and the rest of his men, lay scattered about the area. Some of the soldiers were holding the perimeter, keeping an eye on the rest of the underbrush. Others lay resting, leaning on trees or polishing their own weapons. The horses they had ridden on were tethered to a small group of trees off to the right. Ignatius himself was sitting on a fallen log, his massive halberd leaning on his shoulder. His face had a displeased look as they approached.

"You're late," He grumbled, using his polearm to heave himself off the log, "Any later and we would have proceeded without you."

"Sorry about that," Robin apologised, leaping off her horse, "But hey, we made it right?"

The big man rolled his eyes wordlessly, toting his weapon on his shoulder. His gaze fell on the newest addition to their party.

"Who's this?" He asked, pointing a meaty finger at Brady. The cleric flinched from the gesture, almost as if Ignatius has pointed a blade instead.

"He's one of the villagers," Robin answered flatly, handing the reins of her horse to one of the other Lagunian soldiers, "He's a healer who came to assist us."

"Fine," Ignatius rumbled, the way he continued to stare at Brady telling Robin he was not convinced.

"Is Dorothy in position?" The tactician asked, brushing a lock of hair out of her face.

"Of course," Ignatius replied, a small scoff escaping his lips, "Unlike you, she isn't tardy about anything."

"Oh, but did she go out of her way to save a group of villagers?" Dalton asked, glaring at the Lagunian commander, "No? I didn't think so."

"She would've prioritised the mission over something like that," The big man replied, glaring back at the Valmese cavalier.

"So she's as heartless as you, I take it?" Dalton retorted, folding his arms, "I guess I should've expected as much."

Ignatius closed in on the ponytailed man, a thunderous look on his face as he loomed over him.

"Say that again," He dared, his voice dangerously low.

"Woah, woah, woah," Robin interrupted, pushing both men away from one another, "Let's not save the enemy the trouble of killing each other."

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face as she glanced around her. All around, the glares from the other soldier boring holes into her as they stared past her at Dalton. The brown-haired man backed away, the look on his face still asking for a fight. Ignatius exhaled, ignoring him as he turned his attention to the smaller woman in front of him.

"Are you ready to move?" He asked gruffly, "We should move as soon as we can. Dorothy is waiting for our sign."

"Give me a minute to explain the plan to him," She replied, pointing over to Brady, "Then we can carry on with the attack."

Ignatius grunted in acknowledgement, turning around to address his men. Robin let out a deep sigh as the tension seemed to dissipate from the atmosphere around them, the other soldiers gathering to Ignatius. Dalton too began to walk away, at least until she grabbed his arm, the intense feeling of irritation and anger began to well up within her.

"We need to talk," She said slowly, a dark look on her face.

Dalton shrugged his shoulders, following her to a side of the clearing.

"Look, I know you don't like them, but you need to get over this!" She hissed, frustration written all over her face, "We don't gain anything from picking a fight with our allies. Can you get that in your head?!"

Dalton flinched a little seemingly taken aback by the smaller woman's outburst. A frown with came across his face, returning the tactician's glare. Robin could swear she could see hints of confusion and hurt masked somewhere in there but she could not out her finger on it.

"Look, it's true, I have no desire to work alongside these uncouth rabbles," Dalton said, "However, I only say what I do in response to what they say to you."

Now it was Robin's turn to be taken aback. If that was the real reason for Dalton's quips, she had severely misjudged him. She even began to feel a little bad for reprimanding him. A little.

She let out a sigh, as she felt a throb of pain in her temple. She raised a hand to massage it, looking away from the cavalier.

"Look... I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired," She mumbled, "I... didn't mean to come off that harsh... But I do mean what I said. You need to learn to work with people other than those in Valm."

"Apology accepted," Dalton said, going back to his horse, "However, I cannot agree with what you said. I will do my best to work together with them, but I have my own reasons for my actions."

The silver-haired woman sighed once again as she continued to rub her head, the pain getting worse. The last thing she needed was an argument. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep.

She turned to Brady, beckoning for him to follow her to one side.

"Come here," Robin groaned, clapping a hand on the cleric's shoulder as he approached, "Let me give you a rundown on what we're going to do."

o - o - o - o - o - o - o

A/N:

Hello there!

Grazyfish here, a short chapter this time, but it is setting up for the big chapter coming up next. please look forward to that!

Also thank you to those whose pointed out the formatting error earlier, it should be fixed now.

Hope you enjoyed reading!