Artemis' Curse

The march toward Grust had been quiet.

Marth's spirits had been lowered significantly after their departure from the Fane of Raman. With the Lightsphere and Starsphere out of their reach, their odds of defeating Gharnef were…

Well, it seemed as though they were slim to none.

A small sigh escaped the prince's lips. Perhaps they would figure out some loophole. That was all he could hope for.

The careful nudge against his arm drew his attention upwards—for he had been staring firmly at the grass beneath his feet—and Jagen's brow raised as the prince's gaze met with his own.

"Sire, it seems there is a town just ahead," Jagen said. "We were running low on provisions after camping last night…"

"Ah…" Marth drawled. "We were. And even beyond that, I am sure some of the others would appreciate sleeping in a bed if any inn rooms are available…"

After a moment of pause, he brought his hand up to cup his chin. "Though we are still approaching enemy territory… so it might not be quite so easy…"

"We don't know unless we try," Abel chimed in. At that, Marth could only nod.

A few young boys that had been play-fighting just outside the village gates had dropped their sticks as the Akaneian League approached. One of them raised their hand to point towards the army and yelled something before he ran back into the village with his friends. The surprised display caused a side-eyed glance from Marth towards Jagen, and the elder paladin only grimaced.

"That doesn't seem to bode well for our reception…" Jagen muttered. "Sire… would you like for me to ride ahead and check before we get any closer?"

With a frown, Marth shook his head. "I would rather you not go ahead alone…"

"I can accompany him, Prince Marth," Abel offered. "Would that help ease your concerns?"

"Not particularly…" Marth mumbled truthfully. "I would rather you two not be alone if they are hostile towards us… but…"

The prancing of Cain's horse as he took a few steps forward in line drew their gazes back towards the other cavalier. Cain smiled widely.

"Hey, Prince Marth," he said. "If you don't think they can handle it, ol' Cain here can join in."

Abel narrowed his eyes at Cain. "Oh, do you think that you'd really provide that much more assistance? I'm sure Jagen and I could handle anything thrown our way."

A rough snort signaled Cain's amusement. "That so? Oh come on…"

Marth shook his head with a slight smile and raised his hand. "Alright, that is more than enough…" he interjected. "Fine. Jagen, Abel… Cain, if the three of you would please ride on ahead to check and see if the villagers are… friendly, I would appreciate it."

"With pleasure, sire," Jagen said with a nod. With a motion of his hand, he ordered the two younger cavaliers to follow him as he rode ahead towards the village gates. Cain and Abel quickly followed suit, leaving Marth and the rest of the army behind as they crossed the field.

Roy crossed his arms as he watched their horses ride away. "Wonder if we'll actually be let in…" he mused.

Marth turned to face him. "We can only try," he said with a small smile. "Perhaps we will be lucky, and be graced with their friendliness…"

"Maybe…" Roy mumbled.

"Hey, Roy-boy!"

Both Marth and Roy turned their heads to look back. Xane was jogging towards him with his signature, strange smile and what appeared to be a large balled up brown cloth in his hand. Tiki and Bantu were following close behind him. Curious, Roy squinted at the approaching manakete.

"Huh? Yeah, Xane?" Roy responded, to which Xane only bared a more eager grin.

"Catch!" Xane said as he tossed the mysterious cloth.

The heavy fabric caught in the air and Roy barely had time to stumble forward with his arms held out to catch it before it fell to the grass. He knitted his fingers into it and glanced between it and Xane with furrowed brows.

"A… cloak? What is this for?" Roy asked. Marth tilted his head as he leaned around Roy's arm to look at the cloak.

It was quite like the one that Tiki was wearing.

"Well, you don't wanna give the poor people of the town a bunch of heart attacks, do you?" Xane questioned as he prodded his finger in the air, nonchalantly pointing to Roy's face. "You know, what with your scales and all that."

The heat rose to Roy's cheeks as he quickly glanced back down to the cloak in his hands. "Oh, uh… I…"

Tiki hopped on her feet once as she clasped her hands together. "Look, Ro-Ro, I have one too, see? So does Ban-Ban. We can match!"

Roy's gaze rose from the cloak, towards Tiki, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Her genuine, innocent enthusiasm was oddly contagious. "I… Right. I guess we could."

Marth took a couple steps to the side to give Roy some room and he motioned his arm to his partner, encouraging him to put the garment on.

With a slight sigh, Roy unfurled the cloth from the ball it had been wadded up in and allowed it to drape free in his hands as he held it in front of himself. It was quite long—about ankle-length—and not particularly ornate by any means, aside from some simple embroidery along the edges. With a shake of his head, he quickly swept the cloak back and around him so that it would drape over his shoulders, and he clasped the front of it right on top of his breastplate. The heavy fabric shifted into place with a slight shrug of Roy's shoulders, and he pulled the hood over his head to cover his hair and ears. There was enough of a shadow cast by the hood to dull the shine of the scales that had begun to cover his cheeks, so they would be easily overlooked by any passersby.

His fingers tightened ever so slightly around the hem of the hood as his gaze stayed fixated downward. Though he was certainly self-conscious about what changes were happening to him, having to hide his scales and draconic features did weigh a little unpleasantly on his heart.

"Sorry, mother," he muttered beneath his breath.

A gentle hand on his arm drew Roy's attention as he glanced to his right. Marth was standing beside him with a smile, and a gleam to his eyes that Roy could only recognize as one of understanding.

"It is only for a little while," Marth reassured. "Besides… now you look like some sort of mysterious hero."

Marth's unexpected compliment drew a snort of laughter from Roy. "Oh… is that so?"

"He's right," Xane chimed in as he tapped his cheek with his forefinger. "Like some sort of otherworldly hero descended from the heavens themselves, that must hide his true visage so that he can fulfill his destiny without being discovered!"

Roy shot Xane an incredulous look and tilted his head back slightly. "That is… an oddly specific idea you have," he responded, to which Xane smirked and shrugged.

"Well, after how you appeared in Galder…" Marth mumbled.

Roy sighed. "Marth, don't egg him on…"

With a whistle, Xane leaned forward. "Now you've got me intrigued! I must know more about this incident in Galder!"

However, just as Roy opened his mouth to respond, the sound of horse hooves approaching interrupted him.

"Sire!" Jagen called.

"Ah, Jagen," Marth said with a smile as he turned to the paladin. "You've returned! … Without Cain or Abel. Is something wrong?"

Jagen slowed his horse to a stop just a few paces away from their group. "Not at all. The people of the town were more than happy to allow us to stay. Actually, they seemed almost relieved…"

"Really?" Marth responded with genuine surprise. "Is that so…"

"Yes," Jagen said. "Cain and Abel went ahead to see if there were any open inns for at least some of us to stay. The town is not particularly large, so not all of us would be able to sleep in the inns, I'd wager."

"Hm… well, then I certainly do not want to waste any more time idly standing by. We should go see what capacity they have for us, and go from there," Marth said.

At Marth's word, the army made their way to the town. It was clear that there would not be nearly enough space for all of their people to stay within the town itself—so, as was routine, many of them began to prepare their camp just outside of the town gates.

As Roy had begun to set up a tent, Marth had come to his aid. Between the two of them, they had been able to get a few tents readied before Roy's attentions drifted elsewhere: not too far from them, about six tents away, Nyna was standing with Hardin. Her expression was one of distress, and her hands were gripped together in front of her as Hardin seemed to be trying to reason with her about something. His arms motioned to the sides as he whispered harshly, and Nyna appeared to be offering him no responses.

"Seems like something's going on over there…" Roy observed as he finished tying one of the ropes. He stood from his hunch and straightened his back as he put his hand on his hip. "Nyna looks a little down."

Marth's gaze followed Roy's to the princess not far away. "Ah. That does… seem to be the case," Marth agreed. "And Hardin seems a little…"

"On edge," Roy finished, to which Marth nodded.

After a few moments of silence, Hardin let out a sigh and shook his head as he turned and walked away. Nyna's hands remained clutched in front of her chest and her gaze was firmly fixated on the grass beneath their feet.

"… I don't mean to give you an order," Roy started as he looked to Marth, "But it might be a good idea to see what's going on with her… I can finish setting things up over here."

Marth seemed unsure as he spared Roy a glance. "Are you sure I should?"

Roy huffed with a slight smile. "What, do you think I'm so frail now that I can't set up a single tent by myself?"

A slight blush dusted Marth's face as he stammered. "A-ah, no, that is not what I…"

With a chuckle, Roy waved his hand a little. "I'm just teasing. Don't worry, I'll be okay over here. And if Nyna is going to open up to anyone else here aside from Hardin, it's going to be you… so you should probably talk to her."

Well, Roy was not wrong on that front—though Nyna was a very kind woman, she never seemed particularly inclined to speak her mind to anyone outside of their preparatory meetings. A small sigh escaped Marth and Roy cocked his head to the side.

"Go on," Roy encouraged as he patted Marth on the back of the arm. "I promise I won't let the tent blow away in the breeze."

"Right, right," Marth responded with a small smile. "Thank you, Roy."

With another casual wave of the hand, Roy refocused his attention back on the tent they had been setting up. Marth watched him for a moment longer before he turned away and walked towards Nyna, who was now standing by her lonesome. It was clear as day that something was wrong—a frown had been firmly etched into her expression and she had yet to remove her gaze from the grass. Marth wondered what could possibly have her mood so soured.

Roy, who had returned to crouching at the base of the tent, glanced upwards from the knot in his hands as he tied the rope. He watched Marth as he walked out towards Nyna. The breeze had been a little stronger than usual that day, and the prince's cape fluttered behind him as it caught the wind—his hair, too, as blue locks were ruffled with every gust. The growing admiration Roy felt became increasingly evident on his face as he watched Marth's retreating form.

"You look like a lovestruck lass, you know," came Xane's voice suddenly, and Roy jolted in surprise.

"Xane—" Roy sputtered as he quickly regained his bearings, having almost toppled forward into the tent from his crouch. He quickly whipped his head around to look back towards the man as he approached. "Really!"

Xane laughed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Hey, I only say what I see," he quipped. "And what I saw, I definitely felt the need to comment on."

Before Roy could retort, Bantu and Tiki also came towards them. "Ne-Ne, leave Ro-Ro alone!" Tiki interjected. "You're making him mad!"

With a wide grin, Xane raised his hands in a shrug. "Hey now, Miss Tiki, would you rather me direct the teasing back to you?"

With puffed cheeks, Tiki balled her fists and scuffed her foot across the dirt. "No… but you're not supposed to tease Ro-Ro either!"

Bantu cleared his throat to pause their quarrelling. "That's enough," he said with a small smile. "Though it is certainly nice to all be together once again, that does not mean I will stand for excessive quarreling between the two of you."

"But Ban-Ban…" Tiki started, though her voice trailed before she sighed. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Xane rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Bantu."

The elderly manakete shook his head and looked to Roy with a smile. "Say, Roy, Miss Tiki wanted to go into the village and look around. Would you like to come with us?"

A few blinks marked Roy's confusion, and he shifted on his feet. "Me?"

Tiki grinned widely. "Yes! Please, Ro-Ro? Can you come with us?"

At Tiki's hopeful request, Roy pursed his lips. "Well, I suppose if you would like that, then I can… but I do need to finish setting up this tent before Marth thinks I'm actually incapable of doing it…"

A small, rueful smile tugged at the corner of his lips at his own remark, and Xane laughed.

"I'll help you," Xane said. "Just to get it done quicker so we can get on our merry way with little Miss Tiki, here."

Even though Roy could have finished the tent by himself, it would definitely get finished faster with Xane's help. So, with a slight nod and a wave of the hand, he eagerly accepted Xane's offer.

A few hours had passed while Bantu, Xane, Tiki, and Roy meandered around the town, taking in what sights there were. Tiki was notably excited, as she had not been able to experience the outside world for a long time—even the simplest of shops and items brought a glimmer to the young girl's eyes as she curiously perused everything she could. It was quite sweet to watch old Bantu as he took care of the girl and answered her questions about the many little things she saw. Roy had secretly been intrigued as well—there were a lot of little things he still seldom knew about, considering most of his time had been spent fighting or travelling, and he was still bereft of his memories.

As his eyes trailed across the various shops and people walking the streets, he noticed a couple familiar faces not far away in the nearby square: Linde and Lena, lightheartedly speaking with an elderly gentleman. He was dressed in cleric robes and held a long staff in his hands and was using it to assist himself in standing straight.

Roy's eyes narrowed curiously from beneath his hood. "Huh… I wonder who that is," he said. With a questioning hum, Xane turned his attention from Tiki and Bantu to look at Roy, and then to the square just ahead.

A gleam of interest shone in Xane's eyes. "Mmm? An elder cleric, is it?"

Tiki ran right by the three in the square, with Bantu following in a walking pace not far behind. Between giggles, Lena and Linde waved to Tiki as the young girl sped by. The elderly gentleman seemed just as amused at Tiki's sprightly attitude, before the sound of Xane and Roy's bootsteps brought him to turn his head.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," the man greeted with a slight bow of the head, and both Xane and Roy smiled at his welcome.

"Good afternoon," they both responded in unison. Lena smiled widely at them.

"Ah, Xane, Roy, good afternoon!" she said quite cheerily.

"My, Lena," Xane started as he leaned forward with his hands on his hips. "You're in very high spirits today! I don't think I've ever seen you smile quite so widely!"

Heat rose to her cheeks as she laughed a little bit, timid. "Oh, yes… well, today is just a very good day. This is my grandfather," she said as she motioned her hand towards the elderly cleric, "I have not seen him in so long… I was worried I would never see him again!"

"But now we've been reunited! Thanks to all of you," her grandfather added. "I am so grateful to the Akaneian League for keeping my granddaughter safe all this time."

Xane raised his brows in interest. "Well how great is that, to see your family again! That's quite sweet."

Though Lena and her grandfather were clearly happy, Roy's smile faltered ever so slightly at the topic. There was a twinge of guilt that gripped him considering his lack of enthusiasm for his friend and her family.

Linde tilted her head as she observed the difference in Roy's demeanor, though she decided against mentioning it. "What are the two of you doing out? Just traversing the town?"

"You are absolutely right, miss Linde," Xane responded. "We were showing little miss Tiki around, as she is about as curious as a kitten. And what about you?"

Linde shrugged slightly and motioned towards Lena. "Well, Lena and I were doing similarly… though she said her grandfather was a cleric, so I wanted to meet him too."

Lena's grandfather seemed a little embarrassed. "I was certainly not expecting to have so many people interested in speaking to me. It seems my reputation has preceded me…"

"Is that a bad thing?" Roy asked, though his voice was quieter than usual.

With a tap of his foot on the cobblestone path, Xane straightened his posture again—though his hands still stayed firmly on his hips. "It shouldn't be. I can certainly tell the two of you are related. Strong magic must run through your family, miss Lena… even your grandfather has a presence! Tell me more about this reputation!"

Both Lena and her grandfather laughed at Xane's observation. "Yes, sure," Lena responded. "My grandfather and I used to travel a lot and help people who were sick. A lot of people's lives were saved by his magic… he taught me much of what I know, after my mother died."

At this, Roy's attentions were immediately piqued; his eyes widened slightly from beneath the dull shade of his hood as he tilted his head up to look directly at Lena. "Your mother passed away?" he asked.

With a small nod of confirmation from Lena, Roy pursed his lips as his shoulders drooped slightly back. "I see. I… am sorry for your loss."

Lena only shook her head, the soft smile remaining on her face all the while. "It's been a long time now. Though I am certainly overjoyed to see what family I do have again."

Roy shifted on his feet and glanced to the right, breaking eye contact with her. "Yeah, I can understand that…"

Xane sent Roy a questioning side-eyed glance, though the sound of a familiar young manakete girl making excited sounds—was she actually talking or just babbling? Sometimes it was hard to tell—stopped any questions Xane may have had right in his throat.

Not far from them, on the edge of the square was what appeared to be a small tea stand. Tiki and Bantu were standing just in front of it and the younger girl was bouncing on the balls of her feet as she held on to Bantu's arm. The elderly manakete was smiling, though clearly growing tired. Perhaps they should go offer their old friend some backup, considering Tiki's unending energy was clearly a bit draining.

"Well, we won't hold you up any longer Miss Lena! We should probably go check up on those two before the little one drives our old friend crazy," Xane said as he nudged at Roy with his elbow.

Caught off-guard, Roy only nodded. "Uh, right," he agreed.

Choosing to overly-express his gratefulness, Xane offered the elderly cleric a deep bow, flourished by a slight swoop of the arm to rest his hand at his chest. "It was a pleasure meeting you, sir. Please excuse us."

"Of course, it was a pleasure meeting you as well," Lena's grandfather responded in kind.

As Xane stood straight, he motioned for Roy to follow him before he began walking away; Roy quickly bowed and thanked the others for their time as well before he jogged away to catch up with Xane.

Xane really had a bad habit of just walking off. This was the second time he had done that to Roy now, much to the mercenary's chagrin.

Linde hummed as she watched the two men walk away. "Lena, do you mind if I pardon myself and catch up with you later? I actually had a couple questions I needed to ask the two of them."

"I don't mind at all, please go ahead," Lena said with a wave of the hand.

Thankful, Linde also bowed to Lena and her grandfather before she ran after Xane and Roy. The clacking of her footsteps against the cobblestone path signaled her approach as Roy turned his head to look back over his shoulder.

As soon as she caught up with the two of them, her pace immediately slowed to a walk. "Hey, do you mind if I tag along too? I'm a bit thirsty."

With curious glances at one another, Xane and Roy shrugged. "Sure. The more the merrier, Miss Linde," Xane responded.

The scent of fresh tea and sweets wafted on the air as they approached the tea stall—it was exquisite, and Roy closed his eyes as he took in the scents.

Recently, all his senses had become far keener. Scent, hearing, sight—all of them were markedly improved compared to even just a few months ago. Though with that, he found himself becoming fatigued far quicker than before as well. It was clearly something of a double-edged sword.

"Ro-Ro! Ne-Ne!" Tiki called, which quickly snapped Roy from his thoughts. "Look! Doesn't it all look so good?"

Animatedly, Tiki pointed repeatedly at the assortment of foods displayed at the stall. A smile tugged at Roy's lips, and Xane grinned.

"It sure does," Xane said, to which Roy nodded in agreement.

"Do you mind if we rest here for a while?" Bantu asked as he turned to Roy, Xane, and Linde. "My feet would certainly appreciate it if we took a moment to sit…"

At this, Roy shook his head. "No, not at all, Bantu. Do you want me to order some tea for you while you go sit down?"

"I would appreciate that very much," Bantu responded, pleased.

"Sure thing," Roy said. "Actually… I'll cover the tea for everyone. And, Tiki, whatever sweets you want. How about that?"

Immediately the young girl perked up, her hair bouncing slightly as she hopped on her feet. "Really? You would do that, Ro-Ro?"

"Of course," Roy said.

"Hmm," Xane drawled as he raised his brow with crossed arms. "Trying to outdo me, are you?"

Roy shot Xane a look, his eyes squinted. "Hey… I just don't use much of the money I get paid from the army. I'd like to give back to my friends somehow, so this seems fitting..."

Chuckling, Xane pulled his arm out and patted Roy firmly on the back. "I was just joking, no need for the stink-eye. Thanks, Roy-boy."

Roy could only grumble in response, and Tiki twirled around to face Linde with her hands clasped together in front of her chest. "Are you going to have tea with us too?"

"I would love to have tea with you," Linde responded politely.

Genuinely happy, Tiki hopped on her feet once again as she let out a small, excited cheer. Compared to just a few days ago when they first met her, her attitude was significantly more positive, and it was incredibly endearing.

After ordering their teas and sweets, the five of them had sat at a table just to the side of the stall to enjoy a much-needed break. There was some small talk between them, though Roy was far too preoccupied to speak much—the tea swirling in his cup seemed far more interesting than the conversation going on at the table.

A small petal had drifted on the wind before fluttering into his cup, where it languidly floated on the surface of his drink. The light teal color of the petal reminded him of his mother's hair—that same color that now streaked through his own locks—and his heartstrings were tugged at the remembrance of her.

His silence and immersed expression did not go unnoticed by Tiki, who tilted her head at his behavior. "Ro-Ro?" she asked, which successfully pulled his gaze up from his cup. "You look sad… is the tea no good?"

"Oh, uh… no, it's not that. Sorry," Roy mumbled.

Xane's chair creaked slightly as he leaned back in it and swirled the teacup in his hands. "Feeling homesick?" he asked as he stared out at the massive trees that lined the square.

Roy seemed a bit surprised by Xane's question and squinted at him. "What do you mean?"

With a nonchalant shrug, Xane took a small sip of his tea before he set the cup back down on the table. "You've been travelling for a while, right? I figured you might be missing your… homeland."

There was something off about Xane's tone—it was as if he was trying to pick his words carefully. This did not go unnoticed by Linde, and she glanced between Xane and Roy as she held her teacup to her lips.

After a moment of pause, Roy shook his head as he looked back down to the table. "I honestly don't… remember it. So, I don't know how much I can really miss something I can't remember."

Linde seemed intrigued. "You don't even remember where you're from? Really?"

Roy sighed as the familiar feeling of defeat crept up on him. "No… I don't."

Linde hummed curiously as she leaned back into her chair and held her cup in both hands.

With narrowed eyes, Xane turned a little in his chair so that he could put one elbow on the table and lean on it. He stared directly at Roy even though the mercenary was intent on not returning eye contact. "Interesting… not even an inkling?"

One more shake of the head from Roy elicited another hum from Xane as his eyes scanned over him. Linde took another drink from her tea as she observed Xane's behavior; it was quite obvious to her that he seemed to be fishing for something, but what would he be fishing for? She retained a relaxed expression as she sat her cup back on the table with a soft clink.

A gruff hum from Bantu was the only thing that could draw Xane's attention away from Roy as the older manakete said into his cup, "Well… this world is full of many places. Perhaps the answer shall come to you itself…"

Bantu's choice of words elicited a critical squint from Xane, though the older manakete simply closed his eyes as he actively chose to ignore the look he was being given.

"… Oh! That reminds me," Xane suddenly chirped as he patted the palm of his right hand on the table. "Earlier, the Princey made a comment about you and Galder. What was that all about?"

"Oh. That…" Roy muttered as he picked up his cup, keeping his eyes trained on the petal. "Well, I joined up with Marth in Galder months ago. But I guess I got blasted by fire beforehand, and that's how he found me."

"Fire?!" Tiki exclaimed as she put her hand, still holding her sweets fork, to her cheek. "Really?"

"Yeah," Roy grumbled. "I guess there was some big explosion out in a field, and there was this fireball… I must have been walking in that area and got hit. I assume that's when I lost my memory, too, since he said I was on death's doorstep."

"Is that so…" Xane mused, his tone once again lowering considerably as he considered Roy's story. "… You sure that's how it went down?"

Roy glanced to Xane with a suspicious squint. "I mean, I don't exactly remember, myself. Marth was there when it happened, so if that's what he saw, well…"

Xane immediately leaned back again with a hum as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "How curious."

"You seem rather invested in his story, Xane," Linde remarked, to which Xane glanced to her out of the corners of his eyes.

"Well, I am always up for a good story," he chimed. "Though I'm not really a big fan of cliffhangers, or loose ends. Roy-boy's backstory is just so intriguing. Is he truly a mercenary? Or was he a lumberjack, or a miner? … Or maybe even a noble?"

At that, he squinted and leaned forward with both elbows resting on the table. "It's just such a curious tale. Especially now that he's so freckled with scales. Pardon my intrigue—but perhaps Tiki isn't the only curious kitten in this group."

Tiki immediately frowned. "I am not a kitten," she retorted, and Xane laughed.

"Of course, it's just a figure of speech, Miss Tiki," he said. "But… anyhow, I do apologize if my questions seem a bit too prying, Roy-boy."

"No, it's fine," Roy responded as he shrugged. "I know my case is… a bit of an oddity, so…"

Even though Roy seemed unconcerned by Xane's questioning, Linde found herself unable to be quite so willing to brush them off. She spared a glance towards Bantu, who had also remained markedly quiet. The older manakete simply continued to sip his tea, and with some innocent encouragement from Tiki, the subject shifted to something else once again.

Not long after Marth had approached Nyna in the campground, Cain had returned to them with news of him and Abel having successfully secured the remaining rooms in the inn for as many members of their army as they could fit. At Marth's insistence, Nyna agreed to stay in an inn room for both her own comfort and ease of protection.

Though it was abundantly clear that she had something heavy weighing on her mind, and she had requested Marth accompany her to the inn to speak about it. Marth assumed it had been whatever she was discussing with Hardin earlier, so he agreed to go with her.

So here the two of them were now, in one of the inn rooms. It was a simple room with a bed, a small table and a few lamps, and two windows on the wall opposite the door. Marth had shut the door behind him upon entry, which allowed them the privacy needed for whatever discussion Nyna needed to have. It had taken Nyna little time to walk over to one of the windows on the other side of the room, and she was staring through the glass with her back to Marth.

Marth was definitely worried by this point.

"… Nyna, what's going on?" he asked quietly. "Why are you so…"

Before he could finish his question, Nyna interrupted him. "The next major battle we have will be with Grust…" she said, her tone sounding almost distant as she watched the townspeople outside.

Marth blinked. "Yes, that's right. But what about it?"

Nyna suddenly grew cold feet, and the words caught in her throat. She threaded her fingers in front of her as her gaze shifted downward. After a few moments of wait, Marth took a few steps forward to close the distance between them.

"Nyna… we are running short on time. If you have reservations about something, please tell me—especially if it involves Grust," he said.

She shifted uncomfortably before finally relenting. "Yes… I am sorry, I should be more open about this with you considering all you've done to help."

Marth nodded. "Please, I am all ears."

Her eyes closed slowly. "… I am sure you know, but I was supposed to be executed after the rest of the royal family had been killed during the seizure of Akaneia by Grust and Doluna. Grust was going to execute me by Doluna's order, but…"

"But…?" Marth questioned.

Nyna inhaled slowly and held it for a few moments before exhaling to steady herself. "… General Camus of the Sable order saved my life. He was the one that arranged my escape to Aurelis. I… had hated him at first, but after he showed me such genuine compassion and risked his life and status to save mine… I…"

Clearly seeing where Nyna was headed, Marth's eyes widened. "Nyna…. Do you…?"

At that, Nyna remained silent. After a few moments, Marth slowly nodded in understanding. "I see. I… will see what I can do, but…"

Nyna's tone dropped. "I know you will. I… had a feeling it would come to this. After I gave you the Fire Emblem, our fate was all but sealed..."

"What do you mean, whose fate was sealed?" Marth asked, confused by her vagueness.

Slowly, Nyna turned away from the window to face Marth. The pain was evident in her eyes as she looked up to him. "Prince Marth… have you heard of Artemis' Curse?"

Perturbed, Marth shook his head.

Nyna hummed quietly. "I see. Well… perhaps it is only superstition, but…"

Now wholly invested, Marth furrowed his brow. "Tell me more about it. Even if it is superstition, it seems to have quite a grip on you…"

"Yes… it does. It…" Nyna let out a long sigh as she began to recount the tale. "The Fire Emblem… it was cursed, many years ago, by the princess Artemis."

Upon hearing Artemis' name, Marth became further intrigued. "I remember reading of her. She was one of the past princesses of Akaneia… and was in love with Anri."

Nyna nodded. "That's right. They happened to meet one another and fell in love—though even with Anri's heroic deeds, slaying Medeus with the Falchion, their difference in status kept them forever apart."

Marth pursed his lips. "… Right. But what does that have to do with the Fire Emblem?" he asked.

Now even more visibly uncomfortable, Nyna averted her eyes from Marth's. "… Artemis had given the Fire Emblem to another duke for safekeeping before she met Anri. Because Anri was a commoner, their love for one another did not matter in the eyes of the people… So, instead of being allowed to marry the one she loved, she was urged to marry the duke—Duke Cartas. With their marriage, she was permanently kept from a happy future with Anri. Because of this, she cursed the Fire Emblem out of her misery… saying that if it were ever to exchange hands again, the one who gave it away would suffer the same fate."

The tale caused a chill to crawl across the prince's skin. "I… see. So, when you gave me the Fire Emblem…"

Nyna paused. "… I worry that this curse will pry its way into my fate as well. Please… I am sorry to ask for this, but please try to reason with Camus…"

A heavy silence blanketed the two of them before Marth finally found his voice once again. "… I will do all that I can, Princess Nyna."

At that, she only spared him a small nod. "Thank you… I am sorry to ask something like this of you."

"No. I am just glad you told me, that way I can do all in my power to help you," Marth said firmly.

Even with Nyna's thanks, that weighty silence still persisted—quickly serving to revive Marth's earlier trepidation. "… Is… there something else you wish to say, princess?"

"… Artemis' Curse…" Nyna started as she straightened and returned her gaze to Marth's own. "… That young man, the mercenary—Roy—you and him are… quite close, aren't you?"

Being asked such a direct question about Roy encouraged the heat to rise to Marth's cheeks, and his throat parched.

"… Yes, you are right," he admitted.

After a long pause, Nyna pursed her lips. "… Take care of him. The last thing I wish is for the curse of this shield to befall the two of you as well."