A/N:
Cat kisses dog kisses horse kisses. Don't me.
This chapter is my favourite as it has the highest count of my favourite scenes, so you can look forward to that. It features, among other things, family bonding (Aurion style). Also featuring: Stargazing, sword fighting, cute pets, stupid Desians and Kratos slowly losing his mind. Fun!
In order to reach the area in which the next seal was supposed to be, they had to cross the highlands spanning between Asgard and Luin. Raine estimated it would take them several days, at best, to cross them.
They had all puzzled over Sheena's last words but been unable to make any sense of them. Lloyd had already given up on trying to make sense of them. Maybe he would just ask Sheena the next time they met. Colette was determined to befriend the assassin who had tried to kill her and had asked Lloyd to help her with that.
Lloyd lengthened his strides to catch up to Kratos, who was walking ahead of him.
"Say, why did you listen to me? Why didn't you just finish that assassin girl off?"
"The church only gave me the money to protect. Killing would cost extra."
"I see."
"Hey, you two, slow down a little, it's almost midday!", Genis called. "How about some lunch?"
"If you do the cooking, I don't mind at all", Lloyd replied.
They lit a fire and Genis set to work. Lloyd was a bit worried to see that Raine apparently intended to help him – he had already heard about her infamous cooking skills.
Genis nudged Kratos.
"If you want to stay alive, don't eat anything my sister gives you", he murmured.
Kratos looked surprised. "Is she that bad at cooking?"
"Naw, that's not it. It's just that her curiosity always gets the better of her. For example, she once filled a lemon with rice..."
"She did?"
"Yeah. It tasted awfully bad. So, don't eat her food. She's a genius and everything, but she really sucks at cooking – cooking edible stuff, that is."
"But your cooking skills are remarkable."
"Well, I've had some years to practice", Genis replied, slightly embarrassed.
Kratos smiled faintly. "If my cooking skills were measured by that scale, then I'm a miserable failure."
As they were eating, Lloyd noticed that Colette wasn't touching her portion – again. She hadn't eaten a lot lately, and it was starting to worry him.
But knowing her, she'll just deny there is anything wrong with her...
As they continued on their journey, Lloyd could see nothing but the smooth grassy plains ahead of them. He let out a sigh, convinced that this part of their journey was going to be boring and tedious. He had no idea how wrong he was.
Suddenly, Lloyd noticed a figure sitting on a rock. Kratos had seen it too and slowed his pace. Lloyd was relieved to see it wasn't Sheena. This girl's hair was reddish-brown, not black, but just like Sheena, she was wearing strange clothes. However, hers were clearly of a different style. Black boots, dark green trousers and cloak, a white tunic and a light green jerkin made her look like some fey creature from the woods. And her hairstyle – Lloyd had never seen anyone put this much effort into their hair. Apart from two curly strands framing her face, her hair was pulled back by two braids that seemed to join in the back of her head to form a big, loose braid that fell down her back almost to her hips.
The girl had spotted them in turn and calmly watched their approach.
"Are you a bandit?", Colette asked once they had reached her.
Amused, the stranger raised an eyebrow. "If I was, I would have hidden behind those rocks so I could ambush you. And you would all be dead by now." She drew back her cloak to reveal a silver two-handed sword. "No, I'm just Alice, a simple traveller."
Raine frowned. "Just Alice?"
"They call me Lænnea, but that's not my family name, if that's what you're getting at. We don't use family names where I'm from."
"Well, it's not like that matters, right?", Lloyd interrupted. "I'm Lloyd Irving. Those are Colette Brunel, Genis and Raine Sage, and Kratos Aurion."
Alice inclined her head in greeting. "It's a pleasure making your acquaintance. Say... this area is said to be dangerous, especially if you are travelling alone. Would you mind me joining your group?"
"I wouldn't", Lloyd replied, "but I don't know about the others."
"I say we take her along", Colette announced.
"I say we don't", Kratos added, scowling at Alice.
Alice didn't even bat an eyelid.
"Why not?", Lloyd asked angrily. "I think we can trust her!"
"And that, precisely, is your problem. You're too trusting. We don't know anything about her, or her motives. How are we to know she won't be the next one trying to kill the Chosen?"
"I can answer that for you", Alice replied calmly. "I don't like the idea of stabbing people in the back – winning their trust first and betraying them afterwards. If I decide to kill someone, I do so in a fair battle. I may be a warrior, but I detest violence, fighting and killing. I fight only when left with no other option."
"But we can't possibly know whether you are telling the truth."
Alice sighed. "I don't ask you to trust me. All I want is to travel with you, since we're headed in the same direction anyway. Is that too much to ask?"
"I think you're exaggerating, Kratos", Genis said.
"So do I", Lloyd added. "Alice is a nice person, that's obvious. And we can't know if we can trust her until we've tried."
"You really want to take that risk?", Kratos asked.
"Yeah. Because I'm sure that I'm right about this."
A slight smile appeared on Alice's face.
"Let's vote", Raine suggested. "Lloyd and Kratos already made it clear where they stand. Genis?"
"I agree with Lloyd."
"Colette?"
"I already said we should take her along."
"I agree with Kratos on some points", Raine said, "but I think it is better if we allow her to come with us. Since we are apparently headed in the same direction, she would be close by, no matter what we decide. And if she lied to us – we'll hopefully notice in time."
Alice chuckled. "I like that attitude. Does that mean I may come along?"
"Yeah", Lloyd replied. "Kratos lost."
"Very good."
Alice rose and shouldered the quiver and bow that had been lying at her feet. Lloyd blinked.
"Whoa, you're tall!"
"I – I guess so?", Alice replied, clearly taken aback by his comment.
"That is so cool! Kratos is actually the only person I've met who's taller than I am. Everyone else back at the village is shorter than me, even the adults."
"I see. I've been to many places and met all sorts of people. While I'll agree with you that tall people such as ourselves are rare – at least among humans – I did meet some occasionally. And my sister is even taller than I am."
"Well, my Dad's a dwarf", Lloyd replied sheepishly. "I outgrew him rather quickly."
Alice blinked. "Ah, I see. That certainly explains a lot."
"Yeah, I guess. Sorry for being weird."
"Don't worry about it."
"You are indeed very tall for a woman", Raine observed. "Doesn't it make you stand out a lot?"
"I stand out, no matter what I do", Alice replied, lifting her arms in a kind of shrug. "I've given up on trying to blend in at this point."
Lloyd pointed at a strange thing made of leather resting at Alice's feet.
"What's that?"
"A saddle and bridle. I'm not travelling alone, you see – meet Blár."
Alice motioned towards a black horse tethered behind the rocks she had been sitting on. The stallion was munching on some grass, but lifted his head to inspect them as they approached, ears pinned forward.
"He is very gentle. Just make sure he doesn't step on your feet, for he's also rather heavy."
Noishe, who had been watching their interaction so far, suddenly moved past Lloyd to approach Alice, who hadn't been paying him much attention until now – which was strange. Noishe usually attracted attention, no matter where they went. Alice's eyes widened a fraction, and she opened her mouth, but Noishe whined questioningly before she could say anything.
Slowly, as though afraid that she might spook him, Alice bent down a little and held out her left hand for him to sniff, while speaking softly in a language Lloyd couldn't understand. Noishe slowly inched closer and sniffed her hand, while Alice kept talking to him.
Once Noishe had finished his inspection, he slunk off to find something else of interest.
"You speak Elvish?", Raine asked, surprised.
"Huh? Ah, yes. I've been studying the elven language for many years now."
"Hm. A rare occupation for a human, is it not?"
"I suppose? Then again, I am always in search of new knowledge."
"Noishe seems to like you", Genis observed. "He's not usually good with strangers."
"Ah, well, as it happens, I'm good with animals", Alice replied with a smirk.
"Hey, Alice!", Lloyd interrupted them. "You got to say hi to my dog, now I want to say hi to your horse."
Alice chuckled. "Be my guest."
Lloyd removed his right glove and approached Blár, who was watching him with mild curiosity. However, when he held out his hand, the stallion surprised him by not only nuzzling it, but giving it a good lick.
Lloyd made a face.
Alice snickered. "Horse kisses are worse than dog kisses, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah, my hand's drenched."
"Here, let me help you."
Alice produced a water skin from her pack and rinsed Lloyd's hand.
"Thanks. Say, is your horse fast?"
"I should think so. Why?"
"We could race, if you want to."
"You ride him?", she asked, surprised, nodding in Noishe's direction. "Bareback?"
"Yup. Why?"
"Riding bareback requires no small amount of skill – and trust. I do it too, sometimes, but usually in a safe environment. But I would be up for a race. Should be fun."
"Great!"
Lloyd watched curiously as Alice saddled Blár and swapped the halter he'd been wearing for the bridle.
"I need to warm him up first, but that shouldn't take long. We can walk for a bit in the meantime."
Kratos did not like this turn of events at all. The appearance of that Sheena had been troublesome enough – Kratos was certain she was from the ninja-village of Mizuho in Tethe'alla, those shinobi were rumoured to be excellent fighters. And that Corinne – something bound him to Sheena. Kratos just couldn't figure out what it was – or what kind of creature Corinne was, to begin with. Talking animals or monsters were a rare sight, after all.
But compared to Alice, Sheena was harmless. It was as if you were scared of kittens – until you met a lioness for the first time. Kratos didn't know much about her powers, but he was certain she was dangerous. And she had already managed to win Lloyd and Genis' trust. Colette trusted anyone she met anyway.
Now, Kratos was watching Lloyd and Alice taking off across the plains, whooping and laughing as they spurred their steeds to go faster. The fact that his son got along so well with his enemy who might be plotting stars-know-what unsettled him greatly.
Colette clapped her hands, delighted, while Raine seemed mildly amused. Genis appeared to be sulking.
When they finally caught up to the two of them, both were back on the ground, talking animatedly. However, as soon as the others approached, Alice's face morphed into a mask. Kratos had seen this kind of behaviour before – people who had something to hide often employed that particular trick.
"So, who won?", Genis asked, still sounding slightly annoyed.
"I did", Lloyd replied, beaming. "Though it was close. Blár is really fast."
"Congratulations, Lloyd", Colette said with a smile.
Alice proceeded to take lead of the group and offered to have Blár carry some of their packs. Kratos had no problem with letting her take the lead and decided to bring up the rear, so he could keep an eye on her. The boys had, by now, started asking her questions.
"Where are you headed?", Genis wanted to know.
"To Luin. I've heard it's a beautiful town – right by the lake."
"Why are you travelling alone? What about your family?", Lloyd asked.
Alice avoided their eyes. "I don't really have a family. I lost them when I was little."
Kratos frowned at that. While it was true that he didn't know much about Alice's family situation, he knew for a fact that she had a sister. Why was she omitting that fact?
But even though Lloyd kept bugging her with questions, she didn't reply. Judging from the look on her face, Kratos guessed that she was hiding away inside herself – not intending to come out anytime soon.
After a while, Colette asked her about her clothes.
"Those are elven clothes", Alice replied. "Everything I own was made by the elves, I spent most of my life with them."
"Why's that?", Genis asked, surprised.
"My half-sister lives there. She took me in after I lost my family. She's a half-elf – just like you."
Kratos suppressed a smile. From the beginning, he had realised that the Sage-siblings were half-elves and not elves, as they pretended to be. But he had not mentioned that he was aware of this.
"We're not half-elves!", Genis blurted out. "W-we're elves!"
"Oh. I'm sorry – that's my bad. I should have noticed."
Alice fell silent and Genis didn't dare to address her again. Colette and Lloyd fell silent as well. Alice's horse was trailing along, she hadn't even bothered to take the reins.
Alice was wearing the same clothes as the last time Kratos had seen her – but she had removed the leaves from her hair. However, she was still wearing the glove – the injury had to be pretty bad.
Can she even fight like that? Is this why she wanted to join us? No, that's not likely. This wasn't a chance encounter, either. She was waiting for us. And I don't believe she won't do anything – she's plotting something.
Suddenly, Alice stopped and raised a hand to shield her eyes against the sunlight.
"What is it?", Lloyd asked, worried.
"Shush! Dinner."
Alice pointed at a stag that was grazing on a hill several hundred meters away. She strung her bow and chose an arrow from the quiver.
"You want to hit that?", Kratos asked in disbelief. "You won't be able to."
Alice smiled slightly. "Watch and learn."
In one fluid moment, she drew the bowstring back to her right ear and, after some calculating, aimed at the sky. The bowstring twanged, and the arrow curved through the air before hitting the target. Alice lowered her right hand. Kratos could see the stag lifting its head, the next moment, the arrow hit.
Rather pleased with herself, Alice loosened the bowstring again and slung the bow over her shoulder.
"I'll just go and disembowel it. Anyone not used to the sight of blood or guts should stay here. I shan't be long."
Kratos wasn't surprised to see none of the others were intent on following her. He decided to use that opportunity to talk to her alone. As he moved away from the others, they started talking among each other, believing he could no longer hear them.
"Why is he following her? He can't stand her", Genis observed. "It's even worse than it was with you, Lloyd."
"I don't get it, either", Lloyd replied. "Alice is a nice person, and I trust her."
"Perhaps the encounter with Sheena taught him to be more cautious", Raine mused.
"Yeah, but Professor, did you see his eyes? This is more than just distrust – it's a very strong form of dislike."
Am I really that easy to read? Hmpf. I should be more careful.
Kratos now focused his attention on Alice. She had reached her prey and taken out a knife she used for her work. The fact that her hands got all dirty didn't seem to bother her at all.
"Why did you keep their secret? We both know that Genis lied, while you were speaking the truth."
Kratos stopped next to her. Just like before, she caused the impression that everything was just routine to her. Alice didn't even bother to look up while answering.
"I know what it's like, being hated and avoided because of one's race or parentage. I know how much it hurts... and I don't want to hurt anyone needlessly. I don't know Lloyd or Colette well enough to be able to predict how they would react if they were to find out their friends are half-elves. Who knows what could happen."
"You surprise me."
"I believe I will do so quite often."
"Well, as long as it isn't a bad surprise..."
"That depends on you."
Suddenly, his glance fell on her right hand. He had noticed it earlier but failed to consciously register the fact until now.
"Your hand – you're not hurt at all."
"How very observant of you", Alice said dryly.
"Then why were you wearing a glove just now?"
She chuckled. "I already lied to you about that before. Did you honestly expect me to tell you my reasons now, just because you asked?"
He shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try. By the way, I've seen through your scheme."
"I have not the slightest idea what you mean."
"I know you planned this meeting. And I won't allow you to kill the Chosen."
"Seen through my scheme... what nonsense. You have no idea. Fine, I'll admit that I've been waiting for you, but considering my motives, you're way off the mark. I don't kill the innocent. And Colette is one of them."
"What about this one?", Kratos asked, nudging the stag with his boot.
Alice looked up, her eyes cold and hard. Something about them was extremely unsettling. "For the elves it is the most natural thing in the world to go hunting, and I was raised like an elf. We kill in order to survive, but only as much as we need. And we give something in return. That's symbiosis – unlike the methods you of Cruxis employ. That is parasitism."
Kratos winced at that. Parasites... Unfortunately, Alice was not wrong.
"You could be lying. I can't know for sure - "
"I see that, no matter what I say or do, you're going to distrust me, so I give up." She had jumped to her feet, her eyes flashing angrily. "I'm not looking for a fight and would be very grateful if you would simply leave me alone."
"Why should I?"
"Because we would gain nothing from antagonising each other. The situation is already difficult enough without you trying to be as obnoxious as possible."
Alice crouched down again and started to slice the meat into small bits so she could wrap it up. Kratos intended to say something tart in reply but thought better of it. He could see she was hurt, and guessed he was the cause. Even if he didn't understand.
We're enemies. She shouldn't be caring about what I think of her.
"During our stay in Palmacosta I found out you studied there, Miss 'Student of the Century'", he said at length.
"That is correct."
"I read your dissertation. I have to admit I liked it – though it clearly shows that you haven't made many experiences in life."
His words had clearly surprised her.
"I'm glad you liked it. And I've made quite a lot of experiences so far – but apparently I can deal with them better than others can."
"If you say so... I was also told that you teach about your topic."
"Yes, I do that in my free time, as a hobby, so to speak. Besides, the wages are decent, and I really don't want to always rely on Elerína's money... It's not that I have to work, but I want to contribute something as well."
Kratos had to admit that he admired her for that. Not many people her age would do that.
"You seem very attached to your sister."
"We're all that's left of our family, so naturally, the attachment between us is strong."
"I see. But I would like to know how you got to Palmacosta, seeing how you're from Tethe'alla."
"I have rather good connections to the Renegades."
"Are you one of them?"
"No! We may have a common enemy and a similar goal, but I don't like their methods. They're too ruthless for my taste. We lead our own private rebellion against Cruxis." Alice stood up, picking up the bundle that contained the meat. "Let's head back. The others have waited long enough."
After having packed away the meat on Blár's back, Alice took lead of the group again. She knew, of course, in which direction Luin was, and she furthermore knew the next seal was inside the Tower of Mana to the north of Luin. Therefore, she expected Lloyd's group to head for Luin first – especially since no one apart from Kratos knew the location of the seal. And he couldn't just tell them.
Alice had been very relieved to see that Lloyd was well. He had grown a lot those past 14 years, and she was glad to find he had a good character – even though she had heard that he was a bit naive and tended to do things without thinking about possible consequences – something Alice would never do. Nevertheless, she was certain she'd get along well with her brother.
His friends weren't going to cause her much trouble, either – Raine was still wary of her, but that would pass. Besides, Alice had the ability to manipulate other people's emotions – nudge them in a certain direction, something she assumed was linked to her empathy. And right now, she was making good use of this to try and sway her new companions. However, it wasn't a foolproof method – if someone was determined to dislike her, there was very little she could do to sway that person – she had found that out the hard way with Aodhan's father.
The only real problem was Kratos. No matter what she did, her father wasn't going to trust her. She could understand his reasons, but that didn't make bearing the dislike he constantly displayed easier at all. She wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and tell him everything – but that would only hurt him. Alice suffered terribly, while being unable to show it or tell anyone.
Alice had already analysed the emotions of every group member. The Sage-siblings were very close, perhaps similar to Alice and Elerína. Raine felt responsible for both Lloyd and Colette and liked them a lot, while she treated Kratos with respect. Genis and Lloyd were close friends and Lloyd and Colette were very attached to each other as well – which gave Alice reason to believe this might grow into something more serious than just friendship. Lloyd's feelings for Kratos were interesting – a mixture of admiration and dislike. However, Kratos' own feelings were even more extreme. He suffered the same pain as Alice; he wanted to protect Lloyd while being unable to show that.
If I don't want to make him suffer even more, he must never find out that Rína and I are his daughters. Meaning I'll have to hide Mum's ring and my pendant at all times.
Alice set a quick pace. She knew that Kratos would have no trouble keeping up with her, but was worried to see that Colette could, too. The girl showed no signs of exhaustion, whereas Genis and Raine were soon out of breath. Lloyd had a better constitution than the two half-elves.
That means the angel transformation is progressing quickly. Poor Colette... Does she know what this means? Does she know she's going to die? The others are clueless... They are walking into a trap, their eyes wide open... But I can't let that happen. I'll have to prevent it – somehow.
Lloyd came running and slowed down next to her.
"You're a swordfighter, too. Would you like to fight me – in a practice bout, of course?"
"I have no objections. I like fighting new opponents so I can learn new things. We'll spar when we stop for the night, all right?"
"Great! Thanks."
Alice smiled. "Don't mention it."
Kratos watched as Lloyd and Alice took positions opposite each other. Alice had removed her quiver and bow, but she was still wearing her cloak. Apart from that, Kratos noticed that she was again wearing a glove on her right hand.
Both drew their blades, then, Lloyd attacked without warning. Alice easily parried, countered and attacked in turn. Lloyd leapt into the air to evade a horizontal slash and attacked from above. Alice jumped backwards and Lloyd fell flat on his face. Alice retreated several steps and waited for him to get up again.
"In a real fight, you'd be dead by now", she observed calmly.
"I didn't expect you do dodge", he replied sourly.
Alice smiled slightly. "You have to. Continue?"
Lloyd nodded. This time, Alice was the one to attack. Her cloak was streaming behind her, which looked quite impressive. And Kratos guessed that Alice was well aware of the fact.
Lloyd paid more attention to what she was doing this time around and didn't fall for all of her tricks. Suddenly, though, Alice made a quick twist with her sword, knocking Lloyd's right sword out of his hand. Lloyd retreated.
"I give up! I'm not good at fighting with just one sword."
Alice drew her blade back.
"Then I suggest you learn how to do that. You have the big advantage that you fight using two weapons, meaning your enemy has to try harder to disarm you. So, if you learn how to fight with one sword, you'd win an even greater advantage."
"Sound logical", he replied while picking up his other blade.
Alice smiled. "Rest for a bit, you're completely out of breath. But I have to criticise you as well – you're too slow. When fighting with two swords, you need to base your style on speed. When you're fighting the way I do, you focus on powerful blows instead."
"I'll keep that in mind. You really are damn good – about as good as Kratos, I'd say. Hey, what would you say about taking him on? That would be interesting to watch. Of course only if you feel fit enough", he added.
Alice turned to face Kratos. Kratos actually liked Lloyd's idea – that way, he would be able to gauge Alice's strength, but he thought it rather plausible that she would refuse – and Lloyd had served her an excuse on a silver platter, as well.
The look in her eyes was undecipherable, but Kratos nevertheless had a feeling she was assessing him closely.
"I have no objections", she finally said.
"But you should have a drink beforehand", Raine said, handing her a cup.
Alice smiled gratefully in reply and drained the cup in one go, while Kratos drew his sword. Alice handed the cup back and opened the clasp of her cloak, which flew through the air and landed – neatly folded – on a rock. Kratos nodded in acknowledgement, Lloyd and the others were stunned by the fact that she could use magic – and with such precision.
Kratos charged. Alice parried perfectly without any notable signs of exertion but didn't attack herself.
She's probably more exhausted than she'll admit. In that case, it should take all her remaining strength to parry my attacks.
Alice blocked a series of blows while retreating farther and farther.
"Dammit, Alice, why are you holding back? I know this isn't all you got!", Lloyd suddenly yelled at her.
Kratos gave Alice a penetrating look. She raised her shoulders slightly.
"Enough with the games", Kratos said quietly. "Show me what you can do."
"If you insist..."
Alice attacked. Her blows were powerful and precise, she seemed to know well what she was doing. Kratos enjoyed fighting a strong opponent for a chance – Lloyd had always been frustratingly easy to defeat.
They were about even, none of them could win the upper hand. Suddenly, Alice moved in close while deflecting his blade, shoving her shoulder into his chest, which made Kratos lose his balance and stagger backwards. Alice used this to land a heavy blow. Kratos was unable to contain the energy of that movement and moments later, he found himself lying in the grass, his sword fallen from his grip.
Alice was towering over him, her sword pointed at his face. Kratos could hear the others applauding. Alice was panting slightly, apparently, she was finally out of breath.
"Looks like I've won."
She sheathed her blade, then held out her hand. Kratos hesitated for a second before gripping her arm and allowing her to haul him to his feet. As soon as he was standing safely on his own two feet, she turned away. Kratos picked up his sword and brushed his hair out of his face, holding it back in a little ponytail. Surprisingly enough, he was feeling quite exhausted. Their fight had truly been something else.
In the meantime, Genis and Raine had built a campfire, and Alice got ready to cook dinner. While Lloyd and Genis offered to help her, Raine busied herself with a book.
Colette, however, had hung back, and was now looking at Kratos with a puzzled expression. Before he could ask her about it, she'd moved closer to inspect his face – and Kratos realised with a jolt that people didn't usually get to see him without his hair obscuring half of his face.
"You kinda look like Lloyd with your hair like that", the girl observed innocently.
Kratos let go of his hair, alarmed by the turn her thoughts had just taken. He'd never really thought about the fact that his son might resemble him, and was worried the others might notice as well.
Colette was visibly confused by his behaviour and opened her mouth to say something.
"Colette? Could you come lend me a hand?", Alice called.
Startled, both of them turned to look at her. Alice was balancing stacks of bowls in either hand, looking slightly distressed, while Lloyd was stirring the pot and Genis adding seasoning.
"Coming!"
Colette broke into a run, tripped over a rock and almost fell flat on her face – again. However, she managed to regain her balance and hurried over to Alice.
Kratos could hardly believe his luck – Alice's interruption had been most timely. With Colette sufficiently distracted, Kratos hoped she wouldn't think too hard on what she'd just seen.
"How come you are you so good with the sword?", Lloyd was asking just as Kratos joined them. "I mean, Kratos is much older than you, and you still defeated him."
"My sister Elerína taught me swordplay. Just like you, she fights using two swords, so I'm used to that kind of fighting style. I started my training at a young age. In addition, I had lessons in archery, magic, swimming, riding, and then I got to practise with real swords, not just wooden ones. Later, I was trained as a hunter: I learned how to lay traps, kill the prey and gut it, and how to treat the meat... Oh, and I went to school as well."
Lloyd let out a whistle. "Not bad!"
Raine nodded in acknowledgement. "You seem to owe your sister a lot."
Alice bowed her head. "I owe her everything... Not only did she teach me how to fight, but most of what I know. And my life – I had already lost it, but she picked me back up. If she hadn't – I wouldn't be sitting here, talking to you."
The calm air with which she was speaking was somehow frightening.
"What happened to your family, Alice?", Colette asked timidly.
"We were attacked... My mother, father and brother... I lost them all that day... I - "
Her voice broke. She cast a glance in Kratos' direction, and he spotted a traitorous glittering in her eyes.
Cruxis had something to do with this, apparently – she did accuse Mithos of being responsible in some way. Is she blaming me for whatever happened? I certainly did nothing of the sort, but it's possible my actions somehow led to the death of her family – I've accumulated a lot of sins over the millennia, after all...
"Was it just luck that I survived? Or fate? I don't know... Argh!"
Alice dropped the wooden spoon she'd been holding, her hands shaking as she struggled to remain in control of herself.
"Alice! Are you all right?!", Lloyd called, reaching out towards her.
Raine had jumped to her feet, her staff raised, hoping she could help Alice somehow.
Her hands still trembling, the warrior managed to detach a small bottle from her belt and took a swig. For a few long seconds, nothing happened, then, she suddenly relaxed.
"There is no need for concern. I'm fine."
"Didn't look like it just now", Genis muttered.
"This happens occasionally – but I have a good medicine against it."
"What kind of – seizure was that?", Raine asked, sitting down again.
"Sometimes, I lose control of my emotions... This can take many forms, and it can be dangerous – not only for myself – because I tend to lose control of my magic as well."
"In other words, we'd better make sure you drink that stuff should this happen again", Lloyd concluded.
"Yes, please. I don't want to accidentally hurt anyone..."
Since the food was ready, Alice started handing it out to the others. Kratos eyed his share suspiciously, but since Alice was already eating, he didn't believe she'd poisoned it. He was, however, surprised to notice that she was an excellent cook. The others seemed to think so as well.
"Who'll be the night watch?", Raine asked as they had finished eating.
"I volunteer", Kratos replied instantly.
"Again?", Lloyd asked, surprised. "Shouldn't you sleep for a change?"
"Even if I don't sleep, I'm still stronger than you, you know."
Lloyd didn't reply, apparently, he was sulking again.
Alice had watched their dispute with a slight frown upon her face. However, she didn't say anything, but curled up underneath her cloak and had soon fallen asleep.
Not much later, Kratos and Noishe were the only ones still awake. Kratos looked over to where Alice lay. She had dumped her weapons and the saddle in a heap and tethered her horse to the ground next to it.
Kratos rose and moved over to the sleeping girl. The next moment, the air in front of him shimmered.
"Stop right there!"
Kratos recognised Sephie, who was brandishing her sword in his face. He took a step backwards, just in case. Fairess and Yutis appeared next to their sister.
"What are you doing here?", he asked, annoyed.
"We're making sure no one kills Alice!", Yutis replied.
"Precisely. And you're a potential aggressor", Fairess added.
"Under whose orders? I don't recall Alice summoning you."
"She didn't, you bright child. But we don't feel inclined at all to tell you why we're here."
Kratos gave up and went back to sitting next to Noishe. The Summon Spirits disappeared, but Kratos suspected that they were still close by.
Kratos wondered briefly if Alice had formed a pact with Sylph – and if Mithos was aware that he'd lost a Summon Spirit. With her being from Tethe'alla, it was plausible that Alice might know how to use summoning arts, after all.
After a few hours, Kratos noticed that Alice's sleep had become restless. She started to move and roll over, and then, without warning, she let out a whimper.
"No... don't... you're hurting her... leave her alone! Go away – she hasn't done anything! Stop it... No... Mum!"
Screaming out the last word, Alice finally broke free from the nightmare, bolting upright. For a few seconds she just sat there, her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth, then, she got up and moved away from the others.
She was looking up at the stars. Kratos could see the tears streaming down her face sparkle in the moonlight.
Slowly, he got to his feet again and walked over to her. Even though she was his enemy, it was hard for him to simply ignore this.
Alice turned her head as he approached, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
"Are you all right?", he asked while trying not to sound too unfriendly.
"I would be lying if I said 'yes'", she replied, her voice sounding throaty.
"Nightmares are terrible."
I know what I'm talking about... Anna's death has been haunting me for years.
"If it was just that... I was reliving a memory. What I just saw really happened... they were torturing my mother right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do."
"I know that feeling..."
Alice gave him a sympathetic look. "I heard about that – I'm so sorry."
"And you surprise me yet again."
"I promised you I would", she replied with a weak chuckle.
"How much do you actually know?"
"Probably more than you do."
Kratos snorted. "I doubt it."
Alice turned and watched the others closely for a while.
"They're all asleep..."
"I'm surprised Colette can still sleep."
"Is she going to lose that next?"
"Yes."
"I see... the poor girl."
Kratos thought it better not to say anything in reply, since it would only end in an argument.
Alice turned to face Kratos.
"I know Lloyd's your son, for example, and that you're going to betray them all. And I most likely know more about Lloyd than you do."
"That's not in the least surprising, since I barely know him at all", he replied bitterly.
Kratos fell silent while he thought about how to best phrase what he wanted to say next.
"Do you think you could – help me? I don't want anything to happen to him..."
Alice gave him a sad look. "How am I supposed to do that? I can hardly kidnap him – he'd never forgive me if I did. He'd hate me for it... Besides, you trying to shake him off failed miserably the last time."
"How do you know that?", he asked in disbelief.
"I have a private network of spies that keeps close watch over you. I know your every move. And their information is very reliable and accurate – it was thanks to that that I was able to meet up with you." Before Kratos even had a chance to say something, she continued. "I don't intend to tell you, so don't ask. About Lloyd... I'll do my utmost to make sure he survives this journey. You are training him, aren't you? Would you mind sharing that task?"
"Not at all. But I must warn you – teaching him is exhausting. And he isn't particularly good, either."
"He is self-taught. I find that remarkable. You shouldn't be so strict with him."
"I don't intend to be liked by him."
"Of course. So your betrayal won't hurt him that much."
"How did you figure that out?"
Alice shrugged. "I told you I know a lot. Want me to take over?", she added.
"No, thanks. I need no sleep, as you know. Besides, I still don't trust you. And I don't think that is going to change."
She sighed quietly. "Might I at least keep you company, then? I don't want to go back to sleep – I fear the nightmares will return."
Kratos shrugged. "Do as you please."
He was surprised when Alice settled down near him – it seemed that she craved human company, even if it was the company of an enemy. Kratos cast a slightly confused look her way, but she wasn't looking at him – instead, she was, again, gazing up at the starry sky.
"Do you like stargazing?", he asked at length.
Alice chuckled. "I grew up in a forest, there weren't many stars visible there. And I devoted almost all of my times to my studies – even if I'd had the opportunity, I'd have been too tired." She shrugged. "My only goal was to become as strong as possible, as quickly as possible. Though – I do remember looking up at the stars together with my father, long ago."
"What is it that drives you?"
"I want to protect. The things I went through – I don't want that to happen to anyone else. Heh, you must probably think I'm stupid – given how long you've been around, and the things you've seen."
"You know how old I am?", Kratos asked, surprised.
"I know your birthday", Alice replied, turning to face him with a grin.
"That's - "
"Impossible? Heh. If you want information on something, all you have to do is ask the right people."
Kratos frowned at that. The only people who knew his birthday were affiliated with Cruxis – and the Desians. Mithos sometimes forced the Grand Cardinals to attend Kratos' birthday celebrations – Kratos wasn't sure if he did that in an attempt to make amends to Kratos, or if he enjoyed watching them offering their best wishes to an "inferior being". Kratos couldn't deny that he, himself, enjoyed it, but he had had a hard time stopping himself from killing Kvar on several occasions.
Alice let out a soft sigh, leaning back on her hands.
"Are the stars the same as they were back then?", she asked.
"For most part, yes. Some have disappeared, and I think there are some new ones, as well."
"Huh. Who knows, maybe I'll take up stargazing again one day..."
When Lloyd woke the next morning, he was surprised to see that Alice was already up. She was sitting on a rock opposite Kratos, her hands resting on the hilt of her sword, which she had stuck into the ground. Noticing his glance, she smiled faintly.
"How long have you been up?", he asked.
"Since one in the morning, I believe. I couldn't sleep."
"I hope you'll be fit enough", he replied, worrying about her well-being.
Her smile broadened. "I was trained to survive for days with a minimum of sleep and food. I am fine. Thank you, though."
"Your training was pretty tough, huh?"
"Part of it was, yes. But it was worth it."
She got to her feet to stretch.
Lloyd bent down to shake Genis awake, which greatly displeased his best friend. Alice prepared a rather meagre, but saturating breakfast, and then they were off.
They hadn't been travelling for long when Lloyd noticed a Desian patrol coming from the north, headed the same way they were.
"Stay calm", Raine ordered. "We're not looking for unnecessary trouble. Maybe they don't know who we are and will leave us alone."
Alice let out a disbelieving snort that strongly reminded Lloyd of Kratos.
All too soon, the Desians changed their course and came marching toward them. Alice pulled her cloak over her left shoulder so it covered her sword.
Why is she doing that? Kratos and I carry our swords out in the open...
The men cut them off. Alice moved to stop in front of Lloyd, shielding him from view.
"Why are you carrying weapons?", one of the Desians demanded.
"Bandits and other lawless people often rob travellers", Kratos replied calmly. "I'd rather be prepared than dead."
The Desian raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Did you guys know that the Palmacosta Ranch was destroyed a couple of days ago?"
Lloyd and his companions exchanged surprised glances.
"No, that's the first we hear about this", Raine replied calmly.
"Supposedly, the attack was led by the Angel of Death – she was aided by people dressed up as Desians. They freed the prisoners and destroyed the facility – some of our men survived long enough to tell us that much. That wench is an eyesore and we need information on her."
"So why ask us?", Alice asked in disbelief. "You know it takes almost a week if you're a decent walker to get from here to the ranch, don't you? A human couldn't possibly make twice the distance in just a few days."
The Desian turned to look at her.
"Oh, that's right, I forgot you're just a pathetic inferior human."
"WHAT did you just call me?"
Lloyd could see Alice's posture change slightly and realised she was getting ready to fight.
The Desian slowly moved closer to her.
"Now, now, don't be upset – it's not like it's your fault that you have no elven blood. Despite that, you're rather pretty... Are you scared of bandits, too?"
"No. I possess nothing of value to anyone besides me. And I know just what to do with an attacker."
The Desian grinned. "A little fighter, hm? I like that. I think I'll keep you..."
He was so close to her now that the tips of their noses almost touched. Lloyd felt fury welling up inside him – anger at that man for daring to treat Alice in such a way.
The Desian reached for her face. The next moment, he gasped and cringed with pain. Alice had stabbed him with a dagger. Her movement had been so fast Lloyd had almost failed to see it.
Alice spun on the spot while drawing her sword and beheaded the Desian.
Lloyd reacted as quickly as the other Desians. He drew his swords and charged. His Exsphere was glowing more brightly than ever. He cut off one of the Desians and started exchanging blows with him, while two more rushed at Alice. Genis attacked the fourth with a spell. Kratos drew his sword to enter the fray while Raine and Colette stayed back for the time being.
Lloyd managed to overcome his adversary, Alice and Kratos had finished off their enemies in the meantime. Lloyd was shocked to notice the expression on Alice's face. Hatred.
"I need to correct myself", she said coldly. "I said yesterday that I don't kill if I can help it. That doesn't count for Desians. I kill every single one I find."
"But why?", Colette asked, appalled. "That seems excessive..."
"Excessive, you say? Then pray tell me, what is your Journey of World Regeneration? You are intent on purging the world of them. Well, I'm doing my share. And it's not like I'm fighting for my sake alone – I fight in the name of all those who have died because of the Desians – and that is a lot of people."
Colette couldn't think of a good reply. Alice used magic to clean and dry her blade before sheathing it.
Turning to Lloyd, she said, "You fought well. Looks like you remembered some of the things I told you yesterday."
Lloyd grinned. "Yeah, and that's a real surprise!"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I really have troubles remembering Kratos' lessons. Or Professor Sage's."
Alice gave him a perplexed look. "So – you're not good at school?"
Lloyd turned pink. "Not really. Usually, I fall asleep during class..."
Alice started to laugh. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed."
"I just don't really get why that's the case – it's not like I'm totally disinterested in everything."
"Hm... I heard a theory about that, but I don't know whether it's true... It is said that it depends on both the teacher and the student whether or not he's good. Now, this doesn't mean that Raine's an incompetent teacher or that you're too stupid for school, I believe that Raine can't explain things to you in a way you find them interesting or even understandable."
"And it's the same with Kratos?"
"Perhaps."
"That's an interesting theory indeed", Raine said. "But there is something I'd like to know, Alice: You've known Lloyd for just one day and I for several years – so how come you're better at teaching him than I am?"
"I do not know", Alice replied calmly.
"Don't you have any ideas?", Raine pressed.
"Oh, I have one, all right. But I won't tell you."
"Hey, Alice", Lloyd said, nudging her. "That's not the kind of reply she wanted to get."
Alice grinned. "I know."
"Lloyd, would you like to practise sword fighting?", Alice asked when they stopped to rest the next time.
"Sure! I'd love to!", Lloyd replied enthusiastically.
Kratos huffed and deposited himself on a nearby rock. Lloyd decided to ignore him.
He drew his swords and shifted into a fighting stance.
"All right. I want you to focus on speed this time – try and hit me."
"What? But – what if I hurt you?"
Alice gave him a very amused look. "You may try."
Feeling a flare of anger, Lloyd rushed at her, swords at the ready. Much to his frustration, however, no matter how fast he tried to be, Alice's sword was always there, blocking or deflecting his attacks. It spurred him on to try even harder, to try to move even faster.
"Enough", Alice suddenly said, moving out of his range. "Let's take a short break. That was very well done, Lloyd."
"R-really? But – I didn't manage to hit you even once!"
"Don't forget that I was trained by someone who fights in a way very similar to you", she replied with a slight smile, patting his shoulder. "While I cannot predict your every move, it still gives me a massive advantage. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"All right."
Alice cocked her head to the side. "Did someone undermine your self-confidence, by any chance?"
"That'd have been me", Lloyd replied sourly.
"How so?"
"Well, you see, I'm self-taught. I never had anyone to show me how to fight properly, so I just kinda tried to work out things by myself. I always thought I was decent, at the very least. I could fend off monsters and protect my friends, you know, so I knew I couldn't be that bad. Well, our first fight against the Desians was on an entirely different level. And – well, you've seen Kratos fight, haven't you."
Lloyd tried very hard not to look at Kratos. He felt very exposed right now.
"Ah, so that's it. Lloyd, listen. Kratos is a mercenary – fighting is his job. And I was trained as a warrior ever since I was little. Because of that, we are on a completely different level than you are – and that's fine. It has nothing to do with you being unskilled or – the Tree forbid – stupid. You merely lack training and experience. You can acquire both. Talent, on the other hand, is something you are born with – and I'd say you have plenty. Creating your own swordfighting style – and from scratch, no less! – is quite a feat. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"You really think so?"
"Of course. I do not lie, if I can help it at all, and I most certainly wouldn't lie to you just to make you feel better. Now, how about we work on your defensive skills? If you're ever up against someone who is way out of your league, only a solid defence will save you."
"Sure."
Seeing the amount of power Alice put into her blows – despite moving at a moderately slow pace – Lloyd decided to try and doge her attacks at first, but found that more and more difficult when she increased her speed to keep him on his toes. Realising he wouldn't be able to dodge the next one, Lloyd brought up his right sword in an attempt to block her attack.
Alice froze in place, her sword inches from connecting with his, her body bouncing in place as she was trying to contain her momentum.
"Are you crazy?", she all but yelled at him. "Do you what would happen to your body if you absorbed the full impact of a blow like that?"
"Um – no", Lloyd replied sheepishly. "How would I?"
"Ah, right, my bad. Let me explain – a strong blow like that might jar your body, rattle your bones – if you're lucky. You're not wearing armour or padding, so, any kind of force that comes your way has to be absorbed by your bones and muscles. You want to avoid that at all costs. Especially given the kind of swords you're using."
"Um – what's wrong with my swords?", Lloyd asked, confused. "And what am I supposed to do if I can't dodge in time?"
"You deflect."
"Uh – what?"
"I'll show you. Kratos, would you lend us a hand?"
Lloyd's head whipped around and his eyes locked with Kratos', who had apparently been watching them like a hawk. With a shrug, the mercenary rose to his feet and approached them, drawing his sword. Immediately, Lloyd's insecurities and self-doubts came flooding back, and he felt like a complete moron.
"Lloyd!", Alice called, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I want you to compare your sword to Kratos'. Tell me how they're different from one another."
Kratos lifted his sword horizontally so Lloyd could get a good look, and Lloyd held his next to it.
"Hm... well, my blade is curved, the hilt is shorter and it doesn't have this weird bar-thingy between the hilt and the blade."
"Indeed. The last point being the most important one – your swords don't have cross guards", Alice replied. "A cross guard is supposed to protect your hands from enemy attacks – if your opponent's blade slides down yours and doesn't get intercepted by a cross guard or something similar, it will most likely hit your hand or body. Another disadvantage your swords have is that they are intended to be wielded with just one hand. Kratos has a one-and-a-half sword, which can be used with one or two hands as needed. Mine is a two-handed sword. The fact that we can use both hands to block enemy attacks makes it easier for us. I suppose you could try to use both of your blades to stop an incoming attack, but each arm would still have to absorb the full impact on its own. I can block enemy attacks if need be. I would not recommend that you try this."
"All right, that makes sense. So, deflecting, then. How's it done?"
"I'll show you. Kratos, strike me."
The two of them took up positions opposite one another. Kratos narrowed his eyes before lifting his blade and bringing it down in a diagonal slash, aiming for Alice's neck. Despite the fact that he was moving very slowly – this was a demonstration, after all – Lloyd waited with bated breath to see what Alice would do.
She brought her sword up so that the hilt was next to her face, the tip of the sword pointing downwards and away from her. Instead of taking the full brunt of Kratos' attack, she shoved against it while stepping away in the opposite direction. Kratos' sword slid down the length of hers.
"Ideally, you would try and use a moment like this to unbalance your enemy. Since you have two swords, you could try to stab your opponent. Knees and shoulders also make for nice improvised weapons. If you don't have the opportunity for a counterattack, just try to stay out of reach."
"Makes sense. I think I got it."
"Very well. Then you try it now", she replied, stepping aside and sheathing her sword. "I'll guide your movements on your first couple of tries, so you can get a feeling for it."
On her mark, Kratos attacked, and Alice shifted Lloyd's body while also telling him what to do with his arms. Kratos actually allowed him an opportunity to try and stab him after he had managed to deflect properly for the first time. Lloyd was a bit slow to react, but still managed to score a hit.
"Very good", Alice said. "You are getting the hang of this."
Even Kratos seemed marginally pleased with Lloyd's progress. Lloyd was certainly getting better at reading his expressions.
Eventually, Alice left Lloyd to his own devices. She'd occasionally call instructions, but was, for most part, happy to just watch them. Kratos eventually increased the tempo, and Lloyd had to work hard to coordinate his hands and feet.
After a while, Alice declared training to be over. Lloyd sheathed his swords and thanked both Alice and Kratos for their help.
"This was actually a lot of fun", he observed with a laugh. "Can we do this more often?"
"Certainly", Alice replied.
Kratos nodded his assent.
Lloyd grinned. He wasn't sure why, exactly, but this moment, just now, felt very important to him. Precious, almost. He was still smiling happily as he followed Kratos and Alice back to the others.
A/N:
More family reunions! Well, sort of. This chapter received quite a few extra scenes/moments during the editing process. For example, I realised that Alice and Kratos only ever talked about training Lloyd without actually doing it, so I fixed that. It's one of my favourite scenes. Also, Alice takes a very different approach to teaching than either Kratos or Raine – instead of criticising Lloyd for the things he's bad at or lecturing him on stuff he doesn't know, she focuses on the things he's good at, the things he's accomplished, and bolstering his self-confidence.
Also, no-one thought it strange that Alice chose to shield Lloyd from view when the Desians appeared – even though she shouldn't know that they are hunting him – and neither Lloyd nor Kratos noticed that Alice isn't supposed to know that Kratos is posing as a mercenary, either – no one told her about any of this.
The "Lloyd and Alice interact with each other's four-legged friends and race each other" thing was another recent addition – since Noishe isn't constantly seen travelling with the group (even though he's always there), I tend to forget about him. And then it occurred to me that he ought to have a reaction to seeing Alice again – he might be a tad confused at first, since he's only known her for a short time and she's changed a lot, but he should be able to recognise her. Therefore, I had to address this issue somehow.
Alice used her moment with Noishe to tell him to pretty please not blow her cover by being too attached to her (Lloyd's already sorta suspicious of Kratos here) while also telling him about Rína, just in case.
A random Desian found out the hard way that you don't pick a fight with Alice. Seriously, he had this coming. Be nice to others, or they might take your head clean off.
I imagine this random jerk to be about the same height as Alice – he would have loved to look down on her, literally, but was out of luck there.
I also realised recently that this scene pretty much mirrors the Leia-Tarkin-Vader scene from ANH – in both cases, we have a high-ranking member of the evil organisation watch as one of his "co-workers" harasses a girl they've only recently met without realising that said girl is their long-lost daughter, and one half of a set of twins.
Speaking of Star Wars, my inspiration for this story was "well, ToS is basically Star wars (Yggdrassil = Palpatine, Kratos = Vader and Lloyd = Luke) – what if Lloyd had a twin-sister?" Things kinda escalated from there. Also, back when I wrote this story, I hadn't watched Episode III yet (not sure if it was even released back then, I think not) and I didn't yet know how Padmé had died – my prediction at that point was that Padmé would take baby Leia and go into hiding (since Leia remembered her) and that Vader would find and kill her. That would have been another parallel.
Sometimes, I entertain myself with ToS/Star Wars crossovers – Anakin/Vader on the path to redemption, who is trying to connect with his kids, runs into Kratos and his kids doing pretty much the same thing in various settings. Kratos and Anakin bond over the fact that they've done terrible things and that their daughters hate them, Lloyd and Luke get on like a house on fire, Leia and Rína get into a fight over whose father is worse and Alice just wants all of them to attend therapy sessions (while she and Lloyd bond with Luke and Leia over the "twins raised apart" thing, too).
The short scene between Colette and Kratos was inspired by a comic I found on Tumblr – sadly, I haven't been able to find it again and am therefore unable to give proper credit to the artist – if anyone ever comes across that comic or knows who the artist is, do let me know.
Kratos is marginally pleased that Lloyd is getting better at fighting, Lloyd is very happy though clueless as to why, and Alice, who is the only one who knows what's going on, is just glad she can spend time with both of them (and that Kratos isn't being nasty to her for once).
And yes, Kratos was totally willing to kill his own daughter and pass if off as a training accident. He's such a great dad.
Aurion family size chart:
The booklet tells us that Kratos is 186 and Lloyd 173 cm, which makes Kratos in particular friggin tall (for comparison, I'm 163, which is pretty average for a woman around here). To fit in with their tall relatives, I made Rína 180 and Alice 170 cm. Alice may be the shortest out of the four, but she's still taller than the other women from Lloyd's group (the tallest being Raine at 166 cm).
By comparison, the Irvings are shorter – Larkin is 165 and Anna 162 cm.
Aodhan is 175 cm, which makes him slightly taller than his mother. They fit in with the Aurions rather nicely.
The in-game models make all the characters seem deceptively small – Colette is 158 cm, but she seems so tiny.
A note on fighting:
Most fighting – be it in movies, at Medieval festivals etc. – is choreographed. Actors will perform a series of scripted attacks and parries, since, naturally, they don't want to injure or even kill each other. Depending on how skilled and/or serious the actors are, the result can still look pretty impressive – and sometimes, unscripted stuff does happen – such as during the Aragorn/Lurtz fight in Fellowship. Lurtz's actor accidentally let go of a real dagger and hurled it at Viggo Mortensen, who managed to deflect it with his sword – then again, Mortensen was very invested in his role and, according to the swordmaster who trained him, one of the most talented students he had ever taught. I'm going to stop myself here before I go completely off-topic because Mortensen is so friggin awesome.
One of the biggest complaints to be made about these scripted fights is that most of the time, the actors will hit each other's weapons, which is stupid. There is the aforementioned risk of jarring/injury if you block an attack, but more importantly, in a fight, you want to score hits to incapacitate or kill your opponent. Hitting their weapon will not get you anywhere.
Girlfriend Commentary
"The church only gave me the money to protect. Killing would cost extra." (HOLY HELL! That is an awesome line, good job Kratos! He was probably thinking up that line the whole way here)
Kratos smiled faintly. "If my cooking skills were measured by that scale, then I'm a miserable failure." (haha)
Suddenly, Lloyd noticed a figure sitting on a rock. (Where is Aodhan?)
"Say... this area is said to be dangerous, especially if you are travelling alone. Would you mind me joining your group?" (Oh, I see Alice, you ditched your boyfriend so you could play the damsel in distress in front of your little brother… I see how it is… *wink-wink*)
"I say we don't", Kratos added. (Kratos fucking sees through the act, love it…)
"Why not?", Lloyd asked angrily. "I think we can trust her!" (aww, baby bro knows what's up)
"How are we to know she won't be the next one trying to kill the Chosen?" (oh, yeah, good idea Kratos, act like she's the one on a mission to kill Colette, when she knows that is precisely your job)
"I don't like the idea of stabbing people in the back – winning their trust first and betraying them afterwards. (ooooh snap)
"So do I", Lloyd added. "Alice is a nice person, that's obvious." (Introducing Lloyd Irving, the guy who recognises family members immediately via instinct, but whose brain just never catches up with him)
"You really want to take that risk?", Kratos asked. (Oh come on, Kratos, we all know you're the only one not wanting to risk anything here)
"Yeah", Lloyd replied. "Kratos lost." (I laughed out loud at this)
Noishe usually attracted attention no matter where they went. (at a guess, I'd say she's been purposefully ignoring her former doggo)
Alice produced a water bottle from her pack and rinsed Lloyd's hand. (aww, they are seriously adorable as siblings!)
Kratos did not like this turn of events at all. (Yes, Kratos, your twins get along like a house on fire, who'd have thought? How unfortunate for you)
"Well, as long as it isn't a bad surprise..." (oh, I don't know, I think you'll be both happy and depressed the next time she really surprises you)
She had jumped to her feet, her eyes flashing angrily. (Yeah, I figure Alice is pretty hurt right now, I mean, that's her dad, whom she loves) "Because we would gain nothing from antagonising each other. The situation is already difficult enough without you trying to be as obnoxious as possible." (Ouch)
He could see she was hurt, and guessed he was the cause (yeah, no shit).
"We're all that's left of our family (Liar), so naturally, the attachment between us is strong."
She's probably more exhausted than she'll admit. In that case, it should take all her remaining strength to parry my attacks. (Don't get cocky old man)
Kratos picked up his sword and brushed his hair out of his face, holding it back in a little ponytail, feeling quite exhausted himself. (hihi, I know where you are going with this, I can't wait for Alice to spit out her drink)
He'd never really thought about the fact that his son might resemble him, (oh, Kratos, you moron) and was worried the others might notice, as well. (I am severely disappointed. I wanted Alice to have a coughing fit)
Kratos could hardly believe his luck – Alice's interruption had been most timely. (not a coincidence I wager, she heard everything)
"We're making sure no-one kills Alice!", Yutis replied. (aww, that's adorable)
"She didn't, you bright child (calling a 4000 y/o immortal a child, classic, love the condescendence).
Slowly, he got to his feet again and walked over to her. Even though she was his enemy, it was hard for him to just ignore this. (aww)
"I have a private network of spies that keeps close watch over you (That network is called Anna).
He was surprised when Alice settled down near him – it seemed that she craved human company, even if it was the company of an enemy (no, Kratos, what she craves is her dad, you fucking idiot).
"I know your birthday", Alice replied, turning to face with a grin. (lol)
"A human couldn't possibly make twice the distance in one day." (I love her playing innocent here)
"Now, now, don't be upset – it's not like it's your fault that you have no elven blood. (he says to the 2xquarter elf)
Lloyd felt fury welling up inside him – anger at that man for daring to treat Alice that way.(Brother instincts, Caradilis approves)
"Oh, I have one, all right. But I won't tell you." (haha, there it is)
He wasn't sure why, exactly, but this moment, just now, felt very important to him. Precious, almost (aww, Lloyd enjoying his family bonding time).