Happy New Year everyone! I'm back! Again! Good-bye 2016! You won't be missed. Had a roller coaster year of highs and lows and time just raced on by so I didn't get a lot of writing done. I'm sorry about that. I also blame my brother-in-laws for sucking me into DOTA 2 (if anyone wants to play sometime or whatever my steam profile is HylianHero from Canada. Friend me!). That pretty much killed all of my free time, so much so that my wife got really mad at me a few times. I've made good progress in my Fairy Tail rewrite though, probably could have posted a couple chapters in that but for some reason I got it in my head to post the entire rewrite at once…which I'm not done. Might change my mind though.

I'd like to give a big thanks to all the people who sent me PM's and other such reviews this past year asking how I was doing and such. Makes me feel really loved and never failed to brighten my day!

Thanks Guys!

Anyway I'm currently living in Arizona while my wife goes to school and thanks to the wonderful American system, I legally CAN NOT WORK. Period. So that leaves me with a lot more free time than I'm used to. Well good news is that I can write more but bad news is that I'm broke. Been thinking of starting up a fanfiction (as lame as that sounds). Would give me a reason to dedicate more time and effort into writing and might net me a couple bucks to help buy instant ramen…

It's a thought anyway.

Well enough of my rambling. You've waited over a year for this and I'm sorry that it's mostly a filler chapter, but hopefully you like it:

Whom She Found

Chapter 25:

On the Road Again

XXX

The sun shone brightly across the rich blue sky over Caelin. Small patches of clouds drifted lazily overhead without threat of obscuring the celestial rays that lit up the land. Shakkar glided easily amongst the gathered vapours, floating on a perfect thermal wave that kept him aloft on his regal wings. His sharp eyes scanned the ground below, taking in details that no human would perceive at a fraction of the distance. Every now and then his piercing cry would ring out to the world, carried far on the wind and uninterrupted by obstacles. Leaning back in her saddle, Lyn's raised arm shielded her eyes from the sun as she gazed up at her faithful friend flying free amongst the clouds, a wide smile stretched across her face.

"Ah, bless the gods it is a beautiful sight to see you smile like that milady," A voice to her left brought her attention to the armoured knight riding beside her. She turned her head to him, the smile never wavering.

"Oh? Are you thus implying that I am not beautiful when I don't?"

"Not at all!" Sain looked aghast at the very idea. "Your radiance is such that it is impossible for you to not be! Your happy smile simply brings a new dimension to beauty."

Lyn laughed lightly. Over a year of living at the Castle had allowed Lyn to grow even closer to her friends and she shared a close bond with all of them. Sain's side lessons in social functions had also provided ample opportunity for the two of them to get to know one another and she had long grown used to his amorous nature and manner of speech. For all his boisterousness and carefree conduct, Sain was a surprisingly deep person. He was far sharper than the fool he was often disregarded as. His success at court, with its many layers of battle, was ample testament to that fact. He was loyal to a fault and absolutely dedicated to whatever cause he set himself towards, throwing himself headlong into anything in his path with reckless abandon. Unfortunately his passion often landed him in trouble to which, while adamantly lamenting, he never shirked away from. He was a kind, generous, and energetic man that Lyn was proud to have at her side.

His silver-tongued flattery and attempts at wooing were no longer something she frowned upon. She wasn't sure why it no longer bothered her; anyone else who acted in the same way would have been immediately branded in her mind with absolute contempt. But with Sain it just felt…wrong for him to not be that way; like when Wil fell into his state of depression the year before. Maybe it was because Sain was one hundred percent impartial to the women he directed his attention towards. It didn't matter if they were rich, poor, stunning beautiful, or depressingly homely, he always had something flattering to say to them. Additionally the words he spoke were honest and heartfelt when he spoke them. True he often contradicted himself when speaking to different women, terms like 'most, best, never, incomparable, absolute, etc' were impossible for him to reserve to a single woman. But what made his words different than a snobbish playboy was the fact that Sain actually believed them when he spoke and remembered each and every woman by name. Whatever the cause, Lyn could not find it within herself to fault the young man and her acceptance of his nature gave way to much teasing and friendly attempts to catch him in his own words; a game which Sain readily took in stride.

Her latest barb was pathetically weak compared to her standard jibes but her jovial mood wouldn't let her really commit to the act. At the same time, however, she would have been quite remiss to not say anything at all so she settled for the light jab.

"Well it's hard for me not to smile at the moment," Lyn replied with a light lilting laugh. "It's a beautiful day to be on the road again amongst friends."

"Quite right, milady," Kent piped in from her other side. "It has been awhile since we've traveled like this. There is definitely an appeal."

"Indeed," Lyn nodded and leaned back in her saddle. "I've been cooped up in that castle for too long. It's hard for Sacaeans to stay in any one place for long. Though I wish the circumstances were different, I am glad for the opportunity to ride again."

"As am I!" Sain declared with a grin. "A gallant knight needs to be out adventuring and not confined to the rigid rules of a castle."

Kent snorted. "You're just glad to be away from your duties as Sub-Commander. Don't pretend otherwise."

"Eghads, Kent!" the knight balked. "How can you think so ill of me? I would never shy away from my responsibilities!"

"Maybe because he's caught you shirking those duties on more than one occasion," Lyn quipped casually.

"All for the sake of a good cause, I assure you," Sain smiled.

Kent snorted again. "Good cause my eye…"

Lyn couldn't help the giggle that crept up at his tone. Kent was still the model soldier and took all of his duties very seriously. His close relationship with Sain was perhaps the only reason that his partner could get away with his antics. Knowing that stopping his friend's habits was an impossible task, he had given in and accepted them with exasperated reluctance. This didn't stop him from giving Sain a good tongue lashing now and then, but overall he had learned simply to pinch the bridge of his nose and move on. Deciding to change the subject, Kent made a mild show of glancing around before speaking again.

"This is a rather different arrangement from the one we traveled with a year ago."

Lyn nodded. "Yes, and it's not just because it's bigger."

She took a moment to glance around as Kent had. Their company moved at a steady pace down the road that would eventually take them to the port city of Badon, the capital of the territory of the same name. They maintained a quick but comfortable speed that could be kept for long periods thanks to the horses they gathered from Caelin and the spoils from the Lausian defeat. Their convoy wagons, one for weapons, food and other supplies, and a couple for transportation, prevented them from going any faster despite Eliwood's desire to move more quickly and the young lord both recognized and accepted that fact. The rapid march from Laus to Caelin had been difficult enough when they had an urgent and pressing need; Eliwood did not want to repeat that exhausting action following a mere lead. Their quarry could move much faster than them and they had several days head start. Catching them would be impossible; they would have to meet them at the destination: the Dread Isle.

The group was only a day's travel from castle Caelin and Lyn had already noticed the interesting dynamic of the company. With the addition of Lyndis's own troop three distinct factions now made up the assembly, each loyal to Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn respectively. That wasn't to say that there was a separation between them; all three sides mingled well with each other, no doubt in part because many members of one faction had traveled with or were on good terms with members from another, and followed orders given by all three nobles so far, but there were clear distinctions made towards which ones the members gave their ultimate loyalty. It hadn't taken a day for Wil to effectively bestow upon each group their own epithet: Lyndis headed her Legion, Hector had his Horde, and Eliwood led his Elite.

It also hadn't taken her long to notice that, with exception of Marcus and Oswin, the members of her Legion, both current and former, were significantly more battle hardened than the rest even when compared against her fellow lords. She frowned to herself in thought. She supposed Raven also fell in the area of exceptions but there was something about the man that set him apart from the other two. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but she guessed it had something to do with the hard look in his eyes, distinct even from Marcus's gruff manner. Granted she could just be imagining things. They had only just started traveling as one group together and she hadn't had time to exchange more than initial greetings with several of the others. Oh well, she had time to rectify that later.

"Different or no," Sain smiled cheerfully. "We are all comrades in arms now."

"True enough," Lyn smiled at him.

The sound of heavy footfalls to the right broke into their conversation as they watched a young woman run past them and their horses carrying an obviously weighted rucksack on her back. The trio blinked in surprise at her passing. They could hear her panting clearly amongst her rapid steps and see the sweat that drenched her bright green hair and clothes.

"What th-?" Kent began but was cut off as a bolt of light streaked by him towards the running girl's back. In response to the incoming projectile the young woman suddenly jerked to the side an instant before the bolt would have struck her in the rear. She stumbled roughly from the movement and struggled to regain her feet before continuing to run without ever once looking behind her.

"Damn she's a quick study," A familiar voice sounded from behind as another horse and rider sidled up next to them. "Thought for sure it'd be another week before she could start doing that…"

The three riders turned to see Link now riding jovially beside them while rubbing his chin in thought, an unabashedly proud smile on his face.

"What was that about?" Lyn broached the question all three wanted to ask.

"Huh?" Link blinked, broken out of his musings, and turned his head to them. "What? Oh that?" He gestured to the girl's still running figure ahead of them and shrugged. "I've been training Rebecca for a while now. She joined up with Eliwood at the same time I did. We saved her village from bandits and she wanted to be of service. I promised to teach her."

"Oh?" Lyn arched an eyebrow in surprise and stole another glance at the running girl. That was interesting news. Link had never taken anyone personally under his wing before. Sure he had helped in all of their training at some point but he had never done it from a purely instructive position before. Most of the time he just sparred with people and pointed out weaknesses or flaws in their fighting styles and helped to either correct or compensate for them. To hear that he was actively training someone was rather intriguing. "What are you teaching her?"

"Archery mainly, with some other stuff thrown in."

"And how is that going?"

"Really good, actually," Link beamed. "If I had more professional experience in the matter I think I'd consider her something of a prodigy."

"How so?" Kent asked, just as curious as his liege lady.

"She's overcome every challenge I've thrown at her far more quickly than I would have thought and I'll admit I've had her do some pretty ridiculous things." To emphasize his statement he pointed a finger forward and shot another quick bolt of light at Rebecca. Once again the girl evaded the attack at the last moment, stumbled, and kept running. "Like that. Din's Breath I knew that wasn't just luck before." He sighed before elaborating without anyone asking. "I've had her running more often than riding while carrying a heavy pack in order to build up her strength, speed, and endurance. That part shouldn't be all that unique, if probably rougher than some might go about training. But as an added twist I've been randomly shooting those stinging blasts at her in order to sharpen her reflexes and spatial awareness. As you can see she's already got the basic idea down, it won't be long now before she can simply sidestep my attacks. Rebecca is quite determined to improve."

He laughed then and gave them a rather conspiratory look. "Of course it helps that she doesn't know that what I'm making her do is crazy. Frankly I've reached a point where I'm throwing out asinine challenges just to see if she can beat them or if she'll refuse to try. I've been slowly increasing the weight in the pack she has to carry without telling her just to see if she'll notice. I've also gotten her convinced that a bow with a hundred and twenty pound draw is only about average."

Kent balked and jerked on his reins in surprise, causing his horse to protest the sudden action and making him fall back a few paces. When he caught back up he turned to Link with a stern expression.

"One hundred and twenty?! For a girl her size? Are you insane?!" The Caelin Knight Commander demanded. "The average war bow is only about eighty! The weight you're suggesting is for elite snipers! MALE snipers!"

Link just grinned. "She doesn't know that."

"How do you expect her to work with a bow like that?" Kent continued disapprovingly. "Last I checked Wil's bow was about ninety and he's one of the best archers in Caelin's army!

"Oh I expect her to do more than that," The Hylian replied easily. "She's already reached the point where she can draw the string back and hold it. Granted she shakes like a leaf in the wind while doing so but she can do it. And that's just the bow I want her to start with. Eventually I'm going to give her a significantly stronger one."

"What? Do you plan on having her punch holes through trees?" Kent snorted. "With that kind of power her effective kill range is going to be ridiculous."

"It'll be even more devastating up close," Sain mused. "I have to admit the idea of an arrow knocking a fully armoured knight clean out of his boots is amusing."

"That's what I was thinking," Link laughed.

"Still…" Lyn huffed a breath. "Don't you think that's a little extreme?"

"Well nothing has stopped her so far," Link shrugged dismissively. "I figure I might as well roll with it and see where her wall is." He tapped a chin in thought for a moment before snapping his fingers sharply. "Oh! Maybe I'll double up my shots so that I hit her while she's catching her feet. Let's see how long it takes her to get around that!"

With that pronouncement made, Link spurred Epona forward with far more enthusiasm at the prospect than could be considered reasonable. Kent, Sain, and Lyn watched him go with varying looks of shock.

"….Am I…the only one that feels sorry for that girl?" Kent asked hesitantly.

The others shook their heads slowly in unison, all three wishing the poor woman luck when a sudden sharp shriek of pain cut through the air.

XXX

Erk sighed heavily as he leaned back, resting against the side of one of the supply wagons in the company. He had seated himself between a few barrels and crates in a minor attempt at privacy. While there was enough horses available in the newly formed and outfitted group for everyone to ride if they so choose, courtesy of Laus and the spoils of war, not everyone in the group was an able rider. Anyone not suited to their own equine transportation would ride in one of the wagons that traveled with them, also courtesy of Laus. Merlinus had 'acquired' the services of the thugs that had tried to rob him earlier in order to help him manage things and several other people from Caelin had also offered their aid to the group. Many of these folk rode in the wagons as well.

Erk didn't actually mind being on a horse. Quite the contrary, he usually enjoyed the experience when it was short. His decision to ride in the wagon was based less upon issues with the four-legged beast and more upon issues with a two-legged one. He was currently sitting in the supply wagon in an attempt to get away from Serra. His pink haired former employer had barely let him have two minutes to himself since she had met him in the Lausian village. She had chatted his ear off for hours about what she had been up to this past year and demanded likewise information from him. She became rather cross when he tried to give her short answers and verbally forced more detailed ones out of the poor boy. Serra would also call upon his aid for all of the most inane things, basically treating him like he was back as her servant and not a fellow traveler in the company. She wasn't even his boss anymore! He had run from that contract as soon as he had escorted her to Ostia and never looked back. Alas, the Fates had decreed that it would not be the last time the two crossed paths.

The young mage couldn't say he hated the vivacious woman but she was certainly the most trying person he had ever met in his life. Period. She was also greatly interfering with his current obligations to look after Priscilla. Luckily his current charge seemed to have no end of support from other members of the group. The monk Lucius was frequently in her company and she had also spent a few moments talking with Link from time to time. No surprise there, the indomitable warrior seemed to spend a bit of time with everyone in the group. But Erk also noticed that the permanently scowling figure known as Raven was always within eyesight of the secret princess.

He wondered what that was about. Raven had been distant and cold towards everyone, avoiding as many people as he could. It seemed rather strange for the disgruntled mercenary to be constantly near the highborn lady but perhaps they had some history, maybe even distantly related. He could certainly see the resemblance between them. Either way it wasn't really any of his business. Link was the one who had vouched for Raven to join and Erk felt no need to be overly wary of the scowling man because of it.

Shifting a bit to get more comfortable Erk withdrew a tome from his satchel and began to study. It felt like it had been ages since he had some time to himself and Erk immediately felt his spirits lift as he engrossed himself in the studies he loved so much. While he would never have admitted it at the time Erk knew that his master's insistence on him getting out of his room and taking on a contract had been the best thing he could have done. Truthfully he had hit a bit of a snag in his magical studies at the time and none of the long hours he had sequestered himself away had helped.

Getting out for some real world experience and practical magical application had helped him break through that barrier. His unfortunate time with Serra aside, he had grown by leaps and bounds from the things he had discussed with Link. Erk had learned things from the warrior that he would have never figured out on his own and it had brought him to a new level of ability.

He was actually quite eager to have another sit down with Link but the opportunity had yet to arise. Fortunately Erk wasn't too upset by that. He was fully aware of how much Link contributed to the overall running of the company and as such Erk knew that spare time was something that Link didn't have a lot of. He also knew that despite how busy he was, Link always made time for everyone eventually. Erk just had to be patient. He could do that. He had plenty of practice with Serra after all.

As if summoned by the very thought, Erk's blood froze when the cleric's shrill voice broke through his concentration.

"Erk! Yoohoo! Erk! Where are you?"

The young mage immediately slammed his book shut and shrank in on himself, pressing as tightly to the side of the cart as he could, and prayed to Elimine that the barrels would hide him from view. He waited with baited breath as he heard her calls get closer.

"Erk are you in here?"

He didn't dare move. That question had come from the back of the wagon which meant that Serra was looking in for him.

'Pleasedon'tcomeinpleasedon'tcomeinpleasedon'tcomein…' He chanted in his head.

His prayers must have been answered for he heard a deep huff of disappointment followed by another call that sounded as if it was moving away. Erk relaxed with a deep sigh of relief, thanked every God he knew of, and pulled out his book once again.

'Finally…some peace and quiet.'

XXX

"You all right there, Eliwood?" A voice called to the young lord snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to see his best friend riding next to him with a concerned expression. He hadn't even noticed him approach.

"I'm fine Hector," Eliwood reassured him. "Just lost in thought I suppose."

"Don't give me that, I've known you too long. I can tell when something is bothering you."

The red head sighed. He should have known he wouldn't be able to hide his feelings from his friend. He honestly would rather not talk about it but Hector was as stubborn as they come and wouldn't drop the issue until he got an answer.

"I just can't get over what Lord Helman said."

"About your father?"

Eliwood nodded. "I don't understand how he could have supported that plan! Everything I knew about my father assures me he would never agree with something like that."

Hector shrugged. "There's no point in worrying about it too much. Your father is a good man, Eliwood. My brother holds him in high regard and so do I. He must have had his reasons for going along with whatever it is that's happening between this Nergal character and Darin. We just don't know enough about the situation to understand his reasoning."

"I know that…" Eliwood shook his head in frustration. "At least part of me does. I still can't help but wonder why. It makes me question how much I really knew him."

"Don't do that, Eliwood," Hector glared harshly. "Don't go down that road. Your father is a GOOD man. We will find him and then we will ask him to explain the situation. We'll have our answers then. There's no point in worrying about the things we can't change until then."

Eliwood chuckled lightly at that. "You always were the more pragmatic one." He sighed again and leaned back in his saddle. He shook his head a bit before smiling at his friend. "Thank you, Hector. I needed that. I'm glad you're here with me."

Hector merely grunted and clapped his shoulder roughly. The two rode in silence for several moments before Hector spoke again.

"So you were right."

"Hmm?" Eliwood quirked an eyebrow, prompting his friend to elaborate.

"About the daughter of Caelin. You were right. She is rather striking."

Eliwood couldn't help himself. He laughed.

Hard.

XXX

"Well this is turning into a grand adventure!" Bartre cheered joyfully as he walked. The giant man had a wide grin on his face and carried his great axe casually across his shoulders with his arms outspread to rest along the handle.

"You certainly seem cheerful Master Bartre," the young knight Lowen remarked from where he rode beside the big man. Bartre was so big that his long stride easily kept pace with his horse and his head almost came up to Lowen's shoulders while riding. His size coupled with his boisterous attitude made for quite the intimidating character, at least in the opinion of the young knight-in-training.

"Of course! We travel to battle and glory with men and women of fine stock! What more could a man want!"

"This isn't a joyride, you know," the equally imposing Dorcas replied from beside Bartre. In some ways Lowen thought Dorcas was even more frightening due to his quiet and serious nature. "This is no laughing matter."

"GYHAHAHA!" Bartre laughed anyway. "Speak for yourself! I couldn't ask for a better life! A warrior lives to fight!"

Dorcas simply sighed and kept walking. Bartre was a hard headed fool, but he was a good man with a big heart. It was often better to just leave the man be than to argue with him. Lowen on the other hand couldn't help but feel envious of the man. Despite being a hand-picked trainee of the great General Marcus he felt woefully inadequate compared to the other members of the company. Everyone seemed so determined and sure of themselves. He had thought to form some form of rapport with the pretty village girl, Rebecca, but she had quickly fallen under the wing of the scariest man Lowen had ever seen.

He had heard of the great warrior of Caelin before. There were very few people in Lycia that hadn't heard some tale about him over the past year, especially among the soldiers. Some had scoffed at the rumours, claiming them to be nothing more than the exaggerated musings of a bard, while other opinions ranged awe to sceptical neutrality. Lowen had at first felt a sense of wonder from the stories that had motivated him to train harder, a drive which had first caught the attention of the General. But after obtaining his apprenticeship with Marcus and Lowen's subsequent realization of his own level of strength those feelings were slowly replaced with inadequacy and doubt.

When Lord Eliwood had confirmed that the man did indeed exist and that he had met him, a fact which had sparked Eliwood's own renewed determination to train, Lowen began to wonder what such a man could be like. Never in a hundred years did he think to actually meet him, let alone travel with him.

Link was certainly not what he had expected. He wasn't as big as Bartre or Dorcas nor as heavily armored as Marcus or Oswin. He didn't often fight on horseback like a knight nor as unscrupulously as a brigand. He wasn't a refined noble or an uncouth mercenary. By all accounts Link looked like an average, good natured vagabond. But after seeing what he was capable of Lowen could never consider Link as something so mundane. His first encounter with the green clad warrior in Rebecca's village had been frightening to say the least and every battle since then right up to the decimation of Bauker and his troops had only served to increase that opinion to absolutely terrifying.

Lowen shuddered at the idea of fighting Link.

As if Link's presence was bad enough the introduction of other members, all of them competent warriors only served to make Lowen feel more low than ever. The knights Kent and Sain of Caelin, for example, were also famous for being the youngest soldiers ever to receive the titles of Knight Commander and Sub-Commander in all of Lycia and they were almost the same age as him! Trying to measure up to people like that was a daunting task for the young knight.

He was determined to try though. He refused to be the weak link in the company even though that's what he really felt like at the moment.

He would just have to push himself harder.

XXX

"Umm…L-Link?"

Link blinked and turned away from brushing Epona to see Florina standing several feet away wringing her hands nervously. His surprise at seeing her quickly morphed into a pleasant smile.

"Florina, it's good to see you."

"Ah…It is…g-good to see you t-too…" The shy girl replied with a tiny smile of her own.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk since the battle, have we?" Link mused and turned to give Epona another pat. "What can I do for you?"

"I…I wanted to th-thank you again for…for saving me."

Link cocked his head to the side curiously and gave her a serious, but kind, look. "You don't have to thank me for that Florina. I'm just glad I got there in time."

"But…s-still…th-that's not the first t-time you've saved me."

"It doesn't matter if it was the first or the last. If I can help you then I will."

Florina flushed slightly at his words and bowed her head. "B-but you shouldn't have to…I'm a trained Pegasus Knight…y-you shouldn't h-have save m-me all the t-t-time…"

The Hylian gave her a small frown and eyed her without blinking for a long moment. The shy girl visibly shrank in on herself from the look and tried to continue. "I kn-know I'm not as str-strong as the others bu-but I shouldn't b-be a b-burden as well…"

Link's expression instantly softened and he took a few steps toward her. The girl let out a sharp squeak of alarm when she suddenly found herself wrapped in a strong embrace. Her face instantly turned beat red and her first instinct was to run away as fast as possible. Unfortunately for her escaping Link's grasp would have been impossible even if she truly wanted to. As it was her initial shock quickly faded as that same feeling of safety she had felt in his arms after he had caught her came over her. She unconsciously snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"Florina…you have nothing to prove to anyone. You've done many brave things for your friends, especially Lyn. It's thanks to your bravery that we were able to save Lyn when she was in trouble. We couldn't have done it without you."

Florina sniffled as her eyes began to water

"You know that I come from another world right?" Link continued. Florina sniffed again but gave a tight small nod that Link felt through his chest. All of the Legion knew of Link's story thus far, at least the parts concerning where he had come from. "Do you think that I am strong?"

Florina jerked her head up in surprise, her tears momentarily stemmed by the incredulity of the question.

"Of course! You're the strongest person I know!"

Link chuckled to himself, amused both by her outburst and the fact that she didn't stutter during it.

"But I wasn't always like this. I've had a…lifetime of experience that made me what I am now. But before that I wasn't anything special."

He let her go now that he had her attention and took a step back to gaze wistfully at the sky.

"A long time ago, when I was a boy, I learned that I had to stop someone from doing terrible things to my kingdom. At first I didn't realize the extent of what I had to do. Something terrible happened to my village and I was sent to warn the princess about what happened. That initial journey eventually spiralled into a full blown quest to stop a powerful magician from overtaking the kingdom."

He sighed again and turned his attention back to Florina. "We stopped him of course but it wasn't easy. Due to certain circumstances I ended up being the only one that could face this man down but there was no way I could have done it alone. I had many friends and allies that helped me to not only gather the strength to face him but showed me how and where to apply that strength. It was true that I did most of the heavy lifting myself but I would never have succeeded without them."

"The point is, Florina, that relying on your friends doesn't make you weak or a burden. We succeed by helping each other with our strengths so that they can in turn cover our weaknesses." He gave her a meaningful look. "You chose to take on tasks that no one else was better suited for because you wanted to help Lyn and the others and you succeeded every time. I may have saved you in the end but you risked your life to accomplish your goals and you did so. Helping you achieve that is not something I would consider a burden."

Florina lowered her head as he finished and stared at the ground for a long moment. Finally she nervously wrung her hands in front of her chest and spoke so softly that even Link's sharp ears barely managed to hear. "Do you r-really mean that?"

"I do," Link nodded firmly. "Just because you decide to do something doesn't mean you have to do it on your own. You are fine just the way you are, Florina."

"Th-thank you, L-Link…" The shy lavenderette wiped her eyes. "That…means a lot…"

Link simply smiled at her and nodded in return.

"But…" Florina suddenly looked up at him. "D-do you th-think…I could b-be stronger?"

Link cocked his head to the side curiously and shrugged. "Anyone can be stronger than they are. It's just a matter of putting forth the effort."

The Pegasus Knight stared at him for several long seconds before she suddenly flushed red again and bowed her head. Once again she was wringing her hands nervously.

"Then…c-can I ask…a…favour…?"

"Of course."

"I…I heard…you w-were training…someone else. Could you…c-could y-ou trainmetoo?" her last sentence came out rushed with her last words growing softer and softer until she could barely be heard.

Link blinked in surprise.

"What?"

Florina flushed even redder and tried to repeat her request but it came out even softer and more quickly spoken than before. He had no hope of deciphering exactly what she said but luckily he heard enough of the first request that he was able to piece it together and save the poor girl further embarrassment. A good thing too because it looked like she was on the verge of bolting like a scared rabbit.

"You want me to train you?"

Florina nodded vigorously but didn't meet his gaze. Silence descended over the pair for a moment while Florina waited to hear his decision. Meanwhile Link was a bit surprised by the request, he hadn't expected to train anyone besides Rebecca. Florina had already been trained formally at the Pegasus Knight Academy in Ilia and was technically on her journeyman's tour. So far Rebecca had actually been the only person in the group that had no formal training at all. Well, Dorcas and Bartre technically didn't either but those two giants really didn't count. Their fighting style of 'take this really big axe and hit the guy before he hits you' really didn't need require a lot of instruction to figure out. Therefore he had decided to take Rebecca under his wing. He hadn't been expecting to take directly teach anyone else, but Florina had come to him in earnest and he couldn't deny her his time.

"Well all right, if that is what you really want then."

Florina immediately beamed at him and surprised the Link by throwing her arms around him in the most exuberant display of daring emotion he had ever seen from her.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She sobbed happily. "I'll do my best!"

Link chuckled and returned the hug. "I know you will, but I don't think you will be thanking me later."

He gave her a feral grin and just like that, Florina's positive attitude dropped like a stone and she suddenly wondered what she might have gotten herself into.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Link's smile became benign and he turned back to where he had left Epona's brush. "But before that, why don't you help me finish grooming Epona and you can tell me how life's been this past year."

XXX

Rebecca groaned loudly and collapsed to her butt. Her head sagged back to stare blankly at the canopy of leaves above and she let out a long, slow, huff of frustration.

"This is IMPOSSIBLE!"

With tremendous effort Rebecca bobbed her head back upright so she could scowl at the target she had set up. There were arrows sticking out of so many different places that it looked like the back of a porcupine that got up on the wrong side of its den. Very few had come anywhere close to where she had actually been aiming.

The young woman had always considered herself a decent shot. Back home there were few things she loved more than to successfully hunt an animal and then enjoy the fruits of her efforts by cooking it up for herself and her family to eat. She had lost track of the number of rabbits, squirrels, deer, and other wild game that she had brought home over the years; all with the aid of her trusty bow. So when she had volunteered her services to Lord Eliwood, Rebecca had thought she would have been at least comparable to a professional military bowman.

How wrong she had been…

Her initial test with Link had proven that she did indeed have decent aim and he said as much. Unfortunately she now realized that she had gained such accuracy with a CHILD'S bow, a toy basically. The bow that Link had given her was so much harder to use than the one she had grown up using and Link had assured her that it was pretty standard for a military weapon.

She didn't want to be standard.

Rebecca wanted to be great.

Thanks to Link's brutal and relentless training Rebecca had finally managed to draw the string back and hold it long enough to at least attempt to aim, but no matter how hard she tried she simply could not hold it steady enough to achieve any form of reliable accuracy.

It frustrated her to no end.

"Ugh…why can't I do it…" She groaned again and flopped all the way back to the ground, laying spread eagle on the grass. She slowly brought her right hand up above her face to stare at her fingers. Every muscle in her hand, arms, and back ached. Her fingers quivered involuntarily and Rebecca knew that she would be hard pressed to practice anymore tonight.

"It's getting kind of dark anyway…" She muttered to herself. Sighing again she let her thoughts wander and couldn't help them from going down a self-deprecating path.

Maybe Link was wrong and she just wasn't good enough to do this…

A shuffling nearby caused her to sit up and turn her head to see someone approaching her.

"Oh, pardon me," the newcomer laughed. "I didn't know there was anyone else over here."

It was a young man about her age, maybe a little older, with reddish brown hair and a cheery grin. Rebecca blinked in surprise at him.

'Is that…'

"Were you practicing out here by yourself?" He asked, eyeing her bow and the myriad of arrows sticking out around the target. "That's great! I heard there was another archer in the group but I haven't met you yet."

Rebecca continued to stare at him dumbfounded. Did he not recognize her? True she was older and it was dark and she was probably pretty dirty too now that she thought about it, but still…

"I mean I guess it makes sense that Eliwood would have his own bowman in the group but I just assumed that Link would have filled that role if necessary."

That comment snapped her out of her stupor.

"You know Link?" she asked.

"Of course!" Wil, for it had to be him, her childhood friend, grinned. "Everyone knows Link! I heard from Sain that he was teaching someone archery and I guess that must be you then."

Rebecca slowly nodded in response, still somewhat shocked by the surrealness of this encounter.

"Well you're in good hands then," Wil chuckled. "I know of no one better than him. He even helped me last year. I should track him down one of these days and show him how much I've improved."

That sparked some interest in the young woman. "You're a bowman then? A professional?"

Wil chuckled again and shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't say professional but I am a sworn knight of Caelin.

Rebecca's eyes widened at that. "You're a knight? Of Caelin?"

"Yup!"

That bit of information was rather shocking. He had left her village five years alongside her brother to find fortune and adventure and she hadn't heard from either of them since. Now he was a knight of Caelin? Where was her brother?! Why did he not recognize her?!

She scowled inwardly, feeling anger swell up inside. Her thoughts were interrupted however when Wil stepped up towards her target.

"Would you mind if I took a few shots? I've been a bit busy today but I try to get a few in every night for practice."

Not waiting for an answer he took a stance next to where she sat and readied his bow. Rebecca watched him carefully, paying special attention to his bow. It wasn't a recurve like hers but it looked no less well crafted. Link had told her that the smaller size of the recurve bow would suit the style of archer he envisioned her becoming, which made sense giving the amount of crazy acrobatic maneuvers he had forced her to do to avoid getting hit, so she wasn't sure how the draw on her bow compared to his. She could, however, tell that it was significantly better than the hunting bow she had used before. Therefore since Link had said that her recurve was the average used in the military, she guessed that a knight's bow would be even more than hers.

With these thoughts in mind Rebecca watched with wide eyes as Wil swiftly and smoothly shot several arrows into the center of her target. He wasn't as fast as Link and he hadn't split any of his arrows but Wil's performance was FAR better than hers.

"Hmmm..." Wil mused to himself. "Not bad…last arrow pulled to the left a bit. Might have had bad fletching…maybe I should go over the arrows Merlinus has in stock just to be sure." He eyed the bow in his hands thoughtfully. "While I'm over there I should ask if he can get me a new bow too, one with a little more oomph…maybe…five pounds?"

While Wil was technically thinking out loud, having temporarily forgotten he had an audience, Rebecca easily heard every word.

With a scowl she leapt to her feet, gathered her bow, and stormed back to camp. Wil blinked in surprise at her sudden departure, trying to figure out why she left in such a hurry.

'That IDIOT!' The young woman screamed in her mind. 'How could he?!'

She hadn't seen him in five years and not only had he not recognized her, he had casually humiliated her without even trying! All of his shots had clustered in the center of her target and he had done so with so much ease that he was thinking about getting a stronger bow!

Rebecca wanted to scream her frustration to the sky, but she couldn't do that. It would cause a big fuss in the camp and she absolutely did not want to explain the reason for her screams. So instead she made beeline to Merlinus's wagons where she picked up a lantern and several quivers of arrows. Once fully stocked up she began to look for Serra so the cleric could ease some of her aches and pains.

So what if it was dark? She'd just shoot by lantern light on the other side of the camp, away from HIM.

If HE could shoot like that, then by Elimine's light Rebecca could too.

XXX

A/N: Oh no Wil! What have you done? And Florina asking for training too? Can you say future Link's Angels anyone? Hahaha! Exciting stuff! So there we go, first chapter of 2017 and I promise it won't be the last! Wishing everyone the very best this year!