Birth and Re-Death

Chapter 12: Donny Dents His Pot

"Hm hm hm hmm… hm hm hm hmm…"

Is that what I think it is?

"Maribelle, what are you humming? I don't know that one," Lissa says. The three of us are on standby while the Shepherds have a light sparring session the morning after Virion's would-be murder attempt. Because they are taking it a little bit easy today, we aren't seeing much action.

Maribelle looks surprised. "Oh, well, it's a song that Randall taught me when we were in captivity in Plegia. I think he said it was called... '500 Miles,' was it?" she says. "I didn't realize I was humming it, but I suppose it's not unusual. It's an infectious little tune." She shoots me a mock-dirty look. "It gets stuck in my head for days at a time, truth be told."

Lissa turns to me. "Randy, you can sing? Why haven't I heard you sing before?"

"Beeecause for most of my time in Ylisse I've been either hanging with Maribelle at her villa or trying really hard not to die?" I reply.

"Huh. I guess that's true!" Lissa says. "Well come on, sing something!"

"No way."

"Whaaat? Why not?" She pouts something fierce.

I cross my arms. "The mood's gotta be right."

"Oh, and I suppose the Plegian dungeon was a good place to get in the mood?" she says.

Maribelle blanches. I bet I do too. "Dude, word choice," I hiss.

"I assure you, there was no 'mood' in that dingy, filthy prison cell!" Maribelle adds. "We just needed to do something to pass the time is all. He taught me some songs, and I taught him some of the Ylissean court dances."

Lissa smirks. Oooh boy, where are you going with this? "Sounds pretty romantic to me."

My face is on fire. "That room was basically the least romantic place I can imagine!"

"Agreed!" Maribelle chimes in. "To say nothing of the company!"

Now I turn to her. "Well okay, that's just sort of mean."

Lissa just laughs behind her hand. "I'll be keeping an eye out for a wedding invitation in the mail."

"Don't do that," Maribelle says.

"Fine, fine," Lissa relents, raising her hands defensively.

The rest of the training session is painfully silent. Nobody sparring gets hurt badly enough to need one of us, so we just stand there in a line, Lissa stifling laughter while Maribelle and I do our best not to look at anything.

The moment Chrom decides to end the session, Maribelle rushes off, stumbling over several excuses for leaving. I turn to Lissa, who still hasn't wiped that grin off her face.

"Come on, Lissa. Be cool, girl, damn," I say.

"You come on! Do you know how often do I get a chance to poke that much fun at Maribelle? Like never! She's so serious most of the time, you know? It's nice to get under her skin a little bit," she replies.

"That may be, but do you have to throw me under the bus as well?"

"What's a bus?"

"Whatever. Carriage?"

"Anyway, it's fine! It's not like you're really working that angle, are you?" She waves a hand.

I pause. I actually have no idea how to answer that.

"Wait, are you?" She finally gets a little serious.

"Ummm…" I suddenly find the ground very interesting to look at.

"Randy, come on. What's up?"

"I don't really know. Maybe?"

"Maybe? You'd better have a more concrete idea than that!" she says, hands on her hips.

"So I don't know how I feel! Sue me!" I protest.

"When did this start?" she asks.

"Oh gee Lissa, I dunno, maybe it was when we spent a month and a half slicing each other's arms open and teaching me how to be a functioning healer, not to mention the numerous private dinners we had during that time. Or maybe it was when we spent almost two more weeks in an enclosed, dark room together. Ooor maybe it was when she saved my life shortly after Aversa made mincemeat of my chest. There were plenty of points it could have started, I'm pretty sure."

"I thought you said that prison cell had no romantic atmosphere at all!"

"I lied! Obviously! It was awful in there but that meant that all we had was each other. Being stuck in a place like that brought the two of us closer together, I think."

She considers for a moment. "Just be careful, okay Randy? The things that made sense alone in that dark cell might not make as much sense out here among your allies," she says slowly.

"What does that mean?"

"Don't get me wrong! I'm rooting for you, I really am, but just… please be careful is all." She looks down.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I say as I walk back inside the barracks for some Stahl-cooked grub.

What was up with that?

Ah, the bathhouse. Been a long while. I slowly sink into the water, feeling both dirt and tension leave my body. Good lord above this is nice. I need a nice bit of relaxation before the shit hits the fan tomorrow.

Ugh, that's going to suck.

Stahl comes in a few minutes after I do and sits down across from me.

"Stahl, I gotta tell you, having your cooking after all this time was just what I needed," I say. He made this beef roast that just about melted in my mouth. I'll admit I came close to tearing up again during dinner.

He nods appreciatively. "Much obliged. Gotta contribute somehow, as my performance on the battlefield is so middling, right?"

I shrug. "Nothing wrong with consistent performance, I say."

"I suppose. I've heard you improved a lot, though, when you were under Maribelle's tutelage."

"Yeah, for sure. I owe her a lot," I reply, untying my hair and letting myself get nearly submerged. Waaaaarm~

Suddenly, something touches my leg. "Gah!" I yelp, then catch myself. "Oh hey, Kellam. I don't suppose you've been here for a while?"

He laughs. "No worries, I came in with Stahl. I haven't been here long."

I'm still embarrassed. I promised myself early on that I wouldn't lose track of him or ignore him like a lot of others do. "So Kellam, how are you feeling when you're out in the field?" I ask. My healer instinct wants to check in with everyone once in a while to make sure they're okay, I guess.

"I guess I feel… normal?" He shrugs. "I don't feel too different, really."

"I feel like we all underutilize your ability to go unseen," I say. "You'd make a really good assassin, I bet."

"Well, maybe, but I'd never want to do something like that. I prefer being a knight, a protective wall that others can hide behind when they need it," he replies.

"Others, eh?" Stahl says, narrowing his eyes. "No one in particular?"

"What do you mean?" Kellam asks.

"Come on, buddy. I've noticed how much time Miriel has been spending with you lately. You're saying you don't have a soft spot for her?" Stahl says. Oh boy, I am on board for this conversation. OTP lads.

Kellam rubs his chin thoughtfully. "You know, you're right. She has been hanging around me quite often recently, hasn't she? She mentioned it was so that she could study my lack of presence, though, so I figured it was totally professional."

I decide to chime in. "Well sure, at first it's all hands-off, chaste as a bring-your-mom-to-work day at a convent, but then when you start spending a lot more time together, that's when things, you know, escalate." I nudge him with an elbow and bounce an eyebrow.

"Escalate?"

"Well," Stahl says, "do you like spending all this time with her?"

"Yeah, I would say so," Kellam says. "I mean, she's one of the only people I've ever met who doesn't just tolerate me and my… quirk. She's actually more interested in me because of it. That's pretty special."

Caaan you feeeel the looooove toniiiiight?

"And does she like spending time with you?" I ask.

"She seems to. Used to be that she would just follow me as I went about my daily business, but more recently she sometimes suggests that I accompany her places that she'd ordinarily visit alone. I've learned a lot about magic visiting all those stores with her, even though I'm pretty sure there isn't a magical bone in my body," Kellam replies.

I grin at Stahl. "Sounds like dates to me," I say.

"I'm inclined to agree. I didn't know you've been accompanying any fine ladies on their market trips, you sly dog," Stahl adds.

I'm pretty sure Kellam has reddened quite thoroughly by now. It's kinda hard to tell exactly, as he's still Kellam after all and it's a little hard to make out. "Come on guys, it's no big deal, right?"

"Ah, but the journey of a thousand miles, my friend," I say sagely.

They both pause. "The journey of a thousand miles what?" Stahl asks.

I guess that's not a common adage in this world. "It must begin with a single step," I finish. A collective 'Oooh' from the pair of them.

"How come this is only coming up now, though?" I ask. "You and Miriel getting closer to each other, I mean. Surely you two have known each other for a while."

"Well, Miriel is actually a relatively recent recruit. She only joined up maybe a year or so ago. And with her intense study habits combined with Kellam's, uh, little issue, I doubt she really took notice of him until these troubles with Plegian invaders have forced us all to start getting serious about combat training," Stahl explains. Makes sense to me, I suppose.

"But what do I actually do now?" Kellam asks. "I've never really thought about anyone that way before."

I glance at Stahl, who shrugs. I know sort of how it works back in my former life, but around these parts I'm a little in the dark. If the game is any indication, the next step is to propose marriage, but somehow I feel like that would be a little bit out of place here too.

"I don't really know, bud," I say. "If anything, I might need some tips myself."

Stahl perks up at that. "Is that so? Got your eye set on a young lady of your own?"

"Well, maybe. But even if I do, I don't really know how the whole courtship thing works around these parts. Do people date for a while, or do they just sort of jump straight to engagement?"

Kellam and Stahl both laugh. "What, just one day going up to the girl you've had your eye on and saying 'Look, I know it's been pretty tame before now, but would you consider bearing my children?' Is that how it works anywhere?" They both laugh some more.

Well then. I guess that answers that. So much for sticking to the script. "Well back where I came from, sometimes marriage was arranged by the family, so sometimes people would meet their spouse for the first time on the day they'd get married."

"Oh sure, among the noble classes that used to be pretty common around here too. Everyone knows the story of the tragic couple Hardin and Nyna, after all. In more recent times, though, marriage in Ylisse is usually companionate, even among the wealthiest and most important. I imagine Chrom himself will someday marry someone close to him, regardless of her station," Stahl says.

Might be sooner than you think, Stahl. Chapter 11 will be here before too long. Regardless, I can't help but engage in some gossip. "So, any thoughts on who Chrom might chase after?"

Kellam shrugs. "Who could say? He doesn't spend a lot of time with women other than Lissa, after all. I guess he was always pretty comfortable around Sully, though."

Stahl raises a brow. "Well sure, but isn't that because she's barely a woman at all to him? And to hear Robin complain of it, he does that to her as well. The only woman I've ever seen him treat like a lady is Maribelle."

"You might have a point there," Kellam says. "She's definitely the only person I've seen him taking tea with apart from Lissa and Frederick."

I'm eager to get off that subject. "Buuuut, what about Sumia? She seems to hang on his every word, doesn't she?"

Stahl considers for a moment. "Also true. Who knows? Maybe he's holding out for someone we haven't met. He does have a life outside the Shepherds, you know."

Kellam laughs. "Could have fooled me."

Stahl laughs too. "Fair enough."

I abstain from laughing. I find I'm not in a laughing mood. Stupid automarrying Chrom.

For an entirely different reason, I'm lying awake in bed that night. The assassination attempt is tomorrow. I try my best to remember what kind of enemies we'll be coming up against. Mostly thieves, dark mages, and fighters, if I'm remembering right. Still, there will be Validar as well. Since the whole level progression thing seems to have been thrown out the window, I'll have to keep a watchful eye out for him. I can't let him get ahold of anyone or else…

I curl up around my pillow.

I really hate dying.

"Randall, are you okay? You seem like you're on edge."

I shake my head to clear my mind a bit. "I'm fine, just a little preoccupied is all."

Robin raises a brow. "Alright, if you say so. Anyway, where's that damn… ah, here!" She pulls out a yellow-bound tome from a very precarious-looking stack. Miraculously, the stack doesn't fall. She holds it up to me, showing off the large lightning bolt on the cover. "A basic Thunder tome. If you've got the aptitude, this is a good place to start."

"By the way, I thought you couldn't teach me magic because you forgot learning how to do it," I say as we leave her room and start making our way to the training yard.

"That's true; I did forget learning it. However, after you asked if I could teach you, I decided to study up a bit on it myself and see if I could jog my memory. It still felt like I was learning it for the first time, but hopefully I can explain it to you now."

"Are you sure it's not because you just want an excuse to frontline me?" I ask.

She very carefully doesn't look at me for a moment, but can't hold back her smirk.

"I knew it!"

"Look, if it's a skill you have, we need to know that! A versatile soldier is always better than a pigeonholed one," she counters.

I sigh. "That's fair." By now we have reached the field. "So, where do we start?"

"First, we have to determine if you have the aptitude. Much like with healing staves, there is an inherent inborn ability to wield magic tomes that one either does or doesn't have. If you have it, great, but if not, it's better to call it in early."

"Makes sense. How do we determine that, then?" I ask.

"Take this." She holds out the Thunder tome to me. I take it and wait for further instruction.

...She's not saying anything.

"Now what?"

"Do you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The book should feel like it's tingling, or almost vibrating in your hands." Oooh, so it's like the healing staff then. That makes more sense.

"I don't feel anything. It's just a book."

She sighs, disappointed. "If that's true, it's unlikely you have the aptitude for it. That's unfortunate."

I hand the book back. "Well, I guess that's that. I'm a little relieved, actually."

She blinks. "Why?"

I shrug. "It means that I'm already filling the role I'm most suited for. If magic combat is impossible, and if physical combat is a crapshoot, which it totally is, then that means my best use is to be a healer. It means I'm on the right track."

After a moment, Robin smiles. "I guess you're right. You've been doing good work keeping us all in fighting shape."

I look around. "Nah, the only unfortunate thing is that we came all the way out here for nothing."

She looks up at a passing lonely cloud. "Least it's a pretty nice day."

For now at least. "Yeah, I guess it is, huh?"

I tried to sleep. I really did. I know it would have made a better save point if I grabbed a nap just before the evening rolled around, but I'm so wound up with a mix of excitement and mortal dread that my body just won't calm down enough. I considered asking Frederick to knock me out or something, but then reasoned that that might do more harm than good.

Regardless, the sun is descending, and I'm doing my best not to panic. It's maddening knowing that they're coming, but not knowing exactly when or from where. I excuse myself from dinner early, earning a few odd glances from some folks at the table. Still, no one says anything as I head up to my room.

Before long the sun has dropped below the horizon. Not long now. I'd better be ready.

I pull on my robes and make sure my staff is ready to go. I will not be caught unawares tonight.

I leave the barracks and head into the field between the barracks and the palace proper. On the way, I notice Lissa sitting alone on what I suddenly remember is the same bench she sat me down on all those weeks ago.

I take a seat beside her. "What's up, kiddo?"

She scowls at me. "I'm not a kid, Randy."

I smile innocently. "I know. Something the matter?"

She looks down at the ground. "I dunno… Not really, I guess. It's just, well… do I seem immature to you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because whenever Emm and Chrom have a meeting with the council to discuss the best course of action for Ylisse, I'm never invited to join in. It's not like I'm actually a kid; I'm already eighteen! Chrom started going to those council meetings when he was only seventeen! I don't get it."

Oof. Political family stuff. Not really my forte. Let's see if I can wing this. "Well, I know there was a war some years ago, between Ylisse and Plegia, right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"So that resulted in Emmeryn having to assume power at a weirdly young age when your father died, right? I'd think she would've been, what," (time to pretend like I don't know), "eight or nine at the time?"

"Yeah, she was nine."

"And Chrom is, ehh, two or three years younger?"

"Yeah, he turned twenty-three not long before you arrived, back in May."

"So that means he was young, but not all that young. He'd have been six or seven."

"What are you getting at, Randy?"

"Don't you think that's awfully young to have to take control of a country?"

"I guess so."

"What I mean is, they never really got to be kids." Ooh, that's good. Keep that up. "Maybe the reason they keep you out of the council meetings is that they just want to let you be a kid for as long as you can."

"But I've already assumed adult responsibilities elsewhere in my life! I'm out there with everyone else, healing others on the front lines. Don't you think that warrants an admission to the council?"

"Well Lissa, you may well get your chance. War is coming back around, after all."

She looks startled at my statement. She opens her mouth to reply, but before she can, Robin comes running toward us from the Palace.

"Trouble! The palace is being invaded! We have to get everyone assembled, now!" she calls to us, motioning for us to follow.

Each of us takes one floor of the barracks, shouting down the hallways to get everyone up and moving. It's a testament to their excellent training that they're ready to go in almost no time. As one group, we head back up toward the palace, just in time to watch the guards at the gate get cut down by a pair of thieves as they begin their assault in earnest.

"Take a partner and spread through the halls! Leave no area unattended!" Robin commands. I turn to face the group, where most of the Shepherds have already paired off. The only one without a partner is Donnel.

"You and me, Don!" I tell him.

"Right!" he replies. He's fortunately switched out his village clothes for a thin mail set, so he's got at least that much protection for the fight. He's still wearing that pot though…

Robin directs all the pairs on where to go. Donnel and I are assigned to the eastmost hallway on the upper floor, with windows overlooking the field and beyond it the barracks. Miriel and Kellam are assigned to the same hallway but closer to the front, making us the far back line in case anyone slips past the wall that is Kellam.

In other words, she's putting us where she imagines we'll see the least combat. Thanks for that, Robin.

We manage to get to our designated area without running into any trouble. Once there, we both take a few deep breaths.

"Doing okay there?" he asks me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

His lance is trembling in his grip. "I'm still a little new to all this. I don't rightly know how the enemy got here so quickly, but I'm still gonna try and keep a solid head on my shoulders."

"Speaking of, what is up with that pot, dude?" I ask.

He smiles. "Well you see, it actually–"

CRASH

Oh, there goes a window. A large dark-clad shape crashes into Donnel headlong and sends him careening into the opposite wall, which he hits his head against with a metallic clang before falling to the ground.

My instincts take over and I swing my staff at the invader, only for the shadowy figure to turn just in time to catch the staff mid-swing. It also lets me see their face, currently shrouded in a black mask.

The figure is also carrying a black tome. Oh boy, more fun with dark magic.

Before I think to yank my staff out of their hand, the mage pulls it out of my grip and tosses it out the broken window. There goes my lifeline. Donnel doesn't seem to be conscious over there, either.

With their hand free to start casting spells, the mage flips open the black tome and gathers magic in their hand.

By the way, you know how in the game, dark magic is usually more like purple magic for some reason? This is truly black magic. Like, sucks in the ambient light that surrounds it levels of black. It's like what I imagined a black hole would do.

And now one is being hurled at me. Duck, you idiot! Good, I hit the deck in time. Though now that I think about it, that blast may have destroyed some of my hair. What an asshole.

Time to bail. Satisfied that the mage is after me and not looking to finish off Donnel, I turn around and sprint back. A couple more blasts shoot by me, missing by just a little every time. It seems this mage isn't too skilled at running and gunning.

Oh shit, is that the end of the hallway? Are there any turns anywhere? I think I passed one before, but that's behind the mage now so that's not helpful. There! On the left at the end of the hallway is a door. Thank God.

Aaand it's locked. Great. I very briefly ponder jumping out the window. From this height, though, that's almost-certain death. At the very least, serious injury. And it seems like this assailant had no trouble getting inside that way, so it's not looking good.

Welp, if you can't run, and you can't hide, there's really only one option left.

Narrowly ducking under another spell, I sprint straight at the mage, causing them to reel back. Unsure of what else to do, I let my football instincts take over and tackle them to the ground. On hitting the ground, the hood and mask are knocked loose. Though frankly, after landing on these things I probably could've told you who it is anyway.

"Oh, hi Aversa," I grunt through her cleavage as she struggles to escape my grip. "What are you doing here?"

I realize too late that her knee is in an advantageous spot. She jerks it up suddenly, sending me into convulsions of crotch pain. That's just the distraction she needs to worm free and get her tome back.

I do my best to work through the pain and scramble to my feet, but I'm not fast enough. She's already got another blast ready, and as I move to try and dodge she lets a blast loose that hits me squarely in the right leg. I'm sent flying back into the corner. By the time I get my bearings, she's already loading up another blast.

"What, no time for chit-chat this time? Daddy Validar must've been reeeally mad after last time, huh?" I ask, trying to maintain bravado in the midst of incredible pain. My entire leg feels like what I imagine the experience of necrosis is like.

At the word 'Validar,' her face contorts in rage. "How do you know about that?" she demands, stepping forward and pulling me up by the front of my robes to a one-legged standing position. God damn does this hurt.

"Which part? The part where you're working for Validar, the part where Validar wants to bring Grima back to his full strength, or the part where he's brainwashing you to help make it happen?"

She pulls me toward her and then pushes away, slamming the back of my head against the wall and making me lose my balance enough that I have to put weight on the wounded leg. I can't help screaming in pain.

"All of it. As well as how you knew we were coming tonight. I want answers. Now." The struggle to keep her anger contained is written all over her face.

"Well, to be totally honest with you, I didn't know you were coming tonight. So there's that. As for the rest of it, I just know. No one told me, I haven't been sneaking around. For all you know I've been guessing at things."

"You couldn't have guessed his name out of nowhere! You're getting your information from somewhere! And I want to know why you say I'm brainwashed!" She shakes me a little for emphasis. I can feel the will to fight draining from me.

"I say you're brainwashed because you are. Think about it. How far back can you remember your life?" I ask, hoping that Validar wasn't skilled enough to give her a lifetime of false memories.

"I've been with Master Validar! I always have been, ever since the beginning!" she protests.

I might have a chance. "The beginning? When was that? Who's your mother? For that matter, who's your father? Because I'll tell you right now, it isn't Validar."

With the hand that isn't holding me against the wall, she grasps her head in apparent pain. Maybe trying to remember her past causes her head to hurt as her mind struggles against locked memories?

After a moment, she shakes her head and drops me to the floor. "Rrgh, I won't let you poison my mind any longer!" she shouts, taking a step back and preparing to cast another spell. I squeeze my eyes shut and clench every muscle I still control, bracing for impact.

It still isn't nearly enough to prepare me for the point-blank blast of dark magic that hits my chest. Much like the battle in Plegia, darkness and pain overtake me, and I feel my body's overwhelming desire to succumb. Still, the desire to live is too strong, and I sure as shit am not going to lose consciousness again unless I'm sure to die before I wake up.

She looks down at me. "Tch. You're not much when you don't have someone to bail you out. I don't know why we were ever concerned about you." She prepares another blast to finish me off. This time I intend to stare her down while she does it, just for spite.

That is, until the door to my right blasts open and a thief's body is sent flying, crashing through the window and falling outside. What the hell could have thrown somebody that hard?

Oh, it's Panne. Hello giant bunny!

She transforms briefly into her human form so that she can get through the door, then transforms back into her rabbit form as quickly as she can while Aversa whips up an attack. Before she can fire it, though, Panne leaps against the wall and bounces off it, propelling herself at the dark mage and kicking her arm so fiercely that I can hear the snap from my corner.

Aversa shrieks in pain, cradling her injured arm as she backs away from the still-advancing beast. Before Panne can get another attack off, though, Aversa kicks behind her to shatter the window nearby and leaps outside, seeming to fade from sight as she falls.

Satisfied with that result, Panne leaps over to me and transforms again. "Human. Are you harmed?" she asks stiffly.

"Very… much. Healer please," I sputter through ruined lungs.

She nods, then rushes through the broken door, transforms, and bounds out of sight. Despite the extreme pain and exhaustion the wound is inflicting on me, I am determined to stay awake no matter how long it takes someone to get here and heal me. If anyone got killed I still want to be able to go back, no matter how much of a hassle it will be.

After a few agonizing minutes pass, I hear a faint "Whoa, whoa, whoaaa!" getting closer and closer. As she rounds the corner, I realize Panne has returned with Lissa and Maribelle on her back. Once she's near enough, she dumps the pair roughly on the floor in front of me.

Maribelle opens her mouth, no doubt to chastise the taguel, but when she spots me her attention shifts. "Randall!"

She and Lissa both retrieve their staves. As they point them at me, I manage to say, "S-slow."

"What? Why? This injury is serious!" Lissa protests.

"Just… please," I say.

Maribelle sighs. "Alright. This is going to hurt."

The process of having Aversa's dark magic undone is even more painful than I remember. It must have been a closer, stronger hit this time, because every nerve in my torso and right leg is searing as they are pulled, kicking and screaming, back to life. I occasionally have to call for breathers when the pain gets to be too much. Overall, the process probably takes fifteen or twenty minutes.

When it's finished, the pain is gone, but the exhaustion remains. I smile weakly up at my saviors, including Panne, who stands aloofly off to the side, watching with feigned disinterest.

"There now," Maribelle says, "that wasn't so bad, was it?"

My laugh comes out faint, but honest.

I learn that despite the fact that the Plegians took us by surprise, we managed to get by with no Shepherd casualties. There are a few unconscious folks, among them Donnel (with a fresh dent in his pot helmet), Vaike (who got cocky and tried to take on three thieves at once, one of whom I would later learn was Gaius), and Robin (the most seriously injured of anyone, as she took the brunt of the damage while she and Chrom were fighting off Validar himself). Even though it turns out it was unnecessary, I am still standing by my decision to make myself stay awake.

And there's Lucina, sans mask, heading for the door. And there goes Chrom after her. Looks like the events of the game are back on track, even though Aversa decided to show up. Maybe she really did come just to take me out.

For the most part, we sit around speculating on the actions of Plegia. How did they get this close this quickly? Is there someone sheltering Plegian military around here? I recall my suspicion that the same lord Virion owes money to is the one working with Plegia, but as that's no more than a hypothesis I keep it to myself. After a little bit, Panne joins us as well.

Looking to make a good first impression for once, I shuffle over to her as she enters the room. "Your name is Panne, right?"

"Yes."

"My name is Randall. Tonight you saved my life. I won't forget that. Thank you," I say, perhaps as seriously as I've ever said anything.

"You are…" she looks down and off to the side, no doubt remembering the conversation she just had with Emmeryn, "welcome, Randall."

Deciding I actually don't like the stiff atmosphere after all, I add, "By the way, killer outfit you've got there. You simply must tell me where you got it."

"Eyes off my pelt, man-spawn," she growls.

"Eep! Just a joke, I'm sure I couldn't pull it off anyway."

"Certainly not. I would stop you before you got it off me." She doesn't seem angry; I think she was just stating that as a matter of fact.

"No, I don't mean I'd literally— You know what, I'll talk to you later, Panne."

"Farewell, man-spawn."

As I turn to leave, though, Robin wakes up and is instantly panicked.

"Is everyone okay? Did anyone get hurt? Killed?" she demands of Lissa, who's been standing nearby to check up on her.

A little taken aback at first, Lissa recovers quickly and says, "Everyone's fine, Robin. Vaike and Donnel are unconscious from their injuries but should make a speedy recovery, and everyone else is okay."

With a sigh, Robin slumps back down on the bench they had laid her on. "You people are going to stress me into an early grave someday," she says to the ceiling.

I can certainly understand the sentiment, Robin.

"Alive? You left him there, still drawing breath?"

"Y-yes, but only barely! I wouldn't be surprised if we learn of his death posthaste in the coming days. I did hit him from extremely close range with the magic of Goetia, after all."

He takes a moment to slow his breathing and pinches the bridge of his nose. "At least you had the good sense to use the most powerful magic at our disposal. Unfortunately," he coughs, and a small spray of blood hits my face, "it seems it wasn't enough. Nor did I bring enough to overpower the princeling and my darling daughter."

The mention of his daughter brings up another lingering question. If there were ever a time to ask about it, it would be now, before the healers can put him back together.

"Master Validar… why can't I remember?"

"Remember what?" He doesn't look pleased with this line of questioning.

"Anything. Anything before we began my dark magic training. I don't remember my childhood, or my mother. Why is that?"

"After we suffer such a humiliating defeat at the hands of a castrated pseudo-military led by a sniveling child-prince, you choose to dwell on such trivialities?" He gets too excited and coughs again, much harder this time. Blood flies from his mouth.

"Master Validar!"

"Aversa… there's no time to wait for the healer to get here. I can feel it already. The wounds are taking their toll. Quickly, the Nosferatu." He gestures toward the small pile of tomes on the table nearby.

It's difficult to navigate the stack with only one working arm, but eventually I get out the dark purple tome he requested. I hand it over to him, admittedly a little reluctantly. I hate the feeling of Nosferatu.

"Just a little bit, my dear. Just enough to stay alive for the healer, and that's all I'll take." He reaches out to grab my hand, and I give it to him. With his other hand, he flips open the tome and casts the spell.

I can feel the warmth, the life, being drained out of me. I hate it, I hate it.

I hate it.

Master Validar only smiles as the wounds get visibly smaller with every passing second. I can feel myself slipping out of consciousness.

"Mas...ter…" I plead.

Remembering himself, he releases my hand. Exhausted, I collapse to the ground, jolting my broken arm as I hit the floor. I feel empty now, and cold.

It seems he took enough out of me to regain the strength to stand. He places a hand on my shoulder as he stands in front of me.

"Such a good and faithful girl you are," he says. "The only one on whom I can rely in these uncertain times." Music to my ears. Music itself. My head doesn't hurt so much anymore.

Quickly, too quickly, he withdraws his hand. "You say that the Ylissean healer survived a Goetia blast at close range, straight to the chest?" As much as I can, I nod my head. "A man who knows too much is dangerous enough on his own, but if we find it this troublesome just to be rid of the man, we must be even more cautious. I'm afraid you'll have to stay out of things for a while. If you are to be useful even after Gangrel falls, the Ylisseans must be given no reason to want to destroy you on sight. For now, we must fall back and regroup. We lost most of our men already stationed in Ylisse tonight. A living Exalt is not what fate had in store for us, so we just draw plans anew in light of this."

"Of… course," I manage to say despite the fatigue. Even so, I am fading quickly. Ever generous, Master Validar catches me as I fall, lifting me up and placing me down on the table he was lying on before. "Thank… you," I say, and if he says anything in reply I do not hear it, as sleep takes me before the word has finished leaving my mouth.

A/N: Mega long chapter! At least by this story's usual standards. I wanted to work in some regular human interaction in the midst of all the crazy battle stuff that goes on, so I don't mind writing longer chapters to make that happen.

I think my new favorite thing is having people speculate in the reviews as to what will happen in future chapters. It gives me the warm fuzzies.

I might take a bit longer coming up with the next chapter, as finals are going to sneak up on me here in a few seconds, but after that I will ideally have a ton of time to write when I'm on Christmas break. As always, comments and critiques are welcome. See you next time!