Interlude - Genoa
Our first push into Verdane has been a rousing success, with Prince Kinbaith dead and Castle Genoa captured. The locals are pleased to have someone do away with their tyrannical leader, though I worry that a dead prince means King Batur will be less willing to surrender.
For now, though, Lady Aideen is safely with us, meaning Lord Sigurd is sending messages asking for Prince Gandolf's surrender. He hopes that the prince will see reason, but I doubt it. After all, he attacked in the first place. Then again, I'd been certain he'd rape Lady Aideen at the first opportunity, so perhaps I can be wrong again.
None of that is really my problem, though. I focus my energy in tending to the injured and preparing the infirmary. Lady Lachesis has returned to Noldion, but with Lady Aideen here, the work load is not so bad. Prince Shanan takes up a great deal of my time, but I was expecting that.
There are not enough hours in the day.
"Easy, Prince Shanan," I chided, reaching over to touch his hand. "If you eat too quickly, you will only make yourself sick." It was a higher risk, considering he'd barely had anything proper to eat in quite some time. "I promise you that it will not taste so good the second time."
"Yeah, throwing up sucks," Prince Shanan sighed. He looked up at me pleadingly. "But it's so good!"
"Then that's another reason why you want to eat slowly. You can savor the taste."
"Oh. Right." He smiled sheepishly and went back to eating his soup slowly. "It's so good. I forgot broth could be rich. Auntie Ayra did what she could, but she never exactly learned how to cook."
"No, I imagine not." Few noblewomen did. "What all did you eat?"
"Mostly what we could find. Soup. Barley or rye bread." He made a face. "I don't like those much. They never seemed to fill my stomach and just made me hungrier."
"There are some little tricks, but I suppose you two never asked." I was rapidly learning that Lady Ayra rarely asked for help. While that might've been simple overprotectiveness, I thought no small part of it was pride, and it was a blessing in disguise that she had run into Kinbaith. I had doubts both she and he would've survived much longer, simply because she had no idea how to live outside of her castle. "How are you feeling? Do your injuries still hurt?"
"No, not really." His eyes clouded over with fear. "The nightmares are worse. Didn't you give me a thing to make them go away?"
"I gave you a sleeping potion to help you sleep too deeply to remember, but too much of it will be bad for your health." Slowly, I ran my hand through his hair. He stiffened briefly, but relaxed quickly, pouting when I tried to pull away. He still feared the touch of others, but at the same time, he craved it. The poor child was just… very messed up, and I did not doubt some of this would linger even until adulthood. "So, I do not wish to give it to you again. But if it gets too much, tell me at once."
"I'll try to stick it out." He gave me a brave little smile. "Um… I'd like help out around camp, though?"
"For now, you must focus on your health. You may help in the camp afterwards." I pulled away then, and turned towards the door as I heard footsteps approach. "What is it?" It didn't sound too hurried, so I assumed no injuries and I was quickly proven right when Lord Oifeye, Sir Finn, and Lady Ayra all appeared at the door. "Well, this is a very unusual group."
"Finn and I happened to meet Lady Ayra on the way here," Lord Oifeye explained. He smiled broadly and produced a bag from behind him. "Finn and I were in town, and we found a game we thought Lord Shanan might like."
"We also found a few books we thought he might find interesting," Sir Finn added softly. His smile was shyer, but he seemed just as eager as Lord Oifeye to spend time with Prince Shanan. "Might we show him?"
"Hmm…" I hummed, thinking. I glanced at Prince Shanan, who looked cautiously enthused, and nodded. "Very well, but he is eating, and I would like him to finish eating it all. And if he says he needs to be alone, you must listen."
"Of course, Miss Alicia." Sir Finn's smile grew, and he was careful to sit in the chair next to Prince Shanan's bed, and to shift it so that he was close, but not overwhelming. "Have either of us really introduced ourselves to you?"
I lingered briefly as the three cautiously began talking, and left to speak with Lady Ayra when it quickly became apparent that Lord Oifeye and Sir Finn were taking utmost care with Prince Shanan. "I assume you wish to ask about his health?" I murmured, smiling slightly. It was as constant as the sunrise. "He is slowly improving, bit by bit, just as he was yesterday and the day before. You will not see a sudden change, except negatively, and I assure you, I would inform you."
"I… understand that logically," Lady Ayra muttered. She had the grace to become embarrassed. "But emotionally, I keep panicking. I keep thinking that something bad has happened…"
"I suppose that is only to be expected." I was grateful that she was always willing to wait. "He is starting to eat more solid foods. That is a sign that he is healing. I do not expect many lingering effects, considering the shortness of time, though that could change. It all depends on how his body heals, and it may very well be that effects will not be seen until he is done growing."
"Of course." Lady Ayra sighed and slumped. "Thank you, again."
"Lady Ayra, I do believe you have thanked me over a thousand times already, and you have only been here a week." I laughed a little as she made a face. "I am a healer. I am simply doing my duty."
"From my understanding, a healer's duty is only to heal a person's body. You take great efforts to ensure his mind also heals, and you take even greater pains to make sure he feels safe." She shook her head. "Perhaps that is simply 'duty' to you, Miss Alicia, but that is simply because you are a good and kind healer. There are many who are not, and would not, be as thorough."
"You shall make me blush with all the praise!" I made myself laugh. "I assure you; I look horrible when blushing. It clashes with my hair."
"That makes me curious, Miss Alicia." She grinned slightly and I caught an air of mischievousness. I wondered if she'd been a little prankster as a child. "Perhaps-"
"Ah, Lady Ayra." Lord Quan appeared then, smiling gently with serious eyes. "I had thought I might find you here," he continued. "Might I have a moment of your time?"
"You may," Lady Ayra replied slowly. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What is it?"
"If we can talk privately…"
"You can ask with her with me." Lady Ayra nodded to me. "She cares for Shanan. I trust her."
"I am good at keeping quiet, Lord Quan," I added. I smiled slightly to make my words teasing. "You may ask your wife. She chats with me often."
"Well, now I fear what she's been saying," Lord Quan sighed. "Very well, I lose." He didn't exactly try very hard. "Where is a quiet place to talk?"
"We can go to my office. People will only come near if there is an emergency, especially since Lady Aideen is here." I often went there to get a moment to myself nowadays. "Come, this way."
The three of us went into my little 'office', the side-room off the infirmary here where I did my mending. I shut the door behind us as Lord Quan and Lady Ayra sat at the small table, and then moved my mending to the side to make things a bit more comfortable.
"Thank you very much," Lord Quan murmured. His smile dropped, leaving only the serious eyes. "Please, allow me to get straight to the point." He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Darna."
"That was…" Lady Ayra began before she hesitated. "I know it must be difficult to believe, but-"
"I find the attack much more difficult to believe, Princess Ayra. King Mananan was always kind when I talked to him, and Prince Mariccle was always just as kind, and even wiser than his father."
"You knew them?!" Lady Ayra leapt to her feet, startled. "How…? Leonster is infamous for..." She hesitated, perhaps sensing she was about to say something completely tactless.
"We do keep to ourselves a lot, partially because of our on-going struggle with Thracia." Lord Quan, however, figured out a gentle way to acknowledge one of the biggest flaws of Leonster. "I am the first heir in many generations to have a foreign bride, and even best friends from different countries. But Isaach is also rather insular, yes?"
"...Yes, we are." She slowly sat down again. "In recent years, people have… looked down upon us. Our rituals are different, even if we worship the same gods. That difference makes them wary. We grew uncomfortable outside of our borders." She shook her head. "But that only makes me wonder more."
"To reach the academy, I'd travel through the Yied desert. Your father and brother would also travel to the Yied desert to pay their respects in Darna. I had the honor of meeting them a few times." He smiled slightly. "More than honor, in one case. I'd been separated from my group in a sandstorm and they saved me. That is why this all confuses me. Their kindness makes me think they would never hurt civilians; their wisdom makes me certain they'd know the retaliation that would come."
"...It wasn't them." Lady Ayra shook as she whispered. "It was my… no, it was the ruler of Rivough's own doing."
"The ruler of…?" Lord Quan looked surprised. "Is he not your brother-in-law?"
"He… was, but we have erased him from our lineage for his crimes, as per our laws. I do not know what happened to his son, Galzus, but I fear him dead." Lady Ayra shook more. "When Father learned what had happened, he led our forces to conquer Rivough. I was on the front lines, and bore witness to Marricle decapitating… Rivough's leader." She was careful to not even use his name. It was clear she was still getting used to it, but she was careful. "Afterwards, Father left to go to the border with the head, to tell them what happened and to prove that it was a heinous crime that we dealt with."
"Did something make him change his mind?"
"We found him on the border nearly cleaved in two." She shook more and tears filled her eyes. "Marricle and I… we found him. We found him, and then the guards dragged us back to the capital because there were others waiting in ambush."
"Ambush?" Lord Quan looked startled. "But that's… Prince Kurth would never reject a proposal for-"
"If I may?" I interrupted, moved to Lady Ayra's side. I passed her a handkerchief to dry her eyes and rubbed her back as she struggled to not break down. "Lord Quan, surely you know that between all the political machinations of the court, this country is on the brink of civil war. The campaign against Isaach is the first time in decades that everyone has been united on anything. I am not suggesting Prince Kurth had anything to do with it, but the divisions in our country mean there are quite a few who would." I almost named House Dozel, for I could think of few others capable of cleaving a man in two, but decided that would be a bad idea, with Lex among our numbers. "King Mananan was used as a scapegoat, likely. What better way to hide plots than ensuring a war will be fought?"
"You… are very canny with political things," Lord Quan murmured. His eyes narrowed slightly, and I met his faze impassively. "I wouldn't have thought a healer would pay attention."
"Healers do not take people's political allegiances when tending to patients. That does not mean we keep our fingers in our ears and walk about oblivious to everything. If anything we pay more attention, as when nobles play their games, we have a sudden influx in patients."
"Clearly, I have not given my own healers enough credit." He shook his head. "Still…" He smiled slightly. "You spoke up so that Princess Ayra could regain her composure."
"I am a healer. My job is to tend to people." I looked back to Lady Ayra, who was still pale, but no longer looked on the edge of falling apart. "Can you continue? If not, I will exercise my authority as Chief Healer."
"No, I think… I can tell the last bit," Lady Ayra murmured. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, there is not much left to tell."
"In that case…" Lord Quan began. He focused on her again. "Please."
"Yes." She took another deep breath. "Much like your own people protested and urged the king to go to war, so did ours. They did not realize, or care, that we could not win such a war. So, Marricle entrusted his only son, Shanan, to me, and had us both escape before he went to war."
"Thus, preparing for his death…" Lord Quan closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back in his chair. "This makes… much more sense." He opened his eyes again and looked at her. "Have you told any of this to Sigurd?"
"No." She shook her head. "No, I did not wish to bring him more trouble, and I was not certain if…" She hesitated again, and I knew the rest of the sentence. She did not trust that Lord Sigurd's kindness would continue if he knew everything. Prince Shanan's life depended on that continued kindness for now.
"Probably a good idea." Lord Quan laughed a little. "Otherwise he'd turn this army right around and demand the truth, and likely spark that civil war Miss Alicia mentioned in his determination to do what he thought was right. No one can afford that right now."
"That…" Lady Ayra looked startled. "Um…"
"I am certain that, one day, the truth will come to light, of course. Until then, do what you can to bear with it." Lord Quan smiled at her. "Thank you for answering my questions, Princess Ayra. But I fear Miss Alicia will have my head if I keep you long!"
"I am but a simple healer, Lord Quan," I replied lightly. "Surely, an unarmed girl is no threat to such a talented warrior."
"In Leonster, we have a saying, Miss Alicia," Lord Quan instantly retorted. "Beware the healer. Someone who knows how you are put together knows how you can be taken apart."
"That assumes the healer has the strength to pull someone apart. I would much rather break the joints. They are easy." I nudged Lady Ayra up. "But let us depart, Lady Ayra. I would rather Prince Shanan not be without one of us for long, for his mental health."
So, the various factions of the court sacrificed Isaach? I could hardly contain my surprise.
Lady Ethlyn came bursting into the infirmary while I was tending to Prince Shanan, and dragged me outside. According to her, I spent far too much time in the infirmary and not enough time in sunshine, and she had appointed herself the head of the 'local sunshine committee', so it was her job to ensure I got out and about. Lady Aideen happily joined her, and the two seemed quite enthusiastic about the local market while I fretted over the patients that we, as healers, were supposed to be guarding.
None of this was helped by Lady Ethlyn finding a fortune teller and insisting Lady Aideen and I talk to her. I did not believe in this sort of nonsense when I was in a mood to play along with people, and I was not in such a mood at all.
Of course, I did not let any of this show on my face. I kept up the polite smile, and even managed to laugh a little when the the fortune teller correctly divined that Lady Aideen was in love with Sir Midayle. Of course, she had asked pointed and leading questions, and never once gave a name. The fortune teller was more of a master of asking good questions and coming to reasonable conclusions.
I was much less convinced of her sense, though, when she read my future. She predicted love, which I had no intention of seeking, and said the person would be 'one who gives you an answer to the question you think you know by heart'. The whole thing was ridiculous.
"Oh, I can't wait to see who you fall in love with, Miss Alicia!" Lady Ethlyn gushed as we wandered through the market. I did my best to ignore her and assumed this was post-marriage-bliss where she thought everyone sought romance and the world was filled with rainbows and bunnies. "I bet they'll be all strong and kind and amazing!"
"I would guess them to be a quiet sort," Lady Aideen mused. The two of them were having far too much fun with this imaginary, likely-never-to-ever-exist person. "Quiet but strong, kind and gentle…"
"Oh! And she'll meet him while tending to him for an injury! And he'll fall in love with the angel who cared for him!"
"And he'll linger around and help, and she'll slowly fall in love with his dependable nature…"
"These apples look good," I murmured, just flat out ignoring them at this point. I had no time nor inclination to indulge them in their creative friend… fiction… antics. "Let's see…" I crouched by them, and studied them closely, comparing their apparent quality with the price. "Excuse me!" I hailed the shopkeeper and made sure to smile at him. "I'd like a couple of bags of the apples, please."
"Oh, apples?" Lady Ethlyn asked. She popped to my side, peering over my shoulder curiously. "Are we subscribing everyone to 'an apple a day keeps the healer away'?"
"I was thinking of making some applesauce for… Lord Shanan, actually." I smiled at the shopkeeper and took the bags of apples. They were heavy, but the bags were strong, so I didn't mind carrying them. "He still cannot eat much."
"That's… really sweet!" She beamed at me, and dragged me back to where Lady Aideen was waiting. "Oh, think we can make some cider from it?"
"I think so." I hoped so, at least. "But, for now…" I trailed off as I noticed some gossiping old women nearby. "For now, let's wander over to them and eavesdrop."
"Good idea." Lady Ethlyn nodded, and her cheer faded slightly. This would be a good chance to see just how our army was being viewed. "Aideen?"
"I should be fine," Lady Aideen reassured. She smiled warmly. "I didn't really talk to much of anyone. Mostly."
"Mostly?" I prompted as we carefully edged closer to the ladies. I frowned as I caught murmurs of a 'Sadima' and how King Batur had been 'different' ever since he was came around. That was definitely something to inform Lord Sigurd about.
"Well while I was in Marpha, I did run into a beautiful woman I could see being called a 'fairy'." Lady Aideen laughed a little. "She had this long silver hair and amethyst eyes, and she was so kind and gentle. She told me this story about a princess trapped in a tower, and the prince who defeated the evil sorcerer to save her." Her smile faded slightly. "She had this air of lonely melancholy around her, though, so I talked to her about home. It helped me feel a little less scared and her eyes lit up."
"That sounds…" I was about to say 'typical', but I had a feeling neither of them thought that. "Well, it seems as if Lord Sigurd is regarded well enough to not be gossip, but also not so well that people are falling over their feet for him."
"That is, perhaps, the safest place to be." Lady Aideen smiled suddenly. "Ah, but that is enough serious talk. Let's buy some more practical clothes. I need some, at least." The flowing gown would just snag all over the place, especially when you had to race about an infirmary. "But I'd love to buy you some clothes too, Miss Alicia!"
"I'm fine."
"Oh, a girl can never have enough clothes!" Lady Ethlyn laughed. She jumped forward, and hooked her arms around both mine and Lady Aideen's. "Oh, but be careful of your back, Aideen. We wouldn't want everyone to see your Holy Mark."
"Mine is very small, Ethlyn," Lady Aideen gently reminded. "It's not like Brigid's. Hers covered the whole left side of her back."
"Brigid's your twin sister, right? The one who got lost during the storm at sea?"
"Yes, but I am certain she is alive." Lady Aideen's smile faded slightly, though, and I knew why. All of Jungby had given up hope that Lady Brigid would ever return. "She is my identical twin. Surely, I would know if…"
"Are you two identical twins if she inherited the Major Blood and you, the Minor?" Lady Ethlyn frowned a little in thought. "Holy Blood makes it all confusing. Sometimes it's not even the oldest child who is the Major." She shook her head. "Oh, whatever. Let's shop."
The worst part was that I couldn't think of a way to protest, since my eventual reminder of the apples just led them to pay a boy to take them to the castle, and I could not tell them that I hated shopping for clothes without making my smile falter. I needed to keep that up, no matter what.
Lady Ethlyn and Lady Aideen were perfectly prepared to shop the entire day away, buying more clothes than I had seen in my entire life, and was fairly certain was more than an entire village had seen. However, a messenger recalled us back to the castle, as some of the soldiers wanted to try the arena, and we were the three main healers.
"I see you got caught by their shopping addiction!" Lord Sigurd laughed as we sat in the stands. He was positively tickled by my misery. "Did you at least get good things?"
"I suppose," I mumbled, unable to really think of anything else to say. I did pick up a few new dresses and long gloves, as well as a few hair pieces to hold my hair back. But I would have rather mended my old things and used the money to buy things for the infirmary. I did not get the point of buying things for myself. "How go things here?"
"Everything remains quiet. I hope it means Prince Gandolf is considering my proposal."
I doubted it. I was certain he was preparing for an ambush. "Well, it will mean less work in the infirmary if the war ends now." I glanced at him, freely ignoring the battles. Lady Ethlyn and Lady Aideen were 'ahead' of me in duty right now. "There were rumors of a 'new advisor' for King Batur, and how everything changed."
"I'll have scouts look into that." Lord Sigurd sighed. "An untrustworthy advisor… that implies that this won't end until we're at the castle. Though, Aideen mentions Prince Jamke was going to work to encourage his father to lay down arms. He must be a good person. He saved Aideen."
"He could simply be pragmatic and hope you will not raze his country to the ground. He does not know you, Lord Sigurd. He does not know you are no warmonger."
"Well, I suppose. But that pragmatism would also mean the war ends, yes?" He smiled warmly. "I hope so. I've no love of fighting, and no intention of ruling anything but Chalphy. Ruling a country sounds far too hard, really. I'm too lazy for that!"
"A lazy person would not mount an assault just to save a friend." Some noise caught my attention, and I twisted to see Lord Lex and Lady Ayra chatting. "Oh, dear."
"Something wrong?" He turned too and winced. "Uh oh. Lex doesn't have much tact."
"Neither does Lady Ayra, and she is emotionally…" I could not think of a word to describe 'she had her country destroyed because of two sets of madmen, lost all of her family save a nephew who she must protect, suffered greatly to protect him and because of her pride, and is now at the mercy of her technical enemies because otherwise her nephew might die'. "Oh dear."
"I'll…"
"No, please, let me." I stood up slowly and smoothed out my skirt. "This is part of a healer's job."
"I'm not sure 'peacekeeper' is in your job description, but I'll yield to you." He waved as I walked away. "Yell if it gets violent. I don't think it will, but…"
"I shall." I carefully picked my way through the stands, noticing Lady Ayra and Lord Lex were both increasingly becoming more agitated.
"Look, all I'm saying is that you can trust Sigurd," Lord Lex growled. His temper was definitely burning. House Neir was rather infamous for being a family of hotheads. "He won't tell anyone you two are here. He's not a guy to lie. I've spent a lot of time in the courts, so I can tell."
"Is that so?" she immediately snapped. "And how do I know you aren't lying?!" Her eyes widened as Lord Lex's expression blanked. "I…"
"Well, guess you don't." He shrugged, and just walked away. I could see the pain in his face, though, and remembered how Azel's letters told me of how Lord Lex always strove to be honest, even if he disliked telling people about his feelings.
"Oh…" Lady Ayra had the grace to look guilty as she watched him walk away. "I…" She gasped when she saw me approach. "Miss Alicia… I…"
"Why don't you go talk with Lord Sigurd?" I recommended, smiling gently. She looked even guiltier. "Let me tend to him." She hesitated a moment before nodding, ducking her head. "Good." I walked on past her, and followed Lord Lex's path into the hallway and found him glaring and sulking at the ceiling.
He glanced over, jaw set to snap, but he relaxed slightly when he realized it was me. "Oh, Alicia," he called. He tried to smile, but only managed a grimace. "What do you need?"
"I heard the last bit of that conversation," I explained. His fake smile fell at that. "I could give you reasons, but Azel's letters always portrayed you as someone of reasonable intelligence. I am certain you have thought of justifications for her words yourself. That does not erase the pain you feel." I walked a little closer and reached up to pat his head. "So, how do you feel?"
"I…" He sighed, bowing his head a bit. "Bit annoyed. I mean; we were trying to kill each other, so I was trying to break the ice. Might've been stupid, but she went through a lot, so I want her to feel comfortable. So, I'm also a bit hurt, because I was just trying to reassure her that Sigurd's a good guy."
"I think she knows that. But it runs contrary to what she had to tell herself for weeks in order to survive." I shook my head. "She is relearning that there are good people in Grannvale. That bothers her, because it also has the same people who destroyed her world. Reminding herself that the world is complicated is enough to make anyone grouchy."
"So, I guess I should just… be a little more tactful?" He sighed, but smiled slightly. "Shame you didn't grow up with us. That calm and insight might've been a good thing to rely on."
"I fear you place too much credit in my sense. I did, after all, volunteer for this."
"That's a good point." He grinned and I let myself smile. "Ah, I think I'll try a few rounds in the Arena. Good spar always helped me feel better."
"Then I shall return to the stands. Do be careful. I would rather not have to reattach your arm."
"I will. Thanks." His grin softened to a smile. "I mean it."
"It is no trouble, Lex." It actually was, but I was used to such trouble. "It is no trouble at all."
Author's Note: The conversation with Ayra and Quan is based off of their in-game talk. The conversation between Ayra and Lex is based off of the Oosawa Manga. The idea of Rivough's leader being Ayra's brother in law comes from revelations in FE5 (that could have them just be distant cousins, but the brother in law thing makes it more believable that his action was authorized). The idea that Aideen chatted with Diadora also comes from the Oosawa Manga.
Next Chapter - Marpha
