Interlude - Meetings
After a month of being spoiled silly by my brothers, I return to Evans, escorted by Aida, who was delivering Arvis's wedding presents. Azel remained in Velthomer, since the campaign was over, which saddened me, but I understood. Knowing Azel, he'd figure out a way to return before long, especially since Lex stayed here, in Evans.
For now, though, I return to my duties, and try not to go mad planning this wedding.
"No, Prince Shanan, hold the needle like this," I instructed, reaching over to fix his grip. Prince Shanan and I were in the infirmary of Castle Evans, where I was teached him how to sew, to keep him out of trouble. "Now, nice and patient."
"Okay!" Prince Shanan, surprisingly, was very enthused at learning, or at least, helping me. "Nice and patient…" he repeated, frowning in concentration. He winced and sulked, though, as he pricked his finger again. "Why is sewing so hard?"
"Because you do not pay attention." I tapped his nose and laughed as he made a face. "Nice and patient, and watch. That will save you some pain."
"But I was!" He sulked a little more. "Sewing is just hard. Not like swords."
"Well, you cannot simply do what you're good at all the time. You will never grow strong if you do that."
"Okay…" He sighed heavily, but then gave me a worried look. "Are your arms okay?"
"They're fine." I glanced at them automatically, though, troubled. Father Claude had determined just what I did: there was very little wrong, aside from pulses of pain. I'd actually experienced one while he was checking my arms, so he did manage to come up with a theory. He wondered if the spell was supposed to do something more, but my Holy Blood was actually protecting me, containing the dark magic into the welts, much like an actual allergic reaction. The pain might be a hint of what I would have been experiencing, or it's a byproduct of the Holy Blood slowly eroding the dark magic. It could also be something else entirely; Father Claude intended on researching along with Arvis, both to figure out what was going on, and to check defenses against Dark Magic.
"Miss Alicia, I've finished sweeping." Sir Finn's voice jolted me from my thoughts, and he smiled shyly at me, still clutching the broom. "Do you want me to go ahead and mop?" he asked. At some point, Sir Finn had become my 'official' cleaner for the infirmary, and he came by everyday to clean for me. He mentioned something about it being a good way to cool down from morning practice. "Or would you like me to wait?"
"No, you can go ahead," I reassured. I reached down and pulled the mess of in-need-of-mending blankets onto a nearby table and tucked my legs up into my chair. Prince Shanan was short enough that his legs simply dangled. "We'll move when you need the chairs to get out of the way."
"Oh, no, I'll lift you like last time." He grinned, perfectly confident. To be fair, he did manage to do that just yesterday. "I'll get started on mopping, then. Shall I use a different scent?"
"Mmm, perhaps. The one Lady Ethlyn insisted on yesterday just made my nose itch."
"That might've been because I put too much, but-"
"Alicia~!" A veritable hurricane burst into the room, one with bright blonde hair. "Oh, cool, Finn is here too~!" She threw herself at Sir Finn, giving him a big hug, and Sir Finn just barely managed to catch Lady Lachesis as she laughed. "Hello, again!" she cheered, popping back. She then lunged at me, giving me a warm hug. "Good to see you!" She jumped back again and then, still smiling, she knelt and offered her hands to Prince Shanan. "Hey, I don't think we met before. I'm Lachesis, of Noldion."
"H-hello?" Prince Shanan squeaked. He hesitated but took her hands, and she simply squeezed them reassuringly. "Nice to meet you? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I came here to say hello to Alicia!" She grinned. "Unless you meant Evans in general. It's not that far from Noldion, and Sigurd is finally getting married~" She waited for Prince Shanan to pull away before hopping to her feet and snagging my arm. "Come on! You need to meet Grahnye and Ares!"
I yelped and struggled to escape, but Hezul's bloodline was known for its strength, and Lady Lachesis proved it with her vice-grip as she dragged me easily down the hall, chattering about dresses and jewelry all the while. Eventually, she dragged me into the receiving room of the castle, where Lord Eldigan chatted happily with Lord Quan and Sigurd.
He turned and laughed when he saw Lady Lachesis dragging me along. "When you said you'd bring her here, I didn't expect you to succeed," he commented, with a little smile. "I'm rather impressed."
"Nothing to be impressed about, since I was certain she'd be in the infirmary," Lady Lachesis replied loftily. She grinned triumphantly. "Never underestimate me!"
"Yes, yes." Lord Eldigan shook his head and focused on me. "I apologize if she interrupted you. Sigurd said you were Deidre's Maid of Honor, and I mentioned offhandedly that I'd need to speak with you about the Wedding preparations since I'm Best Man, and off she went."
"I was simply giving sewing lessons," I answered. I looked a little curiously at the trio. "How did you three decide who would be best man, though? Did you use rock-paper-scissors?"
"Oh, no, if we did that, Quan would win. He's a master." Lord Eldigan laughed and shook his head. "No, it was just a little system. Quan served as my best man, and Sigurd served as Quan's." He gave Sigurd a fondly amused look. "I must admit, though, that I did not quite expect to actually see you married. You were rarely interested in that sort of thing."
"Yes, well, clearly my heart was taken by Deidre before I ever met her," Sigurd replied. Everyone in the room rolled their eyes at how sappy the line was. "But you need to meet her, Eldigan. She's in the nursery with Ethlyn and Altenna."
"Speaking of meetings, actually…" Lord Eldigan gestured behind him to a quiet woman standing nearby, holding a baby to her chest. "Grahnye, you're quiet. Was the trip hard?"
"Oh, Elto, you know very well that I'm fine," she instantly replied. Her eyes sparkled with quiet mirth. "I've been riding horses longer than you."
"But you're still recovering," Lord Eldigan pointed out. He held out his hand to her, and she took it, walking to his side. "I fret."
"As always." She shook her head and smiled at Sigurd and Lord Quan. "You two have not met Ares yet."
"No, we haven't," Lord Quan confirmed. He bent over Lord Ares and held out his hand. He laughed as Lord Ares instantly took his finger with a tiny, pudgy hand. "Wow, what a grip! He might give Altenna a run for her money."
"Wouldn't he win?" Sigurd asked. "I mean; Hezul blood. Strength."
"Hush." Lord Quan cooed over Lord Ares, grinning. "Oh, what a shame! He looks like Eldigan!"
"He'll have to deal with people trying to buy him when he wanders towards the red-light district, just like him!"
"I can and will hurt you two," Lord Eldigan instantly deadpanned, while Lady Grahnye simply laughed and Lady Lachesis squeaked and went red. "I can tell your wives many, many stories, you know."
"We can retaliate!" Sigurd retorted, grinning. Lord Quan, however, look a little more worried by the proposition. "But seriously, this will be a great opportunity for Ares to meet Altenna too, so…" He trailed off as Lord Ares suddenly started babbling and reaching out towards… something. "Hmm? Looks like something caught his eye." Sigurd bent down and shifted so that he could better 'see' what Lord Ares was looking at. Surprisingly, he ended up looking right at me, and grinned. "Oh, I think Alicia has his attention." Sigurd waved me forward. "Grahnye, this is Alicia, by the way, our chief healer."
"I've heard quite a bit of praise of you," Lady Grahnye murmured. She held out Lord Ares to me. "Here. Why don't you hold him?" She smiled. "Children are good at seeing the hearts of people and like warmth."
"If you say so," I mumbled, a little embarrassed by all of this. Still, I took Lord Ares, cradling him a little awkwardly, and I squeaked when he instantly reached up and grabbed a lock of my hair. "What is it with Major Blooded children and my hair? I'm two for two."
"Three," Lord Quan corrected with a laugh. The rest of the group smiled indulgently and laughed. "Altenna snagged your hair too."
"Ah, yes, that's right." Though, unlike both Prince Shannan and Lady Altenna, Lord Ares did not 'tug' my hair. He just held it with a smile, gurgling as he curled up. "Babies are strange."
"I meant to ask earlier, but you're not your normally confident healer self when you hold a baby."
"I've played midwife a few times, but my job stopped after checking their healths. I have little to no experience with babies." I looked down and noticed Lord Ares… had actually fallen asleep. "Apparently, though, I'm comfortable. Lady Altenna fell asleep too."
"As I said, babies know good people," Lady Grahnye laughed. She smiled sweetly at me. "So, Miss Alicia, Lachesis said you were a skilled healer. I know some herbal remedies, so I was hoping we might compare notes."
Very easily, she drew me into a conversation about various herbs, with Lady Lachesis soon joining in, while Sigurd, Lord Quan, and Lord Eldigan chatted over things. Lord Ares continued to sleep, clinging to my hair, blissful. It was very… strange. Nice, but strange.
Eventually, of course, someone in the little group remembered that we really should bring Lady Ethlyn and Deidre into the conversation, and so we moved to the sideroom-turned-nursery-turned-playroom that we'd set up for Lady Altenna. I had intended to return to the infirmary, but Lady Lachesis once again vice-gripped my arm, dragging me along with the group, even after I'd give Lord Ares to Sigurd. The sight of Sigurd cooing over Lord Ares, and Lord Ares gurgling and clearly adoring his 'Uncle Sigurd' was incredibly heartwarming.
So was how easily Lady Altenna had taken to Deidre. When we walked in, she was curled up in Deidre's arms, smiling brightly as Deidre sang something to her. Lady Ethlyn was tending to something in the corner, and scent of incense and cleaner hinted that they'd just got done changing Lady Altenna's diaper.
"Oh!" Deidre gasped as she looked up and saw all of us. "Hello!" She smiled, but it became nervous as she noticed the four new people. "I.. uh…"
"You weren't kidding when you warned she was shy," Lord Eldigan noted. He stepped a bit out of the group and bowed. "I'm Eldigan, Deidre."
"Oh, one of Sigurd's best friends. He's told me a lot about you." Her smile warmed and brightened. "Did you really start a dining room brawl back at the military academy?"
"He would mention that story." Lord Eldigan sighed and gave Sigurd a dirty look. Sigurd barely even looked up from playing with Lord Ares to acknowledge the look. "...Clearly, my son is charming."
"Oh?" Deidre got up, still holding Lady Altenna, and crept over to Sigurd's side. "Oh, so cute~" She carefully reached out and poked Lord Ares's cheek. "Squishy, just like Altenna's..."
"That's common for babies~!" Lady Ethlyn skipped over and gave Lady Lachesis a hug before hopping towards Sigurd, Deidre, and the babies. "Aw… they're adorable~!"
"It seems Altenna takes after Quan in looks," Lady Grahnye murmured. She tiptoed to look over Deidre's shoulder and smiled. "Though, I see Lady Ethlyn in her face. She's be absolutely lovely."
"Aw, Grahnye, you're so sweet!"
The group babbled a bit more, and I quickly lost focus as I noticed Lord Eldigan take on a serious expression. When the girls split off to play more with the babies, he grabbed Sigurd and Lord Quan by the arm. Then, to my surprise, he actually glanced over to me and waved me over to them. I hesitated, and noticed Lady Lachesis had actually let go of me, instead of dragging me with her over to the girls. She glanced back briefly, and I got a feeling that she and Lord Eldigan had used the 'Maid of Honor' thing as a bit of a cover.
So, I walked over to them, and the four of us stepped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind us to make sure we weren't followed. "I apologize for bringing up something serious," Lord Eldigan whispered. The look on his face was dark. "But, I will have to make trips to Augusty, Noldion, and back here to Evans. The situation in Agustria is…"
"What happened?" Sigurd asked. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "You mentioned your fellow lords before…"
"King Imca has fallen ill and, despite the best efforts of the healers, it seems like he will not make a full recovery. Meaning that I have to throw my weight around as the Hezul Major, inheritor of Mystletainn to try and prevent chaos from erupting until Chagall takes the throne." He sighed heavily. "There is a chance, though, that I won't be enough, and someone will attack here. I promise to do-"
"Eldigan." Sigurd reached out and hugged Lord Eldigan. "I want you to promise to take care of yourself. That's all I ask."
"...Of course you would." Lord Eldigan sighed and leaned his head against Sigurd's shoulder. "Sorry, I'm a little tired."
"You always were one to overwork, and overthink," Lord Quan pointed out. He smiled and slung his arms around Sigurd and Lord Eldigan's shoulders. "But we'll know if anything happens, it's not your fault."
"...As heartwarming as your friendship is, I do wonder why I was dragged into this discussion," I interrupted after a moment. I felt uncomfortable, just staring at them. "You clearly had a reason. Lady Lachesis was in on this."
"Ah, yes," Lord Eldigan murmured. He pulled out of the hug and turned to face me with a small smile. "My apologies. But knowing Sigurd, he'd forget to tell you while in the middle of matrimonial bliss, and I'd rather you have the time to prepare for an ambush, just in case."
"I see." I frowned a little, thinking rapidly. "I do not suppose you know what sort of tactics your fellow lords favor? That could give me an idea of what sort of injuries to expect."
"...I had not thought about that. I do know a few tactics commonly used, yes." Lord Eldigan smile grew. "I'll gladly share what I know."
"Good." I might have continued, but the door squeaked open. All four of us turned, and we saw Lady Altenna and Lord Ares both sitting at the door, looking up at us with big, beseeching eyes. "Well, it seems these two want their daddies and uncles."
"Or your hair." Lord Eldigan grinned and he bent down to pick up Lord Ares, while Lord Quan picked up Lady Altenna. "All right, all right. Play time, play time."
I lingered in the doorway, watching all of them play with the two children for a moment before turning away and heading to the infirmary. It was all the more important now, to make sure it was ready. If I wasn't...
No, I would be ready. I'd make sure of it.
In Grannvale, it was tradition for a tournament to be held when the Heir to one of the Crusader Houses got married, with cash prizes. Sigurd had hesitated, since Evans was a Verdanite castle, technically, but Prince Jamke had insisted for Sigurd to keep up his traditions, and so, one was held. Thus, my afternoon was spent being part of the healer rotation for arena matches. Again.
"Wow, that foreign mercenary is good," Lady Lachesis noted. She was next on the rotation, so she was seated at the end of the bench as we watched Sir Finn fight with a blonde haired mercenary who was very skilled with a blade. "Finn has an advantage thanks to his weapon, but you wouldn't know it."
"The mercenary has experience," Lord Eldigan murmured. He was sitting with us for now, letting Prince Shanan take his 'traditional' spot up with Sigurd and Deidre. I'd traditionally be up there as well, but I was serving as healer, so the 'rules' were all thrown around anyway. "Experience can make up for any sort of advantage. Finn has done well making it this far, though. I can see why Quan has such high hopes."
"He is pretty good." Lady Lachesis smiled, but it faltered as Sir Finn took a particularly bad hit. "I'm gone."
"Try not to make him blush too much." Lord Eldigan snickered as Lady Lachesis gave him a surprisingly rude gesture before flouncing off. "She's too easy to tease."
"Where did she learn a gesture like that?" I asked, a little startled. It didn't match her prim and proper image at all. "Did she go tavern hopping with you?"
"Oh, did Sigurd tell you about that?" Lord Eldigan asked with a laugh. It quickly turned to a wince as Sir Finn took a second bad hit, and the match was declared 'over'. "That one will hurt."
"As a warrior, you should know that even a little scratch hurts."
"I have vague memories of it. Mystletainn, however, tends to remove injuries." This time his laugh was almost a little bitter. "The demon sword indeed…" He shook his head, though, and smiled before I could ask about it. "So, Deidre."
"She's a very sweet, shy girl."
"Yes, she is. She and Sigurd are well suited. She's like a princess, and he's always been the knight in shining armor." He frowned a bit. "I'm just a little troubled. Quan is of the opinion that Sigurd just kept his courting quiet, but it's not really like Sigurd to keep secrets from us two. Now, granted, it could be revenge against Quan for hiding his growing feelings for Ethlyn, but I cannot quite…" He sighed. "They seem almost too suited for each other. Like the gods got involved. It makes me uneasy."
"...Just focus on how they are happy." I looked out as the crowd cheered, and Lady Ayra and the mercenary both stepped out onto the field for the last match. "If the gods got involved, then things shall become very difficult."
"Yeah, I suppose given what's going on, I shouldn't look for more trouble." He leaned forward slightly, eyes glittering with anticipation. "This will be short, but interesting."
"You think so?"
"They're both very skilled, and they know it." He shot me a grin. "They'll know to hit hard, fast, and that'll tire them easily."
"...I'm going to have to heal a near death wound, aren't I?"
"Oh, I don't think it'll be that bad."
I might've replied, but Lady Ayra lunged forward to begin the fight and it was near impossible to focus on anything else.
They were blurs to my vision, with shining 'smears' of their blades swinging. Both were very fast and, more importantly, skilled. They dodged and parried with complete ease, and only the tiny spots of blood on the ground hinted that they'd been hit at all. The match only went for a few minutes, or maybe just seconds, before Lady Ayra broke off suddenly and set her feet into a stance. A strange greenish glow, almost like stars, surrounded her and she lunged forward, almost appearing to 'split' into five to strike, clearly planning to end it right then and there.
However, the mercenary shifted and, with a grunt, he blocked Lady Ayra's assault, to her visible surprise. His blade cracked under the force, though, so he twisted, hooking the hilt of his sword around her blade, and disarmed her. That was enough to make his sword outright break, though, and so the two stood, both unarmed, completely unmoving. The air itself stilled, waiting for something, anything, to break the tension.
"Tie!" the announcer called then, and the crowd roared in complete and total glee and excitement.
"I'm going to go heal," I told Lord Eldigan. He nodded slowly, grinning though he did not cheer with the crowd. I simply left, walking the well-known path from the stands to the waiting area in the halls of the arena. When I reached there, though, I paused, startled. Normally, combatants would retreat to their respective entrances to leave, but Lady Ayra and the man were both here, talking with one another.
"How did you know how to block my Astra?" Lady Ayra's voice was soft, and a touch threatening. "It couldn't have been coincidence," she whispered, ignoring the blood that dripped down both their arms. "You knew exactly where…"
"I'm a mercenary, Princess, and a former gladiator," the man replied easily. She bristled at the title. "If you don't want people to figure out that you're the Princess of Isaach, you need to cut your hair and not throw around Astras."
"That…" She bristled even more, and glowered. Just answer the question."
"I did. I'm a former gladiator turned mercenary. I did jobs in Isaach before moving over this way. Your brother sparred against mercenaries and gladiators to better himself." He shrugged. "It's not that hard of a logic puzzle."
"Are you mocking me?"
"No, of course not. I am simply stating facts. Princess."
"Don't call me that!"
"You clearly don't mind, since you threw out Astra without a thought."
"You…!"
"Excuse me?" I finally interrupted. Both of them whirled to face me, and Lady Ayra relaxed when she realized it was just me. "I'm here to heal… both of you?"
"I dragged him over to talk," Lady Ayra explained. She glowered at him again. "But he's most unhelpful."
"I apologize for not giving you the answer you seek," the man replied instantly. What amazed me was how calm he was. "But let me ask you something. What are you fighting for?"
"What?"
"What are you fighting for? You clearly weren't motivated there by the cash prize." His eyes were serious. "So?"
"...I fought for my nephew." Her voice was soft again, but this time, a little fragile. "And I fight for Sigurd, who gave us safety and sanctuary. I am still… wary, but I cannot deny his kindness. I am gladdened he has found someone he wishes to spend his life with. I remember how happy my brother was, before illness took his wife away. That's… all."
"I see." He faintly smiled, and it softened his expression considerably. "Interesting. Makes me rather curious."
"Well, if you want to sign on, you can. I doubt Sigurd will say no to a skilled fighter being around."
"I think I might. Fighting for something grander than myself might be just what I need." He nodded once and turned to me. "I apologize for being rude to you, miss. You are…?"
"Alicia, the chief healer around here," I answered. I brought up my staff up for emphasis and smiled. "What is your name, sir…?"
"Chulainn," he answered. His smile grew slightly. "It's Chulainn."
"So, Sir Chu-"
"Just Chulainn." His voice was firm. "I have no title."
"...Chulainn." I pointed to his bleeding arm. "If you do not mind holding that up, I can begin healing you."
"Thank you." He brought up his arm and I hovered over it to start knitting up the injury. "It's strange, to be healed again."
"It is strange?"
"Gladiators treat their own injuries." He actually unbuckled his armor to make things easier for me, and his smile grew just a bit more as he watched the skin knit up. "Healers are better than gods, in my eyes."
"Quite the blasphemous thing to say, especially to a cleric." I gave him a calm look. "Are not healers agents of the gods?"
"Perhaps, but you can actually see a healer help people. You have to hold faith in the gods helping." He waited until I pulled away and snapped his armor back on. "Besides, you didn't hit me with a staff like the last cleric I said that to."
"Do you say that to all clerics?"
"No, I was delirious from an infected wound and babbling." His smile fell and he looked to Lady Ayra. "Are you not getting healed?"
"I-I am," Lady Ayra replied. She glowered again. "I didn't want to interrupt!" She stomped over and held out her own injured arm. "Thank you, Miss Alicia."
I healed her up easily, and she marched off, Chulainn following her to be introduced to Sigurd. I lingered back, a little… confused by all of this. I felt like Chulainn had actually been testing me, and had used me as a distraction to keep Lady Ayra was pressing. At the same time, though, he felt completely honest.
Someone who could do both, easily, was very, very clever, and there was a very good chance that someone so subtly clever was actually a spy. I knew Sigurd would accept him with open arms, so that was just all the more reason to be wary.
I'd keep a close eye on him. I didn't want any harm coming to Sigurd, Deidre, or Prince Shanan.
Author's Note: And now we have Chulainn (formerly called Holyn in fan translations). Chulainn is recruited during Game-Chapter 2 by beating him in the arena (he is the original final opponent of the arena; once he is defeated and recruited, he's replaced). I moved his recruitment up a little bit. Altenna being there for Sigurd and Deidre's wedding comes from the Fujimori Manga; I added Ares showing up for fun. Same with Eldigan being Sigurd's best man.
Chulainn and Ayra sparring comes a bit from the Fujimori manga as well, though in that one, Chulainn ended up winning. Here, they tied.
Next Chapter - Interlude, Wedding
