Chapter 17) Dark Wings
Eldigan is dead. He was beheaded, because his loyalties conflicted. Sigurd is heartbroken. Quan is in shock. Ethlyn is in tears. Lachesis is devastated. I worry about Grahnye's reaction. I fret over Ares. But, for now, my job is to be the healer for this army, and so, I do my job. It's a comfort to return to it, despite my own pains.
"I see you managed to leave for a bath today. That's good," I murmured as I checked over Lachesis. In the week after Eldigan's death, Lachesis had holed herself up in her tent, refusing to leave for just about anything. "You've lost a lot of weight for so short of a time, so I must insist that you eat today."
"It tastes like ash," Lachesis mumbled. I thought that was what she said, at least. Even with me here, she sat in the corner of her tent, her knees drawn to her chest and her face hiding behind them. A blanket was haphazardly thrown around her shoulders, like she'd just crawled out of bed to here. "Everything tastes like ash."
"Eat it fast, then." I stood up and went to the side where I had things set up. "It should be easy on your stomach, and I've a ginger tea for you to drink with it."
"…Alicia?" She looked up briefly. "Why don't you just force me out of here? I know the others have tried."
"Well, if Ayra and her stubbornness couldn't manage it, then could I?" I smiled teasingly and brought her the bowl and mug. "The answer is simple, Lachesis. I believe it would be more detrimental to you, for now, to force you to be out and about. You clearly need time to process what happened."
"For now."
"If you lose more weight, I'd have to recommend you at least moving to the infirmary tent so that I can keep an eye on you." I sat at her side and carefully drew her hair back into a simple ponytail. It was still damp. "Besides, you take the steps you need on your own, I think. As I mentioned, you managed a bath."
"My skin felt scratchy. I felt gross."
"So, things managed to get through your depression. That's all that happens."
"Sigurd still works."
"Sigurd is a different person and mourns differently." I chose against telling her that Sigurd was also better at pretending he was fine. "Quan needed work to keep him busy in the immediate aftermath, just so that he had time to process it. That you need quiet is nothing lesser."
"…Okay." She managed a tiny, tiny smile and shifted back to actually begin eating the soup. She made a face when she did. "Yeah… still ash. Why does it taste like ash?"
"It's your sadness coloring the world. It's perfectly normal." I rested a gentle hand on her back. "I do want you to eat all you can, though. Your weight loss is truly worrisome."
"Which is why you're pushing now. So long as I don't hurt my health, or the health of others, you let me mourn as I think I need."
"Everyone mourns differently, Lachesis. If there is one thing a healer knows, it's that a medicine that works for one person might kill another."
"I remember that lesson." Her smile grew bitter. "Eldie… he encouraged my lessons. He'd been happy about them. But the people I'd wanted to heal are gone now, basically."
"Do you want to return to Noldion?"
"I don't know? I mean…" She ate a few more spoonfuls of the broth. "I feel a little lost, I guess. I don't want to leave the people here, but I no longer…"
"You can no longer see the destination at the end of the path?" I smiled as she nodded. "Take your time. You can find another one."
"You think so?"
"Of course. Maybe think about how you want to help Agustria, or Noldion, once Chagall is dead." I leaned forward slightly, making my voice as teasing as possible. "Maybe think of how you'll confess to Finn?"
"Alicia!" She managed a laugh at that. It was a bitter and broken one, but one nonetheless. "That's… oh, I don't even know. I do love him. I should just tell him, huh?"
"I don't see how it could hurt, really, and it gives you a short term goal."
"You… are way too good at this." She gave me a dirty look. "How?"
"Part of it is my own experience." I stood and returned to my area. "Part of it is asking Chulainn. He suffered a grievous loss as well."
"I thought so." She sounded thoughtful. She looked it too, when I glanced over from my things, checking that I had… "He's got this sadness to him that never quite goes away. Not even when he's with you, though it's definitely smallest then."
"That makes sense. Unfortunately, the pain of the spirit never quite goes away. You simply learn how to move on with those scars." I found what I was looking for in my pack and turned to face her with a small smile. "Now, I do have something for you. Are you up for it?"
"You do?" She looked a bit curious and set her bowl to the side. She immediately picked up her mug to sip. "What is it?"
"I'm not sure. I'm merely playing messenger." I hesitated, studying her, before deciding to go for it. "It's from Eldigan. It's things he wanted you to have."
"Eldie…?" Her expression blanked and she nearly dropped her mug. She did splash herself, and didn't react. "He gave…?"
"He did." I nodded, but I carefully hid them behind me. "Perhaps I should've given them to you sooner, but it felt too cruel. If you want to wait, that is fine. It can simply become another goal to work for."
"But why would he give…?" She set her mug down and a very bitter smile crossed her face. "He knew. He knew from the start."
"He knew what the most likely outcome was, yes. But, he still picked it. It was the path where he saw the least number of oaths broken."
"Damn it. He was always so freaking noble-minded. I always wished…" Her voice cracked and tears streamed down her face. "I wanted him to be more selfish, but nope. That just wasn't him. The idiot."
"But you love him for it."
"Of course. He's my big brother. My idiot big brother that I miss… so, so much…" She hid her face in her knees again, clutching the blanket. "Hah… I didn't even tell him about Finn."
"I did. Though, he knew of your admiration of him." I sat a bit closer, still keeping my distance and keeping the things carefully hidden behind me. "He immediately regretted not talking to him more."
"He would." Her voice was thick and muffled, almost too hard to understand. "He always threatened to tell any suitor I liked ridiculous stories."
"He also thought Finn was a good man."
"Of course." She lifted her head then, and the tears still fell. But there was a slight determined light in her eyes again. "The things?"
"Here." I set them in front of me, the sword and the letters. She gasped at them. "Do you need me to take them away?"
"…No. No, I know why he gave them to me." She made to move, but she glanced at the bowl and mug. "I should… try to finish these first."
"I would prefer that, yes." I smiled warmly at her, and she tentatively smiled back through the tears. "I'll leave you to that, okay?" I was a bit hesitant to leave her alone with a weapon, but this was a symbol of trust. I had to hope it would be fine.
"Okay, and Alicia?" Her smile trembled, but widened. "Thanks."
"Always, Lachesis." I had my own promises, after all. "Always."
Checking on Lachesis was the first thing I did in the mornings before doing rounds around the camp and through the infirmary. When I was done with that, I'd always go check on Seliph and Sigurd. Sigurd and I pretended Seliph was the primary reason, but we both knew I was there to also keep an eye on him.
Sigurd had always been known for his reckless loyalty. It was killing him to lose a friend, and to not know where his wife was. If so many of his friends' lives didn't depend, he might have collapsed. Now, he simply did his best, but I could see so easily how much he faltered. So could Quan, but Quan's solution was to take some of the burden away, so I stayed close. After all, I'd promised Eldigan I'd look after him too.
"How are your injuries, Alicia?" Sigurd asked. He was pretending to read a scouting report while I checked up on Seliph. "You're moving around well."
"That's because Ethlyn decided we had enough time, and healing charges, to heal me up completely a couple of days ago," I answered. I tickled Seliph's stomach and smiled as he gurgled and laughed. "I think she needed the reassurance that some things do heal."
"I'm not surprised. Eldigan's death hit her hard, and not being able to help Lachesis…" Sigurd trailed off, and I knew it was because the words described how he felt too. "How is Lachesis?"
"She managed her morning bath, it seems, and she was eating when I left." I'd also asked Finn to check in on her after his daily spar with Chulainn. If something happened, I'd learn about it pretty quickly. I was still a bit nervous about leaving her with a weapon, truthfully. "I think she'll start coming out more. She likely just needed to be alone to process everything."
"I can understand that." Sigurd set down a report and picked up another one. It didn't escape me that he'd placed that first one in the 'have not read' pile' again, even as I continued checking, and playing, with Seliph. "You got a letter recently, right?"
"One of the few that seems to be making it out of Grannvale. But, then again, it's Arvis. He probably pulled a few strings." I'd written him to reassure him that I was alive and healing. I was just glad, with everything going on, that it made it to him. "I told him about Deirdre."
"Did you?"
"Yes. He said that he'd do what he can to help from where he is." I smiled slightly at him then. "He also said that since this attack was clearly unusual, he'll forgive you for my nearly dying."
"I still feel horrible about that." Sigurd sighed, giving up on his report to just lean back in his chair. "I should've left more people."
"Sigurd, honestly, I'm not sure more people would've helped." I tucked Seliph back into his cradle and turned to face Sigurd. "The one who kidnapped Deirdre and nearly killed me… honestly, if anyone is to blame, it's me."
"You?"
"I let him close. I thought he was a civilian." I looked down and clasped my hands. "And I had a chance to injure him with flames. But he was covered in burn scars and was panicking. I hesitated."
"You're a healer, Alica." Sigurd's voice was soft and gentle. I could tell, without looking up, that he didn't blame me in the slightest. I wasn't sure if that was the worst thing he could've done, or the best. "Your job is to tend to people. Of course you'd have difficulties hurting someone."
"I suppose." I looked up and gave him a thin, pained smile. "But, truly Sigurd, if you're going to blame someone besides that man, the most logical person is me, not you."
"That's a roundabout way of saying 'it's not your fault', you know." He laughed weakly, shaking his head. "I…" He paused suddenly, head jerking up. "What's that sound?"
"Sound?" I frowned, confused. I heard nothing. "What sound?"
"The-" A strange whistling sound, unlike an arrow flying but similar, cut him off. "Down!"
I instinctively picked up Seliph again and shielded him as I dropped down. Something managed to clip me, but Sigurd threw himself over me then, so that was the only graze I picked up. A few more of the things, whatever they were, thudded in the ground, and little droplets of blood pooled together as Sigurd was grazed. But, when the deadly rain stopped, those grazes were still the worst he had. I still only had one injury. Seliph was perfectly fine, if very confused and near tears. I absently calmed him and looked around, trying to figure out what happened.
I froze when I saw that the things flying had been spears. They were stuck in the dirt, angled slightly to show their trajectory, and so many that they did manage to keep the tent up despite how ruined it was. I looked up slowly, trying not to think of just how many were around us, and caught sight of something through one of the holes left behind. But that only led to more questions.
"Are those wings?" I whispered. Sigurd carefully shifted off of my back, a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "They don't look like a pegasus's wings."
"Thracia's dragon knights," Sigurd growled. His eyes were hard. "Chagall must've hired them to replace the Cross Knights. I would have most of my archers stations elsewhere, damn it."
That was when the screams either started or filtered in through my shock. Regardless, Sigurd and I moved quickly. He ripped through the remains of the tent to get us out, pausing only long enough to grab his sword. I followed closely, staff in one hand and Seliph in the other. The camp was in pandemonium and there were many, many bodies pinned to the ground by those spears. Blood trickled out, the wounds plugged up, and I winced at how many I saw still twitching. My instinct was to run to them, but I could tell, just by where the spears had fallen, many wouldn't survive. Too many things had been severed. So, instead, they'd die, slowly and painfully, unless someone managed to remove the spears to hasten the process. I hated that. What a horrible way to die.
"Alicia! Sigurd!" Shanan ran up, and my heart stopped when I saw the blood on him. A quick look, though, proved that it was likely just from running through bits of it or by those bleeding. Of course, that was bad enough, but… "Quan has an area set up to protect Oifeye, Seliph, and me," he explained breathlessly. He barely slid to a stop before holding his hands out for Seliph. "I'll get him there. Quan's getting things to reinforce the infirmary the same way."
"Quan would know best. He has fought them many, many times," Sigurd murmured. He ruffled Shanan's hair and I passed Seliph to Shanan. "Okay. I leave Seliph to you."
"Of course!" He grinned. "We'll be fine."
"Right. I know." Sigurd glanced at me as Shanan took off again. "Are you going straight to the infirmary?"
"Yes, I think…" I began. But I trailed off as I suddenly heard my name among the shrieks. It was away from the infirmary, but they sounded frantic. "I'm going there. I might do patrols to help those pinned afterwards. I'll decide later."
"Stay safe."
"I'll try." I felt like I had to joke, though, so I smiled. "Well, at least we know we're near the end of the campaign. We always get attacked at camp when that happens."
He stared for a full second before laughing hard and leaving to go find Quan. I let myself laugh a bit as well, before running for whoever was screaming for me. I ran harder when I recognized the voice as Lachesis's, nearly falling face first as I slipping in mud and blood. I kept on running, past fighting and screaming soldiers. I ran and ran, and I ran even harder when Lachesis finally came into view and I realized just why she was screaming. Finn was one of the impaled.
"Alicia!" Lachesis kept on screaming. She clung to Finn's hand, sobbing. Finn looked to be unconscious from where I was, cheek pressed against the mud. "Alicia!"
"I'm here," I called. She jerked her head up just as I slid to a stop, falling on my knees next to him. "Finn, can you hear me?" There was no reply. "That's not good."
"H-he passed out just a second ago." It was difficult to hear her through her tears. "H-he… he shielded me! They were coming down, and he shielded me and oh, gods, Alicia, please!"
"I'll do what I can." I held off checking Finn to look her in the eye. "But if I'm focusing on only one, then…"
"Th-then you need me to focus on others? R-right…" She closed her eyes and visibly steeled herself. "Okay. I'll do that. I can do that." She groped for something behind her and picked it up. I was both surprised and not surprised to see if was that sword. "Are there staves in the infirmary?"
"There should be. Go on."
"Okay." She brought Finn's hand up and kissed it. "Please survive, Finn…" Then she gently set it down and ran off, snagging a nearby soldier to help her to the infirmary.
There were more screams as something flew over us. I didn't look up, even as the shadow of wings fell over me. Instead, I checked over Finn, noticing that he was actually lucky compared to the others I'd seen impaled. The spear caught him more in the side, and didn't hit that many vital areas. It would still be a tricky heal, but unlike the ones I'd passed, it was not an impossible one. The difficulty was removing the spear in the first place. I was nowhere near strong enough for that.
"Alicia, the hell are you doing?" Thankfully, Lex appeared nearby, axe in hand, already bloody. "You need to get under some sort of shelter," he snapped, reaching for my arm. I tugged it away, shaking my head. "Alicia."
"I have a patient, and I believe he can be healed," I told him calmly. Another shadow flew over us, but I focused on Lex. "However, I need help removing the spear."
"Won't he just die… what am I saying? You're the healer. You know better than me." Lex ran a hand through his hair and set his axe down. "Keep his body stationary. This will jerk some."
"Of course." I held a hand on Finn's shoulder as Lex worked on pulling the spear out. I winced when I saw the mud move and realized that Finn was literally pinned to the ground. But even with that, Lex managed to get the spear out before long, and I immediately went to work healing. Blood spurted out and dribbled down, but I ignored it. I'd have to burn this dress anyway by this point. "Thank you."
"No worries. Can you heal him?"
"I believe so. He managed to get hit in a relatively minor spot. The pain likely knocked him out more than the actual injury."
"I wonder if that was luck or if he managed to move to make it that way. He'd have fought these guys before, right? I know about Leinster and Thracia and their…" Another shadow flew over, but this one was darker and larger than the others. "Oh, fuck everything."
A loud 'clang' rattled my hearing, and I spared just a moment to look up and see Lex had knocked aside a spear. I almost froze when I saw one of Thracia's infamous 'dragons'. It was a green reptilian with razor sharp fangs, even sharper claws, and gold eyes that glittered with keen intelligence. Its body was easily the size of a horse, with the wingspan to match. It growled and snapped at Lex as he struggled to fend off the rider.
Then a fireball engulfed rider and dragon both. I looked away to continue focusing on saving Finn, but did glance over when I heard the loud 'thump' of something heavy hitting the ground and had a bunch of mud splatter me. The rider and wyvern were both dead, charred to brittle black ash.
"Alicia! Lex!" Azel ran up then, tome in hand. It looked like an Elfire tome. "What are you two doing here?" Azel asked, frowning. "We should…"
"Alicia is healing Finn there," Lex answered. He shifted to stand more protectively in front of me as more shadows flew overhead. "I shouldn't avoid my family, clearly. It just leads to dragons."
"You'd be screaming at your dad at this point. Besides, Ayra is here."
"That is very true. I certainly don't regret her." Lex swung as one tried to pass us. He caught the rider in the arm and snapped it off. Blood poured down. "Funny how this all started because I didn't want you fighting alone."
"Well, we're here now, and there's too many for you to protect my sister alone, so let me help." Azel moved so that he was guarding my other side. "Chulainn and Ayra are helping guard Shanan, Oifeye, and Seliph, by the way."
"I knew that's where Ayra went. She told me. Surprised Chulainn is there."
"Something about how he's of better use guarding something and he knew Alicia would send him to guard the three anyway."
"Well, he's right," I murmured. I frowned, concentrating on the injury. I'd lost some time with that attack, but hopefully, I hadn't lost too much. "I'll have a verdict soon on him. I'm sorry for this."
"You're a healer, Lady Sister," Azel replied. He flashed me a grin over his shoulder. "We love you for it. Let us handle guarding you."
"I am in the safest hands."
There were more screams and fighting around us, but I kept my calm and focused on the wounded in front of me. Clangs of metal and the small of something burning told me that Azel and Lex had to fight off a couple more. But, before long, I smiled and closed Finn's wound up. I rolled him onto his back to better check his breathing and nodded. It was steady, as was his pulse.
"I've got him," I murmured. Both Lex and Azel smiled in relief. "I need help carrying him to the infirmary and-"
A loud shriek, inhuman and victorious, made all three of us freeze, and we all turned to see what it was. Someone with long brown hair, riding a green-gold wyvern, was flying straight towards a wounded, weaponless Quan. He wielded a strangely beautiful lance of glittering gold, and my blood pulsed and burned at the sight. I knew what it was and, therefore, who this person was. He was Travant, King of Thracia, Dain Major, wielder of Gungnir, the Holy Lance of the Skies, and he was trying to kill Quan, Noba's heir.
Everything seemed to slow as we all just watched Travant close in, helpless to intervene. But Ethlyn screamed Quan's name and threw him something, a spear from the brief look I had. Quan caught it with ease and surged to his feet, blocking Travant's attack. On impact, though, there was a very loud, very strange sound. It was the clang of metal accompanied by a much higher sound, like a bell's chime, and a much lower sound, like the rumble of thunder or an earthquake. It was quickly followed by a horrifically painful feeling, tears pricking my eyes as I gasped, feeling like my heart was being pulled from my chest. Similar gasps told me that Lex and Azel felt the same; Azel was even outright crying.
The feeling did pass, though, and I could finally focus on just what I saw. Quan had successfully blocked Travant's attack with a spear of sparkling silvers. My blood hummed and that told me what this weapon was. This was Gae Bolg, the Holy Lance of the Lands, weapon of Noba. This was the only lance that could match Gungnir in strength. This was the one weapon that could've saved him.
Travant reeled back from it, eyeing Quan warily and silently from the air, dragon growling. Quan glared back and settled into another stance, preparing for a second attack. My focus left the two warriors for their weapons, however. They were just so similar. The only difference was the coloring, and that the crossguards were shaped differently; Gungnir's curved up, while Gae Bolg's curved down. It made me remember the little bits I knew of the Holy Lances. They were sibling weapons, just as their wielders Dain and Noba were siblings. Gungnir heightened the wielder's speed; Gae Bolg sharpened their skills. But otherwise, they were identical, their fates intertwined.
Maybe the heartbreak I felt was from the lances themselves, crying over being forced to fight another yet again. Then again, maybe I was far more tired than I thought to think weapons had any sort of sentience.
The two continued their stalemate-standoff, neither moving in the slightest, until the wind suddenly picked up. I almost paid it no mind, but then I noticed there was a 'hum' to it. Then I heard a flute's melody weaving into the wind, the song soft and low, eerie and ancient. I hunted for the source, and was unsurprised to find it to be Lewyn, eyes closed as he played his song. There was a slight green glow around him and the wind curled about him protectively. A few dragon knights tried to strike him down, but were warded away quickly by the wind. A couple even fell, dead.
I wondered what he was doing. Then he opened his eyes, a pulse of power hit me in the chest like a punch, and it quickly became all too clear what Lewyn had done. He was the Sety Major, master of wind, and he had commanded it to tear the dragon knights from the skies. And it did, with many of them. They crashed to the ground, their dragon's wings ripped to shreds, or were outright thrown into the ground. Either way, I heard the 'splat' of their bodies and the 'crunch' of their bones. I knew none would survive a fall from such a height.
Travant was among those who escaped. He studied us all closely from above with the few others who remained before disappearing behind the clouds,. Quan sunk to one knee as soon as he and his were out of sight. Lewyn outright collapsed, the wind calming to a gentle breeze, like a child trying to play innocent.
Chaos erupted again, soldiers racing around and screaming, and I glanced over at Lewyn. Erinys and Sylvia fussed over his unconscious form, and Erinys caught my eye and mouthed 'please?' with a hopeful look. So I turned to Lex and Azel, and tugged their sleeves to snag their attentions. "Please get Finn into the infirmary," I ordered them. It took them a moment to look at me again. "I will be there after checking on Lewyn and Quan before heading there."
This was just… a day. This was just a day, and I would get as many people as possible through it. It was my job, after all.
I sighed as I carefully cleaned my hands, having the time to, well, take my time finally. The wave of wounded had finally slowed to a trickle, and now, it was simply watching which of them would join the dead. We lost a lot of people to the assault. We were going to lose even more. It was, apparently, a fairly common tactic from the dragon knights, and was always effective because you only had a split-second to prepare against it. It suited their brutal, ruthless, efficient reputation.
Quan blamed himself for it, kicking himself for not considering Chagall would hire them. Thracia's dragon knights were one of the best fighting forces on the continent; that's why they could sell themselves out as mercenaries. Sigurd pointed out that Chagall had been hiring a lot of mercenaries, and that it was surprising he'd have the gold left to hire Thracia. More to the point, he apparently paid enough to bring Travant out, with his Gungnir, and that had to have cost a lot. No one knew where the gold was coming from. Even with the heightened taxes, it seemed like there was still far more being spent than Agustria could afford.
I was reminded of how Eldigan mentioned Chagall was 'playing' at war. I thought it accurate, and that Chagall wasn't thinking of what Agustria 'could afford'. He was just thinking of 'winning the game', uncaring of how many people died or starved in the process.
Drying my hands, I turned to ask Ethlyn something, and frowned when I noticed she wasn't in sight. Confused, I carefully walked through the infirmary, checking patients as I went. Most were stable, thankfully, but there were a few I worried wouldn't make it through the night. I gave them a little extra care, and then stepped outside the infirmary tent. The fading sunlight told me just how much time I'd spent tending to the injured. I'd have to give a report in the morning, and I wondered if I'd get to sleep tonight. I hoped so, but it was definitely up in the air, for now.
"How long have you had Gae Bolg, Ethlyn?" Quan's voice caught my ear and I stepped around the infirmary tent to see Ethlyn and Quan talking quietly out of the way. Quan looked pale and tired, still bloody from fighting and his healed injuries; Ethlyn looked tired and miserable, still bloody from her work in the infirmary. "It's a powerful spear," he murmured, frowning. "I could've been a lot more helpful to Sigurd if I had it earlier."
"I've had it since we first left Leinster," Ethlyn admitted. She looked down at the ground, and refused to look up. "Your father gave it to me, just in case things escalated. But, he told me to be prepared."
"For what?" Quan's frown deepened before he scoffed. "Oh, gods, that old stupid tale?"
"The curse of Gae Bolg, yes." Ethlyn hugged herself, but still refused to look up. "Those who take it up are separated from their loved ones. Now, granted, I'm not exactly afraid of dying, but I don't like the idea of not seeing you again. I don't like not seeing Sigurd again."
"Ethlyn, that's just a story. A sad story, but a story nonetheless. Just something to dress up how Noba accidentally killed her husband."
"Maybe, but your own mother died shortly after Calf took up Gae Bolg to defend Leinster." She shook her head. "And the feeling of not wanting to go away increased when we met everyone. I love everyone here. But now…"
"Ethlyn." Quan gently touched her face and tilted it up to look her in the eyes. He smiled softly at her. "As I said, it's just a story. I'll keep you safe. After all, we need to return to our Altena, right?"
"R-right…" Ethlyn closed her eyes and tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Right, we need to…"
"Now why are you crying?" Quan bent down to kiss the tears away. "What is it?"
"I was just thinking how much I miss our daughter, and how much I miss…" Ethlyn started outright sobbing. "When Altena was last here, everything was so happy. Eldigan was alive. Deirdre wasn't missing. Gods, Quan, where could she be?"
"Ethlyn…"
"Sigurd does his best, but I know his falling apart and I can't do anything for him. He loved Deirdre so much. He loved Eldigan dearly. What did my brother do to deserve this?"
"Ethlyn." Quan wrapped her up in a hug, letting her cry into his chest. Her hands reached around to cling to his back. "It's okay. We'll find her, and then we'll have a party to celebrate. Eldigan, sadly, can't come back. But everything will be fine. Sigurd will be fine."
"But… but…" Ethlyn gave up talking then, and just continued to sob. Quan kissed the top her head and whispered more reassurances.
At one point, he happened to glance up and see me. I smiled gently and mimed for quiet. He nodded and smiled back in thanks before returning his full attention to her. Ethlyn clearly couldn't return to duty for a while, not when she was so teary, so it was better to let her just cry. So, I stepped back into the infirmary tent and checked over some of the lesser injured.
Lewyn was one of them, though he had no wounds I could find. He hadn't woken up yet, however, so I'd ordered him into the infirmary for observation, just in case. Sylvia had panicked, while Erinys had carried him in. I wasn't too worried, though. He slept peacefully, and there was no sign of trauma. He likely had simply overextended, using magic as he did without a tome catalyst. So I smoothed the blankets over him and headed over to check on Finn. Lachesis was there, of course. After I'd dismissed her for a break, she'd gone right to Finn's bedside and hadn't moved since pulling up a chair. She was as still as a statue, keeping vigil with her sword in her lap and a staff by her feet. I worried she'd strain something.
"You know; I'd meant for you to go take a nap or something," I gently chided, stepping behind her and resting my hands on her shoulders. She was rigid. "You've had quite an exhaustive few days."
"I know," she mumbled. She refused to move, though. "But I can't. Not until Finn wakes up. I just…"
"I see." I glanced over her, noticing something. "I'm surprised you're not injured. You were fighting as well as healing, yes?"
"It's the sword." She held it up with a bitter smile. "The Earth Sword, a blade engraved with the runes for the light magic Resire. It functions like a weaker version of Mystletainn. It heals the wielder." She laughed softly. "He got it from his mother, and always carried it, even after he inherited Mystletainn. So, of course he made sure that I wouldn't get it until after… after we left. After he left. If he'd given it to me then, I would've known. I would've known he walked to his death, and I would've tried to stop him."
"And that was something he could not allow. He had to make one more effort to stop Chagall."
"I wish he'd just run Chagall through, but he wouldn't have been Eldigan if he had." She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. "This just sucks. Eldigan deserved better."
"Few get the deaths they 'deserve'. A healer knows that better than anyone."
"Right." She tilted her head back to look at me. "You know; there's this thing Eldigan told me about. It's something known as a 'Master Knight', named because, well, they're masters of combat."
"Are they?"
"Yeah. Swords, lances, axes, bows, fire, thunder, wind, light, and staves… they know it all. Byron, Sigurd's dad, is one, but Sigurd never wanted to pursue it. Neither did Eldigan. They both wanted to focus on caring for their people." She smiled slightly. "But, I'm thinking I'll try for it."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's a pretty lofty goal, but I think it's one that'll keep me moving. I need that now."
"Well, it'll keep you busy, that's for certain." I personally thought it a bit unrealistic, but then again, perhaps that was the point. "Talk with Sigurd to set up a training regime for it."
"I will." Her smile grew and she returned her attention back to Finn. "Ah!" Of course, Finn was stirring right then, so I had to wonder if our conversation woke him up. "Finn!"
"Ugh…" Finn groaned, wincing. He blinked slowly, looking around with bleary eyes. But he smiled when he saw Lachesis hovering over him. "Are you okay?"
"That's… that's seriously the first thing you ask?" she half-demanded. She started crying again, but she smiled brightly and took his hand, pressing it to her cheek. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just fine."
"Good, I'm glad." Finn's smile softened and his eyes found mine. "The Thracians?"
"Warded away, thanks to Lewyn using wind magic."
"Wind magic is effective against fliers. Magic in general is, since their resistance to magic is so low."
"I gathered." I smiled and his own became sheepish. "You gave us quite a scare, but you'll make a full recovery. For now, you're to rest."
"But…" he began to protest. However, he also tried to push himself up and fell back against the cot, hissing in pain. "Ah…"
"No, no moving," Lachesis ordered. She leaned over to fix his blankets. "You have to recover. I am very tired of losing people I love, Finn."
"Yes, but…" Finn paused suddenly, and stared at Lachesis, who smiled. "You… huh?"
"Love you, silly. So, you need to get better."
"But… um…" Finn's face began turning pink. "Um…"
"Keep things quiet in the infirmary," I gently teased. Finn's face went bright red, while Lachesis grinned, unrepentant. "Lachesis, I'm going to step out for a moment. Finn, you two are the only ones awake, so feel free to confess back."
Lachesis laughed and Finn stammered out something, but I ignored both, giggling too much to really serve as a proper healer at the moment. So, instead, I walked through the camp, smiling reassuringly at soldiers as I passed them. I was not at a run, and I was out. That did wonders to help them relax. Their friends would be fine. That's what they thought, as I walked, and I did my best to help the impression. They would need it, when the nightmares and anxiety came.
I walked over to the practice area, and my smile softened when I saw Chulainn and Shanan having another sword lesson, with Chulainn focusing on helping Shanan with his dodging. I knew it was to help him move; Shanan would've been crammed into the safe area for quite some time. I knew Oifeye was likely with Sigurd now, as was Seliph. So, instead, I simply watched and smiled.
After one dodge, Shanan noticed me and smiled brightly. "Alicia!" he called, waving. Chulainn stepped back as Shanan ran over to me and gave me a huge hug. "Hiya!"
"Hello there," I greeted, laughing. His smile wasn't quite to his normal, but it was the brightest I'd seen since Deirdre was kidnapped. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. Chulainn says I'm getting better every day!"
"That's because you practice every day."
"Yep, in the morning while you're checking Seliph!" He grinned, but it faded slightly. "How is Finn?"
"He'll be fine, providing Lachesis doesn't kill him with embarrassment. She confessed, you see."
"Oh, good. Oifeye and I were drowning in… what did Lex call it?" He frowned, looking up at the clouds. "Sexual tension? I'm not quite sure what that meant exactly. I'm assuming the longing looks he and Lachesis gave each other?"
"We'll go with that, for now." I almost told him that we'd explain when he was older, but he was getting to be about that age now. It had been two years since I'd met him. "But you're doing well?"
"Yep!" He smiled again, but it faded for a curious look. "Hey, when Chagall dies, are we going to look for Deirdre?"
"That is the hope, yes." I looked to the distant horizon, where Silvail hid. Chagall was still there. "But first, we must heal."
"Well, that'll be fast. You're the best."
"Thank you, sweetie." I rested a hand on his shoulder. "You should get back to your lesson."
"Okay!" He grinned and raced back to Chulainn. Chulainn gave me a small, warm smile and I returned it before turning away to head back to the infirmary.
I still had work to do, after all.
Notes on Chulainn:
Once Holyn on Sophara, now called Chulainn, a 21 year old gladiator-turned-mercenary, lover of Alicia. His experiences left him traumatized, quiet, and kind.
His Holy Mark is on his lower left leg.
Strong, skilled, and fast, his Luna ability lets him bypass armor entirely, making him a very reliable frontline unit. He typically sticks with guarding, though.
Childhood friend of Ayra, and soft on Shanan, teaching him swords. Ayra doesn't mind, and you get the sense that with everything falling apart, both she and Chulainn are glad to 'fix' something broken. If Sophara hadn't fallen, he likely would've taught Shanan in Isaach.
Author's note: So, in-game, Travant just shows up but leaves someone else to fight, but in the Oosawa manga, he fights directly, so I threw that in. Also in-game, Quan gets the Gae Bolg after Silvail's fall, but it felt more right to have it here with the dragon knights instead. The Earth Sword is a very nifty weapon, though in FE4, it's limited by very low usage (only 10, and a bit expensive to repair), though it appeared in FE5 with 50 uses (with no way to repair outside of the hammerne) as an exclusive weapon for Nanna, Lachesis's daughter. Lewyn conjuring up so many bits of wind magic is solely for coolness and to help differentiate him as the Sety Major. The looks for Gungnir and Gae Bolg are based off their Awakening iterations. Both lances give a +10 to strength and defense, but Gungnir adds a +10 to speed while Gae Bolg adds a +10 to skill (more useful on Altena than Quan since Altena inherits the critical skill from Ethlyn).
Quan's parents aren't mentioned much (if at all) in game, with their names revealed in supplement materials for Thracia 776. I can't remember if Quan's mother (Alfiona) is still alive or not at this point, but I figured I'd have her deceased to better highlight Ethlyn's own fears here. Noba accidentally killing her husband is also revealed in supplement material. Her husband and her brother, Dain, got into a huge argument over something, possibly to the point of dueling, and Noba tried to stop them, but ended up skewering her husband on Gae Bolg instead. She committed suicide shortly afterwards, while Dain himself died under mysterious circumstances not long after that. Their lands never got along after that. Ethlyn and Quan's conversation is based off their in-game convo.
Appearing only in FE4, and with a weapon repertoire that has not been even matched by any other class across the all games, Master Knights are broken as all hell, but are offset by how rare they are. Lachesis is one of two playable ones, and she starts off relatively weak and has relatively bad growths to compensate for it. But they have high stat caps and an automatic 'A' rank in most of their weapons (the highest aside from the Major Holy Blood locked holy weapons). The only exception is light magic, which is only C. The only weapon they cannot use is dark magic. It's also a mounted class, which is needed in FE4, and thus, it is an incredibly versatile class. (FE4 is so hilariously unbalanced gameplay wise.)
Oh, because this got asked. Ages listed in the notes are their ages upon recruitment, so their current age 'in-story' will be different once you get past the first few chapters.
Next Chapter – Healer
