Chapter 27) Blood Ties


War has come again, this time starting with the death of someone close. I'm not sure how to feel about such a death at the beginning of a campaign. Eldigan had died at the end of the Agustrian Campaign, and Annand had died more or less in the middle of the Silessian Civil War. Is it a bad omen or a good one? I don't know. Growing up, I had rarely been superstitious and even more rarely thought much about the gods. Now, I'm wondering if we all should start praying a little. Of course, there's no real reason to worry to that degree. It's just another war, though we are quite tired of fighting. It's just another war, so why do I feel so uneasy? I'm not the only one; many others also are tense.

It's just another war. So why does it feel so wrong?


I carefully lit an incense using one of the candles that lit the crypt and set it carefully in the holder by Duke Byron's grave. In Silesse, it was considered bad luck to leave the dead in the dark and so, they always had crypts lit and lanterns lining the paths of cemeteries. I thought it a sweet idea, especially when paired with the incense that Grannvale burn for their own dead, done to help soothe the spirits and ensure they don't miss the living realm too much and come back to haunt the lands as ghosts. It was said to work best with the dead's favorite scents, but I didn't know which ones Duke Byron favored. I picked ones I thought Ethlyn would have chosen and ones that complemented those that Sigurd burned in the mornings. He burned some every morning, just as I burned some every evening. I wasn't sure if it was a nuisance or not, but… well, I still felt guilty. Burning incense was the least I could do.

Once I was certain the incense was burning well, I left the crypt, checking the instinctive urge to douse the candles. I nodded to a couple of passing soldiers and they saluted back politely before returning to their watch and completely ignoring me. I couldn't blame them. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the assault we all knew was coming. I could only pray that they wouldn't strike at night. Most were having trouble sleeping as it was, many staying up into the late hours, including me.

"None of this makes any sense to me." Aideen's voice drifted down the corridor, showing that she, too, was still awake despite the hour. "I still can't believe he killed Father," she was saying, obviously to someone. Far too curious, I decided to follow her voice to see who she was talking to. "And poor Annand as well. I can barely look Lewyn and Erinys in the eye."

"Hard to feel proud of being of Jungby." By the time I heard Brigid's reply, I had come across the parlor the two were using. The food and tea in front of them hinted they had decided for a midnight snack. "What the hell happened to him?" Brigid continued. She paused and glanced at the doorway, but I quickly hid. I didn't want them to know I was near, though at the same time, I knew it would be difficult to pass by without them noticing. "He was so timid when we were little. So sweet. Couldn't hurt a flower, even."

"He took his studies more seriously after you disappeared, since he was now the heir apparent." Aideen sighed mournfully and when I risked a peek, I saw she looked ready to cry. "Part of me swears he must be possessed or something, to do such horrid things. I just can't believe… any of it. He promised..."

"Some people are just evil, Aideen. Others let themselves become evil for ambitions. You saw it a lot." Brigid stretched her arms above her head, deceptively relaxed. Her eyes were hard though. "But it doesn't matter. I'm going to kill him."

"Brigid!"

"I am. For Father. For Annand. For all the pegasus knights he and his shot down." Brigid shrugged and sat back in her seat. I very carefully moved past the door and hid again on the other side when she glanced at it. "Maybe it's hypocritical. I was a pirate, though we were always careful to not kill and to not take from the needy. I killed some pegasus knights too. But still." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, messing with the ends. "I'm also going to kill him for the shy, little boy I remember. He'd be horrified of the man he became."

"Brigid…" Aideen did start crying then. "I…"

"I know. It's rough. It's way rougher on you than it'll ever be for me." Brigid moved to Aideen's side and gathered her up in her arms. "But I want to let you know where I stand, and my reasons. As soon as I see him, I'm going to him. I already told Sigurd."

Aideen continued to sob, and I decided it was best to stop eavesdropping like a rude person and return to my room. My instinct was to run in and try to comfort her, but that wouldn't be right. For one thing, that had clearly been a private conversation and, honestly, that was clearly a family thing, something only those who knew Andrei as anything but a distant lord should be privy to.

"You're back later than normal," Chulainn greeted when I finally made it to the room. It might have been him attempting to scold, except it was hard to take him seriously when he was lying on the ground with Conall asleep on his chest and Caitriona playing with his hand. "Everyone okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine," I reassured. I picked up Conall from his chest, so that he could sit up. Conall wordlessly protested before curling into my shoulder. "Aw, someone is extra sleepy!"

"Because it's late." Chulainn scooped up Caitriona and held her high above his head. She squealed and laughed in delight. "But I knew you'd pout if I put them to bed before you got back."

"I would not!" I blushed, though, because he was very correct. I would pout. "It really was nothing, though. It was just my curiosity leading me to take a different path back."

"I see." He smiled sweetly. "Well, let's see how long it takes for this energetic one to get to sleep. Might need a couple of lullabies."

It took more than a 'couple' of lullabies. It took at least five, plus a few stories, before Caitriona finally decided to settle down to sleep. Even then, it seemed less because she wanted to sleep and more because she wanted to cuddle with Conall. I half-thought about asking Sylvia if we could borrow Lene. Caitriona only behaved when Lene was about.

"Where does she get this rebelliousness?" I sighed, finally tucking the two in with a light blanket and their stuffed dogs. They were almost too big for their crib. We'd have to get them a bigger one soon. "I don't remember being so troublesome."

"Would you remember?" Chulainn joked, making sure the curtains were shut. I could only smile sadly in response. "...Ah, right. You were ignored most of the time." He drew me into a hug and kissed my cheek. "This isn't good. You shouldn't be so sad right before bed."

"I am not that sad," I protested, leaning into him. I wasn't. It did hurt to remember how lonely I had been, but it was hard to be truly sad when I was with him and the children. "Though, if you're wanting to make up for it anyway, I won't complain."

"Of course not." He took my hand to hold it and leaned down to kiss me gently, yet fiercely. "Better?"

"Of course." I smiled at him, laughing. "Why wouldn't I be…?" I paused as I caught a glint in the candlelight and I brought up my hand to see a ring that definitely wasn't there a second ago. I also didn't recognize it, at all. I owned no rings, never bothering since I always wore gloves, and even if I did, I doubted I would own one so beautiful. It was a sparkling gold, with a ruby cut to resemble a rose and tiny emeralds tucked at the sides as 'leaves'. "This is…?" I looked at Chulainn skeptically and he grinned. "You actually bought a ring?"

"Lex and I decided to at least look and see if anything caught our eyes." He gestured to the ring, nuzzling my cheek. "The seller had two like that, the other a purple amethyst with silver 'leaves'."

"Do Ayra and I have matching rings?"

"Yes, because we both knew it would make you two laugh." Chulainn shrugged. "Not the most romantic of things, I suppose, but…"

"No, I love it!" I had to laugh. Perhaps some would be insulted, but I just thought it all sweet and adorable. "Though, I'm sure strangers will think Ayra and I are marrying or something."

"You could do worse." He smiled, noticeably relieved. He had been worried I'd be mad. "Regardless, your little brother can finally stop bothering me. He's horrible at being subtle."

"I shall happily show him in the morning!" Giggling, I broke out of the hug to get ready for bed and found something else off on the vanity. "Why are there earrings?"

"Those should… oh, right, Caitriona tried to eat them, so I just threw them the first place she couldn't reach." Chulainn looked away in embarrassment, crossing his arms. "They're for Caitriona. If she ever gets her ears pierced, that is."

"Oh?" I held up one curiously, studying it. It was gold and ruby drop, with the ruby encased in gold wire. "None for Conall?"

"Didn't see anything that reminded me of him. And, for all I know, Caitriona will hate earrings when she's older or they'll share the pair because both like earrings. Whatever they want." He was blushing from embarrassment. "But it matches your ring, and I thought of her, so I had to get it too."

"It does!" Back to giggling, I safely stored it in one of the drawers and returned to getting ready for bed. "You're so doting!"

"They're my kids! You can handle being the stern one."

"I suppose I have to be. You melt when they start sulking, while I can typically ignore it." I glanced at him over my shoulder and grinned when I noticed he was sulking. "Oh, relax. It's adorable."

"I feel like I'm being patronized." He sulked a little more, but was soon distracted in fixing the blanket on the twins. Conall had kicked it off. "I want them to have a happier childhood than me. That's all."

"I can understand." I wanted them to have a happier one than mine as well. I never wanted them to feel alone, or that they were a burden. "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled gently at me. "But it's late. I want to get to bed at some point tonight, you know."

"Yes, yes. I'm almost done."


Two days later, the promised attack finally came. Dozel forces struck us hard in the early hours of the morning, while Jungby's bow knights peppered our soldiers with arrows from afar. There were so many arrow wounds that I dealt solely with them. Claude handled all the other injuries, and he was just barely busier than me.

"I am pleased to see this is easy to clean," I whispered, drying off my hands and studying my ring. I hadn't had time to take it off before rushing here this morning, and had been worried. "Claude, do you have a breather as well? You mentioned wanting to look at the ring."

"Ah, yes!" Claude replied, coming over to the washing station. He was splattered with more blood than usual and shook his head at my alarmed look. "Had a bone snap and rupture a major artery. Too much flailing."

"Do you want to switch?" I was covered in blood as well, but that was from cutting arrows out of people. The worst was the ones in the head and face. "I certainly won't mind."

"A bit tempted, truthfully." He splashed his face and scrubbed his hands. I took some of the water to comb out the worst of the blood in his hair. "Thank you."

"I'm going to braid it back." I could never understand how he could wear it down, especially in the infirmary. "This is a bloody battle."

"It is." He sighed and started drying off. "I hope Aideen is all right on the field."

"I do as well." Aideen had insisted on being the field healer today. She wanted to look the Jungby knights 'in the eye' as the army killed them. She wanted them to see how she stood against them. She felt she owed it to them. I knew Midir had felt the same, and had begged Sigurd to let him lead one of the strike forces. "Perhaps we should send a messenger to see if she needs to switch out. I certainly wouldn't mind being in a field infirmary again. It's been a while, and there will be plenty of guards."

"Very true." He took a deep breath to help himself relax and then smiled. "Okay, we still have a break in the waves of wounded. Ring?"

"Here." A little giddily, I held out my hand so that he could see it. It probably wasn't proper for a healer… no, never mind. I really wasn't proper for two healers to act like this. But it was a moment to ourselves among the madness, and that was something both of us desperately needed. "Ayra's is purple and silver."

"It's absolutely adorable." Claude laughed, a little tiredly, but with a little more color to his face. "I need to get one for Sylvia."

"When the fighting is over, bully Chulainn and Lex into showing where they went. Chulainn has been thinking of returning to see if anything catches his eye for Conall." It was adorable how bad Chulainn felt getting something for one twin and not the other, particularly when Caitriona and Conall had no idea yet. "Are those footsteps?"

"Is everything all right in here?" Oifeye walked in, wincing at how bloody the infirmary was. We hadn't gotten around to mopping the floor. "Do you want me to clean while you two rest?" he offered. "Shanan has the kids perfectly calm, napping even." Claude and I shared a pained look; it hurt to have the children so close to danger. "I thought I'd swing by and see if you all need medicines."

"Surprisingly, we're all right on medicines," Claude replied. He and I glanced at each other and shrugged. "However, if you want to clean, we won't complain. We have to check on the patients."

"Of course." Oifeye smiled proudly. "Leave the cleaning to me then!"

The next few moments were spent in that sort of 'quiet'. Claude switched to tending the arrow-wounded ones, since the treatment for it was more or less the same no matter where you were shot, and I handled the other wounded. Oifeye carefully cleaned the blood from the floor and changed the blankets and sheets for us. He set them soaking for laundry, and even made us tea. He left briefly to make sure Shanan was still okay with the kids before returning with changes of clothes for Claude and me, just in time for the next wave of wounded. At that point, he left for good, knowing he would just be underfoot with everything, but not before leaving us a little snack to go with the tea.

"He's really grown into a sweet boy," Claude noted when we had another break. I nodded in agreement, too busy nibbling on the pastries. My stomach couldn't handle much, but I appreciate both the literal and figurative sweetness. "Man, I suppose. I keep forgetting he's of age."

"I think all of us do, and Oifeye isn't in a hurry to remind us," I replied. I smiled when I sipped the tea, noting it was my favorite. Either Oifeye had picked it at random or had paid enough attention. I didn't drink it all that often. "That being said, it can be hard to remember I myself am no longer a teenager."

"I still keep thinking of Tailtiu and Azel as children, despite their ages." Claude smiled ruefully and shook his head. "Perhaps it's just a trick of the mind we older folk have."

"Hey, I'm still younger than you!"

"That you are." That dark, sad look crossed over his face yet again. "Speaking of younger, I remember trying to ask you how Azel reacted to the ring before we got that first wave."

"He was excited." He had actually dragged me around to show some of our friends. It would have been all if I hadn't 'conveniently' needed to get to work or, to be more accurate, if Ayra hadn't saved me. She was suffering from just as much enthusiasm. "Everyone is too weird sometimes. I really don't see why it should matter."

"Then let it simply be us cheering over the pretty piece of jewelry." Claude laughed and I softened enough to smile. "Regardless, do you need to switch back or…?"

"No, I'm still good for handling the non-arrow wounded." I finished my tea and waved off the thought. "I'll let you know if I get too tired and need to switch."

"Please do." Claude fixed me with a stern look before letting it drop for a tired smile. "Ah, back to work, though." He set down his own mug of tea and left the table. "We-"

The sound of shattering glass was louder than it should've been, but it was honestly all I could hear for a very brief moment as Claude suddenly buckled, gasping in pain. It took a moment to realize the reason for both was the same: an arrow. An arrow broke the window and still had enough momentum to catch Claude in the back of his shoulder.

"Claude!" I gasped, catching him before he collapsed completely. I helped him limp over to a chair and immediately began removing the arrow. "That couldn't have been a st-" Claude reached up and yanked me down just in time for a second arrow to clip my cheek. "They're targeting this room." I got the arrow out of his shoulder and began bandaging him up. A couple of the patients tried to get up, slowly reacting to the attack. "No, don't move. The last thing either of us need is you all ripping your wounds back open."

"Alicia, fetch me one of the tomes in the back," Claude requested after I got his shoulder bound. He winced and gasped in pain as he tried to move. The arrow had gotten quite the annoying spot. "I'll ask one of the lesser wounded to play messenger."

"Very well." I ducked into the back room, picking out a fire tome for Claude. When I returned to the main part of the infirmary, one of the patients had left and Claude was by the broken window, peering out. He had to flatten himself against the wall to dodge another arrow. "I think they figured out where the infirmary is."

"I fear that might be my fault." Claude held out his hand and I tossed him the tome. "Andrei must've recognized me and knew what it meant."

"Is he out there?" Carefully, I looked out the window, careful to avoid the glass shards. I just got sight of Andrei before I had to duck. Four arrows flew through and nearly hit some of the patients. A few more hit the other window in the infirmary, cracking the glass. "I'll move the wounded."

"I'll at least try to get the arrows." He gestured sharply as two arrows appeared, burning them. "Quickly."

The injured who were conscious assisted me as much as their injuries would allow. A few even set up outside the room, just so that Claude and I would have less to worry about. At one point, though, while I was in the middle of both tending to a reopened injury and moving an unconscious patient, an arrow almost caught me straight through the throat. It only didn't because the patient's friend shielded me, and died in agony because I didn't have the time to tend to them too. It was enough to make my heart ache, but I had to keep going. I had to get them to (relative) safety until someone could come by and help.

"Gh…" Claude grunted. I looked up and saw another arrow in his arm, almost making him drop the tome. From where I was, I could clearly see the archer, a Jungby knight who had climbed to the roof across the way, using that to get a very good angle. They had another arrow at the ready, aimed right at Claude. That one, I was certain, was going to kill him.

But then the Jungby Bow Knight lost their head, via a single arrow of pure light that made it explode. The body tumbled down in a mess of blood, to the screams and horror of whoever was below.

Quietly, more than a little stunned, I finished tending the patients and then went to cut the arrow out of Claude's arm. In my slight daze, I stupidly stood right in front of the broken window, but the Jungby knights were thankfully very distracted. Most people would be distracted by their lost liege lady stepping out of the shadows while wielding the Divine Bow and wearing a glare colder than ice and sharper than any blade.

"Well, I didn't think you all could sink any lower," she hissed, quiet vehemence echoing in every word. A few of the knights flinched and stumbled back. In the middle of the group, though, was Andrei who looked somewhere between furious and stunned. "Proud knights of Jungby? Bah. You're not worth the title of knight. Even I can see that much."

"Sister, you're alive?" Andrei breathed. Then after a moment, fury replaced that shock completely. "How dare you talk of shame, though? Allying with trai-"

"No, not a word, you patricide." She said the words calmly, but each one dripped with venom. "If anyone is a disgrace to Jungby and Ullur, it's you. You are the one who gave these cowardly orders, and you're the one who killed Father."

"For being a-!"

"You know it's a lie. And you show no remorse for using that as an excuse to kill him. But you couldn't even kill him in combat. You had to ambush him." Brigid brought Yewfelle up and it hummed in power. "Let's see how long you last in proper combat, Andrei. I'll grant you that much of a fair chance."

"Don't think because you're the Major that you'll get lucky!" Andrei also brought his bow up, and an arrow. "I-!"

"Who needs luck? I've far more experience than you when it comes to fighting." To emphasize her point, she shot without really aiming and killed the two knights right by Andrei. "I think you'll want to pray for the luck to last more than two seconds!"

Andrei fired and Brigid rolled out of the way. More knights fired on her, but she dodged them easily. A few managed to scratch her, but Yewfelle healed most easily. By the time I cut the arrow out of Claude's arm, and bandaged him up, she'd actually dealt with most of the knights with barely a mark on her. Only Andrei remained of the group, and he stared in utter horror as Brigid calmly walked towards him.

"More than two seconds," she noted dryly, smiling ironically. Andrei tried to shoot her, but she ducked and twisted, kicking him in the face. "I guess you do have the Ullur luck after all." She spun and kicked him in the face again, knocking out a tooth and sending him crashing to the ground. "My adoptive father, the pirate who saved me, taught me some hand-to-hand to help counter an archer's weakness in melee combat. Seems you didn't get the same." Andrei tried to snarl something, but she braced her foot on his chest and aimed Yewfelle at his face. "Hello again, little brother. And goodbye. I'll see you later in hell, okay?"

She shot the arrow, completely mangling Andrei's face. She studied him for a long moment before stepping back and pinching the bridge of her nose. Then she looked up at the broken window, where Claude and I still were. After a moment, Claude awkwardly waved with a bloody hand and I smiled serenely. She waved and smiled back before leaving, likely to rejoin the battle.

Not long after that, Azel and Tailtiu arrived with a small group of soldiers to assist in cleaning, guarding, and healing. It was a good thing, as Claude's injuries actually made it difficult for him to work, and their awkward placement meant healing them with a staff ran the risk of scar tissue on nerve bundles. So, he was restricted to minor things, and I had to take over the bulk of the injured that came in with Tailtiu and Azel working together to tend to the lesser injured and the ones who had been here before the mess with Andrei.

I was in the middle of repairing someone's liver when word came that the battle was over and, surprisingly, Langbalt had surrendered and was being brought into custody. I wasn't sure how much I liked that, concerned about how Lex felt about it. After all, he didn't get along with his father. Would this be a good or bad thing for him? I had no idea. But I worried. I worried greatly.


The dungeons in Zaxon were carefully cleaned regularly, though they still remained rather dank and cold. It was not a place I normally would be anywhere near, but here I was. Why? Sigurd wanted a healer to check in on Langbalt, and with Aideen bitterly mourning Andrei and Claude still recovering, I was the one he asked. It was almost enough to make me roll my eyes. Langbalt was part of the reason why his father died and responsible for many horrific acts, and yet, Sigurd still wanted him to be treated well. That was his kindness, and I certainly couldn't refuse. I was a healer, and I healed people, no matter where their loyalties were. Besides, Langbalt was Lex's father. I wanted to be certain Lex at least had the option to confront him.

"We will be waiting right here, Lady Alicia," one of my guards murmured. Sigurd had insisted on sending a squad with me, just in case. His kindness and trust did have some limits. "If you feel unsafe, please call for us."

I nodded in response and continued on, stepping into the next room, where one of the actual cells were. There, sitting calmly on the stone ground, behind the bars was Langbalt. He sat almost proudly despite the setting, back straight and tall and it was horribly easy to see the resemblance between him and Lex, though his expression was far sterner, harsher.

"Duke Langbalt?" I called softly. He opened his eyes and looked right at me, stoic and silent. "I am a healer and have been tasked with checking on your health."

"The boy is too idealistic," Langbalt replied, tone almost mocking. His smile was the same. "Who tasks someone with tending to the enemy?"

"Clearly, Sigurd does, and you do not. There is no weakness in remembering all of us are human." I walked to the bars and sat down, setting up my medicines and staff by me. "Please come closer."

"Not going to open the cell?"

"Yes, I am going to open the cell of someone who can snap my neck in an instance." I let my 'healer's mask' slip just enough for a droll look. "If you would like to refuse the healing, I will not force it on you. But do not confuse kindness and duty for stupidity, Duke Langbalt. It is Sigurd's kindness that led him to ask, and it is my duty as a healer to tend to the injured." He eyed me skeptically for a moment longer before moving closer. "Thank you."

Carefully and slowly, I checked over his health. For the most part, he was perfectly healthy, but I did notice he suffered from arthritis, bad enough that his joints were a little swollen. In fact, his knees and the joins of his feet were particularly swollen, hinting that this was osteoarthritis, caused by long years of wear and tear. It had to be painful, but he didn't show a single sign of it.

"Vala-red hair and a face that bears a resemblance to Arvis's," Langbalt murmured after a moment. I glanced up to see him regarding me with narrowed eyes and a little smirk. "I always did wonder why Victor didn't have more bastard children running amok. Figured he killed them. I know he killed some of his mistresses when he got bored or if they got too 'defiant'."

"Did he?" That… troubled me. I didn't like that Arvis had spent his early years with our father as it was, but knowing that… it all just made me feel uncomfortable. "Color me surprised."

"The boy has done well, moving past his father. But Victor was certainly a sign of how far we have come from our ancestors." He watched as I continued to tend to him. "A thorough job."

"I am a healer. I have my oaths." I tended to the last of his swelling and hunted through my medicines. "I'll give you a couple of pain medications. You may choose when, or if, you take them. I imagine your joints pain you, no matter how stoically you bear it."

"You really are…" Suddenly, he began chuckling. The sound made my skin crawl for some reason. "It's funny. I had thought Sigurd would be harder to trick than Mananan, but even with everything that's happened, he still takes people at face-value. The straightforward fool of a knight."

"What are you…?" A couple of muffled screams and thuds startled me, and I looked back to the entrance to see soldiers in Dozel's colors standing there instead. All of my guards were unconscious or dead. "That is…"

"I hope you lot found the key." Langbalt stood and I slowly realized what exactly was going on as a couple of soldiers walked inside. One held the keys to the cells; the other dragged a giant axe. "Excellent. I was right to leave the task to you. Now capture the girl. She'll make a good hostage."

"Touch me and I swear I'll destroy you all with a Final Strike!" I snapped, absolutely livid. This man…! How was he related to Lex at all?! "I would rather die than be used, and I've enough power to take all of you with me!" Though, I would rather not die at all. I wanted more time with Chulainn. I wanted more time with my friends. I wanted to watch my children grow up. But if it became a choice…!

"Pretty words."

"My oaths are considered pretty words as well." I called to the power in my blood and the temperature of the room slowly increased. "But I think I just proved how much I stand by those pretty words!"

The temperature spike made him pause and a couple of the Dozel soldiers stepped back, as if that would be enough to save them if they were caught in a Final Strike. But it did give me enough of an opening to push through the door and escape. One soldier managed to whip their sword across my back, cutting through and leaving a gash, but I kept on running. I ran as fast as I could, all the way up the stairs.

"We're under attack!" I screamed as loudly as I could as soon as I reached the main part of the castle. My throat keened from the force. "Langbalt snuck people in! We're under attack!"

Thankfully, someone had been anticipating some sort of trick, or so I assumed by how quickly other soldiers appeared, racing past me as I continued to run. I would be useless if things came to a battle, particularly since I stupidly left my staff below.

Ah, this was the worst and, to my grief, Langbalt wouldn't be in any sort of pain from his arthritis. I'd made him 'fighting fit'. It was almost enough to make me curse my oath, but what other choice did I have? He had been my patient. How could I not do my best by my patient, especially when I had sworn to do so? No wonder Eldigan had picked a path that led to his death. Conflicting oaths just caused all sorts of heartache.

"Alicia?" Ayra's voice startled me, but what startled me even more was that I almost ran into her and Ulster. She and Ulster were, apparently, on a walk, with Ulster holding her hand. "Alicia, what's…?" she began. She gasped when she noticed the blood and figured out everything in an instant. "That… that bastard!" She glared and pushed Ulster towards me. But when she reached for her sword, her eyes widened. "Duck!"

Ayra's warning came a split-second before something flew through the air, just barely missing us to thud into the wall. Despite being made of solid stone, the wall cracked like glass, splintering as far as the eye could see. There was a crater at the point of impact, revealing the 'something' had been an axe, the same one I had seen the soldier carrying before. A gold light shimmered across the blade and then it disappeared from sight.

"Interesting. I thought that would've caught you." Langbalt walked out of the shadows slowly, the axe in hand. Now I noticed the thrum of power and realized with a touch of horror that the axe was Helswath. According to the legends, none could break through Crusader Neir's defenses while he wielded it, becoming an impenetrable shield that withstood even the harshest of strikes. "Ah, but it seems the Isaachian princess has senses as keen as her brother," Langbalt continued lightly, rolling his shoulder. Ayra snarled and instantly drew her sword. "You think you can break through? Your brother failed."

"Every armor has a joint," Ayra hissed. Her anger faltered slightly with Langbalt smiled, and it wasn't hard to see why. Horribly enough, when he smiled, it was easy to see Lex in his looks. In fact, aside from the mockery, the smile was the exact same. "I just have to find it!"

Green stars sparkled along her blade briefly before she lunged, and distantly, I realized she had activated Astra, to make five strikes for 'one' swing. However, due to Helswath's defensive capabilities, Langbalt blocked each one with a deafening 'clang' that echoed down the broken hallway. Ayra snarled in frustration and managed to activate it again before Langbalt could retaliate, likely because of her Brave Sword, a gift from Lex. But it was the same result and Langbalt readied himself to retaliate. However, a small sound caught his attention, so he swung for it instead and for a breathless and horrifying moment, everything froze because, in the madness, both Ayra and I had forgotten to make sure Ulster stayed with us. Ulster, likely in fear, had stumbled over to his mother for comfort, and had moved into range of Langbalt. But Langbalt stopped the axe before it could hit Ulster, so quickly that his arm actually shook from the momentum, and Langbalt froze too.

"...Lex?" Langbalt whispered after a moment. Ulster sniffed and began crying from fear. Langbalt just continued to stare. "Why does he…?" Slowly, almost absently, he reached for Ulster. "Why does he look like…?"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Then Lex himself appeared out of nowhere, swinging his Brave Axe at his father's neck. Langbalt threw himself back and blocked the blow, but it was enough for Lex to get in between Ulster and Langbalt. "Don't get any closer to my son!" Lex snapped, snarling. "Gods above, why did I believe you would actually give up? Why did I let Sigurd believe that and send Alicia to give you treatment? Damn, I am an idiot!"

"Ah, so you have the gall to fight back now?" Though Langbalt spoke to Lex, his focus was entirely on Ulster. His eyes flicked over to Ayra, still glaring, and then to the ring on her hand. After a moment, he smiled slightly. Unlike his other smiles though, this one was actually soft. "It seems your little adventure helped you grow after all. Last time we 'fought', you ran."

"Yeah, it seems like it's fate we keep on fighting, though beating your own son for disagreeing with you is a rather poor excuse for a fight." Lex shifted to stand a little more firmly in front of Ulster. Ulster, for his part, just stared up at his father, not moving and not crying. I used the lull in fighting to scramble over and scoop him up, just to make sure he didn't get so close to the fighting again. "What did you hope to accomplish with this? Killing Sigurd? He's got Tyrfing, you know."

"A Holy Weapon's blessings only work if the wielder is holding the weapon." Langbalt made to swing, but he had to block Ayra's strike. I bolted a short distance away and leaned against the wall. Everything was catching up and that made it difficult to walk. "Sigurd is fool enough to drop his weapon if there's a hostage. Like his son, perhaps?"

"Okay, I was feeling mildly bad about fighting you, but I think I'm not going to care anymore now." Lex glared, and Langbalt's smile just… softened further. I… I half-wondered if Langbalt said that specifically to challenge Lex and not because he would actually do it. But then I wondered if that was the pain making me think weird things. "So-"

"Lex, move!" Lex dropped to a knee and Chulainn vaulted off his back to strike at Langbalt. Langbalt blocked it again, but had to move quickly to avoid getting hit by Ayra. "Helswath boosts one's defensive capabilities, yes? I can see that," Chulainn murmured. He glanced over at me and I smiled sweetly. "Why did I let you go down there without me again?"

"Because we're all damned idiots," Lex groaned. He stood up again and rolled his shoulder. "Glad you made it, Chulainn. Bit later than I thought."

"Sadly, Caitriona and Conall heard all the fuss and went 'we should go investigate'. They're safe with Larcei and the others now." Chulainn moved so that he stood side by side with Ayra, and Ayra shot him a vicious grin. "I understand that you're responsible for the campaign against Isaach, Langbalt. I hope you don't mind two Isaachians getting involved in this father-son debate. Both of us are rather vexed over that."

"Well, I don't mind, and who cares what he thinks?" Lex took a deep breath and hardened his gaze. "Let's go, old man. Three on one is totally fair when the one has a Holy Weapon, right?"

All three of them lunged at the same time. I found a nearby room to duck into, to be safely out of the way. Ulster whimpered and tried to wriggle out of my arms, no doubt seeking his parents. He wanted them for comfort, not me, but unfortunately, all he had was me right now. I held onto him as tightly as I could, ignoring the pain in my back, and tried to soothe him.

Every now again, I would peek out into the hall to observe the battle, which was mostly just Langbalt blocking all three of them, gaining some scratches every once in a while. I wondered why, but then I caught Langbalt wincing and realized it in an instance. Lex would know about his father's arthritis. He would also know that Langbalt would've been in his 'best condition', because I had healed him. But that kind of arthritis worsened with movement, so all they had to do was force Langbalt to move a great deal to worsen the joints and pain. Before long, Langbalt couldn't guard as quickly, letting the three land more hits.

At that point, blue sparkles surrounded Chulainn's blade and he lunged forward, cutting straight through Langbalt's armor. Langbalt gasped in pain and stumbled, leaving an opening large enough to Lex to slam his Brave Axe into Langbalt's arm. Helswath tumbled from Langbalt's hands and shimmered, prepared to return. But it was too slow. Ayra took advantage of that small window in time, that small moment when Langbalt wouldn't have Helswath's blessings, and used Astra to carve through Langbalt's neck. Blood sprayed everywhere as Langbalt fell, head rolling slightly, but stopped before it could go too far. Dead. He was dead. They did it.

After a moment, I stepped out of the room, waving to catch their attention. Lex did his best to wipe off the blood before silently holding his arms out. I handed him Ulster and smiled sadly when Lex held him close, clinging tightly. Ulster, for his part, just looked confused and tucked himself under Lex's chin, smiling because he was finally with his father. Ayra reached over to hug them both, whispering something I couldn't hear.

Chulainn and I shared a look and silently left, with him helping me walk. Someone had to tell Sigurd that Langbalt was dead. It might as well be us.


"I am so sorry, Alicia." It was the tenth time Sigurd had apologized. "I really thought… I don't know," he said, flailing about. I assumed, at least. I wasn't facing him, simply making tea, but it was how he had been during the previous nine times. "I thought that if he tried something, the guards would've been enough. I should've had more people. I didn't think he had his own soldiers among our own…"

"Sigurd, please relax," I chided. I glanced back at him, noting he wasn't sitting at his desk, and then returned to making the tea. "If anything, I should apologize. If I had been less thorough in my healing, then…"

"You've said that before."

"You've also apologized before." I smiled at him and he smiled sheepishly, conceding the point. "Langbalt played us well. I am grateful the death count wasn't too high."

"As am I." Despite the ambush, there were actually only three deaths, three of the guards who had been with me. There were many injured, but superior numbers and ample warning had been enough to save most of them. "How is your back?"

"I'm just fine." Aideen had insisted on healing me completely, so I only had a tiny scar on the back of my left hip, where the gash had started. "Believe me. Chulainn wouldn't let me walk about if I wasn't."

"I need to apologize to him too."

"No, you don't and he will threaten a spar if you try."

"Okay, never mind. I've seen him fight." Sigurd finally laughed and a look confirmed he had relaxed slightly, leaning over his desk to rummage through the papers. "But Langbalt is dead."

"He is." I continued making tea, humming softly. I was making this mix as I went, because I'd run out of my usual mix for him. "I understand Lex's brother is in Isaach."

"Yeah, having trouble keeping order. They're not exactly submitting. And here I thought Ayra's stubbornness was just her." It was a valiant attempt at a joke, but Sigurd's voice was just too serious for that. "But we killed him. We have to leave Silesse."

"Yes, otherwise Grannvale can send their full army." Silesse wouldn't survive that. They would be overrun in an instance. But if we left, we could hopefully divert their attention. "That means we have to travel through the Yied Desert."

"Yes." Sigurd's voice sounded strangely thick now. "Yes, we will."

"That will be difficult on all of us, particularly the mounts." I frowned a bit over the herbal mixture and added a little more chamomile for him. "I'm not certain how the children will handle that sort of travel, either."

"...They won't. We won't…" Sigurd's voice suddenly cracked and I whirled to see he was hunched over his desk, desperately holding back tears. "We're not taking the children through the desert. We can't take them to these next battles. It's going to be too chaotic."

"That's…" It made sense. It made perfect sense. But panic flooded me anyway. "Where will they go, then?"

"Isaach isn't far from Lubeck and based on everything, I doubt Danann has any control in the outskirts of the kingdom. I'll be sending Oifeye there with Seliph. As for the others, it's… it's what you all choose." He looked up at me, and revealed he lost the battle against his tears. He tried to smile anyway. "If you want to leave to be with them, that's more than understandable. Gods knows I want to run. But I can't. If I try, I'll just put Seliph in more danger."

"I can't see Oifeye agreeing to that."

"I can convince him." He coughed and rubbed at his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears. But they just kept coming. "But that's my decision. Today's battle just highlighted how dangerous this will be. For their safety, they have to leave."

"I… I see." I felt like I had been punched. "Who else knows? Who else…?"

"Just you, for now. I'll make an official announcement in the morning. Just in case some want to stay in Silesse."

"...Let me finish making this tea for you…" I turned away sharply, hiding my own tears. That was… this was… "Then I'll have to talk to Chulainn."

"Of course. Thank you, Alicia."

I had to actually make the tea twice because in my… because my distraction led me to completely botch the first attempt. Sigurd didn't comment on it at all, and made a point to hug me when I finally made him a cup. I hugged him back and left his study, to return to my room and have this… this horrible talk with Chulainn. However, I didn't make it there. I only made it down a couple of hallways, thankfully empty, before my legs gave out and I collapsed, quietly sobbing as the weight of this crashed into me.

Safety… sending them away to be safe… I had heard such things before, and had always thought them nonsense. I had always thought that it hadn't mattered, because I had been so miserable, because it had hurt so much. I had thought 'danger' would have been far preferable to being alone and feeling like I was just a burden to be discarded. But now… gods, now I understood. The danger… Langbalt's words… I finally understood just what my mother truly gave me. She had given me more than my life. She had given me the luxury of growing up safe, the luxury of being able to pick my own path. She had saved me from growing up with my father, and saved me from… from everything. She had protected me, just as she protected Arvis, Cigyun, and Prince Kurth. I understood now. I understood.

When all of this was over, I would visit her grave and light incense for her finally. I hoped she wouldn't mind that it took me so long to appreciate the gift she gave me. But I supposed it was better late than never.


Author's notes: Aideen and Brigid's conversation at the beginning is based off of their in-game conversation, and Andrei being a 'sweet child' when younger comes from the Oosawa manga and supplementary material. Brigid's words to Andrei is based off her boss banter with him, as is Lex mentioning that it's 'fate' when he fights his father. Langbalt 'surrendering' to get inside Sigurd's defenses comes from the Oosawa manga. (That said, in game, Sigurd is a lot angrier at Langbalt, though tbf, Langbalt taunts Sigurd about Byron's death.) The fight Langbalt and Lex refer to is briefly mentioned/hinted at in Memoirs of Velthomer.

In FE4, Luck only plays a part in evasion (in most games, it boots hit, evasion, and critical evade), meaning those of Ullur's blood tend to be incredibly evasive as Ullur Holy Blood boosts luck (Minors get a +30% bonus, while Majors get +60%). Also, between fairly good stats and powerful weapons, Holy Weapon Users often break the game in half. Lewyn is the most infamous for it (hello, Forseti), but sending Brigid out often results in a lot of dead enemies, with the only danger being those who come in for melee, since she's an archer. Often, the only reason Holy Weapon Users can't solo maps is because there are more than 50 enemies per map (each weapon has 50 uses) and the weapons can be expensive to repair.

Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that results from the breakdown of joint cartilage and the underlying bone, with its most common symptoms being joint pain and stiffness. Unlike other kinds of arthritis, it typically only affects the joints. It's believed to be caused by mechanical stress on the joint, and so it steadily worsens over many years. It's the most common form of arthritis.

Helswath, the Holy Axe, is the heaviest weapon in the game (20 weight), boosts defense by 20 and resistance by 10, and has 1-2 range. It appears again in Awakening, where it boosts defense by 5. (And, funnily enough, is actually the axe Cherche wields in her official art.) It teleporting back to Langbalt's hand is there to add a 'mystical' thing to its 1-2 range. Langbalt himself is a bit of a powerhouse thanks to Helswath, coming at you with 51 attack (30 might from the weapon and 21 strength), 41 effective defense (his base of 21 plus the 20 from Helswath), and 20 effective res (base of 10 plus the 10 from Helswath). Not to mention possessing the Great Shield skill, which gives him a 30% chance of taking no damage (in FE4 and FE5, the activation rate of Great Shield is the user's level; Langbalt is level 30). As a result, you really just want to throw your powerhouses at him: Lewyn with Forseti (fun fact, most bosses have the suggested strategy of 'throw your Forseti user at them' once you obtain it), Brigid with Yewfelle, Sigurd with Tyrfing, or Chulainn with his Luna skill cutting straight through the defenses (reminder that Luna completely negates an enemy's defense). In the Oosawa manga, Lex and Ayra tag-team to kill him.

Next Chapter - Interlude, Children (second to last interlude of Gen1, four chapters left)