Chapter 28) Yied Massacre


We spend a couple more days gathering our calm before marching from Lubeck. Lene ends up spoiled silly, because whenever Sylvia notices one of us parents looking sad, she asks if we want to hold and play with Lene. Still, it was horribly painful, leaving behind Caitriona and Conall's cradle. They had needed a new one, but it still…

Of course, there are other concerns. Traveling through the desert isn't easy, and there is also a feeling of urgency. We want to be through as soon as possible, for our health and so that we can return to the children safely. I hoped we could return to them before the end of the year. It was a couple of months off, so that was probably far too soon, but still, I can't help but hope.

Hope, hope, hope. That was all any of us could truly do, at this point. Wait and hope.


Traveling through the Yied Desert was the worst experience I had ever gone through. Every day, we were treating people for sun poisoning, dehydration, and heat stroke. The sand got everywhere, to the point that each meal had a side of sand to it. The sweat plastered our clothes to our skin, making movement uncomfortable at best. Worse, though, was that we couldn't remove clothing, because that would increase the risk of sunburn and the sand scraping off a layer of skin. On a personal level, I hadn't camped since the end of the Agustria Campaign, and the almost-two-years in Silesse made me more than a little spoiled. I was sure that, if you actually lived in the desert, all of this was fine and normal, but to me, it was a near-nightmare.

"I think her eyes are turning green," Sylvia noted. It took a moment to remember she was in the 'infirmary' tent, making medicine. Since this one had to sit for a moment, though, she played with Lene, who typically traveled about in a sling-wrap we had improvised to try and protect Lene from the sun. Of course, in the safety of the tent, she rested in Sylvia's lap. "Huh, so she'll look a little like me."

"It's still too early for her eye color to be determined," I reminded, barely looking up from my inventory. Sylvia's humming hinted she wasn't really paying attention. She must've just been thinking aloud. Most of us had taken to that, too tired to filter our thoughts. "Mmm… I should ask Oifeye to…" This time I did pause, but it was to wince. Oifeye wasn't here. Shanan wasn't here. I couldn't ask them for help. I couldn't talk to them. They weren't… they weren't here. It hurt. "No, I should do it, then."

I went to work, keenly aware of how much Oifeye and Shanan had helped out as I found myself doing infirmary-chores I hadn't had to do in literally years. It reminded me of the weeks after Finn had left with Ethlyn and Quan, and the comparison made me smile bitterly. I really did hope I could see those three soon, and I also hoped I wouldn't spend nearly as long away from Oifeye, Shanan, and the children.

"Hey, Leonster is to the south of here, right?" Sylvia suddenly asked. I paused in some cleaning to look at her. She was back to work with medicine, while Lene was curled up asleep. Babies napped a lot. "I wonder if we'll make it to Phinora only to find Quan and Ethlyn waiting for us."

"They would probably ask what took us so long," I joked, laughing. The chances of that were impossibly small, but they were rather fun to imagine. I knew it would cheer up Sigurd immensely to see Quan and Ethlyn too. "They'd complain that they still have to wait to meet Diarmuid."

"They must be so frustrated!" Sylvia giggled, finishing up the medicine and then checking on Lene. She and Lene had handled the journey remarkably well, all things considered, but I worried about how things would be when we actually fought. I also worried about what the sand might be doing to Lene's health, but Claude hadn't noted anything yet. "I wonder if we will see them soon, though."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling." She shrugged. "It could just be some wishful thinking. Ethlyn is another healer, so that means more breaks for you guys."

"So, you get to spend more time with Claude~?" I laughed at her squeak and blush. "I see through you!"

"That's not… the only reason…" She smiled wickedly though and winked. "But it is part~!"

"You're incorrigible." Still, I kept on laughing, and her smile soon turned relieved. Sylvia had taken it upon herself to try and keep everyone chipper, particularly since she wouldn't be out in battles to provide her Dancer's Gift. That was a decision she had reached with Claude and Sigurd. "Silly."

"The silliest!" She grinned and returned to making more medicine. "Pretty luck that Aideen got pregnant when she did, though. I'm sure all of you feel a lot better knowing there's a healer with the children."

"Yes, it was." Perhaps it was her Ullur luck kicking in once again, making the decision for her so that she could stay with her son, and help make sure all of our children would stay healthy until we saw them again. "I hope she's not too nauseous."

"Oifeye will look after her. He's gotten good at medicines."

"That he has." It made me ridiculously proud. "I'm sure he'll learn some Isaachian medicines too." He could teach me! It would be fun! "Ah, I do feel better…" However, that was also when I noticed something. "Uh… Sylvia?"

"Hmm?"

"Lene is trying to reach your scarf and…" I was honestly surprised Lene hadn't fallen yet.

"Ack!"

I spent a few moments helping Sylvia both secure her scarfs and anything that a curious baby could reach for. I ended up carrying Lene while I worked for a time because Lene attempted to eat some raw herbs that would be very bad in large doses. Once Sylvia baby-proofed her area better, I returned Lene to her and we both quietly worked until Tailtiu arrived for her shift. Surprisingly, Ayra also came with her, though Ayra quickly left, with me. Apparently, she decided I need some fresh air and thought I wouldn't get enough on my walk to the tent Chulainn and I shared.

"Ah, when night falls, the desert isn't so bad!" Ayra gushed, stretching her arms above her head. I chose against replying and held my jacket a little closer to me. Nights were freezing, as cold as a Silessean winter. "I mean… look at all the stars!"

"They are pretty, I suppose," I begrudgingly agreed. Perhaps it was because there were no clouds, but I had honestly never seen so many stars before. It was almost like someone had thrown giant tubs of glitter into the sky. "Why are there no clouds?"

"Something about the mountains, I think. I can't remember." She took a deep breath and then stretched out her hands in front of her. Her ring sparkled in the moonlight. "I still can't believe they bought us matching rings."

"I find it adorable."

"I do as well, and it is very 'them'." She snagged my hand so that we could compare them side-by-side. Aside from the coloring, they were almost exactly alike. "They're so silly."

"They are. But, to be fair, they only bought them because no one would stop bothering them about it." We shared a look and a laugh, not quite understanding it either. But hey, we got pretty rings out of the deal. "Ah, I hope Oifeye remembers to keep the earrings away from them for now."

"Same for mine. I left a couple of pairs in the bag because Larcei loved them so much." She fell silent, looking back up at the sky. "You know… this all reminded me of something."

"Oh?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes, smiling nostalgically. "Mariccle told me, way back when Sophara fell and I thought Holyn… Chulainn… had died, that it was important to remember that one day, you will part ways with the people around you. It could be temporary. It could be permanent. But it would happen, because that was just how life was."

"That sounds sad."

"It's not, though. Knowing that there is an ending, that there will be an ending… with that in mind, it reminds us of how precious our time together truly is." She opened her eyes, still smiling. "We all met because of a string of coincidences. Some might call it 'fate' or 'destiny', but I just like the idea of luck. I got so lucky, meeting everyone. I'm glad for it."

"Now you're sounding like you plan on dying." I frowned at her. "Don't you dare. I'd be one of the ones trying to save you, you know."

"Don't fret so much. I have no intention of dying being the kingdom of Isaach is restored." She smirked and I did have to smile. "Regardless, you're done for the night, right?"

"Er… yes?"

"Good." She took my hand and dragged me off. "Come on. Lex and I decided we should play some cards. Erinys, Lachesis, and Azel were for it, but we still need another person."

"Lewyn?" Even as I said it, I knew the answer. "Wait, no, he has the shift after Tailtiu."

"Exactly." She laughed. "There's no escape for you!"

"...Oh dear…"

I ended up playing cards for most of the night, less because I enjoyed the game and more because I enjoyed everyone's company and laughter so much. Chulainn joined us before long and helped me win most of the hands, on the account that I had been doing so poorly before. The others protested, but the fun continued, so no one minded, too much.


So the days passed, and eventually, Phinora came into view. We all were on high alert, though, because for some reason, we hadn't encountered any resistance. The worst had been going through the desert and, while that was bad enough, we still had expected some sort of resistance. Once we were in Phinora, we wouldn't be far from Grannvale. Langbalt might be dead, but Reptor still lived. Reptor still had a lot to lose from our return, and I doubted he would take that lightly.

"Tailtiu is worried," Azel whispered to me. He and I walked together, while he carefully led his horse through the sands. Horses hated sand. "Her father…"

"I wonder if she'll get a chance to talk to him," I murmured. Tailtiu did her best to keep on smiling, but as we got closer to Phinora, and the possibility of fighting her father, it was harder and harder for her to keep her cheer. After all, unlike Lex, she never had any problems with her father before this. She loved him dearly. "I'm sure Sigurd will try."

"Just a question of if Reptor will allow it." Azel fell silent for a bit, and I fixed his hood when the wind tried to pull it off. "Maybe there's always been something wrong, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever Arvis went to visit you, I'd often stay in Dozel with Lex. Well, after Lex befriended me. But one time, we went to Friege and stayed with Tailtiu." Azel paused to calm his horse, who panicked a little when the sand shifted beneath its hooves. I looked around and noticed most of our other cavalry having trouble. I hoped Arden wasn't boiling too much in his armor. "The day Arvis came to pick me up, Bloom suddenly insisted we have a morning hike through the woods. Lex, Tailtiu, Ethnia, and me. I thought it strange, especially since Arvis was supposed to come get me soon, but Bloom wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. It had been fun, but I always wondered why." He paused again, this time to take a single sip of water. Our water supplies were running low. "Arvis had been waiting for us, and while he'd been polite and all, I could tell something was wrong. And he never let me stay the night in Friege after that. At least, when Reptor was there."

"That's… odd." Arvis had never mentioned anything like that to me. "No ideas?"

"Well, there was the smell of smoke, like there had been a fire, but…" Azel shrugged, but I frowned, having a guess now. "What?"

"Reptor is known for having Loptyrian hunts. I wonder if that could be it."

"Oh, yeah, maybe. Arvis threatened to execute a noble who suggested having them in Velthomer. He's so vehemently against them that I forget they're a thing." Azel looked to me and fixed my hood. "Tailtiu doesn't seem to know about them, though. She's never mentioned them."

"Maybe that's thanks to Bloom." If Bloom had insisted on taking them away, then maybe he had done the same each time his father had done a hunt. "...How did we get on this conversation again?"

"Uh… I can't remember." Azel groaned and I snickered. "Give me a break. The sun is baking my mind." He scowled while I continued laughing. "Meanie." He probably would've elaborated, but he froze suddenly. "Hold on…"

"Azel?" I stopped too and managed to catch someone's attention. Slowly, everyone else stopped. "Azel, what is it?"

"The pixies are…" Azel frowned, looking down, before his eyes widened and he jerked his head up. "METEOR!"

That was all the warning we had before the meteor spells rained down on us, but since we had all been wary and alert, it had been enough. There was some difficulty in dodging, because of the sands, but most of us got out of the initial assault with minor burns at worst. A particularly large one headed straight for Sigurd, but he cut through it with Tyrfing, neutralizing it completely. We all scrambled to get into some sort of formation. An ambush was the absolute worst-case scenario, and I panicked briefly when I didn't see Sylvia. Then it turned out I didn't see her because Alec and Naoise had switched to guarding her and she had crouched down to protect Lene. But before I could breathe a sigh of relief, shadows fell over us. I looked up to see the shadow of a dark wing and I froze as I realized that Thracian Dragon Knights were here.

Just like the last time we fought them, their ambush was devastating. Thanks to their flying, they weren't restricted by the sands like the rest of us, so they had full command. Soldiers were speared left and right, and I noticed a pattern before long. They were targeting the archers. So, I immediately hunted for the ones I knew, unable to find Midir or Brigid in the chaos. I did find Jamke, though. He had a dragon knight flying right at him, and I wondered why he didn't dodge before noticing the burn on his leg. He couldn't move fast enough.

In the split-second I had, I decided to do something very stupid. I made sure my dragon's eye bracelet was visible and threw myself in front of Jamke, as a shield. Sand blasted into my face, and I flinched, closing my eyes and automatically bringing my hands up. I smelled the rank breath of the dragon, heard its ear-rattling shriek right in my ear, felt something wet drip onto my arm. But I didn't feel pain, so I hesitantly opened my eyes to see the dragon had stopped just short of biting me in half, razor sharp teeth hovering over my arm. Strangely red-tinged saliva fell onto my arm, staining my glove and sleeve, as the dragon looked right at my bracelet.

After a very tense second of silence, the dragon reeled back, stirring up more sand, and the knight stared at me in incomprehension. Some part of me was relieved I didn't recognize them, especially when they turned away. After all, as soon as they tried to leave and seek out another target, Jamke leaned around me to shoot them through the neck.

"Well, that was a thing," Jamke breathed as the knight fell. The dragon, shrieking in heart-wrenching sorrow, took to the skies again, attempting to fight us on their own. It quickly fell to a barrage of arrows, courtesy of Midir and his Brave Bow. "I owe you."

"I'm going to remind you that you saved my life before," I pointed out. I was… very surprised that work. I knew what the letters had said and all, but I was still very, very surprised. "Actually, you've saved mine twice."

"I counter with the fact that you have frequently healed up my injuries these past three to four years." He hissed in pain as he tried to stand and I crouched down to heal him up, because thankfully, I'd held onto my staff. "Like now."

"We can call that repayment for all the awkwardness I caused because of my grudge."

"Just accept that I'm in your debt."

"No."

"Jamke!" Brigid appeared then, stopping the little argument, mostly because Jamke and I both yelped over how bloody she was. "Not mine," she reassured, trying to wipe some off her face. She just smeared it with the sweat. "I shot one of the dragons at point-blank range. They bleed a lot. Are you two okay?"

"Yes, we're fine," Jamke reassured. He caught her hand and kissed it. I was amused at how red she became, even under the blood. "How are-?" He looked up at another dragon's screech, followed by some meteors being thrown towards some of the other soldiers. "Cover. Now."

I followed the two of them for a time, before splitting off when I saw Claude. He tossed me his Fortify staff before using his Valkyrie Staff as a Fortify. I followed the unspoken command and stood a short distance away, just focusing on constantly casting Fortify. Between Claude and me, we managed to stay ahead of… most… of the injuries. At the least, we kept Erinys fully healed as she flitting about between the dragon knights to kill the meteor mages. Once they were all dealt with, it simply became a massacre, but considering the earlier ambush, I wasn't sure if it was a 'massacre of the enemy' or a 'massacre of allies'.

"I am more than a little surprised the Thracians are avoiding us," Claude noted at some point, as the battle was dying down. I hoped it was dying down, at least. Both of us were grey with exhaustion, sticky with sweat and itchy from the sand. "I expected them to have the pragmatism to take us out, considering we keep erasing their hard work."

"Perhaps they have an appreciation for healers," I replied absently. I thought it was simply them noticing the dragon's eye bracelet and deciding to not chance it. But I couldn't explain that, especially not right now. "Ugh… I stay off battlefields for a reason. This is the worst."

"Now imagine if we had all the children with us." He smiled wanly, and I could see the quiet panic even through his healer's mask. Alec and Naoise continued protecting Sylvia, and she had long since ducked back by one of the rocky walls of the plateaus to make it easier, but that didn't make the initial assault any less worrisome. "I think that scenario is the worst."

"If we're thinking in hypotheticals, the worst scenario is all of us dying to the meteors." Thank everything that Azel had sensed the magic. "Ah…" I barely caught sight of Sigurd cutting down someone wielding both sword and fire, and Midir shoot down the last dragon knight. "It's over. Well, the battle is."

"Now comes the healer's part." Claude smiled wanly. I smiled back ruefully. "Let's move about and see who can be saved."

After quickly healing up everyone that we could, Sigurd insisted that we press forward to Phinora. During the course of the battle, we had ended up moving towards Phinora as it was, so we really were too close to stop. When we arrived, we expected… something other than the warm welcome we received. Phinora apparently took the 'neutrality' part of Yied seriously. They wouldn't stop Grannvale from using Phinora as a base, but it also wouldn't deny us shelter. That was a very good thing, as before long, we had all the injured set up to rest, and replenished our supplies, including our very precious water.

"This place is truly a paradise, Elder," Sigurd murmured. It was only a short time after our arrival, but Sigurd insisted on being polite and greeting the leader of the town, pausing only long enough to wash up and change clothes. "Thank you dearly."

"It is simply our way, to assist those who come by," the Elder replied. This had probably intended to just be a one-on-one talk, but I had accompanied Sigurd in order to offer to heal people in town. It felt only polite. "Battles can't be helped, due to Yied's neutrality. Why, there was a skirmish to the south not long before your arrival, from my understanding."

"In the south?" Sigurd frowned. "Why would there be fighting in the south? Some random groups or…" Sigurd paused and, for some reason, the color drained from his face. "The Thracians came... from the south... and Leonster… is south… from here…" I stilled as horror flooded me too. Quan and Ethlyn… had promised to return with help. "Ethlyn… Quan…"

"Let me go find them!" I blurted. I felt bad at how the Elder yelped in shock, because I had been so perfectly quiet, but… "Sigurd, I'll leave with a small group to see if I can find them." I grabbed his sleeve and did my best to both plea and appear as the confident healer. "You need to rest, but I can still heal."

"I think you need to rest too," Sigurd immediately retorted. Fear made him snappier than usual, but I didn't blame him. "So-"

"Your horse is slower than my walk in these sands." I felt bad, telling him to wait, but… "I won't go alone. It will be a small group, like I said. But let me go. If there are any alive, I can save them."

"...Okay…" He deflated instantly, not even bothering to argue more. If there were any alive, then every second counted. "Just take who you want. But promise to come back safely."

"I will." I gave him a hug and rushed out, snagging people to come with me. Erinys volunteered before I even mentioned Leonster, and Claude insisted on coming along as well. Jamke volunteered, in case of more dragon knights, while Ayra declared she would accompany us just for the extra fighter. Lachesis tried to volunteer, but with Claude and I leaving, the injured really needed her here, since she, Tailtiu, and Lewyn would be the only ones with healing magic. Erinys's ability to fly was too useful to leave behind. So, with that small group, we left, heading south as the sun beat down on us, each of us whispering desperate please.

Please be okay… please be okay… please…!


We had known it would be bad, when Erinys returned from scouting ahead in tears, but even that forewarning hadn't been enough to prepare us. After all, it had been a massacre. The sands were stained with the blood of Leonster knights and their horses, all strewn about like rag dolls. The messy kills reminded me of those Zyne killed, back when Eldigan was alive and just imprisoned. It made sense that Thracia would have similar lances given their war with Leonster, and it was obviously them who struck. Thracia must've struck them from behind, and between the ambush and the sands, they hadn't stood a chance. Leonster boasted one of the finest cavalries, but cavalry was next to useless in the sand.

"Gods upon high…" Claude breathed as we stared at the scene. Broken weapons marked where the knights had valiantly failed to save themselves. Scattered armor showed where some had fallen, and where others had been struck, yet still continued to fight. "Oh, divine gods, have mercy…"

Those were the only words we spoke before we started hunting through the area, searching for bodies. Claude and I checked every single one we found. Given everything I had seen, it wouldn't surprise me if someone was alive. Some of them had less wounds than survivors of the Silessean Civil War. But each one was dead. None of them breathed. None of them had a pulse. None of them…

In my frantic search for some sort of survivor, I nearly tripped over something in the sands. It took me a moment to realize it was a blanket covering some things, mostly because the wind had blown sand over it, nearly burying it. I knelt beside it and pulled back the blanket, expecting some sort of supplies. Instead, I saw… I saw a sight that broke my heart into utter pieces to the point that I couldn't even scream. After all, underneath the blanket was Ethlyn and Quan. They were, side by side, eyes shut as if they were sleeping. Whoever had covered them had made a point to have their hands lying on top of each other, like they were holding hands even now. They didn't move. Even as the wind blew sand over their faces, they didn't move.

"Hey, come on, wake up…" I whispered desperately, attempting to heal them. But I knew it was pointless. I could see how pointless it was. "It's time to wake up, you two." Ethlyn has half-decapitated. The dried blood splattered all over her and no longer bleeding cuts on her face, limbs, and side showed she had fought desperately for her life. "You're not supposed to be dead." Quan had a hole the size of his head through his chest, straight through where his heart and lungs should be. "You're supposed to be… you're supposed to be…" This wasn't supposed to be how I saw them again. This wasn't supposed to be how we reunited. "Come on…" They hadn't meet Diarmuid. They hadn't teased Lachesis about eloping. "Please?" This wasn't supposed to happen! Why did it happen?!

"Alicia, enough." Claude rested a hand on my shoulder. "Enough," he repeated. "You are burning strength you don't have."

"But…!" I tried to retort. My voice was strangely thick and it took a moment to realize I was crying. I hadn't noticed at all. "Claude!"

"You can't heal…" He closed his eyes, holding onto his calm. Absently, I saw Erinys was sobbing into a stunned Ayra's chest. Jamke was shaking, like he was holding onto his calm with everything he had, watching the skies. "You know."

"This isn't…!" I knew what he was trying to say. I knew what I should be doing. I should be the calm healer. I should be the pillar of strength. That was a healer's duty. When everyone else broke down, a healer had to remain calm. That was part of our training. "I…" I had done so many times before. I had remained calm despite my heartbreak before. Deirdre's disappearance. Eldigan's death. Our exile. Every time, I had held onto my training. "But…" But it was Ethlyn. It was Quan. I adored them to pieces. They were my family. They were my family. "They can't…!" They couldn't be gone. They couldn't be dead. They just… They just couldn't be!

But they were. They were, and no amount of denial was going to change that. They had died, and I couldn't… I couldn't… I…

I broke down, unable to hold only my calm at all. I covered my mouth to at least muffle my sobs, but I couldn't be the healer. I couldn't be the support, the calm and soothing presence. I hurt too much. It hurt too much. All I could do was sob. Claude rubbed my back and held out the Valkyrie Staff. It took me quite a while to piece together that he was trying to bring back one of them, but after a moment, he brought it down and shook his head. He couldn't do it. They couldn't come back. They were gone. They were gone.

"...Finn…" Eventually, Ayra's voice filtered through the haze of tears and shock. "Where's Finn?" she repeated slowly, almost dully. She still held Erinys. Jamke was still tensed. "Where is…?"

That sparked us all back into action, searching the area anew as we hunted for some sign of Finn. When we didn't see his body, we began rummaging through random saddlebags, finding Quan's not far from his body. Inside were five letters, with names written carefully in a writing I recognized. There was one for Lachesis, one for Shanan, one for Oifeye, one for me, and one address to 'everyone'. Jamke ripped it open and unfolded it quickly, reading the first few sentences aloud in a trembling voice. But we all nearly cried at relief at them because they revealed he wasn't here. He was in Leonster, in charge of their defenses since Quan had left with some of their best knights to reinforce Sigurd. It was a high honor, for a knight of his age, but more importantly, it meant he wasn't here. He was in Leonster and not dead in the sands. I wouldn't be tripping over his corpse. We wouldn't have to tell Lachesis he'd died.

That bit of relief gave us some clarity, and we began wandering the area again, this time wrapping bodies to carry to Phinora. It was difficult, since we didn't exactly have a sled, but there had been a lot of blankets for whatever reason, so we slowly got everywhere wrapped and made a makeshift 'sled' we could drag back. As we walked around, though, I was still a little dazed and, due to the crying, stuffed up and nursing a headache, resulting in a lot of sniffling, a lot of coughing, and a lot of tripping. At one point, my foot actually kicked up something soft and I picked it up, brushing the sand off to see what it was. But then I froze because it was… it was a stuffed bear. It was a brown and white stuffed bear, just like the one I had given to…

Frantically, I began hunting through the various saddlebags, starting with the ones close to Ethlyn's body and them moving out. The others yelped and wondered what was going on, but I was completely focused on my task, panic giving me a single goal that I had to see through. If I stopped, I'd break down again, just at the implication. So, I ignored everyone and searched. It took longer than I would've thought, but I eventually found a saddlebag a short distance away, in an area strangely untouched by blood, and when I opened it, I found things I recognized as Ethlyn's. But also instead was a little girl's dresses. There was a little girl's ribbons. There was a little girl's toys. There was…

"Where's Altena?" The words were out before I could stop them, and I turned to face the others. In one hand, I held the stuffed bear I had given Altena way back in Agustria. In the other, I held one of the dresses. Their eyes widened in horror when they realized what the items meant. "Where is Altena?" I repeated, the words practically blistering my tongue. Even though I was saying the words, I couldn't process them. "Where is…?" Because, for some reason, for some reason I would never hear, Quan and Ethlyn had brought Altena with them and that meant Altena had been here when... "Where is she?!"

We searched. We searched until the moon was high in the sky, skin nearly scraped off from the sand and blistering from the sun, but there was no sign of Altena. Quan and Ethlyn were dead, and there was no sign of their daughter. Altena… Altena was lost to the sands. Altena was gone, just like her parents.

Oh, gods, what was I going to tell Sigurd?


Author's note: So, when you capture Lubeck castle, a few things happen. Some meteor mages appear to hit you with long-range magic, and Quan and Ethlyn appear in the south (which is entirely sand terrain) with Leonster knights (all of them are mounted). Even if you never got the Gae Bolg for Quan, he will wield it in this appearance, while Ethlyn will wield an iron sword no matter what was left in her inventory. Immediately after their appearance, Travant appears with a squad of Thracian knights. Who are fliers. On a desert map. And all of them, save Travant, are wielding horseslayers/knightslayers/ridersbanes. As you make your slow way down towards Phinora, ideally by using Erinys to kill the meteor mages because of where they're set up, Travant and company systematically slaughter all of them. Like Eldigan, there is no way to save Quan and Ethlyn (that doesn't involve breaking the game at least. If you capture Phinora, they disappear and if you manipulate the AI to have them capture Phinora first, you are unable to progress). When you capture Phinora, the villagers tell Sigurd about the massacre and he puts the pieces together. I felt like it was in character for the group to at least look for survivors, though.

Altena is also present during the fight, with the reason differing between the game (Ethlyn brought her along because she wouldn't stop crying or something) and the Oosawa manga (iirc, Ethlyn brought her because Yied was neutral/safe territory). In both versions, Ethlyn was supposed to return to Leonster, but stayed a little longer with Quan. And paid the price. As a reminder, Alicia gave Altena, Ares, and Seliph matching stuffed bears, though I don't believe I ever stated which one got which color.

Since we've finally seen it in action, let's talk about Tyrfing, the last Holy Weapon you acquire during the first generation. It's the Holy Weapon of Baldur, usable only by Sigurd in the First Generation. Like all Holy Weapons, it has 30 might and boosts some stats. In Tyrfing's case, it boosts skill and speed by 10, and resistance by 20. It also grants the Prayer skill to the wielder (which, in FE4, boosts evasion rate once under 10 HP). It appears again in Awakening, where it grants +5 to res instead.

Ayra's line about finding the time she spends with people precious comes from her Level 40 convo in Heroes, while her line about not dying until Isaach is restored comes from one of her voiced lines. Azel mentioning that Arvis never let Azel stay over at Friege unless Reptor wasn't around comes from Memoirs of Velthomer. In game, the Valkyrie Staff can only resurrect people, but I added the 'Fortify' effect to give it a little more use.

Next Chapter - Interlude, Phinora (last interlude of gen1, second to last chapter of gen1)