Chapter 34) Brothers
Adapting to Yuria's presence is both easier and harder than expected. It's not too hard to spend time with her, but we frequently laugh and tease each other over things she had no idea about and were difficult to explain. Plus there was trying to learn what she was comfortable with, especially since she was a bit hesitant to stand up for herself. Partly due to a shy demeanor and partly because we all had such large personalities and she had no idea how to deal with people who are actually willing to talk about things. Still, we slowly work things out and do our best to integrate her into the group. Slowly.
Just as we slowly make preparations to march out again. Our soldiers were doing well in their lessons. Supplies were acquired. We couldn't stay in Ganeishire forever. We had to push forward to liberate Isaach. And head to Leonster, providing Lewyn brought back good news. And free all of Jugdral. Because that's what people expected of us. The children of the fallen heroes, rising from the ash to save everything…
Comparisons to the Crusaders become more frequent. I wonder if they felt as nauseous as we did.
Our days started much earlier here than they had in Tirnanog. We had to get up early to do our own training, and then there were our chores. And there were some that would remain, no matter how large of an army we got. I mean; Hestia would only let us brush and bathe her, for instance. And Lana preferred it if we were the ones who made the medicines. She knew we knew what we were doing, after all. She hadn't had time to really teach anyone yet.
"I don't think Yuria was expecting so much fur!" Lana laughed, changing the sheets on the beds. There were no more overnighters in the infirmary, for once, so not only could she do so in relative peace, but she got to be as loud as she wanted. A freedom she rarely had, and enjoyed. "I tried to warn her, but she didn't believe me!"
"I think she understands now why 'brushing Hestia' is actually on the list of chores!" I snickered, making medicines at the table. Hestia's ears briefly twitched, but she remained 'asleep' on the floor by my chair. "Aside from not knowing what to do with the fur, she did pretty well. A few more times and I think we can leave her unsupervised."
"I'm glad Diarmuid didn't mind watching out for her." She tossed a dirty sheet into the corner, giggling. "What was his morning chore, though?"
"Reviewing inventory lists. You know how he's just got a good head for numbers." Seliph and I thought that leaving the inventory and budgets to Diarmuid was our best bet in keeping things straight. Lester was our backup. "And how he's good at memorizing."
"He really is." She dragged a spare chair over to a shelf and climbed up on it to pull more clean sheets off. I wasn't sure what I was more confused by: the fact that someone had put them out of reach of our tiny healer, the fact that she hadn't asked me for help despite me likely being tall enough, or that despite half-balancing on the top of the chair, it didn't fall. "He's helping Yuria with learning herbs. It's super sweet of him."
"And how is she doing?"
"She's learning pretty quickly. I think she was learning when everything happened to her." Lana's cheer faltered, and I winced. Just last night, Yuria had tried to remember again and ended up suffering another panic attack. We reassured her that she didn't have to remember, but she whispered that she wanted to. Because even with the bad memories, she was certain there were good ones she had forgotten and she 'remembered' enough to know she wanted them back. I couldn't decide if I thought it brave to face the bad with the good or if I was frustrated she'd put herself through such things. "That said, I think she does get overwhelmed by having the personal attention of our resident prince charming~!"
"Diarmuid will kill you if he heard you say that." I rolled my eyes. That was an old nickname. 'Prince Charming' and 'Princess Charming' for Diarmuid and I respectively. We hated them with a passion. Not the least because neither of us were royalty. Well, mostly. I supposed we both were sort of royalty, via Agustria's main royal line dying out and Arvis killing all his competition for the throne. Which actually made the nicknames worse. "Anyway, she's probably just more overwhelmed by having a person's attention in general."
"I suppose." Lana disappeared into the back to grab a giant pile of blankets. "Hey, Riona, you okay?"
"Yes?" I looked up from my measuring and mixing and frowned at her. Because random, much? "Why? Do I look ill or something?"
"No, I've just noticed there's been something a little off these past couple of days." She smiled kindly as she got clean blankets on each of the beds. "It's not too bad, but if it's something I can help with, I'd rather we go ahead and address it."
"Before it becomes a problem, right." I sighed. I'd rather hoped no one noticed. But, based on the looks Seliph and Larcei had been giving me, I knew I hadn't been doing that good of a job. This just confirmed it. "I don't think it's serious, though. I think it's just me having some difficulties adjusting to Yuria." Yuria was severely touch-starved and a very lonely person in general. It was rare that she wasn't with at least one of us, though she was very hesitant, aware that she was intruding. So, it was just… very odd. We never really had to deal with a shy person before. Even Muirne had been more confident. "That's all."
"It is weird adjusting to a new person, and she's just so desperate to be helpful and to not cause trouble. It's like those…" Lana paused. "I was just about to compare her to Hestia. I don't like that implication."
"I get your meaning." Hestia had actually been very shy and skittish when I first found her. It had taken her a few weeks to be comfortable with us. Now here she was, snoozing at my feet without a care in the world. "We have to be gentle with her until she's comfortable."
"Yep!" Lana giggled, relieved. However, she still had a serious look to her. "But that just makes me more confused. You say you're having difficulties, but honestly, you've been one of the best for that."
"I think you've been doing a way better job than me."
"You sure? When she was frightened by the self-defense crowd last night, she ran to you."
"I think that's just because…" I paused to double-check a measurement. You had to be extra-careful with medicines. Too much of a certain herb and suddenly, you had a poison, not a medicine. "Anyway, I think that's just because she unconsciously associates me with Conall." I still remembered what she'd said about her past. She'd run to someone with two-colored eyes who she knew would keep her safe. Heterochromia wasn't so common that… "So, she views me as 'safe'. Plus, I had Hestia and who doesn't feel safe with large apex predator ready to kill to protect you?"
"Still, though." She finished changing the blankets and went to work on the pillows. "Well, how did it start?"
"Sometimes, you're like Hestia with a good bone." I sighed and she stuck her tongue out. Whenever she got a 'must fix problem' attitude, she kept at it. Part of why she was such a good healer, but it did make it difficult for her to objectively assess people's injuries. "Okay, okay. The uncomfortableness started because of something I accidentally overheard."
"Ah, eavesdropping." She shook her head and teasingly made a 'tsktsk' noise. "Bad."
"Very bad. All Hestia's fault, of course." I checked on Hestia, but she was definitely fast asleep. "Anyway, I overheard Yuria asking Seliph if she could brush his hair. That's… well…"
"That made you uncomfortable."
"I know it's weird!" It was ridiculous, and a bit pathetic truthfully. If any of our soldiers knew it, they'd sincerely question why they put their hope in me. "Anyway, afterwards, I heard Larcei say that I'm the only one Seliph…" I glanced at her. "Am I really the only one who brushes Seliph's hair?"
"Yep." Lana smiled slightly, a knowing look in her eyes. That never spelled good things. "He wouldn't even let Mother do it. Just you."
"Oh." And there was that strange feeling again. A bit of relief and butterflies and… I didn't even know. "A-anyway, that's kind of what started it."
"I see." Lana sat down at the table, elbows on the table and chin in her hands. This wasn't good at all. "Say, Riona, subject change."
"Okay?" Yep. Not good. This was her 'I am about to have so much fun' look, and that meant teasing. "What is it?"
"How did you feel about Seliph and me dating?"
"That… huh?" The hell? That was random. "Uh… happy? I guess? More things to tease you about, and you both seemed pretty happy?"
"It was certainly fun." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What about Muirne?"
"Yay, more ways to tease him? Yay, Muirne is smiling more?" I frowned and so did she. "Uh… Lana?"
"Okay, different tactic." She brought one hand down, propping up her face with the other one still. "Did you ever feel threatened? That someone could take your place?"
"My place?" This wasn't making any sort of sense. "No, of course not. I'm me." I finished up the potion I was making and pushed the medicine-making stuff to the side. "Are you suggesting that I feel awkward because 'my place' had been threatened for the first time or something?" I supposed that made some sense? Illogical, but emotions weren't exactly logical. Lana's little sigh, however, told me I was still missing something. "Either you tell me what you're getting at, Lana, or try a different tactic."
"Think about it a little more. I know you can get it."
"Ugh…" I sighed and leaned back in my chair, doing my best to think about it. I couldn't really find an answer to her question, so I decided to try and figure out what she'd been really asking me. After a moment, I wondered if she'd been asking if I'd ever been jealous of her or Muirne. Which was ridiculous. I'd never been jealous. After all, I…
I froze, realizing something that made me ill. No, I had never gotten jealous. But not because I… it was because I had assumed the relationships were temporary. Even as I teased, because teasing was fun. Even as I thought they looked nice together, because I loved seeing them happy. Even as I wondered why they broke up, because I worried about broken friendships. Even with all of that, I had always, always assumed they were temporary. Because mine had been. Mine had been temporary.
Diarmuid and I dated, yes, but it was just the fun first-crush sort of thing. Neither of us had expected it to last. It was more exploration of ourselves and just fun. Larcei and I had impulsed-dated, more out of desire than any sort of 'love', and both of us had known it wouldn't last either. All the crushes I had were temporary, things I didn't act on both because of the Mythical Someday and because… because I loved Seliph.
I had always loved Seliph. I had always been close to him. Always right there with him. Always content in the knowledge that I could be at his side, and no one could replace me there. Until we got a new person. Until Yuria arrived and shook up our dynamic. Until she asked…
"I'm an idiot…" I groaned, dropping my head to the table with a dull 'thunk'. Lana climbed onto the table itself to pat my head, based on the creaking. "I am an absolutely arrogant idiot."
"Not sure I'd call you arrogant, or an idiot," Lana reassured gently. She continued patting my head. "So, now that you've gotten your answer, what are you going to do?"
"For now, finish these medicines." I sighed and lifted my head. She really was on the table, which amused me. "Then I'm going to have a talk with Larcei."
"And Seliph?"
"I'll figure out what I'll do after that. Probably going to take a couple of days to really process this." I smiled bitterly. "Must've annoyed the hell out of you all."
"Not really." Lana climbed off the table and swung over to hug me, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Just a bit of frustration. No big deal."
"I see." I couldn't even tease her. This was just… "I'm sorry."
"For what?" She kissed my cheek. "I love you, Riona. You're my big sister, and I want you to be happy."
"And you are my adorable little sister and I love you too." I leaned into her. "But the apology is for anything I did or implied when you and Seliph were dating."
"Nothing I noticed. Neither of us expected it to be a permanent thing anyway." She let go of me and sat down at the table again. "But medicines."
"Right." Those definitely needed to be done. "Thank you for dealing with my obliviousness."
"I'm used to it~" She giggled and I rolled my eyes. "I've been trying to figure out a way to get you to figure it out for a while. I guess it was hard because it was always there."
"Yeah." I could tell my crushes easily. It was a change in how I felt. But my feelings for Seliph had never really changed. Or the change had just been so gradual that it was near impossible to notice. "Thank you."
"Always."
"And when you're ready to confess to Ulster, let me know because I will definitely help."
"Th-that…!" She blushed and I had to snicker. I hadn't actually meant to tease. It had been instinctive. But gods, I'd needed it. "Well, I have been trying to figure out how to let him know. But, you know, subtle. I don't know what he feels and I'm not at a point that I want to just ask."
"Then let's discuss strategies."
She and I debated numerous things, from the absolutely absurd to the workable, while we made medicines. It was a good way to wind down from that little revelation, and making Lana blush was fun. Win-win?
I finished up with making medicines and caught Larcei while she was also on break. Sensing the seriousness of the conversation, she suggested we climb to the roof to not be disturbed, which I agreed to, after dropping Hestia off with Lester because he was handling the morning hunting. Of course, any chance of the conversation remaining serious went away more or less at my first sentence. She was far too busy laughing at how I'd finally figured out I was in love with Seliph.
"You know; I meant for this to be serious," I grumbled, hiding my face in my knees. Meanwhile, Larcei was curled into a ball next to me, struggling to breathe through her laughter. "What's that animal with a vocalization that sounds similar to laughter? Hyenas?"
"You'd know more than me, miss animal lover," Larcei wheezed. She was actually crying from laughing so hard. "Ah, freaking hell…"
"Like I said. This was supposed to be serious."
"I promise this laughter isn't entirely mocking." She rolled onto her back, taking deep breaths and wiping at her eyes. I just pulled my legs closer to my chest, refusing the lay down. "Part of it is happy. I'm glad you figured it out. Finally."
"How long have you known?"
"Not sure." She finally calmed down and smiled up at me. "A while, though. For the record, it's why Ulster, Diarmuid, and I were laughing. On the balcony before we killed that bastard."
"Oh." Looking back, I'd felt odd then too. Being the leader, he'd felt so 'distant'. Taking into account what I knew now, I must've felt shaken by that apparent distance. There was no longer that 'guarantee' that I could still be by his side. So, that was why I'd felt such relief when he'd looked up at me and smiled. "You know; a little warning on how arrogant I was being would've been nice."
"I'm not sure I'd call it arrogant, though. You two have always been close. Especially after Conall was captured." She giggled. "You were so despondent. It took a few days to really comprehend what had happened, even though we were so used to people just disappearing on us."
"Well, it honestly felt like half of my heart had been ripped away." I wondered if Conall had hurt too. "And I couldn't accept that one of us just disappeared." It was something that happened to 'other people'. Not 'us'. "You and Seliph worked hard to make sure I smiled again."
"We did. But Seliph was easily the more determined of us two. I remember him actually staying up late to brainstorm. Because you were the person closest to him and you were sad, so he wanted to help." She stretched out like a cat and then let her arms rest above her head, crossed just because. "And that's just how you two always were, always are. When we had to pair up, you two would automatically gravitate towards each other. When we napped as children, you two were always next to each other. When we did the whole 'group cuddle' thing, he was always next to you. When we group up, it's rare you two aren't side by side. It's been that way forever. So, I don't think it's arrogant to simply assume that's how it would always be. Gods know that we're a bunch of sheltered brats. Talked about going out and fighting, but none of us ever really thought about what would change. What would have to change, in order for us to do what we need to do."
"I'll agree with those last three sentences." Leaving Tirnanog certainly showed how much we still had to learn. About so many things. It was honestly a bit unsettling, but we had to keep moving. Too many people entrusted us with their hope to do anything else. "But analyzing that arrogance or taking for granted… whatever… isn't why I wanted to talk to you."
"Right, right. But you're going to tell me later how you figured it out."
"Oh, now that one is simple. Yuria's shaken up our dynamics, I felt weird, Lana prodded me, and none of you have ever asked if I ever got jealous. Figured it out from there because I had to think of why I wasn't jealous."
"We didn't?" Larcei became thoughtful. "Oh. Huh. Yeah, you're right. Of course, we never really asked any of the group if they were jealous. Though, to be fair, I think Lester and Creidne's relationship was the only one we thought had a chance of being permanent."
"True." I frowned, thinking. "Who else did you date again? Me, I know. Deimne. Did you date Muirne?"
"I asked Muirne out, but got refused. She didn't swing that way, sadly." She laughed. "You know; she was starting to crush on Dalvin when we left."
"No, really?" Oh, that was adorable! "When did she tell you?"
"She and I had paired up to look for the children, remember?" It took a bit to actually remember that. She'd done that to 'force' Ulster and Lana to pair up. "She told me then. Sadly, things were far too busy afterwards for her to tell anyone else in our group. You should ask her about it in a letter."
"We do need to send more letters back to Tirnanog." We sent some off as soon as Ganeishire was captured, but… "Wait, wait, wait… we're way off topic. Again."
"Whoops~!" She laughed again, unbothered, but quieted when I sighed. "Okay, sorry. Clearly this is something you really want to say. What is it?"
"It's an apology, Larcei." I hid my face in my knees again. "I mean; our whole argument started because I accused you of using me as a substitute for Shanan, and yet I…"
"I knew you weren't using me as a substitute. I'm no one's substitute." She rolled onto her side and smiled at me. "We both knew it wasn't going to last. It was fun. That's all it was for both of us. And we knew it."
"You can't tell me it wasn't annoying."
"Oh, no, it was. It really was. So much so that I almost threw it right back at you." She rolled back onto her back. "But, like I said. I knew I was no substitute. And you just… didn't think about it. It was just part of you. Your hair is blonde. Your eyes are red. You love Seliph."
"Yeah, but now it just sounds like I was using you."
"Well, if you were, then I was too. A 'game' just for us, sort of thing." She laughed. "Gods, you and I really shouldn't have dated. It was fun, but looking back on it…"
"Total mess." But fun, like she said. "We both learned a lot with it, though. And that's kind of how our group took relationships. Ways to learn more about ourselves, and about each other. Probably not the best, but no one really stopped us."
"I think it's because we used them to grow. I mean; you and I got way better at communicating after the explosive argument."
"That's true." It also really helped highlight how 'minor issues' should be worked out sooner for relationships to work. And how a couple's problems didn't necessarily effect just them. "But still, I wanted to apologize for that hypocrisy. Even if you didn't think it was that entirely, I do."
"Apology accepted." She smiled again, warm and sincere. Even if she didn't think I needed to apologize, she acknowledged that I thought I needed to. "You know; I can't even remember how that argument started. It was something so damn small."
"But I got irritated, and then you snapped, and then I snapped, and it just became a huge mess where we were yelling and scaring the living hell out of everyone." Yelling-arguments had never really been a thing with our group. At least, not like what we had done. And hopefully, none of us would have anything like that again. "Can't even remember how we got onto the Shanan thing."
"Neither can I." Larcei's smile faltered, and she rolled onto her side again. This time, though, she faced away from me. "...Is it really so obvious? That I…"
"That you're crushing on Shanan?" I reached over and ran my hand through her hair reassuringly. "A bit. It's only become really obvious these past couple of years."
"Well, I've actually only had the crush for a couple of years. I've certainly always admired him, but…" She sighed. "Can I borrow your lap?"
"Of course." I straightened out my legs and she shifted to lay down in my lap, looking away from me. I continued running my hand through her hair to reassure her. "Like Lana said. We're here to listen if you need it."
"I don't even know how to explain it." She absently traced shapes onto the roof. "It's probably silly. He's always been so distant. Well, no, not always. When we were little-little, he was our babysitter, but…"
"We remember him leaving more than anything by this point."
"His back as he left on another mission to save people. To protect his country. The perfect king, even when young. Even when uncrowned."
"Wasn't there a time we went a year without seeing him."
"There was." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "I don't have many memories of him laughing, you know. Not a full and bright laugh. And there's a similar thing with his smiles." She curled into herself a little. "And he always seems so lonely. So, it honestly all started with wanting him to not be so lonely. Wanting him to smile, really smile. To relax. To somehow convince him that he's fine, just as he is. He's strong enough. He's good enough. No matter what he thinks."
"He feels his failures keenly." Or his perceived failures. He blamed himself for Deirdre's kidnapping. He blamed himself for Conall's. He went into dangerous territory, on his own, to get a weapon to 'make him stronger' so that he 'never failed again'. "Yeah, I can see all of that. It makes sense." I thought about it a bit more and smiled. "He laughs the most around you."
"I try. And then he does smile and he does laugh and it's just…" She sighed. "Well, that's when we get into romance novel protagonist thoughts." She rolled over on her back to look at me. "But that's… that's about all I can say coherently."
"So, nothing about him being very handsome."
"Riona!" She scowled and I snickered. "Ugh, I mean, if we want to go into that sort of stuff, then sure. He's super handsome, kind if a bit awkward with his words sometimes…"
"I know. I just had to get you yelling. Being hesitant doesn't suit you."
"Oh, shut up." She continued to scowl, but softened. "We're both weirdos when it comes to romance, huh?"
"We are. And neither of us really know where to go with them."
"Yep." After a moment, we both started laughing. "Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out. You let me know if I can help, okay?"
"So long as you do the same."
"You know it." She sat up and rolled her head to stretch out her neck. "Man, I can see why Seliph always steals your lap. You're comfy!"
"I must, unfortunately, take your word for it. That said, we should probably head down and see what time it is exactly. We were both just 'on break' after all."
"True." She crawled over to the edge and frowned. "Whoa, there's some sort of commotion."
"Really?" I peered down as well and saw she was right. People were rushing about this way and that. "Damn, what happened?"
"No clue."
"I thought you two might be up there!" Yuria's voice drifted up and we quickly found her in the crowd, thanks to her distinctive hair. She smiled up at us from below, next to some very startled servants for some reason. "The scouts returned with some news, so there's a meeting," she explained, cupping her hands around her mouth to help the words carry. "You're needed!"
"We'll be down as soon as we find a safe path," I called back. Larcei was already looking for one. "How long has it been?"
"Not long, but you two proved elusive."
"That so?" I supposed most wouldn't know to look up for us. "Did Diarmuid tell you that we hang out on the roof sometimes?"
"No, I just had a feeling." A feeling? That was weird. I'd ask more about that later. "Should I let them know you're on your way?"
"Please and thank you!" I looked over to Larcei and she waved me over before starting to head down. "Be right there!"
Scouts, huh? Then this was a war meeting. The first one… oh gods, now we really were official. I was going to be sick.
The 'War Room' was of a reasonable size with windows set up closer to the ceiling to let sunlight in, but not provide any sort of 'weak point' into the room. There were no chairs or rugs inside. Simply a large, square table with a map carefully pinned in the center and what looks like hundreds of pieces of paper scattered about on the edges. An exaggeration more than likely, but it was definitely intimidating. Standing along the edges of that table, looking over the map with everyone… everything became far too real. This was war. This was an operations room. And, on a personal note, this was the first time all day I'd seen Seliph. Meaning I felt a little awkward because I was still processing that little revelation. I smiled to hide it, of course. But honestly, quite a bit of the awkwardness was feeling like I should be more awkward!
"Everyone relax," Oifeye chided, smiling at all of us. He had an interesting expression, some sort of cross between 'amused', 'proud', and 'sad'. "You have to be relaxed, as otherwise, you'll focus too much on impulses, not thoughts. It's little different than what we did before taking Ganeishire."
"Except now it's official," Diarmuid pointed out. He'd noticed something off with me immediately, and made sure to stand next to me to hold my hand reassuringly. I appreciated it greatly. Just as I appreciated Hestia leaning into my leg to let me pet her more easily. "Big difference."
"I suppose." Oifeye chuckled, and then looked across the table at Seliph. "Well then. Since this is official, Lord Seliph…"
"Ugh… how did Father ever deal with this?" Seliph groaned. Ulster, on his right, rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Since Hestia was between Seliph and me, I simply caught his eye and smiled to encourage him. "Okay. Everyone knows what sparked this, right? Scouts returned."
"That's about the extent of what I know, anyway," Larcei noted. She was across from me, between Ulster and Lana, and held Lana's hand much like Diarmuid held mine. "I'm assuming soldiers, though."
"Yes. Lester?" Seliph focused on him, on the end of the table with Oifeye. I wondered how this set up would change if we got more people. Would we add more? "You actually met the scouts, if I recall correctly."
"Yes, my hunting group ran into them, and I borrowed a horse to venture a bit ahead," Lester confirmed. He fidgeted with his sleeves, nervous. Reporting enemy movement. This was all so… I didn't even know. "We've a group of mounted soldiers within sight, barely. They're probably be here in one or two days, depending on whether or not they want to camp another night."
"Basically, deciding if they go ahead and attack to lessen our chances of being prepared or if they want to be fully rested?" Lana asked. She frowned a bit, resting her free hand on her cheek. "Mmm… infirmary is ready. I'll definitely want some more on bandages and other preparations, and to have at least one of you switch over to medicines for the duties and chores. But, providing nothing too unexpected occurs…"
"Hey, you sound like Mother." Lester grinned and Lana rolled her eyes. "Regardless, though, it seems the leader is Iuchar, based on the colors. Or so I was told."
"And that is…?"
"The middle child of Danann."
"Oh, so Ulster and Larcei's cousin." Lana looked up at Larcei curiously, but she shrugged. She didn't really care. Ulster didn't react either, showing the same. "So, what should we do?"
"Personally, I'm curious if we can get him to surrender," Seliph murmured. He leaned against the table, looking over at the map. "But first… where were they again?" There was an odd moment of silence, awkward and hesitant, before Oifeye produced some little figurines and set them up, consulting the reports to set them up as accurately as he could. "Thank you." All of us frowned when we noticed the area. "Some trees and the like, but it's pretty damn open…"
"Oifeye, the figurines have horses, so is that indicative of the troops?" Diarmuid asked. Oifeye nodded without saying a word, continuing to set things up. I had a sneaking suspicion that he was simply going to guide us and intervene only if things got super bad. "In that case, then of course they're in open area. The horses practically need it."
"It also means the battlefield would be nothing but chaos, with little chances of tweaking things to our advantage." Seliph sighed, and fussed with his hair. "You and Riona found out that Iuchar isn't that bad, though, yes?"
"According to the gossip, he doesn't support the Child Hunts, at least, and it seems no one really has a bad thing to say about him, save that he's Danann's son." Diarmuid frowned, thinking. "I believe the exact phrase is something like 'someone made sure he and his brother actually learned morals'?"
"In that case, as I mentioned earlier, I would like to try and get him to surrender somehow. Less battles will be good for our own forces, and the possibility of more allies…" Seliph suddenly grimaced. "Though, maybe that's naive, considering earlier…"
"What happened earlier?"
"Just some quiet staring contests between our new recruits and the Dozel soldiers who sided with us," Ulster explained. He shrugged, still unbothered. Perfectly stoic Ulster being the calm one like usual. "It was bound to happen. They were part of the force that hurt them and their families. I managed to prevent a fight, but if we're going to continue recruiting those on the enemy's side, I do expect something to give."
"If that's the case, then everyone airs out their grievances and we'll swoop in with some passionate and cool speech," I replied, making my voice light to hide how uneasy that made me. We'd have enough troubles without infighting. At the same time, we couldn't just kill everyone in our path. For one thing, that would just lead to more deaths on our side. "Like when that girl threw mud at Seliph."
"I'm sure if we make one or two of us available to discuss our reasonings, then we'll at least get everyone cooperating, even if they're not happy about it." Of course, that led to all of us sighing as we recognized yet another job. "Okay, I'm with Seliph. How did our parents manage things like this? For more people?"
"Delegation, in most cases," Oifeye answered easily. He watched us closely, smiling. "Lots of delegation. You'll figure out how best to divide things. But that's for later. Don't look so far ahead that you trip over your own feet."
"Right, we have a situation to deal with now, in the present," Larcei agreed. She shrugged and tugged Lana a little closer so that she could lean on her. "So, surrender. How do we make him get one?" Silence. Because we certainly had no idea. "Oifeye!"
"Fine, fine." He chuckled, amused. "Your best bet would be to figure out a way to demoralize them prior to the battle."
"So, what? Feed them your cooking?"
"I… well…" He sighed as the rest of us burst into laughter. "Just for that, you can figure out how on your own."
"You were going to make us flail about on our own for a while longer anyway!"
"Of course. What you lack is experience. I can't teach you experience. I can only guide you through it." He crossed his arms and smiled gently at us. "You have the knowledge you need. You simply need experience to recognize that, and we have the time to let you take it slowly still. Though, I do have a feeling that once you figure out how to proceed, you will push forward. All the way to Rivough. But that's for later. Think on the now."
"And the now is 'how do we disrupt them?'," I murmured, wondering just what Oifeye was trying to lead us to. Hestia licked my hand to reassure me, and I almost facepalmed when the obvious thought occurred to be right then. I only didn't because Diarmuid had one hand and I wasn't going to slap my face with wolf-spit. "Wait, of course. Horses. We have a wolf." I pointed to Hestia for emphasis. Her ears perked up, interest piqued. "Horses spook easily anyway. One good howl and…"
"Gods, they'll be running all over the place, especially if we free them first," Diarmuid laughed. All of us lit up as we finally recognized what Oifeye meant. "Wait, let's run with that. Spooking them and all. That won't require that much infiltration or anything, like replacing their food with Oifeye's cooking."
"I could totally do weird shit with their campfire! And..." I was about to suggest Seliph do things with the light globes, but quickly realized that he likely wouldn't be infiltrating at all. "And uh…"
"It might be open plains, but I think the grass is a bit high in that area, so we can sneak closer and… and maybe capture Iuchar?" Ulster suggested. He tried to hide his excitement, but it was hard. Oifeye was right. We did know…! "Riona, Larcei, and I can leave with some of the quieter members of our army."
"If you're going to do that, then I need to get you all some medicine packs," Lana noted. She frowned at us. "And if you get yourself badly hurt, I will make you regret it."
"The stuff of nightmares, that. Maybe we should have you scold Iuchar into submission instead." Ulster looked to Seliph, who seemed conflicted. "Do you see a flaw with it?"
"No, I don't," Seliph reassured. He smiled sweetly, but I saw the worry in it. "Simply sad that I can't go along to help. But I have to stay here, huh?"
"You can fret with us not-as-sneaky ones," Lester teased, grinning. "Not like we'll be getting much sleep anyway. Don't we have a list of sneaky people, though?"
"I imagine so. We have lists for nearly everything else." Seliph sighed and nodded. "All right. We'll go with this. The exact plan will be up to you three upon seeing the actual layout. Don't leave without checking in, okay?"
We all dispersed, heading this way and that, except Seliph who lingered at the table, frowning over the map. I hesitated a bit before going to his side, poking his face to let him know I was here. He smiled at me briefly, but soon returned to the map, staring at the pieces. I studied him for a moment before looking at the pieces too, curious as to what held his attention so. The silence stretched out, and eventually, I just had to break it.
"I wonder how many people each of those little pieces represents," I murmured, picking one up. They were finely made, but I could see tiny little scratches and worn edges that quietly showed their age. I wondered if these were pieces Oifeye had used for tactics while serving with Sigurd. "Ten? Twenty? More?"
"I hope not more. You're going to be a small group," Seliph whispered. He sighed and smiled sadly. "Ah, I'm just worrying. It didn't occur to me until now that I won't be able to just go out on missions and the like. It makes perfect sense, yet…"
"Yep. You have to stay and be the big leader person." I set the piece back down and leaned into his side to hug him. "Relax, though. We'll be fine. I mean; we've got Ulster, the most cautious of us. Biggest worry is Hestia getting excited."
"That's a big worry." He laughed softly and rested his head against mine. "I suppose it's also going to be odd because you'll be away for… at least a day. Our group isn't used to separations."
"No, we're not." Diarmuid and Lester going on patrol was the first time, really. Unless one counted Conall being captured. "We'll be back before long." But I supposed the realization that things like this would become common was a little… "Seriously, don't fret so much."
"You might have an easier time convincing the sun to rise from the west." He smiled, though, and it was warm. "Ah, but I'm keeping you. I'm sure you have a lot to pack."
"Not a lot." I did have to get going, however, so I pulled away and winked. "I'll see you later, okay?"
I left then, skipping down the hall. But then I paused and sighed, frowning. Shouldn't I feel a little more awkward? I just figured out I was in love with him. Wasn't I supposed to be all blushy and stammering? Everything was as normal. Did the simple acknowledgement not actually mean all that much to my brain? Had it been so obvious that my mind simply didn't think anything of it anymore? But how obvious was it? And what should I do from here? The normal situation would be to confess, of course, but…
But that's where things got 'typical' apparently. Because the thought filled me with a panic. A gnawing panic that made my stomach turn and vision blur at the edges. A fear of 'change', but in this case, a fear that I was 'wrong'. That I couldn't actually… that my feelings weren't requited and that confessing would change things for the worse. That he and I could never be as close again. I didn't want that. More than anything I…
"Okay, what happened?" And suddenly, I had a Diarmuid in my face. "Easy there," he murmured, catching me when I yelped, jumped back, and nearly fell. "You didn't follow, so I double-backed. You were a bit off before the meeting started too. Is everything okay?"
"I… well…" I began. After a moment, I sighed and smiled wanly. "I'm fine. Just being a bit weird. Ask Lana, because she knows… most of it. I'm honestly not sure I've the time to explain it all. Or that I should be having a heart-to-heart when I should be focusing."
"Something like that, huh?" He nodded, understanding. "Okay." He ruffled my hair and kissed my forehead. "Then I'll ask her, and we can talk about it in a couple of days if you're up for it."
"Yeah, that sounds good." I kissed his cheek and skipped past him. "Thanks for the save, though. Didn't expect my thoughts to take that sort of turn."
"Figured as much." He smiled. "I'll see you later, then."
"Sounds good!" I ran down the hall, rounding a corner quickly to try and get some energy and bounce into me. It had the side effect of almost running into Yuria, though. "Sorry!"
"N-no, it's fine!" Yuria yelped. She pressed her hands on her chest, though, to calm her pounding heart. "Um… but I was looking for someone, so this is perfect. I was wondering what was going on exactly? Everyone is running about suddenly and Lana raced into the infirmary, grumbling about medicinal packs..."
"Oh, right, you were watching the infirmary while Lana was at the meeting," I murmured. I smiled at her and poked her cheek. Just to make her squeak. It was fun. "Basically, we've enemies and Ulster, Larcei, Hestia, and I are going to head out with some people to see about capturing the leader and demoralizing the enemy."
"You are?" She gasped. "B-but that sounds dangerous!"
"It is, but we'll be fine. We'll just be gone for a bit." And we had to move quickly. The sooner we left, the better. "That's all."
"Well, yes, but…" She winced, and genuinely looked afraid. But she soon sighed and nodded, smiling faintly. "Then again, it is you. You all are amazing." She took my hands, though, and squeezed them. "Be back soon? I'll be waiting, with everyone else."
"Of course." I grinned, making sure I appeared as confident as possible for her. It seemed to soothe her. "We'll be back before you know it. Promise."
"I'll hold you to that."
By some strange sort of luck, we actually left within the hour with full preparations done. It made us feel oddly professional and accomplished, though we did have to explain to our people that this wasn't an assassination. Not unless Iuchar gave us a reason besides 'he is related to a cesspool of a human'. Because there were a lot of people on the continent that were 'guilty' of the same sort of 'crime'. After we finished convincing them to go with our plan of not-assassination, I pulled Ulster off to the side and told him about what I'd figured out about my feelings on Seliph, just because it felt fair. Lana and Larcei knew, and Diarmuid would before long. I'd make sure Lester knew when I got back. So, fair.
"Ah, finally," he murmured, smiling warmly and thankfully not laughing. He slung an arm around my shoulder and kissed my hair. "I was curious if you'd ever name them."
"Apparently, throwing a new person in the group is enough to rattle me," I grumbled. Actually, the more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got that it had taken so long. And the more annoyed I got at my own arrogance at simply assuming things. "Anyway, if you're wondering why Larcei's been grinning like the cat that caught the sparrow, that's why."
"I had been curious." He studied my expression and kissed my hair again. "What's wrong, though? And something is. You're good at hiding, but we've known each other too long."
"Just being annoyed at myself, really. And wondering…" The usual thoughts. Should I confess? Should I not? I didn't have this issue with Diarmuid and Larcei. I'd just gone for it. But I also hadn't been so afraid of being rejected by them. "Then I get annoyed for still thinking about it when we're… you know…"
"Having to be the leaders?" Ulster glanced around, but thankfully, the two of us were still a bit away from the group. Larcei and Hestia were leading them well enough. "You need to rant? I think I can come up with an excuse to get further away."
"No, not yet. I'm still processing." I smiled wanly. "Just, like I said, very annoyed at myself on multiple things." And the whole obsessing over it like I was just some random teenaged girl, not… ugh… "I need a distraction clearly. It's like my mind has a morbid fascination with making me cringe and hate myself."
"That's not good. You sure you don't need to rant?"
"Later." I sighed. This was a mess. If not for the fact that I knew it was better to get all this dealt with, I could almost be mad at Lana. It was like the itchy feeling of a scab while a wound healed. "Later."
"All right." Ulster thought a moment before nodding. "Well, if you don't mind continuing 'relationship' discussions…"
"So long as I'm not one of the parties involved, I am all for gossip."
"Not sure it's gossip, and 'relationship' is probably the wrong word, but it's the only one I can think of." He removed his arm from my shoulders and started absently gesturing, as he did when he was particularly nervous or confused. "It's Lana. I think she's been acting oddly around me."
"And you're asking me about it and not, say, Larcei?"
"Well, partly you need a distraction and partly because Larcei will say it's because of something ridiculous, like Lana has a crush on me." It took everything I had to not facepalm. He was almost criminally oblivious sometimes. Someone could throw themselves naked at him, declaring their undying love, and he'd still miss the point. "Regardless, it's not any one instance. Just a general feeling of her being frustrated or staring at me."
"And you want to try to address it before it becomes a problem-problem and we have another explosive argument in the group." Honestly, disastrous as the relationship had been, Larcei was right. All of us definitely got a lot better about communicating afterwards, and not just simply rely on our 'we know each other extremely well' thing. "Well, with that said, is there a reason it feels like a problem? Lana's not one to hold back when annoyed."
"Well, on a personal level, yes? I like her, after all."
"Oh, I seeeeeee… hold up, what?" My jaw dropped and Larcei glanced over worriedly, probably because of how squeaky my voice went. I waved her worries off and, instead, poked Ulster in the side repeatedly, knowing he was ticklish there. "Okay, just so that we're not jumping to full conclusions or anything. We mean like-like, right? Like what I just told you about how I felt about Seliph?"
"Yes?" Ulster frowned. "Have I really not told you all this?"
"No! And I know you haven't told Larcei either because there's no way she wouldn't have told me that."
"...Larcei is going to kill me later, then." He shrugged, unbothered, like always. I, however, was having a small mental crisis because I never noticed. "Well, to be fair, it's sort of the same situation as with you. I've always liked her."
"How did you figure it out then?"
"Unlike you, I got jealous. And then talked it over with Aideen. Because we have an adult who clearly had romantic relationships in the past, so we might as well get her wisdom."
"Er… right…" I looked away sheepishly. Never did talk to Aideen about relationship stuff. Though, in my defense, it had been because I was worried about making her cry. Midir's death still hurt her keenly. All of the deaths hurt her, really. It wasn't uncommon to overhear her sobbing because of how much she missed everyone. The worst were the apologies to Sigurd, though. I'd never asked, but it wouldn't surprise me if she felt everything that happened to Sigurd was her fault. "Pretty sure that's healthier? Maybe? Getting jealous, I mean."
"Depends on how you act on the jealousy. You hear some horror stories sometimes." He had a point there. "Regardless, though…"
"Right, right, sorry, you just dropped that Elfire on me." I sighed, trying to think of what to say. He wouldn't believe me if I mentioned anything about Lana having a crush on him, but I also couldn't tell him it was nothing. I was sure it was part of Lana's subtle attempts to try and figure out what he felt. And failing, clearly. Then again, all of us had failed to notice that Ulster liked Lana. Ulster's stoicism helping and hindering him. "I can talk to Lana for you, if you'd like, but perhaps she's simply trying to imitate your calm?" That had to be the most bullshit thing I had ever said.
"Ah, that's a possibility." So, of course, Ulster believed it. "I know she's been a bit annoyed at not being able to hold onto a 'healer calm'. Which is apparently a requirement?"
"Most healers are apparently taught that it is, and most keep themselves isolated in order to stay that way." From what I knew, Mom had been a total workaholic to avoid interacting with people. It was a testament to the army's patience that she opened up at all. Of course, then she lost everything, just like everyone else. Because life. "Oifeye mentioned that Aideen had some difficulties too, depending on the situation. And Lana is younger than any of the healers in Sigurd's army."
"All true, but she's still frustrated." Ulster became thoughtful. "I should offer to teach her a few of my tricks."
"What? It's not natural?" I gasped dramatically and he rolled his eyes. "Color me surprised!"
"Oh, please. It's nothing different than your ability to fake a bright smile and cheery disposition with barely any sort of signal." He sighed, and I shrugged. I mean; he wasn't wrong after all. Someone had to do it, and I'd always been good at it. So, might as well be me. "Regardless, thank you. It's been bothering me, but I wasn't sure I needed to confront her or not."
"Of course." Though now I did wish I'd told him to ask her. Lana might've just blurted out a confession. Then again, Lana would've been mortified and we'd have all sorts of problems surrounding that. Problems we honestly couldn't afford. No one needed to see their 'leaders' rushing about like lovesick teenagers. "You going to tell the others, though? About your feelings for Lana?"
"When we're back. Last thing we need is Larcei trying to kill me while we're in the middle of an important mission." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I didn't mean for it to be a secret, though."
"I suppose we could've just asked if you were crushing on someone." But we hadn't. Relying on our 'we have known each other forever' thing, and getting reminded that it didn't mean we knew everything. Communication was important! "Shall we rejoin the others? I'm definitely feeling better."
"I'm glad." He pulled me into a one-armed hug and kissed my temple. I kissed his cheek in return. "We should send people ahead to scout."
"I'll handle that, then."
It was a very good thing Ulster suggested that, and I got a quick little group together to move ahead. Iuchar apparently had patrols set up beyond the typical 'safe distance', meaning we almost walked straight into one. Thankfully, though, we ambushed them instead and got them bound and gagged. Learned a few new interesting knots and ways to tie people up through it. However, there was a slight problem. During the aftermath, where we tried to figure out what to actually do with them, Hestia's ears twitched and she went loping off, no doubt hearing some snake and deciding she wanted a snack. So I had to leave Ulster and Larcei to deal with all of that while I chased after Hestia. Because I wasn't going to leave my wolf alone when we knew soldiers were about.
"Hestia, couldn't you have waited?" I grumbled, following her closely. She evaded my attempts to grab and drag her back to the group, so now I just waited for her to catch the damn snake or whatever it was. "Ugh, where even are we?" Based on the terrain, we were nearing the mountains, with lots of hills and some patches of trees and brush. And we were decidedly out of sight of everyone else. "Hestia, if you lead me into an enemy ambush because of your stomach, I swear you will get no treats for a month." Of course, Hestia didn't pay me any mind, save to make sure I hadn't fallen and hurt myself. "I mean it."
We went around a hill and Hestia suddenly jumped into a high patch of grass and came out with a hare in her mouth. I rolled my eyes and facepalmed before looking around while Hestia quickly devoured her snack. Then I stilled, noticing an odd bit of movement close by. Hestia's ears flicked over to it and she headed for it after she finished eating, hinting that the hare had been a 'lucky meal' for her. Her true prey was whatever had caused the movement. Slowly, I followed, one hand hovering over the hilts of my blades. Oifeye had suggested I simply wear both swords and it had taken a bit of practice to get used to the new weight and ensure I had a fast and smooth draw from both. Honestly, I wasn't quite that certain on it, but I could manage if things came to a fight. I hoped not, though. That things would come to a fight, not that I could manage if things did. Hestia and I were alone, after all.
But there was no fight. Instead, the source of the movement had been wings. The pure white, almost fluffy looking wings of a pegasus. Because there was a random pegasus in the middle of Isaach, despite the fact that pegasi were native to Silesse. And there were a bunch of mountains between here and the closest Silessean city: Lubeck. There shouldn't be one here. Certainly not a wild pegasus. Which logically meant...
"Hands in the air!" Which meant the pegasus had a rider, and she had stepped out from behind the pegasus, a slim lance in hand. "Who are you?" she demanded sharply, glaring as she leveled the point at me. I studied her, noting the stereotypical green hair and eyes. The hair was short, though, unlike what I'd heard from most Silesseans, and held back with a white headband. "I asked a question." She wore gold earrings, and a green tunic over white shorts. And armor. All of it seemed a bit on the richer side of things, but I didn't know Silesse well. What was 'expensive' here might be 'cheap' there. "Hey!"
"Give me a moment to appreciate the beauty who just appeared," I instantly retorted. It was no lie; she was pretty. The statement also made her yelp and I noticed her stance was very 'textbook'. It was someone who had practiced a lot, but didn't necessarily fight a lot. "Anyway, though, I'm sorry for startling you. Can we put the weapon down, though?"
"Why? You just appeared out of nowhere and…" She squeaked and stumbled back when Hestia growled, hackles up. No snarling, yet, but her muzzle was bloody. Added to the intimidation. "Um…"
"That's why." I was much calmer about all this than I really had a right to be. "Hestia, stay by me please." Then again, I was more than a little startled by all of this. Probably helped make me calm because I just couldn't process all of this. "We did surprise her and all. How the hell did you hear her and her pegasus from where we were, though?" Despite the reassurances, Hestia refused to let up, and I almost scolded her, but then I noticed she wasn't actually growling at the girl. She growled at a patch of high grasses just beyond the girl, telling me exactly she wasn't settling down. "Okay, whoever is trying to hide, you're apparently doing a bad job and Hestia is offended."
"Aw, and here I thought I was doing a good job." And a boy with long silver hair stepped out from the grass, a green tome in hand. He had two more, one red and one yellow, in a holster on his hip. A mage, then. "I wonder if the dog heard your poor attempts at hunting earlier," the boy continued with a slight, almost carefree smile. There was enough of an edge to it, though, to make it unfriendly. "I told you that you were making too much noise."
"You didn't exactly give me tips to fix it!" the girl grumbled. She glowered, but then softened. "I am sorry, though. Now we're dealing with this."
"That we are. So, how do we proceed?"
"Well?"
"Going to note that I'm literally the only reason you both don't have torn open throats," I deadpanned. Now I was a bit annoyed and Hestia began snarling, sensing my irritation. "Oh, whatever. This is not what I planned on doing tonight. I just followed my wolf and really do need to get back to my group."
"Wolf? How does someone get a pet wolf?" the boy asked. Again, there was that false bit of friendliness and his fingers twitched on the tome. Hestia lunged and purposely just missed his hand, jaws shutting with an audible 'clack'. "Whoa!"
"Hestia, not helping." I sighed. This was a mess. This was such a mess. And all because Hestia wanted to investigate a weird sound or smell she'd noticed. "To answer your question, it's more that she has pet humans. But can we just restart this whole conversation or something? Without weapons? Because I guarantee you that if Hestia continues thinking you're a threat, she's going to kill you. And then probably the pegasus there for the extra meal."
"No! Leave Annand alone!" the girl yelped. She clung to the pegasus's neck and I had to fight the urge to groan. I didn't need to say that last bit. Why did I say that? "Annand is my friend and…!"
"Okay, can we reset the conversation? Seriously?" I groaned. I was clearly emulating Larcei on tact at the moment. "Hestia, by me. Now." Hestia reluctantly retreated to my side, and the boy watched her warily. "She's not actually going to go after your pegasus. She just ate a hare."
"She ate a bunny?!"
"She's a wolf! She eats meat!" This was so bizarre. The boy looked ready to laugh, probably from the sheer absurdity of everything. "She eats whatever she catches! And besides, hares and rabbits aren't the same thing!" And now was when the pegasus's name finally got through. "Wait, Annand?" Mostly because I actually knew that name. A skilled pegasus knight, the older sister of Erinys, who lost her life during the Silessean Civil War while protecting civilians. "You named your pegasus after a knight who died?"
"I named her after my aunt." The girl scowled again, and the boy did start snickering then, pinching the bridge of his nose even. I, however, felt like I just got hit in the head. "What? Is that so weird or something? It's a tradition in Silesse to name pegasi after fallen knights. Admittedly, mine is more recent, but whatever."
"Uh… Annand is your aunt?" There was no way. There was no way, at all. "You're Erinys's kid?"
"You know my mother?" The girl looked at me curiously. "Well I guess that's not a surprise, given that she's the queen of Silesse and all, but not many would know of Aunt Annand way out here. At least, I wouldn't think so." She frowned. "Who are you? You never answered that, you know."
"It's… It's Riona. Caitriona, really, but I go by Riona. I'm the daughter of Alicia and Chulainn." This was weird. This was so freaking weird. "Your mom was…"
"Oh my gods! You're Caitriona?!" Her eyes sparkled and she tackled me with a hug. And knocked me clean off my feet. "Hi! Oh, this is amazing! Mom told me so many stories!"
"Nice to meet you… er…?"
"Fee. My name is Fee. I was born after all the chaos and the like." She giggled. "Oh, yay! What a stroke of luck!"
"From threatening to giggling, you sure do change moods quickly," the boy laughed. He bowed then and put his tome away with the other two. Hestia then relaxed, sitting next to me, but cautiously watching. "Well, my name is Arthur. Fee offered to give me a ride when we happened to meet on the outskirts."
"Though, for some reason, he thinks he can walk to Alster," Fee teased, laughing. She also still hung onto me. "But we're sticking together for now."
"As thanks for giving me a ride." He crossed his arms and looked at Fee curiously. "I forgot to ask why you were so far away from Thove, though. That's where the royal family hid after the Empire took over, right?"
"It is, but after Mother died, I couldn't stand being there, especially since I was alone, so I left to clear my head about two years ago now, living in some of the hidden cabins and retreats that they used to use while training pegasus knights."
"Erinys is dead?" I asked, wincing. That was… it was expected, but still. "And your…" Wait, but is she was Erinys's daughter, then she was also Lewyn's. And Lewyn had just… "You've a brother, right?" I vaguely remembered Aideen mentioning that there had been two other children in the army. One stayed in Silesse, and the other likely died with everyone else during the Belhalla Massacre. Both names escaped me. "Is he…?"
"Oh, Ced is fine," she replied, perfectly chipper. She finally got off of me, sitting back on her heels. "He just left to try and find our father when the healers told us that Mother wasn't going to recover from her illness. I haven't seen him in three or four years."
"That's… a while."
"He probably got caught up helping people. It's how he is." She shrugged, but her eyes wavered. She missed him terribly, and it had to hurt to be alone. I couldn't imagine watching a parent die. The idea of watching Aideen or Oifeye die was… nauseating, really. "Still less time since Arthur has seen his sister."
"You don't need to tell everyone your life story, or mine," Arthur pointed out, a touch grouchily. Fee winced and looked down apologetically. "Still, that is true. It's been about thirteen years for me."
"That's how long it's been since I've seen my twin brother," I murmured. It felt right to say, and I knew it was not my imagination when I saw him soften slightly. "But, while we're on awkward topics, I… uh… saw Lewyn? Not all that long ago?"
"Wait, really?!" Fee gasped, leaning forward and barely avoiding clonking her head against mine. "Where has he been? He just up and left five years ago!"
"He didn't say." That was a complete lie, but damn if I was going to reveal that. But still, this was a little... "Okay, so, when I next see him, I think I'll give him a good hit in the head for being a poor husband and father." It didn't match up with the stories about Lewyn I'd grown up with. Not at all. "Anyway, that's enough awkwardness. I really need to get back…"
"Right, you said you were with a group," Arthur noted. Fee sat back on her heels again, hurt and anger warring in her eyes and expression. I… uh… probably could've timed that little bit of information better. "I'm guessing some liberation army? Rumors have hit Silesse. It's why Fee raced off, actually."
"They're already spreading?" That… well, it was good and bad. But we really did need to defeat Danann before reinforcements arrived. "Ah, but yes, it's… some of us. We're actually on a bit of a mission?"
"Might we assist?" Arthur smiled warmly. "Fee is a pegasus knight, in training, and I'm a mage, as I'm sure you've guessed."
"You can definitely join the army proper, and you can come with me and learn what we're doing. Then you can decide from there whether you'll stick with us, or head north to Ganeishire." What in Jugdral did I get myself into? We left to mess with the enemy and potentially capture their leader. How did I get more recruits out of this? "Welcome to the army?"
Both Ulster and Larcei were also weirded out by the unexpected recruitments. Particularly when they learned Fee was Erinys's daughter. Because what were the chances? Well, said chances were a little higher when we learned Fee left specifically because she had adored the stories Erinys and Lewyn had told her about the army and she felt like things 'made sense again' when she heard about our army. Honestly, she was latching onto the first thing that made her feel useful, because she was still horribly traumatized and mourning Erinys's death and Lewyn's abandonment. And her brother's well-intentioned abandonment. It was amazing how she was able to smile. I wondered if she did what I did.
"Say, Riona, I've a question for you," Arthur began randomly in the middle of Fee's report. Thanks to her being a pegasus knight, she had gone ahead and given us an incredible aerial view of the camp layout. Complete with map. Apparently, it was part of their training to draw accurate maps. "You wear two swords."
"I do, yes," I replied absently, a bit more focused on brushing Hestia. She had needed it badly, as the pile of fur next to me suggested. Yuria apparently hadn't done as good of a job as I'd thought she had. Or Hestia was really shedding and we needed to double up her weekly brushings. "Oh, I'm worried about you when we go further south."
"You're… oh, wait, that was to the wolf."
"Hestia."
"Hestia, that's what it was. Sorry, I hadn't paid that much attention." He eyed her warily, and she gave him the most innocent expression before yawning and resting her head back in my lap. "I was convinced she was going to eat me."
"Hestia doesn't really like the taste of human." Though, I was worried about her acquiring said taste. But for right now, Hestia playfully made the wolf-equivalent of a 'gross face' and pointedly ate some grass. "I know, sweetie. We're super gross, aren't we?"
"R-right…" Arthur gave me a weird look and then looked to Hestia again. "So, this wasn't what I intended to ask, but does she remember threatening me or…?"
"She does, but that's just because she thought you were threatening a member of her pack. Me." I leaned down to kiss her nose. She licked my chin. "So long as you're not a threat, she doesn't care about you at all."
"So, basically, I'm not in any actual danger by sitting next to you."
"No more danger than me." Hestia knew she'd get in big trouble if she hurt an ally. "Anyway, we got distracted. You were asking about my swords?"
"I was actually leading to ask about one sword." He pointed to my Fire Sword, which was half-hidden by all the Hestia fur. My silver blade was similarly covered. "That one. It's magic, isn't it?"
"Yes? Why?"
"It's unusual to see magic swords." He shrugged. "And Isaach isn't exactly known for it's magic."
"That is true." I glanced over at where Ulster, Larcei, and Fee were talking before focusing on Arthur. It was still just reports and double-checking the local terrain. Most of our soldiers were similarly not paying attention, focused on their own preparations. "Magic runs strong through my mom's side of the family, though, and I inherited that."
"Why not just learn magic then?"
"Ha… bit of a child's logic, truthfully." I smiled wanly, uncomfortable by the thought. "You know of the Belhalla Massacre? With the meteors and all?"
"Yeah, I heard about that." He frowned. "So, magic killed your parents and then…"
"Well, it definitely killed my dad. Not quite sure how Mom died." She died five years after everything. "But it's not necessarily that. It's that it was my uncle who did it. He took advantage of their trust and betrayed them." He slaughtered Mom's friends. He destroyed her happiness, her dreams. And not just hers, but also the happiness and dreams of almost everyone she had ever cared about. "I don't want to be like him. And as a child, I was afraid that if I learned magic, I'd be like him. That if I heard the pixies, communicated with them as he did, I'd somehow turn into him. None of which is helped, of course, by the horror stories in Isaach about the terrifying mages of Velthomer and Friege."
"Why just the mages?"
"Key advantage. Isaachians specialize in swordsmanship, specifically styles that involve a lot of dodging, and a great many of the battles happened in and near the Yied Desert." Meaning the Isaachian warriors were slowed by the sands, something that didn't effect over half of the mage troops. Add in how most people really don't have that great of a resistance to magic and you just had a lot of electrocuted ash that used to be people. "And then…"
"Wait, there's more?"
"Yep. It was Velthomer mages who kidnapped my twin brother." Magic had never been anything but a force of destruction in my life. "And again, Isaach. Not known for magic. I grew up around only one person who knew how to use tomes and even then, she was a healer first and foremost."
"Ah, so limited experience and all of that experience is negative." Arthur became thoughtful, glancing up at the sky. The very colorful sky, since the sun was setting. "Basically like when you eat something, and then you get sick, so you can't stomach that something anymore."
"Or when you were really sick and you could only eat a certain food, so you avoid it. Psychological association, Oifeye called it." Diarmuid couldn't stand eggs for that reason. Even the smell of them cooking made him nauseous and irritable. "But yes, it's the same concept."
"I can understand that. Took me a while to pick up thunder magic for that reason. I'd try to focus on the magic and the sprites, and then I'd remember seeing those very same sprites help people kidnap my mother and little sister. And kill my father." His eyes went dark briefly, and I had a bad feeling he'd watched his father die. "Oh, but in that case, why have the magic sword?"
"Well, I associate swords with Isaach. So, I'm kind of hoping that if I can connect magic through that…" I shrugged and smiled sheepishly. Hestia nosed my hand, because at some point during all the discussion, I'd stopped brushing her. "We're at war. I really need to use all my resources. Our soldiers deserve nothing less than my best." Leaders couldn't let personal stuff get in the way of things. "Well, mostly. See, it's also a gift."
"Ah, so you also feel obligated to use it!" He snickered and I rolled my eyes. "Definitely understand that. I picked up wind magic because some traveling merchant gave me a tome and I felt obligated to learn. He taught me a bit."
"Sometimes, you do need that outside push." I sighed as I thought of how applicable that was. But this wasn't the place for mulling over how annoyed I was at myself for that. "Ah, that got a little heavier than I think either of us expected. Why ask?"
"Because I'm a nosy person. Obviously." He grinned for a split-second and I had to muffle my giggles. "I do like learning, though. You're right in that it got heavier than I intended, but I do like learning."
"Riona, Arthur, might need to pick your brains over here," Ulster called then. I nudged Hestia off my lap and moved over to his side. And dumped some of Hestia's fur on him. Just because. "So, I was actually thinking we'd weaponize the fur."
"You were not," I teased, laughing. Hestia gave me a dirty look before getting up to lay down behind me for a convenient pillow. Arthur remained where he was, frowning slightly. "Over here. We don't know your magic better than you." Slowly, he joined our little group, sitting next to Fee. "That said, what exactly do you need?"
"Truthfully, I was thinking you and Arthur pair up below while Fee uses her Thunder Sword from above."
"Thunder sword?" I looked at Fee, startled. "You have a Thunder Sword?"
"I inherited it from Mother, truthfully," Fee explained, smiling. Arthur frowned at her. "What? We weren't fighting, and I do prefer my spear. But she had it as a backup, so I decided to do the same. I'm not too bad with magic. Not the greatest either, though. Forseti blood makes me fast, not powerful." She paused. "Well, for me, anyway. You should see my brother. Freaking obliterates everyone with Forseti. Does almost as much damage with a Lightning tome."
"Careful, she'll go on and on about her brother," Arthur noted dryly. She scowled at him, but he pretended to not notice. "Didn't you mention wanting to try and find him?"
"Knowing Ced and how he inherited Mother's inability to not help people, I'm certain he'll join up before too long. Just a matter of getting near where he is."
"I don't think you can talk about 'inability to not help people'." Arthur blithely continued ignoring Fee's irritation. "Regardless, what is it you're doing exactly? I didn't pick up on that."
"Spook the troops so that we can infiltrate and more easily subdue and capture the enemy leader."
"...You basically are going to pull pranks on your enemies to avoid an outright battle?" Arthur stared at us for a long moment before grinning and laughing. "Okay, I was wary at first, but if you all do ridiculous things like this, I think I could get to like you lot!"
"Glad to have your approval." Only those who knew Ulster could tell he was being sarcastic, not stoically sincere. I was rather impressed that Larcei hadn't deadpanned something, but when I glanced over, I noticed her frowning thoughtfully. "So, can we count on you?"
"Sure, sure. The elemental spirits love pranks." He covered his mouth to quiet his laughter and then he noticed Fee staring at him. "What is it?"
"Didn't know you could laugh like that," Fee replied frankly. Arthur immediately rolled his eyes. "Look, you barely did anything but smirk and snicker the whole way here!"
"Larcei, is everything okay?" I whispered as Fee and Arthur bickered, leaning around Ulster to poke her. Ulster helpfully leaned back against Hestia to make it easier on me. "Surprised you didn't snap."
"Not even paying attention and clearly that's a good thing," Larcei explained. She studied Arthur and then focused on me. "Smile."
"What?"
"Smile. Mind smiling for a second?"
"Uh… sure?" I smiled, wondering what the hell was going on. "So…?"
"Think of Seliph and smile. Or teasing one of us."
"Okay… then…?" Clearly Larcei wanted a smile-smile, so I thought about some fun things these past few days and did my best to smile-smile. Ulster watched curiously, having no idea what Larcei was going on about. "Better?"
"Yeah." She glanced at Arthur again, and then back at me. "They're the same."
"Pardon?"
"Your smiles. They're the same. You've both got similar features too, but you can only tell when he grins." Larcei frowned. "You've got any cousins besides…?"
"That I know of? No." But no one knew what happened to Uncle Azel. No one knew what happened to Aunt Tailtiu. If they really had gotten together, then maybe… "Let's shelve the topic, though."
"You sure?"
"From what I can gather, Arthur is with us because he feels like he owes Fee, not because he actually believes in us," Ulster whispered. He glanced up at Arthur and Fee, who were still bickering. "He's not comfortable with us. So let's not badger him for information he's not willing to give."
"Besides, he told me that his mother and sister were captured, he's looking for his little sister but not his mother, and he is very sure his father is dead," I mumbled, petting Hestia. She lifted her head to nuzzle me, sensing the darker mood. "And how he said the latter implies he saw it."
"Okay, yeah, leave all that stuff to him and him alone. We don't want to accidentally trigger a panic attack." Ulster looked at Larcei and she nodded, agreeing. "Regardless, Riona, you think you'll be okay with the two of them?"
"Oh, you know me. I get along with everyone." I grinned and he chuckled. I was good at faking it, and that's all that mattered. "They're not so bad anyway."
"Providing that they don't ask Seliph if they can brush his hair?"
I was totally justified in pushing Ulster face-first into the pile of Hestia fur. Totally. Besides, Larcei helped.
Plans set and the moon high in the sky, everyone split up into their different groups, ready for each of their roles. Though Fee would actually be 'alone' for most of the operation, she stuck with Arthur and me while we waited for the signal. Meaning I, of course, took full advantage of being able to study and admire a pegasus for the first time. Because I loved animals, and pegasi were amazing.
"How is it that she can fly?" I asked, crouched under one of Annand's wings to study the wing joint. It was one of the few physical differences that I could see between her and a horse, and it was rather fascinating. "Are her bones hollow like a bird's?"
"They are, actually, so pegasi are at a higher risk for broken bones and plays a part in why they're known for speed and not strength," Fee answered. She petted Annand's nose to keep her calm while the weirdo girl (me) studied her. Arthur, meanwhile, sat on the ground amidst the high grass and flipped through his tomes, ignoring us. "They also have… less bones? Or more fused bones? I can't remember. The musculature is also different because… well…"
"Oh, wait, I think I can see that." The muscles around the wing joint were noticeably more developed. Made sense, of course. "Is the respiratory system different?"
"Yep. Flying requires a lot of energy, so they have a completely different respiratory from horses to account for that. I mean; even if their wings are used mostly for gliding and all." She giggled. I wondered how that worked. Did they kick the air or something? "You know; most give me weird looks when I use that term."
"I grew up with a healer. I know more medical jargon than I'd like." I moved back and stood up, leaning down to stretch out my legs. "Though I'm curious. Did you have to deal with dissections and the like?"
"Yep. It's super gross and sad, but it's part of basic training just in case we're not near a healer and have to rely on medicines to help our pegasi." Fee hugged Annand's neck, giggling. "Though, they do have a slight advantage over humans. Pegasi actually have innate magic to them. It helps protect them, and their riders, from magic to a minor degree, but more importantly, it aids them in flying and helps them with healing. So injuries that mean death for a horse are often just inconveniences for them."
"I suppose that's why their wingspan isn't ridiculously huge." After all, even accounting for the lesser weight from the skeleton, a pegasus was still the size of a horse, and fully capable of carrying at least two humans and their packs. "Oh, I have a question that has always bothered me."
"Yes?"
"Why do they only let females ride them?" That just made no sense to me. "Do they just really not like balls or something?"
"Maybe!" Fee giggled. Arthur looked up very briefly, with a look that distinctly conveyed 'I think I started listening at the wrong time', and promptly went right back to his reading. "No one is really sure, though. There's a popular story in Silesse about how the pegasus was actually born from a maiden's blood to protect her, and so, pegasi continue to uphold that 'oath of birth' or… however it was worded."
"They… wait, really?" Okay, that sounded amazing. "Tell me later?"
"Oh, sure! It's really lovely." She grew sad suddenly. "There's actually a song. Well a few, but there's one Father used to sing for me, because I loved it so much." Still was more than half-convinced I was going to punch Lewyn for just leaving his family. It really did make me worry, though. While it made sense for there to be differences between the stories and how they were like now, to actually see such a drastic shift, particularly in someone the stories noted was excited to be a father and fretted over being a good husband while also being a good king… It made me worry Uncle Finn might've changed 'too much' and we really were going to be pranking him in retaliation for him hurting Diarmuid. "Ah, sorry, that's not something I should think about right before a mission, huh?"
"It's just us three, and there's no signal yet." I smiled to reassure her and then decided to bother Arthur. Because Fee looked like she needed a bit of time to compose herself. "Say, Arthur?" So, I walked over and poked his head to get his attention. "Question for you."
"I'm reading," he grumbled, giving me a bit of a dirty look. I continued smiling, though, so he sighed. "Oh, whatever. What is it?"
"What magic are you going with for all of this?" I asked, smiling innocently. His blank expression hinted he'd expected nonsense. "You haven't said."
"Wind." He held up his green tome for emphasis. "From what I understand, you and Fee have fire and thunder covered. Though I don't know how a Fire Sword can be used to prank."
"I've a few tricks." And, with an eerie bit of timing, Hestia howled right then. Signal. Because few things were as spooky as a lone wolf's howl. "Welp, here we go."
Arthur and I crept closer, using the grass as cover, while Fee went up in the air. The majority of the initial spooking was going to rely on us three and our magic, so we had to be perfectly hidden while still getting a good view. Though, as we got closer, it seemed like we had accidentally started the spooking sooner. The captured patrols hadn't returned, obviously, so from their perspective, they sent soldiers out and they'd vanished into the night. Of course, some were smart and wondered if we'd done something, but it still meant the air of the camp was unnerved. Perfect.
"We're waiting for Fee to start, yes?" Arthur asked quietly. Both of us were on our hands and knees in the grass, just barely able to see things. The grass was really itchy, and I swore a couple of bugs crawled over me. "I think an ant just bit me."
"Funny how stories never mention things like this," I half-joked. I had to crawl a little forward to get a view of their campfire. I needed a line of sight. "But yes. She'll have both the easiest and hardest time hiding, and we want them to be looking up."
"Got it." He moved to stay next to me and set his tome on the ground, resting one hand on it. A very dull green glow surrounded his fingers and he smiled. "The sylphs are super excited. The pixies are too."
"Taking your word on that."
"They like you. The pixies, I mean."
"Also taking your word on that." Supposedly, those with magic who 'shift' their senses to see the pixies, sprites, and sylphs that assisted humans in using elemental magic, but I didn't know how. But it would make some sense if they just liked me anyway. I was of Fjalar's blood, after all. "Lana is going to be so mad at how muddy my clothes are getting."
"Who's Lana?"
"Youngest of our little group, adorable as a kitten, and our healer, meaning you really don't want to make her mad." I laid down on the ground so that I could more easily prop myself up while still having a hand free. And winced because I definitely saw the insect bites. "Should've put on insect balm prior to all of this."
"I'm regretting wearing shorts." He grimaced. "Really regretting it."
"Yeah, I'm wishing I had tights or something for my legs." The slits up the dress were normally very convenient, but right now… "While I don't want her to be in danger…"
"I really hope Fee hurries the hell up."
"Same." I sighed. "Same."
Sadly, sort of, we had to wait a little while longer before Fee apparently decided she was in a good position. But when she sent down an Elthunder to strike an empty spot in the camp, that was the second signal. As the Dozel soldiers yelped and ran about, I reached out and seized the flames of the campfire, making it climb into the air and burn hotter. But still in the same place. After all, I didn't want to burn them all to death. I just wanted to scare them.
"You should make shapes!" Arthur suggested with a grin. Now that we were actually doing something, he was excited and it was surprisingly infectious. "Can you do that?"
"Sure I can," I replied. I thought for a moment and then shaped the flames into a giant wolf 'howling' into the night sky. Perhaps because she saw the wolf from wherever she was, or maybe it was sheer coincidence, but Hestia happened to actually howl almost in perfect sync with the fire-wolf. "Gods, I love my wolf."
"Do a human and make it gesture, will you?"
"Sure." I had the flames slowly turn into a humanoid figure, one unnaturally thin to convey a sense of otherness, and had it make a grand 'sweeping' gesture. Right on cue, Arthur released a small bit of wind magic, actually knocking a couple of the tents over. Fee, watching this all from above, made a few more thunderbolts strike the empty spaces of the camp. By this point, all the soldiers were freaking out, screaming about spirits and curses. "I almost feel bad."
"I don't." Arthur glanced at me. "Though, question. Given the atrocities I've heard…"
"We're taking a leap of faith that Iuchar's soldiers aren't like that due to his reputation. Otherwise, we'll judge them as appropriate." Or something. It was a worry, really. "However, if we judge them all as guilty prior to everything, then more will die in battle."
"So, potentially 'sacrifice' a few to protect the many, huh?" He nodded, understanding, but I winced. I didn't like it. It made me nauseous. "The merchant who taught me mentioned that grand ideals required grand sacrifices."
"You can't save everyone. That's just a fact of life."
"Yep. Life's not fair."
"No, but we can make it fairer. But you have to take leaps of faith for that." I frowned as I noticed something. "They're running for the horses."
"What horses?" Arthur snickered and pointed to where the horses were stampeding off. Except… er… "Wait, that one's…"
"Move!" I had to actually do an awkward backflip-roll to get out of the way of the horses that nearly trampled us. "Arthur?"
"I'm okay..." He groaned and pushed his hair out of his face, smearing some mud on his cheek. He'd rolled and gotten himself muddy. "So, unintentional flaw of the plan."
"Yep." It was stupid to not take into account that the horses would run in random directions. I hoped no one had gotten hurt. "Let's see…" And Hestia howled again. I winced when I saw a couple of the Dozel soldiers crying because of how scared they were. I… I felt bad now. "So, if everything is still okay, then…"
Then our soldiers would jump into the chaos and subdue the Dozel soldiers. Which they did, easily. I stood up and got on my tiptoes to look for Ulster and Larcei, knowing they would head straight for Iuchar, and I quickly found them in the middle of battle with someone with short brown hair held back by a blue headband. The finer clothes and axe hinted that he was, indeed, Iuchar. A bit worried by how well he was fighting, I checked that Arthur was okay before heading in, ducking around the various bits of… well, honestly, it was brawling. Iuchar was probably the only one of the Dozel soldiers who actually picked up a weapon.
That all said, I really shouldn't have been worried. By the time I made it over, Larcei had flipped Iuchar onto his back with the tip of her sword under his chin and her foot on his arm. Both she and Ulster were completely apathetic to the whole thing, though Ulster smiled when he saw me, no doubt guessing why I had come over. He dropped his smile when Iuchar sighed and brought his free hand up in surrender.
"Well, it seems I've fallen," Iuchar noted quietly. He seemed surprisingly indifferent about being pinned as he was. "Such a shame."
"Yeah, you have," Larcei noted dryly. She tilted his up slightly with her sword. "So, surrender and-"
"Fallen in love, of course." Using our utter shock, he managed to flip around so that he was kneeling instead of being flat on his back. But he didn't try to walk away or anything. Instead, he took Larcei's hand in his, totally ignoring her admittedly-loose grip on her sword. "And goodness, how lovely you are! Your voice is as sweet as a bird's song, and your eyes sparkle with a brilliance matched only by the stars."
"The hell?!" Larcei's voice was very squeaky and I knew I should intervene. I was a little too busy being stunned. "Are you mad or something?!"
"Ah, yes, love is such a maddening beast sometimes." He sighed gustily. I genuinely wondered if he hit his head. "Yes, yes, I surrender! You may do as you wish, oh beauty of war!"
Larcei continued shrieking in surprise, but Ulster and I just exchanged a 'you have got to be kidding look'. Because we literally couldn't do anything else. This… this… nothing about any of this that was 'according to expectations'. Nothing at all.
Giving the report was probably one of the weirder experiences I'd ever had to deal with. No one in our group could keep a straight face about it. No one. Lester actually fell out of his chair because he laughed so hard. The worst-best part was that Iuchar rather happily agreed with all of our conditions, such as people watching him and his soldiers, not having any weapons… Iuchar actually offered to strip down to reassure ourselves that he really didn't have any hidden weapons. It was… we expected someone much grumpier and that was probably the simplest way of saying that.
"His soldiers are surprisingly kind," Yuria murmured, balancing a tea tray carefully. She had insisted on making us some tea for our war meeting this time, and I offered to help her carry everything. "I expected them to be colder, but they are wonderfully polite."
"Are they?" I asked, laughing a little while carrying my own tray and making sure I didn't trip over Hestia. It had only been a couple of days since they 'joined' us, so I hadn't had the chance to actually talk to them or anything. "Seems we were right to gamble on them being decent people."
"Yes, I think so too!" She giggled, but her cheer faded slightly for a far away look. "I'm scared you all will have to fight and kill good people like that."
"...We already have, I'm sure." It would be nice if war only took the evil people. But war wasn't like the stories of 'hell' you heard in the church. Hell was fair. War wasn't. "I'd rather things didn't come to a war, truthfully. But Danann isn't the type of person who will simply surrender. Neither are those who participate in the Child Hunts." So, we 'sacrificed' a few, the soldiers who fought against us, in the hopes that we would save the many civilians. Once you started thinking of ideals and changing the world, there really wasn't any way to avoid 'sacrificing' something. Or a way to save everyone. We just had to do what we could to minimize it all, no matter how ill it made us. "But I do hope that we will have more surrenders." It wasn't likely, of course, especially as we fought more and more of the Empire. But one could hope anyway.
"I hope so too." She smiled sweetly at me and then we stopped outside a door. "Oh. I… uh…"
"Hestia?" Hestia barked and got the door open in a couple of tries. "I really shouldn't encourage that, but damn if it's not useful." I stepped inside and noticed the bouquets of roses, of various colors, sitting awkwardly in vases by the map of Isaach. I didn't even need to look at Larcei's exasperated expression to know they were from Iuchar, for her. Someone was going to need to tell him that Larcei was already crushing on someone. For his sake. "Yuria made tea for everyone, so praise her, okay?"
"N-no, it's really nothing!" Yuria blushed prettily even before anyone could say anything. It was hilarious. "Um… but I might need help…?"
"Here, let me," Diarmuid offered, moving to her side to unload the tray. After all, Yuria had insisted on not just a few different teapots, but treats to go with the tea. My tray held only the teacups, easily passed out. "This is wonderful. Thank you for being so thoughtful."
"N-no, really…" Yuria mumbled. As soon as her tray was empty, she held it up to half-hide her face. It did nothing to hide her blush, though. "Um… h-have a good meeting!" And then she was off, nearly tripping over Hestia on her way out. After a moment, Hestia followed Yuria, no doubt deciding that making sure Yuria was fine was more important than taking a nap while we all talked.
"Did I offend her?" Diarmuid looked so confused, while most of our group snickered. I just sighed and made sure Fee and Arthur had their own teacups. Seliph had asked them to be a part of this, because we didn't know much about fliers or magic. "Anyway, let's get set up. We were just waiting on you, Riona, before Iuchar shared some important information."
It took a bit to settle in, both because of the tea and trying to arrange everyone and everything to be comfortable. Eventually, I decided to just take a bunch of the roses and put them in people's hair because they were honestly taking up too much room. Actually braided quite a few into Seliph's and let him braid a bunch in mine. After a moment, Arthur allowed Fee to do the same with his hair, since he was the only other person in the room with hair past their shoulders. The result was an interesting thing where all the 'leaders' in the army were having a very important, very serious meeting with roses all in their hair and stuffing ourselves full of sweets. Let no one say we were a conventional army by any means.
"Goodness, this is far more delightful than the farces my father likes to pretend are meetings," Iuchar noted, sipping his tea from his spot at the end of the table, by Oifeye and Lester. He had a red rose tucked into his headband, his choice. "And such delicious food as well."
"Well, we do try," Seliph replied, smiling gently. Something helped by all the red and white roses in his hair. I didn't purposely put the red ones in his hair, of course. Those had just been the ones Lester handed to me while I was braiding. The smirk told me the exact reason why; Lana must've made sure to tell Lester too. "Regardless, you mentioned you were in charge of Isaach Castle?"
"'Were' being the most crucial word. My father's men took over when I was ordered to 'reclaim' Ganeishire. As a result, it's probably the most defensible, especially since it's on the main road."
"Of course." Seliph traced out the path on the map for emphasis. "So, we'll have to prepare for a siege…"
"Or take another way."
"Is there one?" Larcei asked, frowning at the map. She had an orange rose tucked behind her ear, picked by Diarmuid. "I mean; we do have a flier, but..."
"Flying everyone from here to Rivough would take a long time," Fee finished, fiddling with the white rose behind her ear. She and Arthur were side by side, standing between Lana and Oifeye. "Obviously, of course, but for emphasis, Annand can carry only two people and their stuff at a time. And one of those people has to be me. Pegasi only tolerate other riders if their knight is incapacitated."
"Hey, morbid and off-topic, but what happens to a pegasus when their knight dies?"
"Assuming they didn't die too? Either retire and are pampered for the rest of their days or choose a new one. Often a relative of their original knight. Misha rides her mother's pegasus, for instance."
"That's pretty interesting, actually."
"And off-topic," Ulster reminded, sighing. Even with a pink rose in his hair, put in by Larcei, he was perfectly stoic. I was actually beginning to worry he was hiding too much. "We need a way to sneak behind Isaach Castle." He pointed to the lone castle off the road. "What's that? Can we go there?"
"That would be Sophara," Iuchar answered. I tried to not react to the name. Sophara… Dad's childhood home… I'd always wanted to visit. But this was a serious meeting, so I tried to not react. Diarmuid nudged my side, though, telling me that was a lost cause. I rolled my eyes and fixed the lilac rose behind his ear, picked so that he could press it later. "My younger brother is in charge of it, and since it's out of the way, it's got far less of our 'elites'." He set his teacup down and smiled slightly. "And there's two half-hidden paths leading from it. One that heads straight to Isaach Castle, and one that heads straight for Rivough."
"Meaning we could actually bypass Isaach Castle entirely?" Oifeye whispered. Even he had a rose in his hair, a white one. He'd tried to refuse, but Seliph put it there anyway. Because there was no way we were going to leave Oifeye out. "That would be far less strain on our resources, and hopefully cut off potential reinforcements. Unless there are some already there…?"
"Not that I've heard, but I'll be the first to admit that my father never tells me anything besides what he wants me to do and how disappointed he is in me." Iuchar said the words lightly, but most of us winced. Only Arthur didn't, but that might've been because he was more distracted by whatever was on the ceiling, seemingly not paying attention. He didn't even react when Fee fixed the yellow and red roses braided into his hair. "He's not boasted of it, which is a good sign, but that could've changed."
"I see."
"Well, regardless, should we send Fee out to scout and check that the paths exist and are still viable?" Lester suggested, quickly shifting the subject to more comfortable topics. He took the orange rose out of his hair briefly, chosen because it reminded him of Lana and Aideen, and then tucked it behind his other ear. "If you don't mind being volunteered, that is, Fee. I apologize for that."
"Nah, I don't mind," Fee reassured. She poked Arthur's shoulder. "Can he come with me for back-up, though?"
"Of course." Lester glanced at Seliph to make sure and Seliph nodded, officially giving his permission. "We can decide our path once that's confirmed, then. Otherwise, we'll talk ourselves in circles."
"However, I have a question for Iuchar," Lana whispered, briefly touching the pink rose she had in her hair. We made Ulster pick it, just for fun. Even more fun for me, since I wasn't sure the others knew that Ulster like-liked Lana. Things had been busy. "And it's how are you doing? I mean… we're asking quite a thing, for you to fight against your family."
"Your kindness is only surpassed by your beauty, Lady Lana," Iuchar immediately replied, sighing gustily. Lana frowned, no doubt feeling like she was being mocked. "But regardless, I am perfectly fine. While it is beautiful and wondrous to see the close bonds you and yours have, I must admit that the very idea of family getting along and liking each other is incredibly baffling to me." He smiled bitterly, surprisingly so. "My father is a lazy, entitled ass with an inferiority complex. My older brother is entirely too focused on 'family honor', and not on 'personal morals'. And my little brother is a stick in the mud at the best of times, far too cynical, with no love for the grander ideals in the slightest. I hate all of them. And they hate me just as much."
"That's…" An uncomfortable silence fell, because it was just… incomprehensible to us. Even Arthur frowned at that. "Um…"
"So, yes, I am well and you don't need to hold back on Iucharba or my father on my account." His smiled warmed. "I do appreciate the concern, however."
"Is there no chance that we can talk Iucharba down?" Seliph asked, wisely redirecting the conversation again. I wished Hestia had stayed so that I could cuddle with her and get some reassurance. As it was, I went around refilling or rewarming the forgotten mugs of tea, just to have something to do. "I've heard he dislikes…"
"He hates the Empire, the Child Hunts, and our father," Iuchar confirmed. He smiled kindly at me when I heated up his tea before focusing on Seliph again. I went around the table and then returned to my spot, next to Seliph and across from Ulster. "Probably the only three things I've agreed with him with in our entire lives. That said, Prince Seliph, Iucharba is a protective, but cynical sort. Not inclined to take chances or gambles. And you're quite the gamble, Prince Seliph. Others have risen and fallen. Others still try."
"But you side with us."
"I'm more inclined to take gambles, and I'm a little less stubborn. He's inclined to find a path and charge down it, regardless of the damage to himself. I am more inclined to take a leap of faith, providing that it suits the ideals I adore." Iuchar grinned suddenly. "Besides, with such skillful goddesses of war on your side, you might have a chance."
"Uh…" Seliph's expression blanked and Larcei facepalmed. Fee and I exchanged an exasperated look when we realized he'd used a plural. Poor Lana just looked confused. "I think that was a compliment, so I'll just say 'thank you'?"
"You're welcome!" And now came the slightly awkward silence. "So, forgive me, but if there wasn't anything else…?"
"I had a personal question," Ulster immediately whispered. His expression was carefully stoic, even more so than usual, and immediately, I knew what he was about to ask. "You see; Larcei and I are actually your cousins. We're the children of Lex and Ayra, so I was wondering-"
"Ulster!" Larcei snapped, bristling. We Tirnanog people tensed, not quite sure what to do. Iuchar seemed startled and frowned, closely studying both Ulster and Larcei. Poor Fee and Arthur looked so confused and I couldn't blame them at all. But there was also no time to explain. "You…!"
"You can leave if you want, Larcei." Ulster didn't even look at her. He looked right at Iuchar, unwavering. "But I want to know what happened. I'm tired of not knowing." Larcei glared at him, but reached out to hold his hand. Choosing to stay, even though… "So, Iuchar? If you don't know, that's fine, but…"
"At the moment, I'm kicking myself for not realizing sooner you're Uncle Lex's children," Iuchar replied. He smiled sadly, and I winced. I wasn't the only one. "You two… look exactly like them. Or, at least, my memory of them." Seliph took my hand and I stepped a little closer to him. "But yes, I know. I know what happened." Lana brought her hands up in prayer. Diarmuid walked over and rested his hand on Ulster's shoulder. Lester closed his eyes, bracing himself for… "They're both buried in the crypt at Isaach Castle, next to King Mariccle's memorial. I burn incense for them, when I can."
It was news we expected. Especially when we discovered General Richard had Uncle Lex's Brave Axe. But it still felt like a punch to the gut. Larcei's knees buckled, but Diarmuid caught her. Ulster went absolutely rigid, not even breathing for a split-second. During that same split-second, Seliph and I simultaneously panicked because no one had been watching Oifeye and we both rushed to his side, ready to help him if needed. Of course, Oifeye had been expecting this even longer than we had, and so, he simply covered his face, too tired to cry. Lester found a chair from nowhere, from my perspective, and pulled it over for him. Oifeye sat down hard and didn't say or do anything, simply letting the three of us fuss over him.
It took a couple of seconds to even think about checking on Arthur and Fee, and I winced, prepared to offer apologies. But Fee's eyes were wide and shining with held back tears, and she'd covered her mouth as if to stifle a gasp. Arthur was a little more stoic, but still, he looked sympathetic. Probably because both had lost parents. Fee's was recent; Arthur was still traumatized.
"So, he buried them?" Arthur asked quietly, voice surprisingly gentle. His expression was also soft, and he looked carefully at all of us, gauging our reactions. "Based on what I have heard of the man, and what you just said about lack of familial ties, I wouldn't have expected such respect."
"Oh, no, you're right. Father had wanted to throw their bodies to the animals to hide the evidence, but some of the older soldiers balked at the thought and they got the bodies to some Isaachians who handled the proper burials," Iuchar explained. He still smiled sadly, wincing a bit as he looked at Larcei and Ulster. Ulster was still rigid, with Lana and Lester hovering by him worriedly. Diarmuid continued holding Larcei up, kissing her hair reassuringly. Larcei and Ulster still held hands. "At least, that's what I was told. I didn't see that part or anything. I just heard about it after I was 'assigned' Isaach Castle, and I accidentally found the graves in the crypt while exploring."
"And what's the significance of incense burning?"
"Ah, in Grannvale, one burns incense for the dead, to soothe their spirits and help them not miss the realm of the living so much and trap themselves on this side as ghosts."
"Oh, so like how in Silesse, we leave candles and lanterns for the dead, because it's bad luck to leave them in darkness." Arthur nodded, smiling from the new bit of information, and shrugged off Fee's dirty look. "Look, either someone talks or we're in silence while everyone tries to process that Tornado spell. I hate silence. Always means bad things." He shrugged and Seliph made sure to catch his eye and smile reassuringly. "Going to take that smile as permission to keep asking questions. So, what do you mean by 'hide the evidence', Iuchar?"
"Well, the 'official story' is that Uncle Lex and Aunt Ayra died to bandits. Their injuries might've suggested otherwise, and my father does have a decent sense of self-preservation." Iuchar sighed. "If Emperor Arvis or, worse, Empress Diadora, had learned, without a doubt, that Father had killed Uncle Lex, then Father would be dead. Ash or a nice little blood patch, depending on which one got him first."
"Why the 'without a doubt'?"
"No proof meant that Emperor Arvis couldn't just save everyone a headache and kill Father without seeming like a tyrant. Which he seems to have stopped caring about nowadays, but at the time, his position was more vulnerable, and Father had plenty of time to hide everything by the time they even heard about the deaths in Belhalla. Yied Desert slows gossip significantly. When it doesn't outright stop it." Meaning that there was only rumors and suspicions, and nothing that could 'legally' be done. Typical.
"And the ash and blood patch part?"
"Ash if it was Emperor Arvis, because Valflame. Blood patch if it was Empress Diadora, because Book of Naga." Iuchar paused. "Unless you were asking about why they'd do that. The answer is because Uncle Lex was the best friend of Duke Azel, Emperor Arvis's younger brother." Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly at the name. "Meaning Uncle Lex was 'like family' and… well..."
"Sadly, it seems like Arvis has as loose of a definition of family as Danann, save when it's convenient," I deadpanned, unable to bite my tongue in time. But I did find it hard to believe that Arvis would kill Dannan simply because Uncle Lex was 'like family'. After all, this was the same man who massacred his younger siblings' friends and family, simply for his ambition. And I doubted Diadora for similar reasons. She'd remarried and let her second husband incinerate her first husband. And abandoned her firstborn. That all said… "Sorry, that was unnecessary."
"However, the questions and that comment bought me the time to process things," Oifeye whispered. He brought his hands down, and he still didn't cry. There was no sign of tears. Just deep, tired sorrow. An ache that would never go away. "Ulster, Larcei, I want to know when and how. If you two need to leave…" Larcei shook her head, even as she still leaned on Diarmuid. Ulster didn't react, save to look at Iuchar. "Very well. Please…"
"The when… I think it's been about thirteen years now," Iuchar whispered. He frowned in thought, but all of us (save Arthur and Fee, of course) stiffened. Thirteen years ago… we had been near Isaach Castle specifically because Aideen had heard Aunt Ayra and Uncle Lex were near. That was why Conall had been captured. We'd thought it was false for years. But it had been true? It had been true, and we had just missed each other? That was just… "Yes, thirteen years ago. It was shortly before the death of Duchess Alicia and we still lived in Isaach Castle then." That was just too cruel…
"I see." Oifeye made himself sit up straight. Seliph squeezed his shoulder, and I took Oifeye's hand. The others had Ulster and Larcei. Someone needed to be there for Oifeye. "How? Do you know?"
"Most of it, yeah. I actually saw part of it, while some servants were getting Brian, Iucharba, and me to a 'safer' location." Iuchar closed his eyes, to better remember. "From what I understand, they were trying to sneak past and got caught and, so, tried to fight their way out. I saw Uncle Lex and Father dueling, with Uncle Lex dominating the battle. And I saw Aunt Ayra, or at least a woman I assume was my aunt, just kicking ass all over the place. It was glorious, watching them fight. Poetry in motion."
"They were always two of Sigurd's strongest fighters." That was why the 'bandit' story had never made sense. "Was it numbers?"
"No, hostages. Children hostages." Silence fell in response, all of us staring in horror. "Father took some of the servants' children hostage. He told Uncle Lex and Aunt Ayra to drop their weapons or the children would die. And badly injured one when Aunt Ayra declared that he was bluffing. So, they dropped their weapons." Iuchar's smile was pained. "That's about the end of what I saw. I saw them back to back, holding hands and keeping perfectly poised while the soldiers prepared to kill them. And Father laughed at his 'victory'. It echoed down the hall as the servants pulled me away."
"That… that does sound like them." Oifeye closed his eyes and slowly pushed himself up. "I do think I need to lay down, though. And write Aideen."
"Yes, let's end the meeting here," Seliph encouraged with a kind and understanding smile. He helped Oifeye over to the door. "Fee, can you remain here a moment longer? I want to discuss the logistics of your scouting."
Slowly but surely, everyone dispersed. Seliph, Fee, and Arthur remained, just as Seliph had requested. Oifeye left to be alone, specifically requesting it. Lana and Lester took charge of Larcei, who let herself be led about like a doll. Diarmuid tugged Ulster after him, immediately launching into some logistical things that Diarmuid likely knew the answer to, but would help Ulster keep busy while he processed everything. I wondered what to do personally before deciding to do the obvious. Times like this required warm milk with honey. So, I headed towards the kitchen, and ran into Hestia. Or, rather, Hestia ran into me, licking my hand and arm, and nearly knocking me over. I hadn't even noticed her running up.
"Ah, is everything okay?" Yuria, of course, followed. "Hestia got very… well, energetic, but with a franticness?" Yuria explained softly, frowning worriedly. I wondered if Hestia sensed something was wrong with her 'pack', even so far away. "Oh! The flowers are so pretty!"
"The… oh, right," I whispered. I'd completely forgotten about the flowers Seliph had braided into my hair. Red and lilac. "And it'll be fine. Simply a confirmation of something sad and painful. We'd known about it for a while, but we hadn't known-known until today."
"So, Larcei and Ulster's parents? I've heard Iuchar is their cousin, so it makes sense that he would know..." She clasped her hands and looked down. "I know Larcei thought they were still alive, but the rest of you…"
"Larcei clung to the belief, but I think she knew they were dead." It just hurt, because she had so desperately hoped to be wrong. "Regardless, what everyone needs is time, distraction, and warm milk with honey." Something I needed as well. "Do you know how to make it? I'll teach you."
"That sounds wonderful!" Yuria smiled sweetly. "Yes, please!"
I sent Hestia off to find Ulster, not wanting her underfoot while we were in the kitchen, and taught Yuria the 'super secret art' of making warm milk with honey. She watched and listened with rapt fascination, taking the lesson completely seriously, so it actually wasn't long before I managed to cheer up. A good thing, since I took over Larcei and Ulster's jobs for the rest of the day. They needed the break, but their jobs couldn't just be ignored. So I handled their share of the work and their shares of the smiles. Someone had to. Might as well be me.
Fee and Arthur went scouting after that meeting, and returned a few days later to confirm that the path from Sophara to Rivough was definitely viable, and more or less totally unwatched. Seliph promptly sent a messenger to Iucharba in Sophara, asking if he'd be willing to negotiate, but the messenger returned with the message undelivered. Iucharba refused to even receive them. So, we all prepared to march, determined to take and hold Sophara. I spent my time trying to not be excited at visiting Dad's childhood home and making sure Larcei, Ulster, and Oifeye were doing okay. We all rearranged the chores/duties list to give them lighter loads, and did our best to help them when they faltered.
Because of all of that, I didn't realize until the day we planned to confront Iucharba that I could ask Iuchar about Conall. Iuchar made no secret about being willing to answer any of our questions to the best of his abilities, after all, and honestly did his best to be as helpful as possible to prove his loyalty to our cause. He'd obviously know about how Conall was. The trick was getting enough time to ask him!
"You're curious about Prince Conall?" Iuchar asked once I finally got a free moment. It wasn't even really 'free', so much as I managed to ask him for some assistance. We needed to move some supplies further back to lessen the chances of them getting in the way during the potential battle. Iuchar was stronger than me. Simple. "What would you like to know? Are you worried that he'll show up as reinforcements?"
"Is that a danger?" I asked, choosing to not really answer his questions. While Iuchar knew Seliph's lineage, and Larcei and Ulster's, he was still learning everyone else's. I didn't feel like getting into it, at the moment. "And how much of one?"
"Well, I certainly don't want to face him in combat. He's known as the Reaper's Wolf for how skilled he is, and he is a powerful magic user with some trick that allows him to bypass one's resistance to magic. Add in that he's considered a master of light and fire magic…" Iuchar grimaced and I… I wasn't sure how to react, honestly. The Conall I remembered wouldn't have been good at combat, much less be associated with a 'reaper'. Then again, Shanan told me once that Dad had an epithet when he was a gladiator and mercenary, the 'Death's Hound.' It wasn't something that came up in the army a lot, but Shanan remembered it nonetheless. So, I supposed it was 'fitting' in that fashion. But it did remind me that a lot had changed since I last saw him. So much was different... "That all said, he hates my father with a passion and makes no secret of it. So, I doubt he'll appear."
"I see." We reached the area with all the other boxes, and I looked for some free space to put this last one. "Where might he be, then?"
"Likely in Belhalla. Crown Prince Julius is incredibly fond of him, and despite how public opinion of the royal family has been dropping, Prince Conall remains very popular, so his presence keeps the people calm." Iuchar set the box he'd been carrying down where I indicated. I wondered why Conall's 'popularity' remained constant, and wondered if it was because of our parents, and their connection to Sigurd. "If he's not there, then perhaps he's in Alster or Conote. He and Lady Ishtar are best friends, and she is often in both locations. Though, it's possible he's could be in Thracia. He normally spends the autumn, and harvests, there."
"Really?"
"Yes, he's a good friend of Prince Arione." He smiled. "Regardless, though, I doubt we'll fight him, especially here with my brother."
"I see." There were a thousand more questions I had, but honestly, I got my biggest question answered. Conall was alive, and he seemed to be doing fine. Considering we were likely going to battle soon, I really didn't have a right to ask more. Truthfully, I shouldn't have asked anything at all, but… "Thank you. Both for the information and for the help."
"Of course, dear lady." He smiled warmly. "Is there anything else I can do to assist in securing our glorious victory today?"
"Don't suppose you have tips for possibly getting Iucharba to surrender and not lead a bunch of people to their deaths?" On both sides. Really, I'd rather not kill anyone today.
"Yeah, don't mention me. Don't bring me up. If anything, make him think I'm not here." He shrugged, but that nonchalance just made my heart hurt even more. "You might stand more of a chance. Maybe."
"I understand." I smiled for him. "Thank you."
"You're quite welcome."
Iuchar went to assist with whatever else he could and I spent the next hour or so before marching continuing to keep things together. When we did march for the open fields just outside Sophara, though, I was certain I was going to be sick. This was my first time standing on an open to-be-battlefield, staring down the enemy army. In Tirnanog, we jumped into a battle already in progress. On the road, it was ambushes. In Ganeishire, I'd infiltrated ahead of things. But here? Here, I stood next to Seliph, looking out over the fields that would soon be filled with blood and corpses, with Hestia at my side. Our mounted units were on the flanks or whatever the term was, led by Diarmuid, Lester, Iuchar, and Oifeye. Larcei and Ulster were with their own groups, out of immediate sight. Lana and Yuria were in the infirmary. Fee was resting on a nearby cliff, with Arthur by her side.
And before us? Before us was Dozel's Sophara-Army, all infantry, lightly armored axe users with some archers mixed in. Due to Sophara being off the main path, it wasn't that large of an army. Certainly, it was smaller than the army we expected in Rivough and Isaach Castle. But it was still an enemy army, simply waiting. Waiting for a signal, just like all of our soldiers. The wind blowing through as the stalemate stretched on and on… waiting… waiting… waiting…
"Thanks for being here with me," Seliph whispered. Even with the silence, it was hard to hear him. "I'm certain I would've buckled by now."
"You're stronger than you think you are, Seliph," I replied. I caught his eye and smiled reassuringly. "Still, of course I'm with you." I hesitated, thinking of my feelings. Given everything, I hadn't actually thought too much about them or about my fear of confessing. And now certainly wasn't the time to figure anything out. "As I always am." Still, that felt right to say, especially right now.
"...Thank you…" He smiled back, and it was a smile with many things. Warmth, kindness, relief, bravery. "Okay. Let's do this."
"You're giving him one more chance, yes?"
"Yes." Seliph closed his eyes and gathered his courage. "I'll offer my hand one more time. If he refuses, then we will force the path to Sophara open."
"Are we aiming to capture or kill?"
"If we can somehow capture him, that would be lovely, but I'm not going to order it. Things are chaotic enough during a battle, and our soldiers aren't so well trained that…" That they could survive while holding back. Though we wanted to minimize casualties on both sides, we had to prioritize our own people's safety. They trusted us with their lives; we had to match that trust. "Okay. Stay near me?"
"Always." I knew he was asking not just for moral support. It was a risk, to step out and address Iucharba. Oifeye had actually warned against it, because it gave archers time to aim. So, officially, I was here as Seliph's guard, along with Hestia. "I'll have my flames ready."
"Then I have little to fear." He smiled at me again, took a deep breath, and stepped forward, bringing up his hand to remind our soldiers to wait. They shifted behind us, a few accidentally bumping into each other as they moved into formation. "Lord Iucharba, I wish to speak with you." There was a bit of movement among the enemy soldiers, and I watched them carefully as I kept near Seliph. Hestia's ears were up and forward and twitched this way and that, catching sounds. And scents, but obviously not with her ears. "Might you indulge me?"
"Ugh… you really are an idiot." Still, a lone man pushed forward, his expression set in a scowl. Like Iuchar, he wore a headband in his hair, a green one. "Fine, we can," Iucharba replied, looking distinctly unimpressed by all of us. "Though, I'd think refusing your messengers should've been answer enough."
"I am afraid I am quite the stubborn person, and I truly do wish to minimize the amount of blood shed this day," Seliph replied easily. He even smiled, perfectly gentle. I could see the nervousness in it, though. "Your soldiers have families who await their return just as mine do. I'd rather they had that chance."
"You really are naive." Iucharba rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly think you're the first to rise up against the Empire? Don't be ridiculous. You're just the latest in a long line and there's nothing about you that makes you any better than them. Holy Blood means nothing; you're just better at killing and surviving. And you might be the true heir, but no one cares about the ass that sits in the throne. They're too busy trying to survive."
"And will they survive with the Empire as it is? Sheltered as I have been, even I am aware of the Empire's attempts to strangle the life out of its people." Seliph held out his hand. Not fully extended, of course, but it was still enough to show what he meant. "So, surely you know that. From what I heard, it must anger you."
"Yeah, and people flock to you because they're desperate. But you've got no chance in hell defeating the Empire. All you're doing is killing people, with hope instead of despair." Iucharba brought his axe up and pointed it at Seliph, a very clear answer to the open hand. "Gathering an army, 'liberating' instead of conquering… it's just the same thing your father did. And we all know how that ended up. You'll face the same end as everyone else."
"So, you will fight."
"I will. Because I think you're full of it."
"...Very well." Seliph closed his eyes and brought his hand down. "Then I am sorry for this. If we had met in different circumstances, I am certain we could have been friends. But if you intend on blocking my path, I have no choice but to remove you from it. Perhaps it is naive to believe the world can change and that my meager strength is enough to protect anything, but I believe that when everything is dark, the greatest weapon you have is your own light and hope. So, I continue to hope my strength will be enough."
"Then let's see what you've got, 'Prince of Light'." Iucharba raised his axe over his head, and his soldiers cheered, ready for battle. Seliph glanced at me and I nodded before kneeling down to whisper in Hestia's ear. "Dozel soldiers! Show these rebels exactly-!"
Hestia howled. A long, haunting howl that echoed off the mountain sides. And at that howl, the forces we had snuck behind their lines jumped out from their hiding places, led by Larcei and Ulster. Arthur, from his perch, unleashed a torrent of wind magic to knock down large chunks of the army. Fee, high above everything, struck key targets with her thunder sword. After all, while we had hoped for a peaceful solution, we had known it might not happen. So, we had prepared. Big showy front, sneaky team behind. A basic strategy that was effective at disrupting enemy formations, and Iucharba clearly hadn't expected, based on Seliph's reputation as a kind and gentle lord. Not that, of course, they went down without a fight. There were still a lot of them, after all.
"Easy, easy," I murmured, helping one of ours up. He'd rushed forward to kill an enemy soldier, and tripped over a corpse. "Enthusiasm is good and all, but you have to watch things." Another enemy soldier appeared and tried to attack me, but Hestia tore their throat out. "Or have a wolf watch for you!"
"I think I'll watch myself, my lady!" the soldier laughed. I didn't know his name, but he was young. Younger than me, and probably younger than our minimum age. "I've seen the chaos your wolf causes."
"She's a troublemaker for sure. So, pay attention to your surroundings and your own injuries." I nudged him towards the backlines. "Go get checked. Battle-fever will dull your pain and you might not notice a bad injury until it's too late."
"Yes, my lady!" They ducked back and I killed an archer that tried to shoot at their back. Hestia crushed another archer's arm between her jaws. "Thank you!"
That sort of thing was my normal during the battle. While Seliph shouted orders and actually led, I worked on encouraging our soldiers as they flagged. Within seconds of outright battle, everyone was absolutely exhausted and some of our fighters hadn't expected that. So, I focused on guarding them, being the confident leader who 'knew' we were going to succeed. Hestia, of course, remained at my side during the battle, rarely venturing far. That gave me the freedom to actually look for soldiers who needed personal talks.
"My lady!" It also meant I was easier to find on a battlefield than most. "My lady, Lady Lana has requested you," one soldier informed me. After a moment, I recognized the scars and knew her to be Niamh, from the sword lessons. "It seems the soldiers broke through and fell on the infirmary."
"I see," I murmured. I wanted to scream, but I checked the urge. I had to be calm and confident. "Well, we'll make them pay for that in a moment. Can you make sure Seliph knows this happened?" I pointed to where he was. I could just barely see him from here. "Just in case he wants to change the strategy."
"Of course." Niamh bowed, and I studied her, noting that while she was wounded, she seemed mostly fine. That made me happy, since I taught her. "Lady Lana moved the infirmary back closer to the supplies."
"Probably intends on using the boxes as a barricade." I reached into my medicine pouch and tended to a noticeably bad wound on her arm. "Remember to have your wounds evaluated by someone other than you. Battle-fever…"
"Can make you push forward when you shouldn't. I know." She pointed to the scars on her face and neck, and I nodded, acknowledging the gentle rebuke. "Thank you though, my lady."
"Of course." I snapped my fingers, both to burn an enemy's clothes to distract and to call Hestia to my side. She appeared after a moment, dropping someone's arm on my feet on accident. I was tired enough to just not care, but not so tired that I didn't feel nauseous over the apathy. "I shall fall back then."
Of course 'falling back' was easier said than done. I had to reassure my own that things were fine, and I was simply looking into something. Our enemies thought I was 'running away' and was thus an 'easy target', which I had to deal with violently. Poor Hestia ended up pulling a leg while protecting me. Not that she had to deal with it long. Lana's first reaction upon us finally arriving at where she was re-setting up the infirmary was to heal her up. Only then she turned and tended to me.
"I am feeling significantly less bad about killing him," Lana grumbled, healing me with a staff. I almost protested, but bit my tongue. If she was this mad, she'd turn her temper on me on accident. "Thanks for coming, though. I was a bit worried…"
"Of course I'm here," I chided, smiling. Noticing how frazzled she also was, I leaned down and kissed her head. "It's going to be fine, Lana. I'm sorry we let you get exposed to such danger."
"If this is his way of being like 'oh, see, you are naive for thinking enemies won't target the healers'..." She sighed, and shook her head. "No, now isn't the time for me to growl. I got separated from Yuria."
"You… what?" I looked around worriedly, and saw she was right. Yuria was nowhere in sight, which was… bad. On multiple levels. "Well, she does have a tome, but…" Yuria had never been in a battle before.
"I'm also missing some patients. Some of which are pretty badly hurt." She smiled at me, an attempt at a healer's smile. While it might fool most, I saw the strain in it. "Much as I'd love a hug right now, you and Hestia are our best trackers."
"More like Hestia is." I glanced down worriedly, but Hestia simply barked and started sniffing about, already trying to get the scent. "We'll do what we can. There's a lot of spells."
"Smells." She giggled and I facepalmed when I realized what I'd done. "There's actually not a lot of spells. Just Arthur, unless you've been using your fire sword?"
"...I need to." I rested my hand on it, thinking. I'd defaulted to Dad's silver blade, but while I loved the idea of him watching out for me, I couldn't rely on his protection forever. And I did want to push past my discomfort, if only for our soldiers' sake. I owed them my best. So, I sheathed the silver blade and unsheathed the fire sword. "I'll be back, with Yuria and hopefully, some of your missing patients."
"I'm counting on you~!" She kissed my cheek and went back to work. And after making sure the area was clear of enemies, Hestia and I left to try and track down Yuria.
It was difficult. We didn't exactly have a convenient 'here is an item of theirs, so catch the scent' thing, and there was a lot of blood and guts, so what scent Hestia might find was drowned out. And just trying to listen for her was rough because the air was filled with the screams of the pained and the dying, the war bellows of the fighting, and the constant clang and thumps of weapons hitting against each other or against armor. So, I had to rely on my sight, searching for a flash of silver amidst the carnage, while Hestia did her very best to hunt for Yuria and protect me. She was definitely getting bunches of treats as soon as I could manage it. Maybe a whole pig. Or a deer. Just for her.
Eventually, Hestia barked, snarled, and lunged forward, tearing the throat out of an enemy and crushing their spine. As both fell, I saw Yuria staring blankly at it, trying to process what happened. She was splattered with blood, drenched in sweat, and was pale enough that I feared she was about to faint. But, surprisingly, she didn't seem to be injured. Well, I was surprised until I saw she had help: Diarmuid.
"Hestia, you are getting so many treats once the battle is over," Diarmuid breathed, kneeling by the bloody mess of the corpse to rub Hestia's back vigorously. She licked his face and nuzzled him. "Riona, what brings you to this part of the field? You were more center."
"Lana sent for me, since she got separated from Yuria," I explained. I glanced around and saw that there were a clustered of badly hurt people just behind where Yuria was. She and Diarmuid had been fighting to protect them. "What about you? And where is your horse?"
"Fee told me that Yuria was under assault, but she couldn't get near because of archers." It took me a moment to remember that as a flier, Fee had a better overview of the battle. Damn, fliers were amazing. "I was closest, so she cleared out who she could with the thunder sword, told me, and then went to get Arthur to better assist with clearing." Diarmuid kissed Hestia's head and stood up, wincing. He'd pulled something definitely, and a cut on his cheek bled sluggishly. "I let someone borrow my horse to make sure Oifeye and Seliph knew what was going on, and to lessen the chances of me accidentally trampling people I kind of like."
"Yeah, that would be bad." I sheathed the Fire Sword, unused thanks to Hestia, and cupped Yuria's face, focusing entirely on her. "Hey, Yuria? Can you see me? Can you hear me?"
"A-ah, yes!" Yuria squeaked. She coughed, struggling to catch a breath, and glanced down. Shock. "Sorry, I wasn't… you surprised me."
"I imagine so." I smiled warmly at her and kissed her forehead. "It's okay. I'm going to help you get them back to the infirmary."
"Oh, good…" She smiled back and some color finally returned to her face. "It's been a struggle protecting them. Thank everything for Diarmuid. If not for him, I… I'm sure I would've..."
"You were doing a damn good job before I got over here," Diarmuid pointed out. He glanced to the side and nodded. "Seems Hestia's messy kill got us a breather. Let's get them checked and moving."
"Yes!" Yuria agreed. She tucked her wind tome under her arm and retrieved her staff from the ground. She must've dropped it. "Okay, let's see…"
We worked together to get everyone organized. Sadly, some had bled out during the chaos and all we could do was move their bodies to the side to be retrieved and identified later. The worst were the ones that bled out as Yuria attempted to get to 'moving condition'. She did her best, but they'd lost a lot of crucial time with the attack and inability to move from this point. There just wasn't anything we could do. Or so I thought. Arthur appeared out of nowhere to prove that sometimes, there were actually some things one could still do when a person's heart stopped. Apparently, loosing a small bit of thunder magic at two points on the chest could jolt the heart back into beating (or resuming regular rhythm) just long enough for healing magic to take.
"Oh, good, that worked," Arthur noted, stepping back. He waved to Diarmuid and me and tried to not yelp when Hestia licked his hand in greeting. "For the record, don't actually do what I did? Full-powered tome just kills them faster."
"I think I figured that part out," I replied dryly, just because. He grinned, showing no hard feelings. But now I had to really wonder if he was Aunt Tailtiu's kid. That looked like something I'd do with fire. "I take it Fee dropped you off?"
"She did, but sooner than she wanted. An archer nearly shot us out of the sky." Right, archers were the bane of all fliers, particularly pegasi. Oifeye had taught us that. "I needed the break anyway. No offense, but…"
"You're exhausted. Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be?" I grinned, mostly to avoid frowning. Now that he pointed it out, I could see his complexion was grey with exhaustion and his clothes and hair stuck awkwardly to his skin thanks to sweat. "Only reason I haven't dropped is because of stubborn spite."
"Always perfect." He became serious again. "Regardless, though, I'm here to help with moving, if need be."
"In that case, I should get back to the fighting to make sure they don't break through again." I looked to Diarmuid and he nodded. He'd remain here for a while longer to continue assisting, and then jump back. He'd also suggest that Arthur remain as an infirmary guard to rest. "See you later~!" Thus, with a cheer I didn't feel, I leapt back into the fray with Hestia to rally the soldiers still.
Thankfully, by this point, the battle was starting to wind down. The Dozel soldiers had lost too many soldiers to continue with an all-out offensive. Honestly, I couldn't help but wonder that at this point, they were just… just not 'going quietly'. Making us work for the 'honor' of killing them. Or maybe they were making a statement. 'I do not believe in you, and I would rather die than believe in what I think is a false hope.' It was sobering to say the least. Growing up with so many believing in us… so many being willing to die for us… it was almost uneasy, to see people so willing to die because we were the alternative.
"There you are, Iucharba." Iuchar's voice startled me, and I turned to see him talking to Iucharba. "And you're still continuing this farce of a fight," Iuchar sighed, shaking his head. He was still mounted. "It pains me to have a little brother as foolish as you."
"You're the foolish one, believing in these brats," Iucharba retorted, rolling his eyes. Both were just… so nonchalant. The thought of having to fight Conall made me ill, and I hadn't seen him in thirteen years. Yet these two brothers, who grew up with each other… "Well, that's irrelevant. Kind of expected something like this, so let's get it over with."
"Yes, I suppose so." Iuchar brandished his axe. "For love, justice, and peace, I shall strike you down!"
"Gods, can you keep the flowery vomit out of this?" Iucharba charged. Iuchar blocked. And so, the two brothers dueled, amidst the blood and bodies of their soldiers.
If this had been a story, everything would've stopped to observe. But, of course, it wasn't. People still fought. People still died. So, I continued to fight, to rally, to kill. Hestia continued protecting me. Because the battle might've been dying down, but it still raged on. And, at some point, Hestia howled in warning, and I whirled to see a bunch of Dozel soldiers, in a final bit of desperation, break through our back lines again. With none of ours really 'in reach' to stop them from going after the infirmary, again.
It was amazing, what you could do when you decided 'there is no other choice'. As soon as I processed 'no one is close', I dropped the silver blade and drew the fire blade. I sparked its magic into life as I unsheathed it and loosed an Elfire with the initial swing. I cast the spell again with another swing, and in those two castings, the very first proper-spell-casting I had ever done in my life, I burned all of the enemies who had broken through. And I froze as I watched them burn. I heard them scream. I smelled the smoke and char. I watched them writhe in pain before they stopped moving. Dead? In too much pain? I didn't know.
Our soldiers cheered, celebrating the successful 'fix' to the defenses. Celebrating their deaths. A few smiled and bowed to me, celebrating that I, child of Fjalar's blood, had used the power our enemies shared to destroy my foes. Or something. I wasn't sure. I… I… I was honestly going to be sick. But I couldn't be. No, I had to smile. I had to pretend that I was perfectly okay. Because in front of the people who showed me their trust, who put their lives in my hands, I had no right to be ill. I had no right to be afraid. I had no right to scream. I had no right to cry or break down.
But I wanted to. Gods, I wanted to. I ambushed them with fire magic. While their backs were turned, while their guard was down, I dropped fireballs on them. Just as… just as Arvis had done during the Belhalla Massacre. And even though I knew, logically, that it was a viable tactic and that it wasn't quite the same… the similarities were enough to make me nauseous. Because it was like him, and honestly, even now, my biggest fear was being like Arvis.
However, I made sure to smile. When they looked at me, I shoved all that panic, nausea, and tears to the side. And I smiled. I smirked. I pretended that I wasn't shaken. I pretended everything was perfectly fine. Because I was their leader and that meant they got my best. Even when I didn't feel my best.
Besides, there were other things to cheer about before long. A few seconds after I cast Elfire, twice, Iuchar slammed his axe into Iucharba's chest and ripped it out in a spray of blood. A killing blow. And with their leader's fall, the Dozel soldiers dropped their weapons and surrendered, too exhausted to do anything more. And the battle ended. Just like that. Though soldiers still died. Wounds still bled. And some… some had time for last words.
"Bah, so this is how I die? Looking at your ugly face?" Iucharba groaned, coughing up blood. More trickled out of the corner of his mouth. "Better than listening to you, I suppose."
"As always, you're such a mouthy brat," Iuchar replied, dismounting. He knelt down next to his dying brother, facing away from me. "Can't you be adorable for once?"
"Screw you." Iuchar coughed up more blood. Blood poured down his chest, seeping into his shirt. "Ugh, and you were always so… nauseating. Talking about ideals and bullshit. Like it would work with life as it is."
"Ideals are what help people stay alive, and brings color to their lives. Be the cynic all you want, but such pessimism only takes you so far. And for you, that path took you here."
"Damn, so I do have to look at you and listen to the flowery junk. What a way to die." Iucharba reached up with a shaking hand and gripped Iuchar's sleeve. "Don't lose. Don't die. You die, and I'll kick your ass right back to the living."
"Say 'hello' to Mother for me."
"Maybe." Iucharba's eyes closed. "If I… think about it…" And his hand fell to the ground.
Iuchar remained where he was, unmoving, so I automatically headed over to check on him, and to check that Iucharba was truly dead. Probably a bit pointless. The gaping hole in his chest proved that. Still, I couldn't help but check. That's just… what you did, I supposed.
"Well, he certainly made his choice," I whispered, standing. Iuchar still didn't look at me, probably because of how stupid the words were. "Iuchar?" I rested a hand on his back. Hestia trotted over to nudge Iucharba's head, like she'd have more luck. But of course, she didn't. The dead were dead. Only the Valkyrie Staff had a chance of bringing them back. "You okay?"
"I… it's so strange…" he murmured, voice wobbling. When he looked up, I saw that he was crying. Full on cry, not just one or two tears. "We've never gotten along. Never liked each other. My first memory of him is trying to put a handful of worms down his shirt because he ruined my favorite toy, just because. I'm sure his first one of me was similar. After all, we've always hated each other. Too opposite and yet, too similar. The only things we had in common were things that made it impossible to cooperate. Father didn't help matters. And yet…" He laughed bitterly and more tears fell down his face. "And yet, here I am, crying. The tears won't stop. It hurts. It hurts so much. I didn't expect that. I truly thought that… that I wouldn't care." He smiled, but it was just painful to look at. "I suppose some part of my heart loved my idiotic little brother after all. Who would've thought?"
"Do you need to be alone?"
"Yes, please." He looked down at Iucharba's body. "But give me a moment to let the rain fall, and I shall spring up like the flowers, vibrant and defiant. I promise. I just… I just need a moment."
"Take all the time you need." I ruffled his hair and, after a moment, leaned down to kiss the top of his head. Then I turned away, calling Hestia to me before doing my best to distract the nearby soldiers. He deserved to mourn and cry in peace, especially right now. I'd make sure he had that time.
So, I had everyone focus on how we just achieved our second great victory, and our first one as an official army-army. I helped them celebrate and comforted the crying. I laughed with them, teased them. I smiled brightly and pretended I wasn't shaken by the battle, by the spells, and by the exchange between Iuchar and Iucharba. That last one haunted me, though, no matter how hard I tried to shove it to the side like all my other anxieties. Would Conall and I have to fight, just as they did? When I reunited with my twin brother, would we be forced to cross blades? Would we have to kill each other? Could I kill him? Could he kill me?
I didn't know. I hoped I never had to find out.
Lana
Class: Cleric; Skills: Pursuit, Charge, Bargain
The 17-year-old daughter of Aideen of Jungby and Sir Midir of the Jungby Knights, younger sister of Lester. The youngest of the Tirnanog group and the only one born after the Belhalla Massacre, she sometimes feels a bit out of place in her own group due to that. Not helped, of course, by the fact that she has a living parent. That said, she knows the others love her dearly and never doubts that love for a second.
Has a Holy Mark for Ulir on her upper left arm, between the shoulder and elbow. Its blessing gives her boosts to stamina and the ability to take damage. According to legend, Ulir's Blood substantially increases one's luck to the point that one can actually make strategies around it. How much is always up for debate, since it's impossible to quantify 'luck', but there are many stories of 'Ulir Luck' saving the lives of the house.
The only one who showed any interest in healing among the group, she takes the duty very seriously. She studies extensively and inherited most of her mother's staves, including the powerful Warp Staff. She does wish to learn more combat, but for now, focuses solely on making sure she is the best healer she can be.
Due to her inexperience, she sometimes lets her healer-calm slip, resulting in her being very sharp-tongued to particularly aggravating patients. While she's horribly embarrassed by it, many of the soldiers actually find it endearing and hilarious. Especially since she can be very creative with some of the insults.
Author's notes: So. Lots happening here. Let's start with Iuchar and Iucharba, the Arran-Samson Archetype chars of the game. In-game, the two already know Larcei and are in love with her. Thus, Larcei can recruit one of them by talking to them, but the other one will refuse to join out of jealousy and spite. Most people I know will pick Iuchar because, while Iucharba does have slightly better stats, Iuchar is actually mounted and that's a very key thing in FE4. Besides, both aren't exactly the greatest of units anyway. No matter which one you recruit, though, their soldiers turn into NPCs and assist.
Now, the two don't know her ahead of time in this story, so I debated which other reasons would work. I went with this, where Iuchar joins due to being damn impressed with Larcei and because he is a bit more idealistic (or, rather, enjoys ideals more) and willing to gamble on said ideals. And Iucharba refuses because he doesn't see the point on gambling when so many others have failed, preferring instead to simply protect the people around him. Essentially a 'do you take a chance on something better or stick to the devil you know how to defend against?' sort of choice. And yes, I know, both mangas have it where both are recruited. I chose against that. I thought it better suited the narrative (and I didn't want to add another character). Iuchar's dialogue on his recruitment is actually based on his recruitment dialogue in-game (the Project Naga translation to be specific). The dialogue Iuchar and Iucharba have prior to their fight is based on their in-game boss dialogue. Iucharba's lone skill is 'Charge', hence Iuchar's comment about him charging.
Now for Lex and Ayra. Already established they were dead, but now you get to hear the how at long last! Both of their fates are left ambiguous in-game after the Belhalla Massacre (and the Fuyuki manga doesn't address any of the parents), but the Oosawa manga has it where Danann betrayed and killed them both, no children hostages in sight. I went with this interpretation for… future reasons.
Neither Aideen nor Midir actually have 'Bargain' as their skills (Aideen has no skills in-game, while Midir has Pursuit and Charge, a skill that adds rounds of combat in a single battle depending on HP and attack speed). However, there is an item in-game known as the 'Bargain Ring', which confers the Bargain skill to whoever has it in their inventory. What I typically do with it is have Sylvia get it first to buy the Knight and Leg Rings (grant remove and +3 movement, a necessity for a dancer on these huge maps) and then have Aideen buy it to save money on her staves. So, by consequence, Lana often inherits it. In-story, though, this was already explained by Dew actually 'teaching' Aideen, and so, she had the skill herself. (Because no skills on healers in BS, game! They need them too!)
The turn after conquering Ganeishire, Fee and Arthur appear near Sophara and auto-join (a good thing, since bandits are threatening the villages there). Fee is your pegasus knight of the generation, taking after her mother and inheriting all of her items. Most give her the brave lance so that a) her offense keeps up and b) so that you get it early (if Finn is a father in FE4, none of his lances get inherited; thanks to narrative stuff, though, Finn kept his brave lance). Her having the thunder sword is actually from the Fuyuki manga, and yes, in-game, she named her pegasus for her deceased aunt. As for Arthur, he's your first mage-mage char (as opposed to Lana and Yuria/Julia, who act as your healers since Julia doesn't actually have a tome yet in-game) and comes with his father's items as well as a wind tome. We'll talk more about his heritage when it's a bit more relevant in the story. And yes, I know, that 'holster' is typically used for firearms (which obviously don't exist in Fire Emblem), but I couldn't think of another word for it. If you're curious about what it looks like, look to Alt!Olwen's art. The thing about the 'traveling merchant' teaching Arthur wind magic comes from some supplementary material.
Other than that, have some heart to hearts and Riona figuring out her feelings. And Ulster revealing his. Because that's fun. Oh, some (very brief) rose meanings, for the hell of it. Red roses, obviously, mean 'romantic love'. Yellow once meant 'jealousy', but now conveys 'happiness' or 'friendship'. White is 'purity', 'innocence', 'reverence', and often shows a message of 'loyalty'. Orange is for 'energy' and 'enthusiasm', and sometimes given to show admiration or pride in someone. Pink is 'elegance' and 'sweetness', with additional meanings depending on the shade (dark pink often shows gratitude while lighter pink conveys happiness). Lilac/lavender are associated with 'mystery' and 'enchantment', and thus often show a 'love at first sight' meaning. There's also joint meanings (red and white together represent 'unity', for instance, while red and yellow symbolize 'happiness').
Next Chapter - Interlude, Sophara
