Chapter 35) Ghosts
I saw Conall. I saw Conall! He's okay! Oh, thank goodness, he really is okay!
Though I do wish he had stayed, I know I can't be so selfish. Twins we may be, but we do have our own lives. Lives that were forced to walk separate paths long ago. But I still love him. He still loves me. We still love him. He still loves us. I can only hope that those bonds we forged when we were little are strong enough to keep us from fighting. I'm not sure I could bear it otherwise.
However, even if I'd like to skip around giddily because I got to see him or sulk with a mug of warm milk with honey because he had to leave, I can't. There's too much to do. Scouts are sent out; soldiers are trained. Our fledgling army practically vibrates with anticipation. We are taking the fight to Danann. We are liberating Isaach, the first freedom Isaach has had since Grannvale pulled their trick so many years ago.
I miiiiight be a lot nauseous from the anxiety. Maybe. Just a little. A lot. More than a lot. Fine thing for a leader, huh?
The air was still very nippy, but I rather welcomed the cool air. Mostly because once you started exercising, you warmed up quickly anyway. And I was determined to be very appreciative, especially since if things went as we half-expected, we would be in the Yied Desert within a few months. Deserts were well known for their heat. Practicing was going to be an absolute nightmare when we got there.
But that was for the future. At the moment, I was practicing, going through drills while Hestia gnawed on the bones of whatever she'd killed for her early morning breakfast. Probably a deer, since there were so many rushing about, but I wasn't sure. I didn't look or anything. I simply focused on being in the moment. Focused on maintaining perfect balance and having the utmost control. Focused on clearing my mind. Focused on the dirt beneath my feet, the wind playing with my braid. How, exactly, my body moved for each swing. During a battle, all of this had to be instinctual, so it was all the more important to take it slow in practice. To make sure the body would 'remember' when the battle-fever flooded the senses.
This sort of practice was something every single one of us did, when we had time. Though, each of us also had our own unique things. Ulster and Larcei would practice calling upon Astra, for instance, while I would fall into the calm state needed for Luna. The blue sparkles were always a welcome sight, a sign of a job well done, but I needed to be better at it. All of us needed to be stronger, faster, better than we were, if we were going to make it through this, but I especially needed to be better at calling upon Luna. The ability to bypass an opponent's defenses, or resistance, was simply too useful.
But again, that was for the future. For now, it was just me and the blade. Calm. Control. Stillness and movement. No movement wasted. Each step blending right into the next. Then, at the end of the drills came the 'practice dance', a way to cool down. The movements were lighter, less controlled, allowing the muscles to relax. Every Isaachian began and ended their practice with such a 'dance'. I didn't know if other countries did. Then again, Isaachians had literal dances with bladed weapons that I was fairly certain none of the other countries had. At the least, I vaguely remembered Aideen and Oifeye being shocked when we first attended a festival in Tirnanog. And they forbade us from learning, for whatever reason. Of course, Creidne and Dalvin taught us anyway, but still. Sign of the culture difference.
When I finished the 'dance' and tilted my head back to breath and enjoy the breeze, someone began clapping. Curious, mostly since Hestia normally let me know when people were near, I turned and saw Arthur was the one clapping. And Hestia was happily eating fresh meat that I knew hadn't been there when I started. I'd waited until she was finished eating.
"Yes, I bribed her to not interrupt," Arthur admitted without a trace of shame. Hestia barked in agreement, tail wagging as she continued eating. "Is that something we need to worry about?"
"Meh, she knows I trust you, and if you were planning something, then meat or no meat, you'd be down an arm," I replied, not really bothered. I did wish she had let me know, but it's not like I would've acknowledged him if she had. I'd been very focused. "So, what brings you over here? I didn't think you were up this early."
"Normally, I'd be in my room, but strangely, spending so much time with someone who has more energy than a sprite has warped my common sense into thinking going outside is a good thing." Arthur sighed mournfully and I laughed. "Even when Fee's not here, I had the urge. So, I went walking, and happened to go this way."
"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear that when she returns." Fee was out on a mission, scouting the area around the labor camp, and Isaach Castle. She was due back soon, though. "Still, I wouldn't have thought my practicing was anything worth watching. Or anything to bribe Hestia over."
"What? It was pretty." He shrugged. "You're just used to it. Like how I'm used to magic." He paused, and looked a little hesitant suddenly. But the hesitancy disappeared quickly, so I wondered if I imagined it. "Though, I am curious. You want to learn magic-magic? With tomes?"
"Mmm… eventually, I think so. I owe it to everyone to give nothing less than my best." I smiled bitterly. "Getting past that mental block is, sadly, going to delay me." I sighed and reached back to undo my braid. And then remembered something. "Oh, right, has anyone actually talked to you about Arvis?"
"You mean how I'm related to the freaking emperor?" Arthur's tone went very dry, and I had to laugh. Hestia looked between us curiously before finishing up with her meat and returning to her bone, perfectly content. If a little bloodier than normal. Cleaning her muzzle was going to be so much fun. "I figured out the nobility thing because Holy Marks. Everyone wanted to make sure the power remained with the nobility."
"That's one way to put it." And interesting if odd way, by my eyes. From my understanding, the people had begged the Crusaders to rule, and so, they and their descendents did for the next hundred years. But, then again, recent events did show how difficult it was to oust those with Holy Blood from power. Having entire armies at your beck and call, as well as the blessings, did give one an edge. Nothing invincible, but sometimes, the edge was enough. "But no one mentioned that Arvis was the Fjalar major?"
"In Silesse, no one said anything about Arvis that wasn't something like 'traitor' or 'kinslayer'. Sigurd's army was very well liked in Silesse for a number of reasons. Most were pissed off about the killings and most of the ones that weren't? They were pissed off Arvis killed people Queen Rahna adored so much." Arthur shrugged. "I wonder what sort of coldhearted bastard he is. To sacrifice his siblings who loved him so."
"Someone who apparently decided ambitions were more important than the family you supposedly loved." I sighed, and ran a hand through my sweaty hair. I needed a bath. "That's probably the part I don't understand. It's not like with Iuchar and his family, where they all hate each other. Supposedly, Arvis, Uncle Azel, and Mom all adored each other very much."
"And then he utilized that love and trust to destroy their lives." Arthur's voice was back to being perfectly dry. "I don't think he's going to win any awards for 'best brother ever'. I mean; I doubt big brothers are supposed to set up events that directly lead to their siblings dying. Horribly, in Father's case."
"No, I don't think so either." I did have to look down, though, thinking of what Oifeye said. About how similar all of us probably already were to Arvis. Even if he said that it wasn't necessarily as bad as I feared… "I'm scared I'll understand him."
"You can understand someone and still admit they're the absolute definition of idiocy." Arthur hesitantly petted Hestia, and she licked his hand before pressing her head into his palm for extra pets. It occured to me that this was probably the first friendly interaction I'd seen between the two. "Understanding means that you're not as inclined to make the same mistakes, right?" He began gesturing with his free hand. "Like, with magic, you have to learn the theories and understand it, so that you don't blow up your own hand when trying to cast a thunder spell. Understanding him would, ideally, make you less inclined to follow his path, right? Though, I somehow doubt you'd follow it anyway."
"Oh?"
"I may not have been here long, but I'm about ninety percent certain that if any of you tried, Larcei would dropkick you off the roof." He said the words so blandly that I had to laugh. And quietly admit that he was right. "Assuming Lana doesn't hit you in the head with her staff first."
"You're learning us well!" The wind blew then, and I glanced up at the sky, noticing that dawn still hadn't come quite yet. "You must think me silly, though."
"I think you're like the rest of the group. Overthinking and overworking because you keenly feel the weight of everyone's expectations, and no one seems to remember that those with Holy Blood are still human." He stood up and stretched. "I could try to do a little rumor countering, if you guys want. I play cards with the soldiers frequently."
"I think I'm more curious what gossip you've heard for now." I smiled warmly at him. "We'll see how troublesome the rumors get. If it stays about this, I think we'll be fine, but…"
"You're worried about another fight breaking out." He smirked when I winced. "I'm very good at observing. Had to be."
"And I clearly need to work on… oh, what's the expression?" I frowned, trying to remember it. And came up blank. "Poky face?"
"Poker face." He snickered and I scowled. "Keep to the smile. It fools people way more." He shrugged. "As for the gossip, most of it isn't important."
"No, I think it is." I closed my eyes, thinking. "By knowing what they talk about, especially when we're not around, I think we can learn about them. And by learning about them, we can hopefully make things more comfortable." I opened my eyes again and smiled. "People's stories are their business, of course, but it's good for gauging the mood as well."
"Then sure, I'll regale you with all their supposed tips for sex." Arthur grinned and I laughed. Somehow, I wasn't surprised. "Darn, I thought that would get a blush or something."
"Takes more than that to get me blushing. I read smutty novels, after all."
"Darn." Arthur sighed, playfully despondent, and I laughed again. "Hey, can I swing the sword about?"
"Hmm? Ah, sure?" I tossed him the practice sword and winced when he fumbled a bit before catching. I'd just done that automatically. "Er… sorry."
"It's fine." He swung it a couple of times and I crouched down by Hestia to pet her. She nuzzled my cheek, bloody muzzle and all, before returning to her bones. She was almost done with them, but the last part was the best. "Say, Riona?"
"Hmm?"
"Would you mind teaching me how to wield one?" He didn't quite look at me when I frowned up at him. "Just in case, say, we encounter someone with really high resistance or… something?"
"Well…" I almost asked why, but then a thought came to me. I had no idea if it was right or not, of course. It was more of a 'hope' than an 'idea'. But I did wonder if this was an awkward way to try and bond. I certainly wouldn't mind, if that was the case. "Of course!" And I would agree if only for that reason. "But I won't go easy on you!"
"Oh, wait, I've seen you teach the others." He sighed, but smiled. "So, how do I…?"
"First, you're going to do some stretches." I hopped back to my feet, feeling giddy and bubbly. This was going to be great. When she got back, I should drag Fee into it too, so that Arthur was a little more comfortable. "It's important to warm yourself up. Otherwise, you're just going to end up in the infirmary with Lana scolding you."
"Might be in over my head. But I was always too stubborn." He set the practice sword down. "So?"
We didn't get very far, mostly because of the lack of time and because some of that time was spent catching Hestia because she decided the practice sword was a toy. But we went through some basic stretches and some basic stances and no matter how much Arthur 'complained', he followed my instructions closely. And, by the end of it, he seemed like he was having fun. I couldn't ask for more.
"Hmm… what am I going to wear today?" I mused, looking through the clothes in my closet. It never failed. I'd take my morning bath and then spend twenty-minutes just trying to figure out what I was going to wear. Because it was a hard choice! When we weren't planning on battling, I didn't wear my 'battle stuff'. Well, none of us did. Seliph didn't want to bother with the cape on a daily basis, for one thing. But while I did have quite a few battle-dresses, including the one Creidne and Muirne got for me, I had way more 'casual' dresses. Courtesy of Aideen somehow made lot of clothes for us without us knowing. "Ugh… okay. Let's narrow it down. Shirt and skirt or dress today?" I looked to wear Hestia normally would be asleep, but she wasn't there. She was out hunting with Lester. "Damn, can't even pretend she's the one picking." This would help if I wasn't so damn indecisive of how I wanted to look.
"Riona?" A knock and Yuria's voice distracted me briefly from my dilemma.. "Riona, do you mind if we talk?" she asked, voice a bit muffled thanks to the door. "I can come back later, if needed."
"Nah, come on in." I barely paid any attention, focused entirely on the clothes. At least, I was until I heard a squeak, and I turned to see Yuria staring, blushing horribly, in the doorway. And it took me a full second to realize why. I was standing about in my underwear. And while I'd get prickly if it was a stranger, growing up in close quarters with a bunch of people meant that I no longer cared when people I knew saw me like that. But that didn't mean Yuria did. "In retrospect, I should've warned you."
"I'm still getting used to how incredibly gorgeous everyone is, you know!" she yelped, covering her very red face and shutting the door behind her. I did my best to not laugh, because as fun as it was making her blush, she did seem a bit mortified. "Oh goodness… I might need to talk to someone about that…"
"Well, I'm all ears for that sort of talk, as is anyone else in the group. And if you want to write Aideen, I'm sure she'd do what she could." Absently, I kissed her blushing cheek and ducked into the bathroom. "Let me get a towel and then you can actually help me figure out what to wear."
"Huh? Oh, ah, sure?" Yuria's blush slowly cooled as I stepped out again, safely wrapped in a towel. Well, 'safely'. It was better than my underwear, I supposed. In retrospect, I could've tried to find my nightclothes, but I had no idea where I'd thrown them this morning. Knowing me, they were up on a door frame or something. "Um… I didn't mishear you, right?"
"Nope, you didn't. When it comes to emergencies and people I know, I'm not really modest. Pretty sure in our group everyone has seen everyone else in their underwear at least once or twice." More like too many to count. We really didn't care when it came to our group. And while we would appreciate the eye candy when we could, the constant helping in the infirmary did make it where seeing people in various states of undress wasn't the end of the world. Just prickly when we didn't give permission and it happened anyway. "Ah, I'm really sorry for spooking you."
"I'm slowly getting used to how none of you have any sense of personal space."
"Was that sarcasm?" I grinned and she looked away shyly. "Look at you~! We're corrupting you! Success!"
"R-regardless, why do you need my help figuring out what to wear?" Yuria frowned. "You look good in just about everything."
"Aw, so sweet~! I'm going to blush."
"Do any of you blush?"
"Quite a bit, actually." I giggled and she frowned more. "More seriously, I'm just indecisive when it comes to clothes."
"I see." Yuria went to my closet, looking at them. "Oh, I overheard some of the female soldiers wondering what you did to make your skin look so nice, by the way."
"You did?" That hadn't been something I'd expected to come up. "It's something Muirne would insist that we do, and even now, I swear I can hear her scolding if we skip. The boys have something similar. Also at her insistence."
"Lana gave me something to use. Something about a healer has to look nice."
"I vaguely remember Aideen mentioning that. Basically, if a healer doesn't look like they've taken care of themselves, how can you expect them to take care of you or… something." I tried to remember it better, but that was the extent of it. While I loved making medicines and didn't mind helping in the infirmary, I had never had an interest in healing. "So, anyway, you see my dilemma?"
"All of you have a lot of clothes." Yuria pulled out a shirt and skirt ensemble from the back. Sleeveless black shirt with a long, light blue skirt with slits up the side. "I don't think I've seen you wear these before."
"Then that's what I'll wear~!" I took them from her and almost dropped the towel. "If you don't want to see my underwear again…" I laughed when Yuria immediately turned around, red again. "Goodness! Is my underwear so ghastly?"
"N-no, it looks nice!" She sighed and whimpered a little. "Ugh… I promise I'm not like this in the infirmary!"
"I know you're not. Lana would've brought it up if you were." I quickly changed into the clothes and hugged her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder. "It's the unexpectedness, though. And the lack of 'must do job' mentality." I kissed her cheek and led her over to the bed to sit down. I didn't have chairs or anything in my room, after all. "Anyway, you had something you wanted to talk to me about."
"Right! I did!" She clapped her hands, like that would help her remember. "Well, firstly, I wanted to thank you for the tome. I really do feel more secure with a light tome. Though, Arthur insisted I keep the wind tome as a backup."
"Always a good idea." I shrugged, smiling. "But there's nothing to really thank me about that. I'd gotten it from Conall."
"And who is he? I never got an explanation about that, though…" She frowned a bit. "I swear that there was something familiar about him. When I heard him, I no longer felt scared or anything. Confused, but not scared."
"He's my twin brother." I decided it was better to just focus on the question, just in case. "We were separated when we were little. The Empire captured him, you see."
"Oh, that had to be…" She winced and brought her heads up to her chest, clutching at her heart. "Hurts…"
"Yuria?" I panicked when she leaned forward a little and didn't say anything. "Yuria!"
"I'm fine. Just… it hurt. That word just makes my heart ache so much." She looked ready to cry. "I wonder… did I have a twin? Did they die? Is that why? Is that…?" Her breaths started to become shallow. Her eyes took a pained, yet almost wild look. "Is that why…?"
"Yuria." I pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair. "Yuria, try to focus on me."
"I… yes, you're right." She took a few deep, shuddering breaths and leaned into me. "Ah, I almost had one again, didn't I? I'm sorry."
"Never be sorry about panic attacks, Yuria. It's not like you chose to have them." I kissed her head and continued holding her. "Better?"
"Mmm… yes." She pulled away and smiled sweetly. She was a bit pale, but otherwise, she did seem fine. "Ha… I managed to head it off. Maybe… well, now's not the time to see if I can remember anything."
"Give your body some time to recuperate, at the very least."
"Yes." Yuria fell silent, clearly thinking about something, and then she sighed. "I was trying to think of a way to lead in what I really wanted to ask about, but…"
"Just be blunt. I won't mind."
"Okay." She still hesitated, before nodding to herself. "The tattoo I have… it's a Holy Mark, isn't it?"
"I…" I had no idea how to reply. I hadn't expected that one.
"See, I've been trying to figure out what that group had in common. The group that resisted the Sleep staff." She spoke very quickly, like she was afraid she'd stop if she even took a breath. "At first, I thought it was simply a resistance to magic, but Fee told me hers wasn't all that great when she was off her pegasus. Diarmuid mentioned that yours wasn't good either. So, I was stumped and decided to remove myself from the group to see if it became more obvious and, while I thought of quite a few things you all had in common, what stood out was 'Holy Blood'. Specifically, it was Holy Blood connected to magic." Her hands began shaking, even when she clasped them in her lap to try and hide it. "It's… probably arrogant to think that I'm so special that I have-"
"Everyone is special, Yuria." I took her hands and spoke firmly and gently. "Everyone is, Holy Blood or otherwise. Honestly, some days, I think the Holy Blood just makes us big weirdos. I mean; I accidentally conjure up flames when I snap my fingers. Larcei can block a blade with her bare arm. And gods, the stories you hear of Ulir luck."
"I've heard a few. It's so hard to see how the logic and physics connect all the dots together most of the time." She took another shuddering breath and then looked at me. "But am I right? Is it one?"
"...Yes. It is." I couldn't lie to her. Not about this. Besides, Oifeye had said that if she brought it up, we should answer to the best of our abilities. "Would you like to see mine? It's on my chest, so I'd have to take off my shirt."
"Please?"
"Sure." Pretty easy to take off my shirt again, and I gestured to the Mark to help her see it. After a moment, she poked the part on my collarbone, closer to my shoulder, and promptly squeaked. "Buzz?" She nodded. "That's how you know it's a Holy Mark. It burns with power. Scars won't form on it either. You can see it with Oifeye's and Shanan's. Especially Shanan's." Though, she hadn't met Shanan yet. I could only hope one of us saw him before he saw Yuria. Someone had to warn him. "As I said. Weirdos."
"I see." Yuria studied mine closely, one hand wrapping around her waist to touch part of her Mark. "It's smaller than mine."
"Typically, Minors have small and Majors have large. Seliph is a Major Baldur and his takes up half of his back."
"...Mine is large…" She frowned, and I braced myself for a panic attack, but she shook her head and focused again on my Mark. "The color of that one…" She pointed to the orange-red Fjalar part of it. "It's like the one on mine. One of them, at least. Mine is on my back, so I only see it in the mirror."
"Yep, it's for Fjalar. The black is Od's. You can tell because each type of Mark has a different color. None overlap or anything."
"That we share means…" She smiled shyly. "We're related?"
"We are." I smiled back. "Probably should've brought that up sooner, but your panic attacks…"
"I understand. You're not really hiding it. You're waiting for me to heal enough to hear it." She began thinking a bit. "How are we related, though? You have only your twin for a sibling. Arthur is your cousin, and his sister is in Alster."
"His sister would be Minor Thrud, which has a more purple color."
"Whereas mine is silver." She hummed a bit. "Oh, but they do say you're the niece of…" Yuria trailed off, eyes going wide. "...Oh. Oh."
"You okay?" I rested a hand on her shoulder. She didn't answer. "Yuria."
"Um… y-yes, I'm…" She whimpered. "Oh, goodness. If you follow the logic, then I'm…"
"You're you, no matter what." I smiled reassuringly at her. "No matter who your parents are. You know this, yes?"
"Yes. But it's still a weird feeling, to piece together that you're royalty. It's like a storybook thing, not…" She sighed. "And that means my father…"
"Well, Oifeye's got a couple of theories." I kissed her cheek and rested my forehead against hers. "And don't be worried about any of us suddenly hating you."
"For one thing, you all knew because of the Mark."
"Well, yes. And you're also super sweet." I tried to think of something to cheer her up and came on one thing. "And, you know what else it all means?"
"What?"
"You're Seliph's sister. Half-sister, technically, but…"
"I… oh, that's right. Everyone says he's a prince, so…" Yuria slowly smiled again, giggling at the thought. "Ah, so I have a brother and two cousins here! Plus a sister, with Fee!"
"Yep. The family just keeps on getting bigger." I leaned back and pulled my shirt back on. "So, relax. Heal at your own pace. Take things at your own pace. Would you like to still be called 'Yuria'?"
"Yes. Until I remember my past. It feels best." Yuria kept on giggling and hopped to her feet, bouncing a bit. "Oh, I should tell Seliph, huh?"
"You should!" Seliph was going to be thrilled. "Go on, go on! I'll see you at lunch."
"I'll see you then." And she was out the door, careful to shut it behind her, still giggling.
I remained where I was a while longer, smiling warmly, before getting up to find socks and boots that would match my outfit. It was nice that she'd figured it out. She still didn't remember anything, but knowing that much seemed to give her a better footing. I worried for the days ahead, of course, but for now, I was fairly certain it was a good thing. I'd need to give the others a heads up, though. It could mean she'd be more likely to have a panic attack, after all. We'd need to be prepared.
The day after Yuria pieced together her identity, Fee returned from her scouting and so, we assembled the War Meeting. Of course, after Fee gave her report, we all remained silent, trying to process things. Since no Dozel soldier thought to look up, she'd been able to get quite the detailed look at the camp, complete with map and notes on conditions of the buildings and people. The latter… kind of… um…
"I always knew the conditions were bad, based on the survivors, but damn, that's somehow even worse than I ever would've thought," I whispered, recovering first. 'Recovering.' I was still reeling. I could just speak first. "What's the worst curse you can bestow on someone again? I am blanking."
"Well, the joking version is 'may you live in interesting times'," Ulster replied, half-automatically. Even he couldn't maintain his stoicism in light of this, so his eyes were wide and his hands shook by his side. "If we're being serious, there was that one Deimne would use when particularly mad."
"'May the gods use your spine as a ladder to hell'. I remember now." I looked down at the map, and Fee's reports. "Feels too tame."
"His mother would add something like 'legs as splinters', I think."
"Bit better."
"I'm trying to decide if you two are attempting banter to try and get your minds working again, attempting banter because you default to it, or if you're not bantering at all and I'm just pretending because then, things feel slightly more normal with this group," Arthur rattled off. He held himself stiffly on the other side of the table, but that was because, after reporting, Fee had finally broken down crying and decided to cry into his shoulder. So, he was awkwardly letting her while Larcei, face stony, rubbed her back. "Also, Danann is dying, right? You guys aren't going to do your 'please, surrender' thing on him?"
"Surrender doesn't necessarily mean you live," Diarmuid instantly pointed out, jumping to Seliph's defense. Noticing Seliph was still out of it, I stepped closer to him and took his hand. I wished I'd brought Hestia in here with me, but I'd left her with Yuria in the infirmary, thinking this wouldn't be too bad. Oh how wrong I was. "Means you might be able to keep some modicum of dignity when you die. We do have limits."
"Okay, good. Just… checking…"
"It's fine. It's also… well, forgetting his soldiers, our soldiers die when we fight. Surrendering lessens those deaths."
"Right, right, I remember Riona… sorry, I'm just…" Arthur's hand came up and gestured vaguely. "Well…"
"I know." Diarmuid glared at the map. "I know."
"I'm currently trying to figure out why no one has already killed my father," Iuchar growled. Now that the shock faded, somewhat, he bristled with quiet anger, fists shaking at his side. Oifeye rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Gods, I knew they were bad, but nothing like…"
"You ruled Isaach Castle, right?" Lester asked, voice harsh. He then winced and shook his head. "That came out far more accusatory than I meant."
"It's fine. We're all shaken." Iuchar sighed and visibly made himself relax. Oifeye still held onto him, though. "That said, that was the castle. I was actually forbidden to go near the labor camps. They were run by my father and his generals. And I wasn't exactly eager to see if they had orders to execute me if I got too close or not."
"...I know you mentioned that you didn't get along with your family, but I continue being shocked every time it comes up."
"That is because you are blessed with a good family."
"Adding that to my list of 'things I am thankful for' for my evening prayers."
"Much as I love you both, I do think we need to be serious," Lana scolded, crossing her arms and scowling. The worry and fear in her eyes cut off any sort of teasing. "I… I don't know if we're prepared enough, infirmary wise, to tend to them. And, I mean…" Lana sighed and looked down. "They've basically been packed together. Minimal bathing, minimal cleaning… they're going to be disease ridden. They're going to be malnourished. They're going to be…"
"We've treated people like them before," Larcei reassured. She left Fee alone to hug Lana, kissing her hair. "So, we know what to do."
"Do we? Mother always told us, yes, but this time, we're on our own. But even that isn't the biggest issue."
"Oh?"
"Oifeye, how did Shanan and the resistance groups safely get the survivors out?" Seliph asked quietly. Because, once you got past the shock, that became the obvious question. They were in bad condition. People like that couldn't… "And we're definitely going to need some sort of distraction to get any sort of time." No wonder Shanan's missions were always so damn long. Gods above...
"We'll also need to set up people on the roads to ambush messengers," I added, leaning over the map to study it. After a moment, I found a couple of potential spots and used some metal markers to… well… mark them. "One of these?"
"I'd think I'd want multiple. Just in case. And…" Seliph looked to Fee, who had finally recovered and no longer leaned on Arthur. To Arthur's visible relief. Still, he rested a hand on her back, and that was enough for her. "I am so sorry to send you into such a distressing scenario."
"No, no, I have to get used to things like this," Fee mumbled. She looked down in embarrassment; meanwhile, Ulster, Larcei, Lester, and I marked more potential spots. Diarmuid talked quietly to Iuchar about something and Iuchar left, just as quietly. "Thank you for allowing me to be unprofessional, though."
"You gave us the information we needed, and as soon as you did, I would say your job was done," Seliph reassured. Fee glanced up and smiled shyly. "That said, would you mind both serving as a scout for the ambushers and assisting in the evacuations."
"Gladly. For both."
"I asked Iuchar to double-check how many people our horses could carry, and if some of his would be willing to… infiltrate in plain sight, so to speak, so that can help," Diarmuid explained. He smiled apologetically at Lester. "I know I should've probably gone through you for that, but…" Lester waved the apology away, more focused on the task we four were doing. Ambushes were important, and Lester's archery gave him a different perspective than Ulster, Larcei, and me. "Oifeye, we never actually waited for your answer."
"That's fine, as I don't actually know," Oifeye admitted easily. He bowed to us, and… well, we did our best to not glower. It wasn't his fault, after all. "Lord Seliph, if you would like, I can leave to investigate, however. We do have resistance members here, some of which were with Shanan." Seliph hesitated before nodding. "Very good. Lana, I'll tell Yuria to do inventory for the infirmary." And Oifeye was gone in an instance, with a mildly put-out, mildy uneasy silence left in his wake. For one thing, from this point forward, this would be the first 'War Meeting' held in his absence. For another…
"I know I don't know him well, but I swear that he set that up," Arthur drawled, saying what we all were thinking. "Not the labor camp part. The whole 'leaving you all alone to figure things out part'." He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Not sure how much help I'm going to be with the labor camp or anything, but I could possibly do some spooking? Like what Riona, Fee, and I did for Iuchar's camp. I've been practicing the fire-control-without-a-tome stuff, and then there's just my magic in general."
"And I can listen to the wind and get… well, a little warning," Fee added. Slowly, but surely, the cheer I associated with her returned. It was still subdued, and her eyes were red from the crying, but it was there. "It won't be too much ahead. It's better for weather and things, since I'm a Minor, but…"
"Better than nothing, but I've got a couple more worries. And chief among them? These Child Hunts I've heard about." Arthur frowned a bit. "Well, more like the priests. They apparently really don't like Silesse's cold or something because I haven't heard anything about them."
"Of course, they couldn't just be waiting for us to starve." Fee sighed. "Silesse isn't the most fertile of places, better than Thracia but that's not saying much. We've been facing a hunger crisis for… four years, I want to say? Quite a few pegasus knights, like Misha, went to find mercenary work to send back."
"Regardless, shouldn't we focus on them? Or am I missing something? Because it seems to me that these camps would be a damn good spot to gather them up, and gods knows where else in Isaach they can be. Just because Iuchar and Iucharba protected people doesn't mean it still didn't happen."
"Mmm… no, that is a good point," Seliph murmured. He glanced at me and I winced. Killing those priests… even if I knew they were horrible, I still had nightmares about that fight. Along with everything else. "We do know that they infiltrated Tirnanog. Conall told us that there are no reinforcements, but the priests are likely moving independently. Danann might not even be aware they're here."
"Or he is, but they're not considered reinforcements," I whispered. I felt a bit nauseous, but Diarmuid kissed my temple to reassure me. "But they did focus on us, so they might abandon any Child Hunts they're attempting once they learn where…" 'Once.' As if it weren't obvious where we would head. Sure, we'd muddle the path, but the destination? That was damn obvious. We couldn't liberate Isaach without killing the tyrant, after all. "Damn it. I should've asked Conall about that."
"There's a lot we should've asked Conall. Like the Sleep Staff thing."
"Yeah…" I could almost kick myself for it. As a leader, I really should've thought about it. On the other hand, no matter how much he loved us still, Conall was under no obligation to give us information. And he could only give us information he'd know. Now, Sleep thing? He'd know. Loptyr Priests running about? Not necessarily. "Worse is that he's probably already left with Ishtar." Their words did imply they didn't plan on staying long. How hard could it be to find an axe and leave? "Ah, neither here nor there. Arthur, that's a good point, but we have no information, so…" Arthur nodded, understanding. "We'll try to be wary, but for now, we need a distraction. We need to keep Danann occupied. With something."
"Something that can't be soldiers. The second there's military, we have slaughter and hostages, no doubt." Seliph sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "Priests are important, but they can be discussed once we figured out the distraction."
"Maybe send Diarmuid and Riona in again to charm people?" Ulster half-joked. Diarmuid and I immediately scowled. "You two got us a lot of information last time. And got a date or ten."
"There's absolutely no way that would work, and I doubt it would be an effective distraction anyway," Diarmuid immediately countered, tone very grouchy. I almost chimed in with my own annoyance, but a thought occurred to me. And Iuchar wasn't here to confirm, so I'd have to double-check, but… "I highly doubt that Danann is going to be 'charmed' by anyone."
"You never know. Could just need a friend. Isn't that how some of the people talked about stopping bullying? Just go be friends?"
"That is such bullshit. Why should a child be responsible for 'correcting' another child's behavior anyway?"
"Well…"
"Actually, Ulster might be on to something," I murmured. I waved away everyone's incredulous looks. "Not the whole 'let us charm the guards' thing which I still have no idea how it worked. But me going in." I gestured a bit, trying to find the words I wanted. "We'd have to find Iuchar to confirm, but seriously, what do you think Danann's reaction will be to the Emperor's niece showing up on his doorstep?" I hesitated and looked at Arthur. "And maybe his nephew as well?"
"I appreciate the thought, but while I have the Holy Mark to prove things, I am not a good actor at all," Arthur refused, shaking his head. He then smiled wryly. "And given what we just learned, I'd probably just burn the whole place down, which is a tad more violent than you might want for a 'distraction'. Keep things to the ones good at acting. Also known as the ones who can go on missions and are very good at biting their tongue."
"And being friendly and charming, which narrows it right on down to you and Diarmuid, Riona," Larcei noted. She glanced at Ulster and crossed her arms. "I mean; Ulster can at least be stoic, but I somehow doubt Danann will look favorably on him or me."
"Based on what I've heard? I'd be surprised if you weren't killed on sight."
"Exactly."
"...Well, it's a plan, but we should wait for Iuchar's input," Seliph began, voice carefully neutral. I glanced at the others worriedly, and they frowned, noticing the same thing. Seliph wasn't happy about this plan at all. "While he's getting information, we should let the soldiers know what is going on, and the like."
We all looked at each other and decided to take that as a dismissal. However, true to form, I stayed behind while they left. Fee and Arthur lingered a bit, but Ulster snagged Fee's hand and led her out, discussing something about the scouts, while Diarmuid took Arthur's arm and talked quietly with him about something. I closed my eyes and sighed a bit. I was tempted to be pouty, but there was no point to it. They all left because they thought I would be the one Seliph would open up to. And… to be fair… that was probably true. I always had been. Part of it had just been me being stubborn as a child, though. Once I'd recovered from Conall's capture, some, I'd been annoyed by how much I'd 'taken' and insisted that Seliph ramble at me too. And it just… continued as we got older.
"I'd complain about being so easy to read, except it did seem like it was just our group who noticed, huh?" Seliph noted, smiling wanly. He sighed and reached back to adjust his ponytail. I actually went and removed the hair tie to tie it back a little more neatly. "I know you brought it up, but are you sure about this?"
"It's basically the same thing as what we did with Ganeishire, isn't it?" I teased, smiling warmly at him. He simply winced, looking both pained and worried. "So little faith in my acting?"
"That's not it at all." He cupped my cheek, fingers twisting a bit into the hair by my face, thumb brushing under my eye. "Ganeishire was a simple infiltration and you… well, you did stay longer than anticipated, but it was still essentially 'in and out'. Even then, you and Diarmuid were uncomfortable."
"We didn't think it would work." Still didn't know how it did. "Difference."
"Not quite my point." Still, he looked pained and worried. I wished I knew what I could do or say to make him feel better. "This time, you're going to infiltrate into the heart of our enemy's territory, attempt to hold his attention for who even knows how long, and you're going to do it by taking advantage of a relation you hate."
"Well, yes…" I couldn't deny that. And it was uncomfortable. "But if it gives us a better chance of saving and protecting the civilians, then shouldn't we?" I couldn't give them any less than my best. We had a duty to protect them, to save them. I couldn't falter just because of discomfort. "And I will have Diarmuid and Hestia with me, and once inside, we can secure paths and the like for more infiltration."
"I'm not exactly in a hurry to see you set yourself on fire to keep the rest of us warm, Riona." Despite my attempt at reassuring, he only looked more pained. I hadn't done this bad of a job in reassuring him in… a long while. "Worse is that I can't come with you, though. We have a plan that puts you and Diarmuid in so much danger, and I can do nothing but wait…!" He looked down, each word becoming tighter and harsher. "It's like Tirnanog again. Waiting while others take the danger. Keeping me in a protective bubble while..."
"Silly, I'm not protecting you. I'm helping you protect our soldiers and civilians." I reached up to hold his hand on my face. "That's what we all do. We help each other. While Diarmuid and I infiltrate, you will be coordinating every single part of the plan. We all have our roles, but you are the one who oversees all of it, to make sure each one of the pieces works. Like the printing press." I smiled warmly at him, kissing his forehead. "If something is wrong with the press, the books are all jumbled up and messy. You might be able to read it, but it would be much more difficult. So, you keep things running smoothly."
"You would use a book analogy." Seliph looked up and scowled. "And I'm not sure of how good of one it is."
"Oh, just admit I'm right." I grinned and he rolled his eyes. "Yes, this job is dangerous. But while we do that, you are the one keeping things running smoothly. And since Diarmuid and I are away…"
"...I'm the one who has to do your jobs, or at least, look over them. All of us are." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't like it."
"Doing our jobs?"
"Sending people off into danger while I stay back. But I have to get used to it, huh? It's not like we have a better plan anyway." He rested his forehead against mine. "Please be careful. I always feel uneasy when you're not near."
"Then liberate the camp quickly and efficiently so that you can meet us in Rivough." I smiled at him and, finally, he smiled back. "I'll be waiting."
"I'll try to not keep you waiting long, then." He stepped away and turned back to the map. "I'll wait here for Oifeye and Iuchar, just in case they come back here."
"In retrospect, we shouldn't have sent them off. Or, at least, not Iuchar." Ah, hindsight. The bane of everything. "See you at dinner." I left then and that was when I realized that no one had shut the door. And, lingering nearby, were the others, not even bothering to hide that they'd been eavesdropping.
"Damn, was hoping for a kiss or something," Lester sighed gustily, barely talking quietly enough so that Seliph wouldn't overhear. The rest of the Tirnanog nodded in agreement. Fee looked both confused yet happy. Arthur facepalmed, no doubt having been forced to stay by the others. "Surely that would've been a good moment, yes? A 'last kiss before the mission' thing? Shows up in stories so much?"
"You know; I had planned on taking Hestia, but if you all have this much time, all of you can take care of her without me," I deadpanned, scowling. The worst part about this was that it was perfectly common in our group and I had done the same damn thing in the past. All of us had crowded together and eavesdropped when Lester and Creidne had confessed, for instance. "Oh, whatever. Break over, work time now."
The next few days were going to be… interesting. To say the least.
Iuchar was certain the plan would work so well that he thought I wouldn't even have to stay near Danann, just be there, which meant that there was less chances of me losing my temper and blowing our cover. Diarmuid, being connected to Agustria and Leonster, would be a nice little bonus. Probably something about using as a hostage to get cooperation or… something. I wasn't sure. Once we had things confirmed, we had lots of planning, rearranging of duties, and packing. Then it was Diarmuid and me on the road, both walking with Hestia, until we made it through the mountain path and to the gates of Rivough. And that was when the anxiety hit.
"Why did we all agree to this?" I whispered as we waited for a guard to come down and greet us, or at least acknowledge us. Hestia bumped her head against my hand and I scratched her behind the ears. "What sort of insanity made us believe this was a good idea?"
"I have no idea, but we're here, so let's keep at it," Diarmuid replied softly, kissing my cheek to help reassure me. He then smiled kindly when a guard finally appeared on the walls by the gate, watching us stonily. "My pardon, but we were hoping to enter the city."
"What is your business?" the guard asked, tone brisk and even a little rude. But considering the bad sunburn on their face that I could see even from here, we paid the tone little mind. They had to be in a lot of pain. "We are on high alert, thanks to the rebels."
"I can understand that, but truly, we wish an audience with Lord Danann."
"I can already tell you he'll refuse."
"But wouldn't asking give you an excuse to head inside for a moment?" I asked teasingly. The guard's face softened enough for a smile. "If he does refuse, then we won't make trouble and insist otherwise, but we really would like to speak with him."
"Well… I suppose I can deliver the message, at least," the guard replied slowly. After a moment, they nodded. "Your names?"
"I am Caitriona, the daughter of Alicia, and this is Diarmuid of House Nordion." I smiled warmly at him. "Make sure you deliver it exactly that way? I imagine it'll give you the least amount of trouble."
"We'll see, miss." The guard disappeared and Diarmuid and I looked at each other, wondering if this would actually work. And, for a while, we didn't think it would. After all, we had been kept waiting long enough that we had to hold onto Hestia to keep her from running off from boredom. But, eventually, the gates did open and that was when we met Danann for the very first time.
"Princess Caitriona! What a surprise!" Danann boomed, laughing. I was startled by how warm the laughter was, and how much the smile… the smile was like Ulster's. And Uncle Lex's, by default. I… I didn't like that. "And this is Lord Diarmuid?"
"I am, my lord," Diarmuid replied, bowing respectively. I simply smiled, swallowing all my intial hatred. Acting… acting… this was going to be the greatest test of our ability to bullshit. "We would like entry, if you do not mind, and-"
"Of course, of course! Come inside!" Danann gestured grandly to the castle in the distance and we followed him into the city. I caught the eye of the guard who had delivered our message and winked, smiling in gratitude. "I hope your travels were not too hard?"
"No, we're old hands at traveling," I replied, keeping my tone as light and cheerful as possible. And tried not to notice how damn quiet Rivough was. It was the middle of the day, prime time for market, and yet, there was only a couple of lackluster streetcleaners wandering about, pushing dust without cleaning it. There were no children playing. There were no parents gossiping in the market. It was like the city was devoid of anyone. "Thank you so much for the shelter, though. Things have been so harrowing lately. So much fighting..."
"It is baffling why these rebels believe they have any sort of chance," Danann sighed, shaking his head. The mocking smile he wore really tested my patience, so I focused on keeping a good grip on Hestia. "Clearly, I have been too lenient." Neither Diarmuid and I knew what to say to that. In fact, we both instantly looked at each other, to make sure we didn't. "Besides, what do they think they're going to do? They can't burn me out or anything. The gates are fireproof." Well, that thing about the gates was good to know. "But truly, Princess Caitriona, your timing is perfect." We stepped inside the castle proper, and I nearly gagged as I was instantly bombarded with far too many smells. Hestia sneezed a few times, my poor sweetie, and Diarmuid did cough a bit, before catching my eye and pointing to an absolutely gaudy painting on the wall. I couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be; the colors burned my eyes. "I understand that you've not seen Prince Conall in a long while?"
"He and I were separated thirteen years ago." The words were automatic and only afterwards did I look to Diarmuid in shock. He simply stared back, confirming what I had heard. I had sincerely thought he'd be gone, not... "Wait, is he here?"
"He is, indeed! Has been for a few days. I took the liberty to send someone for him as soon as your message arrived." We stepped into a throne room and Hestia began wagging her tail, recognizing a smell even among all the… whatever the hell the other smells were. "Looks like the servants were prompt, for once."
"Amazing how a little kindness goes a long way," Conall immediately deadpanned from where he was leaning on the wall by some door. Hekate sat by him, her tail wagging too. "Well, what is it? Hekate is surprisingly eager, so did your soldiers actually manage a good hunt for once or…?" Conall's eyes flicked over to me and his jaw dropped. "What…?"
"Conall!" I called, rushing over and tackling him with a giant hug. He caught me automatically, stumbling a bit. "I've missed you so much!"
"I…" Conall hugged me tightly. Hestia and Hekate immediately began barking and playing, delighted to see each other again. "I've missed you too." He dropped his voice to a whisper, to make sure we weren't overheard. "But what the hell are you doing?"
"Play along." I also kept my voice a whisper. "Please?"
"No duh. But I'm really not that great of an actor." Still, he smiled at me when he pulled away, and then he looked up and saw Diarmuid. Who was staring in shock. All of us really had thought Conall would've been gone by now. Showed what we knew. "Diarmuid?"
"Damn, wasn't expecting this," Diarmuid whispered, laughing a bit. Danann, meanwhile, left with a decidedly smug smile on his face. "Think my brain broke a bit."
"Your brain broke?" Conall repeated, taking my hand. He looked Diarmuid up and down, smiling softly. "Looks like you've some muscle on you. Bit of a surprise, given how frail you used to be. How is your health?"
"Perfectly fine, though I do get regular checkups just in case my heart decides to buck the trend and start giving me problems again. Especially with the stress and all." Diarmuid rested a hand briefly on his chest, right over the scar he had. He actually had to have heart surgery when he was very little, from what I understood. "Hezul's blood is associated with strength. Could be that it helped. Could be Holy Blood in general."
"Could be." Conall hesitated a moment before seizing Diarmuid in a hug. Diarmuid hugged him back tightly, kissing his temple. "Gods, I missed you."
"We've missed you too. Wish the circumstances were different, but it's good to know you're well instead of believing."
"I know that feeling all too well." Conall stepped back and pointed to the door. So, after catching Hestia and Hekate by the fur, we left the room into a hallway with equally burning… ugh… "So, scale of one to ten, how gaudy do you find this place?"
"A million." Diarmuid's response was quicker than mine, so I simply laughed. "The paintings are atrocious, there is far too many bulky decorations on the walls, the tapestries are utter wreckes, and whoever designed the interior needs lessons in colors. Also, what is with the damn smell?"
"Part of Grannvale's wealth is shown through scented candles, except Danann has some of the worst I've ever dealt with." Conall made a face. "Surprisingly, you do get used to it, but I still can't stand most of them. There are some lighter ones that don't smell so bad, though. There's actually one that reminds me of the perfume Aideen wears. Wore."
"Wore. She eventually ran out, and now wears perfumes gifted to her from patients." It was sad, because that perfume had been a gift from Midir. But few things lasted forever, and none of them were perfume. "Hey, write a letter or something for her, will you? Oifeye wrote about seeing you, but she'd be delighted to actually hear from you."
"So, she's not actually with you?"
"Nope, she's… whoa!" And Hekate and Hestia were running down the hall, yipping and jumping all over the place. "Oh, right, there's two now."
"All sorts of fun, yes?" Conall whistled and Hekate immediately returned to his side, Hestia following curiously. "Didn't expect that to work on the first try." He petted her head and scratched Hestia behind the ear. "Probably got excited." Once we were done the hall a bit, he opened a door without knocking, probably his. "Hey, Ishtar, have I mentioned recently that you are my very best friend and I love you very much?"
"Oh gods, Conall, what the hell did you do?" Ishtar's response was immediate and deadpan, hinting trouble wasn't uncommong with Conall. She still nearly fell at the sight of Diarmuid and me, and she'd been sitting at a table, reading a book. "Well… uh…" she began, opening and closing her mouth a few times. She stared for a moment longer before half-glaring at Conall like he was responsible for this. "This has become quite the little thing."
"I didn't expect them to freaking infiltrate!" Conall snapped defensively. He got all four of us inside and closed the door behind us. "Welcome to my room, you two. How did you even get the guards to listen long enough to get inside? They like pretending to be statues whenever I try to strike up a conversation."
"We were just friendly," I explained, looking around the room curiously. The colors here were much softer, and it was sparsely decorated, especially compared to the clutter of the halls. The half-open closet, with random things peeking out, hinted Conall had cleared the place out to be more comfortable. I also saw that there was a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor, instead of on the bed, for some reason. "The guard was very nice, though I do think someone needs to get them some balm. That sunburn had looked so painful." I thought of what he'd just said and smiled. "A little kindness goes a long way, yes?"
"Don't mock me within a minute of showing up unexpectedly!"
"I wonder if it's just the same thing that makes you popular despite your complete utter lack of tact, Conall," Ishtar mused thoughtfully. She leaned back in her chair, book half-dangling from her fingertips. I tried to see what the cover was, but couldn't. "That charm thing."
"No idea what you're talking about," Conall noted, hunting through the room for something. He disappeared briefly and returned with two more chairs. "At all."
"You've gained quite a few admirers in the short time we've been here. As per usual, actually."
"Still have no idea what you're talking about." Conall left briefly again and returned with a large pillow, which he tossed into the corner, next to another one with bunches of black fur. Hekate immediately ran over to the covered-one and laid down, and Hestia followed suit on the other. "Okay, tea. We're going to be proper and have some tea, as soon as I find…"
"Top shelf in the right corner."
"Thank you." Conall headed over and Diarmuid and I decided to simply sit down, both amused. "Riona, do you still like citrus?"
"I do!" I replied, giggling. It was silly, but I was so glad he remembered that. "Oranges are the best."
"Oh, those are my favorite too," Ishtar laughed. Slowly, she relaxed, smiling warmly. "Yay, an excuse to have my favorite tea. It's got a touch of spices, and it's so good."
"Really? That sounds amazing!"
"Lovely, you two can bond over oranges," Conall deadpanned. He left briefly, yet again, to get some water and used fire magic to get the water heated quickly. "Diarmuid, there's a second pot if you want something different."
"Well, what about your favorite?" Diarmuid suggested, smiling. He was far too amused by all of this. "I could do with some apples."
"How the hell do you remember I like apples?"
"Well, part of it is that there is that incident where you snuck into an apple orchard and hid in the trees for an entire day, scaring the living hell out of Oifeye and Aideen because you wanted a continuous apple supply." Diarmuid grinned, and I laughed, remembering that. Conall made a face, while Ishtar giggled. "Pretty easy to remember after that."
"Point made, point made." Conall got the other teapot set up and before long, all four of us had our tea ready and Conall sat down to join us at the table. Hekate and Hestia napped on their cushions in the corner. "Okay, so, what the hell are you doing here? Assassination?"
"Nah, neither of us are suited for that," I answered, shrugging. And giggled a bit before the tea really was good. "Bit too noticeable with a giant wolf."
"We're playing distraction, so that Danann doesn't notice that he's suddenly not getting reports or whatever from that labor camp you told us about," Diarmuid added. He sipped his own tea, and smiled softly. "I mean; we don't know much from there. But we figured Riona would be far too tempting of a carrot for Danann to not jump at the bait. And I'm the extra bit to make sure of it."
"Also, we're both the ones most likely to hold onto our tempers." I scowled when Conall immediately choked on his tea, coughing and trying to hold back a laugh. "I got better at it, damn it!"
"You punched a soldier for making Aideen uncomfortable when we were four," Conall laughed, still coughing and choking. Diarmuid patted him on the back before giving him a hug. Ishtar looked at us weirdly. "A soldier!"
"W-we were leaving anyway!" I squeaked, face burning with mortification. I'd actually forgotten about that. "And I just beat Oifeye to it!"
"Yes, but Oifeye was like twenty-something. You were four."
"So, causing trouble is definitely just a thing with these twins," Ishtar sighed. Still, she smiled sweetly. "Conall punched an assassin, once."
"When did I… oh, wait, the first one, right," Conall murmured. He waved away Diarmuid's worried look; I was a little too shocked to even be worried. "Look, no matter what, there were people angry with Arvis and Diadora. Rightfully so. And then they went overboard and targeted children. The angry people, not Arvis and Diadora."
"Though, given what we now know…"
"Yeah, wouldn't be surprised if Manfroy was the one who hired them. Would explain how they infiltrated both times." Conall shrugged. Diarmuid and I glanced at each other, wondering what the hell, and who the hell, they were talking about. "But neither here nor there. Point is that you two are here in order to strike at Danann, eventually." Conall grinned. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Are you serious, Conall?" Ishtar scowled. Diarmuid and I, wisely, focused on our tea. He and I traded briefly and I had to say that Conall had very good taste in teas. These were both very, very good. "I know they're your family, but…"
"It's Danann. You can't tell me you don't want to see him dead." Conall smiled innocently. "All we'll be doing, or I'll be doing if you're really uncomfortable, is assisting in the execution of a criminal. And by doing so, we can figure out where Danann hell he stores Helswath. Because it's in none of the normal or even abnormal possibilities."
"Well, that is true…"
"Besides, you hate him. You like things to be simple when you hate people. And, for once, this is actually simple."
"It isn't, but I do appreciate you making it that way for me." Ishtar sighed, but smiled. "Well, no different than what we did with the soldiers, yes?"
"Exactly." Conall looked to us. "So?"
"For now, as we said, we're just playing distraction, so if you can help us make sure Danann doesn't notice the lack of reports, we'd be grateful," Diarmuid replied. I nodded in agreement, smiling. I couldn't deny how happy I was that Conall and I would work together to liberate Isaach. Even if later, we might… "We can revisit the discussion when it's time to fight, but I think we've been much too serious, so…" Diarmuid glanced over at Hestia and Hekate, who were curled up together, fast asleep. "Can someone explain to me how both of you got pet wolves? Seriously?"
"Who knows?" I replied, shrugging. Ishtar sighed and Conall grinned. "Oh, but this just really makes me wish I'd brought that bobcat and her kittens to the castle. They were so cute and fluffy!"
"You can't bring every single animal you-"
"You saw a bobcat?" Conall asked excitedly. Ishtar groaned and facepalmed. "Ugh… I knew I should've hiked through the woods. I wonder if they would be as fun to play with as a lion cub?"
"You got to play with a lion cub?!" I sulked and he grinned. Diarmuid, meanwhile, shared a commiserating look with Ishtar. "No fair!"
"You got bobcats!"
"Still not fair!"
Conall and I animatedly discussed various animals we had met and played with in the past, laughing and sighing over how cute they'd been. Ishtar and Diarmuid, meanwhile, no doubt talked about how they had no idea how they had no idea how we were still alive. And, eventually, the two just left the table to pet Hekate and Hestia, leaving Conall and me to our discussions.
I couldn't believe he got to see a lion, though. I wanted one!
Dinner was… trying. The amount of food Danann set out for us was an over-full feast, and I was all too aware of how little others had compared to this, because this was at least two or three times as much of a what I normally associated with a 'feast'. Plus, so many the foods were… well, 'heavy' was the only word I could think of. There were so many flavors in them that I swore I was going to be overwhelmed and I just… couldn't taste anything. Plus there was the sheer variety. Different kinds of meats. Different types of salad. Different kinds of soups. And it was all just for the five of us: Danann, Ishtar, Conall, Diarmuid, and myself. Hekate and Hestia hid under the table, and Diarmuid and I snuck food to them to hide how little we were actually eating. Conall and Ishtar didn't seem to mind, but Conall caught my eye and smiled wanly, hinting that maybe they were just good at hiding how uncomfortable they were. He also brewed ginger tea for all four of us afterwards.
Then there was trying to go to sleep. Which I couldn't. Anxiety had already made my stomach all topsy-turvy, but the food just sat there like rocks, making me nauseous even with the ginger tea. And the bed was so soft that I sank into it and genuinely wondered if I'd suffocate sleeping in it. That was solved with a simple move to the floor, curled up with Hestia, but the nausea and the like? Not so much. After a while of trying, I gave up and decided to walk through the halls to try and calm down. Hestia walked with me, of course. She refused to leave me alone in this place.
"That discussion Conall and Ishtar had really did remind me of how likely it is that I'll fight them later," I murmured, petting Hestia's head as we walked. She whimpered and pressed into my leg. "I don't like that." Conall was Conall. And Ishtar seemed like a very sweet person. And, more importantly, she was close to Conall. I didn't want to hurt people he was close to. But the worst thing was… "I probably wouldn't learn until it was too late." And even if I did, there was no guarantee that they'd just… not fight. If it became a choice between my life and theirs, I… "I hate that real war isn't as simple as the stories." Even if they fought for a tyrannical empire, there were still good people. People who either didn't know better, or did but thought the alternatives were worse. Iucharba had thought that. And we… "How did our parents get through these sorts of things?" Did they just not think about it? Would it be like killing? Would I just get so used to it that I…?
Loud laughter startled me from my thoughts and, curious, I hunted down the source. Eventually, I came upon a half-open door and peeked inside, to find Danann drinking and laughing alone in what might've once been a study, but was now a place of scattered wine bottles, shards of glass, and empty, molded plates. And based on the smell, he was well in his cups. Or would be if he wasn't drinking directly from the bottle.
"Ah, such prestige these two will bring!" he boasted. I held onto Hestia and looked about subtly to confirm that he was alone, lounging in a chair. He was boasting to no one. "This'll bring more money over! Perhaps I'd even be relieved of this pigsty of a country!" He laughed again, and I closed my eyes and counted to ten to avoid losing my temper. "STOP SMILING LIKE THAT!" He suddenly threw the wine bottle against the wall, where it shattered into pieces, the wine splashing across the wall like demented blood. I jerked back and hugged Hestia tightly, trying to not yelp. Wondering what the hell that was about. "Stop pitying me, Lex! You always pitied me! Because you were the clever one, the strong one, the favorite! Even after you left, you hogged all the glory!" He laughed again, but this time, it was mad. It was completely mad. "But look who survived! Look who won in the end! All your cleverness and strength were nothing in the end! I won! I beat you!" Another growl and he picked up another wine bottle to throw. This one was full, but it shattered all the same. I could tell by how large the stain on the wall was. "Stop smiling! Stop pitying me! I won! I won!"
I finally unfroze and booked it down the hall, Hestia following me closely. I had no idea where exactly I ran. I just knew I didn't want to be near. I didn't want to be found. So, I ran. I ran and ran, and only stopped when it became hard to breathe. And once I had stopped, I sat down on the floor and hugged Hestia again, waiting for my breathing to even out and for my shaking to stop while Hestia whimpered, licked, and nuzzled me. I'd known he was insane, but I'd always thought it was more of a… more of a sociopathic or psychopathic way. Though maybe it still was and… I didn't know. I didn't know. All I knew was that was not a comfortable experience, and I was even less comfortable with the knowledge that I had to share a roof with him. That Diarmuid and I had to distract him.
Gods, we should've called off this plan and actually checked if Conall was still here before even considering it. Instead of just assuming. Things would be so much better that way. Much as I loved seeing Conall again…
I took a couple of deep breaths to center myself and stood up. Regardless of how uncomfortable I was, I had to do this. Our soldiers were depending on us. My friends, family, were depending on us. All of them deserved nothing less than my best. I couldn't balk just because of something as simple as discomfort and fear. I wasn't allowed to. Someone who was always sheltered… someone who was always protected… someone who raised the flags of war despite that… someone like me didn't have a right to…
I sighed and looked up, wondering just where I was in the castle and how the hell I was going to get back to my room. I didn't know this castle anyway, and now I was well and truly lost. I supposed I could just wander until I found some guard or servant, but it was still annoying. But as I was debating what to do or where to go, I happened to actually see someone in the distance. So, I headed towards them, intending on just asking. However, as I got a bit closer, I noticed… I noticed long black hair, with a purple surcoat and an embroidered sash. Grannvallians didn't typically wear surcoats nor did they wear such fancy sashes. That was more of an Isaachian thing. So were the wrappings around the shoes, done to reinforce the shoes for any sort of hard work or running. Plus, I… I knew this back. I'd seen this sight many, many times over the years. The sight of Shanan's back as he went on some mission, determined to save even just one more person. And it was easy to think of a reason for why he'd be here. If he'd found Balmung, then it was obvious he'd try to assassinate Danann. Many would even call it fitting.
But Shanan wouldn't know everything that was going on. Shanan wouldn't know the others were close, that Diarmuid and I were here, that Conall was here. So, I chased after him, determined to catch him and let him know what was going on. Hestia whimpered and followed, looking strangely upset by something. Maybe the fact that Shanan was doing something dangerous? I wasn't sure. Because, after a moment, all my focus was on keeping up with Shanan because I'd completely forgotten how freaking fast he could be when he wanted. So, around and around I went, following, not wanting to risk shouting in case I drew unwanted attention, but getting more and more irritated by the second because I just… couldn't… catch… up...!
Then, all at once, the hallway ended at a door. A closed door. Confused, I looked around for any other paths, found none, and then I opened the door and walked inside. It was immediately obvious that this was some sort of storage room, dusty and packed with boxes. Hestia whimpered again, pressing into my leg before sneezing at the dust. However, despite the dust, I couldn't see any footprints. I looked back and saw mine and Hestia's. But not…
"Shanan?" I called, walking further in. It was a large place, but all of it was dusty. And none of it was disturbed. Not until I passed by. "Shanan, are you in here?" I swore I'd followed him perfectly, even if he'd been so far ahead, but… "Shanan, this isn't funny. You have to know it's me by now, right? Who else runs around with a wolf?" Still I walked. No Shanan. No footprints. Nothing but dust and a musty smell. "Shanan?"
It wasn't until I made it to the very back of the room that I saw 'Shanan'. But now that I saw his face, I realized it couldn't be Shanan at all. This man's features were sharper, for one thing, and he wore two or three beaded necklaces. Shanan wore only one necklace, a trinket from Agustria that Mom and Aunt Ayra bought for him. And, as I stared, I realized another key reason why this couldn't be Shanan; the man… was slightly transparent…
He smiled. It was a surprisingly soft smile, vaguely reminding me of the pictures of Aunt Ayra's smile. Then I blinked and he was gone. Like he had never been there.
"Was that… was that a ghost?" I clung to Hestia, trying to not shake. I knew about ghosts, of course. Isaach had many rituals designed to appease them and help them past. Most were frightening beings, twisted by their confusion and rage, and accidentally brought harm and discomfort to those around them. But that one had… "That couldn't have been Mariccle, could it?" I knew the stories about him too. Shanan's father, who bowed to the people's will in the hopes that, one day, the truth of what happened would come to light. He had fought valiantly against Grannvale, but had been obliterated by the Book of Naga, with no body left behind. Many had performed rituals afterwards, hoping that Mariccle would not become a ghost, still locked in battle and warfare. The elders in Tirnanog had always talked of how kindhearted and gentle he had been, so many continued with the rituals just to make sure. "He looked so much like Shanan…" Had he'd still been trapped, but not twisted? Was it something else entirely? I wished I'd paid more attention to the stories, but...
Carefully, I walked to where he had been, Hestia still whimpering and sneezing. There, right behind where the ghost had been, was a box. Just like the others. But it was easy to open, and so, I rummaged through the random bits of cloth. At least, I thought they were random until I recognized one dress; there was a picture of Aunt Ayra where she'd worn it. So, I continued digging, finding little trinkets. Finding portraits from Sigurd's army, different ones. And, at the bottom, I found a sword, a Brave Sword, and I found Aunt Ayra's ring. Next to it was a pendant that Uncle Lex wore often in the pictures, though I had never heard the story about it or anything.
"Bastard must've upended their packs into a box." And kept the Brave Axe out because his forces could more readily use it. "Can I…?" A quick look showed that there was no way I was carrying this by myself. And that was so frustrating because I wanted this box to be safe. I wanted to make sure Danann didn't burn it or anything, just to be petty. I was surprised it had lasted this long. "What do I…?"
"Hekate, normally when you wake me up in the middle of the night, it's because you have to go outside, not because you want to chase a ghost." With eerie timing, Conall's grouchy, sleepy voice echoed through the room. Hestia barked in response. "Uh… Hestia? Why are you… Riona, what the hell?" Conall looked very exasperated, even when yawning. Hekate was sitting next to him, perfectly nonchalant. "This is an unholy hour anyway," he grumbled sleepily. I couldn't help but be amused, because he got grumpy when his naps were interrupted when we were children too. "Fairly certain a dust bath isn't part of any beauty routines."
"Implying that I need one? So cruel to your twin!" I grinned, excited now. Between the two of us… "I didn't mean to come here, but hey, help me get this out."
"Why?"
"It's got things that I swear belong to Aunt Ayra and Uncle Lex."
"Why the hell would he…? Oh, damn, right, there was that suspicion Danann killed them. Arvis could never find any evidence, so he effectively exiled Danann in response. Not the greatest of ideas, but Danann did behave, somewhat." Conall sighed, rubbing at his eyes before brushing his hair back. He wore it down to sleep apparently. And wore a robe, which must be a Grannvalian thing. "Whatever. I'm not the strongest of people, you know."
"It's bulky. I think we'll be find strength wise." I gave him my best pout, remembering how effective it used to be. "Please? I just want to make sure Ulster and Larcei get the stuff."
"...Gods, damn it. I haven't seen you in thirteen years until a few days ago. Why does that pout still work?" Conall sighed, and I grinned. "Fine, fine, we'll try it. If we can't, first thing in the morning. My room isn't far, so we'll hide it there."
"Yay! I love you!"
"Love you too. Hekate, please make sure no one catches us."
"Hestia, help her, will you?"
Thankfully, I was proven right in that the box wasn't that heavy; it was just too big for one person to carry. So, cursing all the while and coughing at the dust, Conall and I managed to get the box to his room and hide it fairly easily. It involved more cursing, of course, and some rearranging, but we did it!
"You know; I'm surprised he kept the things, though maybe he forgot about them," Conall mused, looking through the box himself. I petted both Hekate and Hestia, cooing over them and trying to get the dust off of them. Pretty hard, since Conall and I were also dusty. "We'll have to go back down the path and sweep."
"Yeah, we will," I agreed. Now that the box was safe, I wondered again about the ghost. Had it truly been Mariccle? Had he wanted to bring a bit of closure to his nephew and niece, even from beyond? "You mentioned a ghost with Hekate." I glanced back at him. "You see it?"
"Just a bit of long black hair. Figured it was an Isaachian who was slaughtered in the war, or by Danann's policies." Conall was nonchalant about the whole thing. Did Belhalla have a lot of ghosts? Considering the massacre, I wouldn't have been surprised. "I assumed ghost because of the damn disappearing act, and how it managed to outrun Hekate. I sent her ahead, just in case it was someone unintentionally throwing off your plan."
"Thank you." I grinned at him before kissing both Hestia and Hekate on the nose. I got licks in return. But being in the room did make a thought worm itself into my head, something that might solve my original dilemma. And I wanted to change the subject. "Say, Conall?"
"Hmm?" He glanced at me. "What is it?"
"...No, it's nothing." I kept my attention on the wolves, deciding that I was being silly. There was no way he would…
"Want to stay the night?" Conall grinned when I gave him a dumbfounded look. "Ha! I can still read you!"
"Stop being smug!" I blushed and looked away. "But would you mind?"
"Of course not. I was thinking of asking you in the morning." He straightened and rolled his shoulders. "Okay, sweep and changing into clean nightclothes. Do you want the bed? I hate it, because of how soft it is, so you don't have to worry about kicking me off."
"No way, I swore it would suffocate me!"
After Conall changed, we swung by my room so that I could as well and then went back to sweep and hide the obvious trail. Then, back in his room, we brushed the dust out of each other's hair, chatting about nonsense and the wolves, before we settled among the blankets and pillows, sleeping side by side for the first time in thirteen years. It was so silly, really. But I loved it. I felt like we really were making up for the time stolen from us. It was just the best.
Iuchar proved correct. Aside from meals, Danann seemed to have no interest at all in actually spending time with Diarmuid and me. Oh, sure, he'd sometimes stand on a balcony looking over at us, but it was more like we were trophies he wanted to make sure were still there, not… well… people. It was creepy and gross, but it did make it much easier to handle being in Rivough. At the least, Diarmuid and I weren't as tempting to bash his skull in. So, that was good.
"You know; I really should've offered this last time, but I was startled by seeing you and I… well, I am quite selfish sometimes," Ishtar murmured, drawing me out of my thoughts. She and I were sitting on a bench by the practice yards, where Diarmuid and Conall were sparring. Hestia and Hekate were asleep at our feet, both tucked under the bench. I was resting my head on her shoulder, which she let me with an odd look. "But well…" She pulled off her glove and then pulled off a ring. I immediately recognized it as Mom's. I'd seen it enough times in the pictures. "Here."
"Wow, it's even prettier than the pictures," I whispered, straightening to better study it. Startled and confused as I was by the subject, particularly since we'd been perfectly silent before, I couldn't help but smile at the ring. This was Mom's. Dad had bought it for her. The earrings Conall and I wore matched it. It also matched Aunt Ayra's ring. So many connections in this tiny ring… "You wear it?"
"I do. Conall gave it to me. He wears a bracelet Alicia always wore." She pointed to Conall and the bracelet that caught the light every once in a while. Conall had changed into practice clothes, more Isaachian than his normal clothes, and thus wore no coat. "Supposedly, the gem in it is something important to Thracia? I'm not sure. I just know she got it because she saved Travant's life."
"She did, huh?" I'd never known that. But, given what I knew of Travant, I imagine Mom wouldn't have exactly boasted about it. "I wonder what the gem is."
"Conall knows a bit more." She glanced at me curiously. "You don't seem too surprised by that. Alicia saving Travant, I mean."
"More surprised the army let him get close enough for that." I shrugged. "I was raised by a healer, Ishtar. I have a healer as a little sister. I know the oath of neutrality they take. I know that Mom took that oath seriously." That oath played a part in why she helped Shanan, after all. She left the politics to the politicians, the fighting to the soldiers. Healers healed all who came to them, regardless of their personal beliefs. It was the job of an army to help them avoid morally complicated things. "But Conall gave you the ring?"
"Yeah, because I was…" Ishtar looked down, crossing her legs at the ankles. "Alicia was always soft on me, you see. Probably because I'm the same age as you and Conall. She always spoiled me, always had time for me. Always there for a hug, or when I needed any sort of help. She encouraged my… spiritedness. Said that I shouldn't change for anyone but myself. Lessons I still remember, and try to hold onto, even now."
"I see." I tried to not be jealous, but it was hard. Ishtar remembered Mom's hugs. Ishtar remembered lessons Mom taught her. Ishtar had Mom longer than I had. And I was just so jealous. I wanted those memories. I wanted those hugs. But I didn't get them, because Arvis decided to sacrifice… but at the same time, how many children were like me now because we killed… "Must've been hard, when she died."
"I was devastated. It was so hard to comprehend, because even when she was too weak to get out of bed, she still had the warmest and gentlest of hugs." Ishtar glanced at me. "It was illness that took her. That's what they say, at least. Her body just… fell apart."
"Really?" I'd never known. And I wasn't sure how to feel about it. It was, at least, an explanation for why Mom died five years after the massacre, and why she never came for us in Isaach.
"Yeah." Ishtar sighed. "In retrospect, I have no idea how she held on as long as she did. Most days, I think she wanted to try to hold on long enough to see you and Conall again. Some days, I think it's because she wanted to make sure we learned important lessons young."
"Anything for the 'few days'? Just curious."
"Honestly? Every once in a while, I wonder if she held on as long as she did out of spite. After all, she was a living embodiment of what Arvis sacrificed. She never forgave him for that, though they did move past it."
"I see." I had to smile at that. I did like the idea of Mom holding on in the hopes of seeing us, but there was something amusing as all hell at her clinging to life to punish Arvis. "Ah, anyway…" I looked at the ring in my hand, sorely tempted to take it. It was Mom's, after all, and I had so few of her things. But hoarding something just for that reason seemed wrong, and I knew I'd never wear it. I hated rings. I honestly didn't really like wearing jewelry, save for the earrings. So, after studying it, I handed it back to her. "I appreciate it, Ishtar, but you should keep this. You loved Mom too, didn't you?"
"I love her, yes." It was a gentle correction and it made me smile. "Are you sure?" She waited for me to nod and then rather eagerly reclaimed the ring. And I smiled more because I realized that she hadn't really wanted to give the ring up. She had just thought it was the right thing to do. "Thank you."
"Of course." And now I grinned. "But wow, Conall gave you such a pretty ring~?"
"I-It's not like that!" Ishtar blushed prettily, but there was some very real fear in her eyes, so I chose to not press. It reminded me of that panic in Conall's eyes, when I'd tried to tease him about a similar thing. I had a bad feeling that there was more to all of that besides 'Ishtar was dating Julius'. "Though, the adults certainly laughed their heads off. Took Conall and me a good couple of years before realizing the joke."
"If it makes you feel better, that sounds like the sort of thing that would happen with my group."
"Right, there's a whole group. Conall would tell me all sorts of stories. He'd tell Julius and Julia as well..." She trailed off, falling silent. I looked up and saw Diarmuid and Conall still sparring. Both of them were grinning, looking like they were having the time of their lives. If things had gone just a bit differently, this sort of thing would've been common. "Riona?"
"Hmm?"
"I know you all are in a rebellion and I can't blame you. The Empire is built…" Again, she trailed off, and she wouldn't look at me. She just focused on the ground. "What do you all plan to do with Julius?"
"Why do anything? Children shouldn't be held responsible for their parents' crimes." I shrugged, wondering what we'd done to make her worry like that. "Seliph wants to meet Julius, actually."
"Really?"
"Yep! Conflicted as he's always been on his mother, which got far more complicated since Conall told us about the amnesia thing…" That was still so messed up. "Well, regardless, Julius and Julia are still his siblings." Though, I wondered why she asked about Julius. Was it because they were dating? Was there something else? I felt like there was, but I had no idea. I could just be jumping at shadows. "He's always wanted to meet them."
"I see." She looked up at me again, and smiled slightly. But there was pain and exhaustion in it too. I was… I was definitely missing something. "That sounds rather idealistic."
"Maybe, but sometimes, you have to be idealistic if you want to see some change in the world. You just have to temper it with the knowledge that you might fail." I shrugged again and looked up at the sky. Fluffy clouds floated overhead. "Truthfully, we'd rather people surrender. We know there's good people in the Empire. Just by logic. And we know that they have families waiting for them." I looked to her again. "Really, it would be better if no one had to fight. But sadly, that's not possible anymore. At least, here in Isaach."
"So, basically, you give them a chance, but if they refuse, you fight."
"Pretty much. We know damn well this is sacrificing the few for the many. We also know…" It was sacrificing people for the 'ideal' of a… gods, I hated this feeling. Really, everything would've been so much better if we didn't have to fight. But we did. At this point, we did. "Well, it's a complicated mess, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. Even if that might help us sleep better."
"Why fight at all? Others were."
"They were, but many of them have been placing their hopes on us." I winced as I thought of all the people who had died for us. The survivors of the labor camps who lit up when they saw who we were… "It's only fair." I frowned when Ishtar started giggling. "What's so amusing?"
"Mmm… nothing." Ishtar continued giggling, and I scowled. "I just find it endearing. Even if I worry your hearts will shatter."
"Even if they do, we'll piece them together again. Eventually, the jagged edges will wear down and other things will fill the cracks and holes." I rested a hand over my heart for emphasis. "I swore my heart had been ripped in half when Conall was taken, but I still made it through that. You just have to be around people who love and support you."
"Conall once said something similar to Tine, when Aunt Tailtiu died." Ishtar's voice grew soft, and I tried to not react to the name. I remembered my promise to Arthur, but… well, this didn't seem like a discussion to suddenly ask about either. "You two really are twins. It's fascinating how similar you two are, when you two were separated so long."
"We did have the same initial raising. We were together until we were six years old. Even if he lived in Belhalla for so long, Aideen and Oifeye were still the ones who shaped our early years." Though, since those traits remained, either Conall stubbornly clung to them or Arvis and Diadora had encouraged the same behaviors. "I imagine Conall is still used to people dying for him."
"He is. When we were little, during the assassination attempts, Conall was the one who remained calm, even when I was panicking." She sighed, and I was tempted to ask what she meant. "Honestly, if not for him, I…"
A loud crack made both of us jump and Hestia and Hekate… well, they tried to get to their feet, but ended up tangled in each other. But it was fine, because there was nothing 'bad' about the loud noise. Diarmuid had just broken the practice swords. Well, I assumed it was his fault, at least. It tended to be. At least this time, I reacted in time to set the flying pieces aflame and turned them to ash before they broke a window. Or before the window was broken by flaming pieces of wood. Because both had happened. A lot.
"Well, that was…" Conall began. He looked to the ashes and to the splintered practice sword in his hand. "So. Hezul."
"Yeah, that's happened a lot," Diarmuid noted sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the side. His own broken practice sword dangled from his fingers. "Thankfully, the whole strength thing comes on gradually, so normally, I have pretty good control. Longer I fight, though, the more I get distracted and… well…"
"He and Seliph actually aren't allowed to spare with each other, since Baldur also gives a bit of a strength boost," I explained, absently petting Hestia while Ishtar tried to calm Hekate. Hestia was used to such things, and sometimes would try to catch the pieces. Hekate clearly wasn't, and whimpered a lot. "But distracted?" I grinned, deciding someone needed to break the tension. "My, my! Enjoyed the view too much?"
"Give me a damn break! Seliph wasn't joking about him being handsome." Diarmuid sighed mournfully and Conall's expression blanked. Ishtar burst into incredulous laughter, holding onto Hekate. "No wonder Seliph admitted to doing a double-take. Gods damn, he's as lovely as you are."
"Aw, so sweet~!" I laughed and Conall continued to look very confused. "Hey, curious, how does he compare to, say, Ishtar over here? Because she's so pretty."
"We are surrounded by too many hot people."
"We really are." I smirked, noticing that both Conall and Ishtar were blushing now. "Well, regardless, I imagine we need to wash up for lunch or something, right? That's probably a sign we should've done that an hour ago, so let's go, go, go!"
Things like this reminded me so much of Tirnanog that it was painful. I was well aware that I could fight Conall and Ishtar one of these days. And while Conall probably wouldn't fight-fight, Ishtar… just based on what I had seen, and based on that interaction with the ring? I was fairly certain the only leniency Ishtar would grant was that she'd try to avoid killing us. And, even then, since she appeared the 'duty before everything' type, that wasn't a guarantee. I hated it. She was fun. I liked her smile and laugh.
Maybe we'd get lucky. But luck often wasn't enough. I hated that.
Later that afternoon, Ishtar went hunting for Helswath, again, and Diarmuid took a nap, so Conall and I hung out in my room with the wolves. It surprised me how well-behaved Hestia had been the past few days, but it seemed like having Hekate around made her less likely to get bored. Either that or Hestia knew the importance of what was going on and was on her best behavior and would be a total brat later. One of the two. But, for now, she and Hekate played a bit on the floor while Conall and I read by the window. And I finally got around to ask about Tine.
"Surprised you've heard the name, unless Ishtar brought her up," Conall murmured, turning a page. He was reading through some memoir, though he wouldn't show me the title. I'd decided to read a history book he had, one that talked of the years after Grannvale's founding. "Actually, never mind. I'm no longer surprised. Ishtar dotes on her little cousin."
"So, you know her?" I asked, being nonchalant. I'd chosen against telling Conall about Arthur and the shared relation there. I didn't know who all Arthur wanted to know. "What is she like?"
"Shy, timid, but with a quiet stubbornness. She's been a little more confident ever since Hilda took over Miletos and no longer…" Conall scowled. "Hey, this is mean, but if you see Hilda, kick her in the face, will you?"
"Sure." I was just going to go with it. "How long have you known her?"
"Tine? We met at Tailtiu's funeral, so…" Conall looked up at the ceiling, calculating the number. "Nine years now or thereabouts. We write each other frequently, and I occasionally visit her in Alster."
"Why does she live in Alster and not, say, Friege?"
"Because as far as anyone knows, Tine is an illegitimate child, and Grannvale has a thing against them." Conall rolled his eyes. "The Manster District is much laxer on that sort of thing, probably because of the more constant warfare."
"Ah." That reminded me of the insult that one soldier had thrown at me. I'd never thought anything about it, but that technically did describe Conall and me. But I wondered why it mattered so much. My parents were my parents, and they had loved each other dearly, marriage or no marriage. There were married couples who couldn't say that much. "Did you ever face any trouble for that?"
"The illegitimate stuff? Some people tried, but they quickly learned it was a fast way to gain Arvis's ire. Arvis has never tolerated the stigma anyway, probably because of Mom and Uncle Azel, plus Aida's got an illegitimate son." Conall paused a bit there. "That's assuming Diadora didn't hear them first. Arvis would at least be subtle about it. Diadora would snap at the person and raise a fuss, damn the consequences."
"Really?"
"Arvis was constantly playing the political game. Diadora learned to a degree, but she never could master the whole 'manipulation' part of it. And if someone had displeased her, she would let them know, to their face. And give them a single warning before making them regret it." Conall laughed softly and set his book down to look out the window. "One of the first memories I have of her, actually, is her giving a tailor the third degree because she called Issachians 'barbarians'."
"You face any trouble for that part either?"
"A few tried. I'd get their names and tell Diadora, and then watch the metaphorical carnage. Like I said, Diadora just flat out did not care about insulting people who earned her wrath." His eyes were sad. "She was a good mother. I'm sad I got more of that mothering than Seliph."
"Ah…" I hadn't thought about that. I wondered if Seliph had. That was also something to discuss at a later time. Or never. I just… wasn't sure how to ask. "Was it weird? Being in Belhalla? Being raised by them?"
"It was the strangest damn thing and it more or less forced me into acknowledging how complicated the world was far too quickly." He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "Take Arvis, for instance. He lowered taxes and strengthened protections on the poor. He personally went out to slums to make sure things were well, ask the people what was needed instead of relying on his preconceptions. He cracked down on poaching, how we had the lion by the way, and was constantly working to make things better. At the same time, he killed Sigurd, our parents, and a bunch of honestly innocent and good people in a very brutal way. He tricked them into letting down their guards and weapons and then just obliterated them." He snapped his fingers, a spark of flame fluttering through the air. "Right. Reminded. Dad's buried in Belhalla's crypt."
"He is?!" I hadn't… I'd just assumed he was in some mass grave, if he was even in a grave at all. "Really?"
"Yeah, surprised me too. Arvis had him buried with the all the honors and whatnot befitting the love of an Imperial Duchess or… whatever Mom's title ended up being. They're buried together."
"Oh…" That was… that was far more than I expected. "I should get ribbons for them. I'm assuming you had the flowers part covered."
"I'll make sure they get there. I couldn't remember what the colors meant, so I chose against it. They might've forgiven mistakes, but..." He shrugged. "Anyway, that's just a sharp dichotomy, really. The same man who put my family through so much hell was also the same man who laughed at each of my antics and pranks, who was so happy at me just being polite to him."
"Yeah, that… yeah." Though that reminded me of a question we'd all had. "Oifeye thinks that Arvis isn't actually doing anything, and that's why there's so many problems. Is it?"
"That's… actually pretty damn close." Conall looked intrigued. Both of us stopped pretending to read by this point. "Surprised Oifeye is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."
"Oifeye chooses to believe in everyone in the army, and he pointed out that there were people who hated Sigurd for the same reasons we hate Arvis." I thought of that conversation and tried to not sigh. I was still deathly afraid of being like him, but… "He also said that everyone always told him how Mom and Arvis were similar, so he kind of feels like condemning Arvis is like condemning Mom."
"I'll have to ask Arvis about that. The only stories anyone in the palace has is about her after she had broken." Conall winced. "Regardless, it's pretty damn close. The only difference is that Arvis can't do anything."
"Really? Why is…?" I trailed off when I saw the raw pain in his eyes. Whatever was going on was complicated and it hurt him. I could press. I probably should. But I didn't want to see him in pain. "Never mind. What was it like being raised by Deirdre?"
"Honestly, after a few months, I just kind of mentally treated 'Deirdre' and 'Diadora' as totally different people. As I told Seliph, she had total amnesia. 'Diadora' was just a name people came up with for her. So, she didn't have the same past or anything, really."
"Nothing at all?"
"Every once in a while, there would be like… a bit of pain? A bit of a feeling? That was the extent of it, though." Conall paused and smiled bitterly. "Mostly. I lied a bit to Seliph."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. She remembered one thing, right before the end. Him." Somehow, his smile became even more bitter. "She remembered Seliph, right before she died. She called herself the worst mother over it. But I wasn't sure…"
"Not sure if Seliph would believe that?"
"That and, let's be honest, all of us were rather emotional and probably on the edge of a breakdown."
"Good point." I bit my lip and glanced outside. Sadly, there wasn't anything really interesting. Rivough was such a… it was like it was dead, really. Compared to Tirnanog and Ganeishire, it was practically a grave. "How did she die?"
"That…" Conall flinched, and the pain and nausea was so potent that I winced. "I'd… rather not…" His voice was a croak. "It was brutal. It was bad. She deserved better. And that's all…" His words shook. "I was the second person to see it." He hesitated a bit. "Julius was first. It broke him a little."
"I'm sorry." I shouldn't have asked. "I…"
"You know; I did come to love her. I never admitted it, though. I couldn't forgive any of them for the pain they inflicted on my family. Still can't, really. But I did love her." He laughed; the sound was hollow. "I wish I had properly told her. I could've told her. Her only 'crime' had been forgetting and trusting the people around her. And she always did her best by the empire. And by me."
"Maybe she knew." I wanted to ask if he came to love Arvis as well, but I had a feeling that would be a far more complicated answer.
"Oh, she probably did. She grew to know me very well. I just wish…" He sighed and shook his head, reaching back to fix his ponytail. "Well, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride."
"Unless they got the lessons to go with it, I think they'd keep a respectful distance, just like most smart people." I grinned and that was when I noticed something. It was far too quiet. And, with a sinking feeling, I glanced to the side to find out why that was. "Hey, Conall?"
"Yes?"
"Mind if we change the subject?"
"I'd welcome it. What is it?"
"We forgot to shut the door fully."
"We… oh. Oh no." Conall looked too and facepalmed. Hestia and Hekate weren't in the room. And a quick look up and down the hall showed they weren't within sight. "I hope she's not at the pond again. She was so excited about the prospect of there being an entire pool of 'snacks'."
"I just hope they're together because at least we're not-" There was the very distant sound of a yelp, of something shattering, and two happy barks. "Damn it."
"If Arvis is right and they are like toddlers, I feel so bad for anyone who had to deal with us."
"Same."
We followed the trail of startled people and broken things to find Hestia and Hekate happily chomping on some raw meat I had a sneaking suspicion was supposed to be part of dinner. Conall scolded them both while I handled the profuse apologies for our asshole, bratty wolves. When we dragged them back to my room, we made sure the door was firmly shut and, to help keep things chipper, I talked about life in Tirnanog. Conall listened eagerly, asking questions left and right. In return, he talked about some of the antics he got into in Belhalla. Fun memories. Things not darkened by more recent events.
Thirteen years was a lot to catch up on. But we could at least make a little headway.
I'd taken to nightly walks in Rivough, to learn the layout of the castle and to calm myself down so that I could actually get to sleep. Hestia followed me faithfully, keeping close and providing a perfect excuse to the few servants I passed on the walk. I made sure to always pass by Danann's study, mostly to see if he was consistently there in the late evenings. He was and, aside from that first night, he was always passed out in a drunken stupor. More than once I'd been tempted to see if he'd drown in a puddle, but I decided against it. Drowning was a poor way to go, even for someone as hateful as him, and there was a good chance he'd wake up before he died anyway. Instead, I continued walking, enjoying the quiet. Which meant it was rather awkward when I passed by the gardens and saw Conall and Ishtar there. Because both were normally asleep at this hour.
"So, you did find Helswath and overheard something that hints there might be Loptyr priests heading back this way," Conall murmured. I could barely hear him from where I hid, not wanting to walk past and get caught, but also not really wanting to go back the way I cam. I held onto Hestia, who delighted in simply leaning into me. A quick look showed no Hekate anywhere near where he and Ishtar sat. I wondered if Conall had let her run about as an excuse to be outside. "We'll need to tell Diarmuid and Riona about both. The first is a reassurance. The latter…"
"They'll need to know to prepare," Ishtar finished. She swung her legs back and forth, kicking the underside of the bench. "Conflicted as I feel about helping them, anything that makes things harder for the priests is very nice."
"Have I mentioned how much I appreciate it, Ishtar?"
"You have. Multiple times. Because you know how…" Ishtar sighed, looking down. Her hair wasn't in a side-ponytail for once, so I saw it was longer than Conall's. Barely. "This very same army is going to march south, Conall. They will fight my family. They'll kill my soldiers."
"I know. And believe me, it's a worry."
"But, at the same time, I am… I am aware that the Empire is built on the backs of the oppressed. Their broken backs, at that." Ishtar dug her fingers into the stone of the bench. Conall took her hands to keep her from hurting herself. "But I still have a duty to protect my soldiers, and my family."
"And Julius."
"And Julius. And you. Because you're not going to fight, are you?" She smiled wanly at him, laughing forlornly. "They're your family. You can't fight family."
"Oh, there's family I can fight easily. But you're right. I can't fight them." He shrugged. "I'm not one to enjoy a good fight like you anyway, even if I appreciate the exercise."
"And despite the fact that you're very good at it."
"People are good at a lot of things they hate. Or come to hate. I imagine Arvis is hating how good he was at playing people twenty years ago." Conall shrugged again, still holding her hands. He held them very gently, and Ishtar clung to him. "But yes, they're my family. So is Julius. I've family and friends on both side of this conflict."
"This isn't a conflict where one can be neutral, though. Manfroy…"
"Maybe. But I am stubborn and spiteful and enjoy doing whatever I can to make Manfroy mad, and not picking a side seems to do exactly that. And annoying as I am sure it must be, maybe by remaining neutral, I can figure out..." He sighed. "I'm having trouble finding answers, but there must be one. Surely, there must."
"...Yeah." Ishtar's answering smile was a little broken. I wondered what the hell they were talking about. "You work so hard. I'm scared you're burning yourself to keep the rest of us warm, Conall. To keep me warm."
"If I am, it's my choice to make. Just like it's my choice to return with you."
"Are you sure you want to? I mean…"
"I adore catching up with Riona and Diarmuid. I love them both dearly. But I will not leave you alone in Belhalla. You sent Reinhardt to guard Tine in Alster, and Ishtore is running Melgen. Cyas is somewhere in the Manster District."
"If I'm the only reason, then…"
"My choice. That's always my choice." He smiled slightly. "Besides, what do you think Julius would do if I did try?"
"Probably level the place to be honest." She sighed, wincing and looking ready to cry. Again, I wondered what the hell they were talking about. Conall mentioned Julius broke a little at Deirdre's death. Was it related? "Sorry, I know I keep bugging you about it. You leaving has always been one of my biggest fears, but at the same time, I'm scared of chaining you."
"I am the Reaper's Wolf, and no chain can hold a wolf long." He made his voice comically dramatic and she actually laughed. A real laugh, even if it was quiet. "But it's always been one of your fears? Really?"
"Conall, you didn't come to Belhalla willingly. And you never hid that."
"Well, yes, That's true. I was captured and dragged across the desert against my will. Certainly wouldn't have chosen to be separated from everyone."
"It makes sense, certainly. So much sense that…" She sighed. "Ah, I'm just being foolish."
"You're my best friend." Conall pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair, and she leaned into him, clinging again. "I don't think it's foolish to be afraid of friends disappearing. Gods know…"
"You sure you heard a rumor about Julia? That she's okay?"
"Yep." Conall made sure to smile. "Didn't hear where, though. Probably a good thing. Manfroy…"
"If Manfroy tries to get within even half a day of her, I swear I'm going to make him wish for death!" She glared at the ground. "I mean it!"
"It'll be fine." Conall closed his eyes. "We'll find a way to make it fine."
"Riona, there you are." Diarmuid's quiet voice caught my ear, and I looked down the hall to see him there. "I got a message from the others, via a scout I know by name and face," he explained softly, smiling. "Labor camp has been successfully taken, all survivors safely within Sophara."
"I see," I whispered. I glanced back at Ishtar and Conall, noticing Conall was singing Isaachian lullabies. I was surprised he remembered them. "Well, I've been wandering and have a bit of a layout." I focused on Diarmuid, holding onto Hestia still. "Let's 'wander' and see if I'm correct. Also, is there a way to smuggle things out?"
"Probably. Why?"
"Just something I think Larcei might want for the fight. That's all."
Time to set up Danann's fall. It was a long time coming.
A few days later, after careful messages and a couple of 'send Hestia and Hekate running outside the city to conveniently meet with people' things, the day we fought Danann arrived. And I was nervy as all hell. As in Conall actually got me some medicine for how nauseous I was.
"Your battle outfit reminds me of that one picture Mom had of Ayra in hers," Conall noted, watching me buckle the last of my armor on. Hekate sat at his side; Hestia laid down at my feet. "You sure you can't delay a couple more days? I really would like to try and find out more information about the potential Loptyr priests. Like if they're already in Rivough or not."
"Sadly, if there are any more delays, Seliph might face a mutiny," I whispered. We had already delayed once, and the soldiers had been mad about it. I didn't know the details, but a letter from Arthur told me that it had been bad. Iuchar wasn't allowed to walk anywhere alone because of how bad it had been. "No one likes being told to wait when the object of their hatred is within sight." I knew that well. I'd almost lost it when that general had passed by, back in Ganeishire. If Diarmuid hadn't held onto me…
"Even if it might save some of their lives?"
"They honestly don't care." I smiled wanly at him, fussing with my gloves. Hestia whimpered and licked my leg. "That's how much they hate Danann."
"Might as well stop a landslide, huh?" Conall sighed, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. "Emphasize the danger, then, and have them be cautious. I'd rather…" He laughed bitterly. "Selfish as it is, I'd rather none of the group get hurt, even if it's impossible."
"Well, it's only fair if we at least get a little hurt." I shrugged. That part I wasn't worried about. Losing because we moved too soon? That was a big worry. "People have died keeping us safe. If we don't bleed with them, how can we say we're really leading?"
"Why does that have to make sense?" Conall absently petted Hekate's head. "Ishtar and I will get the servants evacuated to minimize the chances of hostages. This doesn't protect any that the priests might bring, if they do show up. But it'll at least protect the ones already here."
"I really do appreciate it." Ishtar had lit up with I'd asked if she'd mind. Something like that wasn't as conflicting to her. "You'll use the confusion to take Helswath, yes?"
"Ishtar is actually securing it now, or trying to. It's damn heavy. But we'd rather it be not in its proper place when the battle starts." Conall smiled slightly. "We might use the confusion to leave, but I am interested in seeing Danann die and witnessing the moment Isaach is free again."
"I'm sure the others would love to at least see you."
"I would too. I miss them. But it's much safer if I..." He trailed off and he growled in frustration. I realized quickly that it was frustration at himself. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know I should tell you more." He spoke quickly, far too quickly. "I should tell you, so that you're prepared, but I don't know how to explain or how to… how to…"
"Conall." I held his face between my hands, wondering if that had actually been a bit of a panic attack. If so, then whatever was going on, it was both far worse and far more complicated than I could understand. Especially right now. "Whatever happened has traumatized you, hasn't it? That's why it's so hard to talk about."
"I…" Conall closed his eyes and nodded. "I'm sorry."
"No. Don't be sorry for trauma, Conall. I only wish I knew how to make it better." I smiled ruefully and kissed his forehead. "I'm your big sister-"
"Twin."
"Older twin. Yet I can't seem to keep you safe. It seems like you're desperately trying to protect all of us instead."
"And being well aware that I'm probably going to fail. But I have to try." He opened his eyes and smiled brokenly. "I'm sorry. This 'being neutral' must be annoying."
"Never." The world was far more complicated, and even if this was a conflict where 'neutrality' was impossible, I couldn't blame people for trying. I was just heartbroken that I couldn't help him. "Besides, you're not really being neutral, are you? You're just trying to find a path that might save more people you care about."
"And, as I said, I'm probably going to just fall off a cliff or something. But…"
"Julius relies on you. That's why you're leaving. He needs you to keep sane."
"That…" Conall laughed, and it edged on hysterics. "Close enough. We'll call it close enough. I'm sorry. I can't…"
"I love you." I pulled him into a hug, letting him rest his head against my shoulder. "My sweet twin brother… you always were so very gentle. That doesn't seem to have changed. I wish I could make it better."
"Shame that storybook-endings are bullshit, huh?"
"We can make it close."
"For some."
"Okay, point." And the ghosts of all those we killed would probably haunt us for the rest of our days. "We'll muddle through."
"That seems more plausible." This time, his laugh… well, it wasn't warm, but it wasn't hysterical either. "I'm… no, never mind." He reached one hand up to cling to my back. "I love you too. Try not to get killed, please. You always were the type to jump headfirst into danger to protect things."
"As if you were any different." I tightened my hug on him. "For all that we were different, we always did have too many similarities, huh?"
"That we do."
I held Conall until Ishtar swung by to snag him for evacuations, and then I left with Hestia to meet up with Diarmuid, keeping to the lesser traveled hallways so that no one questions just why I was armored and armed. Why we were really, because after we met up, we immediately headed for the gates. After waiting a moment, we knocked the guards out and moved them to the side, binding them up to lessen the chances of getting caught. The one I'd knocked out happened to be the same one who let Diarmuid and I in, so I made sure they were a little more out of the way, and the bindings were a bit harder to pull apart. I didn't want them to end up in the battle. It was a silly, childish wish, but I did.
Then it was waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting… waiting for Fee to fly up in the sky and send a bit of thunder magic across the sky. Waiting for Hestia to howl in return. Then Diarmuid and I opened the gates and let our army inside. By the time the alarms sounded, we had a full half of the city under control. At minimum.
"You need to fall back!" I ordered, pulling a badly wounded soldier out of the fighting, grimacing as they tried to break my grip. Unfortunately, everyone's fury and fervor made quite a few soldiers fight in a berserker rage, ignoring the wounds they picked up to simply charge as deep as they could into enemy lines. Formations were falling apart left and right, and only the fact that Rivough's soldiers couldn't even get into formation saved us. "Now! You can't enjoy freedom if you're dead!" I'd had people ignore my orders and spent more time bullying people into seeking medical help than I did actually fighting. "Don't make your friends tell your family you died, damn it!"
I pulled a few more back, snapping orders. Hestia took to growling to make them listen, and I actually had to carry a few back myself. Maybe I should've just let them die if they were so insistent on it, but I couldn't. I knew there would already be others I couldn't save. I couldn't stomach abandoning the ones right by me. It was probably stupid, especially for a leader, but…
"Riona, please, be careful." Yuria snagged my hand after I dropped off a few more injured. She was covered in so much blood and grime that for a second, I actually forgot her hair was supposed to be silver, not muddy-auburn. "I have a bad feeling," she whispered, squeezing my hand. "So…"
"I'll be as careful as I can," I told her, kissing her forehead. Then I made sure to smile for her, hoping it would be reassuring. I worried it was only tiring. "This is a dangerous battle."
"I am scolding the angrier ones for making more work. I don't know if they're listening, but it at least makes me feel better."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, have at it. But try not to tire yourself out with it."
"Anger and spite are wonderful motivators."
"That they are." I kissed her cheek and gave her a quick hug. "Off I go!"
"Wait, can you give Lana a hug? She's flagging, but I'm sure that'll help."
"I'm always up for hugs." I winked. "Snag her for me?"
"Of course!"
Yuria got Lana free soon enough, and she eagerly accepted the offered hug. We didn't say anything, simply shared the hug and kissed each others' cheeks, and then she was back to saving lives, and I was back in the battle, fighting where I could, but more evacuating wounded who refused to fall back. Someone had to, and I was the only one who could really afford the 'distraction'. Lester had brought Diarmuid's horse, so Lester, Diarmuid, Iuchar, and Oifeye were all with the cavalry and had their own difficulties. Arthur was our only mage and stayed near Seliph for precision strikes of his spells. Fee was similar, being our only flier and thus, having the only 'good' view of the battle. Seliph, of course, was leading everything. And Larcei and Ulster… well…
"Don't let up! We've got this!" Larcei called, laughing as she led the charge. Beside her, perfectly silent, was Ulster, keeping pace with her easily. Both wielded their parents' weapons, the Brave Sword and Brave Axe respectively, and they were at their absolute best, slaughtering enemies and leaving a very clear trail for everyone to follow. "Keep going, keep going!"
"I think they're both too focused to even think about checking for how badly everyone is wounded," I murmured, smiling slightly as I watched them. They had quite a bit of an extra motivation for this. Avenging their parents. Avenging their country. I was sure Seliph put them at the front specifically for that reason. "Okay, back to what I was doing." I petted Hestia, who was bloody but uninjured thankfully, and ran to a group of nearby soldiers. One of which had a gut wound. "Oh, come on! You need to fall back when you get hit like that!"
I'd bullied a couple of the group back when a strange heaviness to the air made all my instincts scream. I immediately shoved the last few back, wondering just what was going on, and then my vision went white. It took a full second to realize it went white from pain, because that's how long it took for it to slam into me. I choked on blood, coughing and wheezing as I desperately tried to get a good breath. Large gashes appeared on my arms. Blood poured into a puddle at my feet. More gashes were on my legs. My dress was ruined. My armor was intact, though, and that told me this had likely been a spell. What kind? I had no clue.
"My Lady!" "Riona!" "Lady Riona!" Bunches of screams bombarded my ears, along with Hestia's whimpers and yips. But I didn't pay attention to the noise. Instead, I made myself look up and I found a person in black robes standing a short distance away, tome in hand. One of the priests really did show up, then. There might be more. And I knew I should fall back, but…
"Hestia, make sure they get to the infirmary!" I snapped before lurching forward. Battle-fever made me numb again, and I ducked and dodged all manners of weapons. My focus was on that priest, wielding a magic none of us understood. Because… because.
Thankfully, the priest hadn't expected me to charge, so their guard was down. Two strikes later, they were choking in a pool of their own blood, breathing out their last, and I was fixing my footing to keep from collapsing. At least, I was until I heard a small child's cry and I jerked up to see two children running into the battle. Terror flooded me and I raced for them, pushing my way past soldiers as I tried to reach them before the two died. Why were children here? Why had they run into the battle? I had no idea. Or, well, I might have had one, but terror made everything focus on just getting to the two. Because what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave them to 'someone else'. Everyone was so focused on killing Danann that they ignored their own injuries! They might hurt them on accident!
So, I ran. Ignoring my own pain, which was probably hypocritical, but I didn't care. I ran and ran until I caught up. Until I grabbed one child and reached out to the other to drag them towards me. The one I held sobbed and clung to me tightly, tightly enough that my vision went grey from pain. The one I reached out to sobbed and smiled, reaching back. Caught my hand. Then a black light lanced straight through their chest, dark flames eating at the wound. Dead in less than a second.
I fell to my knees and cradled them against my chest. The other, living, one I tucked protectively against my side, but I couldn't stop staring blankly at the dead child. They were still smiling. Tears still trickled down their face. Blood seeped into their shirt. There was still a sense of hope in the dead, dull eyes. I… I had them. I had them. But then I hadn't. I hadn't… I hadn't been fast enough… I...
"Let that be a warning of how serious I am!" Danann's voice boomed over the battlefield, bringing the chaos to a momentary pause. Danann himself wasn't in the battle. The pristine condition of his clothes showed he hadn't been anywhere near. He just stood there up on a… a floor… balcony… thing. Watching us with a smug smile, with two more priests and a bunch more children next to them. This had been the exact scenario we'd been most afraid of. This was why we had wanted to delay, but no one would listen. No one would… "Weapons down, or the children's heads roll!" Danann laughed, mocking us. I looked around to see if I any of my friends were near, but there wasn't. It was just me, surrounded by angry soldiers, with a crying child clinging to my side and a dead child in my arms. "Make your choice, Prince of Light! You've only got two!" Silence. Silence. Silence. "Come now! Will you really sacrifice children for your goal? My, what will the people say when-"
"I imagine Lord Seliph isn't saying anything because he's actually observant, unlike you, you bastard son of a tied down bitch." The air hummed with power just seconds before a spear of thunder spiked through the air, cracking the walls and railing just from the sheer pressure of its passing. It obliterated one of the priests' heads, not even leaving blood behind as the rest of the body thumped to the ground, and then it connected with the outer wall, leaving a sizable crater and large, deep cracks spiralling from it. "Neir must be rolling in his grave, wondering how someone like you became his heir," Ishtar coolly mocked, stepping out onto the balcony. Her heels clacked on the stone with each purposeful step, thunder magic slinking about her hand and arm like a very affectionate cat. The air still hummed with power. "Acting like a spoilt child when you're losing. How pathetic."
"Couldn't you have angled the spell better? Now they're going to have to fix the castle, Ishtar." Conall stepped out as well, staff in hand and silver flames flickering at his fingertips. "There's no need to cause wanton destruction just because you lost your temper," he chided, perfectly calm. He gestured sharply and the other priest was incinerated by a silver light, one that turned gold as blue sparkles trailed off of it. "Though, Danann, this really is quite the farce. Face your inevitable end with a touch of dignity, would you?"
"What the hell are you two doing?!" Danann roared. His face was an interesting purple color, but I didn't pay attention because a cold nose nuzzled my cheek. It took a couple of blinks to recognize Hekate, but she didn't care. She simply licked my face and continued nuzzling me, giving me what comfort she could. "Why are you helping them?!"
"Because you are a disgrace, and I love my family dearly. As for Ishtar, she was going to stay out of things, but then you got children involved." Conall shrugged. Ishtar smirked. "So, really, you only have yourself to blame for this."
"You do, indeed," Ishtar agreed, bringing her hand up. The thunder magic still clung to her, and she wielded it like it was a part of her. "So, there's nothing more to be said. You will die here." Danann, doing the first smart thing in his entire life, ran, clear out of sight. Ishtar scoffed, the thunder magic focusing in her palm. "Oh, please."
"Ishtar, leave him to the army, for poetic justice, and tend to the children, will you?" Conall requested. He vaulted over the railing and easily climbed down. "I'll join you soon."
I didn't hear a reply. Our army, realizing what had happened, began cheering and racing about, fighting with renewed fervor. I heard the others shouting orders, but I didn't move. I simply stayed with Hekate, holding onto the living and dead child. Protecting the surviving one, while I...
"I'm sorry," I whispered to them. I knew I should move or something, but I couldn't get my feet under me. All I could think of was how I had been too slow to save them, and how we had been so weak, so untrustworthy, that our soldiers didn't trust us to wait just a little longer. We killed them. I killed them. "I'm so sorry."
"Knew it was a good idea to leave finding her to you, Hekate." Conall, however, knelt next to me, healing me up easily. I'd forgotten all about my injuries. "Where's Hestia?" he asked me, looking at me worriedly. He tried to heal the child, but of course, the magic didn't take. You couldn't heal the dead. "Separated?"
"I told her to make sure some injured got to the infirmary." I passed him the dead child, and nudged the surviving one to him as well. "Hey, sweetie, Conall is going to get you to a safe place, okay?" I kissed their forehead and smiled warmly at them. They tearfully smiled back, still crying, but trusting me. A trust I didn't deserve. "Thanks for the heal. But I need to get back to things."
"...I suppose you do." Conall still looked at me worriedly. "Ishtar and I did a run of the place, so I think those were the only priests."
"Good. They suck." I rolled my shoulders and sheathed my silver blade to draw my Fire Sword instead. Range. I needed range. If I had a bit more range, then my lack of speed wasn't as big of a deal. Hopefully. "Hestia will find me if she's not needed in the infirmary. Thanks for watching the children."
"Of course." Conall finally smiled and I smiled back. "Love you."
"Love you too." And I turned and jumped back into the fray. But after the first fight, a strange calm settled over me. Everything seemed both far away and far too close and yet, I felt perfectly fine. Even breath. Even footing. Calm, maybe a little cold. Perfectly fine.
I brought the Fire Sword up, intending on using it like a normal sword for close quarter fighting. But the flames flickered along the blade, and the flames were not orange. They were blue. Blue, burning hotter than anything, with tiny 'stars', sparkles, dancing on the edges. Much like Conall's spell. And that told me what this was, and what Conall had done with his own spell. Luna apparently would color the magic, change it into something more potent. Magic that overcame one's resistance to magic, no matter what barriers they had. And that gave me an entirely different idea.
"Mom… help me please…" I whispered, ignoring the fighting around me and walking until I was at the front, by the gates, where there were mostly (hopefully only, but I had no way or knowing) enemies ahead of me. "Okay…" I held the sword in front of me, flat side facing me, point near my left hand. I felt the heat, but it didn't hurt me. Again, I was perfectly calm. This had to be the calm one needed for Luna. This had to be why Dad was always described as 'stoic'. "Please work…!"
I used the sword as a catalyst and brought the full force of my magic down on the enemies. Blue flames flew through the air and slammed into the ground, clawing soldiers to ash, blackening the stone of the walls. All the way to the front gates. 'Fireproof', Danann had said. All well and good, but that was normal fire. That was with normal-magical fire. But it seemed like I was correct. Luna's magic allowed flames to bypass whatever treatment the doors had. Or the doors weren't nearly as flameproof as Danann had boasted. But, regardless, when I brought the sword down to my side, blue flames still flickering along the blade, there was nothing but charred bodies and splintered ash in front of me. I really, truly did hope that it had been only our enemies. I hoped I hadn't killed any of my own with that. Even if it did give us direct access to the castle's interior.
The army surged forward and I went with them, mostly to avoid being trampled. Then it was fighting, because there was nothing else to really do. At some point during the mess, Hestia somehow found me and kept close to my side. We fell into our typical routine of 'Hestia cripples and I kill' thing, with the additional thing of me sometimes burning-burning people instead of simply their clothes or something. The blue flames eventually turned to simple, 'normal' flames but they served as enough of a catalyst to add a bit of a dramatic flair to my fighting. ...Mostly because I'd accidentally whip the fire around. It sure looked cool, but it was a damn miracle I didn't kill myself. Or Hestia.
Sometime between one blink and the next, I ended up near Ulster, by the doors to the throne room, and I helped him pry the doors open. Because sadly, these doors weren't made of entirely wood like the outer gates.
"Say, Riona, mind doing me a favor?" Ulster asked as we worked together. We both slipped a bit in blood, but kept our holds. Barely. "It's… mildly important?"
"Is it to send for Diarmuid so that we don't have to deal with this stupid door?" I asked dryly. The worst part was that we could get the door to move some. But only some. "Did he bar it badly or something? Wait, is that even the right word?"
"Too tired to care, but no, no Diarmuid yet. Larcei and I got separated, and Seliph's condition for letting us go ahead is that neither of us confront Danann alone."
"Makes sense." I glanced around, and there was no Larcei in sight. "Hestia, go find her, will you, sweetie?" Hestia whimpered a bit and licked my leg. "I know, but she could've cracked her head on a wall again." Hestia sighed and disappeared into the fighting. "Please don't let that have actually happened because we won't hear the end of Larcei complaining about it."
"That hadn't actually been the favor, though I certainly don't mind it." Ulster and I managed to get the door a bit open, but our grip slipped and, worse, the door shut right on my arm. "You okay?!"
"Been better…" Still, I could move my arm and, thanks to the painful propping, I could actually find the badly placed bar. And it was wooden. "What was the favor?"
"Coming with me to get Danann? Unless we find Larcei first."
"Yeah, sure, sounds good." It took a couple of tries, but I did manage to burn the bar. And we promptly slammed the doors open. "Not sure how much help I'll be with my arm like this." I winced when I saw how swollen it already was. I could move my hand, so nothing was broken, but… "But I can play distraction."
"That's all I'll need." Ulster glared ahead of us. "Though, Danann doesn't seem to be here."
"Nope." The throne room was empty. But I remembered the layout, and I saw the open door in the back. "There."
"Got it." And then we were running. We let the soldiers handle the area and ran down the hall, trying to find Danann. And, to our grim delight, we did catch up. After all, Danann was quite a bit slower than the two of us.
"Where the hell is it?!" Danann screamed, flailing about. He wielded a fairly good axe, silver I wanted to say, but he held it loosely, like he was prepared to fling it away. "Who moved it?! I'll kill them!"
"Hard to kill anyone if you're dead," Ulster noted dryly. Danann whirled, axe at the ready. I winced when I noticed how… well, it was a large hallway, so it should be relatively fine, but Ulster wouldn't be able to move as much. On the brighter side, I could set some of the tacky tapestries on fire as a distraction. "So, am I supposed to be polite and introduce myself or-"
"No! No, you're dead!" At first, the words came off as a childish retort. The 'no, you!' sort of thing. But then I registered the desperation behind the words. The shock. The fear. And the madness in his eyes. "You're dead, damn it!" Danann stumbled back a bit, focused solely on Ulster. "Damn it, Lex! You're dead! Stop haunting me!"
"...My name is Ulster. I am the son of Duke Lex of Dozel and Princess Ayra of Isaach." Ulster's expression completely locked up. "Come on. I've been told I look like him, but we have completely different-"
"I beat you! I already beat you! I won! You lose!" Danann wasn't paying attention at all. "You can't keep winning! Not after you're dead! Not after I finally triumphed!"
"Well, there goes most of my righteous rage." Ulster sighed. "This is kind of pathetic, honestly."
"Stop pitying me! You always pitied me!" Danann swung the axe wildly. Both Ulster and I ducked and the axe slammed into the wall, cracking the stone. Neir's blood wasn't known for strength, not like Hezul's, but Danann either had a lot of strength anyway or madness gave it to him. "Always! Always, always, always!" He ripped the axe out, and there was a noticeable chip in the blade part. "With that sickeningly sweet smile, you'd mock me with reassurances!"
"For fuck's sake, I'm his son!" Ulster glanced at me, and I nodded, backing up and focusing. Just a simple thing, because the fight should really be him and just him. But that was the 'honorable' way to fight. We weren't the type to fight 'honorably'. "This is our first time meeting, you-!"
"Always the favored son! Always the better one! Always the one who got the praise! But look who's laughing now? Look who survived!" Danann broke into mad laughter and swung again. Ulster blocked it, but was sent crashing into the wall. He and I shared a wide-eyed look. "I did! Not you! Not Father! Me! I beat you both! So stop haunting me!" There was a hysterical sob. I had… no idea what to feel about any of this. "Stop it! Leave me alone!"
"How about you say all of that to someone who might give a damn?" Ulster glanced at me again, and I nodded, focusing once more. Those of Neir's blood were known for their defense. Ulster would need a good opening to end this quickly. "I have no patience for children throwing tantrums."
"Die again!"
"You won't even manage to kill me once."
I set Danann's hair on fire, thinking it might be the only thing that got through the madness, and the air was immediately filled with an acrid smell. But Danann didn't even seem to notice, just charging at Ulster with a bellowing war cry that echoed on and on. So I snapped twice more, setting his shirt and pants aflame. Then his cape. Then the hair on his arms as the fire burned away the cloth. That was when he finally faltered.
And that was when Ulster struck for the very quick fight. Two strikes before Danann could even attempt one. Miss. Another two strikes. Another two. A hit, one that made the blood pour down Ulster's side. Deciding to try something, I whispered another prayer to Mom, and added a second one to Salamander (just in case), and I used my Fire Sword as a catalyst to wrap fire magic around Ulster's Brave Axe. It held beautifully and Danann screamed when Ulster slammed two more hits directly into his face. Then Ulster jumped back and settled into a stance, and green light briefly sparked off the blade before the flames themselves turned green. And then Ulster moved faster than I could see.
I saw 'two' swipes. I saw 'ten' for 'two', instead of the 'five' for 'one' I was used to. And Danann went down, gaping wounds making his limbs contort weirdly, but the Major Neir Blood keeping his limbs attached, unlike General Richard. I swore I heard his mad laughter and desperate yelling even after he breathed his last.
"The fire thing is cool, but that's definitely not something to ambush on me," Ulster noted weakly. He pressed a hand to his side and smiled wryly. I went through my medicine pack to tend to the wound, smiling apologetically in return. "How's your arm?"
"Lana is probably going to kill us both." My arm was very, very swollen and hurt every time I moved it. "Shame Larcei wasn't here for this. Or Iuchar."
"Iuchar requested to not be near. Will agree with Larcei, but she probably would've drawn it out with an emotional thing and gods, I didn't want to deal with that." He winced as I pulled his shirt up and quickly bandaged him up. It was a bad wound. "Lana is going to kill us."
"She is." I tied off the bandage and nudged the body. "What are we doing with this?"
"Well…" Ulster walked to a nearby window and peered out. "This overlooks the courtyard."
"Oh?" It took me a moment. "Oh." I glanced at the body, my swollen arm, and his wounded side. "Lana is going to kill us, bring us back, and kill us again."
"Can you set it on fire?"
"I can set whatever cloth is left, sure."
"Great." Ulster attempted to open the window, rolled his eyes, and then just took his axe to it, breaking it. "We have to fix the place anyway."
I didn't even bother answering. I just helped him pick up the body with my one good hand and we awkwardly flopped the body out of the window and I set the remaining clothes on fire to really make a statement. The various screams and gasps of shock outside hinted that we miiiiiight have gone a tad overboard, but it was soon drowned out by cheers of victory and delight. Someone had recognized Danann fairly quickly, it seemed. I wondered what that said about… everything.
"Well, things seem to be winding down," I murmured, leaning against the wall by the window, hearing Seliph call for surrender. I couldn't see him, but that was fine. "Good. I am exhausted."
"Same," Ulster sighed. He made a confused noise for some reason. "I'm so exhausted that I'm hallucinating Hestia has black fur."
"Huh?" I looked at him weirdly for a moment before thinking to look down to see the black wolf nosing his hand. "Oh, no, that's Hekate. Conall's wolf. She's just as cute as Hestia, but she's smaller."
"Oh, yeah, she is smaller." Ulster blinked a few times. "Wait, why is she here?"
"Uh… actually, good question."
"Hekate, we need to leave, you… oh, that's why you ran." And suddenly Conall was in the hall. "So… uh… hi?" Conall greeted, with an awkward little wave and an even more awkward smile. Both Ulster and I stared. "Oh, damn it, you're both injured, and I left my working staff in my room for Lana. Though, this is a good question… er, well, this is a good thing because I had a question and-WHOA!" And Conall was tackled clear off his feet by Ulster as Ulster hugged him tightly. "Easy, easy! You're not the scrawny one anymore!"
"Larcei is going to kill us," Ulster laughed. He did move off, but continued hugging Conall and kissed his hair. I just petted Hekate, giving her as good of a rub as I could. She panted happily, yipping a bit. "You sure you can't stay? The others would love to see you."
"And I would love to see them, but I made a promise. Promises are important."
"Even in Belhalla?"
"Belhalla didn't take away everything Oifeye, Aideen, and Shanan taught me." Conall smiled apologetically. "But I do need to get going. I was just chasing after Hekate."
"Does that mean you cannot spare one more hug for me?" To my utter shock, Oifeye walked up, having apparently come in to find Ulster and me, much as he found our group in Ganeishire. He smiled more softly than I had seen in a very, very long while. "Goodness, you look so much like Chuainn," he laughed, also softly. Ulster got off of Conall entirely, but Conall was frozen in shock. I wondered briefly if the gods decided to intervene, just a little. Because the timing really was… "It looks like you grew into a fine young man. I saw your fighting, and you went around the army to heal."
"Yeah, I… um…" Conall began, voice shaking. His expression crumpled suddenly and he scrambled to his feet to run over and hug Oifeye. Oifeye hugged him back easily, and I noticed that Conall was actually a little taller than Oifeye. Conall and I were the same height, so that meant I was also… I hadn't noticed. I'd never noticed. Oifeye always seemed 'large' to me, but I supposed I'd gotten taller, at some point. Weird. "I missed you. I missed everyone. I wish I could give Aideen a hug. There's letters in my room, but…"
"Then we will send the letter, and your love, to her. She'll be relieved." Oifeye ruffled Conall's hair and kissed his forehead. "You walk the path you think is best for now. If you decide it's the wrong path, then you can always return to us. No matter how far you go, you have a home here. Never think that it's too late to change your path."
"...Okay…" Conall smiled brokenly, and Oifeye simply continued smiling back, gently and proudly. "Ha… you still read me well."
"You haven't changed nearly as much as you think. And also, no matter what you think, I know Alicia and Chulainn would be very proud of you." Oifeye laughed and Conall really did look ready to cry. "You're keeping your friend waiting. Tell her that she is always welcome with us as well. After all, she's your friend."
"I'll… I'll let her know." Conall gave Oifeye another hug before hugging Ulster and me. "I love you."
"We love you too. Always."
"Thank you." Conall had to snag Hekate by the fur and drag her a bit before she was willing to leave, and I wondered if she was a good indication of how much Conall, and Ishtar, actually wanted to stay. Then again, she might've just liked the new smells and people.
Regardless, Conall left, and after a moment, Ulster looked to me. "You really okay about this?" he asked me softly, leaning into my side. I rested my head on his shoulder. "I mean…"
"Things are complicated," I whispered. I thought about the conversations we'd had, and the conversations I'd overheard. "I'll tell everyone later what I know. But he's going back to keep Julius safe."
"Ah, Seliph will be glad to hear that." Ulster glanced out the open window. "It feels like it should feel like more."
"Hmm?"
"Killing Danann. Feels like it should be grander."
"Mm… true." All I felt was tired. "Weird."
"Not as much as you think," Oifeye laughed, smiling. He was in the best mood I'd seen in a while. "After all, Danann is simply another step. A final step for this part of the journey, and an important one, but there's a long road ahead. You all are aware of that, and how the battles will be much harder." He walked over to the broken window, looking out. "But listen. Do you hear the cheers? That is the sound of a people who have realized it is safe to dream, and safe to hope. Isaach has dreamed and hoped for freedom for twenty years. And now…"
"Now, they have it," Ulster whispered. I began giggling as it really sunk in. "Feels weird to not have Shanan with us for it."
"He'll joke that it's appropriate, since he is so rarely with you anyway. It'll also be quite the shock because he's already well aware of how little he knows any of you anymore." Oifeye grinned. "You all gave him quite the birthday present, though."
"Yeah, here, have your country back and all the resulting paperwork."
"I didn't say it was entirely good." Oifeye looked back outside, expression too soft for us to continue with the joke. "I'll probably tell you all this again later, after we bandage the injured and bury the dead. But remember this feeling. This is an accomplishment, and the first victory against the Empire. Remember this for the days and battles ahead, when your spirits falter and you feel overwhelmed." He smiled proudly at us, eyes soft and warm. And sad. "You have taken the first step. Use that momentum to take the next."
"Right…" Ulster and I looked at each other, deciding silently to change the subject. "Well, speaking of injured, can you protect us from Lana?"
"I know better than to stop a healer's scolding."
"Damn." Ulster sighed mournfully and I laughed and laughed. "Well, let's at least find Larcei and Hestia. Lana can't kill us if Larcei does it first."
The next battles were going to be so much rougher. But, Oifeye was right. We did it. We had a goal, and we reached it. That… that was something. That was more than others. If we could continue it, then we… we could do this. Hopefully.
"What is with you all and getting ridiculous injuries?!" Lana scolded, tending to Ulster's side. While everyone was out and about, celebrating, Lana was giving us another checkover in Ulster's room. With the Recover staff Conall had left. He'd left a note, separate from the actual letters, apologizing for not leaving the Fortify, but it was broken and expensive to fix, so he decided to take it with him. Which might've been what Conall had wanted to ask us about before Ulster completely distracted that conversation. "Arm slammed in a door! Side that should be gouged out! Pieces of plaster and stone in said wound!"
"Didn't we go through this when you were first treating it?" Ulster asked dryly. I lingered in the infirmary mostly because Lana had wanted to double check that my arm was okay. And that I was still okay from whatever dark spell hit me. Should've asked Conall what spell that was, but hindsight was perfect. "I had permission to pursue Danann. Didn't know he was completely bonkers."
"Why didn't you just dodge?" Lana glowered up at Ulster briefly before going back to double-checking that all the shrapnel was out of the injury. It was going to take a while to heal, thanks to all the digging Lana had to do during the initial treatment. "Ugh…"
"How's Iuchar doing?" I asked, leaning against the wall by Ulster's bed. I'd offered him Hestia, but he'd refused. Instead, Hestia was with Larcei, getting spoiled. "He asked to be a guard, yes? Instead of participating in the celebrations?"
"Yeah, he's more conflicted over his father's death than he thought he'd be, so he wanted to be left alone to his thoughts," Ulster explained. Lana continued to grumble. "I'll have a talk with him in a couple of days about it. If he needs to scream at someone, it should be me."
"Let him know that he's more than welcome to yell at me too." After all, I set his dad on fire. Multiple times.
"I will."
"Good." Deciding that we needed to lift the mood somehow, I smirked a bit. "Lana, am I clear?"
"Hmm? Ah, yes, you are," Lana replied. She smiled kindly at me, though it faltered when she saw me smirking. "That Recover staff was a wonderful gift. I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to use the Fortify he thought about leaving, but Recover? Easy-peasy. And since I'm not the most magically inclined person, it's especially helpful."
"Shame you couldn't see him yourself."
"I know! Lester, Larcei, and I are so jealous the rest of you did!" Lana playfully pouted, before smiling. "Well, something to look forward to. Ish. The letter he wrote was super sweet. It's surprising how much he remembers."
"You've already ready yours?" Ulster asked, a bit startled. He glanced at me and I brought up my hands because I hadn't either. "Really?"
"I needed a brief break after the initial waves of the injured were tended to, so I read it while recovering a bit," Lana explained. Her expression crumpled briefly before it went carefully neutral. We'd lost a lot, more than any other battle. And, worse, it was more than anticipated. That berserker rage… it had cost us a lot. There was now a distinct worry we wouldn't have enough soldiers to assist Leonster. Or even make it through the desert. "Ah, regardless, you were saying something, Riona?"
"Ah, yeah," I replied, jumping back to the original topic. Worries for the future, and the nightmares of tonight, were for later. "I was just making sure I was cleared."
"Yep, you are!"
"Then, in that case, I think I'll go make an appearance at the party. You two have fun now." I left with a casual wave and I had to bite back a laugh when I heard a tiny little 'squeak' before I closed the door. "Not sure what she was expecting. It's too perfect of an opportunity." For both of them, though neither knew that! "Hmm… okay, what's the best way out?" I couldn't go the normal route. Some parts of the castle still needed to be cleaned and uh… we had to avoid the ruined areas until someone could get around to fixing them.
Shrugging, I decided to just walk down the hall because standing still wasn't going to get anything done. I smiled to people as I passed, focused on making my way to the front of the castle. The city was certainly lively now, and most everyone was just camping out in the abandoned buildings for the night. Assuming they got any sort of sleep, at least! From the sound of the singing and laughter, this celebration was going to go on for a long while!
"I'm glad everyone is having fun," I whispered, looking out a window. Despite the late hour, and it was late, the city was practically sparkling with candles and lanterns. I couldn't see much else from here, but the liveliness was a very welcome sight. Aside from the signs of neglect, this was what a city should look like. I wouldn't be so foolish as to expect festivals every day, or even happiness every day, but something that showed the city was alive. Activity. Sounds. "Shame Shanan isn't here to see this." I wondered how surprised he was going to be. Probably a lot. "Ha… we can finally pay him back, just a little." Shanan had never raised us, of course, but he had kept us safe. Either right there with us or from afar as he protected everyone. It was nice, to know that we freed his home.
Smiling to myself, I left the window, intending on walking down the hall. However, as I turned, I saw a bit of long back hair peeking out from behind a corner in the opposite direction. So, curious, I went to see who it was, but when I got to the corner, the 'person' disappeared, and lingered far ahead, far too fast for a human to travel.
"Another ghost, huh?" I laughed to myself and followed them at a sedate pace. Just when I 'caught up', they disappeared again, further down the path. "Do a bunch linger here because there's been so much death or something? And are you a nice one like the one before, or a mean one like what I've heard in the stories." I really shouldn't be following, especially so blindly, but I was just a little too tired to be smart. I did, at least, keep an eye on my surroundings. "If you're a nice one, are you Mariccle? Because I need to thank you for before."
At the next corner, the 'ghost' actually peeked out to see if I was following. Or maybe just to see my dumbfounded face. Because it wasn't Mariccle. Mariccle didn't have Larcei's face. Aunt Ayra, on the other hand…
I ran. I ran, chasing after her, some foolish, foolish, hope bubbling in me that she wasn't a ghost, but was real. After all, anyone could build a grave. Anyone could steal items. So, maybe we were all wrong. Maybe… well, I knew it was an idiotic hope. But I couldn't help it. So, I chased, wondering if maybe, just maybe, we'd be wrong. However, it was a fruitless hope. By the time I made it to the roof, which was apparently where she'd been leading me, she had completely disappeared.
"...If that was really you, you better have done something similar with Larcei." I swore I heard a bit of laughter on the wind. "Why get me up here, though?"
"Who are you talking too?" And, right there in plain sight, leaning against the little wall thing that kept people from falling off and probably provided cover for archers, was Seliph. "You feeling okay?" he asked, voice a little dry. "Didn't you hit your head or something earlier?"
"No, I actually didn't," I corrected, a bit testily. I scowled for good measure. "Diarmuid is the one who took the head injury. Yuria is tending to him, last I heard."
"That's right." Seliph sighed and looked out over the party. "I really think we should at least clean the place before celebrating."
"Give them a bit of a break. Isaach is free." I skipped to his side and peered down too. From here, it was just a mash of colors, but it was a lovely sight anyway. "How are the children?"
"They'll be fine. Conall and Ishtar got them to a perfectly safe place, and we'll work on getting them home in the days to come." Save for the one that died. I could still feel that weight in my arms. I wondered if we had a name for them. "How are you?"
"I'll answer that question in another week or so." I didn't want to think on them right now. Horrible as it was, since it was my fault, I just… I didn't want to think on it now. There was too much bouncing around in my head and I was tired. "You?"
"Nothing feels real, so I came up here to relax. I think Oifeye is making excuses for just about all of us."
"Makes sense." I sighed and stretched my arms out in front of me. "We're going to be so freaking busy. And then we'll be moving to Leonster." And Yied. The desert our parents didn't want us to cross. The desert where Quan, Ethlyn, Altena, and all their knights died in the sands. "Then who the hell knows where?"
"Probably Thracia. They're not officially part of the Empire, so perhaps we can negotiate a truce." Seliph grimaced. "I can't imagine the people of Leonster liking that, though. Especially Leif."
"Meh, he's been apparently leading an army of his own. He should understand. And if not, we'll hit him over the head until he does." I grinned and Seliph laughed. "Not to say we're right and he's wrong. But if we can come to a mutual understanding, that'll be good. From there, we can reach a compromise." I studied his expression a bit, and noticed the bags under his eyes. "You haven't been sleeping."
"I told you that I get uneasy when you're not near." He smiled like it was a joke, but he let it drop when I continued looking at him worriedly. "I've been thinking a lot about my mother."
"Oh?" I thought of what Conall had said, and thought about telling Seliph at least about Deirdre remembering him. But the pained looked on his face made me bite my tongue. Now wasn't the time. "What about specifically?"
"I… have no idea." He laughed bitterly. "On the one hand, I'm glad there's an explanation besides simple 'betrayal'. She didn't consciously abandon us. However, on the other hand, I can't help but still feel hurt. She just forgot me? She forgot everyone? Wonderful way to make someone feel important." He sighed and fussed with his hair. When I noticed him pulling, I caught his hand to stop him. "Still, I can't blame someone for amnesia. It's not like people choose to have it. There was no choice in the abandonment. And when she was in another place, surrounded by different people… well, why wouldn't she make different choices? She had nothing connecting her to her old life."
"Might be easier to think of it as Deirdre having died when she was captured?"
"It might, but if I do that, I feel like it would be denying Julia and Julius. And, regardless of my complicated feelings with our mother, they are my siblings. Yuria was so happy when she told me she figured it out." He smiled, pained and bitter. "It's a mess. It'll probably always be a mess. But hey, maybe now it'll messily scar instead of messily bleed."
"That's true." I kissed his cheek and smiled warmly. "In that case, it might be better to just not think about it. Focus on the facts and let it sit for a while longer. It is what it is. We're going to be busy enough to distract you anyway."
"That is true. There's so much to do." Seliph grimaced. "So much. Letters to write, supplies to gather, scouts…"
"Waiting for Lewyn, training any new recruits, organizing things..." I could feel the weight of everything press into my shoulders with every word. So much… and here I was, too weak and too slow to save a single child. But someone had to keep smiling. Might as well be me. So, I smiled. "Shame we can't run back to Tirnanog now, huh?"
"Don't tempt me."
"Aw, but tempting you sounds fun~!" I grinned and he laughed, warm and brightly. I smiled at the sound, glad to hear it, and I realized something right then. He and I were alone. None of our friends were near to eavesdrop. And with the sparkling skies above, it was a rather romantic setting. Ignoring how tired both of us were and all. But something told me we'd always be tired. So… So, I... "Hey, Seliph?"
"Hmm?" He smiled at me. "What is it?"
"Well…" The panic nearly made give up almost immediately. But I reminded myself of what Diarmuid said, of how no one in our friend group discouraged the feelings. And of how we just liberated Isaach, so even if things did become awkward, gods knew I'd have bunches of ways to hide. And for escaping here? I was way better climbing than him, and I could already see a good path down. "I love you."
"I love you too." Then he paused, staring. I smiled innocently. "Wait, hold on. Clarification needed."
"For?"
"Well… uh…" Slowly, Seliph began blushing and I couldn't help but giggle, torn between nervousness, giddiness, and wanting to just bolt. "J-just to be sure we're on the same page, because… um…"
"May I kiss you?" I leaned forward slightly, clasping my hands behind my back. The hand I let go of hung awkwardly between us. "Please?"
"Um…" He went even redder, but he smiled softly. "Yeah, that's… what I was hoping you meant, actually."
He actually closed the distance, lifting his hand to tilt my face towards him and kissing me gently. When we broke for air, I initiated the next kiss, wrapping my arms around him so that I could pull him closer. He reciprocated, pressing himself against me as we kissed again and again, too many times to count. Some part of me felt like it was almost anti-climatic and that there should've been some big grandiose thing to it all. More drama to it. But Oifeye was right. Not every 'big moment' felt like it. Sometimes, it just felt like another thing, another step on the path. And, in this case, it was just… acknowledging what had always been there. Making it official.
He was damn good at kissing, though. I should've kissed him sooner.
Diarmuid
Class: Free Knight; Skills: Charisma, Pursuit, Prayer
The 18-year-old son of Lady Lachesis of Nordion and Sir Finn of Leonster. Because he's always been 'certain' both of his parents were dead, he's reeling from the knowledge that his father still lives. He's almost nauseous from anxiety about meeting his father for the first time, and about the possibility of him having siblings.
Has a Holy Mark for Hezul on his upper right arm, with the jagged lines almost resembling a rerebrace in design. It's blessing gives him a boost to stamina and the ability to take damage. Hezul's blood also allows him to draw more power from his muscles than typical, giving him a significant boost to strength.
A mounted sword user with a gift for rallying the people. Oifeye was his primary teacher and actually offered to teach him lances. He refused, however, because he felt like if anyone should teach him lessons, it should've been his father. Though, he does regret that decision due to the need for weapon diversity in the group, particularly since they can't guarantee facing 'just axe users' in the coming battles.
Because he once suffered from health complications, he's very conscious of his health and often a little paranoid with it. He can also be very nagging when it looks like someone is sick, because he knows how badly things can go if you ignore an illness too long. However, his extended bouts of bedrest led to him studying his lessons more often, which is probably why he's the best of the group when it comes to math.
Author's note: And here's Game-Chapter 6. In game, Danann is a very easy boss for one crucial reason: he has no ranged option. You can literally just chip at him with Arthur or Julia with no fear of retaliation. While the inferiority-complex comes from the Oosawa manga, Danann's madness is more of a nod to how Oosawa portrayed Chagall in his final moments (albeit with much more of a fight than Chagall). In Oosawa, Ulster fights him alone until being badly wounded due to Danann playing a trick (Danann has Helswath in Oosawa), but then Larcei arrives and the twins tagteam to kill Danann. I figured Ulster alone was sufficient, especially since Larcei already had a 'big' boss kill (General Richard was a big thing for her).
Arthur promotes to Mage Knight, much like Azel, and thus, picks up a weapon level in swords. I thought it would be a bit of a cute way Arthur and Riona awkwardly try to bond. Yuria figuring out her past is a sharp departure from the game (where she never 'figures it out', so much as eventually remembers). But I figured it would be something that bothered her enough to try and piece together. Silesse not knowing much about the Child Hunts comes from Misha's dialogue in FE5 (which implies she's completely unaware about the Child Hunts). Same for the food crisis and the mercenary stuff.
I suppose it's obvious now why Ishtar got her chapter in Memoirs of the Lost so quickly. I thought this would be a good way for the cast to see Ishtar's good points (since otherwise, it's all secondhand), while also showcasing her incredible magical output. For clarification, she was wielding Thoron. Conall, for his thing, was wielding Aura, with the 'silver' light being due to activating Luna with it. As for the priests… part of it was to have the excuse for Ishtar to jump into the fight and part of it was because since I had them appear at the beginning of the 'Game-Chapter', it felt off to not have them feature at the end of the Game-Chapter as well. A priest killing a child in front of the group comes from the Fuyuki manga (where a priest burns a child alive in front of Seliph).
Why are there ghosts? There's an event involving ghosts way late in Game-Chapter 10, so I thought it would be a little less 'out of nowhere' if there were more instances of it. (And yes, Larcei got her own little thing. Larcei just wasn't near Riona, and this is through Riona's POV.) Was Lex really haunting Danann? That's up to your own interpretation.
Next Chapter - Interlude, Rivough (as a reminder, there will be three interludes between game-chapters, just as there were for Gen1)
