Chapter 36) Phantoms


Lewyn has returned with all the information we need. Now preparations begin in earnest to finally cross the desert. No small part of me feels relieved because it feels like we've been preparing for forever. But the rest of me is worried. There was just… on the edge of this desert, to the north… that was where we said goodbye to our parents. It felt like… I didn't even know what it felt like. Even more like a point of no return, with doors slamming shut behind us.

I hope Mom and Dad are watching over me. Over all of us. I don't think I'll get through this without them.


"Considering how up-close I fight, hoops are probably not a very smart thing for me to wear," Larcei mused, examining a pair of Fee's before slipping them on and checking herself out in the mirror. "But they are so pretty. Simple, but pretty."

"Yeah, I like their simplicity, but sometimes, I just want something a tiny bit fancier, you know?" Fee laughed, putting on a pair of Larcei's earrings, simple pearl drops. She examined them in the mirror, giggling and beaming. "I look like I'm about to head to a ball!"

"They're actually rather plain by Isaachian standards. Granted, Isaach hasn't been able to really go full out with colors and whatnot, but Isaach used to leave the fanciness to things like jewelry or scarves, so jewelry could get super creative."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they're like… actually, Riona, you brought one of your fancier outfits, right?" Larcei glanced over her shoulder at me, where I was sitting on the floor by the bed, brushing Yuria's hair. "With the scarves and things?"

"It's in the back of the closet, yes," I confirmed, more focused on Yuria. Thanks to a particularly windy day, her hair was tangled all over the place. I had to keep flicking water on it to have a chance of getting the tangles out without just ripping her hair. Yuria endured without complaint, but I still wanted to minimize the pain for her. "It's one of the plainer ones, but I think it'll show what you mean."

"Awesome!" Larcei laughed, skipping over to the closet. We were, after all, in my room. "Why did you bring it again?"

"Just in case we had to do something fancy. Like attend a fancy dinner for allies or something."

"So, diplomatic bullshit that I'd avoid. Got it." She pulled out the dress, careful to keep everything on the hanger with it, because I kept all the scarves and jewelry with the dress. Creidne had made and designed it for me, one of her firsts, and though it was 'plain', it was one of my favorites. "But see, Fee? This is what I mean."

Fee squealed in delight, looking it over, and the two rapidly began talking about different parts of the outfit. I rolled my eyes, but smiled, finishing up with brushing Yuria's hair. We had spent most of the morning like this, just relaxing and having fun. A girls' day where we could laugh. Well, most of us. Lana was fast asleep, using Hestia as a pillow right by the door, and it was a bit of a shame since part of the reason why Larcei and I organized this was so that Lana could have some fun, but if she needed the sleep, then she needed the sleep. Time to sleep was important for a healer, and it wasn't like we didn't enjoy the relaxation time.

"Yuria, I'm going to pin up your hair, okay?" I told her, gathering up the strands. After a moment, I decided to twist it into a partial bun, letting the rest hang down in a ponytail. Her hair was much too long to simply put into a bun, after all, even with as thin as it was. "Any pinching or anything?"

"No, it feels fine," Yuria reassured. When I finished, she shifted her head side to side, giggling a bit. "Well, it feels weird, but fine. I've never worn my hair up before."

"With your hair as long as it is, I'm not surprised. Gods know that I don't bother pulling mine back unless I know I'm going to fight or something." And Yuria's hair was way longer than mine! "And there's a reason why Larcei keeps hers short."

"Brushing hair is a pain in the neck, back, and shoulders," Larcei groaned, rolling her eyes. She had tried to keep it long, since Aunt Ayra's had been long, but inevitably, Larcei would get frustrated and hack it all off. "Hey, Fee, why do you keep your hair short?"

"I got tired of feeling like the wind was going to pull my head off with my hair!" Fee laughed. She was switching to a different pair of Larcei's earrings, giggling. "It was also just easier to give people rides with it short. When my hair was long, they had to either ride in front of me or be treated to a full course meal consisting of my hair!"

"No tangling?"

"Thick hair. I can get caught in an avalanche and have only a few tangles." She sighed gustily suddenly and began finger-combing Larcei's hair. "What I want to know is how you guys keep your hair and skin so soft! Whenever one of you hugs me, I swear I'm being swaddled in silk!"

"I always imagine it as petals, mostly because of how nice they always smell," Yuria giggled, moving so that she sat next to me. After hesitating, she tentatively picked up the brush, and I moved in front of her so that she could brush and play with my hair. "Wait, is that a weird thing to say?"

"If you want soft hair, you should talk to Arthur because his hair is super soft, and when he shared what he did with me, I made sure to tell the others," I replied, not sure how to answer Yuria's question. First time my hugs had been compared to silk or petals, though. "As for skin care, I just do what Larcei and Lana tell me. I try to retain the whys and whats of it, but…" It all blurred together for me. I got basics, of course, like 'this cleans your face' and 'this softens your skin', but that was about it.

"Meanwhile, you are practically an encyclopedia when it comes to animals," Larcei teased, grinning. I simply smiled, because she was right. "You know; there are stories about Od's bond with animals."

"Oh, yes, I remember hearing a couple." There was apparently something about Od befriending a snow leopard. I wanted to see one so badly! "Ha… maybe it is the Od blood and it's all Dad's fault."

"I'm not sure you can blame the Od blood entirely, when Ulster and I have sense."

"Reminder that you were the quickest to latch onto Hestia."

"Has Riona always liked animals?" Yuria asked curiously, sadly saving Larcei from more teasing. She brushed my hair slowly, like she was afraid of hurting me. "I think… I remember someone close who loved animals…"

"Probably Conall, since he and Riona were always chasing after stray cats and petting any animal they could find," Larcei noted. She sat down in front of me and after Fee finished with the earrings, she did the same. "But yes, she always has. I remember when we were little and a soldier called Riona a bitch for… something." Larcei grinned and I groaned, remembering this story. "Riona got a bright smile on her face and thanked them for the compliment because she was like 'I think that is another word for a female dog, and they are amazing and make puppies'."

"Really?"

"We were like five," I grumbled. I still had no idea why the soldier had called me that. I did remember the stupefied look on the soldier's face at my reply, though. "Didn't know it was supposed to be an insult." Conall had shared my confusion. We both just… liked animals. "But dogs are pretty neat. I prefer Hestia, of course, but they are friendly and adorable and-"

"And if we let you, you will literally talk for hours about them!" Larcei laughed, briefly tickling my side. She then focused on Fee, grinning. "But, to spare our ears, you find a set of earrings you like? You're more than welcome to borrow them."

"I did!" Fee squealed, giggling. After a moment, she moved to my side and began braiding my hair. Larcei quickly did the same on the other side, and I resigned myself to being a doll for the moment. "Sorry it took so long. You have so many!"

"Yeah, I should stick to just the one pair as Riona does, sort of…" Larcei batted my dangling earring playfully and I rolled my eyes. But I also smiled because I didn't mind. I loved the earring, all the more because I knew Conall wore its twin. "But I kept seeing pretty ones that called to me so pleadingly…"

"I know that feeling!" Fee smiled brightly. "When we get a chance, we should totally go shopping together."

"That does sound like fun!"

We continued chatting, and once my hair was brushed and filled with all sorts of braids, it was Fee's turn to have her hair brushed and styled, or so Yuria and Larcei decided. I, however, grabbed my spare brush and went to brush the still-sleeping Lana's hair. She sleepily complained and briefly woke up, but when she saw it was just me, she went right back to sleep, curling up in my lap instead of on Hestia. Hestia, meanwhile, licked my cheek and then trotted over to the other three to give them affection. After all, we were her pack, and she refused to let anyone feel like they were unloved, especially by her.

Mornings like this were nice. I hoped we'd have them again soon.


"That's it… look, you're walking…" I murmured, helping a young woman, Sari, limp-stumble around the infirmary. She had been one of the ones in the camps, and only recently recovered enough to begin physical therapy to regain her full range of motion. My part of it was holding her hands and walking backwards while she took her first shaking steps forward, letting her use me as a balance since her legs still weren't quite strong enough. "See? I told you that you could do it."

"I… I am…" she whispered, tears slipping down her face. But she smiled brightly, in utter disbelief. "I can't… I thought for sure that…"

"Everyone has the power to change their world, one step at a time." I smiled softly at her, and stopped, noticing how she was wobbling more than walking. While she had been trembling the whole time, the wobbling showed she had reached her limits. "Do you need me to carry you back?"

"No… no, I'd like to try and walk back to my bed." She giggled breathlessly, squeezing my hands. "Though, a break would be good. Is that okay, Lady Riona?"

"Of course." I pulled her into a hug so that she could lean on me and get some weight off her legs, and looked around the infirmary while she rested. Today, helping out in the infirmary meant helping some of the healthier ones see that, yes, they could in fact recover their strength. Nearby, Hestia helped a little boy walk, by letting him cling to her fur and shuffle next to her, and get licks for making it to certain points. It made me wonder if there was a way we could train other animals, like dogs, to do the same. It was a lot easier to convince someone to walk if it was for a cute puppy, or so I thought.

Laughter, however, drew my attention towards the center of the room, where Diarmuid and Seliph were playing with the children recovered enough from the camps to interact and play, but not enough that they could begin physical therapy to walk or anything. Since they had to be careful, it mostly consisted of picking them up and twirling them about, or letting them ride on their shoulders or the like. Simple 'games', really. Still, the children loved it, and Diarmuid and Seliph both smiled brightly as they played with them. I knew it was their favorite part of the day, to help these children remember how to smile and laugh again.

Sari tugged my sleeve to let me know she was ready to try again, and I focused back on her, taking her hands and walking slowly. Together, we walked all the way back to her bed, and I tucked her in since her legs shook far too much to try anymore. I kissed her forehead and praised her for her strength, and she sleepily giggled, pleased and proud of herself, and fell asleep, exhausted. I told Lana so that she could check her over, and went to go help the next one. However, Niamh appeared and informed me that we had a guest in the courtyard. Which was confusing because we weren't expecting anyone, certainly no one that would require a leader's attention. Still, I knew to trust Niamh, so I asked her to take over helping out for me while I went to investigation. But damn if I wasn't dumbfounded when I made it to the courtyard and discovered just who our guest was.

"Ah, there's my little bit of sunshine!" Aideen laughed, leaving her things on the ground and rushing over to hug me. It wasn't until I smelled her perfume and felt the warmth of her hug that I processed that she was actually here. "You're a bit thin, Riona. You've been eating, haven't you?"

"Yes, though they have been lighter than before," I answered, hugging her back. I felt months of tension just melt away, and I felt relaxed, fully relaxed, for the first time in ages. "But we all make sure we eat, and get sleep."

"Good." She pulled away, and cupped my face, smiling warmly. "Ah, you've a sadder look in your eyes as well. I knew war would do that, but I wish I could've spared you all from it."

"It's only fair, Aideen." I smiled back, because it was just… everything felt like it would be okay. She had that effect. "What brings you all the way down here, though? Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but we're a long way from Tirnanog."

"The patients in Tirnanog are doing well enough for Muirne to take over their care and I knew you all were torn about leaving the wounded and ill here." She giggled and I just sighed. She was, of course, completely right. We hadn't written anything about it, not wanting to stress her out, but she'd known anyway. "So, I decided I would come down and take over for you, so that you could march forward with minimal worries." She rested her forehead against mine, eyes dancing with mirth. "I also missed you dreadfully and had to see you before you left Isaach. Letters simply are not enough."

"They really aren't." Go from seeing her every day to not at all? Weird experience. "I'm afraid a lot of us are busy, but…" I glanced over my shoulder, and saw Yuria, Arthur, Fee, and Iuchar standing awkwardly not far away. They must've been called here as well. "Ah, but you can at least meet the five you haven't met yet." I paused and did a mental count before facepalming, irritated. "Four. I meant 'four'. It's too early."

"I was about to ask who else joined!" Aideen laughed, kissed my cheek, and walked over to the others, starting with Arthur. She gave him a warm hug, pulling away quickly when he stiffened in shock, and brushed the hair out of his face. "Ah, you must be Arthur. You might have Tailtiu's coloring, but I see Azel so clearly in your face and gaze." She combed her fingers through his hair absently, smiling gently. "You know… I have some poems Azel wrote. They were rough drafts of ones he gave to Tailtiu after they started courting, so they're quite messy with crossed out words and the like. But he had me proofread them, and I kept the copies specifically to show their children later. I'm pretty sure I brought them with me."

"Um… that's…" Arthur began, eyes a bit wide. He looked at me with a 'is she always like this?' expression before focusing on Aideen again. "Father wrote poems?"

"He wrote many poems, and not just for Tailtiu either. He was very good at it, though he would always blush and squirm when people complimented him." Sensing that Arthur was getting overwhelmed, she kissed his forehead and moved to Iuchar, since he was closest. Arthur, meanwhile, actually hid behind me to escape her. "You're Iuchar, yes? I'm so sorry about your family. It must be hard."

"That's kind of you to say, Duchess Aideen," Iuchar replied softly, bowing his head. Unlike usual, he didn't try to flirt or be dramatic or anything. Instead, he gave Aideen the utmost respect. "But we weren't very close."

"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt anyway," she countered gently, stroking his hair. She then smiled sadly. "Ah, I wish Jamke was still around. I'm sure he could help you far better than me, but if you need a shoulder or a hug, please let me know?"

"Of course." He grinned suddenly, switching to his more typical self. "Far be it for me to refuse a goddess!"

"Oh, hush. I'm more than old enough to be your mother." She laughed, though, and went to hug Fee. "You have to be Fee. You look just like Erinys."

"Do I?" Fee asked with a laugh of her own, immediately hugging Aideen back. I saw the pain in her eyes, though, and I couldn't help but wince at how she got a warmer welcome from a total stranger than she had from her own father. "I always thought I was too round in the face."

"Erinys was like that too when she joined. It took a couple of years." Aideen kissed her forehead, and Fee giggled. "I'll share some stories with you about her. She was a wonderful woman."

"I'd like that!" Shyly, Fee looked down, before tugging Yuria up suddenly. "Ah, you've probably figured it out, but this is Yuria!"

"Yes, I guessed that." Aideen's cheer faltered briefly, no doubt remembering Deirdre. But then she smiled softly and pulled Yuria into a hug. "I'm very glad to meet you, Yuria. I'm sure things must be terribly confusing for you."

"It's not so bad, Miss Aideen," Yuria whispered, smiling. She caught my eye over Aideen's shoulder, and I winked at her before gesturing to where Arthur was still hiding behind me. It made her giggle. "I'm glad to meet and bond with so many people. But would you like to see the infirmary? Lana is there."

"That does sound good," Aideen replied, stepping back. After a moment, she took Yuria's hand and then turned to me. "Riona, there's letters from Tirnanog in my stuff. Do you mind passing it out for me?"

"You mean there was paper left?" I joked, laughing. Arthur mouthed 'what the hell?' and I just laughed harder. "Yeah, I'll handle that. You go tease Lana. She's been much too serious."

"We can't have that, now can we?" She laughed, and walked down the path with Yuria. Iuchar and Fee left as well, both chatting about something. "I'll get her fixed up."

"Have fun!" I looked to Arthur, grinning. "Yes, she raised us, along with Oifeye. Probably explains even more than the care packages. Want to help me with passing things out?"

Arthur agreed, and so, we ran around trying to find everyone to give them their letters. A few were out on patrol, so we left them with trusted friends. Because, of course, it was letters from everyone in Tirnanog. I seriously wondered how much paper they had left in the town after the care package before and this, but hey, if they wanted to send them, I wouldn't say 'no' to the reminder that we were loved. Besides, it was fun looking over my friend's shoulders to read little bits of whatever letter they had opened first. They pretended to protest, but really, they would've done the same, so it didn't really matter. It did, however, lead to one hell of an awkward discovery when I looked over Lester's shoulder to read the letter he got from Creidne. And one that nearly had me screaming.

"Hold up, what the hell is this?" I half-demanded, leaning more on his back as if the words would change if I got a little closer. But, of course, they didn't. They were the exact same ones, written in Creidne's slightly shaky, but otherwise neat, writing. "You proposed to Creidne?!"

"Yes, let's loudly announce that directly into my ear," Lester deadpanned, scowling at me. I did take a look around to make sure no one was near, but thankfully, the courtyard where I had caught him was clear. "You're the one spying, you know."

"But you two…!" I huffed and stomped my foot. "Okay, mister, start talking! And you better have told Lana!" That was when I noticed the ring in his hand. A ring I didn't recognize and knew wasn't his, because Lester didn't wear rings. "And what is that?!"

"You're so loud…" Lester sighed and folded up the letter to put it into his pocket. "No, no one proposed, Riona. We talked about it, and decided to think on it."

"And the ring?"

"Creidne sent it with her letter." He smiled softly, though, holding it up to study it better. "So, I think technically she proposed to me. Sort of."

"I cannot believe you hid this from us!" I scowled, actually annoyed by this. "If Seliph proposes to me, I swear I'll make sure you're the last one to know."

"If? I think we all know that it's more of a 'when'." He rolled his eyes, and I scowled more. "Are you… you are really mad, aren't you?"

"More annoyed than mad. But we were all seriously wondering why you two suddenly broke up and all. Lana was actually rather upset by it." I stamped my foot, mostly to bleed off frustration. "So…"

"Ah, I'm sorry…" He finally got that I wasn't teasing, and looked guilty. "I didn't think that worried you all that much…"

"We tried to not make a big deal about it, just in case, but we were worried. And curious." I crossed my arms, digging my fingers into my elbows. "And, like I said, Lana was upset by it, though she made sure not to show you. We had no idea what happened, after all, so she didn't want to make you feel bad."

"Wow, that…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Again, I'm sorry. It felt like something I shouldn't share until we had both talked about it again. And… well…" He winced, pain lingering on his face. "It wasn't long afterwards that…"

"...Oh, right." A few months after Lester and Creidne broke up, Creidne had been caught by General Richard. "I forgot about the timing. Time is weird."

"It is." Lester laughed softly, forcing himself to lighten the mood. "Though, I suppose I could've mentioned something like 'we are taking a break to think' or… something."

"And it really isn't our business. Just… you know…" I sighed, calming down finally. I felt bad now. "That seems like an important thing to share with us? I mean; I understand, especially now, but..." I hadn't even known he was considering marriage.

"I am going to get you all to help me pick a ring to send back." He smiled, and I smiled back, both of us relaxing again. "It wasn't anything official. Just…"

"Just discussions. Like the discussions Seliph and I have about making our own relationship work with all our duties." I slung an arm around his shoulder and steered him towards the market. "Here. I'm buying you a treat."

"Oh, you don't have to do-"

"Reminder that you have to tell the others all of this."

"...Yeah, I want sweets before I try that." He whimpered and I laughed, unable to help it. "I'm seriously, though. You have to help me figure out a ring. I'm not even sure what size she wears."

"Same size as Larcei and me. We traded jewelry all the time." I giggled, pleased about all of this now. I mean; once I got past the initial shock of not knowing, it was probably one of the best things I had ever heard! "Oh, hey, new thing to tease. Once Lana stops killing you for it."

"Gods, help me now."

When we got back from the market, and Lester did inform the others, I swore you could've heard everyone's shocked screams and yelps all the way in Agustria or Verdane. And Lana didn't speak to him for a full hour to let him know how mad she was. It was hilarious.


A few days after Aideen arrived, I made lunch for her, since she had been in the infirmary all morning looking over Lana's notes on all the patients. Which, hilariously, confused the kitchen staff because they were used to me having to make food for Oifeye, and Oifeye had actually eaten lunch with everyone for once. But no, this time, it was Aideen, simply because I was sure she lost track of time. Of course, when I arrived, she was busy talking to Lewyn, but that just meant I had to stand by the door to her office awkwardly, holding a tray heavy with food and drink. No big deal. No, not at all. I didn't even have Hestia to keep me amused; she was with Lana, helping with physical therapy for the children again.

"I must admit, Aideen, that I wasn't expecting so pleasant a conversation," Lewyn was saying as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, hoping that the words meant they were wrapping things up. He always seemed to know when people are near, and despite us having a semi-cordial conversation, I still did my best to avoid him like he had rabies. "Considering… well…"

"Oh, Lewyn…" Aideen laughed, but there was a hard look in her eyes. And her sweet smile was razor sharp. "You wouldn't have been the first person I was wrong about. There was Andrei, for instance. Arvis. You've simply joined the list. That's all."

Lewyn, wisely, left the conversation at that and simply left. I tried to not snicker when he passed, and simply focused on giving Aideen my brightest smile and setting out her food. "So, what was he in here for anyway?" I asked nonchalantly, careful to not set the plates or cups on the notes. "Testing the waters?"

"Ultimately, I think that's why, but he came in here to ask how everyone was doing," Aideen replied, sighing gustily. She then mimed strangling someone before throwing her hands up in the air. "I'd like to think it's something he and Erinys talked about, at least. It's the only thing keeping me from slapping him. And giving him a long lecture about how he spent years struggling with running away, only to do it again under the guise of altruism. Again."

"It's so rare to see you get irritated!" Now I laughed, unable to help it, and I tucked the tray under my arm. "Anyway, you missed lunch, so I made you a quick thing. I had time off."

"I was just thinking that I had spent more time in here than I'd planned." She beamed at me briefly before she pretended to be scolding. "However, you should have used your free time to spend time with Seliph."

"Seriously?" I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "So many people suggest that."

"Because you two are adorable together, with your little smiles and the warm and fond looks. It is fun, watching you two interact." She giggled. "So, it's really a selfish reason. It warms the heart, and that is sorely needed in times like this."

"I like that answer better than the ones I've been getting."

"I'm sure." She giggled again, and took a big bite of the pastry I had made her. However, her cheer soon faltered, especially as she looked over the notes again. "Ha… I keep expecting to see stars."

"Stars?"

"Alicia had a habit of using stars to label things. I'm not sure she even really noticed, but I found it adorable." She ran her fingers over the paper, smiling sadly. "Stars for who were able to fight. Those with an 'x' by their name could be fielded in emergencies. That was the system she used, and that Ethlyn, Claude, and I picked up. And whenever we had to move things, she would put stars on the boxes to show what they were. Like three stars for the box with staves."

"Oh." I never knew that. I wondered why she'd done that. "Are you okay, Aideen?"

"I will be, Riona." She sighed and shook her head before setting down the pastry and reaching up to fix her ponytail. "I was just remembering. Remembering all those who are lost, and who I will not see again until my passing."

"Which will be a while."

"In theory, yes, and it is what I hope. But if the gods try to take any of you, I will demand that they take mine instead." She took my hand and looked up at me entreatingly. "I know I said it before, but you all must come back, alive and well."

"We will, Aideen." I made sure to smile. "And look, we'll get to meet Uncle Finn soon!"

"That will be nice. I'm so glad to hear he's still alive, and that Lachesis at least made it down there, even if we don't know where she is now." Pain flicked across her face again, but she shook her head, and she was back to her 'mom' look. "But what of you, Riona? I know something troubles you. You're not standing as tall as you usually do."

"Ha… how is it that you see through all of us so easily?" I leaned against her desk, trying to think of how to word an issue I'd had for a while, but… "I'm not sure what I do."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I mean… I'm a leader, but I'm not like… I'm no 'scoutmaster', like Ulster. I'm no healer, like Lana. I don't lead… anything, really. I'm the person soldiers come to for questions, and I help the others where I can, but…" I groped for words, trying to find the one I wanted, the one that best fit my feelings. "Floating. I kind of feel like I'm floating or something, Aideen. Or, worse, that I'm more defined as 'Seliph's lover' than I am as an actual leader."

"Ha… I remember Deirdre and I having a similar conversation." Aideen smiled sadly; I wasn't sure I quite liked the comparison. Given how she ended up and all. "You'll be surprised, Riona, by how important that job is… and how hard. You have to pick up and keep track of many different things, both so that you can take over when needed and to answer those questions. And soldiers who know why they are given orders are much more cooperative. Soldiers who know they can ask someone, a leader, about those reasons makes them feel more at ease." She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Being that person is important for keeping the army united, and for helping the army run smoothly. If it feels like you are floating, it is because you are like a fairy, blessing and protecting them."

"Like the Fairy of the Skies, who blessed Od's twins with Astra and Luna?" My tone was drier than I would've liked, but… "I'm nowhere near pretty enough to be a fairy, Aideen."

"Then perhaps like a wolf, patrolling the area to lend what aid you can to your pack?" She continued smiling, and slowly, I smiled back. "You hold many threads together, and pull them taunt when the others have to rest so that nothing falls apart. Like how when Larcei left to visit Ayra and Lex, you took over her work."

"So, jack of all trades, master of none? That sort of thing?"

"You know the rest of the saying. Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." She laughed. "You used to be so quick at correcting people about that."

"And 'blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb' and 'curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back'." I shook my head, embarrassed. "I was such a brat."

"No more than any other child. If anything, I was glad to see such normality. None of your lives were normal, after all. They couldn't be." She smiled proudly at me. "But that is your job, Riona. You help ensure everything runs smoothly."

"Mmm… I'll think on it." At the least, it was something to think on, instead of random words and feelings. "Love you, Aideen."

"I love you more, Riona." She laughed and let go of my hand to begin eating. "And thank you for the food. I've missed your cooking."

"Not sure why, since I learned from you." I kissed her cheek. "I'll talk to you later, okay? I've got to see Fee and Arthur off."

"Give them my love? I think I frighten poor Arthur, so I'll stay here, but..."

"I will! And he's just not used to a motherly person." I gave her a hug. "Bye for now!"

I left her office and skipped a bit down the halls, feeling lighter. I still wasn't quite sure I got what she meant, or believed what she said, but at the least, I knew she believed it and it did feel nice to both get that off my chest and to have that feeling validated. Besides, talking to Aideen always made me feel better. I had a feeling that would never, ever change. However, there wasn't much time to muse on how lucky I was. I had to quickly race for the courtyard because… well, since we were marching soon, Iuchar had suggested that we send a messenger to Leonster. A means of giving them hope. Fee had agreed instantly, and Arthur decided to come along just in case Fee got into trouble. And since they were heading to Leonster, they were also carrying letters and presents, which meant...

"It's practically a damn puzzle!" Arthur growled as I entered the courtyard, trying to rearrange things in his pack again. "Gods damn it! Why are there so many things?"

"At least they're little things?" Diarmuid replied, a touch sheepish. He, Yuria, and I were the only ones free at the hour, so we made sure to see them off. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault." It really was. After all, it had all started with him wanting to send a present to Nanna and Uncle Finn. Which led Seliph to decide he should get one for Leif. Which… eventually led to all of us getting presents. "We… uh…"

"I should've expected this. Your home village… town… whatever sent all those care packages, after all." Arthur sighed, and looked up right at me, not surprised to see me there at all. "Get over here and help me. Yuria is helping Fee."

Laughing, I skipped over and we unpacked everything to repack it again. It took a couple of tries, but we did manage to fit everything without it being obnoxiously bulky. In silent thanks, Diarmuid picked it up to attach it to Annand's saddle, so that Fee and Yuria could say their goodbyes. It also left me free to help Arthur up and hug him tightly.

"We should hopefully move within the week, so make sure you plan for that for the return trip," I whispered. As typical, Arthur remained frozen, but he wasn't as stiff as he used to be. I think he was getting used to the hugs. "And Alster is south of Leonster, so you might be able to find out more information about Tine." I pulled away and cupped his face, smiling. "You can try to sneak there as well, but I think you might want to wait until things are a little calmer."

"More than likely. At the moment, I'm planning on returning with Fee. Think it'll be safer for both Tine and me," Arthur replied, smiling hesitantly. He seemed a bit baffled, and I wondered if he ever had someone 'see him off' before. "If that changes, I'll make sure Fee knows."

"Good. We'll be waiting for your return." I hugged him again and, this time, he hugged me back. "Be careful. I'm sure some people will see the hair color first and attack without thinking."

"Of course. And you be careful in the desert."

"We will. Promise." I pulled back and kissed his cheek. "Extra promise."

Arthur rolled his eyes at that, and probably was going to say something. However, Yuria had apparently finished saying 'goodbye' to Fee, and so, rushed over to hug Arthur goodbye as well. Poor Arthur yelped, knocked a bit unbalanced, and I jumped back to avoid getting caught in that. Fee used the distraction to hug me, laughing.

"I might have literally pushed her because she was being hesitant," she teased, hugging me tightly. I rolled my eyes, but had to grin, because that did make a lot of sense. "I think I'll finish that cat-headband while away. I'll wait to give it to him until others can see, though."

"Please and thank you!" I replied, biting back a laugh. Instead, I turned to face her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you so much for this, Fee. I know it's a huge favor."

"It's fine. Almost a shame that you have to go so far out of your way. Flying is such a direct path." She giggled and winked at me when she pulled away. "I'm sure they'll be relieved to hear we're moving as well."

"I hope so." I also hoped we got there in time. Traveling through the desert would be rough, even though we were sticking to maintained 'roads'. "Don't rush or push yourself though. We'd be heartbroken if you made yourself sick because of that."

"And that's why Arthur is coming along. He'll snark long before I'll need the break." She grinned and I laughed. "Okay, we're off!"

"We'll be waiting!" I glanced over at Yuria and Arthur, who were in the middle of an apologizing spiral. "We should intervene."

"Yep!"

We managed to get Yuria and Arthur to stop apologizing to each other, and Diarmuid gave them his own hugs and thanks. Then Fee and Arthur mounted up, and Annand did a couple of steps on the ground to check the weight. Then she cantered up into the sky, arcing out to ease her journey up. Yuria, Diarmuid, and I waved goodbye, and kept on waving until they were completely out of sight. Only then did I look around and sigh, confirming what I already suspected. I hadn't even spared a thought about it when I saw him, but it would've been nice if Lewyn had been in the courtyard to see Fee off with us. Even if he awkwardly stood back in the shadows or something. But no, he wasn't here. Not at all.

"So, I was nervous earlier and Oifeye offered to teach me a little," Diarmuid said, breaking the silence. He smiled warmly at both Yuria and me. "Want to tag along and watch him beat my ass into the ground?"

That made Yuria yelp, and me laugh, and the two of us did join him at the practice yards with Oifeye. To make it a bit more fair, I decided to take up the lessons as well, and poor Yuria fretted over us. It was a good way to distract ourselves from the awkwardness, and the worry for Fee and Arthur being alone in enemy territory.

Gods… please… keep them safe...


"Well, the market is lively," I whispered, smiling warmly. Though nowhere near as cheerful as Tirnanog's market, this was the most energetic I had ever seen Rivough. "I'm glad."

"Same," Seliph agreed, just as softly. He poked my cheek and kissed me as soon as I looked at him. "Come on. Let's walk through."

"I'm right beside you. Always."

Whenever we could, our group decided to follow the Crusaders' 'example' and walk through the town, listening to gossip or shopping or playing with the children… whatever we felt like at the time. Since we were leaving soon, all of us, even Oifeye, decided to take the morning off specifically to spend it with the people. Not that I was really sure where everyone was. True to form with our friends, they promptly decided they needed to do random things and conveniently leave Seliph and I to ourselves for a 'date'. Even Hestia got in on it; she had decided to curl up with Aideen inside the castle instead of walking out here where she could get random treats. But, even if I thought everyone was ridiculous, I couldn't deny that I liked being able to simply walk down the street with Seliph, hand in hand. I mean; I'd done it before, but this time… well… er…

"You are making the most interesting faces," Seliph observed, half-skipping to avoid stepping on a cat that decided to suddenly get in the way. I thought about following, because they were a cute tabby, but they were far too quick. Must've been chasing a mouse or something. "What is it?"

"Mentally complaining about how my mind is turning to mush like a romance novel," I 'grumbled', pouting up at him. He simply grinned. "That's all."

"You adore romance novels."

"Well, that is true. I do love them." I rolled my eyes and looked away. I barely caught sight of another cat dashing away from the square. Followed by a couple of dogs. "It's the principle of the matter, though."

"Is it?" Seliph lifted our intertwined hands and kissed mine. "Maybe I should find a few of those lines to quote them for you."

"I'll probably spend too much time correcting you to get into the mood." However, I did have to laugh at the mental image, and then laugh even harder when an idea popped into my head. "I wonder if we should try to convince Ulster to confess with Lana with some of her favorite quotes?"

"That…" Seliph frowned for a split-second, before laughing so hard that he had to lean on me to stay standing. Nearby, a dog started barking loudly. "I would pay to see that. I would."

"Great idea, isn't it?"

"We're sharing this with Larcei."

"Oh, of course!" I giggled, already imagining her reaction, and then looked around to see if there was anyone we knew nearby. I caught sight of Oifeye talking with a group of men of similar age, making me wonder if it was a 'fathers' discussion, not too far away. Lester was playing with some children a little further away. "It'll be…" I saw a mama-cat herding her kittens away from the square with frantic movements, her fur standing on end. And as I paid more attention, I noticed there were more dogs barking. More dogs running. Birds flying quickly through the skies. "...Hey, Seliph?"

"Yes?" He frowned, noticing my unease. "What is it?"

"I think… I think the animals sense something." I looked at him. "We should-"

The sky suddenly darkened. The wind ripped through the streets, nearly tearing out my hair as I looked up and saw black flames twisting through the clouds. The flames converged into a skull-shape, and it grinned sickly before opening up its mouth. An ear-splitting screech nearly shattered my ears, and though I covered them automatically, the sound continued on and on and on. And black light shot out from the 'mouth', raining down like spears. More screams joined the screech, along with the splintering of wood and the tumbling of stones as buildings collapsed. People were crushed. People were skewered. People were dying. But I couldn't move. The screech had me immobilized, even as the light-spears headed straight for Seliph and me, and all I could do was close my eyes and wait...

There was an impact. Something splintered behind me. I fell on my ass, dragging Seliph with me. Or maybe it was Seliph who fell and me who was dragged. I wasn't sure. But either way, we were on the ground, and not in as much pain as I would've thought. But there was a shadow over us, and something dripping on us…

I finally thought to open my eyes, and could only stare in horror when I saw Oifeye standing over Seliph and me, with blood pouring down his face, neck, arms… everywhere… he had shielded us. Oifeye had shielded us.

"Are you two okay?" he asked shakily, expression pinched from pain. But he smiled when Seliph and I nodded. "Good… good…" And Oifeye collapsed in a heap, his blood soaking our clothes and puddling in the street…

I couldn't move. I couldn't breath. Seliph shook Oifeye with trembling hands, trying to get him to respond. But he didn't. He didn't. He just laid there limply, like a bunch of rags. Bleeding. It was all I could see, even as the light returned to the skies. At least, until the screams ripped through the roaring in my ears, reminding me that… that whatever that spell that had been… it hadn't just hit people. It had hit and destroyed buildings. No fires yet, but there were people trapped and… and…!

"L-Lester!" I shouted, forcing myself to react. I pulled Oifeye onto my back and teetered as I stood. Oifeye was a bit heavy for me, and I was shaken, so I almost fell. Seliph steadied me, though. "Lester, Oifeye needs to get to the infirmary!"

"Diarmuid, you and I are going to clear rubble!" Seliph ordered, his voice cracking slightly. But he stood tall enough to pretend he knew what to do. "Quickly, everyone! We don't have time!"

The next few hours were a huge blur. I gave Oifeye to a pale and wide-eyed Lester. Seliph and Diarmuid lifted and moved rubble to let rescuers crawl into ruined, fallen buildings to drag out potential survivors. The wounded were rushed back to the castle. The dead were set to the side. I bounced between pulling people out, burning wooden beams blocking the way, taking people to the infirmary, and reassuring the trapped that help was on the way and would be there soon. I think. It was difficult to say, really, because I simply moved so that I wouldn't freeze. Moved so that I wouldn't scream. Moved because these people trusted us, and we had to live up to that trust.

It wasn't until our group was safely in the War Room that I let myself just stop. The dazed looks on everyone else's mud-and-blood-streaked faces showed that they were feeling just as shocked and confused as I was.

"M-Mother says that it's a dark magic spell," Lana whispered after a moment. She had angry red welts on her arms that she attempted to cover with bandages, but her fingers fumbled too much. Ulster reached over to do it himself, letting her just focus on talking. "They saw it in Verdane. Sigurd's army, I mean. The ones hit… if they didn't die immediately, then they'll be fine. The spell just has to run its course, and only healers with Holy Blood are allowed to tend to them."

"Why is that?" Seliph asked dully. He stood more… well, loosely I supposed the word should be. Sagging. Wilting. Anyway, not his normal. But he did stand at the head of the table, like usual. "I heard…"

"It seems the spell is more for demoralization, if that's even a word." Lana held still while Ulster bandaged her other arm. "It kills, yes, but it's main purpose seems to be to inflict a long and painful… something… sorry, words are hard. I honestly can't remember what's a word and what's gibberish."

"Ramble all you want." Seliph gestured at all of us. The typical group, with Yuria joining us, and Oifeye, Arthur, and Fee not here. "We're all…"

"Right…" She smiled at Ulster when he finished the bandages and took a deep breath. "The healers without Holy Blood were inflicted with some sort of… let's go with poison for now. While trying to treat those hit. It's something in the black liquid the survivors cough and spew. The welts on my arm seem to be the Holy Blood containing it or… something. I'm not sure. But we…" Her voice cracked. Lester moved to her side and pulled her into a hug. "We've lost two healers already. Only those with Holy Blood can safely tent… tend to them. Mother is handling it now. She remembers what they did in Verdane."

"I see…" Seliph sighed and looked to Lester and Iuchar. "You two did patrols yes?"

"We did," Iuchar replied. He glanced at Lester, and Lester gestured at him, more focused on comforting Lana. "No one near. No signs of anyone. We even got Hestia to help us out. Nothing."

"Well, that sucks," Larcei deadpanned. She wobbled a bit and I moved to support her, letting her lean on me. Hestia was in the infirmary, comforting the children who had nearly been crushed by their own homes. Aideen had asked, because it kept them from wandering about for comfort, and getting underfoot. "Anything interesting, at least?"

"Well, there was something I noticed…" Iuchar hesitated before chuckling mirthlessly. "Sorry, I keep thinking of a way to try and lighten the mood, but can't. But the worst damage seems to be where each of us were. With a focus on where Seliph was. The building and stall behind where he and Riona were was obliterated."

"Meaning this was an attempt on our lives." Larcei growled and we all winced. Assassins again, but this time… "Damn it… how…?"

"I'd suggest 'traitor', but I know exactly who will be targeted if those rumors start circulating."

"You. Right."

"Actually, Fee and Arthur might be more in trouble," Diarmuid sighed. He reached up to run a hand through his hair, but Yuria stopped him; his hands were bandaged because of how badly the splinters had torn up his palms. Honestly, all of us were bruised and scraped up. But we'd refused healing staves, wanting them to be saved for the others. For the civilians who shouldn't have been caught up in this, but were. "It's only been a few days since they left."

"And while we know that they wouldn't…" Ulster began. He then shook his head. "No, no point in even saying it. If people want to blame them…"

"They'll come up with their own explanations." Diarmuid shook his head and clenched his fists. His palm began bleeding, and Yuria quietly took his hand to rebandage it. "So, maybe we should focus on that… whatever it was. Some sort of spell, but…"

"It's a siege tome known as Fenrir." Lewyn stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He had mud and blood on his clothes, same as the rest of us. "My apologies for being late," he continued, looking at all of us. He then moved to the wall and leaned against it. "Like most siege tomes, it is normally limited by sight, but scrying lets one get around that."

"...I think… Conall mentioned something about that, actually…?" I whispered, trying to think. I felt like my head was full of cotton, or a whole bunch of Hestia's fur. "Something about seeing from afar?"

"Yes, that is exactly it. Now, granted, performing the combination is very stressful for the body and only a handful can cast a spell while scrying, but that is my best guess for what happened today." Lewyn's eyes narrowed, looking over all of us again. "I listened to the wind and got a likely location for them."

"Where?" I leaned over the map, tracing random patterns. "And how long do we have before another attempt like this?"

"The Yied Shrine." Lewyn walked over and pointed it out on the map. It was far more north than we had planned to go, off the main roads entirely. "I imagine you will have a good bit, but I also imagine you will have another attempt."

"So, we have to use the window to do…" I almost stumbled when I straightened, but Lewyn supported my back. "Thank you. Are there limitations to this… scrying thing?"

"Needs a reflective surface, and since they had to reconstruct a lot of their old dark magic, there's probably only a few who can use it."

"Did the wind tell you that?"

"I've spent the last five years gathering information." Well, nice to see he abandoned his family for that. "So…"

"...Small group," Seliph whispered then. He frowned, looking at the map. "No cavalry. It's the desert. Yied Massacre proved how detrimental cavalry is in the desert. And we'll limit it to people in this group here."

"In that case, let's just have it be those of us here who don't fight on horseback," Ulster suggested. He glanced over at Lewyn. "Will you cover the spymaster stuff? Fee isn't here to take over." Lewyn nodded, smiling slightly. "Thank you."

"Someone else divide up Larcei's duties. Lana? Yuria?" Seliph looked at them. "What about you two?"

"Yuria, you should go with them," Lana encouraged. Yuria looked a little hesitant, and confused. "They'll need a healer, and you haven't worked with the black-blood-patients yet. I have and I know Mother will need help. We have more conventionally wounded as well." Yuria still hesitated, but she then nodded. "Thank you. I already feel better about this, knowing you'll be there with them."

"I'll be leaving Hestia here," I added absently. I shrugged when everyone gave me a weird look. "Desert. Fur. Hestia is adapted to super cold weather, which is good at night time but not during the day. It'll be easier on her if she stays with the large group."

"Will she stay?"

"She should. It's no different from when Diarmuid and I went to Ganeishire." Yes, it was. But hopefully, I could get her to behave. "The animals in town seemed to sense something, so maybe she can give you some warning if it happens again."

"Though, hopefully, we'll get there before that," Seliph murmured. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening his eyes again and looking at each of us. "Everyone else, start moving our army out as soon as possible. We'll meet you to the south, near the road to Darna. Rivough cannot take another attack like that. We have to leave, just in case."

"Something else you might want to consider…" Lewyn began, while the rest of us nodded and already planning what to pack. "The Yied Shrine was the home of the Loptyrians for over a hundred years, so I imagine that they have kept many precious things there.." Lewyn became almost thoughtful. "It would behoove you to see about freeing what prisoners are there, and what items you can find."

"I think it would behoove the prisoners and that is all the reason one should need." Seliph looked at Lewyn impassively, and Lewyn bowed his head, acknowledging the point. "Okay. Let's… first, let's make sure Aideen doesn't need us. Then we get moving."

Aideen, of course, did need us. There were a thousand and one things that needed to be done, but most of her attention had to be with the black-blood-patients. Meaning that others had to tend to the rest, including the healers who had taken ill from the black blood. We did what we could, and did our best to reassure everyone. It felt like empty words and gestures, but they were all we had. So, we worked until we just about fainted, and Aideen chased us out to rest. Except I didn't go rest. I sent Hestia off with Seliph, and then I went… I went to visit Oifeye, who unlike most, was resting in his room. Probably because of his Holy Blood, Oifeye didn't vomit up black blood or have his skin discolored or anything. He had just… taken quite a bit of magical damage when he didn't have a lot of resistance. So, he was unconscious, and would be for a while. Aideen said he'd live, which was why she felt comfortable leaving him in his room and thus freeing up some space in the infirmary, but…

"Hey, Oifeye…" I whispered, sitting on the edge of his bed. Despite normally being a light sleeper, he didn't even stir. He just laid there, blankets rising and falling with each breath. "So, we're going to go to the Yied Shrine. Who knows? Maybe we'll run into Shanan. A shrine seems like a good place to hide Balmung and all." No answer, of course, so I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was, thankfully, steady. "So, some of us might not be here when you wake up, but we'll… we'll be fine, okay? So, you just rest, because you've b-been working too hard anyway. This is prob… probably the gods telling you to relax and…"

I broke down crying, unable to talk anymore. Then I cried more, because normally when we cried, Oifeye was there with a reassuring hug and comforting words. But there were no hugs or words here. It was just me, crying into his chest while he was unconscious, desperately listening to his heartbeat as proof that he'd live. And it hurt. It hurt so, so much...


I knew the desert would be scorching during the day. I knew it would be freezing at night. I knew the sand would get everywhere. But I didn't expect how tiring trudging through the desert was. Nor did I expect how unexpectedly deep the sand could be. It was a good thing I hadn't brought Hestia. We almost lost Yuria in one of the dunes, after all.

"I'm beginning to wonder why we didn't try to just sail down to Leonster," Seliph grumbled, helping Ulster balance on the constantly shifting sands. Fucking sand. Coarse, itchy, and made walking a chore. I hated it with a passion. "Why didn't we?"

"Leonster might be by the water, but the closest port is over by Conote," I reminded him, barely keeping my own footing. Didn't help that I was helping Yuria not fall. Or trying to, at least. It more felt like we kept falling, but happened to fall into each other and stayed upright. Ish. "Not to mention the whole 'getting enough boats' thing? Isaach isn't exactly known for its sailing."

"It's too hot to be logical." Seliph sighed, and coughed as he caught a mouthful of sand from the wind. No sandstorms, or regular storms, but that didn't mean the wind didn't carry the sand anyway. "I am never, ever traveling the desert again. I will hike through the mountains if that's what it takes."

"Or stick to roads?"

"Or that." Seliph and Ulster both yelped as they both found an unexpected deep spot in the sand. Yuria and I quickly pulled them away and brushed the worst of the sand off. "That's it. Larcei, fall back to us for a bit. We're stopping for a rest."

"Sounds good to me," Larcei called from up ahead. She had been scouting, but now gladly took the opportunity to rush back. And jump on Ulster's back. "My feet hurt!"

"Get off," Ulster growled, making absolutely no effort to actually get her off. Larcei whined wordlessly and clung tighter. "It's too hot for that."

"Remind me again why we can't just strip down?" Larcei rolled her eyes, but at Yuria's sudden squeak, she grinned. "My, my… what are you imagining, Yuria~?"

"The answer is sunburn." Ulster made his voice as dry and deadpan as possible. And conveniently kept Larcei from teasing Yuria. "I don't know about you, but the idea of a full body sunburn sounds uncomfortable."

"Oh, ick… especially on the sensitive skin." Larcei grimaced, and got off Ulster to pull out her water. "Running low…" Which wasn't good. We'd have to find an oasis or something in order to fill up the water again. "Still, there's some good news."

"Is there?" Yuria asked, voice raspy. Seliph immediately passed her his water, and she gratefully took a sip. "Sorry… I ran out."

"You should've said something earlier," Seliph chided, taking his back. He then grabbed hers and split his water between them. "Though, I suppose I should've been paying more attention and spent less time complaining."

"Oh, no, that's not…" Yuria sighed and pulled her hood a little further up. Miraculously, we had all escaped sunburns so far, thanks to keeping covered and copious amounts of balm, but I didn't count on that continuing. "Oh, never mind. It's too hot to go in circles and I know we will. Larcei, you said good news?"

"Yeah, see this giant ass plateau thing we're walking beside?" Larcei pointed to it, as if we could miss the humongous pile of rock we were using for shade. "There's a path up. Non-sandy path. And where there's a path…"

"There's likely something at the end of the path," Ulster murmured. He glanced at Larcei and both nodded. "Okay, Larcei and I will scout ahead, Seliph. See what we can find."

"After a bit more rest."

"And water." Ulster, however, looked at Seliph and after a moment, Seliph nodded, agreeing to it. "Fun times ahead."

Fun times indeed. After resting for a while, Ulster and Larcei went ahead on the path she had found, with Seliph, Yuria, and I following behind. It soon became obvious that we had found our destination, because what else could a giant ruin on the top of a plateau in the middle of nowhere be? However, there seemed to be some sort of commotion, so we instead looked for some sort of alternate route inside. Because charging through the front doors with only five people against unknown numbers wasn't a smart thing to do even if everything had been nice and calm. And, thankfully, we did find one, though it was one with a drop. A long drop. Might have injured my knees with the landing drop. And, of course, I'd decided to be the first one. By falling into it. ...Not quite so 'thankfully', actually, but it was a way in.

"I think this was actually supposed to be some sort of ventilation thing…" I hissed, limping a bit before leaning down to stretch out my legs. I looked around and saw that I was at least in a hallway, though it was darker than dark down here. Cold too. "I'm alive, but Seliph, can you send some light down?" My voice echoed up, and when I looked up, I saw it had been quite a distance. I could barely see them, and it took a while for Seliph's light-globes to float down. "I have no idea if Yuria can make the drop." Yes, she had Holy Blood, but Yuria wasn't exactly the most durable person. She could survive a lot sure, but… "So, I'm moving out of the way now while you figure that out."

It was a good thing I did. A few seconds later, Seliph joined me, wincing at his own landing. "I think my skull rattled," he groaned, sending out a few more light-globes. Even with them, there was something about the hall that just continued to seem dark. "Yuria, come down next. I'll catch you." And Yuria jumped down without the slightest bit of hesitation, showing complete trust in Seliph. "Ooph…!" And Seliph actually did manage to catch her, Baldr blood's strength coming in, but just barely. "Right, momentum. Totally forgot that was a thing."

"Next time she has to jump, Diarmuid is catching her." I tugged both of them over to me and looked up. "Hey, murder twins, it's clear."

"Did you seriously just call us that?" Ulster asked before jumping down. He landed with a roll, bleeding off momentum and leaving room for Larcei to do the same. Which she promptly did, and hopped to her feet with a flourish. "Seriously?"

"It fits you," Seliph immediately pointed out, grinning. He looked around though, and brought up a few more lights. "No matter how many I put out, this place just feels… dark. Sad."

"Not to mention damned cold." Ulster immediately huddled up with me. "Stealing Riona. She's the only warm thing here."

"Hey now…"

There was a bit of playful jostling over who got to stand closer to me, which was alleviated when the others noticed Yuria was almost as warm. At which point the three of them clustered around us two and we made our slow way through the hall. The cold, dank, somehow always dark hall. The air felt heavier and heavier the farther we got from the ventilation hole I'd fallen through. Sadder. Darker. It was oppressive really, and I swore even my blood was screaming 'get out! Get out of here now!'.

"Look at the wall," Seliph suddenly whispered, brushing some dust off of the stone. He brought a light globe closer so that we could see the messy writing on the walls. It took a moment to decipher the scribbles, mostly because some words were misspelled, but it was a prayer. A prayer for Loptyr, likely written by a child. "Why would a child…?"

"If you think of the Loptyrian Hunts, then they had to hide," I reminded softly. I looked around, noticing there wasn't even a slit in the wall for ventilation where we were now. A child had been here. A child had been trapped here. "Gods, I'd go mad in a place like this…"

"Was Loptyr the only god they had?"

"Well, when the other gods apparently denied them…" Or rather, the people who worshipped those gods… they denied and hurt the Loptyrians. "I wonder what happened to the writer. Are they…?" Were they here? Had they grown up? Had they been caught and killed? Had they died without ever seeing the sun?

"This isn't helping us find the people who killed all the civilians," Ulster reminded us gently. In the words, we heard his real meaning. 'Do not forget that people are depending on us' and 'sympathize, but do not let it stop you from doing what must be done'. "Or the dungeons where people supposedly are."

"You're right, of course," Yuria whispered, looking sadly at the writing. She crept a little closer and traced the words. "...That child died. I can sense it. They wrote it as they were dying."

"...Of what?"

"I'm not sure. But given what Diarmuid and Lana have taught me, I would guess some sort of lung disease." She looked at the rest of us, eyes dull with sadness. "I wonder how many others died like that."

"More than those who died to the flames," I whispered. Larcei leaned into me wordlessly, giving me comfort. "But Ulster is right. We can do nothing for the dead. We have to focus on the living for now, and then remember the dead."

"Let's take time for a prayer, though," Larcei suggested quietly. "We can do that for them."

We all agreed, of course, and after that quiet prayer, we moved on, looking for a way to the main part of the temple. I made sure to hold Seliph's hand as we continued to walk down the hall, to try and reassure him. But I wasn't sure it worked, because everything about this place just didn't feel right. Our steps echoed no matter how quietly we tried to walk, because there was nothing. No people. No light. No sound. No warmth. It was like we were walking straight into an abyss. Or the gaping maw of a creature just waiting to devour us.

Then, all of a sudden, there was a pulse of magic. Purple light swept across the walls. And then I was alone. Absolutely alone.

"Seliph? Larcei?" I called desperately, frantically looking around for them. I had just been holding Seliph's hand, damn it! "Ulster? Yuria?" My voice echoed off the walls of the empty hall. No answer. I was alone. In the cold and dark. "I-in retrospect, I suppose it was stupid to not be… you know… checking for traps or something…" I took a few deep breaths to try and keep from shaking. "Okay… um… I guess I just… go back…?" When I turned, though, I saw there was no 'back'. Just a solid wall. With one way forward. In other words, I was in a completely different place. "Why is…?" Logic… logic… it was difficult to think, but eventually, I came up with some explanation. "Warp. I was Warped. That's the only thing that makes sense." Wasn't sure how, but even a partial explanation was enough to settle my nerves. Sort of. "Okay… forward then…"

I drew my silver blade, wanting the comfort from it and comfort from the belief that Dad was watching out for me, and strode forward with my head held high. With a confidence I didn't feel. I wanted my family. I wanted my Hestia. But I was alone, in the middle of a shrine where I was sure despair and madness slept and wept. And I had to keep going, because I was a leader for the Liberation Army, one of the ones who raised the flags and sang the songs of war. I couldn't falter, no matter how much my nerves shook.

It was still a relief, though, when I stepped into a large, open room, just because it eased the oppressiveness of the place to have so much space. At least, it was a relief until I saw a person on the other side of the room. An armed person, carrying a spear. An armed person, carrying a spear, with glowing red eyes. Because nothing said 'evil' and 'enemy' like glowing red eyes. Same with them just lunging and attacking me without saying a word. Without… any sort of sound, really. I dodged their strike and slashed at their arm, but they didn't react. They just kept on fighting, like I hadn't done anything. And since I was unnerved and shocked, they actually tackled me to the ground and I saw that they weren't actually bleeding. It was just… oozing out of the cut. And the neck was… it was rotted. And the person didn't breath. A corpse. I was fighting a corpse. I was fighting a corpse.

The revelation was so startling that I automatically hooked my legs around them and twisted to throw them into the wall. They hit at an awkward angle, and I heard the snap of bone. But it got up like the impact was nothing… even though the 'snap' had been their neck. Its head was now leaning at an angle, bone splinters poking out of the flesh, but it readied its spear and lunged again, aiming for my heart. I dodged and spun, blue sparkles trailing off my sword as I somehow managed to call on Luna, and I decapitated the thing. I screamed when the body lurched forward anyway and jumped back when it fell. The body twitched and squirmed for far, far too long before laying still. Thick, coagulated blood dribbled out of the neck. The smell of rot permeated everything. That really had been a corpse. Not some weird magic thing. Well, it was a weird magic thing, but...

"Whoever came up with this idea… I hope your ashes are burning in the fires of the blackest hells," I whispered, mostly to make me feel better. I crept towards the door, facing the body and head at all times, before bolting down the hall, running as fast as I could.

I didn't pay attention to anything except getting as far away from whatever the hell that was. I was so done with all of this. So, so done. So, it wasn't even a surprise when I ran into someone. What was a surprise was who I ran into.

"Riona?" Shanan asked. And I knew it was him. Same face, same hair, same clothes, same pendant from Aunt Alicia and Mom. The only thing different about him was the sword on his belt, a beautiful sword that almost seemed to flicker like a ghost. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Ha… we thought we might find you…" I answered shakily. I poked his face, making sure he was really there, and then leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. "This place is crazy."

"Yeah, it is." Awkwardly, Shanan hugged me, patting me on the back. "Please tell me you didn't come in here alone."

"I'm not stupid. I came here with others. But there was some sort of light and I think I was warped and…"

"Sounds like you all stepped on one of the Warp tiles. Places with bunches of dark mages tend to have them." That was an unknown voice, and I looked behind Shanan to see it belonged to a surprisingly chipper looking girl. Blonde hair was tied back in a braid and covered with a blue hat. She wore a matching scarf around her neck, had an unusual sword tucked into her belt, and was carrying-dragging a very large sack behind her. "Hi, I'm Patty!" she chirped, grinning. "I'm Shanan's girlfriend!"

"You're not busty enough for that," I instantly deadpanned, going for the first thing I thought of for calling out that bit of bullshit. Shanan promptly choked on a yelp, but Patty simply laughed, not bothered at all. "You're pretty enough, though."

"Aw, thanks~! Though I'm glad to not have big boobs. It would make crawling so much harder." She winked. "I'm a thief! I was swiping things from the treasury here, and met my idol! So, I had to help."

"That's a short version I suppose," Shanan sighed, shaking his head. However, he soon smiled and ruffled my hair. "I heard you all liberated Isaach. I'm sad I wasn't there to see it, but thank you. But why did you all even leave to fight? Why not wait for me to get back?"

"Oh, that's a story," I replied, whimpering a bit. There was a lot… "Where should I even start? And we have to find the others."

"Talk while we walk, and start anywhere. It'll get jumbled together in the end."

"Okay. Well, first off, Conall's fine and calls you an idiot for blaming yourself..."

"...What the hell did I miss?!"


As we walked, I quietly told Shanan everything we had learned over the past few weeks… months… whatever. Conall being alive and well, and torn between the sides. Yuria and her heritage. Deirdre's amnesia. Lewyn being a total jackass now. Fee and Arthur. Finn's survival. Danann's death. Aunt Ayra and Uncle Lex's deaths. Why we were out here at all. Anything and everything I could think of, I shared and he listened closely, asking questions for clarification. Patty, meanwhile, scouted ahead for us, disabling traps and picking locks. And since this apparently wasn't her first time sneaking in here, she actually had a freaking map. Or something. Either way, thanks to her, we made it out of the dark and shadowy halls and into halls where there were actually candles and the like. And the others. We found the others too. Thank you, convenience.

"There you are!" Yuria laughed, rushing over and hugging me. She trembled slightly when I hugged her back. "I'm so glad I followed that feeling."

"Feeling, huh?" I asked, stroking her hair and kissing her head to reassure her. Meanwhile, Seliph, Ulster, and Larcei greeted Shanan with hugs. "Is that how you found the others?"

"I did!" She looked up at me and grinned. "I was very scared, but I thought of what you and Larcei would do and went for it!"

"I can think of many others who are preferable role models." I was, however, touched that she thought that highly of me. "But that was a good thing to do. You're amazing, Yuria."

"Hee…" She looked down shyly, and then took my hand to pull me to the others. Or, more specifically, Seliph, who greeted me with a kiss, before gesturing to Shanan to introduce her to him. "Um… hello?"

"...Okay, Riona warned me, but wow, that is some resemblance," Shanan noted, looking right at Yuria. Yuria tried not to squirm, but soon ducked behind me. "The amount of things I missed, by the way, is frankly terrifying. I shouldn't have left." He looked at the rest of us, eyes sad. "I'm sorry. I wasn't there to keep you safe."

"You've been keeping us safe for years, Shanan," Larcei pointed out instantly. She hid a bit behind Ulster, though she did her best to not act abnormally or anything. We noticed, but I doubted Shanan or Yuria did, and I knew Patty didn't. She did watch us with fascination, but didn't interrupt. "It's only fair that we pull our share now."

"That's…" Shanan sighed. "Not sure why I'm even thinking of arguing. Given how stubborn all of your parents were, and how stubborn Oifeye and Aideen are, you all can't be anything but stubborn."

"Not sure the person who started and maintained a ten-year-long rebellion is the one who should be saying that."

"But the sword is new," Ulster pointed out, shifting the subject. He smiled softly and proudly at Shanan. "Is that it? Is that Balmung?"

"It is," Shanan confirmed, drawing it from its sheath. Almost immediately, it seemed to hum, with my very blood warming at the sight. "It's unbelievably light. I half-fear a good hit will snap it in half." He sheathed it again, and smiled back at Ulster before gesturing at Patty. "Ah, but I'm being rude. This is Patty."

"Nice to meet you!" Patty replied, waving at us. Now that I wasn't distracted, I tried to guess her age and thought she might be younger than Lana. "I was showing Prince Shanan the way to the central chamber, where the big baddies like to do their evil rituals of evil because they don't have anything better to do. Based on what Riona said, you guys are after them too, right?"

"I had hoped I could deal with them before you all made it to the desert, but it seems they decided to show their hand first. I'm sorry." Shanan turned away. Larcei sighed, and nudged me. I reached over and pulled her in a hug. "Let's go."

"So, does he always apologize, or does he only apologize to you all?" Despite being the one to know the path, Patty stuck near us as we followed Shanan, bouncing a bit. "But wow, I've heard so many stories and songs about you all," she breathed, smiling. "This is unreal."

"Songs? Stories?" Seliph repeated. He glanced at the rest of us and we shrugged. We hadn't heard anything yet. "Seriously?"

"Yep! There is, of course, the Prince of Light, herald of hope." Poor Seliph squirmed at that, though we had long known of that little 'name'. "He leads the armies with the help of his generals. Like the Lunar Wolf, the lady of flames who oversees the soldiers' health and morale." Now that name, I hadn't heard before. I never had my own little 'title' thing, actually. That was weird. "And songs of the love and courting between the Prince of Light and the Lunar Wolf are super popular." And that made both Seliph and I choke on yelps. I even stumbled a bit from shock. Larcei laughed outright, while Ulster at least muffled his. Yuria giggled, because of course she did. "Then there's Death's Blade and Death's Herald, twin warriors who rip through their enemies like paper."

"I think we know who those two are, right, murder twins?" I noted dryly, grinning because now it was their turn to squirm. Yuria continued giggling. "Any others?"

"Well, there's the White Knight, a charming knight in shining armor who rides through battles with blade in hand."

"...Diarmuid is going to have a heart attack when he hears that one." I could easily see it. "So what about-?"

"Reminder that we're in enemy territory," Shanan called back. He gave us the most skeptical look. "And we're technically sneaking."

"We're always like this, Shanan," Seliph joked, smiling now. Probably because the topic had shifted away from him. "But I suppose we can pretend to be mature. Maybe."

"Aw, but I wanted to see reactions about the Lady's Grace," Patty 'complained', her eyes dancing far too much to actually be complaining. "She's supposed to be the chief healer?"

"Lana is going to blush so badly at that nickname!" Larcei teased, laughing again. She made sure to muffle it, though. "There's got to be more, right?"

"There's lots. And there's bunches of songs." Patty turned somber suddenly. "It makes sense. People need hope, and those songs carry that message. Hope, and things being okay eventually." She smiled warmly at us. "I'm glad you guys live up to the songs. It's really cool."

She skipped ahead then, scouting and disabling traps. The rest of us fell silent, keeping our weapons out just in case. Yuria and Seliph had a whispered conversation and she tried to give him her nosferatu tome, but he shook his head, saying something that made her smile in relief. I wondered what, but decided it could wait. It was probably just him reassuring and praising her, after all.

We reached the main room, and… well, we did try to sneak. But they were ready for us, so instead, we had to scatter immediately to avoid getting annihilated, and the battle instantly became a free-for-all. Spells everywhere, cracking the ground. Blood everywhere from where we got hits in and from our own injuries. Blood spilling into the cracks when dark mages died. At first, I didn't actually fight them, though. The first thing I did was look for anything reflective, and knocked over some bowls of water set up in the back. Just in case. It almost earned me a barrage of spells straight to the back, but suddenly, wind magic flew through the air, ripping apart the dark mage targeting me. At first, I thought it had been Yuria, but then I saw her on the other side of the room, using nosferatu. So, I turned, wondering what the hell, and saw Patty had drawn her sword. And now that it was drawn, I recognized it as a Wind Sword. Useful for someone who didn't wear armor, even if they weren't that magically powerful.

I thought about pulling out my Fire Sword to do the same thing, but I remembered the lessons. Elemental magic was devoured by light and shadows. So, I just stuck with the silver blade, pairing up with Yuria to keep her safe. She had less battle experience than the rest of us, after all, and it was easy to see with how shaky she was, and how she tired more quickly. Thankfully, there weren't that many priests here. Just a small group. A powerful group, but a small one.

However, the last one was determined to be defiant until the end, and fired a spell at Seliph. The spell knocked Seliph's sword clean out of his hand, and someone screamed when the Loptyr priest surged forward to better aim a killing spell right at Seliph's head. It might've been me, but everything felt distance in that terrifying split-second. But then Seliph pulled something out of his pocket, rested his hands against the priest's chest, and made their entire top half explode in a torrent of light. All of us stared, startled, except Yuria. She simply looked relieved, and I pieced together what happened from there. While we had been walking, Yuria had offered her tome in case Seliph was disarmed, but Seliph had kept pages from a different tome in his pocket to use in that situation. And proved quite effective at it.

"Well, that was… more dramatic than I thought it would be," Seliph murmured, wiping his hands on his pants. It wasn't like he could get much bloodier anyway. He was covered. "So, everyone alive? Everyone okay?"

"Can I get back to you on that?" Patty asked weakly. She was doubled-over in the corner, with Larcei rubbing her back. Yuria and I immediately rushed over to her, to hold her hand and make sure she was okay. "Battles are even suckier than I thought. Febail's insane taking mercenary jobs."

"Battles are the worst." Seliph smiled wryly, and accepted a handkerchief from Ulster to wipe his face. Shanan lingered back, looking at all of us sorrowfully, and not saying a word. I thought… he was probably sad that here we were, fighting. And here we were, used to it. "I think I'm carrying a proper tome from now on, though. Bathing in blood is not my idea of fun."

"Blood, and whatever else is there," Ulster commented, picking out some sort of glompy piece of flesh from Seliph's hair. He then proceeded to pick out a few more. "So, injuries and dungeons?"

"That seems like a good plan to me," I replied. I looked at Patty, brushing the hair out of her face. She felt clammy, but her eyes were still sharp when she looked at me. "Do you mind helping us a little longer? If there are dungeons, there are locks." Patty nodded before curling up again. Larcei just pulled her into her lap. "Anyone got ginger for her?"

I hoped this at least meant the others would be safe. Gods knew they would need that reassurance.


After Yuria healed us up, and after Patty's stomach stopped trying to eject itself from her body, we decided to patrol the temple to make sure we wouldn't get ambushed. After confirming the place was empty, we began looking for the dungeons. And, unfortunately, we had only one real 'clue' to where they were; they weren't on Patty's map, because she had never gone looking. She'd known she couldn't do anything. Now she could, and she did gladly. But it did mean that we had to wander through unknown territory. Literally.

"Gods, I am exhausted…" I whispered, checking another set of rooms. I thought these might've been bedrooms, at some point. Though I only guessed based on the beds inside. They were horribly small and cramped. A child would feel squashed in them. "Did people really live down here? No wonder they're all mad." I opened the last door on the hall, expecting to find nothing but dust. Instead, I found a group of children, staring at me in fear. The oldest looked about thirteen. The youngest was a babe in arms. "Uh… hi?"

"Hi," one replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. She was the oldest of the group, with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. "Great. You guys are doing a thorough search."

"Well, we're looking for the dungeons."

"And you thought they were here?"

"Honestly, was more looking for a clue. Or maybe a secret staircase or something." I shrugged, a little too out of it to really be bothered by… any of this. "That's all."

"Great." She glared at me. "Well, you found us. What are you going to do?"

"Well…" I debated a few things. Honestly, I was tempted to pretend I didn't see them, let them make their own choice. But there was a baby. There was a baby and a toddler, and I couldn't just… "How about you leave the temple with us?"

"And burn?" Her eyes flashed with anger. "I know the stories. And you've the eyes of Fjalar, wielder of the supposed flames of justice. Or so her grandson claimed when he started the Loptyrian Hunts."

"I am not my ancestor. Just as you are not yours." But it did make me ill to hear that piece of information. "I'm sure it's hard to trust me, and not even just because of my eye color. I'm covered in blood, for one thing. Probably the blood of someone you knew." However, I held out my hand to her. "You don't have to like me. You don't have to respect me. You don't have to do anything. But, if you would like to take a leap of faith… I am right here."

"..." The girl stared at me for a long time before hesitantly taking my hand. "I am Inanna. You are?"

"Riona. Caitriona, really, but please, call me 'Riona'." I smiled warmly at her. "Come on. Do you need help?"

"We'll take care of it." Her leap only went so far, after all. "...But thank you. We were wondering what to do. We know we can't stay here if the others are dead and none of us know how to take care of babies."

"Of course. I'm sorry for the trouble." I stepped back. "Take your time."

"...Not sure you have it." She looked down. "I'll give you directions to the dungeons. I don't know who all is down there, but I know there's at least one who has been there for… god, I think she's been in there five years, at least. And I think they are others."

"You can't take more time than we have wandering around aimlessly." I shook my head, and smiled again when she glanced up. "The directions will balance out the time you use. So, take your time."

Inanna nodded and rounded up her group, a group of ten children all in all. They picked up a few things before following me down the hall where the others were. Patty stiffened at the sight of the children, and gave us weird looks when we did our best to reassure them, and get them comfortable. Well, Shanan watched Seliph, Ulster, Larcei, Yuria, and me with a soft, fond smile while we got them comfortable. After some discussion, it was decided that Ulster, Seliph, and Yuria would remain with them, while Shanan, Larcei, Patty, and I would follow Inanna's directions to head for the dungeons. Patty took her time checking for traps, apparently distrusting Inanna's helpfulness, but it soon proved that they were correct. We knew by the smell before we saw anything.

"It's going to be okay," I whispered, picking up a small child and carrying them out of the filth that had been their cell. They didn't react, just stared dully at the rotted flesh that had been their cellmate. I had no idea who they had been or how long they had been there. "Okay, so that's… five…" Most were dead. Most were rotting, in fact. What the hell had they been doing here? I didn't know, and I wasn't sure I wanted to.

"Shanan and Larcei went to go check the last hall, the one that's furthest back," Patty explained to me when I joined her with the other four. She was doing some sleight of hand to make them smile. "They're taking longer than normal, though."

"They might be tired." I set the child I was carrying down, and another child pulled them into a hug. "I'll tell them to trade off with us."

"Sounds good. I'll wait here until they get back."

"Okay." Absently, I kissed her cheek, and left, barely noticing her weird look. It was only when I was near the back of the dungeon's halls, way out of her sight, that I realized it was probably because that was more affection than she'd expected from a near stranger. Really needed to work on that, or something, especially now that we were out of Isaach…

"Shanan, why don't we head back and let Riona and Patty take this last hall?" I heard Larcei say. Curious, I poked my head down the hall, row… whatever. Where Shanan and Larcei were. Except Larcei was resting her hands on Shanan's back and shoulder, and Shanan was looking down, shaking. "It's been a long day, and even longer for you. We can take up some of the burden, you know. It won't kill you or us if you rest a little."

"I'm fine," Shanan insisted quietly. He refused to look up, though. And he continued to tremble. "Just hallucinating. A phantom. Nothing more."

"Hallucinations don't normally qualify as 'fine', you know." Larcei sighed, and looked away briefly to hide her worry. "Come on, Shanan. We don't know if Balmung is doing weird things to your health anyway. You told me how it sent a surge of power through you, you know."

"But…"

"Shanan, seriously. We liberated Isaach. We killed Danann. I think Riona can handle checking one last hall."

"Riona definitely can," I murmured, smiling when both whirled to look at me. Best to pretend I just got here. "Hello there. I found a fifth child. Why not say 'hello'? They were stuck with a rotting corpse for a while."

"Oh, gross…" Larcei replied. She took Shanan's arm and tugged him along. After a bit of resistance, Shanan followed, deciding that reassuring the child was more important that insisting he was fine. "Come on. You probably have more experience than us in getting children to at least move."

"Send Patty down when you get there." I kept on smiling until they were gone, and then I sighed, brushing my hair behind my ear. I needed twenty baths when I got out of here and a nice long nap. Shanan wasn't the only one tired. "Okay then…"

I walked down the hall, checking each cell. Sadly, it was just bones and corpses in every one. But when I reached the last ones, I saw something odd. I saw a bit of red hair fluttering at a corner… a corner where there wasn't a door. Or so I first thought. When I touched the stone, though, my hand went straight through and the stone disappeared to reveal a staircase and someone with long red hair disappearing down them. Fjalar-red hair.

"Conall?" I called automatically, trying to think of who else would have that hair color. The person didn't answer, though. They just continued running until they were out of sight. "Hey! Hold up a moment!" I sighed and almost waited for Patty. But then I caught a different scent amidst the rot and death. A scent I'd always know. Medicinal herbs. A very specific mix… of medicinal herbs...

I rushed down the steps three at a time, desperately trying to catch up with the someone… with the ghost. I fell on the last one and hit the ground hard, but I scrambled up and kept on running. Before long, the… the ghost was within sight again. Waiting. Waiting for me. And as I got closer, I saw a face I knew well. I knew it from hours upon hours of studying pictures. Hours of studying my reflection to guess which features were hers. Red hair, green eyes, and a calm and warm smile. Calm, warm, and proud

"Mom?" I called shakily, not sure if I was right. But her smile grew. "Mom, why are…?" She held up her hand, perfectly silent, and then pointed to the side. I looked and saw there was a small hallway there, and with more cells. Another dungeon hidden under the first. "That way? Is there someone that way?" She nodded, still smiling. But her form was transparent and flickering, done with whatever she had wanted to do. "Mom, I…" Thousands of things rushed through my head, all things I'd longed to say to her, but I could only choke out one. "I love you, Mama…"

Her smile brightened, as bright as the sun… and then she was gone. I blinked and she was gone, like she had never been there at all.

I took a few moments to gather my composure before walking down that hidden hall. Because if Mom had appeared as a ghost to lead me here, then there was someone who needed help. So, I walked, checking each cell closely, but it was only the one at the end that was occupied. A horribly thin woman, practically skin and bones, was bound up with filthy, blood-encrusted ropes. She wore rags for clothes, and her hair was so matted and dirty that it was difficult to guess the proper shade. Her eyes, however, were a fierce gold and looked straight at me when I stopped in front of the cell. Unbroken and defiant, despite clearly having been here in for a while. This might even be the prisoner Inanna mentioned.

"Well, you're a bit too pretty to be one of theirs," the woman murmured. Her voice rasped, but there was strength in it. "Huh. Look like a friend of mine, actually. That's weird." She swung herself around so that she was sitting up, and I saw that she wore a ring on a makeshift necklace, made from strip of cloth. It was the only bit of jewelry or whatever she wore. "So? You are?"

"Here to get you out of here," I replied, making sure to smile. She raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. There was something familiar about that look... "Yes, I know. It sounds weird. But the Loptyrians here are a little too dead to care about what we do."

"Are they? Good. Not many of their nice ones stuck around here. Just bastards who delight in experiments and whatnot. At least, that's all I encountered." She sighed and shrugged as best as she could. I saw a bleeding cut on her neck, too neat to be anything but surgical. "But I was asking for your name, you know."

"Oh. Right." I laughed sheepishly before suddenly freezing as a few pieces thunked together in my head. Gold hair. Gold eyes. A skeptical look that I recognized now as being like Diarmuid's… and someone that Mom had wanted to make sure I found… "Um… what's your name, though?"

"Mine? Lachesis." She laughed bitterly, but I felt like crying. "Lachesis of Nordion. Technically. So, you are?"

"I…" My voice wavered, but I made sure to smile instead of bursting into tears. I couldn't believe this. I couldn't… this was…! "Caitriona. I go by Riona, but it's…"

"Caitriona…?" Her eyes widened and she gasped. "You can't be…"

"The friend you mentioned is Alicia, right? My mom? Aideen and Oifeye mentioned I look like her." I saw Patty rushing over and had to fight to keep from bouncing. She probably had chased me down, and I'd apologize for not waiting later, but for now…! "Diarmuid's not in our group. He's with the main army. We're heading to Leonster to meet Uncle Finn and Nanna. Seliph is here, though. Seliph and Larcei and Ulster and Shanan..." Patty slid to a stop in front of me, and quickly began working on the lock. "Oh, there's a lot to talk about! Let's get you out first!"

Patty got the lock open in less than a blink, and the two of us quickly cut the ropes to free Aunt Lachesis. Then I hugged her, while Patty left to go do… something. I didn't pay attention. I just… I just hugged Aunt Lachesis, not quite believing any of this. But she was here. She was really here. She felt even thinner than she looked, but she didn't disappear like a phantom when I hugged her. This was just plain insane, and I loved it.

"I'm so glad to see you, Aunt Lachesis…" I whispered. I felt her jump and belated realized that I… "I'm sorry. Is it okay for me to call you that?"

"Of course it is," she reassured, weakly hugging me back. But even weakened, there was still strength in it. "Was just a bit startled, but I love it." She pulled back and smiled. "Let me look at you…" She studied my face before chuckling. "I should've guessed as soon as I saw you. Alicia's features, blonde hair, red eyes… how could you be anyone else but her daughter? I suppose it just seemed so impossible that I couldn't think of the possibility."

"You're telling me!" I laughed, practically bouncing from excitement. This was so unbelievable. I couldn't… "I only put the pieces together because you and Diarmuid have the same skeptical look. Sort of."

"Do we now? I can't wait to see. But how did you know to come here? It's hidden."

"Mom. Her ghost…" I felt like sobbing, but also laughing. It was such a weird, bubbly, overwhelming feeling. "I think she tried to get Shanan's attention, but he panicked, so I ended up running after her instead."

"Alicia?" Aunt Lachesis laughed, a sad and resigned sound. "Of course. She was always looking after me. She promised Eldie, after all."

"Promises are important." Not even death stopped a promise. "Can you stand?"

"Mmm… probably better to not risk it." She grimaced. "I can find the strength, certainly, but I have no idea what damage there is."

"Then I'll carry you."

It took a bit to get Aunt Lachesis on my back, mostly because I was worried about hurting her. She was just so thin. But we managed and I carried her out of the cell and down the hall. And met Shanan, who was staring. I wondered why, but then realized that Patty must've gotten him. Or at least, Patty told him and Larcei, and Shanan had rushed down here to confirm with his own eyes that one of the army, one of Sigurd's army, one of his family… they were really here, alive.

"Wow, Shanan, you got big," Aunt Lachesis laughed, breaking the silence. She reached out with a trembling hand and Shanan caught and held it. Clung, really, because that touch was proof that this was real. "You might be Lex's height, actually."

"You think so?" Shanan replied softly. He smiled, and tears silently slipped down his face. "I can't believe you're alive. I can't believe you're here."

"I can't believe it either. But look at where we are." Aunt Lachesis giggled. "And look! Seems like you kept your promise well. Thank you, Shanan."

"Well, I did what I could. You should really be thanking Aideen and Oifeye and…" Shanan bowed his head. "Ha… I can't stop crying… sorry…"

"Oh please, I'm only not a weepy mess right now because I'm already a mess and I'm too prideful to make myself look any worse than I do." She pulled her hand away and pulled off her necklace. "Hey, can you hold onto this for me? So that it's not digging into Riona's back?"

"That's… ah, that's your wedding ring." Shanan took it and tucked it into his pocket. "Of course. I'll give it back when we set up camp."

"Sounds good to me." Aunt Lachesis clung to me a little tighter. "But let's get the hell out of here. There's no one else down here. I know that for a fact."

"Then I think it's time we left the shrine, then." Shanan laughed, though it shook with his crying. "There's a lot to catch you up on. I mean… I have missed a lot, so…"

"Tell me everything. But take your time." Aunt Lachesis laughed again. "I'm not going anywhere, after all. Especially right now. But seriously, let's get going so that Riona stops fretting. She frets as much as Alicia."

"Tell me about it."

The two bantered back and forth as we returned to the others, almost as if they had never been separated, especially not for twenty years. Larcei had a conflicted look on her face when she saw us, standing guard as she was while Patty entertained the kids, but she quickly smiled and greeted Aunt Lachesis with a laugh. We'd probably talk about it in the coming days, but for now, we'd just… be grateful. And imagine Diarmuid's reaction. He might actually faint. That would be funny.


There was a bit of worry trying to transport people, since not everyone could walk properly and not everyone could be carried. However, Inanna and her group remembered there was a supply wagon and some horses, so when we found it, we got all the children in, along with Lachesis, who helped with the babies. Once we were sure everyone was secured, we left the shrine through the front door and Shanan led us to an oasis not too far away, where he had made camp the night before. Once there, we set up our own camp, cooking and cleaning as needed. And tending to Inanna's group and the prisoners. Aunt Lachesis insisted we take care of the children first, so it was actually after dinner that we finally had time to help her bathe and change clothes. Well, I helped her bathe, and also cut her hair to get rid of the matts. Larcei helped her dress.

"I don't think my hair has been this short since I was a little girl," Aunt Lachesis laughed, shaking her head. Her hair was very short now, barely longer than Ulster's, but she didn't seem to mind. "And goodness, I can't believe I fit into your clothes! Mostly."

"You'll fit properly once you gain a bit of weight," Larcei pointed out, grinning. Aunt Lachesis was wearing one of her dresses, after all. "And it looks better than Ulster's shirt on the kids!"

"I would hope it's not so baggy!" She laughed again, but held still while I brushed her hair. I was making sure everything was even and that we hadn't missed any bites or lice or whatnot on her scalp. "Strange to hear about everything." I'd made sure to tell Aunt Lachesis everything I could think of on the way out, especially about Yuria. "Can't wait to slap Lewyn, though." And Lewyn. Because she didn't need the same shock Oifeye had gotten.

"Lachesis, do you want more food?" Ulster asked, careful to not speak too loudly. He, Shanan, Seliph, and Patty were around the fire we made by the oasis. The children, including Inanna's group, were fast asleep. Inanna and her group were a noticeable distance away, but that they fell asleep showed a great amount of trust. "We still have a bit."

"Thank you, but I think any more might lead to my stomach protesting vehemently," Aunt Lachesis refused. When I was done brushing her hair, I helped her over to the fire and sat down between her and Seliph. Larcei sat on her other side, between her and Yuria. Well, the sleeping Yuria, rather. She'd exhausted herself while healing everyone, and we just let her sleep. "Ah, Shanan?"

"Right here," Shanan replied, passing her back her ring. It wasn't on the cloth-necklace anymore, though. Instead, it had thread wrapped around the bottom. "See if that fits. I can take some off or add more if needed."

"Ah, thank you!" Aunt Lachesis smiled softly when she slipped it on, it fitting almost perfectly. Just a tad loose. "I haven't been able to wear it properly in so long…"

"What were you doing there? How did you…?"

"The full story will take a bit, but the short version is that Finn went one way with Leif and Nanna, and I went another way when we had to leave Tahrna. I ended up near Yied, and thought about crossing it to try and get more information about how you all were doing." She shrugged. "Then I got caught. However, they didn't kill me because they wanted to do some experiments utilizing Holy Blood. So, they've just been bleeding me and keeping me locked up. Tell me the year later, by the way. Time lost meaning in there."

"I can imagine…"

"We're glad you hung on, though," Seliph murmured, smiling sweetly at her. Aunt Lachesis blinked a couple of times before smiling back. "Ah, but before I forget…" He turned his attention to Patty. "Where should we take you?"

"Actually, do you mind if I join up?" Patty asked. She had her hair down and she absently finger-combed it. "I'm not too bad to have around. I mean; I stole all of this stuff…" She gestured at the large bag she had been dragging. "All on my own."

"Wait, you stole it all?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Patty bristled, defensive, and Seliph shot us 'how did I mess up' looks. I had a feeling that she heard emphasis on words Seliph didn't mean to emphasize. "The soldiers and priests stole it from the villagers, so I'm taking it back!"

"Er… I… uh…" Seliph paused, taking the time to pick his words with care. "My apologies, I misspoke. I was more surprised you snuck in and stole it. I didn't mean to imply that… well, I mean, stealing is wrong, but when it's… uh…"

"...Hee… sorry, I'm used to having to defend myself." Patty slowly relaxed, and smiled. "But you did see how useful it was. And I'm used to surveying things. And I promise to share what I find."

"I don't see a problem with it, so long as you're aware of the dangers." He nodded to the bag to change the subject. "What's in there, though?"

"Gold, mostly, buuuuut I snatched a bunch of interesting tomes and weapons too." She shrugged. "I'll have to sort through them first to know specifics. And if you're willing to wait a bit in the morning, I can sneak back in to get documents."

"It's like having Dew again," Aunt Lachesis laughed, smiling. Patty tilted her head at that curiously. "We got a lot of need supplies that way, particularly medicines." Aunt Lachesis looked to Seliph, her smile becoming sad and nostalgic. She must've been seeing Sigurd in him or something. "So, you're meeting your army in Darna?"

"That's the idea, at least," Seliph confirmed, nodding. Patty shrugged and moved to crouch sit behind Larcei and Ulster to talk quietly with them. "Will you fight?"

"Ha… my pride says 'yes'. My sense says 'no'. We'll see how I am in a few months." She shrugged. "But I can still heal, and I think I have Alicia's methods imprinted into my soul from the number of times I saw her do it. So, if nothing else, I can lessen the burden on… Lana, you said?"

"Yes, Lana. She was born afterwards, so you never met her."

"I can't wait!" Aunt Lachesis giggled and then focused on Shanan. "Ah, but before I forget to ask…"

Shanan and Aunt Lachesis began bantering again, reminiscing about their time with Sigurd's army, and I noticed Patty's conversation with Larcei and Ulster had become questions about the army. After a while, I saw Seliph slip away, walking to the outer edge of the oasis. I decided to follow him, but I made sure to check on all the sleeping children first. I wanted to make sure they were sleeping peacefully before I made sure Seliph was okay. It was my responsibility, after all, to take care of them. Especially Inanna's group.

"I noticed this the first night we were here, but the lack of clouds really means you get to see the stars," I noted quietly when I finally joined him. He glanced over at me, before looking up at the sky. "There's so many."

"Yes, and they're all quite beautiful," Seliph murmured. He absently traced a couple of patterns in the air, and I wondered if he could still find the constellations with so many stars shining bright. "Quite beautiful, indeed."

"If you say something like 'the stars are beautiful, but not as beautiful as you', I will push you into the sand."

"Even if it's true?" Seliph grinned, and I rolled my eyes. "They are a close second, though."

"Flatterer." I crossed my arms and leaned into him for a little bit more warmth. "Diarmuid's going to freak out. He'd always been so certain that both of his parents were dead…" I glanced back at the others, noticing Larcei eagerly talking with Aunt Lachesis now, while Ulster and Patty chatted about something else entirely. Shanan watched with a smile, his eyes narrowed like he was staring at something far too bright. "We should keep an eye on Larcei."

"I'll talk with her in a couple of days. Might be better for her to vent at someone who didn't find Lachesis."

"Yes, that's probably a good idea." Still, we needed to make sure she was okay. Well, that all of us were okay, but since Larcei had clung to hope the longest… "And you? How are you feeling?"

"Glad, mostly. I've always wished I could meet her properly, and I know that Shanan is happy beyond words. Can't even imagine how Oifeye and Aideen will react. But…" He bit his lip and then sighed. "I do wish I could have a proper conversation with my parents, though. Or at least my mother." Seliph looked up at the stars again, squinting as if he could see her among them. "Just… something that might help me move on from that scared little boy who didn't know why his mother left him behind."

"I think you're farther from that 'little boy' than you think." I smiled at him, giggling. "Besides, I like that little boy. I fell in love with him, after all. And then I simply continued falling in love as we got older."

"...I can't believe you said that with a straight face." Seliph smiled, though, and he leaned in to kiss me softly. "Though, it's the same for me. I seem to fall more in love every day."

"How lucky we are, then." I kissed him back and then took his hand. "Come on. Aunt Lachesis is sure to have new stories about our parents."

"That's true… and she's a childhood friend of Father's, isn't she? Like Aideen." Seliph grinned, eyes sparkling. "I wonder if she has tales of Oifeye."

"I'm sure she does. Come on!"

Aunt Lachesis did have stories, many of them. A surprising number, in fact, but I wondered if she clung to those memories as a way to try and stay mostly sane during her captivity. No way I could ask, of course, and it did mean lots of funny stories. What a way to start this desert journey, huh?


Lester

Class: Bow Knight; Skills: Pursuit, Charge, Bargain

The 19-year-old son of Aideen of Jungby and Sir Midir of the Jungby Knights, the older brother of Lana. Often felt guilty growing up because he had his mother while the others lost their parents, but he also knows the others rarely cared because they were all one big family anyway and he shared his mother with them

His Holy Mark is on his right hand and fingers, stretched out almost like a spider's web. Its blessings give him boosts to stamina, the ability to take damage, and the famous 'Ulir Luck', which always seems to work in mysterious ways. Like on the battlefield where he dodges far more strikes than he knows is plausible or actually finding his father's lost bow in the hands of one random soldier on an equally random patrol.

Learned archery in an attempt to feel closer to his father, who he has no memories of. Wielding the brave bow his father held is an interesting experience, but he likes it because it makes him feel as if his father is guiding him along this crazy path they're on. He's not the best fighter by any means, but he's fine with not being the 'best'. There's other jobs for him.

While he has dated others, his relationship with Creidne was his longest, and indeed, the longest any of the group had. They mutually agreed to 'pause' their relationship until after things started moving again, mostly to see how events and war would change them. However, he can't deny being happy she sent a ring to him, and hopes she likes the ring he sent her in return


Author's Notes: Well, welcome to Game-Chapter 7. Where I added a lot. Ish. Aideen showing up was mostly just because I wanted to have a few more interactions with her and to contrast Lewyn. Fee going to Leonster is based on a fairly typical strategy, where you send Fee down to Leonster Castle (because fliers) to assist Leif, Nanna, and Finn (especially if you didn't promote Finn prior to him leaving in Gen1). Having an attack in town, and Oifeye being injured protecting Seliph comes from the Fuyuki Manga, though Fenrir's effects are based off of Oosawa's rendition during the Verdane arc. And to serve as an in-story reason for why the group heads so far north (Game-Chapter 7 involves a lot of backtracking and the like). In-game, you actually have like… a thirteen turn window before the boss of Yied Shrine gets their Fenrir tome (and, because Shanan starts there with Balmung, nine times out of ten, he's killed everyone, so you just have to have Seliph wind his way around to seize the place, especially if Patty has a Return Ring in her inventory). Oifeye and Diarmuid having a training lesson is due to the fact that in Game-Chapter 7, the two have a talk where Diarmuid gains some stats (+1 to str, skl, and def, I think).

Seliph's comment about children's writing on the wall comes from the game dialogue once you have conquered the Yied Shrine, though Lewyn is there in game to wax poetically about how the true evil is the evil within all of us or something. There's nothing with phantoms or fighting corpses (deadlords) or anything in the game. I just threw that in for fun. Warp tiles show up in FE5 when in places important to the Loptyrians, so I brought that in here. Also, have some not-crazy-Loptyrians. 'Inanna' is the name of a Sumerian god for love, fertility, and war.

The magic 'triangle' works a bit differently in FE4 than it does in future games (like the GBA ones). Wind, Fire, and Thunder form their own triangle, and Light and Dark magic trump both of them, while being equal to each other.

But now, Shanan and Patty have officially joined, with Shanan having the first Holy Weapon of Gen2, Balmung. It boosts Shanan's skill by 10, and his speed by 20, and combined with his good bases, means that Shanan can potentially one-round enemies even in the Final Chapter. He obtains the Balmung by talking to Patty, who stole it from the shrine prior to everything. Patty is your thief of the generation, though she's more durable than Dew. She can still be a bit of a pain to train, though. All just depends. Patty joking that she's Shanan's girlfriend comes from her in-game talk with Seliph, as does her conversation with Seliph in the last scene. In game, you'd get a second brave sword with that conversation, but we'll be going with something a little different. The Wind Sword can be obtained in Gen1 during the last part of Game-Chapter 3, if you have Dew 'wait' on the Bragi Tower.

Now, for Lachesis. Lachesis's fate in the games is very ambiguous, with her just disappearing into Yied, never to be seen again. I decided to not only show what happened, but actually have her feature for a few reasons. I will go ahead and admit that Lachesis likely isn't going to see much combat (she's very out of practice and has a lengthy recovery ahead of her), but she'll be helping as a healer, a teacher, and as another person the Gen2 kids can talk to about things.

Next Chapter - Interlude, Darna