Interlude - Darna


Our journey through the desert started with a massive attack on Rivough, leading us to head to the Yied Shrine, a place we didn't plan on going, focused on Leonster as we were. But it's good that we did go, because we saved some children who were captured, took in some Loptyrian children who… we might have orphaned... and we found Aunt Lachesis, who had been captured by the Loptyrians seven years ago. Seven years… and she'd still be there if we hadn't gone to the shrine.

What others secrets lie hidden in the desert? I'm almost afraid to find out.


Most of the towns near the Yied Shrine were abandoned. Sands blew through crumbling houses, coated once-well-used furniture. Some of the houses and towns were neat aside from the sand, and signs of animals passing through, as if their people had simply walked away, finding sanctuary somewhere far from the shrine. Others, however, were haphazard, with splintered tables and splotches of dried blood on the walls. Animals ransacked those places for the leftover food, causing even more of a mess, and a couple of times, we had to stop and dig out the wagon because it had gotten stuck on mummified corpses hidden under the sand. That was the word Aunt Lachesis used for them, at least. I'd never heard it before, but she had grown up as a 'proper' noble, complete with the best of tutors. Words were weird, anyway. And 'mummified' did sound more impressive than 'shriveled husk'.

Regardless, it was a relief when, somewhere halfway between the shrine and Darna, we finally found a village with people. It was run down, and the patched, loosely fitting clothes showed hard times, as did the black ribbons they wore on their arms and in their hair. But they were here, they were alive, and they greeted us with smiles. Even better, they were willing to take in the children, quite a generous thing since there were ten in total, with a couple of babies and a toddler. What kind people...

"We appreciate you letting us resupply here," Seliph murmured, talking to… someone. I was more focused on helping the children get past the initial awkward-stranger-phase and play with the village children, because they all deserved some fun. "However, it doesn't feel right to simply take. We didn't carry much money with us when we left Rivough, but we can at least help out here."

"Prince Seliph, there's no need for that!" someone replied instantly. They sounded shocked, for some reason. "Someone of your rank shouldn't…"

"Oh, I've done chores since I was little, so I promise we're all pretty good. We don't even have our lethally bad cooks with us, so we can help there." Seliph, however, sounded like he was going to laugh, and when I glanced back, I saw that he wasn't the only one. Larcei and Ulster were both trying desperately to bite back their snickering. "So, what needs to be done?"

"Your highness…!"

"If you have wounded or ill, Yuria and I can look them over," Aunt Lachesis offered, leaning over the wall of the wagon to wave at them. Yuria, who was checking Aunt Lachesis over, nodded vigorously. "But you might as well give up, because these kids are stubborn, and Shanan has already started fixing that broken door over there." That… that he did. And now that I looked, the roof needed fixing.

"In that case, let's get to work, everyone!" I laughed, standing up now that the children were all beginning to play. I checked on each of the children, making sure they were okay, before turning to the others. "Ulster, the roof there. Larcei, how about you and I scrabble up and check the others?"

"Climb the houses?" Aunt Lachesis frowned. "Really? How?"

"Oh, Riona, Ulster, and Larcei are very good at climbing!" Yuria chirped, laughing. Seliph hid a smile behind his hand; Shanan groaned, remembering all the incidents where we gave him heart attacks because we climbed out of sight. "I've seen them climb the side of castles! Same with Diarmuid, actually."

"...Shanan?" Aunt Lachesis began, smiling sweetly. Shanan threw his hands up in a clear 'don't blame me' motion before getting the door off to replace the broken hinges. "Who taught them?"

"Oh… did I get someone in trouble? I thought it was amazing."

"You think most things about Diarmuid are amazing," Larcei instantly teased, laughing when Yuria yelped and turned bright red. However, I caught her eye and shook my head, and Larcei immediately quieted. "Ah, whatever. Seliph, what are you going to do? Laundry or something?"

"Laundry, or mending," Seliph replied, smiling. The poor villagers looked like they were going to have an apoplexy at all of this. "Been a while."

"I know, right? Normal chores sounds fun."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Seliph turned back to the villagers. "So, please, where might we start?"

We had repaired four roofs and seven doors before the villagers gave up on getting us to stop and simply accepted our help. At that point, it became a fun learning experience, since there were certain tricks they did to help the buildings endure in the desert climate. They also told us stories, like fairies of the oases who watched over travelers and guided them to shelter, or the sand spirits that raced through sandstorms to devour the wicked and the damned. There were also their ancient stories which predated the Crusaders, such as a storyteller who weaved a story for her captors every night to prolong her life until rescue came or a desert thief who brought salvation to Yied during a never ending storm, by rescuing a trapped fairy. It was so much fun, learning about their way of life and their culture.

"So, you utilize the natural flooding of the nearby river to water your plants?" I asked, fascinated as I helped a village woman reinforce the levee they used to 'trap' the water. In Isaach, we used little channels and whatnot to coax the water through. "How do you deal with the excess water, ma'am?"

"We return it to the river, or store it for the dryer seasons," the woman laughed, no doubt amused by how a 'Scion of Light' could be so entranced by irrigation. But it was so cool! Though, I did wish I remembered her name. There had been introductions, but fascination beat down politeness. "It depends on how our reservoir is doing."

"I see…" I tried to copy how she was packing extra mud against the levee, but… well, it was easy to tell where I had done the packing and where she had. Hers were much smoother, for one thing, without awkward excess clumps that I had to slowly cut away with a little dagger because this stuff dried quick. "This method must be very useful for places with poor irrigation typically…" I had a point to the thought, but I happened to look up and I gasped when I saw smoke spiraling up from the village. "Ah, that's…!"

"Oh, that's nothing to worry about." She smiled reassuringly, and I relaxed, thinking the smoke must be like a bonfire to get rid of trash or- "It's just the Loptyrians."

"...Pardon?"

"Yes, there was a group of Loptyrians skulking about." She scoffed and shook her head. I went cold. While it could be others, I knew… I had a bad feeling that... "We're just dealing with them. Don't mind it."

"...Like hell I'm ignoring you burning people!"

I scrambled up the embankment and sprinted towards the town, pushing past startled people who were just standing around as if burning people alive, when there was no battle or threat or anything, was totally normal! Even worse, I saw a crowd gathered by the burning pyre, laughing and joking at the screams and sobs of those they were murdering, just as Elder Muir in Rivough explained to me. But the absolute worst part was that I was right. The 'Loptyrians' they had 'caught'... the children who were tied up and burning… it was Inanna and her group. Children, all of them… and they even had the babies tied up to burn…!

Fury roared through me and I reached out both hands to 'seize' the flames and 'ripped' through them, actually making the fire whip past me to strike the ground. Burning embers and chunks of charred wood scattered everywhere with the force, and the people standing around the pyre screamed and ducked to try and avoid getting injured. And then they froze when they looked and saw me standing there, glaring with all the fury I had ever felt. Gods, only General Richard had made me this angry before, and considering just what he did, that sure as hell said something!

"Move." Then they got another shock, because Seliph shoved his way through the crowd and leapt onto the pyre. Ash and soot immediately stained his hands and clothes, but he didn't care. He just continued working on the knots, though it wasn't until Larcei joined him that they actually made any headway on the ropes. "It's okay," he whispered to the children, easily heard over the silence. The hush only grew longer and longer when Ulster and Shanan rushed over and helped all five of the group off the pyre, where Aunt Lachesis and Yuria waited to begin treatment. "It's going to be okay…"

"Your highness, why are you…?" someone began slowly. I hunted for them in the crowd, still cold with raw fury, and saw they were an older man, not quite old enough for his hair to turn gray. Old enough to have children the same age as the ones he tried to kill, though. "They are…"

"They're children," I finished, speaking softly. The others were focused on the children, so I focused on the man. "You were burning children."

"They're Loptyrians!" The man whirled on me, practically spitting with his own rage. His face even turned purple. "Filthy murderers! Monsters! All of them!"

"They are children." I kept my voice even and cold, because I knew that if I screamed, I'd burn them and see if they felt so justified when they were the ones in the flames. "Tell me what threat they are. Tell me, in detail, just how a baby who can't even feed themselves is a murderer." I kept my glare on them the entire time, and they flinched away. "I'm waiting. Tell me." There was no answer. "I don't think you heard me. I am waiting for a response." Still nothing. "So, you were going to kill children for no reason? Is that it?"

"The Loptyrians-!"

"At least sacrifice and kill children for a reason. Not a good one, and one I can never agree with, but they at least have a reason for it all." I drew myself up to stand as tall as I could, feeling like I was in the middle of a snowstorm. I was just so furious. "I apologize for whatever pain you have suffered, but your own pain doesn't justify you killing children for no reason. Your own pain may be an explanation, but it is not excuse. It is never an excuse." I met their eyes. "You wish to inflict pain? Then inflict it on us. If you wish to burn someone, burn us who did not hear your screams for help. If you wish to throw rocks at someone, throw them at us, who came too late to help. If you wish to call someone inhuman… well, I would think those of us with Holy Blood are far less human than them. Call us the 'monsters'. Gods know that we're already murderers. Or is it only 'murder' when it involves people you know?" I ignored his attempt to respond, and focused on the group by the pyre. "We're leaving?"

"Yes, we are," Seliph confirmed, stepping off the pyre to address the crowd. Though he was covered in ash and soot, he held himself with all the dignity in the world. "We thank you for your hospitality, but I believe we shall be on our way." Unlike me, He regarded them not with anger, but disappointment. That seemed to cut them deeper than any anger did. "I hope the wounds on your heart heal by the time we next meet."

The villagers tried to say something. Apologies? Explanations? I wasn't sure. I did know that we ignored them, though. We helped Inanna and her group back into the wagon, and then hesitation with the children saved from the temple, because this was a stable place for them (sort of) and surely they felt the same… except they didn't. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, the five we saved joined the five raised by Loptyrians in the wagon and they purposely made sure to hold their hands or even hug them. Silent, yet firm, solidarity. It was heartwarming, especially since these children had suffered so much.

"Lady Crusader, Lady Crusader!" A little girl rushed over as we began leaving, her pigtails threatening to fall out of the black ribbons that tied them because of her haste, and tugged on my shirt to make sure she had my attention. "Here!" she declared, handing me a beautiful, handmade doll with little stains here and there showing it was well-loved, and well-played-with. Though I almost dropped it at the 'Lady Crusader' part. I was no Crusader. If I was, then… "I'm not sure why the adults were so mad. We were having so much fun!" Still, she smiled sweetly at me. "But Anat really liked my doll, so she can borrow it."

"Borrow, huh?" I repeated, cradling the doll in my hands. Anat… she was the second oldest in that group, if I remembered correctly. The only other one who wasn't a toddler or baby, but she was still very young. Eight or so. "Why borrow?"

"Because I hope she comes back so we can play again!" The little girl laughed and I almost felt like crying. "So, if it's 'borrow', then she has to return it, right? You have to return what you borrow!"

"That's… that's very true." I knelt down and kissed her forehead. "I'll make sure it gets to her. You think of what you want to play when you next see her, okay?"

"Okay!" She giggled and then hopped back so that she could wave at the retreating wagon with both hands. "Byebye!"

I ruffled her hair and jogged to catch up with the others. I heard other farewells, though, and looked back to see it wasn't just that little girl saying goodbye. It was an entire group of children. Only seven or so, no doubt all who remained after the Child Hunts here, but each of them was smiling brightly, waving enthusiastically while waving goodbye. Each of them was bright and hopeful, eager for the day when they'd reunite. Many even called out names, and I saw the children in the wagon look back tentatively and wave goodbye too.

Ha… this was what we were fighting for. A future where all children could place in peace with each other. I was glad to see that, especially considering what just happened. I needed that reminder.


We made sure to put a good bit of distance between us and the village before stopping for the day. Aunt Lachesis led us to an oasis that she remembered, a place where she had camped with others when she escaped Belhalla. When we were there, we set up camp, and I gave little Anat the doll, along with the message. Anat smiled shyly, clinging to it tightly, though careful to keep blood and soot off of it. Because of course it hadn't just been tying them up and trying to burn them alive. No, the villagers had thrown rocks at them as well. I'd just said that to the man as an example of pain to inflict, but they ran truer than I could've ever wanted. Gods above...

"I'm sorry," I whispered to Inanna. She had insisted on just having her injuries tended to via bandages and medicines, saving the staff charges for the younger ones. A good thing, since the two babies had some lung damage and other problems. If not for Aunt Lachesis, they would've died. "I'm so sorry." I ended up being the one tending to her, and so I tended to every bruise, every cut and gash, every burn… the worst were the ones I had to dig into in order pick out splinters and rocks that had burrowed in. "It was stupid of us to not consider the villagers would have that sort of reaction." We should've kept them near us. We shouldn't have just left them to play without us watching. "I'm so, so sorry."

"You've apologized so much," Inanna whispered. She held herself completely still, watching me clean and bandage her injuries. "You don't know those people. Why apologize for them?"

"I'm apologizing because, as I said, it was stupid for us to just…" I sighed. We should've considered it. Look at the trouble there was with the Dozel soldiers and ours! That we simply let a situation escalate like that again… "I'm sorry."

"...No. No, I don't think it was stupidity or…" She smiled hesitantly, like she wasn't quite sure she was looking at something 'real'. "You just… you don't think of it. You give your trust freely. Without hesitation. People don't have to prove worthy of your trust; they have to prove worthy of your distrust. So, you welcome people with open arms and bright smiles, all of you. And you forget that others are not like that."

"That… well…" Had to admit that she had a point there. We did give most people a chance, or tried to. We just… we didn't want more fighting. There was enough death. "I suppose that is weird, huh?"

"Extremely. Not only weird, but it seems like a good way to get hurt. And you all seem to know that. Yet you do it anyway. You all just…" She trailed off and we lapsed into silence, with me continuing to treat her various injuries by the water. The others were scattered all over, doing the same thing as me. No one was really up for laughing or joking, so it was mostly quiet. Just some murmuring here and there. "We're taught that only he listens to us."

"Pardon?"

"Loptyr. We're taught that only Loptyr hears us. We're taught that there are many gods, but only Loptyr listens to our prayers. The other gods hate us, loathe us even, and encourage their worshipers to kill us. All for crimes done by people who lived a hundred years ago or more." Inanna spoke more to the water than me, absently trailing her fingers through it, the ripples carrying out and out. "Beaten, burned… it didn't matter. They cheer at our dying screams, much as their worshipers do.."

"...I have heard a little about the Loptyrian Hunts."

"There's not one family among the Loptyrians who hasn't lost multiple family members to them. My mother's little sister was three years old when they caught and burned her." Gods, who could do that to a child? I could understand anger and pain, but not… "And her brother… he was raped before being tied up and set on fire. My grandparents managed to save him, but the trauma was too much and he killed himself. You had that a lot with the survivors. The guilt and trauma broke them into pieces."

"...Of course that happened…" I shouldn't be shocked, because of what happened to Creidne. But I was. "I take it you learned this young?" After all… she was young. But I remembered learning about similar dangers when I was her age.

"As soon as we can learn. We learn how outsiders ripped our families to shreds. Nothing is spared, because it could… well, before the Empire, it could've happened to anyone. I'm the first in my family to grow up without having to fear that happening to me." Just the first… she was thirteen years old. Her parents were probably around Oifeye's age, or Aideen's. Yet they… "We also learn about what happened to others. Archbishop Manfroy, for instance, survived a burning. His parents, his best friend, and his friend's parents all died, but he didn't. And he would tell us how the killers laughed at their screams, how they cheered at their sobs. How the priests said the blessings of the gods would fall on all of them, for ridding the world of us."

"Thus reinforcing what you were always taught." That only 'Loptyr' would ever hear their cries of pain and suffering.

"Yes. And I thought it was the same when those people grabbed us…" Her arm shook under my hands, making it harder to bandage it. "So, when they threw rocks at us… when they tied us up… when they set the flames… I prayed. I prayed for Loptyr to come and save us. Or at least spare the younger ones. I'd gladly die if it meant the younger ones lived."

"Inanna…" I knew the feeling, though. I remembered when, when Danann's forces had found our hiding place and we had to run… when things were on fire and we weren't sure where to go or anything… I remembered holding Lana and wishing that if the gods needed one of us, to take me instead of her. "I…"

"But he didn't come. He didn't answer. It was you…" Her voice broke and she started to cry. I almost hugged her, just by instinct, but I held back. I'd wait for her. I knew, especially right now, that I had to. So, I just focused on bandaging the last of her injuries. I could at least fix them. "You ripped the flames away. You freed us. You treat us with care, apologize because we got hurt." She laughed, but it was a hollow sound. "It's just so different… I was so sure those with Holy Blood would loathe us. Why? Why are you so…?"

"...I want to break the cycle of revenge." I spoke softly, thinking of what I'd thought when I was first told of the Loptyrian Hunts. The horror… the confusion… and the understanding… "It's hard. When I confronted the general who raped one of my dearest friends, I had to be held down to keep from slaughtering him in the streets and completely screwing up our plan. When we fought Danann…" I winced, thinking about it. "When we fought him… while I did burn him during battle, I also burned him afterwards. Just because I could. Ulster and I threw his corpse out of a window and I set his clothes aflame. Because I hated him for what he had done to Isaach."

"That seems… extreme."

"It was. It is." I leaned down slightly and looked her in the eye. "But you? Your fellows? What have you done? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You were born, and you were raised. That's it. No child is guilty of their parents' crimes. No one should be judged guilty for what their relatives have done." I smiled at her. "So, I want to break the cycle of revenge. I want it to stop. Because I know…" I thought of Iucharba, who fought us because he thought we were the worse alternative. "I know that there are many who think us the villains in this war. And I'm sure there are many Loptyrians who fight us only because they are afraid. I'm even more certain, given what you just told me."

"That's…"

"So, when we can, when I can, I'd like to avoid fighting. I'd like to reach out. Yes, I could get hurt. Yes, I could get killed. But I feel like it's a better choice than killing all in my way, simply because they are the 'enemy'." I laughed mirthlessly, shaking my head. "Ah, I'm rambling like a drunkard. I don't think I even answered your question." I thought about it again, and decided it was as simple as… "I was raised knowing that few things in this world are clear-cut. Oifeye, my father figure, always emphasized it. There was more than one truth in the world. There are more than two sides to every story. And Aideen, my mother figure… she always emphasized compassion. That we, who would one day lead people to war, had to know the sorrows of our people. She would encourage us to feel, to not lock our hearts away. And the combination…" I thought of Danann, who screamed at ghosts for pitying him. I thought of what she just said, and what I had learned, back in Rivough. "That combination lets us remember that there are no monsters in this world. Not truly. There are only humans, and we are all capable of great good and great evil. What makes us different are our choices." And you had to make sure people felt they had that choice. If they thought there was only one way… then why would they choose differently? So, you reached out, and trusted them. "That's all."

"...No offense, but my head is way too muddled to try and make sense of any of that." Still, she smiled, even as she continued to cry. "Hey, can I have a hug?"

"You can have all the hugs you want." I hugged her gently, stroking her hair. "Seriously, we're an affectionate group of people. If you need a hug, just find one of us."

"Thank you…"

I rocked her in my arms, singing the lullabies I 'remembered' Dad singing to me to soothe me to sleep. As I did, I looked to the others, and I saw Lachesis and Shanan playing with the babies, though their worried looks hinted they were wondering how we'd feed them. Seliph raced about the oasis with one of the toddlers on his shoulders, making them laugh and squeal with joy. Yuria listened patiently as a couple of the other children taught her a clapping game, while Larcei and Ulster entertained the rest with fun tales. Patty stayed apart, looked at us in confusion. Like she, too, wondered why we gave such care to Loptyrians, even if they were children.

What a messed up world we lived in, if such a thing was unusual. We had to change it. We had to.


We chose against leaving any of the children in the next village we encountered, simply getting supplies and things to help with the babies and the toddlers, like diapers and milk. We did make the offer to the five we rescued from the cells, but they refused. Sandas, the oldest of the five at the grand old age of eight, stated that they wouldn't leave the others, meaning Inanna, Anat, and their group. Which was touching, even if it did make us panic over the idea of having literal children in the army. In the desert. The exact thing our parents avoided, and the exact thing that led to Altena's death during the Yied Massacre. So much fun, this journey was. So much fun.

"I really hope I'm doing this right…" I whispered, adjusting the sling I had to carry one of the two babies, a squishy baby boy named… something I'd remember in a few hours. He yawned and continued to slumber, tucked as he was amidst both the cloth of the sling and the cloth of my hooded cloak. "Really, Aunt Lachesis…" Aunt Lachesis had tied the sling on me and promptly gave him to me before ushering me off to go walking as I normally did. Something about it being good for the baby. I thought Seliph or Ulster would be way better at this. ...Well, Ulster did have the other one. Seliph had the toddler, whose name also escaped me for the moment, on his shoulders not far away, with Shanan walking close to make sure that the toddler didn't fall because of the uneven, ever shifting footing.

"Ah, so that's what happened," Shanan murmured. He'd asked Seliph for a more in-depth story about Isaach's liberation than the summary I had given, and of course, Seliph had obliged. "I really can't thank you enough, Seliph." He smiled softly, ruffling Seliph's hair. "You freed my country."

"You act as if you played no part in it!" Seliph laughed, beaming at Shanan. And nearly tripping over his own feet, but he caught himself in time. "Did you forget that you were the one who first taught me swords? And if not for your courage, there might not have been an Isaach to save."

"I'm not so sure about the latter, but I do remember the former. You've come so far since that day, though, and it shows."

"Does it?"

"You hold yourself taller than you used to, and you've got a bit more muscle on you. You'd be just about…" Shanan trailed off, eyes unfocusing slightly. I wondered if he was thinking about Sigurd. Oifeye had mentioned, once, that Shanan had thought the world of Sigurd. "Ah, never mind. Sentence doesn't even make sense in my own head."

"Okay?"

"Riona!" Patty skipped up beside me, distracting me from my eavesdropping. "You doing okay with the baby?" she asked, peeking at the sleeping baby in the sling. I was amazed at how much he slept. "Looks like he's pretty happy! But what about you? I can take over if you want."

"I seem to be doing well enough, but when it comes to diapers, I think I'll hand him to you," I teased, laughing. We tried to keep diaper duty as even as possible, because all of us had helped out the new mothers in Tirnanog, but I would admit that I would gladly give that duty to someone else. "You're really good at it. Do you have little siblings?"

"Not exactly." Patty hopped over to my other side, using me as shade against the sun. "By blood, I've only got an older brother, Febail. But when Father settled near Conote, he noticed a lot of orphans just left to fend for themselves, and so, he took them in."

"So, he started an orphanage?"

"Yep! So, I learned because some of the orphans are little." Patty sighed gustily. "And when the empire went to hell and back and back to hell again, it got harder to make ends meet, so I took up thieving. That's why I'm all the way up here. Febail does mercenary work, while my uncle handles the more dangerous thieving."

"More dangerous than sneaking into a shrine filled with Loptyrian priests?"

"He steals from Bloom!" She mimed quiet, though, and I had to laugh. I supposed that would be a tad more dangerous, if only because the shrine had seemed emptier. "He's apparently stolen from castles before and calls it 'easy', but he won't let me help with it. Just in casies."

"I am going to steal that phase, by the way." Unfortunately, my laughter woke up the baby, but Patty got him quieted and back to sleep before I could even think to do anything. When he went back to sleep, though, she lingered, holding his hand. "Hey, Patty, I've noticed you've given us some weird looks whenever… well…"

"Oh, damn it, that was on my face?" She sighed gustily, and I muffled another laugh. "It's not really anything wrong. It's just I've never seen 'nice' Loptyrians before. I've heard of them, of course, but…" She shrugged. "From what Uncle Dew says, the moderate and nice ones either break, turn corrupt, or die. Because of those who are in charge."

"Oh, I see. So the looks were because it was odd to see…" I trailed off because I knew that name. I knew that name. "Dew?"

"Yep! Uncle Dew!" Patty grinned up at me, bouncing a bit, clearly glad to switch the topic back to her family. "He's the one who taught me how to steal and all. Oh, but he's not my uncle by blood or anything. He and Father were like brothers, though, and he's raised Febail and me since Father died. Helped Father too when Father was alive, since Father had a bad leg. Something about falling off a cliff and it not healing right."

"And who was your dad?" I swear to everything that was holy, there was no freaking way...

"His name was Jamke!" Patty giggled, perfectly proud. But my jaw dropped at the name. Because I knew that one too. "He died ten years ago, super bad pneumonia. I miss him terribly."

"And your mother?"

"She died when I was a baby. Febail only has a couple memories of her and he's a year older than me. But I'm told she was the best archer, even better than Father!"

"I… I see…" Archer. Jamke. Dew. I knew of a single woman connected to all three words, and one who had been 'missing' for almost two decades. "Was her name Brigid?"

"It was!" Patty gasped, shocked. "Wow, can you read minds?"

"No, but…" I studied her a bit and would've facepalmed if I weren't carrying a baby. She looked like Lana. She looked like Lana, and one of us really should've noticed that sooner, damn it! Yes, we were all stressed and distracted, but come on! "But I can see a thread eventually." I waved to catch Shanan's eye and pointed to Patty when he glanced over. "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but Patty is Brigid and Jamke's kid, and Dew is apparently alive. Thought you might want to know."

"She's what?! And Dew's alive?!" Shanan immediately yelped, though it was followed closely by Aunt Lachesis's own yelp of surprise from the wagon. We actually had to stop the wagon because she automatically tried to climb out and run over, and her health didn't really allow that quite yet. Meaning we had a few moments of panic before we found a nice little plateau to hide near for shade while Aunt Lachesis and Shanan stole Patty to ask her questions.

"What's going on?" Inanna asked softly, walking over to me. She'd taken to finding me more often to ask questions. "Are the names important?" She took the baby from me, rocking him absently in her arms. "They seem to be."

"They are the names of friends of theirs," I explained, smiling. Both Aunt Lachesis and Shanan were practically vibrating with excitement, though Seliph rushed over to help mediate. Larcei also joined them to give poor Patty some support, because she was overwhelmed. "I could've handled it way better, though." In retrospect, I really should've brought it up to her first instead of just dragging Shanan into it, but I'd been so surprised that I'd gone with the first thing I'd thought of. "I'll have to make it up to her."

"So, they're excited because they know that their friends are dead?"

"They're excited because they know, Inanna. No one has known anything about Brigid or Jamke in eighteen or nineteen years." I grinned at her. "That's longer than you've been alive."

"Mmm… yeah, I can understand. I'd love to know what happened to my mother."

"Did she disappear?"

"Yes…" Inanna leaned back against the rocks, and I slipped the sling off and tied it around her so that she could support the baby better. "My father died when I was little. But my mother went on some sort of mission for Archbishop Manfroy and disappeared. That was four years ago. I've lived at the shrine since."

"Was the shrine an orphanage now or something?"

"A bit? It was a place where the particularly talented orphans, or orphans born to talented parents, would go to live and be trained. That's why there were only five of us there."

"I see." I wondered what happened to her mother. I wondered if we could figure it out. I thought about suggesting it, but decided it was probably a little too hopeful. For now. If we ran into more friendly Loptyrians, then maybe. "So, if you don't mind a subject change…"

"Please?"

"Well…" Desperately, I tried to think of something and remembered that creepy as all hell fight I had to deal with. "Actually, I've a question about something I fought in the shrine."

"A spell?"

"No, it's this strange corpse thing I fought?" I grimaced at how that sounded. "I know it's unbelievable, but…"

"You fought a Deadlord and won?" Her eyes widened and she actually gasped. Well, at least she didn't think I was crazy. "You're quite strong indeed to make it out of a fight with one. They only make Deadlords out of the fiercest of warriors. I imagine Lachesis would've become one, if she had died."

"It was a close thing." Deadlord? There was… I vaguely remembered something about them in the stories of the Crusaders, but the wording implied it had been some sort of title. Not… you know… a literally dead thing. "Why do you have them?"

"My mother always taught me that they were our guardians. They kept outsiders from climbing down into the dark to slaughter us all." She looked down, twisting one hand in her skirt. The other supported the baby in the sling. "I didn't really think of…"

"What do Loptyrians do with the dead?"

"Typically we just throw them somewhere. Bodies are just bodies to us. Husks. Things that have to be dealt with quickly so that we don't get sick." She shrugged. "It might've been different before the first empire fell, but it became a necessity, or so I was always taught. I only know of 'funerals' as distant things."

"...Yes, I imagine it would've been hard to bury bodies when you were trapped underneath the ground." And when you risked being burned if you ventured above… better to simply leave the bodies. "Please, don't fret so much. You are taught what you are taught. I'm sure other countries have different burial practices." And considering what I saw… well, having a 'guardian' that never died, never slept… it was probably preferable to having your babies burned alive just for being born, no matter what moral hesitations you might have. "Easy, Inanna. I don't judge for things like that. Eating babies, sure! Burial practices, not so much."

"I'm not sure why you would want to eat a baby anyway. They're all squishy with fat, and if they're not shattering your eardrums with their screaming, then they're tainting the air with their diapers." She was perfectly sarcastic, and covered her mouth like something like that would get her in trouble, but all I could do was laugh and laugh, and slowly, she relaxed, smiling slightly. "But speaking of babies, I think it's time for his meal."

"Probably." I almost took the baby from her, but Ulster caught my eye and pointed ahead. A quick look showed he had given the baby he'd been taking care of to Yuria. "Looks like Ulster wants help scouting ahead. Do you mind if I leave him to you?"

"I'm used to taking care of him." Inanna's smile grew. "I've got it."

"Then he's in good hands." I almost ruffled her hair, but I checked myself and simply smiled. After all, I needed to wait for her when it came to gestures of affections. "Let the others know, okay? I think they're distracted."

Deadlords, though… that wasn't going to leave me for a while. And I made sure to tell Ulster while we were scouting, because if we faced one, then there was a chance we'd face more. I just hoped I wouldn't know the person. That would be so, so wrong.


There was something wrong. We knew it the second we caught up to the others at last and made our way into the army camp. There was a nervous, frustrated energy to the air that reminded me of the days before taking Ganeishire. I wondered what it could be. Surely the others weren't waiting for us. We were at the edge of the desert, right by Darna, and we had encouraged them to push forward at least until we were outside Melgen. So, something had happened. Something not bad, since there was no grief, but something frustrating. And there were far too many things that fit those requirements, and even more I couldn't think of.

"Lady Riona!" Still, the soldiers welcomed us with open arms, and easily took charge of the children. "Welcome back," Niamh greeted, continuing her greeting. She had been the first one to spot me, and in fact, the first to spot our group. "We have been worried. The shrine?"

"All nice and cleared out, so hopefully, we won't have to go so far out of our way to deal with troublesome siege tomes," I reassured. I noticed the soldiers trying to separate children and panicked briefly. "Hey, easy! They're getting overwhelmed! Keep them together at the very least!"

"Survivors?"

"And some Loptyrian children. We couldn't just leave them there." I scowled when Niamh shook her head, smiling with fond exasperation. "There's two babies and a toddler in that group of five! And you can't leave children in that hellhole of a ruin. Gods, no wonder the Loptyrians hate everything. Walking through nearly drove me mad with how dark and cold it was."

"I imagine you will have many soldiers complaining, my lady, as we did when Dozel's soldiers joined us."

"They may come to me and I will listen, as always. But I maintain that you can't leave children to fend for themselves." I decided to pretend to be haughty. "Besides, I don't hear anyone complaining nowadays about Iuchar and his people."

"Of course not, my lady." She muffled a laugh and I grinned, glancing over at the others. They were dealing with other soldiers giving them greetings. "My lady, Lord Oifeye was just getting a checkup if you want to sneak ahead? You basically just head straight from here."

"He's awake?!" I barely held onto my manners and didn't immediately rush off. "Thanks, Niamh! Can you make sure the soldiers don't make the kids panic for me?"

"Of course, my lady." She smiled warmly. "Go on, go on! He's been terribly worried."

"Again, thanks so much!" And that's all the politeness I had because I bolted through the crowd, weaving my way through the tents as I hunted for where I needed to go. However, it didn't really matter. I didn't need to hunt for long.

"Riona!" Because apparently someone had told Oifeye that we were back, and he'd been pushing his way through the same crowd to come meet us. "There you are…!" he breathed, wrapping me up in a hug. I laughed, delighted to see him up, but I was careful in returning the hug. I could feel the bandages even through his shirt. "Did you have to go to the shrine?"

"We had to do something, Oifeye," I protested, barely staving off tears. A few soldiers smiled at us indulgently, and I saw many bitter-happy, like they wished they could hug their own 'fathers', but couldn't. I knew the feeling. "Surely Lewyn explained."

"He attempted. I might have told him to go to hell because he was far too logical about the whole thing." He let go of me so that he could study my face, combing his fingers through my hair. "You've got a bit of a sunburn."

"Nothing bad!" I took his arm and began dragging him back to where the others were. I knew they'd want to see him too. "Where are the others?"

"At the moment, no doubt attempting to finish what they're in the middle of so that they can rush to greet you as well. I'm sure that's also why you have not been tackled by Hestia yet. She was with Lana." Oifeye had to lean on me to walk, something he never did and was an all too clear sign of the pain he was in. He was still recovering… "Except Diarmuid. He is currently trying to negotiate with Darna to remove this blasted blockade they've got set up."

"Oh, so that's what's been going on." Blockade, huh? We didn't expect that exactly. We expected fighting, not someone just… blocking us. "And because they are only blocking us, we don't want to crush our way through, yes?"

"That and Lana decided it would be best for everyone simply to wait and rest. Roads or not, desert travel is rough." It was probably even rougher on him. I wondered if he had to leave later than the rest. "Aideen has letters for us to give you, by the way, since she couldn't give you a long farewell like she wanted."

"So, she's in Rivough?" We were almost to the front. We had to walk slowly for him. "I figured, but…" Would've been nice for her to reunite with Aunt Lachesis and for her to meet her niece.

"Yes, she is." Oifeye frowned a bit and watched as some soldiers played with the children, helping them calm down with how loud everything was. "From the shrine?"

"Half of them were prisoners, while the other half are Loptyrians. We had originally planned on dropping them off at a village, but…" And my mood plummeted faster than a shot bird, remembering that whole incident. "We had a bit of a… shock, shall we say?"

"...Aideen and I did our best to emphasize that no conflict is straightforward, hoping that it would keep you from meeting the same fate as Sigurd…" Oifeye kissed my head, already knowing what it was, and how badly it hurt. "It seems to cause its own trouble, though."

"I think I prefer that sort of trouble." If it meant not burning children alive, that is. "Anyway, we went too serious." I managed to catch Seliph's eye amidst the crowd and pointed to Oifeye, smiling when Seliph's face lit up. "Prepare for hugs. You scared us."

"You say that like it's a threat. I adore hugging you all."

I might've teased or something, just because I was happy and embarrassed, but Seliph finished up his conversation quickly and raced over to hug Oifeye. I helped Oifeye steady himself, and Larcei, the next one to free herself, realized what it meant and waited for Seliph to be done with his hug before hugging Oifeye herself. Ulster did the same thing, followed by a hesitant Yuria. However, she hugged Oifeye as enthusiastically as we did when he held out his arms to her.

Last to hug Oifeye out of the Tirnanog group was Shanan, and he hugged Oifeye as tightly as he dared. "Heard you decided to emulate Finn and use your body as a shield," Shanan noted, not pulling away. "Idiot. Even he would scold you on that one."

"I couldn't pull both of them away in time, and you can't expect me to just choose," Oifeye protested, hugging Shanan back with as much strength as he could. It was much weaker than normal, and that made me wince, but I was glad he had the strength at all. "Don't stay away so long next time."

"Ha, with luck, I'm just leaving on short missions from here on out." Shanan stepped back and rested a hand on Balmung. "The rumor was true."

"Miracle of miracles." Oifeye shook his head. "I still say you were ridiculous for chasing after it."

"Clearly, I should've just stayed, but hindsight." Shanan glanced at me in silent question, and I shook my head, grinning. I had wanted to leave that revelation to Shanan. "But speaking of miracles…" Shanan looked back to the wagon, where Aunt Lachesis was reassuring some kindly soldier that she really didn't need any more help, now that she was out of the wagon and on the ground. "Lachesis, come say hi to Oifeye!"

"...Did you just say…?!" Oifeye's jaw dropped, and he covered his mouth when Aunt Lachesis whirled and skipped over. "Lady Lachesis…?"

"Oifeye, you've literally raised my son, there is no reason to fall back on old habits," Aunt Lachesis laughed, hugging him. Oifeye hugged her back, and I noticed that both were at about the same 'strength'. "Hey, you're allowed to cry, you know. I saw those tears."

"I know I'm allowed to cry," Oifeye replied, voice thick. He closed his eyes to stave off the tears, though. "I get the most horrible headaches when I cry, though, and I don't want to deal with that on top of the back pain right now."

"Oh, right, Seliph mentioned you had been hit bad by a Fenrir spell…" Aunt Lachesis pulled away briefly before hugging him again. "Well, it took a lot longer than we thought, but I did come back."

"You did. Though, I'm not sure it's really safe and all."

"Meh, I've always been a touch impatient." This time when Aunt Lachesis pulled away, she kissed his cheek in quiet thanks. "Um… where is Diarmuid, though?"

"Negotiating at the moment. He'll be back soon. You've still got time to gather up your courage." Oifeye smiled warmly at her, and Aunt Lachesis beamed at him. "So, any more heart attacks you people want to give me?"

"Actually…" Shanan began, to Oifeye's complete and utter shock. Larcei and I leaned onto each other as we started giggling. Yuria muffled her own giggling in Seliph's shoulder, while Seliph and Ulster grinned. "There's someone else you should me. Patty? Did you get trampled by the crowd?"

"No, but it was a near thing!" Patty popped out from behind the wagon and jogged over, fiddling with her scarf. "Should've guessed they'd get a warm welcome," Patty murmured, before smiling at Oifeye. Who stared back, stunned. "So… uh… hi! You're Oifeye, right? I've heard a lot about you."

"...You look like Aideen when she was young," Oifeye whispered. I wondered how he knew that before realizing the obvious. There had to have been pictures in Chalphy. Aideen and Sigurd were childhood friends. "But I know where Aideen's children are, so are you Brigid and Jamke's daughter?"

"Those are my parents names, yes." Patty bowed, now fiddling with her hands. "Mom died when I was small, and Dad died about ten years ago now. Uncle Dew has been taking care of Febail and me since."

"I'm glad to hear Dew is doing well." The sadness in his eyes told me how he wasn't looking forward to confirming to Aideen that her twin sister and brother-in-law were both deceased, though. But at least there was three bits of good news with it! "Aideen is probably going to flood us with gifts for you. She always looked forward to when Brigid and Jamke would have children."

"Uncle Dew always said that Febail and I had an aunt and cousins, and that they were in Isaach somewhere, but I never thought that they'd be some of the Scions!" Patty sulked, puffing out her cheeks. "Wonder what else he hid."

"Now, now… I'm sure it was much more dangerous to share that sort of information here than it was where we lived."

Though I looked forward to eavesdropping on more, if it was even called 'eavesdropping' when they were talking right in front of you, a series of yelps through the crowd warned us of someone's very rapid approach, and I had just enough time to get away from Larcei before a giant mass of fur and muscle tackled me clear off my feet. And proceeded to try and lick my face off because Hestia decided to make up for the days she couldn't lick me. And try to suffocate me because she was damn heavy!

"Okay, okay!" I laughed-wheezed, pushing her a bit off me so that I could actually breathe. Hestia barked and continued licking me. "Yes, I know! You missed me and love me soooooo much!" I finally had to shove her completely off so that I could sit up, and was almost knocked right back over when Hestia pressed her full weight against me, whimpering. "Fine, fine! Next time, you can come along!" Hestia barked again and licked my face some more, tail wagging so much that I thought it left bruises when it hit my leg. "Hestia!"

"Okay, I know you mentioned having a wolf, but I didn't quite believe it for some reason?" Aunt Lachesis mused, leaning over me. I was curious as to what was going on, but Hestia decided that giving me all the love I had missed out on, and letting her displeasure about being separated for so long be known, was far more important. "Alicia would've had a heart attack."

"There is not one person who knew her who hasn't said that." I finally got Hestia to calm down enough so that I could give her a good rub, kissing her muzzle. "Even Lewyn did."

"Lewyn who has not joined the group that appeared." Aunt Lachesis pointed, and I saw Lana, Lester, and Iuchar had finally come to greet us and they had stolen the others for copious hugs and teasing. "Apparently, the Arthur and Fee you mentioned haven't returned yet."

"That so?" I mentally counted days, and decided it hadn't been long enough to worry yet. Besides, the blockade could be making them hesitant to fly over, or they thought we were further up. "A shame, but you can meet them later. Did you meet Lana?"

"I did! She's so adorable. And Lester reminds me of a blue-haired Midir now." She held out her hand to Hestia, who nosed it curiously. "Hiya, Hestia. I'm Lachesis."

"She's pack too, Hestia. Family." I giggled when Hestia sniffed her a bit more before licking her hand. "That's her saying 'guess I will adopt another dumb human'."

"Reminds me of when Chulainn would feed the stray dogs and cats and scold us for scaring them." Aunt Lachesis smiled, though it was sad. "That was actually my first proper interaction with him. I'd seen him in the distance and the like, but while we were in Nordion, he would take care of the animals. And boy, did I ever get an earful for scaring a puppy."

"Really?" I hadn't know he did things like that. It made sense, but… "Do you have-?"

"Riona!" Lana appeared and hugged me tightly, ignoring all the wolf fur and travel stains. "I can't believe what all you guys found or whatever the grammatically correct sentence is," she laughed, helping me up. "Lachesis, Patty, Shanan… and bunches of sweetheart children!"

"Excited about meeting your cousin?" I asked with a grin. Aunt Lachesis moved a bit away, and Hestia followed her, no doubt curious about the new pack member. "I know I was when I realized who Arthur was!" Not to mention Yuria, of course.

"Extremely!" Lana tugged me to where our group, minus Diarmuid, was basically just hugging each other. And dragging Yuria and Iuchar in when they tried to 'be polite' and stay away. As if they weren't part of the family. Patty didn't have even that, though; she was pinned in the middle. "Lester! Hestia finally let her go!"

And so we got all of our hugs, babbling about this and that, focused mostly on how glad we were to be reunited. Vaguely, I worried about how the soldiers would think about us acting like this so openly, but the few I saw simply smiled indulgently, so I just let myself have fun. We were back together again, as things should be.

However, when Diarmuid returned, no doubt rushing over because he heard we were back, he stumbled to a stop when he saw Aunt Lachesis near the crowd. He stared. Opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Pinched his cheek even. And then he glared at the rest of us, who stood to the side with smug smiles. "I have to give a report, damn it!" he complained. However, he couldn't keep from smiling. "Not cry because…"

"Oh, go spend time with your mother," Larcei insisted, shoving him towards her. Aunt Lachesis glanced over and hesitated, no doubt worried about how Diarmuid would react. Hestia remained near her, now providing comfort. "We have to settle in anyway. And we need hugs from you later."

"...You and I are going to talk later."

"I know. But go."

Diarmuid stayed with us just long enough to hug Larcei and kiss her cheek before sprinting towards Aunt Lachesis and giving her the biggest hug. He even lifted her a bit off her feet, but she didn't care. She hugged him back just as tightly, crying from happiness. After watching for a moment, basking in the warmth, we split off to handle our own things, like get our tents set up and whatnot. We didn't want to stay so long that jealousy overrode our joy.

I wished I could hug Mom one more time, but I at least saw her ghost. I at least got to tell her that I love her. It hurt that I had to be content with that, but I would be. It was more than others got.


After settling in, I decided to walk among the soldiers and listen to their frustrations, since I was sure that many just wished to be heard. And I was right, and even better, was able to help calm the angrier ones. Well, one or two required Hestia growling at them first, but that was less because they were being unreasonable and more because they flailed about in anger and nearly hit me, to their horror. Overall, though, the army understood all of the reasons for just why we weren't punching our way through (or sneaking around). Which was nice, considering what happened last time we delayed things. Though, then again, no one in this army had been personally harmed by Darna. Yet.

But those were thoughts for another time. In the middle of listening, Sandas, now happily helping out as a messenger apparently, informed me that Seliph was calling a War Meeting to hear Diarmuid's report and discuss our next options. However, Sandas was having trouble finding Lewyn and Aunt Lachesis. Lewyn was… Lewyn, and Aunt Lachesis was supposed to be in the infirmary getting a check-up, but wasn't, and the camp was huge. I volunteered to look for them with Hestia, since Hestia was an excellent tracker, and that's how I ended up in the back part of the camp, the part closest to the blockade. Which gave me an idea that I was sure the others would scold me for, but…

"Well, I suppose it can't hurt…" I whispered, seeing the soldiers stationed within easy walking distance. I debated a moment more before shrugging and just heading over, Hestia keeping close to me. When I got close enough, I smiled brightly and waved. "Hello!"

"Ah, hello, miss?" one replied automatically. Though their helmet covered most of their face, I could see their 'what the hell?' look easily. "Um… you all can't cross. Lord Bramsel's orders."

"Nah, I'm not here to ask for crossing. We left that to someone else." I laughed, and quickly grabbed Hestia by the fur before she nosed her way through. And barely caught her because she had smelled something that had her full attention and she didn't see why a 'blockade' should stop her. "That said, do you mind if my Hestia gets whatever caught her ear and stomach? She shouldn't go far, and if she does, you can come with me to get her."

"Er… well…" He glanced at his fellows and they all shrugged. "That should be fine, miss."

"Thank you!" I let Hestia go, and she excitedly went after… whatever it was. "Hestia, you better not be going after a mama or a baby. I'll get mad at you!" Hestia barked in protest, and continued her hunt. "Sorry, I think she's scared all the animals on this side and even if she can go long periods without eating, that doesn't mean she enjoys it."

"Biggest dog I've ever seen."

"Hestia is a wolf, actually." I laughed at their yelp, though I quickly muffled it. "Sorry, I do get a kick out of people's first reactions. I'm Riona, by the way. What's your name?"

"Princess Caitriona?!" The guard stiffened and quickly bowed. His fellows followed suit, with one almost falling over from their bow! "O-our deepest apologies!"

"Those are some strange names!" I had to laugh again, and tentatively, they looked up. "So?"

"Um… Mursili, ma'am." Slowly, he straightened, though he kept his head bowed. "My lady. Er…"

"Oh, please, relax. I was just curious about Darna and hoped you could tell me about it, and give some insight into why Bramsel is blocking us." I made sure to smile my warmest smile, and he tilted his helmet back a bit to smile back. "Do you mind? It's fine if you can't because of orders or because Bramsel doesn't think soldiers should know why things are done. I'm just trying to understand the situation, to increase the chances of us being able to solve it non-violently."

"Well, my lady…" Mursili hesitated before glancing at the others. Most avoided his gaze, but one, with sharp eyes, nodded. "Truthfully, Lord Bramsel has a habit of prancing about like he's the gods' gift to humanity and then sucking up to whoever is most powerful. So..."

"Ah, so he's analyzing the situation so that he profits the most." Good bit of insight. "And since we did liberate Isaach, he's curious as to whether we are the stronger ones or not."

"That's our best guess, my lady." He hesitated again, before whispering. "Um… my lady, there… there are rumors that you and yours cleared out the Shrine."

"We did." Rumors already? I knew words could travel fast, but that was just startling. ...Unless he heard it here while I had been settling in. That made much more sense. "I just returned from it, actually."

"Was… was there a little boy named 'Sandas' there?" He spoke slowly, his words shaking slightly. "My fiance, Maliya… her brother was taken…"

"About this high?" I held my hand up around my hip and waist. "Terribly adorable, around eight years old?" I grinned when he nodded. "Yes, he's in the camp, actually, helping out as a messenger. Been an utter delight." I softened, however, when he breathed a sigh of relief. One of his friends, the sharp-eyed one, clapped him on the back, hinting they were old friends. "I'm surprised he didn't mention that his home was near, though." Gods, how awkward would that have been to tell him 'yeah, we had him, but we left him in a random village somewhere to the north'?

"It's not, actually. We lived much further north, near where the Yied Massacre occurred." He said it casually, but it startled me to hear it used as a 'location marker', as you would a house or a tree. "Our village burned when the Child Hunt happened. Fled south since I had family here, and…" He shrugged. "Got a job as a guard."

"I'm sorry to hear that…" I looked at the ground briefly before making sure to look him in the eye. I couldn't turn away from things like this, after all. If I turned away from those we couldn't save, how could I ever look the families of those we killed in the eye? "Should I bring Sandas to you? So that you can take him to your new house?"

"I'm on duty for a good four hours still, so I'd love to see him, but I'm sure he's safer in your camp." He smiled, though I fought to keep from wincing. Safer in an army… That didn't speak well at all. "Doubt a wall is going to suddenly fall with you all, for one thing!"

"Pardon?"

"Darna has a protective wall that's supposed to be maintained." He pointed up to Darna, situated on the cliff nearby, and the wall that was easily seen, especially from here. "Lord Bramsel didn't, however, so part of it suddenly fell last year. Killed a few people."

"I… I see…" I wasn't sure how exactly to respond to that, but thankfully, I didn't have to. Hestia was done with her hunting and decided to throw her half-eaten kill at me. I caught it automatically, and held out the remains of what used to be some sort of rabbit or hare before Hestia had devoured her fill. Seeing that I had it, she barked and wagged her tail enthusiastically, her muzzle bloody from her meal. "Why thank you, Hestia. I am, as always, delighted to have carcasses thrown at me." Mursili desperately tried to hide his laughter; his friends didn't even do that. "I'm glad you aimed for my hand this time, instead of my face like usual."

Mursili couldn't hide his laughter after that, and desperately tried to apologize, but I waved it off, tossing the carcass back at Hestia, who promptly caught it and decided to gorge herself on the remains. And, amusingly, she then raced back and carried over a few that hadn't been eaten and dropped them on the guards' feet, her own 'thank you' for letting her hunt. Once we got all that settled, and said our farewells, Hestia and I headed back to the camp proper, intending on finding Sandas since I was sure someone else had found Lewyn and Aunt Lachesis and I was eager to let him know that his family was near.

However, Hestia suddenly growled and lead me behind the supply tents, showing that Lewyn wasn't at the War Meeting. He was talking to someone. A not-human someone. I could tell that in an instance, and not just because of the beautiful, soft-looking white wings that sprouted from her back. It was how she held herself with an unearthly grace, her long green hair floating in a breeze I couldn't feel. Her eyes, a matching green, glowed with an ethereal light. Her armor, pure white, shimmered as if it were made of thousands of crushed diamonds or millions of pieces of snow and ice. Her features and form appeared human, but…

"You cut me off last time, but I still believe you are being too harsh with Fee," the being scolded, her voice a strange sort of whisper. It was like the wind blowing past, instead of just someone talking. "Too harsh and too cold."

"And what would you have me do?" Lewyn retorted grouchily. His eyes were narrowed and he held himself stiffly. "I cannot be her father. You know this."

"She isn't a child." She shook her head at Lewyn's amused look and glared. "If you are going to do this to them…" She trailed off when Lewyn raised his hand to stop her. "Yes?"

"We have an eavesdropper." And Lewyn looked right at me. Because the wind apparently told him I was here. "Rather rude, Caitriona."

"You are standing in the middle of camp, behind the supply tents where anyone could walk," I countered immediately, defaulting to dryness. Hestia growled again, but calmed when I petted her head. "Besides, you're late. War Meeting."

"I would've thought Diarmuid would be bonding with his mother," Lewyn murmured. The being drifted a little closer to me, studying me for some reason. "Since it's the first time they've seen each other in… how long now?"

"Unlike certain people, Aunt Lachesis has no plans of just abandoning her child, so they have a lot of time to catch up. Besides, her health comes first." I glanced at the being again, who smiled at me. "Is… is she a fairy?" Was it even proper to refer to her as 'she'? I had no idea, but if I had to take a guess, her figure implied female. "Ah, whatever. Hello, and welcome to our camp. Please scold Lewyn more. He's a jackass."

"He likes making things complicated and then not explaining, so I can see why you think that," the fairy laughed. She floated a bit closer still, her smile growing. Distantly, I thought her smile looked familiar… like I had seen it in a picture or something. "But you and yours are watching out for Fee, yes? Thank you for that."

"Of course we are," I replied, smiling. Lewyn, meanwhile, shook his head in exasperation. "Ah, what is your name? I'm Riona."

"...For now, please, call me 'Mahnya'." She giggled, her eyes dancing with mirth. They looked younger than I would've thought for a fairy. "It is more of a 'title' than a name, but since he wants to keep things complicated…"

"Yuria complained about it as well, Lady Mahnya." Distantly, I knew I should've been a little more freaked out about talking to a fairy, but there was something soothing about her. It was like I was talking to Creidne or something, a 'big sister'. "I do fear we are very late for that Meeting, though."

"I'm sure." She brushed a kiss over my cheek and then whispered in my ear. "Please continue to watch over Fee for me, please? Fee and Ced both. I'd appreciate it." With those words, she disappeared into the wind, her form scattering into a thousand motes of light that drifted off like petals or feathers.

I watched the motes disappear and then turned back to Lewyn. And noticed he was desperately trying to fend off Hestia, who was trying to jump on him. "Er… I guess I was super distracted," I noted sheepishly, whistling. Hestia huffed, but returned to my side. "So, is she like a wind fairy or something? I didn't give you a chance to answer."

"That's a pretty close comparison, yes," Lewyn confirmed, breathing a sigh of relief. He then moved so that I was definitively between him and Hestia. "I value her insight greatly for a number of reasons."

"Including that she doesn't let you get away with being a jerk."

"Well, depends on the person." He half-smiled. "Those with Forseti's blood… well, she's soft on them." Which explained why she was worried about Fee and her brother, Ced. Though I was curious why she was 'soft on them'. The shared connection to the wind?

"Good, since we're all still waiting for you to apologize to at least Fee." I nudged Hestia and turned away, heading towards where the War Tent was set up. "Anyway, we should get there. I'm sure they're waiting for us and-"

"Oh, hey there, Lewyn!" Aunt Lachesis's bright and chipper voice announced her sudden presence, and I turned back just in time to see her punch Lewyn in the face. A nice, good punch, with a bruise blooming on his jaw and cheek already and he was sent flying before hitting the ground hard. "Ah, I feel so much better!" she declared happily, hands on her hips. She then caught sight of me and waved. "Hello! Sorry, I wanted to get this out of the way before it turned to more violence. Like a kick to the groin in addition to the punch in the face."

"Okay, ow…" Lewyn hissed, wobbling a bit as he pushed himself up. He prodded the area around his jaw and then opened his mouth to tap his teeth. "Jarl's strength still flows strongly… ow…"

"Jarl?" Aunt Lachesis frowned. I tried to think of who 'Jarl' was. "Why the hell bring up Jarl of War? I didn't hit you so hard in the head that you bring up gods instead of Crusaders like normal people." Oh, that was right. Jarl was the god who blessed Hezul.

"You sure about that?"

"Not even my full strength, in this weakened state, so… yeah, I'm pretty sure." She glared at him. "Anyway, that's going to be the only punch unless you do something super stupid. It was going to be a slap, but I decided that because of the pain you inflicted on Erinys, Fee, Ced, Oifeye, your people… that all deserved a punch."

"You've never even met Fee!"

"Why does that matter? She's Erinys's daughter. I already love her." She rolled her eyes and snagged Lewyn by the collar before dragging him behind her. "Anyway, there's a War Meeting, right? Riona, is it okay if I sit in?"

"You are one of the people sent for, so I'm sure it is," I replied, falling in step with her. I kept a good grip on Hestia because I could see her wanting to nip at Lewyn's legs while he tried to regain his balance. And failed because since Aunt Lachesis was shorter, he was bent at an awkward angle. She still had a grip on his collar, after all, and he was not breaking free! "How did the check go?"

"More or less confirms what I suspected. If it's an emergency, I can fight, but for my own sake, I'll be better off staying behind." She sighed at that, but smiled. "I was telling Lana about what Claude and Alicia would do, and her eyes lit up, so I'll help her out. And if any of you want more training… well, I am a Master Knight still, regardless of my physical condition."

"I can think of many who will take you up on that." Though honestly, the help to Lana alone was a blessing beyond compare. "That all said, though we're late, let's find Sandas to reassure him and get some ice for Lewyn."

"Must we get the ice?"

"We can't have people thinking it's okay to punch jerks, Aunt Lachesis!" Now that we were in the main part of the camp, we were getting some odd looks. I just pretended nothing was wrong. "At least not without helping them get treatment!"

"Drat."

"We should also let Sandas know you two were found… and I need to tell him that his sister's fiance is one of the guards here. I had a lovely conversation."

"Really? Do tell, do tell!"

"Can you at least let go of me before you two gossip?!" Lewyn yelped. He then yelped again because Hestia escaped me and nipped at his pant leg. "Also, why does she have blood on her?"

"Hestia had a good meal," I replied, snagging her again. Lewyn probably had enough for now. Even I had to see that. "You don't expect a wolf to eat cleanly, do you?"

Lewyn protested, Aunt Lachesis laughed, and our little group headed towards the infirmary. Aunt Lachesis didn't let go of Lewyn's collar, though. I had a feeling it was part of her punishment.


We did eventually get Lewyn to the infirmary and got him some ice for his face, since a bruise on the face wasn't serious enough for a staff. I also found and applied some bruise balm on it for him, since even if the whole thing was funny, he was hurting and injured. Aunt Lachesis found Sandas for me and told him what I had learned. Which resulted in Sandas bursting into the infirmary and latching onto my legs with the biggest hug he could manage, thanking me profusely. Which extended how long it took me to treat Lewyn's bruise because it was hard to move when you had an adorable child attached to your legs. And Hestia was no help either, because one of the other children was in the infirmary with scraped knees and she decided they were more important. As she should. All in all, it took even longer to make it to the War Meeting, and when I arrived with Lewyn and Aunt Lachesis (because Hestia decided to stay and help Yuria), I could tell everyone (our usual group, minus Arthur and Fee and plus Shanan and a wide-eyed Patty) was wondering what the hell happened.

"Uh… I have so many questions, but I think I'll start with the obvious," Oifeye began, raising a hand to his face. I took my place by Seliph and held up my hands in a 'this isn't entirely my fault' fashion. Seliph promptly caught one of my hands to kiss it. "Lewyn, why do you have a frankly massive bruise on your face?"

"Isn't it obvious by how smug Lachesis looks?" Shanan answered for Lewyn, smirking slightly. He helped Aunt Lachesis over to a chair set up for her next to him and Oifeye. And right by Diarmuid as well, to Diarmuid's complete joy. Seriously, it had been a while since I saw him smile so brightly. "Last time she was this smug… oh, wow, there's so many incidents, actually."

"Very true."

"Watch it, because I'm sure there's stories Aideen hasn't shared that I can," Aunt Lachesis pointed out, pretending to be insulted. Her smile shattered that illusion, though. "Particularly you, Oifeye. Oh, the stories I have heard…"

"We can hear those later, at dinner," Seliph laughed, grinning. However, noticing Larcei looking longingly at Diarmuid and Aunt Lachesis, I poked her side and looked at her worriedly. She rolled her eyes and leaned over to kiss my cheek, quietly reassuring me that everything really was well. I wondered if she and Diarmuid had that talk while I was busy. "But, interesting as they no doubt are, this meeting was supposed to start a while ago."

"Of course. I won't hurt Oifeye's dignity at a serious event." She hid a smile behind her hand, though her eyes danced. "I'm sorry. I'm still a bit giddy at seeing all of you. And all of you grew up so well! Makes me happy."

"I… thank you, Lachesis." Seliph's grin became a shy smile, and I knew I also felt a bit giddy at it. I hid it, however, by checking on Patty, since she was across from me, and she looked more than a little nauseous at all of this. But Lana held her hand and Lester repeatedly looked at her too, so I moved my attention to Iuchar, worried he might find this all awkward. But he was smiling, and he caught my eye and winked, quietly reassuring me that all as well. "Well, for now, we'll get an explanation for what fascinating adventure you three had later, since I am very curious about it all. But Diarmuid? Mind giving your report about the negotiations?"

"Of course not," Diarmuid replied, holding himself a little taller than normal. Probably to try and impress his mom. Though we'd tease him later, we all made sure to do the same, so that he didn't seem obvious about it. And, you know, we wanted to impress her too. And Shanan, since this was the first War Meeting he'd attended with us. "After literally hours of negotiating, because no one in that city wanted to talk to Bramsel directly…"

"Sounds like my father," Iuchar noted dryly. He even rolled his eyes. "That speaks oh-so-well of Bramsel."

"We're not going into the whispers and rumors I heard while negotiating, as we don't need Riona and Larcei losing their tempers and storming the place." Well, that pretty much told me what it was, and Larcei and I did immediately stiffen. Ulster immediately switched places with Larcei so that Diarmuid could wrap an arm around her, while Ulster himself took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Larcei was a tiny bit more likely to explode than me. Barely. "But I did get one who was willing to brave him and thus, talked to Bramsel directly."

"How many conditions did he set?"

"Surprisingly, just one to potentially move the blockade." Diarmuid's exasperated look, though, screamed that this was going to make us sigh. "He wants to talk to Seliph."

"And conveniently get me inside his walls for a trap," Seliph immediately deadpanned. The rest of us either groaned or sighed, depending on personal preference. "That's almost too obvious." Seliph rolled his eyes, and I noticed Aunt Lachesis looked surprised and she tugged Shanan's sleeve to whisper something to him. Shanan whispered something back and both shared a wry smile that hinted they might've been talking about Sigurd. "Well then… okay, probably something that should've been addressed sooner, but Patty, I'm sure you're wondering why I requested you'd be here?"

"More than a little," Patty replied, smiling awkwardly. Lester ruffled her hair, though, and Lana smiled reassuringly. "I'm going to assume it's not family connections?"

"Nope. It's because you actually have knowledge of the area, and none of us do." Seliph smiled warmly at her. "So, I wanted to ask about what you've heard about Darna and it's military force."

"Oh, rumor stuff. Yeah, Uncle Dew taught me how to filter through the mess. Good way to find treasures." Patty squirmed when all eyes turned to her, but she took a deep breath and nodded. "Darna technically, technically, doesn't have an army. It's got a city guard, the lovely folks who are blocking our way, and mercenaries. Bunches of mercenaries."

"I wonder if we might be able to hire some of them?" Seliph frowned and looked over at Oifeye, Shanan, and Aunt Lachesis. Lewyn, of course, was in the complete opposite corner of the tent. Normally, I'd grouse, but I couldn't blame him for wanting as much space as possible between him and Aunt Lachesis. His bruise was black and blue and purple, and it took up a good quarter of his face. "I remember Aideen mentioning Father did that? In Agustria?"

"Beowolf," Shanan answered, nodding. He glanced at Oifeye, but Oifeye gestured for him to continue. He then looked at Aunt Lachesis, but she did the same. "From what I understand, Beowolf wasn't exactly happy with his employer and asked Sylvia if the army was looking to hire. She pointed him to Sigurd, and Sigurd hired him on the spot. And so he stayed with the army until…" Until he died at the Belhalla Massacre. He was one of the confirmed deaths, from what I gathered. "I'm not sure you can count on that, though. With the world as it is, people prefer steady coin over morals. Morals don't buy food."

"Though, we do have a bunch of gold and jewels that I swiped from the Shrine, and if you want, I can sneak into Darna to steal some from them," Patty offered, still a bit hesitant. At our smiles, though, she relaxed. "I want to send some back home, of course, but..."

"Of course. We need to send a letter to Dew anyway."

"And who knows? Maybe a few decide that there are limits to how much they're willing to ignore their morals for gold," Lester pointed out, shrugging. He patted Patty on the back, a silent 'you are doing great'. "Or even those who decide that they don't want to get in the middle of this. Dead employers don't pay."

"We can even spook them," I murmured, thinking of the stories I'd been told. Even if that village had been… well, I had learned a lot. "I've heard stories of sand spirits who conjure sandstorms to snatch up the wicked?"

"Oh, we can definitely use that."

"I know a few of those, so we can even tailor it!" Patty noted, bouncing a bit now. It did wonders for her confidence to realize that, yes, we really did need her help. "But it won't deal with all of them. Like I said, Bramsel has a bunch and well…" Her cheer faltered then. "The most famous of them is the Black Knight, who is also called a God of War." Her voice dropped to a whisper, like even talking about him taboo. Aunt Lachesis frowned, for some reason, but kept silent, simply watching us. "They say he's immortal, and that he can slaughter entire armies by himself. Now, I'm sure that's a bit of exaggeration, but he's Bloom's mercenary of choice when dealing with troublesome deserters. I've heard that he's the highest paid mercenary outside of Thracia, and every employer states that it's still too cheap for his skills. He's that good. And Bramsel has had him in his employ for over a year now."

"So definitely someone we will want to try and deal with outside of battle," Seliph murmured, drumming his fingers on the table. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again to look at Diarmuid. "However, what to do with the mercenaries is for the future. As for right now, I think I will go meet with Bramsel. Let's pretend to fall for the scheme. If they expect us to see things as straightforward, then why not play into it and see what we learn?"

"I'll head in with you," I suggested, mind already whirling with ideas. This could work out well for us. "Patty's mentioned there's freaking songs about us dating." The others snickered, and I rolled my eyes. "There's songs about all of us, my darling family. Complete with fanciful titles for us all." I smirked at the various squeaks, but then shook my head. "But we can play into that too. People don't expect new lovers to have a damn thought in their head, and it gives a convenient excuse for Hestia to come along."

"Which means Hestia can wander off and give you a reason to explore," Larcei added, catching my thought instantly. She grinned at the thought, though she remained leaning against Diarmuid "Meanwhile… well, actually we should have Diarmuid accompany as a bodyguard or something. He can chat with guards, get some info, maybe score another date…" Diarmuid choked on a yelp, and the rest of us laughed. Shanan and Aunt Lachesis exchanged confused looks and poked Oifeye, who bent down to whisper an explanation to them. "While you all are distracting them, we can sneak some people in?"

"And we might want to try sneaking some people past the blockade for scouting." I leaned over the map, frowning. "If Bramsel agrees… we need to consider him wanting to pin us between Melgen and Darna. A pincer in that area…"

"That area has bunches of hills and valleys, so there's a lot of hiding places," Patty added, tracing it on the map. She frowned a bit, and seemed hesitant, but Lester patted her on the back encouragingly. "I've had to sneak through there before, so I can help?"

"I'll gladly take the help," Ulster replied, smiling warmly at her. Patty grinned, but I saw Lana look a bit uncomfortable, no doubt a little bit of jealousy. Seliph noticed as well, and he reached around to pat her shoulder. "Shanan? Her, me, you, and Larcei?"

"That should be enough of a group, particularly since Balmung gives me a bit of an edge, stealth-wise," Shanan agreed. He had the most interesting expression on his face, like he didn't know if he wanted to be proud or sad. "Who will sneak into Darna?"

"Need to see who is up for it first. But it might be a good idea to start getting some whispers in about ghosts and spirits, and feeling out which mercenaries we can hire." Ulster glanced over at Lewyn, who remained perfectly silent. "Think you can use the wind to find out some stuff for us on that? You're unusually silent."

"It hurts to talk because of the bruise," Lewyn groused. Ulster smiled sheepishly, realizing that the comment had been more than a little stupid. "But I can see what I can find out. The wind is more focused towards Alster and Leonster, though."

"Even that would be helpful, because that could give us an estimate on how much time we have," Iuchar noted, frowning as he tapped Alster on the map. "Friege has always been a bit spread out in influence. I didn't hear much, being in Isaach as I was, but I remember Father's whining over it. You have the Bloom's youngest sister, Ethnia, ruling Friege itself, Bloom in Alster and Conote… supposedly, Melgen is governed by Ishtore, Bloom's son, so we'll have a good force there. And if Bloom isn't in Alster, then I don't know who is governing it for him, but if General Reinhardt is there, then we're in trouble."

"Reinhardt?" I repeated, curious. A couple of Conall's stories had involved him. Some had involved Ishtore as well, and I… I didn't like the idea that we would have to fight him. But if we couldn't negotiate some sort of peace, then… "He's Ishtar's personal knight, yes?"

"And so powerful of a mage knight that some truly believe he's the second coming of Thrud. And that's without Holy Blood, by the way." Iuchar shook his head and crossed his arms. "With luck, though, he's with Lady Ishtar, and they'll both be in Belhalla. Far from here." That would be nice, for more than one reason. "That's for later, though. Something to keep in mind."

"Definitely." I hid my worries behind a smile, since I was so very good at that. Because someone had to smile. "Well, we have a plan for now. Let's see about getting things set up, yes?"

We discussed a few more details, mostly just potential safety measures, and then we all dispersed to go wherever. I didn't pay much attention, save to make sure to give everyone hugs and kisses, as we do, because I tried to think of what exactly I needed to do. But then I noticed Larcei tugging Shanan to the side and… well… I would be an absolutely horrible friend if I didn't try to eavesdrop. So, of course, I followed.

"Hey, Shanan, are you okay?" Larcei asked as soon as the two were a couple tents away. I ducked behind one, peering out to watch. "You looked off during the entire meeting. If you're not feeling well, then we should get you medicine sooner rather than later."

"Oh, no, I'm well," Shanan reassured immediately. Larcei looked at him skeptically, and he sighed. "I just… I wish I could keep you all safer. That's all."

"We've been safe, Shanan." Larcei scowled, hands on her hips. "We've been safe ever since we left Sigurd's army. Everyone has been keeping us safe. It's now time we repaid the favor. It's not fair if everyone else makes the sacrifices for us."

"...Am I being scolded?"

"Damn right you are!" Larcei huffed, stomping her foot. "Because you have always been the biggest sacrificer! It's beyond time to even things out!"

"Well, I promised…" Shanan sighed, and absently played with the hair by his face. "No, I suppose that reason doesn't work anymore. Especially since we'll all be fighting together now."

"That's right, we will. Which is a huge relief. You have any idea how worried I… we'd get when you were off on your own doing missions?" Larcei grinned, puffing out her chest proudly. "But this time, I can guard your back!"

"Guard my back, huh?" Shanan laughed softly, and Larcei went right back to glaring. "I'm not laughing at you."

"Yes, you are."

"...Well, I'm laughing at how earnest you are." He continued laughing and Larcei looked ready to throw something at him. "I'm sorry."

"You are not."

"I am; I am." He did have to muffle his laughter, though. "Here, how about a sword lesson? It's been a bit, and I'd like to see how strong you've become."

"I hope this isn't a 'are you on my level?' thing, because one, I doubt I'm as strong as you yet and two, I don't need to be as strong as you are to take up some of your burden. I just have to be strong enough to hold you up." Larcei glanced to the side in embarrassment, thankfully looking the opposite way of me. I was enjoying this far too much. "But anyway, yes, sword lesson. Let's go."

"...Yeah." Shanan smiled softly at her, but there was a trace of disbelief in it. I wondered if it was because he didn't believe the words, or he couldn't believe Larcei had said them. "Let's find the practice area then. It seems the layout is much like how Sigurd set his camps, so I'm sure we can find it quickly."

"Sounds good to me." Larcei smiled warmly at him in return. "Let's go!"

I decided it would be a good idea to leave then, now in a good mood. However, there were things to do, things to prepare, and I thought of just what I needed to do first. Check on the children, particularly Inanna's group. Just in case.


On the surface, Darna was festive. Bright colors, bright laughter, bunches of people in the market… it was like bad paint that you used to cover the cracks in a wall, and a little bit of inspection showed the damage all too easily. A large portion of the outer wall was noticeably newer than the rest, no doubt the area that collapsed. The poorer district had people all scrunched together, with whole families sharing one room apartments in teetering buildings. The wealthier district had whole houses and moderate space in between them. The people smiled, but kept wary eyes about as they spoke, scared that one errant word might land them into a world of trouble. I wondered if people would be so 'normal' if Seliph and I had actively been paying attention. As it was, though, Seliph and I did our level best to pretend to be a completely besotted couple who were entranced with all the colors. And tried to not kill Diarmuid by having him crack his ribs from suppressed laughter.

"If you bloody your lip, I swear the story is going to be that you got super into making out with someone," Seliph teased Diarmuid after the upteenth time Diarmuid had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Diarmuid rolled his eyes. "Look more exasperated with us."

"It can't be easy with the flowery compliments you've been giving me," I noted, keeping Hestia near. Hestia looked up at me with forlorn eyes because, in order to make sure she got past the guards and no one looked twice at her, it was decided that she'd wear a 'collar', really a ribbon Yuria tied. And she hated it. To be fair, I hated it too and looked forward to getting it off her. Even if the ribbon was cute, she was no mere pet. She was my wolf. "Did you get suggestions from Iuchar?"

"I have an entire script that Iuchar helped me with, actually, my divine goddess of beauty and grace." He hid his grin by kissing my cheek, and I pretended to be shy to hide how much I wanted to roll my eyes. "But seriously, Diarmuid, don't die. Dying is bad."

"I am doing my level best," Diarmuid reassured, rolling his eyes to feign exasperation. Despite our teasing, I doubted anyone was in any danger of seeing through the act. People tended to make snap judgements, after all. "Can I just say, by the way, that I feel like I should be at a festival and not a bodyguard? And that this outfit wasn't meant to carry a sword. I swear the weight is going to drag my pants down."

"Well, I'd say that's distracting," Seliph teased, before subtly checking that the tome he had was tucked into his scarf-belt. All of us were wearing our best clothes, which meant our Isaachian festival outfits, with bits of jewelry and scarves to help brighten them even further. I even had flowers braided into my hair, courtesy of Aunt Lachesis (who brushed and braided my hair) and Lester (who picked the flowers for me). "But I know what you mean. We all

spent… far too long getting ready. Or having the others get us ready."

"Tell me about it." Diarmuid made a face, and I quickly leaned around to kiss Seliph on the mouth so that it looked like he was reacting to that. "The others had too much fun with this."

"They better get good information from this. I'm already regretting this."

"You regret having the excuse to cuddle with your girlfriend? And embarrass her?"

"When it's a spectacle?"

"Later, let's do this where people can't see us," I suggested, purposely smirking. It was worth Seliph's sudden blush, though Diarmuid quickly had to facepalm to hide how much he wanted to laugh. "My, my… dearest lord of my heart, whatever are you thinking?"

"I hate you," Seliph mumbled, quickly kissing me. And ghosting his fingers over my cheek and neck. "Things like that should be discussed later."

"You want to discuss cuddling?"

"Maybe a specific kind."

"Friends, dearest people of my heart, please, you are making it so hard to not laugh," Diarmuid quietly complained, shooting us a dirty look. Which hopefully helped the act. "I also swear that I'm sharing all of this with the others. As payback."

"Of course you are," I replied, petting Hestia when she whimpered. She didn't like something, and I wasn't sure if it was just her complaining about the ribbon or something else. Nothing looked off from what I could see, but it could be something she sensed. "If you did anything else, we'd have to check you for a fever."

"Just warning you." Diarmuid took a deep breath and nodded. "We're at the castle."

So we were. The legendary fortress… the fortress where the Crusaders gathered their forces… where they fought their first 'true' battles of the rebellion… where they accepted the blessings of the gods… it should've been grand. It should've been a grand, solemn moment. But now, it was just an asshole's castle, a place where he reveled in excess. Or so I guessed by the copious amount of jewelry Bramsel wore when he came out to greet us. Perhaps it was a culture difference I didn't know about, but seriously, he could've provided food for an entire country with the gems he wore so frivolously. Certainly made me understand why Aunt Lachesis insisted that we dress up as much as possible. If we hadn't, we would've looked lesser in comparison. Not a good way to start negotiations, that.

"Prince Seliph, Princess Caitriona, what an honor to meet you!" Bramsel greeted us, taking Seliph's hands to shake them. He then took mine to kiss it and I made myself smile to hide how much I wanted to scrub my hand on stone to scrape it off. My ability to smile through just about anything was certainly going to be tested today. "Thank you again, Lord Diarmuid, for arranging this meeting for me. I have been looking forward to it."

"My prince has been most eager to make your acquaintance, Lord Bramsel," Diarmuid replied with a bow, smiling with every bit of charm he had. Which proved super-effective at least with the servants nearby, based on their blushes. "Still, such company is truly too grand for me. Might I rest with your guards while you talk?"

"Of course, of course!" Bramsel gestured to one, and I noticed that there weren't nearly as many out and about as I would've thought. On the surface, at least. A few of the 'crowd' stood far too stiffly, with their hands dropping to their belts like they were used to wearing a weapon. And based on how Hestia's ears twitched, I knew there were more in the shadows, hidden from view. He truly was trying to trick us, huh? "But come, come! Business is never complete without a banquet, and I have prepared my very best for you!"

I braced myself for whatever tacky or otherwise horrendous decorations would be inside, just because of my last encounter with a castle. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see the interior was actually very beautifully decorated, and the scents were easy on the nose. And the music from the banquet was very pleasant to listen to as we entered the main room, filled with various other guests chatting and gossiping away, and Bramsel led us to the back, where a table had been set up. No chairs, but very soft cushions served instead, though it made me all the more curious about the 'throne' in the back. No doubt he normally sat there, but was pretending to be humbler for the moment. Still, Bramsel put on a good show, waiting until we were settled, even Hestia, who laid down next to me, before clapping to signal the servants to serve food and drink. We made sure to only eat the same dishes he did, and even then, we split who ate from what, though we hid that by sharing a plate. I even fed him, because it was something lovey-dovey and it helped sell that neither of us really had a thought in our head. We were just naive idiots. ...Well, we were, but not in the way these people expected.

Throughout the meal, we made small talk with Bramsel, mostly about how 'wonderful' we found Darna. So, it came to a surprise when there was a sudden hush to the crowded room, to the point that even the music stopped. It was even more confusing when two women, one with black hair and dressed in orange and another with green hair and dressed in pink, stepped into the middle of the room. But all questions fled when the music started up again and they began to dance. In fact, all thoughts fled, because I was completely entranced by the dance. I barely had any presence of mind to even notice that the one in orange did simpler moves than her companion. Probably because it, by no means, detracted from the performance. If anything, it just amplified the intricacy and beauty of it all. Absolutely breathtaking… I was actually saddened when the dance ended. I wanted to see more!

"Prince Seliph, Princess Caitriona, might I introduce Layla and Lene, our court dancers?" Bramsel said, beckoning the two women to come forward. Both did and bowed to us, smiling brightly. "They are truly the jewels of my banquets."

"I can see why," I breathed, smiling back at the two. The one in pink caught my eye and winked. "Goodness, I've seen many dances, but none as fine as that." I'd danced myself, but I could never compare to them even if I practiced for a million years. "I'm at a loss for words…"

"That you enjoyed it so, Princess Caitriona, is a wonder beyond compare." Bramsel signaled something, and both of the girls bowed again before leaving the room entirely. The music started up again, playing an entirely different piece. "Perhaps you might visit again? They dance nightly here."

"My lord Bramsel, you tempt me too much!"

"I do think we shall visit again, if only for you to smile so brightly again, my love," Seliph murmured, caressing my cheek. I looked down shyly, as if embarrassed. "Ah, but I keep getting distracted. Forgive me, Lord Bramsel."

"Prince Seliph, who can blame you for being distracted by so beautiful a woman?" Bramsel laughed. I reached over to pet Hestia, and discovered that she wasn't there. A quick look around showed she wasn't anywhere in the room. While we'd planned for that, I'd expected to nudge her, not have her seriously go off on her own. "However, if you would like, we can discuss more serious things?"

"Actually, I think I need to find my Hestia," I murmured, standing up to smooth out my dress. Seliph frowned slightly at me, since the original 'plan' had involved me sitting in for serious discussions a bit, but I smiled sheepishly at him and pointed to where Hestia had been. And now there was nothing but some fur and remnants of food in her spot. "It seems she decided to take advantage of my distraction to go wandering."

"Princess Caitriona, there's no need for you to do that." Bramsel gestured to a couple of guards, who stepped up and bowed. "My men can handle getting your dog."

"I appreciate it, Lord Bramsel, but I'm afraid my Hestia is a wolf, not a dog." I smiled my sweetest and most innocent smile, and tried to not laugh when the guards automatically recoiled at the mention of 'wolf'. This was precisely why we tried to sell the impression of her being a 'dog'. "Please, it will be much quicker if I get her myself. She's liable to play with the guards and sent them on a merry hunt to have some fun. Or, worse, sneak inside some room and mess things up. She gets horribly playful when she's bored." I leaned down and kissed Seliph's cheek. "I will be back as soon as possible, love."

"Please do," Seliph murmured, doing his best to look forlorn. He even caught my hand and kissed my palm, lingering a bit. I didn't have to pretend to blush at that, and knew this was his revenge for me feeding him. "I am not at my best without you."

"Flatterer." I curtseyed to Lord Bramsel. "I promise I shall be back as soon as possible." Then I skipped out of the room, humming along to some of the music like I was a silly little girl who thought nothing about anything.

As soon as I was out of sight of the main room, though, I dropped the act and began meandering through, pretending to be looking for Hestia while really studying everything. And noticing it was all just a little too neat and empty, especially given the rumors Patty had heard. Sure, rumors exaggerated, but rumors also always had a grain of truth to them. And from what I could see, and from what I noted from the way the servants quickly ducked behind corners and doors to 'prevent' me from seeing them… well, they were clearly hiding. And if some were hiding, it was easy to guess that there were many more. Bramsel definitely wanted us to think that there were fewer forces here than he actually had. So, his plan might not be to 'trap' Seliph here, but rather to try and catch us in a pincer while we dealt with Melgen. Something we had guessed, but we should put that a little bit higher on the 'possibilities' list. Which was irritating because it meant we'd have to deal with Melgen quickly to prepare a proper defense...

In the middle of categorizing everything, I heard Hestia growling at something and immediately rushed towards the noise. An unsupervised, angry Hestia was a dangerous thing and besides the whole 'threat might not actually be a threat' thing, we were trying to downplay how dangerous we were. And, you know, it wasn't wise to leave an angry wolf free to do whatever she wanted. Or, well, normally. When I actually found her, I noticed that there was a group of men looming and leering over the pink-dressed dancer from earlier, with only Hestia between her and them and… well, all thoughts of that went out the window.

"If this is, by any means, what it looks like, you're lucky she didn't already tear out your throats," I noted dryly, anger threading through every word. The men whirled, and a few tried to leer at me, but I glared and Hestia snarled, causing them to pale and stumble back. "Leave. Now. Or I promise that she will do so. Or I will burn off your balls. Either-or." And that got them running away, though I had to sigh, grimacing. If word of this got to Bramsel, it could make the act less believable, but I just… I just could not hold my temper, damn it!

"Hee… I thought you were paying far more attention than Brams thought you were," the girl giggled, quickly muffling it with her hand. The easy way she shrugged off the whole thing hinted that either she didn't know what they wanted or, more likely, she was far too used to this sort of situation. Which seriously made me want to go after them to set some part of them on fire or something, just as I'd threatened. "Funny how many old men in power see a pretty face and don't think there's a brain underneath, huh?"

"...Yeah, I suppose so," I replied, letting myself relax. There was something familiar about her, and not just because I had just seen her either. "Though I think you give me too much credit, miss dancer." Still, even with that familiarity, I shouldn't fully relax. I had my part to play, after all. "I imagine they were far more afraid of political consequences, though. Or Hestia. Hestia is most of my intimidation factor."

"So you say, but you carry yourself too gracefully to be anything but a highly trained warrior. Or a dancer, but I doubt you're a dancer." She laughed, grinning. "But I'll stop prodding. You did save me, after all. But seriously, if you're setting up Brams for a fall, I'm making snacks to watch."

"Perhaps we'll see." Noticing Hestia was still growling, I reached down to pet her, urging her to calm down. "I do apologize, however, if my Hestia gave you a fright. She's especially prickly about things like this, and she must've been worried."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm well aware that sometimes, the scariest looking ones are the sweetest. My lover is like that. Stoic-scowly a lot of the time, but he's incredibly kind." She clasped her hands behind her back and laughed. "Thank you very much for saving me, though. My name is Lene, by the way, since Bramsel didn't really do a proper introduction or anything. You're Princess Caitriona, yes?"

"You can seriously just call me 'Riona'." I continued petting Hestia, thinking about the name. Now that I could actually think again, I knew it was familiar. But I couldn't place why. This was going to bug me for days, which wasn't good. There was far too many things going on. "And, just as seriously, your dance was amazing."

"I could tell you liked it. Your eyes were all lit up and everything." She smiled brightly. "It was such a relief to dance for someone like you and your love. I'm used to Bramsel and the mercenaries, who pay more attention to how my boobs bounce."

"Well, I guess to be fair, you do have nice breasts?" I grinned and she laughed. "Sorry, probably not a good thing to say, especially right after what just happened. You are very beautiful, though. I didn't notice while you were dancing, but holy wow."

"That's because you paid attention to the art of it. Like I said, it was a relief to dance for someone like that. Layla thought so too." She winked, grinning back now. "However, I am definitely vain enough to appreciate the compliments, especially from an equally pretty girl~!"

"Careful, my ego might swell up!" Noting how tense Hestia still was, I decided it was better to make sure she was completely calm before trying to return to the banquet. "Here, I'll walk you to where you're heading. Hestia will just follow you anyway."

"Well, how can I say 'no' to such a lovely escort?" She giggled, and took my arm. "This way, then!"

She led me through the grounds easily, showing that she'd been living here, or at least working here, for quite a while now. Eventually, we got near what seemed to be the stables, and I was curious because I wouldn't have thought she'd ride or anything. Then I was too busy yelping because Hestia left my side to rush forward, meandering around various buckets and whatnot to nose someone wearing a black hooded cloak, and an equally black outfit to match. And was by a black horse with black leather saddle and reins. Someone clearly had a favorite color.

"Uh… hi there, dog?" the person said, standing there a bit stiffly. Hestia continued nosing him, clearly curious about his scent. "Er…?"

"You know; she kinda reminds me of you!" Lene laughed, skipping over to hug the man. She then beamed at him. "So? Did you get to watch?"

"Yes, I hid behind a pillar to watch." The man turned a bit more to properly smile at her, gently caressing her cheek. This had to be her lover then. "You added a jump towards the end. Right before that turn?"

"I did!" She laughed, clearly delighted. "I have to keep the dance interesting for you, after all! Since you watch so closely!"

"I keep telling you, Lene, that I could never find your dances boring." He laughed softly. I leaned a bit down so that I could see his face under the hood, and caught sight of a handsome man with some sort of brown for his eyes and blonde hair. I half-wondered if this was the 'Black Knight' Patty mentioned. If so, then I definitely didn't want to fight him. He smiled so warmly and gently at Lene, and the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him showed she adored him as much as he adored her. "But I think you enjoy adding things just to see if I catch them."

"Well, you haven't missed a change yet!" Lene laughed and then gestured at me. "Anyway, I'm sorry that I took so long. Some creeps thought they could be more attractive than you for some reason, but Riona and her Hestia chased them off like the rats they are."

"I knew I should've simply waited for you." He sighed, and turned to look at me, still smiling gently. I kind of thought there was something familiar about the smile, but I wasn't sure. It was much vaguer than the familiarity I felt for Lene, and that was already pretty damn vague. "But thank you for helping her, my lady."

"Meh, I'm glad that I got there before there were too many screams," I replied, shrugging off the thanks. I tried to beckon Hestia over, but she still continued to sniff the man. "Hestia got there first, and she was quite ready to show off how a wolf's jaw can easily crush bone."

"Sadly, unless you go for violent threats, they really don't seem to believe they'll face consequences," he murmured, grimacing. I wondered if he had to 'violently protect' Lene a few times before, and if he was uncomfortable with having to be so protective. "But thank you. I'm honestly not sure what I'd do if she was hurt." He knelt down to actually pet Hestia, missing Lene's faint blush and silly little smile. "Thank you as well, by the way. I'm afraid all I have to give is pets." Hestia barked and licked his cheek. "I… think that meant 'you're welcome'?"

"It did." Yeah, I definitely didn't want to fight him. If anything, I'd like to fight alongside him, or make sure he was in a safe place. Hestia clearly liked him. "Ah, I should get back to the banquet, though. I've been gone far too long."

"Ah, that's right. You were one of the guests." He stood up and Hestia rushed back to my side, pressing into my leg. She was ready to leave, now that she knew Lene would be safe. "May I… ask a question first?"

"We can see if I've an answer for you, sure." I smiled at him, wishing he'd bring down the hood. But hey, if he was a mercenary, then he was probably under strict orders to hide. Or maybe he just forgot it was up. Gods know I'd done that before. "What is it?"

"What is Seliph like?"

"Seliph?" The question startled me, but Lene didn't seem so surprised at all. In fact, her little smile showed she was actually a bit happy about it. I was so missing something, and I had a feeling I'd kick myself for it later. But for now… "He's…" I wondered what to say. "He's a complete dolt sometimes."

"Pardon?"

"Can't even brush his hair, but insists on having it long to emulate Shanan. Always forgetting where he put his boots. Scared of the dark. Constantly worrying about everything…" Still, I smiled, closing my eyes. "Working himself to the bone trying to make sure everything is running smoothly. Hates one-sided protection… and yet, he is the kindest, gentlest person I know."

"...Is he?"

"Yes. His smile sparks smiles. He plays with the children in the infirmary, so that they will laugh and think the world isn't so bad. Always there with a hug, or willing to lend an ear. Tries diplomacy first because he wants to minimize the deaths on both sides, because nothing about conflict is straightforward. Always keeps his promises, and keeps on going no matter how afraid he is." I opened my eyes, laughing now. "But really, I'm probably the worst person to ask. I love him. I've always loved him. And I always will."

"I see." He had a strange look on his face, but he nodded, accepting my answer. "Sorry for the odd question. You hear the songs, but…"

"I really need to actually hear these songs, as I'm sure they're fantastically incorrect. Most stories are. They simplify things a lot."

"I suppose so." He chuckled. "Got an example, though? Kind of curious."

"Well…" I thought and said the first one I thought of. "Eldigan's death was way more complicated, for one. Or so I have always been told." And I did have that family on the brain, so to speak, since we had just found Aunt Lachesis. "Ah, but I really need to get back! Stay safe, you two! And Lene, if we can arrange it, I'd love to see another dance!"

It was only much later, when I was back at the banquet with Bramsel, that I realized Lene's lover might have been asking for an incident in one of the songs about us that had been exaggerated. Not an example of how a song twisted a complicated situation into a glorified, and simple, situation. If I saw him again, I'd answer that question properly. That was my quiet little promise.


After the literally hours long banquet, filled with food and talk, Bramse finallyl agreed to move the blockade back and allow our army to pass. We were absolutely certain he was going to try and get us in a pincer by this point, but we pretended to be unaware and perfectly grateful, even promising to attend another banquet as soon as we were able. However, our minds were whirling, especially once we were back and we all gave our reports. We would have to deal with Melgen quickly if we were going to avoid an attack from behind. And, of course, we wanted to try and talk to Ishtore and see if he'd be willing to compromise or surrender. We'd really rather not fight. We would if we had to, but…

"Ugh… I really can't sleep…" I grumbled, laying on my back after hours of tossing and turning. You would think that I'd be exhausted after everything, but nope. "Maybe it's because of all we learned…"

Our spies inside the city had gotten quite a bit of information, and planted the seeds for rumors that were already bearing fruit. And Diarmuid… well, he'd been his nice and charming self while the guards had been drinking and they babbled out all sorts of information. Now some of it focused on how much they'd like to bed Diarmuid, and a few asked him on dates, but some of it had actually been very useful. What caught my attention the most was how they confirmed the Black Knight was in residence, but that he'd left the city not long after the dance to travel to a nearby oasis. Which fit what I'd seen with Lene and her love. Meaning that if we could time an attack while he was away, or talk to him while he was there, we might be able to get him to not fight…

"Ha… I'm an idiot. Getting so worked up about the two of them when I already know I've killed bunches of people's loves already." Their fiances… their lovers… their spouses… hell, even just their family or their friends! The number of people I'd killed, just by myself, was already too high to count. And it would only get higher. No matter how much we'd wish otherwise, they would. Because not everyone would surrender. Because to some, we were the worst option, not the best. Because some would choose loyalty and duty over morals, because they felt that was the path they had to take for the sake of their people. "Gods, I hate all of this."

I might've continued in that vein for a while, but Hestia, who had been fast asleep next to me, suddenly woke up and lifted her head curiously. So I rolled out of my bed roll and looked outside. And found Inanna standing there awkwardly. Not who I was expecting. At all.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking down. She wore a borrowed nightgown, and I made a mental note to try and hem it for her later. Or see if Lana would. Regardless, it was baggy and long on her. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was still awake," I reassured her, motioning for her to come inside. She did so tentatively, and quickly sat down. "It is very late, though. Is everyone okay? Did someone threaten you?"

"No, this army is much different than that village." She twisted her fingers in her skirt, and I tossed her a pillow to squeeze instead. Which she promptly did. "I won't say everyone was kind. But at worst, they were distant. I think a few wanted to start some sort of fight with us, but some of your other soldiers stopped them. One of them, Niamh, said something like 'hurt the children, and I can promise you that Lady Riona will have Hestia tear your spine out'."

"Well, I wouldn't order it." I wouldn't stop her, though. ...Well, maybe I would once she bit their back. "Hestia doesn't exactly take orders. We are 'pack' to her, and she particularly loves me, so she will listen to me more than the others. But I've had to stop her from biting someone's face off before." Hestia tilted her head to the side all innocently and scooched closer to wedge her nose under my hand. "So, to be more accurate, we're her dumb humans and she occasionally entertains our 'requests'."

"Hee…" Inanna hesitated a moment but then tentatively petted Hestia's head with a finger. When Hestia wagged her tail, she went with her whole hand. "She's so soft."

"She is indeed." I watched her pet Hestia for a while, before deciding to prompt her. "So, what had you outside my tent? Was it just that you couldn't sleep?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I did… have a question." Inanna tried to pull her hand away, but Hestia tucked her nose under her hand again, insisting on more pets. After a moment, Inanna obliged. "I was… um… I know you all are looking for safe places for us, along with the other five. But I was… I was wondering if we could just… stay with the army? At least my group? I mean; all ten of us are kind of getting close, but they… um..."

"Is this because of what happened at the village?" I closed my eyes when she nodded, thinking about it. "I worry about the younger three. I know that our parents somehow managed babies and toddlers in their army, but even then, they hadn't planned on marching to war. War came to them. But we are going to war, and battles are no place for children." I opened my eyes again to make sure I looked at her. "However, you and Anat? I believe you can stay here. I mean; I do still worry. You're both very young. But you know how to run away from danger, for instance."

"That's true." Inanna nodded. "I know it's very selfish, but I also… I also think I can find some way to reconcile what I was taught with what I am seeing? If that makes sense?"

"I think so. Gods know that I'm still struggling to adapt after being so sheltered." I hesitated before reaching out to gently touch her cheek, smiling at her. "However, if the army is truly the safest place for all five of you? Then of course you can all stay with us. You took a leap of faith when you took my hand back at the shrine, and I will do everything I can to prove worth of that trust. We all will. And that means making sure that you stay as safe as possible."

"Thank you." She smiled back, relaxing now that I've more or less agreed. "I'm going to keep on you for it!"

"Good. You should. We're not always right. People need to remind us of it." My own smile grew, because I was glad she trusted me with this. "And never feel like you can't talk to us about things. I know we are busy, but seriously, I used to have soldiers asking me about things like 'where is the duty roster' when we literally had the lists posted everywhere." I grinned at her. "And yes, they would stop me in the middle of what I was doing to ask that."

"Hee… you all can be silly too." Inanna nodded, giggling a bit. "I will try. I'm a bit overwhelmed still."

"I understand. But I promise; we are here for you." I glanced at Hestia, who wagged her tail and headed outside the tent. "However, it is late, so I'll walk you to your tent."

"But we are in your tent."

"Hestia needs to head out anyway." I pointed to the flap for emphasis. "And, trust me, it's way safer for me to go with her. She's a prankster."

"I… okay. If it's more to keep an eye on her…"

I walked Inanna to her tent, with Hestia darting about excitedly, and I asked her about her day and discussed with her ways that she could help around the camp, since she was very insistent on it. I had a suspicious, and sad, feeling that all of them were going to be like this, and I wondered just what they could even do. I'd definitely have a talk with Oifeye, Aunt Lachesis, and Shanan in the morning. However, for now, I kept on smiling, doing my best to reassure her, and made sure to wish her good night when we made it to the tent she shared with Anat. Afterwards, I let Hestia run a bit and meandered after her, smiling at how peaceful the camp was. It likely wouldn't be like this in a few days, so it was best to enjoy it while I could.

"Thank you again for staying up late to help me with my memorization." However, to my surprise, I wasn't the only one up (who wasn't part of night watches). Yuria and Diarmuid were also up, talking outside of her tent, and I quickly hid nearby to eavesdrop. Because I was super curious, even if I kept my promise about no teasing. "I feel bad taking up so much of your time, though," Yuria mumbled, looking down. "Especially since you had such a long day today."

"Believe me, after literally hours of listening to drunks droning on and on, the lessons were a much needed respite," Diarmuid reassured, laughing gently. However, Yuria didn't smile back, not even a token one. "Hey, what's wrong? Something has been bothering you ever since yesterday when we told you what was going on."

"I just feel so… useless, really. Everyone has been so helpful and kind. I really want to do something…" Yuria sighed, pulling her hair a bit forward to hide her face. "But I can't go on missions, because of who I am. I'm having to learn so much, so I can't give any sort of insight in a tactical meeting. The one I attended in Rivough proved that all too well."

"You've been doing quite a bit, though. I promise."

"Really?"

"Yes, with the infirmary. Riona's mother, Alicia, was the Chief Healer of Sigurd's army, and there are a lot of stories that begin with 'so, we dragged Alicia out'. Part of it is because Alicia apparently was very closed off initially and how much of a workaholic she was, but part of it is also just how much work she had." Diarmuid brushed Yuria's hair behind her ear so that he could look her in the eye. "What you do, Yuria, might seem 'minor' to you, but without you, I'm not sure Lana would be able to take breaks. She would have to work tirelessly, day in and day out. But with you to help her bear that burden, she's able to relax and have fun."

"I see…" She sighed, though. "I wish I could help more..."

"You don't need to 'buy' our affection with help and work, Yuria. You are an important part of our lives, and you always will be." Diarmuid smiled brightly, and poor Yuria blushed. I had to facepalm because wow, that sounded flirty. "But if you are truly so worried, why not talk with my mother?"

"Would she mind? I mean…" Yuria tugged her hair. "Given my heritage and all…"

"Mother would be delighted. I promise. And, if nothing else, she can emphasize what I said about the help you give in the infirmary. Alicia was one of her best friends, meaning Mother had to deal with her workaholic tendencies a lot." He made a face. "Seriously, based on all the stories I've heard? Freaking miracle Riona and Conall even got conceived, much less born."

"Diarmuid!" Yuria quickly muffled a laugh, and Diamuid's expression softened, relieved that she was more cheerful. "Is that how you're supposed to talk about a friend's mother?"

"Riona would probably die laughing if I told her that." He had a good point. I did have to bite back a laugh. "But seriously, I'm sure Mother would love talking to you."

"Then I'll try talking to her in the morning, then. Oh, but only after you two are done. You're having breakfast together, yes?"

"We are, yes."

Hestia returned to my side then, bloody muzzle hinting she had found some sort of midnight snack, and I decided it was best for both of us to simply leave the two to their talk, and attempt to sleep. Before we actually went into my tent, though, Hestia whimpered at something. Following her gaze, I saw Darna up on its cliff and I found myself wondering how Lene was. Wondering how her friend, Layla, was. Wondering how her boyfriend, who I rudely didn't get the name of, was. When we were done with Melgen… I wanted to see them again. Not just for a dance, either. I swore there was something I was missing about those two I had met, something that should be obvious, but it was so buried in my head that it would take forever to dig it out. And there was no time for that now.

But we weren't done with Darna. I was sure of that. We'd have to go back to it before we could truly march on Alster and make it to Leonster. I could only hope that it wouldn't be too bloody.


Author's notes: Fun times, eh? I wanted to highlight some of the 'not so different' vibes a little more, so I went with this for the opening scene. I also wanted to show some parallels, and differences, between Riona and Arvis (Riona's words are the same, more or less, as Arvis's thoughts in… chapter 2 of Memoirs of Velthomer, iirc). But I also wanted to show how hate is so often taught with the little girl who is confused by all the anger. The irrigation techniques briefly described are 'basin irrigation' (used by the Ancient Egyptians) and 'perennial irrigation' (used on the Mesopotamian Plain).

Manfroy surviving such a hunt is something from the Oosawa manga, though how/why it happened is brought up in Memoirs of Velthomer. Shanan's talk in the third scene with Seliph, and his later talk with Larcei are based off of their in-game talks (Seliph's talk gives Seliph +1 skill, while the Larcei talk gives her +2 strength and 100 love points with him).

Jamke and Dew are two others whose fates are left completely ambiguous. So, I chose for them both to have survived, with Jamke having started the orphanage that Febail and Patty take care of in-game, though Jamke died prior to the start of the Gen2. Dew, however, is alive and kicking. Because why not? This is also why Patty has the wind sword in this story, by the way. Dew gave it to her.

Mahnya is the original fan-translation of Annand's name. Sandas is the name the Anatolian lion god, while Anat is a goddess. Maliya is another Hittite goddess, while Mursili is the name of… at least two kings. The 'wall falling' incident mentioned by Mursili is the same one from Lene's oneshot in Memoirs of the Lost.

In-game, neutral Darna soldiers block the path to Melgen until you capture the Yied Shrine, after which, they pull back to guard just Darna (allowing you to finally reach the nearby village being assaulted by bandits). You can actually talk to the guards, but they'll just say some generic "turn back now" or something. The game doesn't hide Bramsel's plan from the player, so I figured the chars could figure it out as well. Lene and Ares make a couple of cameos at this point, fleshing out their connection and their personalities, so I had… slightly different cameos. If you're curious about this 'oasis' mentioned that Ares went to, it's the same one that appeared at the end of Lene's oneshot in Memoirs of the Lost (which also details how she and Ares got together).

Next Chapter - Rain