Chapter 38) Sister


We have taken Melgen, gaining a foothold in the Thracian Peninsula. The deaths of the soldiers, however, weigh heavily on us. I didn't think these soldiers were like Danann's. I think most of them were actually good people doing what they thought was right for the people they swore to protect. Just like us. The difference is that we survived, and they died. Well, that and them fighting for a tyrannical empire who is killing its very people, but when a few random kids were the only alternative… what were you supposed to do? What choices did you really have? So, we fought and now, we keep going because we can't stand what is happening in the present, but the future is ambiguous…

I hate war.


That cloud was definitely a bunny. A bunny-rabbit hopping along the grass. And that cloud nearby was… mmm… looked like a hawk. So, it was a hawk, watching the rabbit and wondering if it was worth the meal or not. It drifted faster than the rabbit-cloud, though, so…

"I can't believe you scaled this in the rain." So Aunt Lachesis could throw off my rather-morbid mental-story thing apparently. It took me a bit to adjust to being 'out of my head' and 'laying on the roof', but I pushed myself up to see her by the edge, looking down. "Seriously, I can hear Alicia fretting, and I think Chulainn would as well," she continued, looking a bit ill. Still, she smiled when she saw me sitting up. "Where did you all learn to climb like that?"

"Truthfully, I think it started with us trying to find additional places to hide," I answered after a moment. Was still a little dazed, and I was trying to figure out why she was on the roof. Or if she was even healthy enough to have climbed the ladder to here. She looked fine, but I knew by now that she was good at hiding pain. "When the soldiers came after us, I mean. If there was more room, we were less likely to make noise." I shrugged, unbothered by the memory, though Aunt Lachesis looked saddened by it. "I, at least, kept it up after we reached Tirnanog because Oifeye makes funny noises."

"That trickster streak is from Chulainn for sure." She sat down next to me, and giggled. "You wouldn't think it, based on how stoic he was, but he often pulled little pranks. Ayra's stories about their childhood hinted he was far worse as a kid."

"Really?" I hadn't know that! And I was tempted to ask more, but there were other worries. Sadly. "Did you come up here to share stories?"

"No, but I was looking for you. When I couldn't find you, I decided to look for Hestia and found her sitting below, whining as she sadly looked up at the roof." She shrugged. "So, I guessed you were here and, look, I was right."

"You were, but Hestia is supposed to be hunting with Lester?" I looked back up at the sky, though, and actually noticed the sun's position. "Or it could be later than I thought."

"Quite so." She smiled, but I saw the worry in her eyes. She must've started looking for me because of how late in the morning it was. "What has you so contemplative?"

"Well, truthfully, you caught me making up stories about the clouds, but…" I hesitated before sighing and laying down again, this time in her lap. She was startled for a moment, but relaxed quickly and began stroking my hair. "I came up here hoping that I could find an answer here."

"An answer to what?"

"Ishtore's questions." I had wondered if I came up here, where he had died, I could maybe 'hear' a whisper from his spirit or something. Something that would give me a hint to how I answered the next person who asked. "Who will protect the people if the Empire falls? Who will rule? Who will govern? What happens to the people after the war ends?"

"Did you find any answers?"

"No, not really…" I sighed and closed my eyes. She was comfy. Made me wish I had grown up with her, because I knew I would've taken all of my naps by her. She also had a really nice perfume that I needed to steal. Er, 'borrow'. "I mean; I know what people expect. They expect Seliph to rule, since he's the eldest grandchild of Kurth."

"Legally, the throne is his, so yes, I imagine people expect that."

"From there, there's who can inherit legally. Conall and I have claim to Velthomer, for instance." As did, of course, Julia and Julius. Julia also had claim to the throne itself due to being the Naga Major, but being the daughter of Arvis might dampen that possibility. "Arthur, Tine, Ishtar… and those other cousins Ishtore mentioned, Linde and Amid… they all have claim to Friege. Dozel can be ruled by Iuchar, Ulster, Larcei… and I think Iuchar's older brother is still alive, so perhaps it goes to him instead." Chalphy would probably go to Oifeye if Seliph didn't inherit it. No clue about Edda. I remembered the stories saying that Claude and Sylvia had a daughter, but who the hell knew if she was alive or not? "Jungby has Lester, Patty, Lana… and technically Febail, Patty's brother, but…"

"But there's Verdane's inheritance to consider."

"Exactly. Febail is Jamke's son, so he's rightfully the king of Verdane. Providing, of course, that we can prove that." Which was a whole different set of problems right then and there. Sure, Holy Blood helped mitigate some of that, but not all. Especially in Verdane's case, since Verdane had never been ruled by a Crusader. "Which, of course, leads into the other countries. Now, some are easy. Shanan will rule Isaach. Fee's brother, Ced, will rule Silesse since Lewyn's got his head shoved too far up his ass."

"Now where did you learn such crassness?" Aunt Lachesis laughed, genuinely amused. Since I had heard many stories about her unexpected knowledge of rude gestures and ruder language, I just rolled my eyes. Even as I thought of Lewyn's arms rotting… he'd taken to avoiding me once we had moved into Melgen. Probably to avoid giving me that explanation he had promised. "Those two are the only 'easy' ones though, huh?"

"Yeah. I doubt I need to talk about Agustria." She would know those issues far better than me. Far, far better. "Leonster has Leif, but the Manster District never really had a ruler over everything really. Sure, Leonster, but the rest? Just local lords. So, Darna, Melgen, Alster, Conote, Manster…" Unless they had surviving heirs, then there was no one to legally inherit them. "Thracia will likely keep to its line, which could cause potential problems due to what happened prior to all of this." Yied Massacre… the decades long war between Leonster and Thracia… "Miletos has also never had a 'ruler', just lords." So, again, unless heirs of the previous ones survived, then… "And that's just the legal aspects."

"The legal and expected."

"Right…" I absently began tracing patterns on the stone of the roof. Everyone had scrubbed it thoroughly to make sure all the blood had been washed off. "But then you have ability. I know people expect us to take charge and whatnot, but we're flailing about while trying to run an army, so how the hell are we supposed to run a country? Plus, there's..." I struggled for the words I wanted. "I know we will be involved with reconstructing. For one thing, we helped make the mess. For another, there are things that we… that I want to happen, and that can't just be left to someone else." I sighed. "But it feels wrong to simply answer his question with 'we will'." Yes, of course, we would protect the people as best as we could, but saying 'we will' to the ruling part? Felt so, so wrong.

"Because you do not seek out power." Aunt Lachesis switched from stroking my hair to braiding it. "You started this war because you were tired of seeing people suffer."

"And just look at what happened with Arvis. He tried the whole 'eliminate all the enemies' thing and he tried to usher Jugdral into a new age, and… well, he did, but in the worst way possible."

"Plus, whenever there is an empty spot for power, the position is always filled before long and there are only three outcomes. Better, same, or worse." She finished one braid and began another. "And with things as they are, it feels like 'worse' has a higher chance of happening."

"Yeah…" I closed my eyes, thinking. No wonder Ishtore's anxiety had frozen him up. All these thoughts bouncing in my head were enough to make me nauseous. "Then I think that it really is just too soon to find those answers anyway. We don't know who lives and all. We don't know who the people will accept."

"I think that last sentence is key for how you answer, Riona." Aunt Lachesis tapped my nose and I opened my eyes to see her smiling. "Who will the people accept? They who have suffered so much… they should choose."

"They picked Arvis." I closed my eyes again. "But, then again, Arvis was actually a good ruler for the people overall. He just got too ambitious and…"

"Too ambitious, and too convinced that he was correct, and not willing to trust more people. That's why he made an empire, so that only he ruled." Because he didn't trust anyone else to do what he wanted done, and because he believed he knew best. "Not really a problem with you lot, if you're what the people choose. And even if you're not, all that means that you all will help in other ways. That's how you are."

"I suppose that's true." I kept my eyes closed, until she tapped my nose again. Then I opened my eyes and made a face at her. "Am I being silly?"

"No, but I think you're putting too much energy in it. Keep it in the back of your head, but ultimately, Riona, I think you're right. It is too soon. You've gained victories, but there is still quite a long way to go. Too long." She smiled warmly at me. "If you think too far ahead, then you'll trip over your own feet. You don't have to see the end of your destination to know that you're heading there."

"Like how we can't see Leonster, but know we're going there." And how Ishtore's own feet froze on the path because he couldn't see what laid beyond. "Thanks, Aunt Lachesis."

"Of course." She giggled. "Now, that all said and done, I actually was looking for you to ask how things were going with Seliph."

"Well…" ...Oh, right. Aunt Lachesis was married. "Actually, I think things are going well, but if you don't mind a bit of a ramble…"

"Ramble away." She grinned and started putting another braid in my hair. "I'm here to listen."

I did end up rambling a lot, and not just about my relationship with Seliph. It went from how I was frustrated with how we had to basically schedule time together with everyone, to how I wasn't really sure about my role but I was trying to keep things running smoothly. To how worried I was about the children, and the new kittens. Then it switched back to relationships, basically just how to keep it going under stress and how to make time for more… private things. Aunt Lachesis listened closely and offered advice and examples as she could, while teasing me silly. It was… it was a different sort of conversation than I'd have with Aideen. A sort of conversation I should've had growing up, but didn't. But that was fine. I could make up for lost time. When Aunt Lachesis wasn't killing me with laughter, that is!


So, due to a combination of stress, weather, and forced closed quarters because of said weather, a lot of soldiers ended up sick from colds. This meant that soups were always cooking in the kitchen, teas were always brewing, and the entire duty/chore roster had to be fixed to account for the sick people. Which is wasn't as hard as it sounded, since we had seven very eager children wanting to help out (and a toddler that also wanted to help out, but was really too little, but Oifeye and Shanan found all sorts of things to make them think they were helping). Sure, we worried about the babies, since they really couldn't be around sick people, but Oifeye and Aunt Lachesis took care of them with ease, and there was always at least one person willing to babysit or take over the dreaded diaper duty. All in all, it was a relatively painless experience, though it did mean extra work. Not that I minded, truthfully. All the chores reminded me of Tirnanog and there was something very soothing about that.

"Wow, these numbers are so off…" Lana whimpered. While I made medicines at the table, she was doing inventory. Hestia was asleep at my feet. On my feet, rather, and not inclined to move one bit. "Ugh… we are definitely buying out the apothecary here. I'm so low on bunches of herbs."

"We should also learn the medicinal herbs native to these parts," I pointed out absently, more focused on my mixing than anything. It was rare for the infirmary to be so quiet, but with so many either sick (meaning they were in their own rooms) or working (meaning they were away from here), the place was empty save for Lana, Hestia, and me. Yuria was helping Arthur teach magic to some willing soldiers. "I highly doubt the Isaachian plants grow in these parts."

"Some of them, at least. Now, granted, Mother did make sure to teach us medicines that didn't use exclusive herbs, but…" She sighed and then frowned. "Ugh… who did inventory last time?"

"I'd have to look it up." I knew Aunt Lachesis had done it a couple of times, but someone else had handled it when we moved into Melgen. "Why?"

"Because these numbers are way off, and I know we didn't use that much after the battles and all." She frowned heavily. "Did we lose some when we had to dash out of the camp?"

"Could be, but let me see?" I finished my measurements and wiped my hands on a cloth before holding out my hand. She happily passed it over and I glanced through curiously. And frowned when I noticed something almost immediately. "Say, Lana?"

"Yeah?"

"Did it occur to you that the person just has messy as hell handwriting?" I looked up at her with a smirk and saw her pointedly looking away, blushing. Nope. She hadn't considered that at all. "I think that's the problem, given the way the little calculations in the margins look." It took some squinting to differentiate, for instance, the 'eights' and the 'threes'. But those calculations did help with puzzling out what was what, because whoever it was had at least been relatively consistent with it and was good at math. "I'll find out who it is to make sure their writing lessons are going well." We were, after all, still teaching people to read and write in the army. I wondered if we should set up self-defense classes again, as we had in Isaach. They had been fun, and it might help us build a better relationship with the people. I mean; we did market walks for that reason as well, but... "You're overworking, though. Sit down and rest. I have to have things sit anyway, so I'll 'translate' for you."

"I know I should protest, but I won't." Lana groaned and all-but-collapsed in the chair across from me. Hestia's ear twitched and she yawned and lifted her head, blinking sleepily. She then moved over to Lana and laid down at her feet. "Aw, you're so sweet, Hestia." Lana leaned down to scratch Hestia behind the ear. "Ugh… I'm exhausted."

"Like I said, you're overworking." With my feet free, I got up briefly to move things to the side and to fetch paper and pen. Then I sat back down to 'copy and translate'. "Give Yuria more duties. She's feeling useless."

"But she and Diarmuid have had this nice little atmosphere thing going on and I want to see what happens!" Lana sat up in her seat before resting her arms on the table, and her chin on her arms. The words reminded me of what Diarmuid had said. Seemed like he hadn't gotten around to asking the others yet, due to all the chaos. "I like giving her time so that I can watch! It's super cute!"

"Reminder that Yuria will no doubt have complexes due to her amnesia." Best to put that in now, because I had little doubts that we'd probably need to help Yuria through that. I honestly wondered if I should give Aunt Lachesis a head's up on it, though I'd have to word it carefully. I didn't want to betray secrets, even if it was to people I thought might be better at giving advice than me. "But if we want to talk relationships…"

"Why do I have a bad feeling suddenly?"

"You and Ulster." I looked up just in time for her to whimper and look away. "Normally, I wouldn't push, but he's noticed you avoiding him and it's bothering him." I frowned when she only whimpered again. "Now, if you want to talk about it with someone else, I'll change jobs with them. But, since this is starting to be awkward and uncomfortable…"

"It needs to get addressed before it becomes a huge problem." She groaned and hid her face in her arms. "Let me gather my thoughts?"

"Of course."

We sat in silence, the only sound being the distant sounds of laughter and chatter from the various soldiers. I worked on 'translating' the inventory list, and when I was done, finished up the medicines I had sitting. Then I started checking the inventory myself, noting that the lists weren't that off now. Granted, one or two were, but they were things like headache remedies, which we never had enough of. It was pretty funny how many headaches everyone seemed to get actually. But, all in all, it matched up well enough.

"Some of it is work," Lana finally began. I glanced back at her and saw that while she still had her face in her arms on the table, Hestia had sat up to rest her head in her lap. "It feels like everyone is always getting injured."

"So, the first order of business is definitely reevaluating the distribution of labor in the infirmary," I replied, checking the last few bits of the inventory. When that was done, I set the list on the table and rested a hand on her back. "Second order is going to be training more people to take over for you."

"Yeah, we had more, but that Fenrir assault…" Lana's voice caught and I kissed her head. Due to leaving to deal with the Shrine, I never did hear the final death toll of the Fenrir Assault. Clearly, it was worse than I could've thought. "So, that's part of it. I really am super busy. If not for Yuria, I'd probably have gone mad. Another reason why I like seeing her be cute with Diarmuid."

"Well, in addition to my first point, I think Yuria would also like to see you 'be cute' and having fun. She adores you as well." And those two needed to have a proper talk about this clearly. I'd nudge them in that direction a bit later. "You taking the work instead might make her think that she's not good enough." No 'might' about it, but...

"Yikes, that's the farthest thing from the truth." Lana pushed herself up to lean back in her chair, and I ran my hands through her hair soothingly. "Another part of it is… well, me being a bit jealous?"

"Of Patty?"

"Yeah, which I know is stupid on so many levels." She sighed and closed her eyes. Hestia pressed herself a little closer and Lana absently began petting her. "For one thing, it's not like we're not both equally helpful and all. Patty's an amazing scout."

"But her job as scout and thief means that she has many excuses to spend time with Ulster."

"Yeah, which my idiotic emotions wants to be like 'threat, threat, threat!', except I know she's super not interested." She made a face. "For one thing, if Patty is interested in anyone, it's Shanan, but even then, I think it's less 'romance' and more 'hero worship'. For another, something like that shouldn't stop me from spending time with him, but…"

"You feel awkward, know he'll pick up on it, then become more awkward…"

"Lather, rinse, repeat." She opened her eyes again and looked at me. "That's the basics, at least. The rest is just us juggling our schedules."

"We really do need to figure out ways to double-up or something. Clearly, we're all going mad because we're not spending enough time with each other." I smiled at her and she smiled back. "Now, with that said, I think the best way to go forward is actually to confess. Since that's causing have of the trouble."

"Now?!" Lana really did have the most adorable squeaky voice. It was all high and cute, like a little mouse. "We're in the middle of a war!"

"Mild reminder that we're alive because our parents got together during wars?" I also smirked, unable to help it. She immediately facepalmed. "And that I'm in a very happy relationship. During a war."

"Right, of all the excuses I could come up with, that's the dumbest one I probably could've ever said." She groaned and half-sprawled on the table. "Okay. Idea."

"Yes?"

"I confess. I run and hide with you."

"You talk with Ulster later, after you're a bit calmer?"

"Yep."

"So long as there's a later talk, I don't see the problem." I leaned down to rub her back. "We'll actually set it up where you're meeting or doing something with me, so that the excuse of 'she is working' is true. And we'll have Hestia with us to cuddle with." Hestia barked to emphasize my words. "See? You just tell me when."

"Today. Or tomorrow. If I don't do it soon, I'll keep finding excuses."

"You got it." But since we were being much too serious, I decided to start tickling her, making her shriek with laughter. Hestia barked and jumped about, eager to play as well. "Now, let's see a smile!"

"Mercy, mercy!" Lana laughed and laughed, though she also almost fell out of her chair. Hestia kept her balanced, though, and Lana hugged her. "Whoo… I think I did need that laugh and to get all that out of my head." She looked up at me and smiled. "Thanks, Riona."

"What else are big sisters for?" I grinned. "Besides teasing you silly."

"Speaking of teasing…" Lana smirked and immediately rushed into the back room before returning to set down some medicines. "I got these for the army, but you might want to go ahead and get used to taking them."

"What are they?" I picked up one of the vials curiously, trying to find a label. "Something new?"

"Contraceptives. I'm not dealing with any birthings, thank you very much."

"Lana!" I pretended to be scandalized, but I ended up laughing far too hard to pretend for long. "For crying out loud! We barely even get to spend ten minutes together! So not enough time."

"That's why I said get used to taking them!" She giggled. "Come on! Let me have fun! For the time being, I only get to have this conversation with you and Seliph!"

"Fine, fine." I sat down again and beckoned Hestia to come to my side so that I could pet her. Which, of course, she did. "Just for you."

"Because you love me so~"

"Because I love you so, yes."


"Seems like you're doing a good job so far, Sandas," I praised, petting his leopard-kitten and carefully checking said kitten over. It took a moment to remember Sandas had named him 'Mursi', after Mursili, mostly because Sandas was the only one to come up with a name so far for his kitten. "Aw, but he's a sleepy one, isn't he~?" Mursi yawned and blinked slowly at me before trying to curl up. "No, no, sleepyhead. I've still got to poke you a bit."

Since I had been the one who let Inanna, Anat, and Sandas have the leopards, I decided to also be the one making sure the three were taking care of them properly. Not all that hard, since I liked animals and I did try to keep a close eye on all ten of the children, even if I interacted primarily with those three. So, since Sandas had a break from his messenger duties, we were in my room while I checked Mursi on my table, with Sandas watching in fascination with how I pulled open Mursi's mouth to check his teeth and poked about to make sure there were no lumps or anything.

"He makes this word sort of snort sound sometimes," Sandas told me, drinking some warm milk with honey. I had noticed him shaking a little when he brought Mursi in, and made him some since it always comforted me. Thankfully, he seemed to like it. "Er... weird. Not word."

"I knew what you meant," I reassured, smiling briefly at him before returning to my checkover. A snort, though… ah, I remembered reading something about that. "I think that sound is a chuffle."

"Chuffle?"

"Yep. Animals make all sorts of noises to communicate. Chuffles are used for greetings, or to express excitement." And courting, but I was fairly certain Mursi was still too young for that. Hopefully. Didn't want more baby-kittens about, no matter how cute they were. "He's just saying he's glad you're here."

"I'm glad he's here too!" Sandas beamed, though I had to bite back a laugh at the little milk-mustache he had. "He's soft and cuddly! Makes me feel better when the nightmares come."

"Animals are very comforting, aren't they?" I reached over to ruffle Sandas's hair and then picked up Mursi to smile at him. "Well, near as I can tell, he's a healthy, sleepy boy. With a very round tummy from all the yummies he's been eating." I kissed his nose and then set him back down on the table, where he promptly curled up to sleep. "Hee… someone wants a nap!"

"Wish I could go to sleep that fast." Sandas poked Mursi, who pawed at his hand, and then he smiled up at me. "Thank you for letting us keep them."

"Of course." I rubbed his back and took his mug from him, noticing it was empty. "Ah, do you want more milk or-"

"Well, this looks lively." The door burst open and Hestia rushed over and jumped up to brace herself on my arm to lick my face. Then she went to lick Sandas's face, to his laughter. "Sorry, to interrupt, but she was whimpering and whining, so I knew she missed you," Seliph continued from the door, grinning. It took me a moment to remember that she had been with Seliph, since he had gone to visit the people of Melgen and needed a 'guard'. Who better than Hestia? "Next time, you should come with me."

"Is that your way of asking me out on a date?" I teased, giggling. Since Hestia was playing with Sandas, I skipped over to Seliph and kissed him. "Our last 'date' did get rudely interrupted." I frowned as I studied his face, though, and touched his cheek. He was paler than normal, and I thought I saw bags under his eyes. "Bad rumors in town?"

"Surprisingly, no. Seems like everything is still well."

"Then you didn't sleep last night. Too much work?"

"No, I kept tossing and turning." He smiled bitterly now, and reached up to hold my hand on his face. "I keep thinking of General Liza and Ishtore. I know I didn't interact at all with Ishtore, but…"

"Reminds you of Iucharba."

"Sort of. Iucharba didn't join us because he was afraid of what would happen if we failed. Ishtore didn't join us because he was afraid of what would happen if we succeeded." He glanced over to where Sandas was happily distracted with Hestia, before continuing quietly. "I really just want to run. I know I can't, that we can't, but…"

"You never were one for fighting." I leaned forward to rest my forehead against his, smiling gently at him. "And it's hard, having to fight knowing that you're killing good people."

"I really feel like we should've had a better plan or something before we started this. But, at the same time, if we didn't…" Would there have even been a Jugdral to save? So much was going on. So much pain and suffering. "I stand by my words. We can't simply stand by and let so many people suffer. But I still wish…"

"We will find answers for the next one. You'll see." I continued smiling, and he slowly smiled back, relieved. "And we'll keep going. We'll make a world Ishtore and Liza would've wanted. A world Iucharba would've wanted. It'll be hard, and it might take a long time, but we'll do it."

"One of these days, I'm going to figure out how you know what to say to lighten my spirit."

"Maybe you're just easy to read~?" I grinned now and he laughed. "Or it could simply be because I love you very much. Always have, and always will."

"And I, you. Always and forever."

"Are you two going to going to try and bite each other's faces off or something?" Sandas asked dryly. We both looked to see he was hugging Hestia, looking very unamused at both of us. Hestia, of course, was panting happily, her tail wagging away. "Like Mursili and Maliya. I don't know why they try. Why would you want to bite someone you love?"

"...So many answers to that, and none of them appropriate for an eight year old," Seliph noted. I had to hide my smile and laugh by leaning on his shoulder. "I'm assuming you mean something different from kissing?"

"Is it kissing when tongues and teeth get involved?" Sandas shrugged and I really had to struggle to not laugh. Seliph wrapped an arm around me to help me better hide said struggle because oh dear gods. "They get mad when I ask. Maybe because I interrupt them first on accident."

"I think that's a conversation to have when you're older. Like… fourteen or fifteen or something."

"That's so long!"

"Yes, well…"

"My lady!" Niamh slid to a stop by my door, and her dark expression showed she wasn't here to joke around. In fact, the worried light in her eyes made me go to my closet and get my armor. "Ah, and your highness! Good, I was trying to find you as well," she continued. I quickly changed into more battle-ready clothes and Seliph helped me get my armor on. "There's a group of what appears to be refugees heading towards us, but they're under assault from soldiers wearing Friege colors."

"And Fee is out checking Darna and all the cavaliers are out to practice riding," Seliph groaned, facepalming. I kissed his cheek and went to get my swords. Hestia helpfully grabbed one with her teeth and dragged it to me. "Need to let Lana know, and get patrols and the like set as well…" He closed his eyes briefly and then looked at me. "Rounds of reinforcement?"

"That sounds good to me," I replied. I made a point to ruffle Sandas's hair before going over to kiss Seliph. "I'll take Niamh and whoever else can move out this instance."

"Yes, that'll work." He sighed and smiled. "Never a dull day with an army, huh?"

"You know it!" I winked and headed out the door where Niamh waited. "Don't keep me waiting! I'll have Hestia sit on you if you do~!"

Hestia and I followed Niamh at a run, recruiting other soldiers along the way. Then we were out of the castle and out of the city, heading to the eastern woods. The refugees thankfully weren't too far, and we quickly came up on the battle taking place, with Friege soldiers fighting noticeably tired guards doing their best to keep the rest safe. As soon as we were within range, I stopped, rocking back on my heels to move with the momentum, and drew my Fire Sword to burn the ones closest to the group. Now, since these were Friege soldiers, and therefore wielding thunder magic, I quickly sheathed it again to use Dad's silver blade for the rest of this fight, but for an opening attack, it was pretty good, in my opinion. Certainly shocked the enemy soldiers, and left them wide open for the other long-ranged soldiers in my little group. And Hestia. Hestia leapt on one very close to a young girl with long silver hair and tore their throat out before snarling at the rest. And that was when the rest fell on them.

"Keep them away from the refugees," I ordered, dodging a thunder spell. A soldier came close, but I whirled and cut through their neck. A second one tried to stab me in the back, but Hestia snapped up their leg and I gutted them. "Hold their attention!" There weren't really enough of us to form a defensive line, sadly, but we could at least confuse the enemy and give the guards a breather. "And don't be reckless, got it? Just keep them busy!"

'Keep them busy' was far too accurate. Despite this being a refugee group, there were a lot of soldiers, hinting that some Very Important People were among these refugees. Or that Bloom was such an uptight asshole that he wanted to make sure no one ran. Or both. Really, it could be anything, and it wasn't as if I had time to really think about it. I was too busy trying to not lose some limbs. And keeping track of Hestia as best as I could because this was definitely not fun. Even less so than typical battles.

"Down!" At the voice, I dropped to a knee instinctively and felt someone use my shoulder-back area as a stepping stone to launch themselves into the air. Took me a moment to realize it was Ulster and I watched him bring down his axe on a heavily armored soldier, right where the armor didn't quite cover the neck and collarbone. The result was a spray of blood and a half-decapitated soldier. I almost called out the dramatics, but saw another heavily armored soldier aiming a javelin at Ulster's back, so I instead I focused on them instead. And invoked Luna because why not? Had to match the drama and all (and it was an accident anyway because I was still learning how to properly use it). While that soldier fell apart in a rain of blood and metal shards, a mage tried to attack me. But the mage soon fell apart in ten pieces because Larcei used Astra to announce her arrival.

"What?" she asked, smirking when she saw me looking. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, desperately trying to not grin. "Fall in love with me again or something?"

"Always, Larcei," I deadpanned, glancing over my shoulder to where Ulster was. He was looking around, being serious. As always. "What made you want to jump off my back, Ulster?"

"I keep saying he's got the dramatic streak of us two. He's just quiet about it."

"I can believe it."

"I actually planned on jumping over you, but miscalculated by jump," Ulster answered, smiling sheepishly. I had to laugh at that because that made almost too much sense. "How's your shoulder? Back? What did I even step on?"

"I'm fine for now, but I'll get checked," I promised him. He walked over to give me a quick hug and a kiss to the temple. "Okay, so you're my first round of reinforcements? Good, because there's a lot of soldiers for one group of refugees."

"Think there's something more to it?"

"Isn't there always?" Larcei pointed out dryly. She turned to look over the field, and Ulster and I did the same, backs to each other. Hestia barked and wiggled her way between us to get to my side, fur matted with blood. I petted her head with my free hand. "And there's our favorite wolf. Three, two, one… let's rip them apart!"

The three of us split off, shouting orders and coordinating a bit better so that the refugees were more protected. A bit difficult, since we were still outnumbered and there were still a lot of enemy soldiers. And then there were even more, because for some damn reason, these soldiers had reinforcements. However, that bit of panic-worry didn't last all that long. Why? Well, in the blink of an eye, the soldiers' reinforcements were corpses, blood spraying from multiple lacerations as they fell. And, in the middle of the soldiers was Shanan. For a moment. Then he disappeared again, confusing the enemy until he appeared again to slice them apart, a phantom dancing on the battlefield. I couldn't help but stare, startled and entranced, and I saw Larcei had done the same. Hestia, by my side as always, licked my hand to help me remember that there was a lot of things going on. A lot of things. Like more reinforcements for us.

"Set up a defensive line around the civilians!" Seliph's order rang over the chaos easily, and I saw him cut down one mage effortlessly, before briefly switching to his Lightning tome to deal a critical blow to an armored soldier for someone else to finish off. "I want some scouts in the forest in case there are more reinforcements hiding there," he continued ordering. "Magic users, prioritize the heavily armored ones. And someone keep an eye on Shanan. He didn't put on armor. Again."

"I swear; next time we have a battle, we're sitting him down and forcing armor on him," Larcei grumbled, scowling. Absently petting Hestia, I looked around for any archers, but thankfully, it seemed they relied on their mages for long-range support. And there were less of them. "I'll tie him up if I have to." She froze, and I desperately had to bite back laughter. Best part was that Seliph was close enough to overhear that and his 'I am totally a dignified leader' mask cracked instantly as he muffled his own laughter. "You know what I meant!"

"Sure." Seliph did try to stop laughing, but he really couldn't. "Of course I did."

"Seliph!" Larcei growled and pushed his head. "Oh, whatever! I'm helping Ulster."

"Have at it, murder twins."

"Are all of you going to call us that?!"

With a bit of laughter that didn't suit the battle at all, we jumped into the fray, now focused on eliminating the enemy now that there were enough of our soldiers to actually protect the refugees. I blocked and dodged as needed, working in tandem with Hestia to bring down the enemy. I thought about switching to my Fire Sword again, but decided against it when I saw the thunder mages still about. I would need to start carrying a tome for those sorts of battles, but for now, Dad's silver blade held up very nicely. And it wasn't like we had to hold out for long. The sound of hooves hitting the ground announced that all too clearly. I couldn't help but grin as the cavalry arrived, literally, and Hestia even howled a greeting for them. Led by Diarmuid and Iuchar, with Lester and his archers providing covering fire, the cavalry circled around to limit the ranges of the battlefield and herding the soldiers into much closer quarters. Leaving them wide open for the rest of us. So, it wasn't long at all until the last of the enemies fell, and all that was left was tending to the wounded, mercy-killing those who wouldn't make it, and dealing with any stragglers. Which meant, for me, checking on the refugees. Or, specifically, their guards, since one or two were actually on the ground from everything.

"Sorry to just appear out of nowhere like that," I half-joked, helping one up from where she had fallen. And did a bit of a double-take because she was gorgeous, though thankfully, I quickly found something that I could use to excuse the reaction. "Ah, this is falling out, though." I fixed the feather ornament tucked behind her ear and smiled. "You okay?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine," the girl replied. She returned her rather unusual sword to its sheath and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for coming when you did. We've been fighting off Friege soldiers for days and healing magic doesn't cure exhaustion."

"Nope, it doesn't." I smiled reassuringly at her and almost directed her to just… sit down or something. However, that was when I noticed something. She had shortish blonde hair, the same shade as Diarmuid's, and her features resembled Aunt Lachesis. Her eyes, however, were a very beautiful blue, and I knew Uncle Finn… had blue eyes… "What's your name?"

"Oh, pardon my rudeness!" She smoothed out her skirt and bowed. "My name is Nanna. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." I had to grin, because I was right. On multiple levels, actually. "Hey, Diarmuid!" I twisted to find him, eventually spotting him dismounted and by his horse, talking to Iuchar about something or another. "Your little sister is just as adorable as I thought she'd be!"

"Yeah, yeah, gloat about being right all you like," Diarmuid immediately replied, barely paying attention to what I'd said. Then he froze and whirled to look at me. "Wait, what?!"

"Little sister," I repeated, pointing to Nanna for emphasis. Her eyes were wide from shock, and she covered her mouth to muffle a gasp. "Right here. Super adorable. Totally going to spoil her silly."

"I… huh?" Diarmuid, of course, looked like I had Hestia tackle him from behind. Which was hilarious. "Um…"

"Get your fine ass over here and hug your little sister, will you?" I winked at him. "Before I steal the first hug." I actually had to jump back to avoid getting trampled because Diarmuid rushed over, sweeping Nanna up in a crushing hug and actually spinning her. Not that Nanna seemed to mind. She hugged him just as tightly, crying and smiling at the same time.

"Finally… Finally!" Nanna managed through her tears. Diarmuid set her down and he used his sleeve to wipe the worst of the tears away. "Ah, I'm sorry… I've just… I've wanted to meet you since I was little! And I…"

"Easy, there's no reason to apologize for crying," Diarmuid reassured, smiling and wiping more of the tears away. I stepped a little further back, hovering near just in case. "If I wasn't still flooded with battle-fever, I'd probably be bawling too." Diarmuid caught my eye and nodded, subtly telling me that he was fine. I nodded back and winked again before turning away to let them have their meeting.

Instead, I walked to the other guard who was close by, a boy with brown hair who wore white armor and carried another unusual sword. And was staring in wonder at Seliph, who was giving orders to the soldiers. "You keep looking longingly at him like that, and I'm going to have to eliminate my competition," I teased, grinning. He promptly yelped and stumbled back, startled. "Relax, I'm joking." I steadied him and bit back a laugh. It wouldn't be nice, since I'd surprised him so. "I'm Riona. You are?"

"Um… Leif," he answered softly. He smiled shyly, but there was something charming about it as well. Reminded me of Seliph, though the smiles were by no means the same. "Leif, of Leonster."

"Seliph's cousin, right? Nice to meet you." I took his hand and tugged him along, pausing when he stumbled again. "Would you like me to carry you? You're obviously exhausted."

"N-no, I'm fine." He looked down and I thought he was blushing from embarrassment under the dirt and sweat. "Just… um…"

"Exhausted. And why wouldn't you be? Leonster is quite the distance from here, and you've been protecting them all this time. That's amazing, but even the strongest shields need to be tended to." I smiled warmly at him, and he hesitantly smiled back. "But here, I'm sure Seliph can explain that better than me." I waved at Seliph to catch his attention, and saw him excuse himself from whatever conversation he had been having. "My dearest love, I've brought you a present!"

"As always, you're the sweetest, darling," Seliph immediately replied, drawing the words out to make them dry. I laughed and noticed the nearby soldiers also laughing and being amused. I was glad our antics lifted their spirits. Gave us more excuse to keep them up! "Is this the leader of the guards? You did an amazing job."

"He is, or so I assume, but there's something more important about him, Seliph," I explained, stepping back to nudge Leif forward. He was back to being shocked, probably because he'd made it to the end of such a long journey. "Meet Leif."

"Leif? You're Leif?" Seliph stared for a moment, startled, before smiling brightly and hugging Leif tightly. "Welcome, cousin! I'm so glad to finally meet you!"

"Likewise…" Leif replied. Slowly, he hugged Seliph back and rested his head on Seliph's shoulder. "Ha… I really can't believe it. I'm meeting family. I didn't think I ever would."

"I wish we had gotten here sooner to help you," Seliph murmured. Sensing how tired Leif was, he loosened his hug slightly so that it was more supportive and rubbed Leif's back. "I'm really impressed by everything I've heard. Lasting for so long..."

"We might not have had to endure if not for my own weakness."

"Hey, now… don't talk like that. It was your strength that held your people together."

I decided to leave the two then, and skipped over to where Larcei and Ulster were squabbling about something in the middle of everything. "Should I ask or should I distract?" I asked them. Both of them just pointed to Shanan, who was bleeding and, no doubt, had refused treatment. Instead, he helped Iuchar with moving the dead. "Do we have to gang up on him or something?"

"I think we just need to figure out how Aideen made him behave," Ulster grumbled, while Larcei just sighed gustily. I hugged him to reassure him and glanced around curiously for Hestia, since she normally handled reassuring people or nudging us into being smart about our health. However, I soon saw her with Lester, getting treats and, of course, treats took all the priority. "Well, we'll take care of that later, I suppose. Lana, Yuria, and Lachesis were setting up an outdoor infirmary when we left, so I'm sure we can snatch some bandages or something."

"Sounds like a plan." I took Larcei's hand and leaned into her and she leaned back. "What are the others doing?"

"Patty and Arthur were helping, since Arthur is still recovering from the fight with Ishtore and Patty didn't feel like she'd be much help out here. Oifeye is fortifying Melgen's defenses."

"Fee not back yet?"

"Not quite yet, but she's due back soon." Ulster frowned suddenly. "Diarmuid is…" Larcei and I turned to look at where Diarmuid wasl, and saw he was still with his adorable little sister, but was also glancing over at us, silently asking for help. We wondered for what, since it seemed like the conversation was going well, but then Diarmuid mouthed 'mother' and we realized what was going on. He wanted Nanna to know about Aunt Lachesis, but he had no idea how to bring it up.

"Is she still apologizing for crying, Diarmuid?" Larcei asked as soon as we realized what was going on. Lester glanced over at us, frowning because it seemed like she was 'interrupting', but relaxed and went back to spoiling Hestia when Ulster smiled to reassure him. I caught Seliph's eye over Leif's head to wink, just to let him know, and Seliph smiled back, more focused on Leif but grateful nonetheless. "Seriously, Nanna, Diarmuid was crying a river when he saw Lachesis. You're fine!"

"Wait, Mother?" Nanna asked, stilling again. I saw Shanan frown and immediately head over us, no doubt to scold for tactlessness, but I moved to be in the way and Ulster covered Shanan's mouth to make sure he didn't say anything. "Mother is… but wait…"

"Yeah, we rescued her from the Yied Shrine, sadly after we sent back reply letters." Larcei grinned, laughing. "And, again, Diarmuid was bawling like a baby!"

"I wasn't that bad!" Diarmuid protested, scowling briefly. He smiled and winked at her, though, quietly thanking her. Ulster uncovered Shanan's mouth now that things were going smoothly and all. "But yeah, Mother is here too, Nanna."

"Oh, now I really wish I had convinced Father to come with us!" Nanna complained, stomping her foot. I glanced around and noticed that Uncle Finn really wasn't among them. That was a bit disappointing. "Argh!"

"Relax, Nanna. We just have to wait a little longer to see Mother faint. Or Father. Or both. Both would be hilarious." Diarmuid grinned, laughing. "Though, why did he remain behind? You and Leif are both here."

"Well…"

"Knowing Finn, he remained behind because he knows Leonster Castle well, so he can assist in making the defenses as efficient as possible, and because he's known for being Leif's protector, so if he remains, then people think that Leif is still there," Shanan rattled off with ease. He laughed when Nanna gawked, and I saw Leif had lifted his head up from Seliph's shoulder to do the same. "He hasn't changed much over the years, it seems."

"And… um…" Nanna began. She tentatively took Diarmuid's sleeve. Diarmuid moved to take her hand instead. "Who are you?"

"Shanan."

"...You're Shanan?!"

"And now I worry about what stories Finn has told."

Shaking my head, I decided to leave my group entirely and go back to checking on the refugees, as I probably should've done earlier. I spoke to the closest ones, asking about how they were doing and reassuring them that Melgen wasn't far, until someone took my hand. A young girl, fifteen or so, with very long silver hair and matching eyes that seemed to see much more than they should.

"Hello, lady wolfy-wolf," she greeted, her voice lilting a bit almost like she was singing. Or had read a lot of poems or something. "You're Conall's twin sister, aren't you?" She smiled sweetly, and I automatically smiled back. "You're much prettier than I thought."

"Considering the messy state I'm in, that is definitely a compliment," I joked, laughing. After all, I was all sweaty and bloody from the fight. "But yes, I'm Riona, Conall's elder twin. You are?"

"Sara." She continued studying me, still smiling. "Hee… you burn and shine, brighter than him. Dawn to his dusk, perhaps? That might be more accurate. Though I'm not sure I like the implication of him falling into darkness, but then again, without the night, we wouldn't have rest. Hmm… maybe more like the moon? Or a star? Always there, but always changing?"

"That so?" I was very confused by what she was saying, but hey, I'd dealt with weirder. And there were all sorts of magics in the word, so for all I knew, this was related to something like that. "I guess we're the twilight twins, then?"

"Oh, that's a fun phrase!" She tugged me along, pulling me towards the center of the refugee group. "But I'm distracted. Here, let's talk with Linoan." She pointed to a pink-haired girl who was calming a couple of crying children with a calm and gentle smile. "She and I have been doing what we could to keep everyone healthy, but the staves were breaking…"

"No worries. We've still got plenty." I waved when 'Linoan' looked up, and she smiled with relief. "Let's hear what's been going on, then." From there, we'll make a plan. Ha… it actually wasn't much different from treating the people from the labor camps. Except these people were much healthier, thankfully. Gods showed some mercy, at least. Sort of. Maybe.

Ah, whatever. Didn't matter. There were people to help, and that was more important.


Getting everyone to Melgen was a bit difficult. So many were tired and aching that we did our best to get as many on the horses as we could, and we carried others still. Adorably, Diarmuid actually carried Nanna on his back and the two talked quietly as we led everyone inside. Some refused to ride or be carried, so instead, they leaned on others. Leif, for instance, leaned on Seliph while Seliph led Diarmuid's horse. A few used Hestia as a crutch, just as she did for those from the camps. I actually ended up helping Sara and Linoan, keeping them up and balanced while they babbled about this and that. I worried about the other walkers, but I saw Shanan had it in order. He had a lot of practice with this, after all.

"Hi! Welcome!" However, there was one big surprise when we made it into Melgen and to the castle grounds. All eight of the non-baby children were waiting for us with bright smiles and brighter greetings. "Here, we'll show you where to go!" Anat continued, carrying her borrowed-doll in one hand and bracing her sleeping leopard-kitten against her shoulder with the other. "Come on, come on!"

"Well, certainly didn't expect that," I murmured, helping Sara and Linoan inside. I thought about following them, but then I saw Inanna, who had her leopard-kitten draped over her shoulders, almost like a shawl or scarf. As I walked over to her, I wondered how comfortable it was, but the kitten was perfectly pleased. "That was a warm greeting."

"We were trying to figure out how we could help, and thought that maybe seeing some people their age would at least help the children feel a bit more comfortable," Inanna explained shyly, looking down. She smiled, though. "I suggested it to Oifeye and Lachesis, and they thought it would be a good idea, so…"

"I think it worked." It certainly did. I just had to glance over to see the renewed energy in the group. Especially the children. "Ah, but I'm sure I'm keeping you from doing that. Let me know if a problem comes up, okay?"

"Of course." Inanna grinned and immediately went to help some children her age, reassuring them and the like. I smiled, watching all of them, and half-wondered if this was also a way to try and mitigate any 'burn the Loptyrians!' reactions. I hoped we wouldn't have problems like that, but if they showed up… well, we were putting our foot down for sure.

But that was for the future. Since things were running smoothly, I decided there was a conversation I needed to eavesdrop on and that was Diarmuid bringing Nanna over to where Aunt Lachesis was tending to someone's wounded arm. Even better, I saw that Seliph was helping Leif limp over as well, so I, of course, went to watch. I wasn't the only one. Larcei, Ulster, and Lester all decided to share my hiding place. To be fair, it had a good view.

"Mother!" Nanna called, waving. Aunt Lachesis looked up from her work and nearly dropped the bandages she held. She quickly finished up, making sure to check her patient, and then rushed over just as Seliph helped Nanna down off Diarmuid's back. "Oh, Mother! I'm so glad to see you!" Nanna and Aunt Lachesis hugged each other tightly, with Nanna crying again and Aunt Lachesis kissing her hair and rocking her. "You're so thin…"

"It happens when you're a captive, but I'll be fine. Especially now that I can see that my baby girl is well," Aunt Lachesis murmured, fighting back her own tears. She let go of Nanna, so that Nanna could wipe her eyes, and gathered up Leif in a hug too. "And look at you, Leif! You're so tall now!"

"Father says he's about the same height as Quan."

"Mmm… yes, I can see that. Certainly taller than Ethlyn." Aunt Lachesis pulled away to study Leif's face, and Leif was definitely struggling to not cry. "Ha… you look a lot like a younger Quan. I can definitely see Ethlyn in you, but you definitely took more after him." She kissed his forehead and then pulled both Leif and Nanna into hugs. "Ah, I'm so relieved. I knew you two would be fine, especially with Finn around, but it's so good to actually see that."

"And we're relieved to see you, Mother. Leif's so relieved that he can't even speak!" Nanna grinned and Leif rolled his eyes. "Father isn't with us, though."

"Of course he's not. In a situation like this, he can protect you better by being in Leonster and making the enemy think you're still there, so that's exactly what he's going to do." Aunt Lachesis shrugged and Nanna and Leif both laughed, with Nanna beaming. I knew I was smiling too, since… well, she'd been separated for so long, yet she still knew her husband so very well. I found it adorable. Super adorable, actually. "Ah, but here I am getting weepy and we need to check you over." Aunt Lachesis reached around Nanna and Leif to snag Diarmuid and Seliph, who were attempting to sneak away. "Nope, you two are getting check-ups too. Come on."

Since the reunion was over, we eavesdroppers scattered to ensure everything kept going smoothly. Ulster and Lester, for instance, focused on keeping everyone organized, while Larcei worked with Iuchar to get names and medical history. I walked around to make sure everyone was comfortable, teaming up with Patty since she was doing the same, though she focused more on passing out food. I was curious about where Hestia was, but a quick look showed her near Arthur, keeping him calm as he interacted with multiple people and clearly trying to keep from being sarcastic. Shanan and Oifeye talked for a while in the corner, probably discussing how best to defend the place and where everyone would stay, before splitting off to help where he could.

"Riona, get over here!" Of course, once the initial wave calmed, Lana snagged my hand and pulled me over to her area to get my own check-up. "Seliph and Diarmuid are the only ones who were good and got checked immediately," she grumbled, carefully checking me over while I sat very still. I decided against telling her that the two had tried to escape initial healing as well. Aunt Lachesis was just too quick. "What did you do to your shoulder and back?" She prodded around an area and I winced at the pain. Bruised for sure. "Did you get kicked or something?"

"Eh, something like that, I suppose," I replied. I knew that if I said 'Ulster used me as a stepping stone', she would freak out. "Anything bad?"

"No, not really. That's a bad bruise, but everything else seems fine." Lana got her staff and began tending to it. "I'll want to check on you in the morning, but I think you're good."

"Awesome." I held still to let her finish up and then I turned to hug her. "Though, it does seem like our 'plan' will have to wait until tomorrow." I kissed her cheek and smiled hopefully. "There are a couple of healers in this group, though. Sara and Linoan. Make sure you meet them."

"Oh, yay, good!" Lana beamed. "And yes, tomorrow. I'll be busy all day with this. But if I don't do it tomorrow, scold me."

"Of course." I kissed her cheek again and stood up. "Get Hestia or me if someone tries to flirt with you instead of letting you do your job."

"I think you'll tell because I'll be hitting them in the head with my staff." Still, Lana giggled. "But I will. It's always fun seeing people's reactions to Hestia."

"I know, right?"

I left her to her next patient and wandered through, making sure no one was overwhelmed. A few of the refugees were crying, because they were safe after so many days on the run, and I did my best to comfort each one I found. The children helped a lot here, as did Hestia (who got a quick bath at some point so that she wasn't quite as bloody). Inanna even did what I often did with Hestia and let people pet her leopard-kitten to help them calm down. I ran into Patty and Arthur a lot while comforting refugees, with Arthur using the fact that he'd been there recently to help reassure them and Patty doing little sleight of hand tricks to make them laugh and focus on other things. However, in the middle of it all, I noticed that I couldn't see Larcei or Shanan. Everyone else was clearly visible, but not them. So, I decided to look for them, because Shanan had been hurt. And I eventually found them in one corner of the courtyard with Larcei tending to Shanan's injuries. And promptly made sure to hide so that I could eavesdrop properly. Because fun.

"Shanan, seriously, we already know you're not invincible, so you don't have to pretend," Larcei groused, tying bandages around the wounds on his arm. Shanan, perhaps wisely, kept silent and let her work. They were both sitting down on the ground, like most of the others in our impromptu courtyard-infirmary thing. "Don't care if you have a fancy-smancy sword now-"

"Did you just call Balmung a 'fancy-smancy sword'?" Shanan repeated incredulously. He smiled slightly, mostly in disbelief. "Really?"

"What? It is!" She scowled. "Anyway, seriously, it will kill you if you don't get things treated."

"Ha… sorry. It's not…" Shanan fell quiet, clearly thinking about his answer. "I remember Alicia."

"Huh?"

"Whenever I get bandaged, whenever I get healed, I remember Alicia. I remember Claude as well, but Alicia was my primary healer, from the very start." He smiled sadly, watching Larcei continue to bandage. "And it hurts. I miss her. I miss all of them. And I'm afraid that I'll breakdown, and that's not needed on the field. That can't be afforded on the field."

"...Shanan…"

"That's all. It's not a feeling of invincibility per se. It's a 'I have to keep moving' sort of thing. Which I'm sure Alicia would've scolded me over." Now his smile was bitter. "Of course, I'd give just about anything to hear her scold me even now. Or Uncle Lex teasing me. Or Sigurd's laugh." He shook his head and sighed. "But such things are impossible now. I should've tried to explain that to you all sooner, huh? I'm sorry."

"Well, it's nice to know it's not you being stupid." Larcei smiled slightly. "Never thought it might be tied to them, though. So, I should probably apologize for grousing. If you promise to at least get checked…"

"I will. Promise."

"Then we're all good." Larcei smiled warmly at him now. "We just don't want you to die. So, if you promise to not die, then we're fine. We all love you, you know?"

"Well, now I feel guilty." Shanan made a face and Larcei laughed. And blushed, but I didn't think Shanan noticed. "Ah, but I should I should apologize as well." He smiled wryly when she looked confused. "When you told Nanna about Lachesis, I was ready to scold you. But Diarmuid actually asked for help, didn't he?"

"He did, but it's not like you could've seen it." She shrugged, unbothered. "Besides, I normally am the tactless one. Might as well take advantage of it. Not many opportunities for that. There's a reason we send Diarmuid and Riona off to do the talking, after all."

Though I was tempted to continue eavesdropping, a feather fell on my shoulder right then, and I looked up to see Fee had returned at last. No doubt noticing how busy everything was, she landed in the far corner of the courtyard, and looked very flabbergasted when I ran over to greet her. "Wow, I missed a lot," she noted. I could only smile and shrug. "Anyway, Darna is still not moving, but…" She hesitated before whispering. "I thought I saw a group leave Alster. Not enough to be an army, but…" She shrugged. "You'll want to get Fa… to get it double-checked, of course."

"Yes, that is interesting," I murmured, tugging Fee into a hug. Fee tucked herself under my chin, so I made sure to hold her. "Okay, I'll let Seliph know. You should submit to health checks."

"Wow, 'submit'. You'd think the healers ruled around here. Oh, wait." She laughed and I grinned. "I'll get checked as soon as I get Annand all settled in."

"Got it!" I kissed her cheek and winked before darting back to the main group, searching for Seliph.

However, Seliph found me first, and took my hand to pull me towards him. "Saw Fee land," he whispered in my ear. A couple of the soldiers gave us indulgent looks. "Anything?"

"Might have a group coming from Alster, and Darna is still playing the 'waiting game'," I replied. Since we took Melgen so quickly, it was likely that they were waiting for us to let down our guard or get caught up with fighting Alster before moving. Damn it. "Lewyn should check on the wind."

"Whenever he decides to show up. I wonder where he is." Seliph shrugged and kissed me softly. However, we were both startled by sudden yelps and turned to see Leif and Nanna nearby, both blushing badly and not looking at us. They had been eating the soup Patty had made, but now, they seemed determined to not look at anything, actually. "Everything okay over there?"

Leif and Nanna both insisted they were fine, and it took a bit of questioning to learn it was simply because they were startled by how 'bold' Seliph and I were for kissing in public. Which… well, that made us laugh and laugh, and also make sure that the two were aware that our group, especially us Tirnanog kids, were very affectionate people with little qualms about showing that affection. Even in public.

Things were going to be even livelier, it seemed. Not a bad thing at all.


Seliph quietly found and asked Lewyn about what Fee had seen, and confirmed that there were soldiers heading this way. A small group. Seliph decided to keep that information quiet for now, kept within War Meeting people, just in case people became too tense and on-guard around our own refugees. No one needed that right now, especially them. They had enough to deal with, recovering as they were. It took a few days for them to stop flinching at sudden noises and even longer before they felt comfortable enough to talk to anyone outside of their group for anything more than a polite conversation.

But that wasn't my task for the moment. Though I worked closely with the soldiers in making sure everyone was getting what they needed, right now, I was hunting for Leif. Seliph asked if I'd deliver a message to him, and since I was 'on break', I had agreed. Though it took longer than I thought it would, and I half-thought about reclaiming Hestia from helping in the infirmary so that she could track him. But, eventually, I caught sight of him on the roof and I climbed up the side of the castle to meet him there. Which, of course, resulted in an absolutely hilarious reaction.

"What the hell?!" he yelped, flailing and nearly falling over. And thankfully not dropping whatever he was holding in his hand, since he was sitting on the edge. "Did you just scale the wall?!"

"You know; that reaction is almost as great as your reaction to learning Hestia is a wolf," I teased, standing and brushing myself off. We needed to give the castle a good cleaning. You'd think the rain would've done it, but apparently not. "But yes, I did. You'll get used to it. Diarmuid, Ulster, Larcei, and I do it all the time." I rolled my shoulders and wrists to ease them and then sat down next to him, kicking my feet a little against the stone. "About time I found you. Seliph has an unexpected meeting, so he's not going to make dinner today."

"Ah, I see." Leif slowly relaxed and nodded. "No problem. Breakfast might be better anyway."

"Possibly, yes. Unexpected things rarely happen in the morning." I peered curiously at what he was holding, a piece of paper that was a bit tattered along the edges. "What's that?" I pointed to it and he immediately hid it. "Secret thing? Got it."

"...Wait, that's it?" He frowned. "You're not…?"

"If you're not comfortable talking about it, then pushing you isn't going to help. Or, well, me pushing you isn't going to help. There are better people for that." I shrugged and patted his shoulder. "Now, if you want someone to listen to whatever thoughts brought you up to the roof, I can definitely do that. All of us would be glad to. Whenever you feel comfortable. But that's your choice, and your choice alone."

He didn't reply to that, so I looked out over the town, smiling at how lively and lovely it was. People running this way and that… the smells of cooking meats and pastries drifting on the wind… the sounds of people singing and laughing or calling out to attract customers… this was what a town was supposed to look like, more or less, and I couldn't wait for Isaach to heal enough so that its cities became like this. That all cities in Jugdral could be so happy. Now, I had no illusions there weren't things to fix even here, no matter what they told us when we walked through the market, but…

Leif suddenly, and silently, handed me the paper and I held it carefully to study. To my surprise, it was a child's drawing. Colorful, with stick figures and smiley faces all over the place. But the central part had five 'people' of various sizes, with arrows pointing to each one to label them. 'Daddy', 'Mommy', 'Finn', 'Me', and 'Leif'. Off to the right, there was 'Unca Sigurd', 'Auntie Deirdre', and 'Seliph'. Off to the left was 'Unca Eldie', 'Auntie Grahnye', and 'Ares'. The 'Me' figure, the 'Seliph' figure, and the 'Ares' figure also had little blobs next to them that looked almost like bears. And, at the very top, scrawled haphazardly, was 'My Family!'.

"My sister drew this," Leif explained softly. I passed it back to him and he smoothed it out carefully on his knee with a shaking hand. "When Leonster fell, Finn decided to grab one of Father's favorite books. Something that I could read and know he liked. Tucked in the pages was this drawing."

"He must've wanted to keep his favorite things together," I whispered, looking at the drawing. Everyone was smiling in the picture, and I wondered just when it was drawn. Obviously before she died, but was it before Eldigan's death? After? Doubt I'd ever learn. It was probably before she learned of Uncle Finn and Aunt Lachesis being married, though, since she wasn't in the picture. "That's a lucky find."

"It is, especially since we really couldn't carry a lot of sentimental things. Being on the run and all."

"I definitely understand that." I fiddled with my dangling earring and thought of my stuffed-dog, tucked safely in my things as always. Sentimental things had cost me Conall, after all… "It's good you held onto it."

"Yeah. Normally, I wouldn't bring it outside. Scared to lose it. But…" He pointed to the north, to the horizon where you could just see Darna, and Yied Desert beyond. "Finn and Lachesis told me that I've visited Darna before, with Ares, but I don't really remember it. By my memories, this is the first time I've seen Yied. Seen the desert where…" Where his family died in a brutal assault. "It was supposed to be safer."

"Pardon?"

"That's what Finn told me. Why they took Altena with them. It was supposed to be safer." He spoke very softly, focused on those distant sands. "Their information indicated that Thracia was about to launch an assault on the castle, and Altena was very energetic. Sneaking away, wiggling out of hugs, deciding to randomly play hide and seek… As a baby, I could be easily carried away, but she was just so rambunctious that they thought it would be safer, over all, if she stayed with my parents."

"Is that so?" I had to wonder if that really was the reason, or if that was just something Finn had told Leif. Or if it was something that Finn had been told. Or maybe it was the actual truth and I was just thinking too hard and being judgemental because I knew what had happened afterwards. "But then Thracia attacked them."

"Yeah. Somehow, they'd known Father was in the desert right at that moment." Leif's voice cracked and he ducked his head in an attempt to hide his tears. But they fell on his hands anyway. "Why… why did that have to happen to them? Why did my sister have to…?"

"...I wish I knew. If I did, then maybe we could somehow limit deaths to just the 'bad people'. Whatever the hell that means." I carefully removed the picture from him and folded it up along the well-worn creases before tucking it under my leg. "Here." Then I nudged Leif until he was laying in my lap. "You go ahead and cry, though. Let it out."

"I really shouldn't…"

"Says who? Keeping it all in is just going to hurt more." I stroked his hair, smiling. "Seriously, I'm the only other person here and, trust me, I'm the last person you need to look dignified around. I purposely tease the others to make sure they don't stand on dignity. So, you just rest and cry, okay? I'm told I'm quite comfortable."

I wasn't sure if he actually cried or not. Certainly my skirts got wet, but it could've just been from that first bout of tears. But he did lay there, relaxing, and I continued stroking his hair, just as I would for any of the others. In my eyes, it was very simple comfort, something that family just did for each other. It took me a while to realize that it might not have been so simple for him. After all, I was a near-stranger. That might've been more of what he had meant when he said that he shouldn't. But he did relax, and I thought that was more important for now. Later, I would apologize for crossing any boundaries and strive to do better.

"You remind me of Eyvel a bit," Leif mumbled after a moment. He sounded tired. Not sleepy, but tired. "Well, the army reminds me of Fiana in general, so maybe it's just me 'assigning' roles and whatnot. But you fuss like Eyvel and say similar things."

"Who's Eyvel?"

"Eyvel is the best warrior of Fiana, and she founded a militia to keep the nearby villages safe from pirates and bandits and whatnot. Skilled with a sword and bow." He laughed sadly. "But I know her more as 'person who prods me into eating vegetables'. She took care of Nanna and me, helped Finn raise us for a few years. And never treated Nanna or me any differently than her own daughters."

"She sounds kind." And the way he spoke of her implied she was dead. I wondered how many 'parents' Leif had lost over the years. "Where's Fiana exactly?"

"It's a village to the south. Might actually be in Thracia, but it's a border village for certain. Not too far from the sea." There was a ghost of a smile on his face. I could see it clearly, even at this angle. "It's filled with warm people. When we first arrived there… well, Finn was feverish from an infected arrow wound. That alone screamed how much trouble we were, how much danger we brought. I tried to 'pay' for help with my Light Brand, something I inherited from Mother, in order to balance it out."

"Her Light Brand?" I vaguely remembered that from Aideen's stories, actually. "She didn't carry it?"

"No, she hadn't expected to fight, so she hadn't brought her best weapons with her. Finn made sure to keep it, just for me."

"But the people of Fiana didn't take it. Or any sort of payment."

"No, Eyvel just smiled and brought us into her home. Got Finn treated. Got Nanna and me set up with baths and clean clothes." He snorted, choking on a laugh. "Well, more like Eleri and Mareeta got us bathed and clothes. They're Eyvel's daughters. Eleri was bossing us around, but was very gentle and careful. Mareeta was full of energy and laughter, and occasionally crashed into things in her excitement."

"Sounds like a fun little family."

"They are. Though, I hope Eleri and Mareeta are okay. They're in Leonster still."

"I'm sure they're fine. They've got to reunite with you two, after all." Of course, it was probably empty words. But I wanted to say them anyway. "Take it from a big sister. We survive a lot to make sure we can see the younger siblings."

"Mareeta is younger than me, but I see your point." This time, he simply laughed, not choked or sad or anything. "But yeah… they are my very annoying, very kind sisters."

"See? They'll be just fine." Unable to think of anything more to say on that, I switched the subject slightly. "So, a welcoming place, huh? That was Fiana?"

"Yeah, it was great. No one questioned anything. They just…"

"Sounds like Tirnanog. That's where we grew up. It's way to the north, the northernmost city in Isaach." Though it had been so long, I did remember those first days clearly. Of how warmly they had welcomed us, and how everyone had helped get the house set up for us. Creidne had befriended us during then… "I'm glad the army reminds you of such a happy place. We do try to keep things comfortable in the army. Hard to fight if you're not comfortable with the people around you, right?" I laughed softly. "And, you know… these people have decided to risk their lives and take a chance that we can do what no one else has done. The least we can do is make sure they are well."

"Makes sense." He sat up again, and I handed him back the drawing. There were some tear stains on his face, but he wiped them away quickly. "Ha… sorry. I shouldn't have babbled like that."

"I did offer, silly. Though, I probably should've directed you to Aunt Lachesis or something, since I'm sure you would've been more comfortable." I caught his eye and smiled warmly at him. "But still. We're family. Ignoring how close my mother was with your parents, which was very close if the stories are true, I'm dating your cousin."

"That is true." He laughed, and I noticed how tired he was. Holding out a siege for so long… he was quite strong. But he was definitely feeling the strain. I hoped we could lighten that burden for him. "Say, so that I can just be nosy, how did that come about?"

"Seliph and me? Now that's a bit of a story…" I trailed off as I noticed a commotion at the gates of Melgen. "So, how about I steal you for that dinner Seliph canceled on you and tell you then?"

"Sounds good." Leif stood up and offered me his hand. I took it and let him pull me up. "So, soldiers?"

"Not enough panic for that, so I'd guess more refugees." Or perhaps our Alster soldiers hiding among refugees. No way to know, though, so we'd take care of them. "Let's head down."

"Yeah, I'm taking the ladder. I don't get how you don't break your neck, climbing the side like that."

"Oifeye makes funny noises."

"That doesn't actually answer the question, you know!"

We both climbed down, and while he went to ask what he could do to help, I actually headed to the kitchens to help whip up a quick meal for the new arrivals. Once the first batch was done, I helped carry out the bowls and plates to distribute them, making sure to smile as reassuringly as possible to each one of the new arrivals.

"Here," I murmured, passing a bowl of soup to a girl who wore her hood up, despite everyone else bringing theirs down. It must help her feel safer. "Is the soup too cold?"

"Oh, no, it's a good temperature," the girl murmured. She kept her head down, but I still saw her shy smile. "Um… thank you for the food."

"Of course." I made sure to smile back, as warmly as I could. She seemed surprised by it, for some reason. "I hope you will eventually feel safe here, miss. Let us know if you need anything, okay? And that includes seconds."

I patted her back and then went to give food to the next person, checking in on them and making conversation. I did my best to not be overbearing. You had to be careful, after all. But I did want them to feel comfortable. All of us did.


Taking care of the new arrivals took up most of my day, especially since everyone else among the 'leaders' had to keep up their own duties. So, when it was time to sleep, I decided to indulge a little and read a bit before bed. A new book that one of the soldiers recommended to me and I had to admit that it was already very interesting. I'd definitely have to ask for another recommendation when I was done with this one.

Hestia, laying down on the floor by my bed, lifted her head suddenly and I tensed, expecting trouble. However, her tail began wagging and when I pushed myself up and twisted, I saw Lana open the door without knocking, already in her nightgown and carrying a change of clothes and a staff. She set her clothes and staff to the side and shut the door behind her before jumping into the bed with me, squirming under the covers with an exhilarated, frightened, yet proud smile on her face.

"Did you confess?" I asked, marking my place in the book and laying down on my side so that I could better pull her into a hug. She giggled and nodded, humming a bit even. "What was the reaction?"

"He stared like Hestia just ran him over, so I ran to my room, changed and grabbed clothes, and came straight here." She burrowed a little more into my hug and I laughed and kissed her hair. "I know the plan was like… during work, but the arrivals threw me way off. But I didn't want to keep putting it off."

"It's fine. Now you've got the whole night to get your thoughts in order." I was really curious, truthfully, on Ulster's reaction afterwards, but I'd find that out later. I was Lana's conspirator in this, after all. "How do you feel?"

"Like I had to tend to refugees all day and then confessed to my crush?" She laughed and I had to giggle too, conceding that point. "More specifically, I feel like… you know those heart-hammering seconds when you jump into a lake? The ones between the actual jump and hitting the water?"

"Yep, I know exactly what you mean." I kissed her head again, thinking of what might be the best way to help her calm down to at least sleep. And came up on something almost immediately, something we used to do back in Tirnanog. "Here, I just started this new book, and I think you'll like it. How about we take turns reading aloud until we're tired?"

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" She grinned at me, and wiggled out of the hug slightly so that she could lay down on her stomach. "This one here?"

"Yep!" I removed my marker so that we could start from the beginning. It wasn't like I'd gotten very far anyway. "So, do you want to start or me?"

"You!"

"Okay, then… oh, really, Hestia?" I had to groan because Hestia took advantage of my distraction to hop onto the bed and lay down on our legs. "Brat. Maybe I should just share rooms with Seliph. You behave for him."

"That reminds me…" Lana raised an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes and playfully pushed her head down. "Look, if you make me have to deliver a baby, I'm going to be mad!"

"Miscarriage teas are a thing too." But I was making sure to take the medicine she gave me because the teas just seemed like more trouble than I wanted. "Anyway, book?"

"Yes!"

We went back and forth for a while, eagerly wondering what would happen next. The story dropped you in the middle of a conflict, with even the protagonist wondering what was going on, and you had to actually piece it together like a puzzle as you read along. Though we were supposed to read until we were tired, we both got super into the story, taking turns reading aloud (while making up voices for each character, of course). So, it wasn't until we were halfway through that we even got a little sleepy and, even then, we only stopped because Hestia started growling. Both of us tensed, especially when Hestia jumped off the bed to snarl at the door. I rolled off the bed and went to the corner to pick up Dad's silver blade, and Lana tiptoed to where her staff was. She had just gotten to it when the door slowly creeped open to reveal a hooded woman carrying a green tome. The hooded woman's eyes widened when she saw us awake, and me armed, but before she could scream or gasp or anything, Hestia lunged forward viciously and tore out her throat.

"Well, that's one dead," I noted dryly, pushing my door a little more open to study the dead woman. I didn't recognize her, but I did recognize the clothes. One of the 'refugees' from earlier. "You'd think the girl with a wolf would not be one of the primary targets." And speaking of my wolf, Hestia howled loudly, giving her own warning to everyone else. "Ah, well." I looked over at Lana, who looked so exasperated. "We were just getting to a really good part too."

"I know!" she huffed, stomping her foot and pouting. But then she shrugged. "I guess we can read later. Who to first?"

"The children." I petted Hestia as she howled again. The others would be fine. I knew they would be. "Ready?"

"Let's go."

We both jumped over the corpse and ran down the hall, Hestia continuing to howl until we saw people leaving their rooms, armed and ready because they knew Hestia wouldn't be howling at this hour. Though most went to check the other halls and areas of the castle, a few followed me and I was glad for the help. Because there were, in fact, enemy soldiers trying to get into one of the rooms that the children slept in. Quickly, we dispatched them, and I knocked on the door. And, terrifyingly, got no answer.

"...Hestia?" I whispered. Hestia sniffed the area and loped down the hall, to another of the rooms the children used. I really hoped… "Okay…" I knocked on this one, and this time, heard some sort of movement from within. Thank goodness... "Hey, it's Riona. Can you open up?"

"Ah, hang on!" Inanna's voice filtered through the door and I breathed a sigh of relief. "And… there!" The door opened and she stepped out of the way so that I could see that all of them were in the same room. Even the babies. "I know we're supposed to be asleep…" she began sheepishly. "But the kittens were awake and causing trouble, and the others wanted to play, so we were… um..." She peered out curiously, frowning. "Okay, we did hear fighting." She frowned more. "Those are some of the…" She scowled. "Ugh… they took advantage of you."

"Some of them did, yes." I ruffled her hair and she softened a bit. "I'm leaving guards here for you. Everyone okay?"

"We're fine. No one got in, and the babies are actually sleeping. For once." Inanna stepped out carefully and half-shut the door behind her before bowing to everyone. I looked around and saw Lana was tending to some of the few injured. "Thank you very much for keeping us safe, everyone!"

I lingered both to make sure the children really were okay and so that I could help Lana if she needed it. Hestia went ahead, no doubt going to check on the rest of her pack, and as soon as Lana was done, we followed, with most of the soldiers staying to make sure the children were safe. We found a couple more pockets of enemies, but it seemed like this was definitely an assassination group, meant for an ambush and not outright battle. I was admittedly worried when we found her in the main hall, because of all the blood spilling out on the floor, but all worry disappeared when I saw Aunt Lachesis cut down a soldier, back to back with Oifeye as he killed the last one standing, and Shanan absently clapping as he watched it all, like it had been a show.

"Maybe I should've just stayed asleep," Shanan joked. Behind him were a few more of the enemy soldiers, perfectly subdue. One or two seemed ready to try and jump him, but he simply glanced back and they cowered. The hell did he do to frighten them like that? "Thing of beauty, watching you two fight."

"Glad you enjoyed the show because my body is definitely reminding me that I'm not recovered," Aunt Lachesis replied shakily. Oifeye supported her, and I absently counted bodies. A good fourteen… and seeing that Aunt Lachesis, Oifeye, and Shanan were the only fighters here, and that Shanan wasn't splattered with blood... wow, I wondered what a terror Aunt Lachesis was when at first strength. "Ack!" Of course, one of the presumed dead bodies tried to push themselves up to get one last strike on either her or Oifeye, but Hestia took care of them with ease, by crushing their spine via the back of the neck. "...I am reminded as to why Alicia always panicked when wild animals were discussed. And why I thought Chulainn was a liiiiittle insane for petting them."

"Hestia doesn't bite us." Shanan looked over to where Lana and I were and waved. "Thanks for the howling, by the way. Woke me right up."

"Look, they are the rude ones who attacked at a completely unholy hour," I retorted, walking over to him. Lana rushed to Aunt Lachesis to check her over, while Oifeye helped her over to a wall to lean on. "Are Lana and I the first ones here? We made a detour to check the children."

"Diarmuid was here actually, but he went to check on Nanna and Yuria."

"Got it." I looked over the ones who were 'captured' or whatever, noticing something. "Huh. Not all of them." There had been at least fifty.

"Nope." He shrugged. "What's the order?"

"Seliph is the leader, you know." Still, I knew what needed to be done. "All of the people who arrived then should be brought here…" I sighed. I hated this. "I'll go get that done, then."

It didn't take long at all, really. I found some soldiers almost immediately, and they obeyed without question, probably anticipating that would be the order. Meanwhile, the others trickled in, some yawning and others wide-awake. Most of the Tirnanog group were the former; the others were the latter, including Leif and Nanna.

"Couldn't you all have chosen a better hour to try and kill us?" Seliph sighed as he joined us, the last of us 'leaders' and one of the last of the army. His silver sword dripped blood while he walked and his hair, face, and night-clothes were splattered. "I'm tired, and I know most everyone else is as well." Seliph looked around curiously and most of us grouped up near him. Leif stayed near Shanan, helping to guard the 'prisoners', while Nanna, Lana, and Yuria were treating various injured. "Why do we have three groups sitting around?"

"The ones near Shanan were subdued while fighting," Ulster explained, yawning mid-sentence. Iuchar gave him a weird look. Actually, most of the non-Tirnanog group was giving us weird looks. For some reason. "The rest were brought out of their rooms."

"And I'm guessing some of them fought, and the rest came willingly, and that's why it's three and not two?" Seliph rubbed at his eyes. "Damn it… I had just fallen asleep when one broke into my room. Then I heard Hestia's howl. Where is she, by the way?"

"With Lachesis. She strained herself."

"I see." Selph glanced at Diarmuid, who shook his head. He had already checked on his mother, so he was going to stay with us. "Well, have we determined who the leader of the attack is?"

"Glarey-glare over there," Larcei answered. The more I looked, the more I noticed Iuchar, Patty, and Fee looked worriedly at us. Arthur didn't, but that was because his attention was more on the enemy. Like a smart person. "Behind Shanan."

"Oh, her?" Seliph asked, waving lazily at the girl. She just glared more. "She looks like the one sent after me."

"And I'm assuming is very dead?"

"Decapitation does do that." Seliph's eyes narrowed when the girl's glare dropped for horror. "I don't know what you expected. I'm right here, so I'm clearly not dead."

"Guess she thought you subdued or something?" Lester noted absently. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes too. "Damn it… and I need to be up soon for hunting."

"You all are really casual for people who just got taken advantage of," Patty pointed out. She fidgeted a bit when we looked at her. "And, you know, nearly got assassinated."

"We knew Alster soldiers were on the way, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but you guys just…"

"We don't know who among them was truly a refugee and who was a soldier," I told her softly. I noticed the soldiers were listening closely, no doubt wondering what our response here would be. "And we don't know who among the soldiers wholeheartedly support the Empire and who among them find their resolve faltering, for whatever reason. We already know that there are people who fight us because they are afraid. Afraid of what will happen if we lose, afraid of what will happen if we succeed, and afraid for loved ones they leave behind." I shrugged. "It's impossible to know any of that at a glance. So, we offered our hands and waited to see what actions they took. What choice they made."

"And now, we simply make sure that those who survived do remember that there is, in fact, a choice here," Diarmuid added, shrugging. To us, this was just… natural. "Or did you expect a little more shock with 'oh, hey, assassins'. Because that's not abnormal. People have been trying to kill us since we were babies. Sure, there's always the initial panic and all, but afterwards? Death is normal." Diarmuid looked at the enemy soldiers, and I noticed that Fee looked a bit horrified, for some reason. Patty immediately hugged Lester, surprising him. Definitely missing something here. Was it how casual we were, like Patty brought up? Was that really so strange? I supposed it didn't matter, especially right now. "So, if you want to surrender, we'll accept it. But if you want a fight…"

"We'll give you one." Right then, Hestia appeared at my side and leaned into my leg, bloody fur just highlighting my words. My wolf was a dramatic sometimes. "So, what do you choose? We'll oblige, whichever you pick."

"Of course, if you want time to think, we can do that as well," Seliph added quietly. He rubbed the worst of the blood off of his face before smiling at them. "I'm sure that things are quite confusing for you, at the moment."

"I'm certain me and mine would not mind talking to them as well," Iuchar mused. He stayed close to Larcei and Ulster, but was very thoughtful. "It might take them a while to realize that you all are not only gods of war, but gods of mercy as well."

"Do you have to go with the 'god' descriptor?"

"You all are so wondrous that I fear my vocabulary has shrunk in sheer awe." He grinned and we did have to laugh at that. Fee tiptoed around everyone to hold my hand, and I squeezed back reassuringly, even as I gave her a curious look. I also worried about Arthur, whose eyes were narrowed. He was still injured, so I hoped it was just him being suspicious and not from pain. "But, regardless, it might-"

"Tine, why the hell are you over there?!" the former glaring girl, now crying girl, snapped suddenly. She looked right at the one person in the 'came cooperatively' group who wore her hood. However, we all stiffened at the name. Because that name was… "You were supposed to-"

"It… it wasn't right, though!" Tine protested. She stood up and brought down her hood, revealing the Friege-silver hair tied back and held together with red ribbons. "None of this is! G-going after leaders is one thing, but you had wanted me to take the children hostage! And that…!"

"Are you really so dumb?!" Leader-girl was back to glaring and Tine flinched, half-covering her ears. "This is war! You do what you have to!"

"I…"

"And they killed Lord Ishtore, damn it! Or did you somehow forget, you stupid-!" And leader-girl was cut off by Leif oh-so-casually elbowing the back of her head. "Urgh…"

An awkward bit of silence fell then, as we all tried to figure out what to do. My gaze turned to Arthur, thinking that he had the best 'say' in it, and I saw him looking back at me with a question in his eyes. I smiled, unable to think of anything else to do, and he smiled slightly in return before turning his attention to Fee, also with a silent question. Fee smiled as well and gestured for him to go for it. So, Arthur took a deep breath, hesitated… but when Iuchar squeezed his shoulder, he nodded and began walking towards Tine, pulling out the necklace he always wore.

"Your name is Tine, right?" he asked her softly. Tine glanced over hesitantly and froze, no doubt noticing his coloring. "My name is Arthur."

"Nice to meet…" she began automatically. But her eyes fell on his necklace and the words died. "Wait, how do you have…?" She pulled out a matching necklace from underneath her collar, and I thought of the pictures where Uncle Azel and Aunt Tailtiu both wore those necklaces. "I don't…?"

"It's been a bit of a day, so do you want to rest? If you're worried about your fellows, don't." He gestured at the rest of us. "As you probably guessed by what they said earlier, they really do mean what they say. They're weirdos who give their trust freely, and you have to prove unworthy of it." Ha… Inanna also said that. "So…"

"This… you… you don't make sense!" Her voice cracked and she began to cry suddenly. Overwhelmed, no doubt. "You all are so nice! You take care of everyone with smiles and gentleness! The people look to you as liberators!" With each word, more and more tears fell until she was just under hysterical. "So why? Why did you kill Ishtore?! Why did you kill Liza?! Why?!"

"...To answer the first question…" Arthur finally reached Tine and he wrapped an arm around her and gently pulled her forward so that she could cry into his shoulder. "I have the necklace because I'm your brother, Tine. Your older brother. The necklaces were our parents' version of wedding rings, or so I've been told. Father gave me his before he died. I imagine you got yours from Mother."

"I… I did. She always wore it. And she was always so sad..." Tine continued sobbing. "But why did you all kill Ishtore and Liza? If you're family, then why?!"

"The answer to that is… difficult to really parse. The shortest version is simply because war is stupid and war is worse than hell." Arthur stroked Tine's hair, letting her sob. "The slightly longer version is that Ishtore was angry at us and was afraid to take a gamble, because he was all too aware of all the potential possibilities the future held. And so, he chose to oppose us. The full version is much longer and will take time to actually answer." Arthur sighed and brought his other arm up to properly hug her. "Tine, why don't you stay here with the army for now? You don't have to fight. No one here will force you to. But it will give me, give us, time to actually answer that question." Tine nodded, still crying. "Okay. Thank you, Tine."

We left Tine to Arthur, and dealt with the rest of the soldiers. Those that surrendered were put on watch, but otherwise were encouraged to go about their daily lives. Those that tried to fight were killed. Those that wanted to think were taken to the prisons below the palace. It wasn't exactly the best of solutions, in my opinion, and I wished Tine and Arthur had a better 'first meeting'. But she had been willing to give him, and us, a chance. That felt like enough of a miracle.


Once we all woke up the next morning, I decided to go around and make sure everyone was okay, from our 'prisoners' to our 'watched guests' to our army to the refugees and the children. Making sure everyone was healthy, was being treated well, felt safe, knew what was going on, etc. I knew everyone else would be busy gathering information and the like, and our soldiers came to me for their questions anyway. So, I figured I'd just do all of that. And make sure my family ate because hectic nights often led to hectic meal schedule. But I didn't need to worry about that. Others kept a good eye on us, after all.

"Ah, sorry if I overstepped, but I noticed Lana and Yuria didn't eat breakfast, so I thought I'd just make a big breakfast for everyone?" Patty explained sheepishly, making some sort of pastry or something while something else boiled on the fire. I could only laugh, amused. "I hope that's a good laugh?"

"Of course it is," I replied, smiling at her. Thank goodness that Hestia was with Aunt Lachesis and Diarmuid, though. She would've been jumping all over the place to try and steal some of the delicious-smelling food. "I'm not quite sure why you'd feel like you're overstepping, though?"

"Um…" Patty just smiled sheepishly. "Well, I know I'm one of the new ones?"

"You're family. We try to take care of each other. If anything, I'm glad, because I was busy answering questions." I snuck behind her and stole a piece of fruit she was using for the pastry. An apple or something, based on the taste. "Now I get to steal a bit of food instead~!"

"Hey, you should wait and build up a proper appetite!" She pretended to be mad for all of a second before laughing. "Sorry. You all are pretty close-knit, so…"

"I promise you can hit us over the head if we're ignoring you. Or kick our knees if our heads are too high." I kissed her cheek and winked. "I know we're close-knit. We all know that. So, we really don't mind being told 'hey, I am feeling left out'. If anything, we encourage it because we want everyone to be comfortable." And, really, we felt bad for making people feel like they were alone or 'extra'. "So, just run up and jump on our backs or something. I can't think of anyone who will mind. We're used to each others' antics, after all."

"Hee… okay, I'll try that." She smiled a little more warmly. "I've just been worried about overstepping…"

"If you do, we'll tell you. Just as I hope you'll tell us if we overstep." And I'd definitely need to make sure Leif and Nanna knew that as well. "And if you want more parental-like advice, Oifeye is basically our father and is very used to that. Aunt Lachesis is a mom. Shanan is probably more for older-brother-esque advice, but ignore like… half of what he says. He's got a lot of bad habits."

"Ha!" She grinned now and I giggled. "Okay. I'll do that."

"Good." This time I hugged her, and resisted the urge to steal more food. Didn't want her to think this had ulterior motives. "Now, unless you need help, I'm going to continue my checking on everyone."

"I think I'm good. But thank you." She quickly wiped her hands off and hugged me back. "I'd like to cook together again, though. That was fun."

"It was! We'll definitely do that soon." I kissed her cheek again and headed for the door. "See you later!"

I left the kitchens in a cheerful mood and went to check on Aunt Lachesis, since I knew she was resting today. However, on the way, I ran into Tine. Almost literally, since she had been turning a corner. Which was… a tad awkward, mostly because I wasn't sure how to react. I wanted her to feel comfortable here, but we were the people who killed her cousin and his fiance. It honestly might be too much to ask. But...

"Um… you're Riona, right?" she asked softly, after staring at me. She looked down and fiddled with her hands. "Or do you want to be called 'Caitriona'?"

"Riona is just fine," I reassured, making sure to smile. In this situation, it was definitely better to wait for her. She had to move at her own pace if there was going to be any chance of her being comfortable. "How are you feeling, Tine?"

"Very confused still. But… um…" She bit her lip and fidgeted in place. "Arthur and I… we talked a lot last night. And this morning. And he showed me his Mark, to… you know… add weight to his declaration that he's my older brother." Holy Marks were very good for that sort of thing. "And I do feel like… Mother would want me to be here. She hated being in Alster. But the pictures Arthur showed me had her so happy, and she was with… well…"

"You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you want." Pictures… that was right. Arthur had borrowed my pictures of Aunt Tailtiu and Uncle Azel. "If you want stories about your mother, Oifeye, Shanan, and Aunt Lachesis no doubt have a lot."

"That's what Arthur said. I think I'll… um… wait, though…" She still didn't look up at me and she curled into herself slightly, trying to make herself smaller. "I… um…"

"Did you have something to ask me?" A prompt would probably help here. "It's fine if not, since I certainly don't mind talking with you, but you're definitely fidgeting like you do. That or a cat has squirmed up your shirt or something."

"Hee… Conall used that analogy, once." She finally looked up tentatively. "You buried Ishtore and Liza…"

"Yes, we did." I got it after a moment. "Ah, of course. I should've guessed you'd want to visit." I offered her my hand and she took it hesitantly. "Here, I'll show you."

"Thank you…" She studied me for a second and then tightened her grip on my hand. "I appreciate it."

We walked quietly, hand in hand, and she asked hesitant questions about names and whatnot. I did my best to answer, and to not laugh at her descriptions of people (though I was definitely going to tease Diarmuid with 'the princely one that can also snap your spine on accident'). I did wish Hestia was here, since I was sure she'd would've been more comfortable, but Tine did slowly relax around me and that was enough. She gasped when we finally made it to the graveyard, probably because she had expected something lonely and small, not that they were buried in Melgen's graveyard alongside all of the other soldiers.

"Here's Ishtore and Liza," I whispered, gesturing to their shared grave. Fresh flowers were there, showing that someone had been by this morning. Probably Seliph, while out of a morning walk. Or Lester, after his hunting. "Iuchar and I made sure they were buried together."

"Oh, thank you for that…" Tine breathed. She let go of my hand and sank to her knees in front of the grave, looking at all the tributes or whatever you actually called them. "It's overflowing, really…" It was. Ribbons, flowers, incense, candles… "I know flowers tend to be universal, and incense is how Grannvale honor the dead. Conall told me that Isaachians tie ribbons to symbolize bonds?"

"We do." I smiled, unable to help it. I was glad Conall remembered why the ribbons were important, and not just remembered they were. "After all, even when a person dies, the bonds they held do not simply disappear. The memories of their loved ones are not gone. So, the ribbons are a representation of those bonds, a reminder to the lingering spirits and ghosts, so that they do not become twisted." That was why burial rites were important to Isaachians, as well as having a body left behind for said burial. "Different colors can convey slightly different meanings, and those meanings differ depending on if a person is wearing the ribbon or if it's tied to the grave. I'd ask Larcei for more information about that." She remembered each one like a freaking book! "We wanted to remind Ishtore and Liza's ghosts of their bonds with people here."

"I'm glad…" She hesitated a moment before untying one of her ribbons and looping it around the marker. It was just long enough to tie, and I noticed the edges were actually a bit faded, showing that the ribbon was actually rather old. "Conall bought these for me."

"Did he?"

"Yeah. He came to visit Alster after Mother died. Ishtar thought it would be a good distraction for me. And while he was telling me about how Isacchians leave ribbons, he had me pick out three. One to leave at Mother's grave, and two for me to wear." She untied the ribbon to retie it, making the bow a little neater. "Ishtore was the one who thought I should loop them around my pigtails. And he liked Mother. So…"

"It's a bond with all of you."

"Yeah…" She sat back on her heels and closed her eyes, like she was willing back tears. When she opened them again, she pointed to the candles set up by the grave, tucked carefully in small little 'houses' that would protect the flame even during rain. "Why are there candles?"

"That's a Silessean thing, actually. Arthur and Fee insisted." Arthur grew up in Silesse, after all. He personally picked out the candles for this grave, insisting on it. "It's considered bad luck to leave the dead in the dark there. They fear that the ghosts will become lost and then can't find their way to peaceful rest."

"Oh, I see." Tine then turned her attention to the temporary marker with Ishtore and Liza's names. "This…"

"We're getting more permanent ones done, but that takes time. Took forever to get the Friege soldiers to help us with names for everyone…" I shrugged at her confused look. "There's some in the infirmary, resting. Battles are battles, but once the battle is over, you really should try to help everyone you can. This isn't some righteous war between 'good' and 'evil'. It's a bunch of people trying desperately to do what they think is right. Or, at least, not do what they know is wrong, if that makes sense."

"You all are just so strange." But she smiled slightly. I considered that a victory. "Arthur told me that he was the one who killed Ishtore. Said that I could hate him for that, if I wanted."

"Do you?"

"Part of me wants to. But Arthur is covered in bandages from that fight, isn't he? So, Ishtore tried to kill him too." She traced his name on the marker, back to being melancholic. I made a mental note to make sure Tine's ribbon was set up in a 'place of prominence' or whatever when the permanent markers were done. "Who killed Liza? Do you know?"

"Er… technically, Hestia, actually?" Well, this was awkward. But if she wanted to hear, then she deserved to know. "Liza was strangling me, so Hestia crushed her arm."

"Like how Hekate bites people who threaten Conall."

"There's a reason wolves are often considered symbols of loyalty." Packs were family, after all. "But she bled out. I couldn't get the tourniquet tight enough in time."

"I see…" She hesitated like she wanted to say more, but simply shook her head and began arranging the flowers. "Um… Arthur mentioned that you and I are cousins?"

"Yep, we are. Your dad and my mom were siblings." I rested a hand on her shoulder, though I quickly pulled away when she flinched. No sudden touching. Got it. "But don't force yourself, okay? You've been hit with a lot recently. Take your time, for all of it. If anyone tries to push you, please tell us. We'll set them straight." Or Hestia would.

"Thank you…"

"And I want to repeat something Arthur said." I crouched down so that I could look her in the eyes. "You don't have to fight. We don't force anyone to fight for us. Might ask for help with chores, but no one will force you to fight. If they try, then, again, we'll deal with them." I hoped I conveyed how serious and sincere I was. I did make sure to hold her gaze. "This war is crazy enough without forcing people."

"...Thank you…" She smiled slightly, though she looked down. "I didn't… really want to fight. Everything is so confusing. But…"

"Like I said, you don't have to with us. You never will." I looked up and around, mostly for a change of topic, and saw Fee standing back a bit, near one of the other graves. "Ah, Fee!"

"Hey, sorry if I'm bothering," Fee noted, skipping over. She knelt by the grave and checked that the candles were still burning. "Wanted to make sure none had gone out. I know that's become part of the chores, but it reassures me if I check myself."

"No problem," I replied before looking back at Tine. "Tine, this is Fee, by the way. Our pegasus knight, and the princess of Silesse."

"Nice to meet you properly!" Fee smiled and held out her hand to Tine. After a moment, Tine took it for the offered shake. "Hey, want to go for a flight?"

"A… a flight?" Tine repeated, startled. She glanced at me like she was making sure she'd heard right. "Um…"

"Yeah, on my pegasus," Fee explained, still smiling. I knew she wanted to laugh by how her eyes danced, but she didn't want Tine to think she was laughing at her. "I thought I'd offer since it's super fun."

"Um… sure…" Tine gestured vaguely at the flowers. "But… um…"

"You don't have to rush." Fee looked up at me and winked, silently saying that she could take over. I nodded, deciding it was probably better for now. I was sure I'd overstepped a bit. "I still have some graves to check the candles for."

"Ah, okay..."

I did linger for a bit, mostly to make sure Tine would be fine with Fee. Once I was a little more certain, I left to go continue my self-appointed task of checking on everyone. And immediately got accosted by Lester, who dragged me off. Maybe I should switch to a different thing to do or something. Clearly, I was just going to continue being interrupted.

"Okay, what the hell did Lana do?" he half-demanded, dragging me through the town and back towards the castle. I gave him a 'what the hell' look. "Ulster is looking for her."

"And why would you think I know?" I asked dryly. I did have to bite back a laugh at how 'done' he looked. "If it's got something to do with Lana?"

"Because it's you."

"Hey!"

"Ah, there's the yelp I was listening for." And Diarmuid appeared from behind us to sling his arms over our shoulders. Wonder why he'd been out. "So, unlike Lester, I actually prodded and tickled Ulster until he told me what was going on, instead of immediately trying to find answers from others," he began. Lester rolled his eyes and I snickered. "So, Riona, totally not-related question, but what was that book you and Lana really liked?"

"There's a few?" I replied, frowning slightly. Lana and I were both fairly big readers, and had similar tastes in fiction. "Why would you…?" I trailed off as I remembered a conversation Seliph and I had. Right before the Fenrir attack. "Say, is the book part of your scheme or Seliph's?"

"Mine, but something tells me Seliph came up with something similar." He grinned and I had to laugh. Lester frowned, very done with us now. "So?"

"The Assassin's Bride is the most recent one. It's in my room." Oh, this was too good. "Who else have you recruited for this little scheme?"

"For right now? Iuchar."

"Oh dear gods!" This was going to be great! "Okay, okay, I'll pull you in because Lana's side of things was something she and I came up with together, and I don't actually want to mess her up?"

"Sounds good to me. And on Ulster's side, we're getting everyone we can!" Diarmuid laughed, and laughed harder as Lester finally realized what had to have happened. "Come on, protective brother. You should help, if only to make Ulster squirm and go along with what we're plotting!"

"And we need to bring in others. Like Patty. I know she's been feeling a bit left out."

"Oh, yikes, yeah, bring her in," Lester immediately agreed. Wanting to make sure people were comfortable was far more important than him pretending to be overprotective. "Yuria, of course. Fee?"

"Fee is with Tine right now, but we'll definitely get her in on the scheme later," I replied. I wondered if Tine would want, and decided it would be better for… say… Arthur to ask. "Arthur should know, at least. And… you know what? All of us. Save Lana, of course. You let us girls handle Lana unless she chooses otherwise."

"Sounds good." He sighed. "Oh, the things I do to make sure my sister is thoroughly embarrassed. I mean, 'happy'."

"And Ulster. Don't forget that you're helping him as well."

"Oh, I'm helping with Ulster just to see his face at Iuchar's lines because that is going to be absolutely glorious." Lester grinned. "Okay, recruiting time?"

"Onward!"


"Ulster's face was so priceless!" Yuria laughed, the sound bouncing off the trees. She and I were in the woods, foraging for herbs. We needed extra since Aunt Lachesis used her bedrest to make us bunches of medicine, so off we went. I'd thought about bringing Hestia, but she'd opted to stay with Ulster, who was extremely flustered by everything. Which was hilarious, but I wouldn't tell him that. Yet. "I almost feel bad, since we know Lana's side of things!"

"I just can't wait until Lana works up the courage and calm to talk to him again, because…" I began. But then I dissolved into a mess of giggles, unable to help it. "Gods, one of us has to witness that. If not all of us."

"Oh, yes, for certain!" Yuria kept on laughing, even as she pointed up to some fruit in the trees. "Ah, there's…"

"That one of the things we need to grab?" I set my basket on the ground and climbed the tree with ease. "How many?"

"Oh, not many. It's mainly the seeds, if I recall correctly, and they are filled with them." She smiled up at me. "So, let's go with five?"

"Five it is!" I carefully began picking them, doing my best to keep them balanced and not dropping them. "I know that the others are going to do something to try and get Seliph and me, though. This whole thing will remind them that they didn't get to pull shenanigans for us."

"That is true." Yuria hummed a bit, her eyes lighting up with mischief. "I wonder what we should do…"

"Look at that! We're seriously corrupting you!" I climbed down and set the fruit in my basket before picking it up again and wrapping my free arm around Yuria's shoulders. "I'm so proud~!"

"You're so silly!" She giggled, though. "I hope things get resolved soon. With Lana and Ulster. I know it's been weighing on her."

"Hopefully, it will. Knowing our group, probably a couple of more days at most, and that's only because of unexpected things." I kissed her cheek and decided to actually be serious for a moment. "Speaking of romance and things weighing, how have you been?"

"About those feelings for Diarmuid?" She sighed and whimpered a bit, leaning into me. "It's more or less the same. That warmth and bubbliness… they're greater, but otherwise, I'm still quite confused. Is it truly romantic love? It's certainly different from the love I feel for you, Seliph, Fee, Arthur, and… well, everyone else really. But at the same time…"

"It's hard to be certain." This time, I kissed her head and rubbed her arm while still hugging her. "I imagine Lewyn wasn't exactly the best to ask about such things."

"I also very rarely interacted with anyone besides him, so…"

"Yeah." Freaking hell, Lewyn. Glad you saved her and all, but… "Well, how about you ask Aunt Lachesis?"

"W-wouldn't that be weird?!" Her voice went super squeaky and adorable, and she also went bright red. "I-I mean… Diarmuid is her son!"

"I think you can talk about it without mentioning his name. After all, your main concern is trying to recognize what the feelings are." Though I suppose I did have to acknowledge that talking to the parent of your crush was probably a tad awkward? I mean… I never had that trouble, but that didn't mean others didn't. "I'm more suggesting her because she's actually talked to me about my relationship with Seliph, giving advice and whatnot." And she talked to Seliph as well, or so he told me. "Oifeye's had crushes as well, though, so you can ask him." I thought about Shanan and wondered if he had ever had a crush. I knew lots of people in Tirnanog's resistance group had crushes on him, but I never noticed him dating or anything. I'd have to ask, just to see his reaction. "I do think talking to a proper adult will help with detangling the mess."

"Proper adult?"

"Technically, you and I are adults."

"...Who decided that?!" She scowled and I had to snicker. "Oh, whatever. I'll… consider it. It's probably a good idea, just…"

"Awkward, I know." I made sure to smile at her. "If you want, I can sit in with you. Any of us would. Might be helpful to at least get the conversation started."

"I'll definitely think about it." She breathed a little sigh of relief. Having the option of morale support was a good thing for her. "So…" She suddenly froze. Just up and stopped on the path, still as a statue. "I…"

"Yuria?" I stepped in front of her and cupped her face. Her eyes were wide and she was suddenly clammy. "Yuria, hey, I'm right here. What do you need?"

"I…" She gripped my hands, trembling now. "I'm sorry. I just… I have a bad feeling suddenly. Some sort of terror…"

"That so?" I pulled her into a hug and glanced around for anything suspicious. And I soon noticed something that made my blood run cold. The local wildlife, from the squirrels to the hawks to whatever else was there hiding… they were all fleeing the area. And when predators and prey both fled… "Back to Melgen. Now."

I took her hand and both of us began running down the path, back towards Melgen. Problem was, we were pretty far into the woods, meaning it would take some time before we were within sight of the guards in Melgen. And I swore, swore, I heard the distant echoes of shouting behind us. Meaning that we likely had soldiers, and I… I remembered what Conall had said, about Belhalla being especially dangerous for Yuria. I thought of that horrible scar she had, the scar she had gotten when Deirdre died…

"Yuria, go on ahead of me," I ordered, pushing her ahead. I passed her my basket and nudged her along the path when she didn't move. "I promise that I will meet you there, okay? But I want you to go ahead."

"I… no!" Yuria refused, shaking her head almost violently. She gripped my arm tightly, almost digging her nails in. "N-no! We'll go together!"

"Come now, I'll be fine!" I winked at her, faking a confidence that I didn't feel. I was scared. I was really scared. I wondered if Creidne had felt this when she… "I want to try and get a bit more information on what is going on, but if you can head back ahead, then everyone can get prepared for the worst. And Fee can be sent out." The shouting was becoming more distinct. Not my imagination, then. Damn it. "I'm also worried the children are out and about. So, please?"

"I… but…" Her expression crumpled, looking ready to cry. Despite my 'reasonable' explanation, she definitely knew what was going on. How could she not? "Riona…!"

"I'll be fine." I cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. She began crying. "Go on. I'll be there as soon as I can. I promise."

"I…" The shouting was even louder now. You could start to make out words. "You promise that you'll come back to Melgen? Alive?"

"Yes, I promise."

"...Okay…" She hugged me tightly, trembling. She was still crying. "I'll be waiting, okay? We all be waiting. So, please…!"

"I promise." I hugged her back and then nudged her again down the path. "Go on."

She ran. She ran without looking back, and I was so thankful and proud of her for it. It helped me gather my own courage, and I closed my eyes to dredge up every speck of courage I had. Then I turned, looking down the path, just as the first of the people, dressed in the clothing and armor of Friege soldiers, appeared. They slowed briefly, no doubt surprised by the random stupid girl in the middle of the path, but then continued rushing for me. I took a deep breath, focused on them, and set their clothes on fire. While they screamed, I lunged forward to close the distance and took advantage of their dropped guards to knock them down. Axe-kicks to the shoulder. Punches to the abdomen. Knees to the groin. And a couple of stomps for good measure. Then, making sure they were still watching, I ran through the woods, hoping they'd follow me. The yelled curses and snapping of branches hinted I won that 'gamble'.

I ran as fast as I could, going for speed over stealth. After all, I wanted them to know where I was. I wanted to make sure Yuria had as much time as possible to get to the safety of Melgen. I wouldn't let them get her. I wouldn't let them get to Melgen without Melgen knowing what was going on. I had a duty as family to keep Yuria safe, and I had a duty as leader to keep the army safe. No matter how terrified I was.

Just as I cleared the forest, a sudden thunderbolt streaked past me and I rolled to the side on instinct because it had been far, far too close. But then I had to roll again because there was a second strike, far too close to the first. I stared, startled, and a man wearing a crisp, black uniform strode out from the trees, carrying a tome. He gestured sharply and another thunderbolt headed for me, followed far too closely by a second. I barely dodged both, wondering just what the hell was going on. I knew there were those who could cast spells quickly, but this seemed beyond that! Especially when it happened a third damn time. Desperately, I threw fire at the man, and I caught his sleeve, forcing him to drop the tome. But before I could even blink, he drew his sword and caught me across the arm. When I stumbled back, he kicked my leg out from under me to send me on my ass and held the blade at my throat. Despite my fear, and despite wondering just who the hell this man was, I glared at him defiantly, refusing to let him see how much I was rattled. Only Oifeye and Shanan had whipped my ass so easily before. I didn't like that there was someone just as skilled on the enemy side.

"General Reinhardt, all logic points to her being among the rebels," one soldier reported. I kept on glaring, despite my shock at the name. Reinhardt… Ishtar's personal guard and who Iuchar had warned us about… "Should we execute her?"

"...No," the man replied, confirming that this was, in fact, Reinhardt. This was just great. "No, we will take her to Alster. Gather ropes and medicinal supplies. I don't want her escaping or dying before we make it there."

The others were never going to let me live this down. Never.


Yuria (Julia)

Class: Shaman; Skills:

The 17 year old ward of Lewyn, and in fact, the amnesiac princess of Grannvale, inheritor of Naga's power. Though at first quiet and shy, she has grown a little bolder thanks to the kindness of the people around her. She looks to Riona and Larcei as role models, due to admiring their boldness.

Bears the Mark of Naga on her left side, curving from the back of her shoulder to the front of her hip, the swirls almost resembling flowers. Also bears the Mark of Fjalar on the same side, curling from the middle of her ribs and around her side to reach the middle of her back, resembling a 'ribbon' to match the 'bouquet'. Their blessings give her a boost to her stamina and ability to endure pain, as well as her magic and resistance. Though she is still learning, their blessings also let her conjure light and fire without tomes.

Though she functions primarily as a healer for the army, she is a powerful magic user and has defending the field-infirmary on more than one occasion with her wind and Nosferatu tomes. However, the immense magical power does have its downfalls, as its harder for her to control, making her less accurate and slower than some of the other magic users in the army.

She studies hard both because she likes learning and because she really wants to be helpful to her 'family'. Not even just to pay them back, but because she wants them to be able to rest and enjoy themselves, because she loves seeing their smiles more than anything else in the world.


Author's note: So, amusingly, everyone did guess Tine would show up, but no one guessed Nanna would. xD We're hitting the point where FE5 and FE4's timelines intersect, which does lead to some oddities of trying to merge the two timelines (since there are some contradictions between the two). But in Fe4, what happens is that Leif, Nanna, and Finn are over at Leonster Castle with constant, or near constant, waves of enemies heading for them. And bandits destroying villages. While Fee, being a flier, can make it over there, no one else in the army can because of blockades and enemies and whatnot. So, it's only after capturing Melgen that you can actually have Leif, Nanna, and Finn interact with the people in your army (though Finn doesn't actually have any conversations with anyone save his daughters if his daughter is Lana/Nanna/Larcei). For those who know FE5, this is after the whole 'protect Leonster Castle' chapter, but with the ending changed to account for Fe4's stuff (instead of it being them hearing of Seliph's army conquering Alster). Sara and Linoan are two FE5 chars, and Sara's meeting with Conall is shown in her oneshot in Memoirs of the Lost.

Also when you capture Melgen, Tine appears on the field, along with a trio of mage minibosses who can use a Triangle Attack if they surround you (in FE4, the triangle attack is only available to two enemy trios; unless you're playing a patch or something, you're not going to have that). Which direction they go kind of depends on AI, but I can most often manipulate said AI to have them go after Melgen (I've had them go up to Leonster before, though, and that was so much fun… not). Tine is recruited via Arthur talking to her, but I decided to show Tine being much more conflicted and confused by everything (though the reference to her mother wanting her there is because, in game, she quietly asks her mother what she should do when she appears on the field). Technically speaking, the trio of mages live to be fought in the next game-chapter, but I went with this instead.

And surprise Reinhardt because why not? We know he's in the area thanks to FE5, after all. Thanks to her Holy Blood bonuses, Yuria/Julia actually has a 100% magic growth, however her skill and speed can be… shaky depending on how lucky/unlucky you get. At least until she promotes, thanks to getting a massive +8 promotion bonus to speed.

Next Chapter - Sunshine