DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

FIRE EMBLEM IS OWNED BY NINTENDO. I DON'T OWN IT'S CHARACTERS EITHER.

ITALICS=THOUGHTS

BOLD=IMPORTANT DATES, PLACES, WEAPONS, ECT

BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR

(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ Royal Palace

July 25, Age 2609 ~ 3 weeks until the tournament

Walter's P.O.V

It's been several weeks since I joined the Shepherds, and I doubt I've worked as hard as I have in years. Serving Chrom has been a great pleasure and being able to be out in the field of action once again has been exhilarating, but sometimes I really feel my age. There have been days where my body has completely collapsed from exhaustion, much to the great concern of the rest of the Shepherds; although Vaike has teased me about my age every so often.

I cannot allow myself a break, as much as I need one, as the tournament in Regna Ferox is in just 3 weeks. The fate of Ylisse rests on the shoulders of the Shepherds, so failure is not an option. We need to win at all cost. I don't participate in the training sessions that my allies often old, as I'm preparing myself through different means.

I have carefully analyzed the sealing sigil located on the back of my hand and I was by no means happy with the conclusion I came to.

All evidence pointed to the fact that the sigil was suppressing the vampiric abilities that I had gained from Millennium's experiment. I'm nowhere near eager to become a vampire again so I'm in no rush to find out how to awaken and unlock the strength. One would think that I would completely ignore the seal. Unfortunately, that seems to be out of the question, as further analysis reveals that seal is also eating away at my energy.

The seal relies on my physical energy and willpower to remain intact. The more I exerted myself physically, the more energy the seal takes to keep itself intact. I could release the seal, but that would require that I become an artificial vampire once more.

My pride will never allow myself to stoop so low once again, and there would be no reason to do so. The power, as intoxicating as it is, is unneeded. Yes, I would become arguably the most powerful being in this world, but what would the point be? I'd have power, but I'd have to cope with living until the end of the world; hell maybe even the end of time.

I would much rather my much younger comrades bury my body; not the other way around.

Speaking of comrades, there's no denying the fact that I've begun to grow attached to these young people. These past few weeks have made it hard not to…


Chrom

"Sir, may I speak to you?"

Chrom felt a sense of dread, for some reason, as Walter hardly ever requested to speak to him. Usually the aged butler would go about his business, often only asking if there was anything that he could do for him. Walter seemed to like to keep to himself, only speaking up during strategic conferences and the like.

"Should I be nervous?" Chrom laughed slightly, hiding his anxiousness.

Walter raised an eyebrow at the obviousness of Chrom's anxiety. "Nothing to be nervous about, sir. If it's okay, I wish to ask you something."

Chrom shrugged. "I don't see why not: ask away."

"I want you to be honest sir; why did you ask me to join the Shepherds?" Walter crossed his arms. "Beyond the skills I showcased during our first meeting, I wasn't exactly trustworthy. You found me in the middle of a field and, without so much as giving a second thought, asked me to join your militia. If anything, you should have made sure that I was trustworthy first."

"Are you saying that you aren't trustworthy?" Chrom's brow furrowed in confusion. "Are you saying that I should regret my decision to recruit you, because I don't."

"Did you even stop to consider that I was an assassin sent to…"

Chrom stopped Walter from continuing. "Of course I considered the idea that you were an assassin sent to kill me. Frederick even vocalized his suspicion that you were a liar." The Ylissean prince continued. "I didn't listen to Frederick because I didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet."

Walter sighed as he shook his head in disapproval. "I understand that you wish to aid those who LOOK like they need aid, but I ask that you exercise caution. There are those that would see your charity as a chance to bury a knife in your back. Chivalry and longevity don't often go hand-in-hand, sir."

"I will exercise more caution, but that won't not stop me from helping those in need." Chrom gave Walter a half smile. "After all, helping those in need is exactly what the Shepherds were formed to do."

The Angel of Death nodded, though he wasn't fully satisfied with Chrom's reply. "I understand." He let out a sigh. "If that is your decision, then I shall respect it. So long as you do try to be more careful, I shall be at peace with your decision."

"I will, Walter." Chrom replied. "Thank you for voicing your concern."

Walter bowed, as a sign respect, and stepped beside Chrom. "Now that that is out of the way, how about a cup of tea? I hear that we've just received a fresh shipment from overseas."

Chrom chuckled. "I guess I could go for a cup. I've never been one for tea, but I guess I should give it a try."


Lissa

"Walter!? You in there?!" Lissa gently knocked on the door to Walter's room. She carefully opened the door and was surprised by what she saw. Walter was sleeping at his desk, arms crossed and a small book on his lap. She noticed a pile of white cleaning gloves on top of the desk, most of which had spools of some kind of metal wire sticking out.

Considering how much work you do, I'm not surprised that you've conked out for the day. Lissa waved her hand in front of Walter's face to check if he was really asleep. When she confirmed that the old butler was asleep, a devious grin that would've made Alucard proud formed on her face.

"You really are wiped out, Walts." Lissa whispered, holding back the barrel of laughter that threatened to burst. "Looks like it's time to quietly… gently… Hold your nose…" Lissa's fingers were barely brushing the aged butler's nose.

"Put your hand down, Lissa." Walter suddenly spoke up, causing Lissa's heart to nearly leap out of her chest.

"What in Naga's name, Walter!?" Lissa clutched her heart in shock. "You were awake the entire time!?"

Walter slowly got to his feet. "No, it was your whispering that woke me up…" He let out an uncharacteristic yawn as he stretched both his arms. "Though I don't blame you for your immature behavior; your parents weren't exactly around to raise you."

"Yeah..." Lissa looked down as she was reminded by the fact she never knew her parents.

The aged butler smiled as he ruffled her hair. "Well even then, you ended up becoming a fine young lady, at least from what I've observed."

Lissa let out a girlish laugh as she twiddled her thumbs. "I guess you might be right, but I may have done something REALLY unlady like to that new book on the occult you bought a few days ago."

"Oh, dear…" Walter's eyes widened in fear. "Please tell me you didn't draw any of the sigils in the book." Walter breathed a sigh of relief as Lissa shook her head.

"Nah, all I did was doodle in it and accidentally spill a bunch of ink on it." She put on the most innocent smile she could muster. "I kind of ruined the entire book when I tried fix it. Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Walter let out a chuckle. "No need to worry, accidents happen. I already finished studying the book front to back anyway, so no harm done." He slipped on one of his many pairs of white cleaning gloves. "Why don't you get ready for dinner? I hear that the cooks are preparing some kind of..."

"Um, can I ask you a favor?" The Ylissean princess interrupted the butler, though her voice was barely above a whisper. "Can you cook me that bear stew that you cooked that night Chrom and I met you?"

The aged butler was taken aback. "You want bear stew?" He spoke slowly, thinking that Lissa was not in the right mind at the moment.

"Yes..." Lissa nodded in response.

"That's not exactly a dish fit for royalty."

"Pleasssssssse." Lissa gave Walter the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster.

"Fine, I'll see what I can do. I doubt the cooks are going to be enthused by my presence." Walter sighed.Or the smell of old boots for that matter…

Lissa clapped her hands in excitement as she followed Walter down the hallway.


Frederick

"You do realize that your stance is cutting you effectiveness by half, Frederick."

"What?" Frederick's eyes widened as his head turned to see the source of the criticism. Walter sat at the side of the sparring dojo, calmly sipping tea as he watched Frederick.

"Your stance isn't exactly the most, how do I put it, effective." Walter took another sip of tea. "It makes you nothing more than a brick wall, for lack of a better term."

Frederick raised an eyebrow. He wasn't aware that his stance was flawed, as he had been using the same stance since he was a simple knight in Ylisse's Army. "What flaw does my stance have?"

Walter took one final sip of his tea and then placed the empty teacup on a nearby end table. "Your stance, while effective when holding your ground, does not allow for proper maneuverability. In fact, Chrom has the opposite problem; his stance, while it allows for great maneuverability, is lacking when the need to stand ground comes up."

"I wasn't aware that you had such great knowledge on swordplay, Walter. During our encounter with the Risen on the Northroad, you displayed that you had some experience with swordplay; Nowhere near enough to be able to criticize a swordsman with my level of skill."

The aged butler took a rapier from one of the many weapon racks in the room. "True, I'm no master when it comes to actually battling with swords, but I'm well informed on the technique and form required. I did learn a thing or two from someone who had more than a lifetimes worth of experience with the sword." Memories of Alucard using a claymore to do battle on certain occasions flashed through Walter's head. Alucard barely used a sword in battle, but when required to do so he would showcase his five centuries of sword experience.

"So how is my stance flawed, Walter?" Frederick held his sword out. "Do enlighten me, wise butler."

Walter chuckled as he flourished his rapier. "Sarcasm is unbecoming of you." Walter suddenly closed the distance between himself and Frederick, greatly surprising the Stalwart Knight. Frederick held his ground and attempted to slash at Walter, only to miss terribly.

"Your limited mobility makes it easy for faster opponents to blitz you." Walter sidestepped a vertical slash. "I'm fast but currently I'm moving nowhere near my full speed." He dodged another slash. "It also makes you somewhat stiff as a result, making it easy to throw you off balance." Walter suddenly dropped to the floor and swept Frederick's legs.

Frederick grunted as he fell on his back. He looked up to see the tip of Walter's rapier pointed at his face. "I see that you do know what you're doing."

Walter nodded and proceeded to sheath the rapier. "Note that I didn't even need to use a sword to beat you. I merely took advantage of your somewhat bad stance work." He held grabbed Frederick's forearm and pulled his fellow Shepherd to his feet.

"How can I make improvements?" Frederick recovered his sword, which he dropped upon hitting the ground.

"Well, I recommend that you loosen up a little. Loosen your legs up until you find a comfortable position, but make sure that you can quickly transition into a deep stance." Walter hung the rapier back onto the weapon rack. "Find a middle ground and you'll find that you'll have a easier time in battle."

Frederick nodded as he watched Walter walk out of the room.


Sully

Walter let out a grunt as he painstakingly carried a crate full of weapons into the Shepherds Garrison. With the possibility of a war against Plegia increasing, Walter made sure to stock up on as many weapons as the Shepherds budget would allow. Of course, he could always make the weapons himself, but he had no time to do so; he was focused on creating a much less exhausting pair of monofilament gloves.

Walter wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as he placed the crate down.

"Aww, crap…"

Walter's brow furrowed as he recognized that only one person in the Shepherd's would audibly curse. He got to his feet and followed the voice to its source. He wasn't surprised to see that Sully was the one that was cursing, though he was surprised to see Sully staring at her figure in a mirror.

"Come on, Sully, get your damn act together…" Sully looked clearly frustrated for some reason.

Walter, curious as to why, spoke up. "Sully, why are you so frustrated? Is everything alright?"

Sully swiftly turned around, putting on the most fake look of confidence Walter had ever seen. "I'm fine! It's nothing! Leave me alone!"

Walter raised an eyebrow at Sully's obvious anxiousness. "It's not good to lie to your elders, Sully. Now tell me what's wrong so I can help you fix it."

"No, I…" Sully slumped in defeat. "Alright, I put on weight and my muscle mass is down. You believe that?" The red-head cavalier shrugged. "We're on the brink of war, and I'm getting a gut!"

The butler crossed his arms. "Are you sure about that? You don't exactly look like you've put on weight, Sully."

"Are you kidding? I'm telling you I've put on weight!" Sully glared at the aged butler.

Walter raised his hands defensively. "Calm down, Sully. I doubt that a pound of fat is going to do much to you." He chuckled slightly. "I'm surprised that you're the kind of person that actually cares about her figure."

"For Naga's sake! This isn't about LOOKS! My muscle mass has dropped, damn it! If that affects my combat skill, I could get killed!" Sully was practically spitting out fire.

"Fine, if you're so worried about your muscle mass, which I honestly think is fine, you can try to diet." Walter pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Sully. "I want you to write down your current diet, and from there we'll work on creating a much healthier meal plan. Quite frankly, I think you're absolutely fine without it."

Sully took the parchment and immediately began jotting foods down. "It's lazy attitudes like yours that get people killed, Walter. It's no wonder you've started to visibly gain weight…"

"What?" Walter's monocle almost fell off his face as his face displayed his surprise. "I can assure you that I have not gained any unnecessary weight."

Sully only chuckled as she continued to write her current diet down on the parchment.


Virion

Walter stared at Virion in dumbfounded confusion. Not for the first time, Virion had Walter completely shocked. This time however, the shock didn't come from the nobleman's accuracy with a bow or his need to flirt with every woman he meets.

No, Walter's shock came from the fact that Virion was actually staying out of the personal space of every female within the area.

Something must really be bothering him. Walter placed a hand on his chin as he watched Virion, who usually walked around with an air of confidence around him, walk into the Garrison's mess hall halfheartedly. Walter followed him in and saw the nobleman twiddle his thumbs as he stared up at the ceiling, while sitting at one of the many tables in the hall.

"Something on your mind, sir?" Walter took a seat across from Virion. "You're not exactly acting the way you usually do."

Virion suddenly seemed to jump back into his normal mannerisms, as he suddenly picked his head up and smiled his usual smug grin. "Whatever do you mean, Walter? I am the same as always, Virion the noblest archer you are sure to meet!"

"Lying is unbecoming of the "noblest archer", Virion." Walter easily saw past the façade. "So why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Virion slumped in defeat, returning to the depressive state he was showcasing earlier. "I see nothing gets past you, butler." The nobleman lowered his head on to the table. "I may be the greatest of warriors, the lion living amongst the tigers, but I still feel great sadness for what I have lost."

Walter stared at the nobleman. "What did you lose?"

"I am not one to divulge such information to others, as many secrets are secret for a reason, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you." Virion lifted his head from the table. "I appear to have lost my ability to woo women."

The Angel of Death nearly slammed his head onto the table out of sheer stupidity. "Are you telling me that you're in a depressive state because you haven't been on a date recently?"

Virion nodded. "It is as if the charm of a dashing rogue is no longer effective in the wooing of women. Before, many would be infatuated with my swan-like grace and lion-like ferocity. Alas, it seems that it is no longer enough."

Walter shook his head, placing a hand on his forehead in annoyance. "That's because it was never enough, Virion. There is a large difference between earning a woman's infatuation and earning a woman's love."

"There is?" Virion lifted an eyebrow. "I was unaware of this fact."

Walter nodded. "Yes, because an infatuation is nothing but hormones telling you that your heavily attracted to another person. Love is something more than that, and something that I don't understand fully. Don't get me wrong, an infatuation can very well evolve into love, but it takes time and maturity for that to happen."

Virion suddenly bolted from his seat, his vigor seemingly returning. "Ah, what you are saying is that I must first gain a woman's infatuation before I gain their love. To gain their infatuation, I must make myself look all the more pleasing to the eye; though what is more elegant than a swan, I do not know."

"Virion, that's not what I meant!" Before Walter could stop him, Virion already exited the room. Walter let out a sigh and decided to let Virion fail on his own. "Oh well, he's not my problem anymore."


Sumia

Apparently Sumia was spotted carting a large pile of books around, and Walter was curious as to why. It wasn't that he didn't like reading, he was just curious as to why. He smiled when he saw Sumia calmly reading to herself, enjoying one of the many books she had in her cart. "That's quite the number of books you have there, Sumia."

Sumia's head darted to Walter. She carefully placed the book she was down, being sure not to lose her page number, and smiled. "Oh, hello Walter! Yes, this IS a lot of books, isn't it?" Sumia grinned like a child. "Someone threw them out of a wagon, so I figured I'd give them a good home."

Walter nodded in approval. "Very good, Sumia. Reading is a good form of relaxation, especially with a cup of tea on the side." The english butler always enjoyed literature in all forms, though he had an affinity for novels on the occult for obvious reasons.

Sumia nodded in agreement. "Oh, you can borrow some if you want. I certainly can't read them all at once."

The butler smirked. "Well, I could use a bit more literature in my life. When you get to my age, you need to find something to pass the time. Let's have a look…" Walter scanned the large stack of books. Many of the books seemed to be tales of fantastical fiction, with a few romance novels thrown in. Not exactly his style, but it couldn't hurt to try. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover.

"Just take your time." Sumia stood somewhat bow-legged.

Walter eventually chose a book titled "Wyvern Wars". "I always have enjoyed a good novel, and I doubt that I won't enjoy this one. I am curious, as I've read plenty of books from where I'm from, but this will be the first piece of Ylissean literature that I dabble into."

The Pegasus rider's eyes lit up. "Well, I'm glad that I've given you your first Ylissean novel. Most people don't share my enthusiasm when it comes to reading novels and the like." Sumia scratched the back of her head. "Sometimes I'm even teased because I read "children's tales"."

Walter gave her sympathetic smile. "Don't take their words to heart, Sumia. Novels are for all ages, no matter what anyone tells you. In fact, sometimes it's age that allows you to understand a story better."

The Pegasus rider smiled. "Thanks for the encouragement, Walter. When your done with the book, tell me what you think about it."

The butler nodded. "I will, but if you want to find out what happens in the book you'll have to read it yourself."

Sumia laughed as she and Walter left the stables.


Stahl

Perhaps it was an off day, but Walter was tired for no reason. He already acknowledged that he wasn't as spry as he used to be, but off days were not typical of him. The butler was used to working all day every day, sometimes with less than a few hours of sleep, and he hardly ever took a vacation when he was the Hellsing butler.

Of course, his stamina wasn't being fed into the seal for his vampire form back then.

Walter took a seat to catch his breath, dropping the mop he was using to clean the garrison's floors.

"Need some help there, Walter?"

Walter looked up to see Stahl with the mop in his hand. "No, I'm just taking a breather. I'll be up in a second or two." Just as Walter prepared to get to his feet, Stahl stopped him.

"I don't think so, old man." Stahl dipped the mop in a nearby bucket of water. "I think you should leave the cleaning to me for today. You look like you need a break."

Walter frowned. "I'll have you know that I'm feeling just fine, and that I am more than fit to do something as simple as mopping the floor." He swiped the mop right out of the cavalier's hand. "Besides, I doubt that you would last a single day preforming my duties."

Stahl smirked as he watched the aged butler mop the floor. "Well if I had to babysit everyone, including Chrom, I doubt I would last that long."

"Watching over you all is hardly the most difficult thing in the world. Honestly, you lot are hardly anywhere close to as troublesome as Alucard was." Walter didn't even lift his head up, as he was far too fixated on making sure the floors were spotless.

"Who?" Stahl took a seat on a nearby stool.

"Alucard was…" The butler paused for a moment. "…an old friend, and quite definitely one of the most troublesome people to have ever lived. To him, the entire world was nothing short of a playground, and those around him his playthings. He existed only to do battle, aching to find those who could match him."

"Were you one of those people?"

Walter halted. "Was I one of those people?" He stopped to think for a second. "Perhaps I was one of those people, at least when I was much younger." A small, barely noticeable, smile formed on his wrinkled face. "I was such a belligerent, short tempered, foul-mouthed, no good, sadistic, bastard when I was around your age. Quite honestly, the only things that carried over from my younger self was my name and my ability to use wires; everything else about my personality has long since been tempered."

Stahl let out a burst of laughter. "You, foul mouthed? Sorry Walter, but I honestly can't believe you."

The butler shrugged. "I agree, it's unbelievable, but I assure you that I was cursing up entire storms when I was young. I cursed so much that I could probably make Sully blush from the amount colorful language I used on a daily basis."

Stahl wiped a tear that had formed from the amount of laughter he had just let out. "Jeez Walter, from what you're telling me, you were a bit of a rebellious punk. So how does a foul mouthed young man turn into a polite butler like you?"

"Well..." Walter joking stroked his chin, feeling like indulging in some harmless humor. "Perhaps it was the amount of times I was beaten over the head by the rest of the cleaning staff, or maybe it was the life-scarring images that are seared into my brain of my former master and his "young lady friends"; said images would make the most perverse man embrace celibacy."

"So it just took a lot of discipline?"

"That's basically it." Walter placed the mop he was using in the bucket. "It seems that our little conversation has given me a bout of energy."

The mud haired cavalier shot Walter a grin. "Hey, you looked like you needed some social interaction." Stahl gestured towards the mop that Walter just stuffed in a bucket. "So you gonna get to work on another part of the garrison?"

Walter hummed as he thought silently to himself. The butler responded by putting the mop to the side. "Perhaps you were right, I do need a break."


Miriel

Walter held his hands steady as he carefully pushed several metallic wires into the fabric of his cleaning gloves. While it seemed like he was shoving a needless amount of wire into the gloves, the wires were going to become infused with the fabric once he performed the required alchemy to combine the two.

The wires themselves were created using occult magic. The magic allowed the user to create wires that he could pour his own will and stamina into. The more stamina a person had, the sharper wires would get. As a result, Walter had to be careful, otherwise he could end up cutting himself to bits.

Walter jumped when he heard a small explosion go off. He nearly messed up as a result, but he thankfully managed to keep the wires from tearing the gloves apart.

Walter didn't even have to think twice to know who caused the explosion. "Oh dear, Miriel's at it again."

He carefully put the wires down and left his room to check up on the academic. Walter made his way to where Miriel usually conducted her experiments, a room that she had converted into a laboratory. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw that Miriel was completely fine, though the room was another story. Various sorts of potions littered the floor and there were a few scorch marks.

"How discomposing." Miriel spoke in her usual monotone voice.

Walter quickly composed himself and entered. "What a terrible spill. I pray that you've come out unscathed, Miriel."

The scientific Mage turned around to face the butler. "A minor contusion. Benign." She referred to the small bruise on her hand.

"How fortunate." Walter bowed slightly. "I heard the explosion from all the way down the hall. From the looks of things, everything went flying." That's when Walter's eyes caught sight of a lone tome on the floor. "It appears that you dropped your tome. Allow me to retrieve it for you." The butler was about to reach down and grab it when it was suddenly swiped away by Miriel.

"You are not to touch the tome, sir!" Miriel raised her voice suddenly, clutching the tome tightly.

"Forgive me." Walter spoke as politely as possible, hiding the surprise he felt from witnessing Miriel anger slightly. "I just thought that I could politely return it to you. I did not realize the tome was so important."

"Important? Hmm..." Miriel seemed to be pondering what he had just said.

"Miriel?"

She carefully placed the tome within the confines of her satchel. "I suppose it does bear some import, yes. It's a lodestar, of sorts. One that points the way to the truth."

"Is that so?" Walter raised an eyebrow. His curiosity was piqued. In his time in Ylisse, he figured out that many of the scientific concepts that were standard in his world were yet to be discovered in Ylisse. "Who wrote it?" Walter inquired. "Did the writer happen to be famous?"

Miriel shook her head. "Not famous at all, no. The author was my mother."

"Ah, that explains the obvious age of the tome." The butler continued. "So, was she a mage or a scientist?"

"What is the impetus for your inquiry?" Miriel narrowed her eyes questioningly.

"Is curiosity a sin in Ylisse?" Walter raised his eyebrow, slightly offended by her distrust. "I only wish to quell my curiosity, Miriel."

"An automatic reaction to conversational stimulus. I see…" The scientific mate muttered under her breath.

Walter's unamused gaze met her narrowed eyes. The two continued to bore into each other's skulls for a while until Miriel finally broke the silence. "What is the meaning of your visit?"

"I was just worried that you had gotten hurt in the explosion." Walter answered simply.

"Curious…" Miriel began to jot down notes. "Concern for those one would classify as a "stranger" warrants further investigation. To what causes this "concern", I wonder."

Walter shrugged as he left the room, leaving Miriel to her research. "Sometimes I can't tell if she really is human…"


Vaike

Walter hummed to himself as he carted several towels into the garrison's shower room, more accurately the women's showers. Sumia informed him that there was a lack of clean towels in the shower room. Walter quickly noticed an unwelcome presence peeping into the showers. "Vaike, why are you in the women's shower room?"

Vaike did a quick one eighty and faced the aged butler. "Eh? Me? Up to? Nothin'!" Vaike let out a nervous laugh. "Yes sir, a whole lot of nothin'. Oh, lookie there!" He pointed at a nearby flower pot. "Pretty flowers! I sure do love me a pretty flower, don't you? Yep, I just love 'em! …Say what's your favorite flower, Walter?"

Walter raised an eyebrow. "At least try to act natural."

"Act natural? I don't need to "act" natural." Vaike let out another nervous laugh. "I'm just admirin' all them pretty flowers!"

"You lecherous dog, you're trying to see who's bathing right now."

"What do you mean? I had NO idea that this was a bath house!" Vaike was practically sweating buckets.

"Stop playing dumb, Vaike." Walter was tempted to drag the axe wielder out by the ear. "Stop your peeping and get out."

"Aw, c'mon!" Vaike threw both of his hands into the air. "You were once a warm-blooded young man! You know how it is! Haven't you ever…"

Walter stopped Vaike right there. "No, I did not." Walter thanked God that he did not pick up Arthur Hellsings' perverse tendencies.

Vaike grumbled as Walter dragged him out of the shower room. "You were a right little goodie two-shoes, weren't ya? Interruptin' my fun just when…" Vaike froze in place.

"Why is Sully's horse out of the stables?" Walter raised an eyebrow. "Now that I look at it, it seems to be glaring…" Walter quickly realized what it was about to do. "It looks like you're going to have to face some punishment for your sin, Vaike."

"Walter!?" Vaike panicked as the horse charged at him. He then realized that Walter had simply walked away. "WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?"


Kellam

Walter stroked his chin as he stared at the ordeal in bewilderment. The butler had watched as Lissa, Vaike, Sumia and Virion erupted in panic the moment Kellam bought some drinks to the table the four of them were sitting at. He couldn't tell what was more ridiculous; the fact that they couldn't see the ridiculously tall knight, or the fact that they claimed that it was a ghost that had bought the drinks to their table.

As soon as the Shepherds cleared out of the room, in fear of the "ghost", Walter took one of the drinks that Kellam had brought out. "I don't know what's more ridiculous; the fact that they believe that you're a ghost, or the fact that they don't notice you, Kellam."

Kellam did a double take, not believing what he was hearing. "You actually notice me?"

Walter nodded. "Of course I notice you, how could I not? You're one of the tallest of the entire militia, Kellam. It's a wonder how people don't notice you."

"I guess I just have one of those faces people don't notice…" Kellam let out a sigh.

The aged butler let out a laugh. "I doubt that it's your face, Kellam. Faces aren't the reason people aren't noticed, though they can cause you to be mistaken for other people." Walter placed a hand on his chin. "So why are you so hard to notice Kellam? Is there anyone that acknowledges your existence?"

Kellam smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stack of letters. "My eldest brother still acknowledges me. He sends me letters whenever we're called to battle. He recently told me that his wife was pregnant, so I'm happy to hear that."

Walter smiled, glad that there was at least someone else noticed the man. "I'm glad to hear that. I take it that you're close to your brother and his family?

"Very close, I usually visit him at least once a month." The knight looked happy to be able to talk about his brother. "Even when people started to ignore me, he always was there to cheer me up. He made sure that his wife was able to notice me, and has always made me feel welcome whenever I visit."

"So it seems that only those who are close to you are able to notice you. That raises the question, how am I able to notice you? I have, after all, barely known you for more than a month." Walter mused. "Perhaps you have some odd spell cast on you that prevents those who aren't close to you from seeing you, and it just so happens that it's not strong enough to conceal you from my heightened senses."

Kellam shook his head. "No, I already got checked for magical interference, and I'm pretty sure I would've noticed if someone cast a spell on me."

Walter shrugged, stumped on what was causing Kellam to be so unnoticeable. "Whatever it may be, I'll help you overcome it."

Kellam laughed as he took a breath of relief, hopeful that Walter would be able to help him in some way.


Author's Notes

Has it really been that long since I updated? Jeez, it feels like every chapter I post, I apologize for the wait, but I especially have to do that now. It has been over a year since the last update for this story, and you guys deserve an explanation.

My life kind of fell apart a few months after the last chapter I posted, and I kind of caved in as a result. I just couldn't sit down and write, so I just gave up on this story. Life was pretty hectic for me this last year: I had to transfer schools twice, I moved away from the place I'd been living for more then four fifths of my life, I couldn't seem to figure out what to do with my life, I lost all confidence in my own ability to do everything. All these just piled up into one big blob of stress and depression that impeded my ability to sit down and work on this story.

I'm happy to say that everything has calmed down, and that I have finally gotten off my lazy butt and written a new chapter. The reason the chapter is structured the way it is is so I could kind of inch my way back into writing, while also familiarizing myself with the characters in the story so far. It was a blast writing these supports, and it's great to be writing again in general.

Next chapter is the tournament in Regna Ferox, and it's coming up real soon.

Merry Christmas, or whatever other holiday you celebrate!