A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get back to this. I had a HUGE case of writer's block, but I think I can finally finish. This takes place about 6 months after the previous one, so Lloyd and Colette's twins are a little older, but still babies. As such, Colette herself kind of takes a backseat for a while, only showing up when Lloyd's been severely wounded or something truly terrible for their world happens. For the SoundCloud audiobook, this is modified a bit for fan choice names rather than Emily and Edmund. Not sure why it took me hours to remember what they were, but at least I did. Also, the birth scene was modified in the SoundCloud variant because Tenebrae didn't have anything to do with it and I wanted him to have more to do in the story, so he gives some mana to Colette to help her survive. Emily being born with a hole in her heart still happens and she still has to take things more carefully than her brother going forward, but she will get to have a whole life. She just has some restrictions that Edmund doesn't have and Lloyd and Colette explain right away why she has those limits.

Tales of Symphonia 3: Breath of a New Era

Chapter 5: Genis' New Roommate, Dedication and Surprises

6 months later, Lloyd gave a soft, satisfied sigh as he finished emptying the last box of books into Genis's dorm room in Palmacosta Academy. On his back was a child carrier, holding his young son, Edmund. Part of him was worried that this new roommate might bully Genis in the same way his old one, Wendall, had, but the other part of him held out hope that the staff had kept the many incidents when he and Colette had come to visit to find Genis on the street, battered and crying. Genis, who was standing on the desk in the room and putting the last few books away, turned to Lloyd and said, "Hey Lloyd. Are you okay? You've barely said a word to me since we came back."

Lloyd told him, "I'm fine. I guess I'm just worried because Edmund's been so quiet."

Genis thought a moment about something for a moment, then responded quietly, so as to not wake the possibly-sleeping baby, "Well, I overheard Colette and Raine talking a little the other day. Sometimes twins have some sort of thought-bond. So…maybe Edmund's feeling the pain that Emily deals with everyday because of her heart defect? And he just doesn't cry because he knows it's normal now? I don't know, I'm just taking a shot in the dark on that one. Anyway…I'm nervous, Lloyd. What if my new roommate doesn't like me? Or…what if they're racist like the other one?"

Lloyd responded, walking over and putting a hand on his shoulder, "After all the incidents with Wendall, I'm sure that the administration will make sure that your roommate isn't like that, Genis. And if worse comes to worst, Regal and Zelos can try to find you a safer private school." He then removed his hand and looked over as there was a soft knocking on the door. He said, "Come in."

Moments later, a boy looking about a year older than Genis, with deep blue hair and brown eyes, knocked on the door and then walked in. He smiled and nodded to both teens, telling them, "Hey guys. I'm Royce, Genis' new roommate. How are you?"

Genis nodded, "Hey Royce. It's nice to finally meet you. Now…just to stop the train before it even gets started…is it okay that I'm a half-elf?"

Royce looked confused for a moment, then remembered what his former roommate had told him about Genis and gasped and nodded, "Of course, it's perfectly fine! You can't help the way you were born, Genis. Maybe Wendall had a problem with you being one, but it's no issue at all to me." Noticing that Genis seemed very happy and relieved, the teen walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, telling him, "It seems like you have a pretty good big brother figure from Lloyd there, so I won't get in the way of that…but when you don't have him around, I'm here for you. Okay? I'll help you study when you need it, talk to you or just listen to you talk about whatever's on your mind. I'm here for you, Genis. I'd like to be your friend. Hopefully a good friend."

Genis chuckled and nodded, barely able to form words because of the genuine joy he felt inside. He hadn't felt this happy in ages, and it was a welcome feeling. He told the boy, "Of course I'll be your friend!" He looked to Lloyd, who had walked to the other side of the room to care for his crying son and said, "Lloyd, he's an ally! He likes half-elves!"

Lloyd smiled and nodded his head to the teen, relieved that he had finally found his match in a roommate, "You guys have fun then. I'm going to go back to Colette and the others now. Genis, you can tell me about your week when Colette and I come to visit this weekend, okay?"

Genis nodded, "Of course, Lloyd! I'll talk to you then. Oh, did you and Colette have plans for today or something?" He always kept tabs on his two best friends, even if it meant doing a little sneaking around town or asking Emil.

Lloyd told him, "Yeah, Colette and I are going to take the twins to the chapel to have them dedicated to the Goddess Martel."

Raine, who had been waiting in the hallway outside the room, walked in and informed them, "Lloyd, Zelos just informed me moments ago that the Vanguard have taken Presea and Regal captive in his office. So, there's no guarantee that the church will be safe…"
Lloyd got a determined look on his face and said, "I'll make sure that the priests and Colette get to perform the ceremony. My kids will be dedicated. Maybe they won't be priests or anything, but I want them to enjoy the same blessings that Colette had at least."

Raine smiled and nodded, "All right. Well, do you mind hanging out here for a few minutes until Richter arrives? I've asked him to escort you and Colette to the chapel as a precaution."

Lloyd sighed, but nodded, "Okay, Professor Raine. Thank you for doing that for us."

Raine responded, "It's no problem. You're like a son to me, Lloyd.I couldn't in good conscience let you travel that far without some form of protection when so much is going on."

Lloyd smiled a little and responded, "Yeah, I guess not. Is Richter okay to be out of the core though, given his bond with Ratatosk?"

Raine nodded, "Yes, he seemed to think it would be all right. However, if he gets injured, he told me he might break the bond so that Emil isn't affected."

Lloyd sighed and added, "All right, I guess that's fair." He looked over and noticed Richter standing in the hallway through a crack in the door, as Raine hadn't completely closed it when she came in. He spoke up and said, "Well, Richter's here. I guess I should get going."

Genis nodded and gently hugged Lloyd, telling him, "Okay, Lloyd. Please be careful."

Lloyd nodded and walked in the hallway, stopping beside Richter. He told him, "Thank you for the protection, and for doing as Raine asked. Just out of curiosity, what's your reason for doing as she asked though?"

Richter responded softly, so that only Lloyd would hear him, "I have a crush on her. She's a half-elf, so am I…you might say we have some common ground."

Lloyd told him just as quietly, in order to respect the older man's feelings, "Maybe you do, but you're a few years too late. Raine's already in love with Regal, and both she and Genis have gotten very close to him. I'm sure that they wouldn't mind being friends with you, though, if you want to talk to them."

Richter looked at the ground, a bit bummed by the news, but then asked, "Are they married?"

Lloyd shook his head, "Not yet, but at this point, it's only a matter of time until they do tie the knot. I'm sorry if it's disappointing news, but like I said, they wouldn't mind being your friends. I think Marta convinced them to forgive you for your time with the Vanguard. I'm not sure though, so don't quote me on that."

Richter nodded, "I'll talk to them. Thanks for trying to give me some hope, Lloyd. You're all right, for the son of a Cruxis angel, anyway."

Lloyd looked confused, "Wait, so you know that Kratos Aurion is my dad? How?"

Richter explained, "Ratatosk told me about all of that while we were forming the bond with Emil. He left no stone unturned. However, since I wasn't there personally and was probably only a child when all of that was happening, I don't hold any grudges toward him for trying to kill Ratatosk. After all, I tried to do the same thing not all that long ago."

Lloyd nodded, "Yeah, that's a fair point." He then nodded and told Richter, "I guess we should head out." He then chuckled a little as Edmund's baby feet kicked him on the side. It didn't hurt him, but it did tickle some.

Richter looked confused at seeing Lloyd's face and placed a hand gently on the younger man's shoulder, slightly concerned. He asked, "Are you all right?"

Lloyd smiled and nodded, "I'm fine. Edmund's just a little restless. I guess he's kind of anxious about the ceremony."

Richter responded, "What does the dedication ceremony involve?"

Lloyd explained, "It's kind of like a christening, according to Colette. The twins get sprinkled with water and then they get certificates."

Richter nodded, "Sounds simple enough. How long will it take?"

Lloyd told him, "It should only take between 30 minutes and an hour. If it takes longer than that, you can feel free to go outside and wait. Again, thank you for protecting me and Colette."

Richter responded, "Not a problem. What are you going to do about Presea and Regal?"

Lloyd thought for a moment, then answered, "Zelos, my dad, Emil and I will figure something out. You don't need to worry about it, okay? However, it would help if you could protect Marta until she's over what happened in Altamira. I'm sure you heard."

Richter nodded, "Yes…how is she doing?"

Lloyd shrugged, "As well as can be expected, I guess. She's been kind of moody, but after something like that, I don't exactly blame her."

Richter told him, rather tersely and with a slight note of hostility in his tone, "I don't either."

Lloyd noticed the slight hostility and asked, "Richter...are you okay? You got a bit aggressive just then."

Richter sighed sadly as he thought of the past, and then shrugged, "It matters little. If you want to find out why I got so angry about finding out about Marta, you can ask her yourself. She knows a little about my past because…I told her some of it while we were in the Vanguard together. I trust her with my life, despite everything her father did. I recognize that they are two separate people, unlike a few others I could speak of."

Lloyd smirked and nodded, "You mean Alice and Decus, right?"

Richter nodded, "They compared Marta to her father all the time because they were both pretty stubborn. However, Marta is a lot nicer than her father. They just refused to see that side of her because they didn't think that compassion was a good quality for a leader, for whatever reason. But never mind about all of that. Let's just get going."

Lloyd nodded and the two men left for Palmacosta, the younger of the two sticking to the back and shifting the baby carrier on his body onto his back so that Edmund wouldn't get caught in the middle if any violence occurred on their way to the bustling port city. Richter noted this action and smiled a little, happy to see that Lloyd was so devoted to his son. They arrived inside the port city without incident, but not long after they had arrived, a young boy with green hair and brown eyes tackled Lloyd from the side and jostled Edmund loose. He then picked the young infant up and started to run off. Seeing this happen, Richter let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a yell and a growl and chased the teen. He cornered him and demanded, "Give me the child and I won't run you through. Why were you trying to kidnap this boy?"

The boy simply responded, also trying to get the attention of the few Vanguard soldiers that accompanied, "I have my reasons…and you're not going to stop me!" He pulled a knife from his boot and slashed Richter on his upper leg to force him to get off, and also stabbed him in the stomach. Yelling in pain, Richter weakly communicated to Emil and Ratatosk, "Lloyd and I have been ambushed by a young boy and a few Vanguard here in Palmacosta. Please, Emil…send help, quickly."

Emil heard his weak and urgent thoughts and gasped where he was seated with Marta, thankfully also in Palmacosta but on the other side of town. He stood up and told the girl, gripping her hand tightly, "Marta, Richter and Lloyd need us, now!"

Marta nodded, "Let's go help them then. Are Regal and Presea here?"

Emil responded, "Well, Lloyd did invite them to the dedication, so maybe. Why don't you go and look for them and I'll go on and help them. Meet up with you later?"

Marta replied, "All right. Love you, Emil. Be careful!" She kissed his cheek and ran off to find Regal and Presea.

Emil ran as fast as he could across town, finding a young boy beating up on Richter while Lloyd watched in horror as some Vanguard soldiers tried to make off with his son. Noticing Emil, the brunette shouted, "Emil, stop them! They're trying to kidnap Edmund!"

Emil shouted back, worried about Richter, "But what about Richter?"
Richter, more worried for the child than himself for a change, yelled back with as much strength as he could manage, "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, Emil! Save the boy!"

Emil teared up, but nodded and ran after the soldiers, determined to rescue Edmund. He stabbed the soldier holding Edmund in the back and as the guy fell, he rolled forward a bit and caught the boy in his arms, asking the young infant softly, "Are you okay?"

The young baby boy babbled and 'booped' Emil's nose, eliciting a sigh of relief from the blonde. He then stood and walked over to Richter, holding the infant close so that he wouldn't see the blood and bruises on Richter's battered body. He asked the half-elf, "What happened?"

Richter explained weakly, "Lloyd and I were ambushed, just like I said. But I took the brunt of the assault, protecting Lloyd. I knew…he had plans with his children, and didn't…want those ruined." He groaned softly and blacked out, the pain of his injuries becoming too much. Panicked that they could lose Richter, Emil turned to Lloyd and asked, "Would you please go find Raine? Your son's okay. Fortunately, I got to him soon enough that the Vanguard didn't hurt him. I'll try to get Richter to the hotel here and get in contact with Regal. He may not know all the healing magic that Raine does, but he can keep Richter alive until she gets here. He knows some first aid too, according to Zelos."

Lloyd nodded and took Edmund from Emil, telling the teen, "Thank you for getting my son back, Emil. You were incredibly…brave, look out!" Setting Edmund behind him, he drew his sword out and blocked the sword of the other Vanguard soldier, as he had been aiming for Emil's back. He growled and said, "Unless you want to meet your end here, I suggest that you run and tell your leaders that my son is NOT a piece of meat, or any kind of bargaining tool. You won't get him without a fight, so why even bother trying?" The soldier opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it and dropped his weapon. He took off running since he was greatly outnumbered now. Lloyd gave a sigh of relief, then turned to Emil and told him, "I'll go get Raine while you take Richter to the hotel here and get in touch with Regal. Oh…unless they're on a date. In which case, they can both come. Either way, I'll try to hurry." He dropped his sword, picked up Edmund and bolted off, hurrying to find Raine so that she could heal Richter.

Emil waved after Lloyd, then turned to Richter and gently shook him, attempting to wake the red-head. He told the half-elf, screaming a bit out of concern, "Richter, come on! Please…wake up. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. Just please, don't give up yet."

Richter opened his eyes and nodded to Emil, telling him weakly, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I won't give the Vanguard the satisfaction of having killed me. Just…do me one favor before we leave, Emil?"

Emil nodded and responded, "Whatever you need, Richter. I'll try to help."

Richter told him, "Can you at least wrap my stomach wound so that when you carry me, it's not made worse?"

Emil responded, "Sure. Just a sec, Richter." He took off one of his gloves and the strap he usually used for his sword and wrapped the redhead's stomach. He then carefully picked him up and carried him to the hotel, shaking a little because of his trauma. It was mid-afternoon, but despite the warmth of the town due to its proximity to the coastline, the youth felt strangely numb. Sure, things were a little rough right now because of what had just happened and Marta had been somewhat ignoring his presence at times, but she had just been through a traumatic event. Things would return to normal, eventually. Despite his ponderings, he and the half-conscious Richter arrived at the hotel approximately 15 minutes after they had left the site of the attack on him and Lloyd.

Upon their arrival there, the desk clerk, seeing Richter's steadily worsening condition, told the blonde gently, "Don't worry about paying for a room, dear boy. I can plainly see that your friend needs help. I do believe Raine Sage is in town, but would you like me to send for a doctor to help her with getting him fixed up?"

Emil looked down at Richter in his arms, curiously and quietly asking his permission, as he knew that the redhead was a little scared of people at times. He whispered to the redhead, so the clerk wouldn't hear, "Is it okay if Raine has an assistant or would you rather it just be her helping you?"

Richter told him quietly, "It wouldn't be bad for Raine to have a little assistance, I guess. Yes, have…them send…a doctor." He blacked out in Emil's arms, beginning to bleed through Emil's haphazard glove-bandage.

Emil gasped and looked hastily at the clerk, telling her, "Yes, please! Send a doctor to whatever room you see me go into! I don't want to risk losing Richter before Raine even has a chance to arrive!"

The clerk nodded and picked up the landline phone on the table behind her, calling a nearby hospital to send paramedics over to her current location, as there was a badly injured man staying in one of the rooms. After telling the paramedics which hotel to go to, she thanked them, hung up the phone, turned to Emil and said directly, "Try to control the bleeding using some of the towels in the bathrooms of the room you choose. We have plenty of them and there's a first aid kit in each of the rooms too. I'd try wrapping the leg in gauze, and don't let him walk. If he needs to get something to drink, help him out and get the water for him. The paramedics should be here in about 10 minutes."

Emil nodded and briskly jogged to the closest room, laying Richter down and cleaning him up some, using the towels from the in-suite bathroom and cleaning up the blood on his clothes, as well as cleaning the wounds in the process. After he sprayed hydrogen peroxide on the worst of the wounds and wrapped them in gauze, he waited patiently for help to arrive.

As the desk clerk had originally said, the paramedics arrived ten minutes later and rushed to the room where Emil and Richter were, telling the young blonde to get out of the way and basically ignoring him as they tended to the redhead. Raine arrived not long after that and asked the paramedics if she could assist, wanting to be as polite as possible to help illustrate that not half-elves were bad. The lead paramedic told her, "We need all the help we can get, so feel free. For now, he's severely dehydrated so if you could go get him some water to start with, that would be wonderful!" Raine nodded and went into the in-suite bathroom, filled a few of the provided styrofoam cups with water, brought them out and set them on the stand between the two beds in the room. The lead paramedic praised her, saying, "Thank you, ma'am! Do you know how to make healing draughts?"

Raine responded gently, "Yes, I'm very familiar with those. They require special herbs and take a long to make, but the effects are worth it. Would you like me to make him some?"

The lead paramedic nodded and told her, "He'll need them once we finish stitching him up. He's also got some heavy bruising on him as well."

Emil teared up and pulled his knees to his chest, having not noticed the bruising on his friend, more concerned about the blood that Richter had lost. He gently asked, "Do you guys know how he got the bruising? I only noticed the knife wounds."

The paramedic shook his head, "If he were conscious, he could tell us, but he's out cold. Was there anyone else involved in this incident?"

Raine responded, "Yes, a friend of mine named Lloyd. However, he and his wife, Colette are over at the church right now, getting their children dedicated. I was there with my fiance, Regal Bryant, but when Lloyd came storming in on the verge of tears, I knew something terrible must have happened. I quietly asked him, he explained and I came as soon as I could. My fiance is still at the church though. Our friend Sheena is now on her way there as well to help protect them. The Vanguard attempted to kidnap his son and this man bravely protected both of them by shielding them with his own body."

The paramedic nodded his head and told them, "I see. Well, we'll let them finish that, but I'm gonna go talk to the priests and see if Lloyd can come and talk to the authorities. If he describes what happened, the young man responsible for the attempted kidnapping can be put behind bars and enrolled in some behavioral therapy. The fact that he injured Richter so badly suggests that something bad is going on upstairs, and we don't need someone like that out roaming the city. So you might say it's a good thing that this happened." He continued to tend to Richter with Raine's help. Eventually, the two got the bleeding from Richter's injuries under control and bandaged him up, instructing him to rest until he felt strong, looked less pale and felt able to move without pain again.

Richter responded weakly, "All right, I'll do that. And while it's not ideal that it happened, at least no one else will get hurt this way." He lay there a moment and then dozed off, his deep red hair falling over his glasses.

Sighing, Raine removed his glasses and set them on the bedside table, brushed his hair away from his face, and then turned to the paramedic and said, "Thank you. I'll take over his care from here. You go to the church now and take Lloyd aside."

The paramedic said, "I'll use the phone at the desk to call the authorities to go talk to him. I need to stay here and monitor this man for a short time as well. But, it will only be me. My partner's gonna head back to the hospital. They need help over there."

Raine nodded and left the room. Though she hesitated to leave her charge, she also knew that he was in good hands, so she felt free to do it. She wanted to be there to help Lloyd stay calm while he was talking to the authorities. When it came to his children, he and Colette could often lose their cool.

Meanwhile, back in Altamira, Emil and Marta were hanging out with Regal at one of the restaurants, trying to get their mind off the trial and her recent assault. Emil said, "Marta…you've been eating a lot more than usual lately. Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"
Marta nodded, "I'm gonna be fine, Emil. Don't worry, all right?" She sighed and looked at the floor, as she had recently gone to a medical clinic to get a check-up for some symptoms she had been experiencing. The doctors had taken a small blood sample to run some tests, and found that she was indeed pregnant, but had been hesitant to tell her because they knew of her assault. After much prying, the girl had finally convinced them and they had told her. She just hadn't told her friends because she felt a little ashamed.

Emil sighed, "Marta…I hate to ask you something like this in light of what happened, but…are you sure you're not pregnant?"
Marta gasped and dropped her fork, shocked by Emil's question. She then responded, "I….yes, I am."

Regal looked confused and asked her, "Why have you not mentioned it until now, Marta? Is there a good reason?"

Marta nodded, tearing up a little, "I…feel ashamed. I feel like I'm taking something away from Emil by being pregnant with a kid that's not his."

Regal sighed and shook his head, explaining, "You're not taking anything away from him, Marta. And it is still possible for him to be a father to a child for you two. If you don't think you could raise this child on your own, you could always give it up for adoption. There are adults here in Altamira that are wanting children but are unable to conceive, and would be happy to adopt it at birth. From what I've observed, once a child that is a product of rape is born, it is taken from the mother via c-section and placed in the arms of the adoptive mother, so that the bonding starts very early and the baby knows no different. However, there is one thing I've also observed…some of the women that had those procedures done get ill and die, but only if they aren't healthy. You are very healthy and strong, Marta. You could survive it."

Emil nodded, "I think it's something you could look into, Marta. He's right. I can still be a father. Not saying I want to be one right now, I'm just saying that sometime in the future, if we get married."

Marta giggled and nodded, her mood slightly brightened by his words, "I knew what you meant, silly. And thanks for being here for me."

Emil responded, "No problem. So, Regal, how did you and Presea escape your office?"

Regal explained that the moment he had mentioned his social standing, the Vanguard had fled his office and apologized for even being a problem. He checked on Presea after they left. Other than a few scratches, the girl was okay and he had given her the rest of the day off since they had been held captive for the few hours that they were. He had made it to the church, but no one was there except Raine, who he had hung out with for a time until he heard about the attack on Lloyd and Richter. Raine had then asked him if he could go and try to keep Lloyd in a good headspace while he talked about the attack, and the rest was history. He then added, "But to hear that you're pregnant as well, not long after Sheena and Colette had their babies? Strange coincidence."

Emil smirked and shrugged, "Strange, but not unheard of. Oh! Marta, I have a surprise for you. Could you close your eyes?"

Marta looked a little nervous, but nodded, "Sure." She trusted Emil, and his expression excited her a little. What was he planning?

Emil took a tiny box from the pocket of his pants, knelt near Marta and told her, "Okay, Marta, open your eyes."

Marta opened her eyes and noticed Emil kneeling in front of her. She gasped and said, "Emil…are you…are you doing what I think you are?"

Emil responded, chuckling softly, "You're about to find out." He opened the small box in his hand and slid the ring onto Marta's finger, asking her softly, "Will you marry me?"

Marta gasped and leaned forward, her eyes dancing with excitement, pulling Emil into a hug, "YES! For you, Emil…it's always yes!" She kissed him deeply and held him close, shaking a lot from excitement. She then asked, "But…is it okay for a long engagement? Given everything that happened recently, I mean?"

Emil nodded, "It can be for as long as you need it to."

Marta told him, tracing her fingers up his muscled arms, "Then let's make it for 3 years. That way my body can have plenty of time to heal from the c-section and I can get some of my dignity back, okay?"

Emil held her and replied, "It sounds perfect. 3 years is a long time, but I think I can handle that."

With that, Emil and Marta finished eating and Raine came to the restaurant about 15 minutes later, sitting next to Regal and showing him a little affection as well. Eventually, the two couples left the restaurant and went their separate ways, with Raine and Regal going to check on Richter, and Emil and Marta going to visit Lloyd and Colette in Iselia.