Disclaimer: I don't own this stuff; if I did, Jowy would never have defected.

It was two weeks following Kiba's defeat before we could contemplate any serious operations. We had to recoup losses suffered in the previous two engagements; we also had to make some minor repairs to the castle walls, (a unit from the Fourth Army had gotten around Gilbert's command, only to be destroyed by Kinnison's archers). The first was easily taken care of by the influx of troops from Kiba's Third Army. Kiba himself spent the bulk of his time in planning sessions with Shu, sending Klaus to liaise with Apple and me. Jess directed the repair efforts; he still felt a lingering sense of guilt over Annabelle's death, so I made sure he kept busy.

I sighed, gazing at a map of the war zone. Tinto was still closed to us, but we had gotten more recruits from elsewhere. Three from the Forest Village: Connell, who seemed to be obsessed with sound systems; Ayda, a young lady who worked as a guardian of some sort; and, of all things, a Griffin with the rather unimaginative name of Feather. To my surprise, a trip down to Kobold Village with Nanami had earned the allegiance of Sigfried, the Unicorn I had met with Hix several weeks earlier.

"Good morning, my lord." Klaus had arrived while I woolgathered. "How are you feeling?"

I smiled. "A little tired, Klaus, but alright otherwise. What's up?"

"My father has finished integrating the remaining Third Army troops into your force." Klaus grinned. "The Dragon Army is now at least the equal of anything Silverburg can throw at us."

"Excellent. Apple served with him during the war with the Scarlet Moon Empire, so she knows how he thinks. What worries me is what Princess Jillia told us. Luca Blight and Neclord are nasty enough individually; now that they've joined forces, this war is going to get very ugly very fast." I paused. "How are you holding up, Klaus? It can't be easy for you, fighting for Highland one day, fighting against it the next."

He gazed out the window. "You're right, it isn't easy, but I have no choice. With the death of King Agares at the hands of his own son, the Highland my father and I served no longer exists. Joining your army is the only way we can fight back."

"I know how you feel." I shook my head. "I was a loyal Highlander, and then my unit was murdered by the Crown Prince, and my best friend and I were almost hanged as the culprits." A sudden thought struck me. "Speaking of my best friend, is it my imagination, or is Jowy, shall we say, smitten with Princess Jillia?"

Klaus chuckled. "I believe you're right. And if I'm not mistaken, she seems to be reciprocating the sentiment."

"Do you approve?"

The young officer shrugged. "She could do a lot worse than Jowy Atreides."

"No argument there." I stood, stretching my arms. "I'm going to get a bite to eat, then I'm taking a walk. Mind the store, will you?"

"Of course, my lord."

Hai Yo's food was delicious, as usual, so I was more than satisfied when I reached the castle gate…and almost got bowled over by an irate young lady charging in. "Where is that jerk?"

I staggered. "What was that about?"

My answer came in the form of a young man, mid-twenties, who abruptly stepped out of the bushes. "She's gone? Good. I'd better hole up with Viktor and the others for a while."

"What does he want with Viktor?" I retraced my steps, aiming for the meeting room. Whoever that guy was, he was well hidden, because the only people I saw were Freed, Shu, Viktor, Flik, Apple, Ridley, and Jowy. "What's the word, people?"

Viktor looked up. "We're trying to figure out how to get more troops. We've got Two River and what's left of South Window, but Muse and Greenhill are under Highland control, Matilda hates our guts, and Tinto's ignoring us."

"Sounds like you need help from my old man." The blond youth I had encountered earlier sauntered into the room. "Hey, Apple! Long time no see!"

I'd never seen Apple look so flustered. "You…what are you doing here!?"

He laughed. "Thought I'd come and visit old friends."

Ridley had evidently had enough. "We don't have time for you." He started dragging the man off.

"Wait! Wait! My old man's the president of the Toran Republic!"

The Kobold general snorted, but Apple came to the man's defense. "Wait, Ridley, that part is true. He is President Lepant's son." She frowned. "Why would you come here, Sheena?"

Viktor snapped his fingers. "I thought I recognized him. He was with the Liberation Army under McDohl."

"Really?" I said. I glanced at the newcomer. "Now, answer the question. What are you doing here?"

Sheena grinned. "I want the Toran Republic to join the Alliance."

Most of those present looked interested, but Freed was anything but. "The Scarlet Moon Empire invaded the City-State during the war. I don't trust those people."

Sheena glared. "Hey! It isn't the Scarlet Moon Empire anymore, okay!? Emperor Barbarossa is dead."

"He's right," Flik said. "I fought in that war, and so did a bunch of people who joined the Dragon Army."

"Like who?" Jowy asked.

Flik shrugged. "Viktor and Apple, of course. Luc, Templeton, Tai Ho, Yam Koo, Viki, Futch, Meg, her uncle, even Tengaar and Hix."

"Why those two?" Ridley asked.

"Neclord kidnapped Tengaar."

"Ouch." I shook my head. "I'm inclined to go along with you, Sheena. Shu?"

Shu nodded. "I agree. Freed, I want you to go with them. I know it's hard, but we have to focus on defeating Highland."

"I understand," Freed replied.

"I'll take Jowy, Nanami, Camus, and Miklotov," I said. "That should be enough of an escort." I glanced at Sheena. "Lead on."

The terrain to the south was impassable, so we were forced to take a riverboat by way of Radat. Arriving in Banner Village, on the east bank, we snagged another recruit, a swordswoman named Anita. She'd had little to do except drink, so she was glad to join.

"Okay, Sheena, where to now?"

"North, then east," he said. "The path is easy to follow."

"Easy to follow" was in the eye of the beholder. The path to Gregminster, capital of the Republic, was infested by the deadliest monsters I had yet faced. Adding to that problem was the presence of rogue samurai, who seemed determined to slice us to death. I quickly grew sick of them.

"You didn't tell us we'd face monsters," Jowy growled, beating a tiger to death.

Sheena dispatched another tiger with the ease of long practice. "I'd have thought you'd be used to this by now."

"Just because we're used to it doesn't mean we like it," Nanami shot back.

I smashed a creature of indeterminate origins. "Knock it off, all of you. We're almost there."

Almost, but not quite. Barring our way was what looked like a giant worm, larger than life and about three times as ugly. Fortunately for us, we were all experienced warriors, so the worm wasn't too much of a challenge.

"Knight Attack!" Camus and Miklotov double-teamed it, resulting in a neat pair of gashes.

"Family Attack!"

"Piercing One!" Jowy was really mad.

A final attack from Freed's electrified blade, and the worm went down. Shortly afterwards, we ran into a border guard: Varkas, another member of McDohl's army. At first, he tried to turn us away, then Sheena persuaded him to escort us to Gregminster.

"So this is the former capital of the Scarlet Moon Empire," I commented, gazing around.

Sheena grinned. "That's right. Come on, I'll take you to my old man."

"President Lepant, this is Julian Genkaku, leader of the Dragon Army."

I bowed respectfully. "President Lepant. I am here to request the aid of the Toran Republic in our war with Highland." I glanced briefly at Sheena. "We control Two River and what remains of South Window, but Highland controls Greenhill and Muse, Tinto is ignoring us, and Lord Gorudo of Matilda hates my guts. Your son suggested we come to you. Will you help us?"

Lepant nodded. "Toran will aid you however we can." He paused thoughtfully. "You are much like the young man who led us to victory in the last war: Tir McDohl. He should be on this throne, but he and his butler Gremio left when the war ended."

"I believe I know how he feels." I gestured at my companions. "I forgot to introduce the others. These are Nanami, my sister; Jowy Atreides, my best friend; Freed Y of South Window; and Camus and Miklotov, formerly of the Matilda Knighthood."

Lepant acknowledged with a nod. "I can provide you with some direct support right now."

Two women arrived together. "General Valeria, reporting," said the first.

"I'm Kasumi, vice-chancellor of Rokkaku," the other added.

"Please choose one of them to accompany you," Lepant said.

I considered for a moment. "Kasumi. I have a feeling that a ninja will come in handy."

"Excellent. Also, take this with you." The president brought in a large mirror. "This is the Blinking Mirror. Is was of great use to us during our fight, but for now I believe you need it more."

Kasumi stepped forward. "Glad to meet you, Lord Julian."

I shook her hand. "Thank you, sir. You are most generous."

"One more thing." Lepant glared at Sheena. "Please take my idiot son with you."

Sheena jumped. "What!?"

"He needs more knowledge of the world, and you can probably teach him some discipline."

I shrugged. "As you wish. Oh, yes, I should mention that one of our enemies is a former ally of yours. Leon Silverburg."

Lepant stared in shock. "Leon!? What is he up to!?"

"I don't know. He told me in Greenhill that he was after recognition, and people like him are forgotten when the war ends." I shuddered. "I'll take obscurity over war any day."

"I couldn't agree more." We said our goodbyes and left.

We recruited two more people on the way out of Gregminster: Gordon the trader and another ex-Liberation Army member named Lorelai. Another pair joined us during a stopover in Rokkaku: Mondo and Sasuke, two expert ninja.

Shu and Apple met us in Banner Village. "Lord Julian, I am glad you succeeded," Shu said.

Apple smiled. "Kasumi, nice to see you again."

When the greetings were finished, I waved them on. "You folks go ahead. Jowy, Nanami, and I have a little side business to take care of."

Shu and the others left for Dragon Castle. "What sort of side business, Julian?" Nanami asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "I felt a resonance in my rune. There's another holder of a True Rune nearby."

"I felt it, too," Jowy said.

It soon developed that I was right. A dark-haired young man, my age or a little older, was sitting by himself near a dock. On his hand was a rune I recognized from a book Luc lent me: the Soul Eater.

He looked up as we approached. "Who are you people?"

I held out my right hand. "I am Julian Genkaku, leader of the Dragon Army and holder of the Bright Shield Rune. These are my sister, Nanami, and our friend Jowy Atreides, holder of the Black Sword Rune. And you, if I'm not mistaken, would be Tir McDohl, holder of the Soul Eater."

McDohl nodded. "That's me. How did you know?"

"We just had a meeting with your old comrade Lepant, asking for aid from the Toran Republic." I chuckled. "He agreed, on the condition that we take his son with us."

"I'm not surprised. Sheena was always a skirt chaser."

Here we go. "I have a request to make," I said. "Will you join the Dragon Army?"

His eyes widened. "What!?"

"I know why you left after the previous war," I went on, "but that peace was an illusion. Luca Blight, now King of Highland, is on the warpath. In addition, he has joined forces with the vampire Neclord, giving us even more trouble. As leader of the Dragon Army, it is my duty to insure that we have an effective force. Another True Rune would be very helpful."

McDohl gazed into the distance. "I'll do it," he said at last. "I've never been able to just sit around when innocents are suffering. Knowing Gremio, he'll insist on coming along. Is that alright?"

I shook his hand, grinning. "The more the merrier. Welcome to the Dragon Army."

"Thanks." Tir fell into step with us; Gremio, having heard our conversation, hurried to join us. "I'm glad to be of help. Besides, I've missed living in a castle."

"Lord Julian, may I ask you something?" Gremio asked.

"Go ahead."

"Are you related to Lord Genkaku, the hero of the City-State?"

I nodded. "He was my father. Adopted father, actually, we weren't related by blood. Jowy knew him pretty well, too; he spent more time with us than with his own family."

"And now Julian and Nanami are my only family," Jowy added. "My father disowned me after we were accused of spying for the City-State."

By then we had gotten past Radat, having had to avoid more Highland soldiers than I'd seen in quite some time, an even larger force than Kiba had brought against us. "This could be tricky. Highland has occupied not just Radat, but Kuskus. Shu's going to want to talk to us as soon as we get back."

Tir nodded agreement. "He's your strategist?"

"Yep." I sighed. "I'm afraid you know the Highland strategist. His name is Leon Silverburg."

He stopped dead. "Leon!? What is he thinking!?"

"That's more or less how Lepant reacted. I wish I knew." I grimaced. "Fortunately, Shu is at least his equal, and we've got a very lethal trump card."

Tir looked at me suspiciously. "What sort of trump card?"

I grinned. "You know about that Dragon Campaign, right?" He nodded. "Well, we have the Dragoon Spirits, and with three exceptions, the earlier Dragoons have returned from the dead. I highly doubt that Silverburg has any idea what's coming his way."

McDohl grinned too. "You bet he doesn't. He doesn't even believe the Dragon Campaign ever happened."

"Where is your castle?" Gremio asked, changing the subject.

"Just north of the Cave of Wind, where the village of North Window used to be."

Gremio's eye's widened. "That's Viktor's hometown."

"Right you are," I said slyly.

Tir frowned, then it hit him. "You know Viktor?"

I nodded. "And Flik, and a bunch of others who fought in your army. And here we are."

As we spoke, we passed through the main gate of Dragon Castle, meeting Shu almost at once. "Lord Julian, welcome back. The situation is very serious." He suddenly noticed our new comrades. "Who are these?"

I couldn't help grinning, seeing Apple coming up behind Shu. "This is Tir McDohl, former leader of the Liberation Army and holder of the Soul Eater, and his butler and bodyguard Gremio."

Apple gasped. "Lord McDohl! Welcome!"

Tir smiled. "Apple, please don't call me lord. Julian's in charge here."

"Of course." She turned to me. "Lord Julian, please hurry. Everyone is waiting."

Apple's reaction was nothing compared to Viktor and Flik. Viktor's jaw fell open, while Flik almost passed out on the spot. Tir handled it well, greeting his old friends and letting me introduce him to the new faces. Five minutes passed before anyone could think clearly.

"Okay," I said at last, "we've got work to do. Shu?"

Shu gestured to a map of the area. "As you all know, Highland has occupied Kuskus and Radat. I believe we should first liberate Kuskus, so as to protect our flanks, then move in on Radat. With the addition of General Kiba's troops and the Toran Army, we shouldn't have much trouble. Also, I think it is time to use the Dragoons to their full potential. The shock value alone will be considerable, and the addition of McDohl's Soul Eater will make it even deadlier."

I nodded. "I agree. Everyone get some rest. We move in the morning."

Author's note: This is the last chapter to follow the original plot, since I haven't gotten any farther in the actual game. I believe I need to clarify some things:

1: This story is set centuries after Legend of Dragoon, so they were all dead, not just Lavitz. (Remember Rose's line in Chapter 4.)

2: I know about the McDohl scene without having played the first Suikoden because a strategy guide in the November 1999 issue of Expert Gamer mentions it, though it doesn't give any details.

3: I know who served in McDohl's army thanks to an online strategy guide that doesn't care about avoiding spoilers.

That should cover it. One more thing: is Kage from Suikoden 1 the same guy who helps Jowy do in Annabelle in Suikoden 2? Thanks. D.S.