Argh. Another delayed chapter. Sorry people, I've been having writers block for the past week, not to mention the load of work I've just had dumped on me in school...
On the plus side, eight reviews once again :D
SkyFireZero: Uh...what do you mean, "what's going on with Florina"?
Spectral Flame: O_O Ninety-two percent? How much time do you put into getting supports?! My support percentage is somewhere around 5!
The Story Master 125: I've already reviewed your last chapter and your one-shot. They're both great :)
GuyWithNoAct: Thanks for your review!
Jeanie: Thanks for your review!
yAy!!: Thanks for your review!
AmbieChan: *grins evilly* Oh, we'll be bending the rules more than just "a bit" later on...
Rebel581: Thanks for your review!
Chapter Ten
Ambivalence
With the knowledge that the Black Fang were still pursuing them, Eliwood and his army decided it would be best to return to Ostia and meet with Hector's brother, Lord Uther, in order to come up with a plan. They had agreed to meet with Lord Uther in an old fortress on the border of Ostia, so that no spy would be able to learn what was going on.
The few days the group spent traveling to Ostia passed without incident. Ninian spent most of her time talking with Florina or Eliwood, although the latter kept having to break up arguments between Lyn and Hector.
Nils, on the other hand, didn't look very good. It occurred to Ninian that maybe Nils had given her too much of his power, but every time she asked him about it, Nils said he would be fine in a little while. Yet, every time she looked at him he seemed to be growing paler and more tired. Ninian feared the worst for him if his energy didn't return soon...
The group arrived at the small Ostian fortress without fanfare. One of the knights informed Hector that his brother was not present, but that he would be arriving shortly.
"We might as well go to the throne room," Hector commented, looking at Eliwood and Lyn. They both agreed. Eliwood asked Ninian and Nils to come with them, as the siblings were important in the conflict with Nergal.
The throne room was not far away, but Ninian noticed that Nils was trudging the short distance with what seemed to be great effort. He looked like he could collapse any second.
"Nils?" she asked softly.
He stopped and turned to her. "What is it?" he replied.
"Are you all right? You are...very pale..."
Nils slowly nodded and smiled weakly. "I feel weak, but now that we have stopped traveling, I can rest. If we rest here for the night...I'll...I'll be bet—"
He never finished his sentence as his strength suddenly gave out and he collapsed, unconscious.
Ninian panicked. "Nils!"
The three lords, walking ahead of the siblings, heard the scream and came rushing to Ninian's aid.
Ninian quickly got down on her knees and began shaking Nils's body. "Nils? Nils! Open your eyes!" she cried, almost hysterical.
"Ninian!" Eliwood's voice came from behind her. "Please...calm down. What happened?"
She stood up, still looking at Nils's crumpled form. "He...he..."
Hector didn't even wait for an explanation. "Let's move him into the back room and call a healer," he suggested.
But even as he said that, a terrible possibility jumped into Ninian's mind. Transferring energy...what Nils had done certainly wasn't something a normal human could do...
Hector walked over to Nils and bent down to pick him up.
And what if...what if the healer examined him and could find out that he was a—
"Wait!"
The three lords looked at Ninian, startled.
"You mustn't move him!" she shouted, as her mind raced frantically for a possible explanation.
"Why not?" Hector asked. "He looks like he needs some help..."
"Please," she pleaded, turning to Lyn and Eliwood. "You cannot move him." She recalled Nils's words. "One night's rest...that will make things right..."
Her mind raced as her eyes darted from Eliwood, to Lyn, to Hector, then back to Eliwood again, looking for any possible sign that the lords would believe her. Hector didn't seem to believe her one bit, while Lyn was simply staring at her with a very slight look of suspicion on her face.
Eliwood, however, trusted her. "Let's do as she says," he decided. "She..." he looked at her, "she must have her reasons."
"Well," Hector said, although Ninian could tell he still had his doubts, "all right. I'll let everyone know." He left to do so.
Lyn stared at her for a moment longer before walking away with Hector.
Eliwood walked over to Nils and knelt down beside him, trying to determine what was wrong. After a few moments, he looked back up at Ninian.
"Are you sure he will be all right?" he asked.
She wasn't. She was scared out of her mind at the possibility that Nils might be worse than unconscious...
But once again, she recalled Nils's words, and decided to trust them.
"He...he will be fine," she replied, looking at Nils's unconscious form. "Just let him rest..."
Eliwood stood up. "Well, all right," he replied.
They both stood there silently for some time, Ninian looking at Nils. Hearing no movement from Eliwood, she looked up at him...and found him staring at her.
Of course, he quickly looked down at Nils immediately afterward, but the pink tinge that crept into his cheeks told Ninian that he had been...admiring her. Her own cheeks turned pink themselves as she recalled how Eliwood had called her beautiful that other night...
Sparing them both from further awkwardness, an Ostian knight came rushing into the room.
"Lord Eliwood!" the knight shouted. "You must come quickly! We are under attack!" He then rushed off to help defend the fortress.
Eliwood took on a look of concern and started for the fortress's entrance, but he suddenly stopped and looked at Nils, then at Ninian.
"What are we going to do with Nils?" he asked her. "We can't move him..."
Why did I have to say that?! she cursed herself. They could easily move him; it would be much better if they did...but she couldn't go back on what she had said now. Who knew what the lords would think...
"I...I am not sure," she replied.
Eliwood looked back at Nils, thinking.
"Well," he began, "whoever is attacking us...I am sure they will be after you and Nils. But if we can't move him...I suppose I should stay here and...protect you both." He seemed to say the last words with some effort, and Ninian took note of this.
"Lord Eliwood...is something wrong?" she asked.
Eliwood sighed. "I...I don't know if..."
Ninian immediately recognized what he was referring to. "Lord Eliwood, please," she said, "you must not let what happened the other night stop you from fighting..."
Eliwood simply stared at her.
She didn't know what to say to him, so she did the only thing she could think of: she began to dance for him.
She closed her eyes as she extended her dance beyond the few steps she normally used to empower him. She felt the energy rushing through her again as she danced, becoming more powerful with each step.
After a few moments, she stopped, and looked at Eliwood. To her surprise, he was smiling.
"Thank you, Ninian," he said genuinely. "I needed that."
She couldn't think of anything to say as a reply, so she merely smiled shyly at him.
The sounds of fighting began to emanate from the entrance of the fortress.
Eliwood moved in front of the siblings and faced the battle. He pointed his rapier directly upward and the tip sparkled in the light.
"Nothing is going to get by me," he promised.
And when the battle came to them, nothing did.
"Unnh..."
Ninian bent down to Nils as she heard him begin to wake up. The battle had been over for some time now, and Uther still had not arrived, so Ninian and the three lords had watched over Nils, waiting for him to regain consciousness.
"Nils!" Ninian said. "Are you all right?"
Nils looked up slowly, blinked a few times, then asked, "What...what happened?"
"You passed out," Ninian explained. "Nils...you had me so worried..."
Nils blinked again, then his face took on a look of realization. "Oh, Ninian..." he said, "I'm sorry...I knew it was a bad idea to continue in my state...but I didn't think that this would happen..."
"What are you talking about?" Hector suddenly asked. "Are you saying you were ill beforehand?"
Ninian stood up, but she bit her lip. How could she explain this to them? And what would they think?
Nils, however, stood up and began to explain. "I...I transferred some of my power to Ninian," he said. "It may have been...too much. I must have collapsed because I didn't have enough strength..."
"Why would you give that much of your power to her?" Eliwood asked.
"She said she wanted to help you," Nils explained. "My power makes her dances more helpful to you."
Eliwood looked at Ninian for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face before turning back to Nils.
"But if you collapsed because you were out of strength," Hector asked, "then why couldn't we move you?"
Nils looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Ninian was in a state of near panic. She couldn't tell them her reasons for saying what she did...
Hector gestured toward Ninian. "She said that—" Suddenly his eyes widened. "Oh crap!" he shouted. He turned and sped off to somewhere else in the fortress.
"Hector, wait!" Eliwood called. "Where are you going?"
Hector stopped and turned around. "We have a new recruit," he explained. "His name's Heath; he's a wyvern rider. He surrendered to us, but he didn't want to hurt his friends, so I hid him. I need to tell him he can come out now!" he shouted, then ran off again.
Eliwood chuckled slightly, while Ninian silently breathed a sigh of relief.
The three lords, Ninian, and Nils stood silently in respect as Lord Uther walked into the room and sat on the throne.
Uther looked at his brother and smiled. "So, brother, you're alive after all," he said. "You were gone so long that I feared you were dead."
Hector smiled back. "Yeah, well...it takes a lot to bring me down."
Uther chuckled, then turned to Eliwood. "Eliwood," he said, "I am sorry about your father."
Eliwood sighed. "Do not let it worry you," he said. "There was nothing that could be done."
"Well," Uther said, "you must tell me all that is going on."
"Do you know of Nergal?" Eliwood asked.
"Only what Leila reported to me," Uther replied. "I know he seized control of Laus in a plot for rebellion. I don't understand what he could be after though..."
"Have you learned about the Scouring?" Eliwood asked.
"Of course," Uther replied. "The war between men and dragons a millenium ago."
Ninian sighed inwardly as she remembered that horrible time...when she and her brother were banished to the realm of the dragons.
"The dragons that vanished after the Scouring..." Eliwood said. "He wants to bring them back again."
Uther was visibly surprised. "What?" he asked. "Can that be done?"
"Yes," Eliwood said, and began to explain.
Ninian, however, wasn't focused on the explanation. Instead, her mind wandered to memories of the humiliation she had suffered for being a half-dragon...
She suddenly had a rather frightening realization. She and Nils...they were both part dragon—the very embodiment of what Eliwood and his army were fighting to protect their world against. Eliwood had protected her all this time...but what would he do when or if he found out...what she and her brother were?
"Ninian? Are you all right?" Hector suddenly asked.
His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Yes," she replied. "I was just thinking."
Uther spoke up. "Eliwood has informed me that you two possess a special power," he said. "Is it possible for you...to sense where Nergal is at this moment?"
Ninian closed her eyes and concentrated. She didn't sense anything...
Nils did, however. "I can...barely sense him," he said. "He is..." he pointed at the wall, "that way. He is very far away..."
"That would be to the east," Uther said. "Could he be targeting Bern next?"
"He is still very weak," Nils continued. "We must strike quickly..."
"Well, if you have time," Uther said, "you should go to Missur."
"Are you serious?!" Hector exclaimed. "That's the wrong direction!"
"I am aware of that," Uther replied. "If you go there, however, you may meet the living legend. He will aid you."
Eliwood thought for a moment, then replied, "We will need all the help we can get. I think we should go to the desert."
"And what do you think, Lyn?" Hector asked, turning to her.
"I agree with Eliwood," she replied.
Hector sighed. "Fine," he said. "I think we should strike now, but it looks like I'm in the minority..."
"Very well," Uther said. "Go to the desert and search for the living legend."
"Nils?" Ninian asked once they had gone to their room.
"What is it?" he replied.
"Well," she began, "are you going to be all right? After you collapsed..."
He stared at her for a moment, then replied, "Actually...I am not sure. I thought my strength would return soon...but it hasn't. And now that we're going to the desert...I don't know if I can make it..."
Ninian looked at the floor for a few moments, then she suddenly had an idea. She began to dance for him, just as she had done for Eliwood. She could feel the energy rushing through her, to Nils, as she danced.
When she stopped, she opened her eyes and noticed that Nils seemed to have regained a lot of color in his face.
He smiled. "Thank you, Ninian," he said. "I feel much better now."
She smiled back at him.
"I'm going to sleep," he said. "Good night, Ninian."
"Good night, Nils."
The siblings each went to their respective beds and lay down. Nils fell asleep quickly, but Ninian's mind kept drifting back to what she had realized earlier that day.
It was all so strange. Eliwood...he was protecting her so that Nergal could not use her to call dragons into this world. And yet...she herself was part dragon...
What would happen if he found out what she was? He seemed to have taken a liking to her...but surely he would not feel the same way if he knew she was a half-dragon...
She sighed.
It didn't matter whether she was in this world or the dragon's realm. Being a half-dragon would bring her pain no matter where she was...
Not much to say about this chapter. Fortunately for all you readers, my April vacation starts this Friday. Vacation = more updates = more fun for all you guys :)
Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT
On the plus side, eight reviews once again :D
SkyFireZero: Uh...what do you mean, "what's going on with Florina"?
Spectral Flame: O_O Ninety-two percent? How much time do you put into getting supports?! My support percentage is somewhere around 5!
The Story Master 125: I've already reviewed your last chapter and your one-shot. They're both great :)
GuyWithNoAct: Thanks for your review!
Jeanie: Thanks for your review!
yAy!!: Thanks for your review!
AmbieChan: *grins evilly* Oh, we'll be bending the rules more than just "a bit" later on...
Rebel581: Thanks for your review!
Ambivalence
With the knowledge that the Black Fang were still pursuing them, Eliwood and his army decided it would be best to return to Ostia and meet with Hector's brother, Lord Uther, in order to come up with a plan. They had agreed to meet with Lord Uther in an old fortress on the border of Ostia, so that no spy would be able to learn what was going on.
The few days the group spent traveling to Ostia passed without incident. Ninian spent most of her time talking with Florina or Eliwood, although the latter kept having to break up arguments between Lyn and Hector.
Nils, on the other hand, didn't look very good. It occurred to Ninian that maybe Nils had given her too much of his power, but every time she asked him about it, Nils said he would be fine in a little while. Yet, every time she looked at him he seemed to be growing paler and more tired. Ninian feared the worst for him if his energy didn't return soon...
The group arrived at the small Ostian fortress without fanfare. One of the knights informed Hector that his brother was not present, but that he would be arriving shortly.
"We might as well go to the throne room," Hector commented, looking at Eliwood and Lyn. They both agreed. Eliwood asked Ninian and Nils to come with them, as the siblings were important in the conflict with Nergal.
The throne room was not far away, but Ninian noticed that Nils was trudging the short distance with what seemed to be great effort. He looked like he could collapse any second.
"Nils?" she asked softly.
He stopped and turned to her. "What is it?" he replied.
"Are you all right? You are...very pale..."
Nils slowly nodded and smiled weakly. "I feel weak, but now that we have stopped traveling, I can rest. If we rest here for the night...I'll...I'll be bet—"
He never finished his sentence as his strength suddenly gave out and he collapsed, unconscious.
Ninian panicked. "Nils!"
The three lords, walking ahead of the siblings, heard the scream and came rushing to Ninian's aid.
Ninian quickly got down on her knees and began shaking Nils's body. "Nils? Nils! Open your eyes!" she cried, almost hysterical.
"Ninian!" Eliwood's voice came from behind her. "Please...calm down. What happened?"
She stood up, still looking at Nils's crumpled form. "He...he..."
Hector didn't even wait for an explanation. "Let's move him into the back room and call a healer," he suggested.
But even as he said that, a terrible possibility jumped into Ninian's mind. Transferring energy...what Nils had done certainly wasn't something a normal human could do...
Hector walked over to Nils and bent down to pick him up.
And what if...what if the healer examined him and could find out that he was a—
"Wait!"
The three lords looked at Ninian, startled.
"You mustn't move him!" she shouted, as her mind raced frantically for a possible explanation.
"Why not?" Hector asked. "He looks like he needs some help..."
"Please," she pleaded, turning to Lyn and Eliwood. "You cannot move him." She recalled Nils's words. "One night's rest...that will make things right..."
Her mind raced as her eyes darted from Eliwood, to Lyn, to Hector, then back to Eliwood again, looking for any possible sign that the lords would believe her. Hector didn't seem to believe her one bit, while Lyn was simply staring at her with a very slight look of suspicion on her face.
Eliwood, however, trusted her. "Let's do as she says," he decided. "She..." he looked at her, "she must have her reasons."
"Well," Hector said, although Ninian could tell he still had his doubts, "all right. I'll let everyone know." He left to do so.
Lyn stared at her for a moment longer before walking away with Hector.
Eliwood walked over to Nils and knelt down beside him, trying to determine what was wrong. After a few moments, he looked back up at Ninian.
"Are you sure he will be all right?" he asked.
She wasn't. She was scared out of her mind at the possibility that Nils might be worse than unconscious...
But once again, she recalled Nils's words, and decided to trust them.
"He...he will be fine," she replied, looking at Nils's unconscious form. "Just let him rest..."
Eliwood stood up. "Well, all right," he replied.
They both stood there silently for some time, Ninian looking at Nils. Hearing no movement from Eliwood, she looked up at him...and found him staring at her.
Of course, he quickly looked down at Nils immediately afterward, but the pink tinge that crept into his cheeks told Ninian that he had been...admiring her. Her own cheeks turned pink themselves as she recalled how Eliwood had called her beautiful that other night...
Sparing them both from further awkwardness, an Ostian knight came rushing into the room.
"Lord Eliwood!" the knight shouted. "You must come quickly! We are under attack!" He then rushed off to help defend the fortress.
Eliwood took on a look of concern and started for the fortress's entrance, but he suddenly stopped and looked at Nils, then at Ninian.
"What are we going to do with Nils?" he asked her. "We can't move him..."
Why did I have to say that?! she cursed herself. They could easily move him; it would be much better if they did...but she couldn't go back on what she had said now. Who knew what the lords would think...
"I...I am not sure," she replied.
Eliwood looked back at Nils, thinking.
"Well," he began, "whoever is attacking us...I am sure they will be after you and Nils. But if we can't move him...I suppose I should stay here and...protect you both." He seemed to say the last words with some effort, and Ninian took note of this.
"Lord Eliwood...is something wrong?" she asked.
Eliwood sighed. "I...I don't know if..."
Ninian immediately recognized what he was referring to. "Lord Eliwood, please," she said, "you must not let what happened the other night stop you from fighting..."
Eliwood simply stared at her.
She didn't know what to say to him, so she did the only thing she could think of: she began to dance for him.
She closed her eyes as she extended her dance beyond the few steps she normally used to empower him. She felt the energy rushing through her again as she danced, becoming more powerful with each step.
After a few moments, she stopped, and looked at Eliwood. To her surprise, he was smiling.
"Thank you, Ninian," he said genuinely. "I needed that."
She couldn't think of anything to say as a reply, so she merely smiled shyly at him.
The sounds of fighting began to emanate from the entrance of the fortress.
Eliwood moved in front of the siblings and faced the battle. He pointed his rapier directly upward and the tip sparkled in the light.
"Nothing is going to get by me," he promised.
And when the battle came to them, nothing did.
"Unnh..."
Ninian bent down to Nils as she heard him begin to wake up. The battle had been over for some time now, and Uther still had not arrived, so Ninian and the three lords had watched over Nils, waiting for him to regain consciousness.
"Nils!" Ninian said. "Are you all right?"
Nils looked up slowly, blinked a few times, then asked, "What...what happened?"
"You passed out," Ninian explained. "Nils...you had me so worried..."
Nils blinked again, then his face took on a look of realization. "Oh, Ninian..." he said, "I'm sorry...I knew it was a bad idea to continue in my state...but I didn't think that this would happen..."
"What are you talking about?" Hector suddenly asked. "Are you saying you were ill beforehand?"
Ninian stood up, but she bit her lip. How could she explain this to them? And what would they think?
Nils, however, stood up and began to explain. "I...I transferred some of my power to Ninian," he said. "It may have been...too much. I must have collapsed because I didn't have enough strength..."
"Why would you give that much of your power to her?" Eliwood asked.
"She said she wanted to help you," Nils explained. "My power makes her dances more helpful to you."
Eliwood looked at Ninian for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face before turning back to Nils.
"But if you collapsed because you were out of strength," Hector asked, "then why couldn't we move you?"
Nils looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Ninian was in a state of near panic. She couldn't tell them her reasons for saying what she did...
Hector gestured toward Ninian. "She said that—" Suddenly his eyes widened. "Oh crap!" he shouted. He turned and sped off to somewhere else in the fortress.
"Hector, wait!" Eliwood called. "Where are you going?"
Hector stopped and turned around. "We have a new recruit," he explained. "His name's Heath; he's a wyvern rider. He surrendered to us, but he didn't want to hurt his friends, so I hid him. I need to tell him he can come out now!" he shouted, then ran off again.
Eliwood chuckled slightly, while Ninian silently breathed a sigh of relief.
The three lords, Ninian, and Nils stood silently in respect as Lord Uther walked into the room and sat on the throne.
Uther looked at his brother and smiled. "So, brother, you're alive after all," he said. "You were gone so long that I feared you were dead."
Hector smiled back. "Yeah, well...it takes a lot to bring me down."
Uther chuckled, then turned to Eliwood. "Eliwood," he said, "I am sorry about your father."
Eliwood sighed. "Do not let it worry you," he said. "There was nothing that could be done."
"Well," Uther said, "you must tell me all that is going on."
"Do you know of Nergal?" Eliwood asked.
"Only what Leila reported to me," Uther replied. "I know he seized control of Laus in a plot for rebellion. I don't understand what he could be after though..."
"Have you learned about the Scouring?" Eliwood asked.
"Of course," Uther replied. "The war between men and dragons a millenium ago."
Ninian sighed inwardly as she remembered that horrible time...when she and her brother were banished to the realm of the dragons.
"The dragons that vanished after the Scouring..." Eliwood said. "He wants to bring them back again."
Uther was visibly surprised. "What?" he asked. "Can that be done?"
"Yes," Eliwood said, and began to explain.
Ninian, however, wasn't focused on the explanation. Instead, her mind wandered to memories of the humiliation she had suffered for being a half-dragon...
She suddenly had a rather frightening realization. She and Nils...they were both part dragon—the very embodiment of what Eliwood and his army were fighting to protect their world against. Eliwood had protected her all this time...but what would he do when or if he found out...what she and her brother were?
"Ninian? Are you all right?" Hector suddenly asked.
His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Yes," she replied. "I was just thinking."
Uther spoke up. "Eliwood has informed me that you two possess a special power," he said. "Is it possible for you...to sense where Nergal is at this moment?"
Ninian closed her eyes and concentrated. She didn't sense anything...
Nils did, however. "I can...barely sense him," he said. "He is..." he pointed at the wall, "that way. He is very far away..."
"That would be to the east," Uther said. "Could he be targeting Bern next?"
"He is still very weak," Nils continued. "We must strike quickly..."
"Well, if you have time," Uther said, "you should go to Missur."
"Are you serious?!" Hector exclaimed. "That's the wrong direction!"
"I am aware of that," Uther replied. "If you go there, however, you may meet the living legend. He will aid you."
Eliwood thought for a moment, then replied, "We will need all the help we can get. I think we should go to the desert."
"And what do you think, Lyn?" Hector asked, turning to her.
"I agree with Eliwood," she replied.
Hector sighed. "Fine," he said. "I think we should strike now, but it looks like I'm in the minority..."
"Very well," Uther said. "Go to the desert and search for the living legend."
"Nils?" Ninian asked once they had gone to their room.
"What is it?" he replied.
"Well," she began, "are you going to be all right? After you collapsed..."
He stared at her for a moment, then replied, "Actually...I am not sure. I thought my strength would return soon...but it hasn't. And now that we're going to the desert...I don't know if I can make it..."
Ninian looked at the floor for a few moments, then she suddenly had an idea. She began to dance for him, just as she had done for Eliwood. She could feel the energy rushing through her, to Nils, as she danced.
When she stopped, she opened her eyes and noticed that Nils seemed to have regained a lot of color in his face.
He smiled. "Thank you, Ninian," he said. "I feel much better now."
She smiled back at him.
"I'm going to sleep," he said. "Good night, Ninian."
"Good night, Nils."
The siblings each went to their respective beds and lay down. Nils fell asleep quickly, but Ninian's mind kept drifting back to what she had realized earlier that day.
It was all so strange. Eliwood...he was protecting her so that Nergal could not use her to call dragons into this world. And yet...she herself was part dragon...
What would happen if he found out what she was? He seemed to have taken a liking to her...but surely he would not feel the same way if he knew she was a half-dragon...
She sighed.
It didn't matter whether she was in this world or the dragon's realm. Being a half-dragon would bring her pain no matter where she was...
Not much to say about this chapter. Fortunately for all you readers, my April vacation starts this Friday. Vacation = more updates = more fun for all you guys :)
Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT