A headache is never a good experience, especially in such a chaotic home as the castle. Maybe Kiran was still a little hungover from last night. After all, he, Ishtar, and a few others had chosen to continue partying long into the night; even after the ball was officially finished. Or perhaps he just felt the looming realization that he had to go back to helping run a group of people that all had the capability to turn him into a smoldering crater.

Or perhaps it was the nervous look that Queen Henriette had on her face as she notified the others that something had happened in the south, closer to the capital of Askr. In a few days time, they would head out and meet with Alfonse's father. Judging by Alfonse's reaction, that wasn't going to be the most enjoyable thing either. So there he was, with a stinging headache, a nervous stomach, and he swore he could hear someone yelling up ahead.

In his room.

Ishtar was yelling at someone in his room.

Kiran began to sprint towards his open door, nearly sliding across the floor as he stared through the entryway. Lute, Lysithea, and Sanaki were once again toying with Breidablik, while Ishtar yelled at them in a panic.

"What are you three doing?" Kiran gasped out. "I thought we agreed to not mess with Breidablik anymore!"

Lute looked nonplussed and continued imbuing the tool with some sort of magical energy. "As I was explaining to Lady Ishtarsomethingsomething, The three of us have put together a hypothesis for why Briedablik has occasionally ignored the rules that seemingly bind it."

"Like when you summoned a few heroes." Kiran reminded Lute coldly.

Lute frowned, "I was referring to when Princess Velocity summoned some heroes despite her Emblan bloodline, but yes." She lifted up the summoning tool and examined it. "Sanaki noticed that the flow of magic around this item is reaching outward, presumably to reach the various worlds that you pluck us 'heroes' from."

Lysithea spoke up. "After careful observations, I noticed that some magic is flowing towards Briedablik!"

Ishtar and Kiran looked at each other. "Alright, what does that mean?" Kiran asked.

Lute smiled. "It's very simple," she replied, "Something with a very similar magical signature is either interfering or resonating with Briedablik! The simplest explanation is another Briedablik, but logic dictates that that is unlikely."

Ishtar crossed her arms and scowled. "Could you have formulated this hypothesis without breaking and entering the Summoner's room?!"

Lute shrugged. "I assumed that was not an issue, given that you have a tendency to do that yourself." Kiran and Ishtar blushed and sputtered. "Oh? It seems I have missed important context."

Sanaki crossed her arms. "Never mind that! Summoner, this is a critical breach of security! If Briedablik can be tampered with, who knows what someone with ill intent could do?"

Kiran sighed. "You're right, Empress. We'll have to be careful until you three uncover more."

Lute looked smug. "Yes, and with our superior intellects, I feel confident that we can procure you an answer in a short time."

Kiran nodded, "Now, I'll take Briedablik off your hands, Lute…". He reached out for the summoning machine. It began to glow as Lute shouted something- Kiran couldn't catch what she said, but he felt himself get blown backwards into the hallway. He blacked out almost immediately.


"See? I told you that an impact of that force is unlikely to be fatal." Kiran heard Lute say matter-of-factly. He also heard Ishtar growl.

"You are quite fortunate that you were correct." She stated plainly, before leaning over the summoner. Kiran noted he was on something soft. "Kiran, are you alright?"

"Ugnh…" he mumbled, "Hospital?"

"Just your bed," Ishtar replied, "Sanaki is fetching a healer. Lysithea went to grab someone to guide the new arrivals."

"New… arrivals?"

Lute looked at Kiran and shook her head solemnly. "He has amnesia, how unfortunate."

Kiran glared. "I don't have- ow," he grabbed his head, "What happened?"

"There are new heroes, doubtless related to our research."

"Oh, for the love of-"

"It is strange that the summoning occurred in such an unstable form," Lute continued, "The interference Lysithea observed is the likeliest culprit, as well as the twenty or so orbs we had used during our investigations."

"You used what?" Ishtar asked. Kiran nearly fainted from the shock.

Lute shrugged again. "Unless you can find another consistent medium that Briedablik can consume, then orbs will have to suffice." She observed Briedablik again. "Perhaps a combination of all three factors… Vicinity of the Summoner, Orb usage, and interference from an outside…" Lute slowly picked herself up. "I will get to the bottom of this, or I am not the person with the most superior intellect in this castle!" She turned around to face Ishtar and Kiran after a few seconds. "To clarify, I am; I am the superior intellect in this castle." The mage quickly made herself scarce, and Ishtar sighed in frustration.

"Honestly, that girl." she grumbled.

"I know," Kiran replied, "I can't believe she called us out like that!"

Ishtar blushed again. "She could have killed you and that is your biggest concern?"

"Eh, bodily risk is just part of the Lute experience," the summoner explained, "And we enjoy her company well enough when she's not doing this."

"Fair enough."

Kiran groaned as he stretched his neck. "Could you tell me more about our new heroes? I should probably give them an introduction asap."

Ishtar crossed her arms. "I think not. Not until a healer sees you."

Kiran heard the distinct tone of someone who desired praise, and chuckled. "Thanks for looking after me, Ishtar. What can I do to repay you?"

Ishtar curled some hair around her finger. "W-well, perhaps I could accept a reward for being such a steadfast partner…"

Kiran smirked, and began to lean in.

After everything, the sting of a parasol to the head was expected, really. Maribelle glowered at the reeling summoner. "An injury does not excuse boorish behavior, Sir Kiran."

Lissa stood in the hallway, howling in laughter as she was apt to do. Ishtar groaned in frustration while Kiran groaned in agony. Maribelle's ministrations were bound to be a little harsher than normal.


Two people up in the rafters.

The security in this castle was impressive, even by castle standards. Though, if what this strange white haired mage said was true, that should be expected. He barely caught sight of the brown haired woman a few minutes ago, and he hadn't seen her again since. But he knew when someone had a knife pointed his way.

"Hmm, this place is rather well guarded, more so than the Rausten treasure vault." He heard the man next to him mutter. He chuckled. Good to know there was another like him around. "How interesting," the mousey haired man gloated, "I imagined you might be a similar type to myself." He extended a hand. "Rennac of Carcino, it's a pleasure."

"Volke." The observant man replied, shaking Rennac's hand. "Your way of talking… you're a noble?"

"A merchant's son," Rennac clarified, "Though I use similar skills in my line of work."

"Fellas, there will be more time to get acquainted after Henry's Corvid Cruise!" The white haired man said gleefully, "Don't make me give you a muting hex, Nyahaha!" The two roguish characters grew silent. Volke looked at the other five that accompanied them. Two people wearing similar uniforms: One girl with short orange hair, and a dour looking boy with sharp eyes and dark hair. Watching them from a few steps back was a woman in red, her expression was nearly unreadable. The last woman wore a short green cape and seemed to be enjoying the tour the most out of everyone, her muted expressions hiding her amusement. And then there was the green haired lad, in blue armor. Volke avoided making assumptions, but the boy reminded him a lot of Ike.

"These are our training grounds," Henry pointed out, "Any kind of exercise will be done in this large area! I enjoy killing as much as the next guy, but there are rules that we need to follow when working with each other!"

As much as Volke was perplexed about this Henry character, he was more focused on the cavalry working in the field nearby. He caught a distinct hint of bright red hair that so often accompanied his previous employer. "She always was the heroic type."

The young boy started to walk towards the training grounds. "Well, thanks for the tour," he said; his tone indicated that he really didn't care about said tour.

Henry tilted his head. "Hey buddy! You still have some other places to visit! Don't wanna get lost, do you?"

He rolled his eyes. "The only places I need to know are where I sleep, where I eat, and where I train." The orange haired girl opened their mouth to speak, but the sound of heavy footsteps interrupted all of them. Broad shoulders holding a large golden sword blocked the young lad's path. Volke held back a grin. Ike looked just as strong as the day he left, and he gave the Fireman a nod of satisfaction.

"Volke."

"Ike." Volke returned the nod. Good to know that there were some trustworthy people here.

Ike looked at Henry. "Henry, I'll take this one for you. We were about to start our daily sparring anyway." Henry shrugged.

"Well, I'm not about to argue with you, Ike! Take him under your wing, and the rest of you follow me!" Volke noticed that Rennac had shifted his position, placing people between him and the cavalry training. He didn't say anything, but it was rather amusing. He also felt the amount of eyes on them get cut in half. One of their escorts was following the boy now.


"So, what do you want?"

Ike looked at the young man. His face exuded bitterness and anger.

"Well, you wanted to train; so we're going to train." He replied simply. "Most of us have a similar mindset, so you shouldn't feel bad."

"I don't feel bad at all," the young man replied, "I'm not interested in wasting time." Ike laughed at that.

"Oh, Ayra will like you." He stated. "And it looks like you weren't alone." Rapid footfalls from behind them caught their attention. The green haired man caught up to them, panting heavily. "How did you manage to escape Henry?" Ike asked with an amused tone.

"I said a bird pun," he explained, "He seemed the type." He extended a hand. "Alm, Sir…?"

"Ike," he took his hand, "No need for formalities." He looked at the dark haired boy, but said nothing.

He didn't look at them, but spoke up. "Felix, now can we get moving?"

The training grounds were already filled with the sounds of light sparring when the trio arrived. Chrom was barking out encouragement when he saw Ike. "Ike! I was worried we'd be missing you today!"

"I was just picking up some new people from Henry," Ike commented, "Attention everyone!" He clapped his hands and everyone slowly stopped their spar to listen. "We have two new heroes to welcome. Felix and Alm! Mia, can I entrust you with Felix?"

Mia gave an exaggerated salute, "You got it, boss!" She passed a sword over to Felix, "You seem like good rival material, let's see what you got!"

Felix didn't answer, and started to swing. He noted that Mia's expression didn't change, but her eyes sharpened almost immediately. "So, Ike is your leader?"

"Yep! He's a pretty good one, too."

Felix snorted as he parried a light attack. Mia was poking around at his defenses. "You say it so casually."

Mia put herself on the defensive, letting Felix attack more readily. Right when he spotted an opening, Felix had to jump to dodge Mia's sudden leg sweep, and he took a few steps back. "I'm surprised someone with your skill wastes her time in service of someone else." He noted, "It seems like a big waste of ti-" The wooden sword tip pressed against his throat, and the words died on Felix's tongue. Mia gave him a flippant smile, but her eyes were a little more ferocious.

"Careful," Mia said, "Talking too much is bound to getcha killed. Let's try that again!"

They continued to spar, and Felix growled as Mia hit him again and again. He may have been mistaken, but Felix could've sworn that this Mia wasn't just sparring. He parried a quick swipe and it felt as if he was blocking a heavy axe. He managed to push her away, and saw the briefest of openings.

Felix saw the fist in his gut before he felt it, doubling over and sliding backwards. He let out a gasp as Mia tilted her head.

"Mia, you need to take it easy when you aren't sparring me." Ike called out from his own match. "We've been over this…"

"Right, right…" Mia grumbled, offering her hand to Felix, who refused it and slowly got up on his own.

"Again." He muttered, readying his stance. Mia beamed.

"With pleasure, kid!" She shouted as she flung herself towards him.


"Well, I don't think I have ever seen someone spar that ferociously before."

Alm stepped back, dodging a quick swing before partying a second. The crimson hair of his opponent moved wildly, a far cry from its usual perfect positioning.

"I never thought you would be so careless in a sparring match, Alm," Celica said jovially, "Perhaps you're afraid of fighting a girl?" She swung lightly, tapping Alm on the shoulder. "A point to me!"

"I didn't think you would enjoy sparring this much, Celica." Alm noted, carefully blocking another quick swipe.

Celica gave Alm a nearly unreadable smile. "Less the activity and more the company." She stated simply. Alm paused to take in the information, and felt a light tap on his head. "Another point for me." Celica giggled.

Alm blushed as he raised his guard again. "So," he began awkwardly, "Have you made friends here?"

Celica gave a noncommittal shrug. "Sonya has introduced me to quite a few people. And everyone is exceptionally kind and enjoyable to be around."

"Not really answering my question, but I'll take that as a yes." Alm swung and felt a quick parry. Celica had definitely improved. "I'm glad you're making friends, Celica."

"Please," Celica took a few steps back, "You're acting like I've never made friends before in my life!" Alm smiled back.

"Well, it seems like I'll need to start from step one, myself." He noted, "It's good that you're here, a familiar face is more than welcome." He heard Celica huff and barely dodged a quick swipe aimed at his legs. "H-hey!"

Celica glared. "Oh, I'm merely a 'familiar face', hmmm?"

"W-well-"

"I would think someone who had joined you on such a perilous path would be more than a 'familiar face'." She swung again, "That the person who passionately kissed you on a rooftop balcony would be more than a 'familiar face'?"

"C-Celica!" Alm shouted, before getting tapped in the chest. Celica gave the Valentian a wry smile.

"Really, Alm," she said in a teasing voice, "You weren't so easily caught off guard before." She pecked his cheek. "It's lovely to have you here." Celica sauntered off towards a few wide-eyed swordmasters, peppering her with questions. Alm felt a strong pat on the back.

"Incredible work, sir!" A pink haired girl shouted in Alm's ear, "I gotta know your secret!"

"Uh…" Alm leaned away, "Secret? For what? Who are-" The girl's eyes gleamed in admiration.

"Soleil," she replied, "And you should know that Celica is a top rated cutie!"

Alm squinted. "I'm having a hard time following…"

Soleil gestured to the space next to her. "So, most of the heroes are in the 'pretty darn cute' range," she pointed next to her shoulder, "But Miss Celica ranks very high in the cutie range." She moved her hand up to above her head. "About here, I would say!"

"Ah," a cold voice spoke behind the two, "Yes, your "rankings". I thought you said I ranked high in said rankings, Miss Soleil." Ayra glared at the pink haired girl.

"I… L-L-Lady Ayra!" Soleil squeaked out, "O-Of course you rank highly! Your radiance shines ever forth like a beam of sun- "

"If you have enough energy to wax poetic, you have enough energy to go spar Lon'Qu." She gave the girl a withering look, "Go on, you can bother the newcomer after tea." Soleil ran off quickly, towards a man who looked rather uncomfortable about the prospect of sparring her. Ayra turned to Alm. "Forgive her, Miss Soleil is rather excitable."

Alm smiled awkwardly. "It's alright, I'd be lying if I said my friends weren't a little on the eccentric side."

"Well, with that settled, perhaps you could provide a better account of yourself than you did against Lady Celica?" Ayra had an excited look on her face, "Our last arrival before the two of you was quite impressive herself, so I'm eager to see what you can do."

Alm raised his training blade. "If that would please you, Ma'am, I can certainly oblige."

Ayra chuckled. "Don't call me ma'am, I'm not old yet," she stated, "But yes, it would please me greatly." She leapt at Alm, much like a cat towards their favorite toy.

It didn't escape his notice that Celica was watching with a slightly annoyed expression.


"Well, glad to see Felix is his normal, cheery self…"

Selena hid behind the corner. That orange haired girl had been in a pretty foul mood ever since her classmate ran off in a huff. She seemed like a good kid, so Selena wanted to introduce herself after the tour.

Twenty minutes later, and she was still following her, looking for the opportune moment. And she wasn't alone. While the two roguish men had run off immediately, she was still being followed by the archer. The two made eye contact, and Selena squinted at the other woman. She in turn pointed at the orange haired girl, who was consulting a map. The other woman crept across to Selena. "I suspect both of us had the same idea." She stated.

"Indeed," she offered her hand, "Selena, the Fluorspar."

"Igrene, of Nabata." She took Selena's hand in a firm handshake. "I'm surprised no one else is looking out for a person who is clearly a child."

Selena shook her head in disappointment. "Those two men seemed rather… unreliable, so perhaps it's for the best."

Igrene hummed in agreement, peering from their hiding spot. Someone was approaching the girl at a rapid pace.

"Is that you, Leonie?" A peppy voice cut through the stone walls. A pink haired girl nearly lifted Leonie off her feet, causing Selena and Igrene to draw their weapons in alarm.

"Wah- Hilda?!" Leonie cried out, "You're here too?"

Hilda put Leonie down, lighting brushing her pink hair off of her shoulders. "Well, yeah! Claude and Marianne and Lysithea are here too! Pretty funny, huh?"

Leonie shrugged, "I guess," she turned to where Igrene and Selena were hiding, and whispered something to Hilda.

"Do you think she spotted us?" Selena whispered.

Igrene shook her head confidently. "I highly doubt that, I'm trained in stealth, so someone would have to have a lot of experience to catch me."

"HEY," Leonie shouted at the duo as she rounded their hiding place, "What's the big idea? Are you two following me?"

Both of them stammered for a moment, before Igrene collected herself. "What about you? Isn't it dangerous for a child to be wandering a strange castle alone?"

Leonie frowned, "I can take care of myself! And I'm not a kid!" she protested, "though I appreciate the thought…" she quickly and clumsily bowed. "Uh… Leonie Pinelli, and this is my classmate Hilda."

"Igrene," came the quick response, "and this is Selena."

Hilda clapped her hands. "This is really great, glad we're all getting to know each other," she stated, "Buuuut I've gotta get going! You know, people to see, things to do!" Her face darkened, "I went up the stairs, in case anyone asks, but nobody will ask, so don't worry!" She jogged away, down a nearby hallway.

Selena raised an eyebrow. "That's an incredibly flighty girl."

"Tell me about it," Leonie replied, "I wonder what job she's trying to avoid this time."

The trio heard a scuffle from the nearby hallway, followed by Hilda whining loudly. Cherche and Camilla were carrying the girl while she squirmed. "Lady Camilla, Lady Cherche, I could make you wonderful accessories for your wyverns! Wouldn't that be lovely?"

Cherche smiled darkly. "Yes, Hilda, that sounds wonderful. I will gladly take you up on that offer after you finish your studies like you promised Miss Shamir."

"But they're so boring," Hilda groaned, "Seteth's assignments are so long."

"It is, quite literally, a paragraph." A disapproving voice called out from above. Lysithea stood at the top of the stairs, glaring down from above. "I am taking time out of my schedule to tutor you, I'll have you know!"

Hilda sighed. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry, Lys. I'll get you some chocolate to make up for it." Lysithea pouted.

"Well, I suppose that would be fine." She waved at Leonie. "Hello, Leonie; good to see you."

"Uh, hey Lysithea…" Leonie mumbled back, "Good to see you too…" Lysithea huffed and looked away, causing Leonie to flinch.

"Well, better late than never, hmmm Hilda?" Lysithea grinned, "Those stolen Macarons shall be avenged today!"

Lysithea stomped away with Camilla, Hilda, and Cherche in tow. Selena tapped her chin thoughtfully. "What a terrifying group of individuals," She noted.

"Ah, so you sensed it too." Igrene noted, "It was hard to determine which of the three was more dangerous." She turned to Leonie. "You seemed to know the white haired girl as well. Was there a reason things were so tense between you two?"

"Well, uh…" Leonie paused, "We're in the same house, and we had a really bad fight last night, before I came here… I guess it didn't get resolved in her world either or however this works." She crossed her arms and frowned.

"I see," Selena noted, "Disagreements amongst the Six would usually end in an actual fight, so I understand the tension." Leonie and Igrene stared at the Fluorspar. "What? Considering the personalities involved, it's a miracle nobody ever fought to the death."

Leonie slapped her own cheeks and let out a breath of determination. "I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Those crazy ladies also said something even more important."

Igrene raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She asked.

"My teacher is here in Askr!" Leonie looked excited. "I'm sure Shamir is practicing her stealth right now, as we speak!" Igrene and Selena looked at each other, then looked back up in the rafters.

"Perhaps." Selena stated loudly. "She may be kind enough to join us in this conversation?"

A figure clicked her tongue in annoyance. She leapt in front of them, her blonde hair swirling from the drop. "I was wondering when you'd call out to me. You two and those boys had an eye on us the whole time. I'm Clarisse, head of security; and definitely not afraid to shoot a few arrows into any of you."

"The last part was unnecessary, but it's nice to make your acquaintance," Igrene replied, "But I take it you know where this Shamir might be?"

"Yeah, but give me a sec." Clarisse pulled out a letter. "That's for General Rocky over here," she handed the letter to Selena. She then pointed to Igrene. "You look like you know your way around an archery range. Meet me there after dinner. I'll make it worth your while."

"Perhaps." Igrene replied cryptically. Clarisse rolled her eyes and approached Leonie.

"Let's take a look at Shamir's little student, hmm?" She patted Leonie's shoulders and looked her over for an exceptionally long time. Leonie could feel herself straighten up from the nerves. "Yeah, you definitely look like someone Shamir would pick."

"Excuse me?" Leonie asked harshly. Clarisse barked out a laugh.

"It's a compliment, heard of them?" She ruffled Leonie's hair. "I don't hand those out very often, so take it, you got it?" She crossed her arms and huffed.

Leonie scowled. "You could at least tell me where Shamir is."

"I'll do you one better," Clarisse replied, "I'll take you to her myself." She looked at Selena and Igrene. "You two… uhh, I don't know; there's a bar here if you want to enjoy a beverage or two. Just don't cause any trouble, got it?"

"We wouldn't dream of it." Selena stated. Igrene raised an eyebrow as Clarisse and Leonie left their sight. When she was sure they were out of earshot, she spoke up.

"Are you certain it's the best choice to leave a child with this Clarisse?" She asked, "Her demeanor was not exactly pleasant."

Selena shrugged. "The summoner must trust her greatly to make her head of security. If he trusts her I have no issue with letting her take care of things." She grinned. "And don't tell me you aren't interested in exploring the castle with no supervision?"

Igrene smiled back. "Spoken like a child," she teased, "But yes, I think that will be worth our time."


Volke watched as the two men in front of him downed another mug of ale. The orange haired bandit had been following them since they arrived, but he was surprisingly agreeable. Rennac had been quite good with this Gaius character; though, Volke thought, he seems to prefer anonymity for some reason.

"Volke, come now!" Rennac cried out, "Must we badger you even more until you regale us with a story of excitement?"

Volke snorted. "I wish I had an exciting story to tell you two, but the truth is," he took a swig, "my job usually relied on me bein' boring. The problems I need to solve don't usually end up being fun stories."

Rennac smiled, "Say no more, my good man," he replied, "I'm sure Gaius and I have more than enough stories to share for the three of us!" His eyes darted to the door as it swung open. He relaxed when the people entering didn't seem familiar, Volke noticed, but he continued to stay silent.

"So, anybody you two recognize here?" Gaius whispered to the two. Rennac shook his head quickly, but Volke chuckled.

"A few," he said quietly, "Ike and Titania are here, so I assume that the Greil Mercenaries' local grouch and tactician is around too." Gaius nodded. "A lot of people gravitate towards the boy, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are more that I haven't seen yet."

Gaius nodded sagely. "I see, Smokey. That makes sense."

"Do you… give everyone a nickname?" Rennac asked. Gaius nodded, before popping a small piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"It makes it easier to remember people…" He squinted at Rennac, "I'll think of a good one for you at some point."

"No rush, friend." Rennac insisted, "I'm interested in how this place came to be."

Gaius nodded, "That's a fair question, coming from a fellow stealthy buddy," he pulled out a lollipop, "So, Commander Anna got a suggestion to create this place for the mercs and information hounds and such; I guess an anonymous donor was willing to put down the money for the construction, even though the castle seems to make rooms whenever a hero shows up…"

"So the castle is magic as well?" Rennac replied, "Fascinating… Wait." He began to shake. "Gaius, do you happen to know the identity of this anonymous donor?"

Gaius frowned, "I'm sure I could get that information, but I never bothered before. All I remember is Commander Anna sayin' that 'People would be attracted to it like bees to honey.' or something like that."

Rennac began to sweat. Volke leaned back in his chair. "You think this is a honeypot, Rennac?"

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Rennac stood up, "B-but I believe that the time has come for me to turn in for the day." Volke nodded. Whoever Rennac was afraid of clearly had influence and power, if they were instrumental in founding a place specifically for thieves and mercenaries. "Which way to the rooms, Gaius?"

The door to the tavern swung open. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance, Rennac?" A loud and haughty voice called out. Rennac squeaked with fear. L'Arachel stood before them, a large smile on her face. "I knew my little plan would eventually bear fruit! The moment Ishtar told me about the grouchy brown haired miscreant, I knew my bodyguard had finally arrived!"

Volke chuckled. "Well, looks like you've been trapped, Rennac."

"You-" Rennac's voice died in his throat for a moment. He took a deep breath, and then pointed at L'Arachel. "Listen, Princess L'Arachel! I have a new purpose here! I am a hero… or something. That means I'm no mere bodyguard, you understand?" Cheers erupted from the women's table, and Petrine shouted some inappropriate form of support for the merchant's son.

L'Arachel chuckled. "Well, of course! You happen to be the bodyguard of the radiant Scion of Justice herself! I imagine that's equivalent to being a hero, correct?"

Volke suppressed a chuckle, while Rennac stammered. "I-I believe my own accomplishments are worth as much as protecting someone with an ego like yours!" He managed to retort. L'Arachel glowered at Rennac.

"Excuse me? I cannot believe that you are still so rude after all this time!" L'Arachel nabbed Rennac by the ear. "Come, Rennac! There is much for us to catch up on, and I'm sure Lord Ephraim would be intrigued to hear your comments about me!"

Rennac turned to Gaius and Volke. "Remember me, my friends." He whispered as he was dragged away. The duo looked at each other.

"Should we… help him?" Volke asked. Gaius shook his head.

"You haven't really met Miss Vocal or Twinkles yet, but trust me, you don't wanna get on their bad sides." He mumbled. "Especially Twinkles…" Volke had no clue who Twinkles was supposed to be, but he imagined he'd figure it out soon enough…

"Ah, I thought I had sniffed the scent of smoke." Volke looked up to see a familiar face, though not one he really expected or desired to see. "So, even 'informants' can be heroes, huh?"

Volke smirked, "Can't be much worse than butchers, General. I don't believe we ever formally met, though."

Petrine sneered. "Daein's information network was good enough to give me a description of you, even though they couldn't ever trace you properly. I imagine you saw me on the battlefield more than once, though."

"Hard to forget," Volke took a sip of his ale, "So, why're you approaching me? Got a contract?"

The general sat down in Rennac's empty seat and downed the rest of his ale. "Something like that." She said cryptically. "It'll pay well, if that helps."

"Why not." Volke and Gaius leaned in. "Tell us your proposal."


"So, how is the dessert?"

Selena nodded in clear bliss. She had had peach cobblers before in Grado, but it felt like everything was elevated. And this lemonade? If the food here was this good, what about that bar that Clarisse had mentioned earlier?

"It is quite delicious," Igrene spoke for the Fluorspar, "Thank you, Lady Lachesis."

Lachesis chuckled to herself. "I daresay, commoners with manners like yours do not come by often." She took a dainty bite of her own cobbler. "But Askr is not a normal place, I suppose. And you can refer to me as merely 'Lachesis', Miss Igrene."

Igrene nodded. "I always try to lead by example," she explained, "My children need a good role model, after all." Selena nearly choked on her food.

"You're a mother?" Selena coughed out, before receiving a parasol to the head.

"No talking with your mouth full." Maribelle scolded lightly. The rest of the table gave Selena a sympathetic look, but said nothing to earn the troubadour's ire. "Plenty of us here are mothers, after all. My darling Lissa here is a mother, and Miss Aversa is an aunt."

Aversa chuckled. "Absolutely; best aunt ever, I'll add."

Igrene smiled. "Only one child was mine by blood, but I looked after all the children in Nabata, especially one in particular." She turned through her cobbler with her fork. "I wonder if she's okay without me."

Lissa tilted her head. "Wait, why did you say-"

"Lady Lissa." Ishtar said softly. She and Lachesis shook their heads quietly.

Lissa put her hands over her mouth. "I'm- I'm so-"

Igrene smiled at the princess. "It was a long time ago, Lissa; I know you meant no harm by it."

Maribelle cleared her throat. "Well, if you want to look after some of the children here… I think they would be better for it." She paused, "And I believe I speak for everyone at this table when I state that all of us would be willing to share a hand of support and a friendly ear."

"Here here!" Lachesis called out. "Even Lady Aversa has proven to be a comforting voice at times!" Aversa scowled at the backhanded compliment.

Igrene smiled. "Thank you, Lachesis," she said, "I will take you up on that offer in the future." She turned to Selena. "Selena, have you looked at that letter yet?"

The Fluorspar pulled out the sealed parchment. "Not yet," she replied, "I thought I would take a look later tonight." She noticed that both Ishtar and Aversa were looking at her with interest. "What? Is this something special?"

Ishtar tapped her chin. "Well, not exactly, but that looks like the same invitation that I received a few days after I arrived."

Aversa cackled. "Which one? The invite to the Stratagem, or the love letter from the Summoner?" She made a kissy face, which earned a smack from Maribelle.

Ishtar rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't expect you to know how these things work, Aversa, but I clearly was referring to the invitation."

Selena had a couple of questions, but she decided to focus on the one that would result in not getting hit by an umbrella. "The Stratagem is, I'm assuming a tactical group of some sort?"

"Precisely," Ishtar confirmed, "Aversa and myself are part of it. Granted, many of the people here are talented enough to be a part of it, in my humble opinion."

Lachesis shook her head. "Lady Ishtar, you and Lady Aversa are much more suited to tactics than myself, Lady Lissa, or even Lady Maribelle." She smiled, "While I am quite flattered, there is no shame in taking pride in your skills and achievements." Aversa wrapped an arm around Ishtar.

"Right? Us tacticians need to stick together!" Aversa grinned at Selena, "Welcome to the club, Selena!"

Selena smiled, but she didn't exactly feel great about it.

Igrene was kind enough to take a walk with Selena after dinner, which she appreciated greatly. She was still mulling over what to do about the invitation, after all. The castle walls felt a little stifling, much like her first visit to Grado.

"Are you alright, Selena?" Igrene asked, "You seem distracted."

"Ah, yes." Selena answered absentmindedly, "Sorry, I've just been thinking about this invitation. In Grado, I was considered a premiere military mind, but I never attended an academy or anything. I'm a child from a small village who was given an honor far beyond her stature."

Igrene chuckled. "I don't know, you have to be somewhat competent to have your title. I'm not a guardian of Nabata because I sat around doing nothing."

"Fair enough." Selena acquiesced, "I'm not used to praise I guess." Igrene sighed, but didn't continue to push.

After all, there was a loud thump down the hall. Both of them stopped. It had come from around a corner; Henry had mentioned that there was a sitting room nearby, but Selena thought that bump sounded very peculiar. "What was that, Igrene?" But Igrene was already stalking down the hall.

"Impossible, that's impossible…" She muttered.

Selena ran to catch up. "What's impossible?" The reached a large open door, and Selena saw three large creatures, a fox and two dragons, all laughing. A redhead and blue haired girl were both speaking to the trio.

"Fae, you can't just transform without giving us a little space! Marianne was almost smothered by your fluff!" The redhead said sternly.

"Sorry, Jill! Sorry, Marianne!" Fae squealed, "Did I hurt you?!"

Marianne shook her head. "Not at all," she said quietly, "May I pet you?" Fae nodded happily, and growled with happiness. "Oh!" Maribelle had turned around to see Igrene standing at the doorway, a look of shock on her face.

"Uh, can we help you?" Jill asked. Igrene slowly approached Fae, who finally saw her surrogate mother.

"Fae… is that really-" Both Marianne and Igrene were enveloped in the fluffy feathers of the Divine Dragon. Jill and Selena both yelped in surprise.

"Igreneeee!" Fae cried out, "I missed youuuuu!"

Jill waved her arms frantically. "Fae, you're crushing them!" The fox got up, and made her way over to Fae.

"Ooooh! A big group hug? Count me in!" Jill sighed as the fox nuzzled in as well.

"No, Selkie… we need to get Marianne and our new guest out of there!" The other dragon transformed back to her small human form, and patted Jill's back.

"You know how they are, Jill," Nah said, "They won't stop hugging until they're satisfied." She turned to Selena. "Besides, we have another person here. I'm Nah." Nah offered a hand, which Selena awkwardly shook.

"Selena, and you are?" She looked at Jill, who saluted her immediately.

"Jill Fizzart, ma'am!"

Selena laughed at that. "No need to be so formal! You must come from a military family, hmm?"

"Um, yes ma'am!" Jill replied stiffly. Nah crossed her arms and sighed. "I know, I'm still too stiff, I get it…"

Marianne and Igrene managed to escape from the fluff, both of their faces flush from the warmth. "It's good to see you too, Fae." Igrene said sweetly. "I was worried I wouldn't see a familiar face here, after all."

Fae looked gleeful. "Fir is here too! Along with a bunch of new friends that I play with lots! Like Selkie and Nah and Myrrh and Jill and Marianne!" She took in a deep breath before continuing, "We've been having tons of fun, Igrene!"

Igrene laughed, "I'm glad!" She hugged Fae back. "I'm so glad."

"Oh no! Miss, you're crying!" Selkie exclaimed. "Do you need to fluff my tail? That always helps!" Igrene shook her head.

"These are happy tears," she insisted, "Very happy tears."


"And you're sure Shamir is up here?"

Clarisse rolled her eyes again. "Do you want to see Shamir or not?" Leonie nodded quietly. "Alright, then shut up and follow me. She's always here with that loudmouth pegasus knight…"

"Pegasus knight?" Leonie wracked her brain. Ingrid and Petra were hardly loudmouths. Constance? It seemed unlikely she would go to Shamir for anything. Flayn was a possibility, but she seemed to gravitate towards Catherine…

"Yeah. It's strange, though…" Clarisse paused as they reached their destination, one of the many defensive rooftops bordering the castle. "Usually you can hear that girl for miles around."

It was nighttime by now, and the few torches illuminating the area hardly did their job. Leonie listened carefully for any sounds. Nothing but the wind and trees rustling in the woods below. She looked around carefully, trying to spot any familiar shapes…

"Salutations!" an exceptionally loud voice nearly knocked Leonie off her feet. "You must be a fellow seeker of justice, if you've come this far!"

"AHGH!" Leonie took three steps backwards. "Who're you?!" Cynthia's pigtails blew in the wind, and she posed while giving Leonie a satisfied grin.

"The name's Cynthia!" she proclaimed, "Premiere Agent of Justice, and Protege of one Shamir Nevrand! Oh, hi Clarisse!" She waved at the sniper, who looked sufficiently annoyed. "Where's Noire and Claude?"

Clarisse barked out a laugh. "Both of them are self-sufficient, thank you very much! And what is up with you being so quiet?" Cynthia grinned.

"Neat, right? Shamir is teaching me how to control my breathing! It's kinda like riding a pegasus, but uh… without the pegasus… or the spear."

"Yeah, you have some talent with stealth," Shamir replied from the shadows. She looked at Cynthia approvingly. "Good job." Leonie gasped. Shamir usually tells me good job! She thought. "Oh! Leonie, I was wondering when you'd get dragged into this!" Shamir offered a hand to her protege.

Leonie moved past the hand and hugged Shamir tightly. "Oh, okay." Shamir gasped, "You know I don't really do hugs…"

"Right, uh…" Leonie rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Sorry. It's just good to see you. So…"

"Cynthia, this is Leonie." Shamir explained, "She's my student from Fodlan."

Cynthia gasped in acknowledgement. "So you're the one Shamir talks about!" She wrapped an arm around Leonie. "Well, welcome to the fold, fellow pursuer of justice!"

Leonie grinned awkwardly. "Right…"

"Oh, this is wonderful! Usually only Morgan and Owain are invested in the pursuit of justice! It'll be great to share stories with someone so dedicated to the cause!" Cynthia blabbered on. Shamir chuckled as the pegasus knight rambled to her new classmate.

Leonie backed away for a moment. "Sorry, uh… this is a lot," she admitted, "So… If we're gonna work under Shamir together, we should learn how the other person fights, right?" She pointed at Cynthia. "A sparring match, tomorrow before lunch! And I'm not gonna lose!" Leonie ran away from a confused Cynthia and Shamir.

Cynthia scratched her head. Did she say something to make Leonie upset? That seemed unlikely, she never made anyone upset except for the times she did. The pegasus knight fluttered in joy. No, it was so obvious! Not only did she make a friend, but she gained a … a rival! "Cynthia, you are one lucky gal!" She exclaimed.


We're about to delve into the next Book, so prepare yourselves, readers!

Thank you for your patience, this year has been exceptionally hectic, moreso than I expected, and I was being a little harsh on my own writing.

As always, comments, keyboardsmashes, questions, and critiques are appreciated and loved. Thank you all for reading!

Next Chapter: The Selena Conundrum