For those of you who really want to see the next chapter on Jealousy, I would so love to put it up, except I can't write it till I get the convos in Crazed Beast. (see previous chapter or my bio for more info). So, sorry. You'll just have to wait for now.
Golden Emblem: Hey! What's up? I haven't seen you around GT for a while...but then, I've been gone for a week. Thanks for reviewing! (and yeah, I always forget to sign in too :P)
Lady Fencer: Hey! I was wondering when you were going to get an account on FF! I heard about you HP fic...keep it up! (I know her in real life. :D) And yes, we all love Lloyd.
Firelien: Yup, I decided to write about Ursula because a) she's one of the more forgotten characters in the game, b) she's actually very interesting, and c) there are no fics about her. :D I love the Black Fang so much. :P And as for the Linus X Ursula, maybe you should read this chapter...-evil grin-
HellFenix: Thanks for reviewing!
Koriku: Thanks for reviewing! And yeah, we'll never know why they spell Lloyd that way. Well, I guess it looks better. :P
Miss Daisy: HEY! All this space got taken up by the review responses!
Winteress: Yeah, yeah! You can argue at the end of the chapter! -pushes muses away-
Woodbark: -squeak-
It had been several days since Eliwood of Pherae had been reported in the Nabata desert. No one knew how long it would take him to return to Bern, if he even did.
But I believed he would; rumor had it he was traveling with relatives of Queen Hellene of Bern. Prince Zephiel's coronation ceremony was to be in ten days, and the queen's relations were probably required to attend.
Of course, if the plan went through, there would be no coronation ceremony for poor Prince Zephiel.
All we could do was wait.
So us, the Four Fangs, idly patrolled the Bern border, where it joined Lycia, watching, waiting, for any sign of the young Lycian lord.
It was quite foggy, and quite boring too, I mused vaguely as I trotted Taelia tiredly around a ridge, noting an old fortress to the northwest. Lloyd and Linus were supposed to be there; no one knew where Jaffar was. He had departed yesterday on a mission from Lady Sonia, however, if Eliwood was coming, he'd better return soon.
Taelia halted, and pricked her ears. I sat up straighter in the saddle attentively. Someone was coming.
Well, I could use the fog to my advantage. Silently, I reined Taelia back into the shadow of the ridge, effectively concealing ourselves.
A slight thump of booted feet on wet grass was heard, and moments later, a figure came into view.
Short and thin, with thick, messy, short green hair. Big blue eyes searched the fog uneasily; I drew back farther.
Nino. Lady Sonia's daughter.
What was she doing here? Most probably, she was carrying a message from her mother. But for who?
I watched her run in the direction fo the fortress, dark cloak wrapped tightly around her.
Perhaps the message was for the Reed brothers. Intrigued, I followed her silently.
I trailed Nino to the fortress where Lloyd and Linus were, always staying just out of sight. Innocent little thing that she was, she didn't even suspect anyone was following her. One day, that would cost her.
Lloyd and Linus were standing just outside the fortress, which was up on the ridge, offering excellent visibility of the entire area. They were talking quietly to each other, but stopped when Nino ran up, hair tousled, eyes bright, cheeks flushed from her run. Sometimes, I envied her innocence. To be carefree and untroubled in this world, in this dark time.
I stayed in the shadows of the fog, lurking just out of sight, interested to see what they would talk about.
Linus turned, and grinned. "Well, if it isn't Nino."
"Yeah! Lloyd! Linus!" she cried happily. I winced at the loud noise. Didn't she realize anyone could be out there, listening?
Like me. The sudden thought cut through my head. Should I really be listening on this? Was it private?
I drove the thoughts out of my head stubbornly. If it was a message for Lloyd and Linus, I had every right to listen as well.
"What's happening?" asked Nino curiously, looking around at the fortress and the fog. "Why are you here? Are you working?"
Lloyd paused, and glanced uncomfortably at his brother. "I...suppose we are," he said carefully. I rolled my eyes. Always the careful one.
"How about you?" asked Linus, quickly changing the subject. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"I have a job to do, too!" said Nino happily. "I'm carrying messages for Mother!"
I saw Lloyd and Linus exchange one quick glance.
"So I have to do my best!" continued the little mage, oblivious to her brothers' reactions. "See you!" she said blithely. "Let's do something when your job's finished, okay?"
Lloyd smiled, in spite of himself. "Very well."
"Okay!" Nino grinned at her older brothers, and skipped off. I pulled back, watching her disappear into the fog, in the direction of the village down south.
Where was she going? She was probably meeting someone in the village down there. Who?
I was about to turn and follow her, when Lloyd spoke. For a split second, I thought he had noticed me, but I realized he was talking to Linus again.
"She's a good lass," he said quietly, watching Nino's slender figure vanish into the distance.
"Yes," said Linus wistfully. His face hardened. "Hard to believe she's that woman's child."
Lloyd was silent. I watched the two for a few more minutes, and was about to leave, when Linus began to speak abruptly.
"Look! Down there! What's that?"
I turned, heart pounding in my chest. Had they seen me? No, I realized quickly, they were looking at something farther down south, visible easily from the ridge the fortress was set on.
A small group of people, not easily visible, but apparently led by a young man with red hair wearing blue armor.
Even though I had never seen him before, I easily recognized him, just from the way he carried himself, and from our spies' reports.
Lord Eliwood of Pherae.
So he had come, after all. I smiled in anticipation.
"Can it really be them?" queried Lloyd, peering down at the group. "I thought they were in Nabata!"
"Where does it matter where they've been?" demanded Linus, looking eagerly down. He was ready for a fight, I could tell that. "We've found them now, so let's take care of them, now!"
Lloyd sighed, and pressed his lips together. "I guess you're right..." He turned to his brother. "Go tell Father what's happening," he ordered, in that no-nonsense, calm voice.
"Why?!" Linus burst out. "They're right in front of us! You and I can finish this now!"
Lloyd grinned, and gave his brother a light punch on the arm. I envied that, the way they were so close, both to each other and Nino. I was an only child, and my parents had died when I was only twelve. The Black Fang had taken me in when I was eighteen, and while they took care of me, I never really had any family. Lloyd and Linus had each other, and Nino, and their father. They had had friends, too, up until late, both Legault the Hurricane and Uhai, the Soaring Hawk, had departed for Valor Isle, Nergal's stronghold.
"Moron. It's a precaution," said Lloyd lightly. "Fangs cannot afford mistakes. Don't worry, I've underlings aplently," he said, glancing into the fortress. I supposed that there were more Black Fang inside. "I'll taunt the foe and draw them here to the fortress." His face turned more serious, and he cast another look at Lord Eliwood's group. "I doubt I'll lose, but...They've survived this long, so they must be tough. I might run into trouble..."
"You sure you can handle this?" asked Linus.
"Yes," said Lloyd firmly. "Deliver your report, then get back here with reinforcements."
"You can't be serious!" said Linus, clearly disappointed that he was going to be sent off for reports instead of fighting. "They don't look like they can last long against you, the White Wolf."
Lloyd sighed, and rolled his eyes – the same way I felt. "Just get moving Linus."
"Okay, okay, understood," grumbled his younger brother. "I'll be back soon, though, so leave some for me!" He turned, and began heading quickly away from the direction of the fortress.
Acting on resolve, I spurred Taelia forwards, easily catching up to Linus, and cutting him off. I needed to talk to him.
"Hey --!" He cut himself off, recognizing me. "Ursula. What are you doing here?"
"In case you'd forgotten, I was sent here as well," I said coldly. "The world does not revolve around you. I saw you wanting to fight back there. Why don't you just let your brother handle it?"
"Because it's not fair that he gets to do everything, just because he's older! He just wants to protect me, but I can take care of myself!"
"I don't doubt that," I said dryly, thinking of the many times I'd seen Linus in battle. "Why don't you let me deliver your report?"
He glared at me. "I don't trust you."
I raised my eyebrows. "Don't trust me?"
"I don't trust you to deliver any messages, to anyone. Ever."
"Why?"
"Because you won't just deliver the messages to whoever they're intended for, you'll tell your precious Lady Sonia, too." He spat the last words like they were poisonous.
That last comment hit me like a slap in the face. I jerked back. "Shut up! It's treason to speak like that."
"Treason?" He regarded me coldly. "Treason against what? That woman will never bend me to her will. Brendan Reed, my father, is the leader of the Black Fang, and always will be! And I'll talk when I want, thank you very much!"
"Lady Sonia manages the Black Fang as well," I retorted. "I don't see what you have against her. You, Lloyd, Jaffar, and I, as well as the rest of the Black Fang, are required to serve her."
"That's exactly what I'm saying!" exploded Linus. "She's taken over the entire thing! Now we don't just operate how we used to – we kill anyone, depending on what she says!"
I was silent.
"The Black Fang has changed," he said quietly. "You've changed, too."
"Excuse me?" I raised my eyebrows. Changed?
"Yes," he said bitterly. "You're now Lady Sonia's most trusted servant, aren't you? Can't you see? Don't you understand?"
"Understand what?!"
"You're just being used! You're no more than a tool of that woman, to be thrown away when you're no longer needed! You'll become just like Jaffar, a mindless machine, killing anyone she tells you to!" He paused for breath, and glared at me. "It's like a candle – she lights it, it burns down slowly, and when it's little more than a pool of wax and she has no more need for it, she blows it out! Don't you see? When she has no more use for you, she'll dispose of you!"
"No," I said, shaking my head firmly. "Lady Sonia would never do that."
"Don't be so sure!" he retorted.
"Maybe you've changed, not me!" I snapped. "Maybe it's because you're too stubborn for your own good, and you refused to go along with what was happening!"
"No, Ursula," he said quietly. "It's you. You've changed. You're so much different than how you used to be. And the terrible thing is, you can't see it. You're blind to what you are doing, deluded by your precious Lady Sonia. I want you back how you used to be, but I know that will never happen." His eyes hardened. "I loved you once, but I will never make that mistake again.
"I'm wasting my time. I've got a report to deliver."
Without another word, he turned, and started quickly off again.
I stayed, frozen, watching him disappear into the fog. I don't know how long I stood there, pondering what he'd said.
No. It's not true. He's lying. It's all lies. Lady Sonia would never do that.
Or would she?
Miss Daisy: Ha ha! Now we can argue! Cliffhanger! Well, not really...You'll be seeing one of Nergal's most precious morphs in the next chapter tho! ;) Someone dies, I guess you know that.
Quickening: -.-;; Stop spoiling the story.
Miss Daisy: Oh...yeah. Right.
Woodbark: -squeak-
Miss Daisy: Shut up! -crack-
Woodbark: -breaks into little piecies-
Nino: It's no use, he'll come back.
Winteress: Yeah yeah, we know. Break it up. Review, please?