Lyn and her friends have been branded as traitors, pretenders to the throne. Lundgren has sent word to Caelin's neighbors, warning them of Lyn's approach. He calls for

reinforcements to put an end to the "imposters." If the other realms of Lycia choose to act, Lyn will never reach Caelin alive. Lyn places her faith in Eliwood and waits.

Sion anxiously waited as Lyn held his hand tightly. As soon as they heard Eliwood approach the house they waited in front of, Lyn flung herself off her seat and away from

Sion. Sion calmly stood up as everyone else gathered around awaiting the news.

"Sain, you big oaf! Move your horse! I can't see!" Serra whined. Sain moaned. "Serra, please calm down!" He then grabbed her by the hand and placed her behind him on

the horse.

Eliwood addressed himself to Lyn. "I've received word from Caelin's neighbors, Laus, Tuscana, Kathelet, Tania, and Santaruz. They will not interfere in Caelin's affairs. This

they have promised.

"Yes!" Lyn shouted as she threw her arms around Sion, then grabbing his hands bounced up and down in happiness. She then turned to Eliwood, "Eliwood, I don't know

how to thank you..."

Eliwood smiled. "All I've done is convince them to remain neutral in this dispute. However, this means I cannot aid you in any way either. Will you be all right?"

"I believe so, my friend." Sion grinned, and shook Eliwood's hand. Eliwood then turned to Lyn.

She said, "I will win. I have to. It's the only way that I can help my grandfather."

"I understand." Eliwood said. "Although I cannot help you directly, as a friend, I pray for your success."

Lyn smiled at him. "Thank you. I won't waste the opportunity you've given me."

With that, Eliwood bid them farewell, then left. Lyn, Sion and everyone else also left, heading back to where they came from.

Lyn shouted to her legion. "All right, everyone! Let's get going!"

Sion looked amongst them and noticed the clouds were turning grey and that fog was beginning to form. He leaned forward into Lyn's ear to whisper. "I think we've run into

another small technicality yet again..."

Sain said, "This weather is turning foul. It looks like a fog is rolling in."

Lyn frowned as Kent spoke to them. "This is no good. If the fog thickens, we'll be blind in battle. It will be difficult to fight what we cannot see."

Lyn responded, "We can't let it delay us, though. Let us press on. We must get closer to the castle. What's the best route?"

Sion pulled out the map from his satchel and looked it over with Lyn and the knights as everyone else huddled around them. Wil picked up Florina so she could see too.

Kent looked down at the map and spoke. "Let me think... Our best path is to the south... However, that runs through General Eagler's estate. It looks like we still have one

final obstacle to pass."

Sion's alert ears heard the approaching clanging of moving armor. He whirled around as he saw a huge knight wielding a lance and an axe in his hands.

"Kent! I believe I found that final obstacle you were speaking of!"

Everyone turned around to face the knight.

"So you've come..." The knight said in a husky voice.

Sain turned around and gasped in surprise.

"Aah!" Sain shouted as his horse reared. Serra screamed as she threw her arms around him, squealing.

Kent's eyes widened. "You! You're... Lord Wallace?"

Lyn ran up to Kent. "Kent, who is this?"

Kent said to Lyn, "He used t be the commander of the knights of Caelin."

After Sain's horse settled down, Sain asked. "Aren't you supposed to be retired? I heard you were sowing fields now."

Wallace nodded, "I am, and I was. Then I received orders from Lord Lundgren. I was told to capture an imposter and a pair of rogue knights."

Sion gasped, and realized that Lord Wallace could pose a threat to Lyn and himself.

Kent in surprise shouted, "Lord Wallace! Surely, you don't believe us to be oathbreakers, do you?"

Wallace, dismissing Kent's question, only said, "Bring me the girl that claims to be Lady Madelyn's child."

"Stay back, Lyn!" Sion shouted as he threw himself in front of her as Sain asked Wallace, "What are your intentions?"

Wallace grinned. "If I don't like what I see I will take her."

Kent responded, "We will prevent you."

Wallace laughed, then spoke again. "You? Prevent me? You must be"

Lyn, unable to contain herself any longer, emerged from behind Sion and shouted, "Enough! I'm right here! I am Lyndis."

"Ah..." Wallace looked her over.

Lyn looked down at the floor before continuing. "I'll understand if you don't believe me. But I've had enough of you and your foolish posturing!"

Wallace spoke to himself, "Hmm... Such beautiful eyes..."

"Pardon?" Lyn asked.

Wallace grinned, then puffed out his chest as he spoke with pride. "I've been a knight for 30 years, and there is one thing I learned. A person with eyes as bright and true as yours is no deceiver. Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ah, yes! I like you, girl! Why, I believe I'll even join your little band of mercenaries!"

Sain, almost unable to contain himself stammered. "Are you... Are you serious?"

Wallace saluted Sain. "This old bull's pledged his loyalty to Caelin. I would never allow an usurper on the throne. Let's march!"

As Wallace marched ahead to fight the Caelin soldiers, Kent shouted. "Lord Wallace! He... He hasn't changed at all."

Lyn smiled. "I like him. He's... honest."

Kent spoke. "That he is. He deserves our respect."

A few moments later, the fog began to get thicker and thicker. Sion watched as everyone marched with Wallace, as it appeared he knew the following area pretty well. Lyn walked next to Sion with a smile, until she noticed the thick fog.

"Sion... The fog's rolling in. We can't hit an enemy we can't hit an enemy we can't see. Keep your eyes open, everyone!" Lyn said.

Sion yelled though the fog. "Watch out! Lundgren wants us all dead! Don't let your guard down for a second! Don't"

Sion suddenly fell to the floor, clutching his chest, yelling and gritting his teeth.

"Sion! Sion, what's wrong!" Lyn panicked as she held him. She gasped as she noticed that the wound over his heart, the very one she healed the day she found Sion, was hurting him again. He was covering it with his fists as he yelled in anguish.

"Why... why is it hurting me!" Sion yelled in between his screams. Lyn just held him tight. "II don't know, Sion! Please, hang on!"

Sion grabbed Lyn's dress before she ran off to get the rest of the mercenaries. "NO! Lyn, forget about me! Y-Your goal is more important. At all costs, we must get you to Caelin. I'm only a distraction."

At this point, Sion was doubling over in pain. Lyn, stood still in absolute shock.

"Why is this scaring me so much? Why... why is this also hurting me a bit?" She thought to herself, confused, not knowing whether to trust her gut or to listen to Sion. Sion yelled. "JustJust give the orders out for me! I think you can do this."

"Just hang on a bit!" Lyn yelled to the mercenaries, then kneeled down to help Sion. "Hold still." She whispered to Sion as she removed his cloak, then lifted up his shirt to get to the scar on his chest easily. Lyn gasped a bit as she thoroughly looked him over. There had been a few detail of his body she had missed from the first time she rescued him. The most noticeable scar on him was obviously, the one he had just gotten from the arrowhead. Lyn noticed that there had been scabs and bruises, along with a scar on his back Also, there was an intriguing mark on his shoulder, a tattoo of some sort. Lyn placed her hand on the arrowhead scar as Sion's chest heaved in and out in pain. Sion, ignoring Lyn, drank a vulnerary, and lay there, waiting for the pain to cease.

"Now Lyn, I think that you should take control. Leave me here. If I don't return to you, just keep going. OK?"

"No! I'll come back for you!" Lyn shouted, but then she knew to some degree, Sion was right. Matthew came, and spoke to Sion.

"Sion, put me in the lead, please. Surely you know that we... er... thieves, if you must, can see through fog. Follow me, everyone!" Matthew shouted.

Sion nodded his approvals as he waited for his pain to subdue. He watched as Matthew ran off with Lyn, as Lyn took one last look at Sion before the fog took them from his view.

Lyn spoke to Matthew. "Matthew, I don't think we should leave Sion like that back there."

Matthew shook his head and sighed, looking up into the shrouded sky, thinking of his beloved. "Even though you may feel guilty for leaving him behind, Sion's the right one here. As close as you two may be, he is only right now, a distraction. Dragging him around would only be a burden to your cause. Don't worry. He'll join up with us." Matthew grinned as he ran off and Lyn shouted out to her friends.

"Everyone! Sion is unable to command us. Like he advised before, Caelin soldiers are out for our spilt blood! Let our blades protect us!"

With that, everyone rushed foward to General Eagler's territory. Matthew noticed something and froze. At that moment, he sensed something and saw a soldier yielding a javelin.

"HALT!" Matthew screamed to everyone as the javelin headed towards Serra, Dorcas and Erk. Sain, noticing the danger Serra and everyone else was in, galloped his horse towards them, followed by Kent an swooped Serra from the ground as Kent quickly took Dorcas and Erk. Lyn jumped as the javelin threw dirt into the air. Wallace looked ahead, then with a bit of regret, screamed as he threw his own iron lance into the flesh of the Caelin soldier.

Serra blushed as she spoke in her high pitched voice. "Why thank you, Sain!" Sain grinned as they all fought their way to General Eagler's estate. She saw Lucius, attacking another soldier with his light magic.

"Lucius! Give me a spell book! I must join the fighting now!" Lucius and Sain gasped in surprise as Serra took the book and recited the listed incantation. Experiencing magic attack power for the first time, Serra squealed in awe as her attack killed the soldier.

"I did it! Aren't I a genius?" Serra laughed.

Lucius moaned, then followed everyone else. Dorcas cut mercilessly into the enemy as Wil kept firing his arrows, felling the foe.

Eventually, the amount of soldiers decreased and Lyn led on the mercenaries on. Wallace finally noticed a knight on a horse. Wallace shouted at the mounted cavalier ahead of him. "Eagler!"

Almost in a nostalgic tone, he looked back at Wallace. "General Wallace... So you've sided with the girl, too, have you?"

Wallace yelled at the top of his gruff voice. "I fight for Caelin's honor, not Lundgren's lies!"

"Ah... Is that so? You areEnough! There's nothing more to be said. I name you traitors all! Come! Do your worst! Bring forth the imposter who calls herself 'Lyndis'!" Eagler shouted. "She shall not pass beyond this place!"

"I am Lyndis. I'm no pretender. I'd ask you to believe me, but your heart and mind seem set." Lyn answered Eagler.

"Enough talk... Draw your sword!" Eagler yelled.

Wallace stepped in front of Lyn.

"Eagler! I deal with traitors. Let the lady go. If I fall, then you may fight her."

"He'll have to go through me first." A voice from behind called. Everyone turned around to face him.

"Sion!" Lyn beamed as she saw Sion behind her. He seemed to have gotten over his pain and rejoined them. Lyn threw her arms around him and smiled.

"And I think it's over for Eagler."

In all the distracting Sion had made with his appearance, Walalce had snuck behind Eagler. As soon as Eagler turned around, Wallace hacked into him with his axe.

"Nnng... Go... Go quickly. The marquess... He knows nothing of this... His life is...There's no illness. Only... poison... Please... for the marquess... for all of Caelin..." Eagler then let out a sigh as he died.

As Lyn stared at Eagler's corpse, she sighed, then turned to Kent and Sain and asked, "What kind of man was General Eagler?"

Sain sighed and stared down at the floor. Serra looked at him with a concerned face as Kent answered Lyn.

"When Sain and I first became knights, he was our captain. Our teacher..."

Sion cut in. "He seemed to want to help, yet, why did he attack Lyn and the rest of us?"

Lyn said, "I think he must have known we were telling the truth. Why did he force the fight?"

Sain spoke as he kept looking at the grass beneath his mount, saddened at the loss of General Eagler. "Something must have... Lord Lundgren was exerting some hold on him... Eagler was trying to protect someone. A friend perhaps, or family."

Lyn could not bear to seem the knights with such saddened looks, feeling guilty, she yelled in anger.

"May Lundgren never know the peaceful embrace of Mother Earth! I care not what others do, I WILL stop that man!"

Sain and Kent, and everyone stared at Lyn, taken away by the energy she put into her voice. Sion walked to her side and held her hand.

Lyn, still a little angry, thinking about Lundgren, turned to Sion and shouted to him. "Sion! The final battle is approaching!"

At Castle Caelin...

The marquess lay in bed, coughing several times as he felt a stinging in his chest. Moaning, he looked as his brother, Lundgren came in and poke to the him.

"How are you feeling today, my dear brother?"

"Lundgren... You... You fiend..." The marquess was barely able to speak in fatigue.

Lundgren laughed, then spoke again to his brother. "Your granddaughter is dead by now. And soon, you will join her."

"Lyndis... Why did this happen? I...I only wanted to see her once." The once hoping marquess slumped back into his bed, deeply regretting his past actions to his daughter, Madelyn.

Lundgren sneered as he leaned into the marquess's face as he spoke in a mocking tone. "Have you lost all hope? Has your life lost all meaning?"

The marquess averted his eyes from Lundgren's face as he kept speaking to him.

"Then hurry up and die, you miserable old dotard! You and your precious granddaughter are in my way!" Lundgren screamed. "I curse your name! I despise you! My worthless wretch of a brother!"

Lundgren stormed out of the marquess's room, slamming the door behind him. The marquess shut his eyes and mumbled to himself.

"Madelyn... Lyndis... why, why must this happen?"

Back to our travelers...

All the knights set up camp and Sion sat down again, holding his chest. Lyn joined him.

"Sion, are you OK? What happened back there? Your chest?"

Sion shrugged. "I have no clue. For some reason, it just started to hurt me. It just began to burn me. It was uncontrollably painful. Maybe..." Sion looked down.

"Maybe what?" Lyn asked him.

Sion felt himself cave in.

Maybe it's because I haven't told her... Sion thought to himself.

"I don't know." Sion answered, not looking at Lyn's face.

"Sion, when I was taking off your shirt before, I noticed something. There seemed to be a marking on your shoulder? What was that?"

Sion sighed. "Well, it was a method of identification in the group I was a part of back then."

"Oh." Lyn said a bit suspiciously. But then she smiled at Sion. "However, it looked rather good on you."

Sion, a bit red at the face looked at Lyn as she smiled at him.

"Sion, you really had me nervous back there."

"I did?"

"Yes, I never felt so scared since my village was attacked." Lyn leaned in close to Sion and hugged him. Sion turned a bit red, then hugged Lyn back. Lyn hesitated a moment as her head lay close to Sion's. She felt him breathing against her. Lyn smiled, then let him go.

"Goodnight Sion. Feel better for me. OK?"

Sion stopped blushing and smiled. "Thanks Lyn. Night."

Lyn pulled out a blanket and laid next to Sion facing the opposite way. Sion heard as she created a steady pattern of breathing. After she fell asleep, he bid everyone else goodnight and shut his eyes.

Would Lyn still trust me if she knew my past... I... I'm so scared to tell her... No... It's for... the better she or anyone else doesn't know...

Sion sighed as his thoughts died, as slumber took him over.

Sion's wound seems to be renewing itself beneath the surface for some unknown reason. Lyn and company approach Castle Caelin tomorrow. With Sion's wound uncontrollably hurting him at inopportune times, will Lyn be able to fend off without Sion's fighting advice? Find out in the next chapter, The Distant Plains.