A/N: I'm sorry that it's taken so long for me to update. I have been busy recently with school, particularly with exams, and so I didn't have much time to write. The fact that I recently got Sonic Mega Collection didn't exactly help things. Anyway, I know it's not much of an excuse, but it's all I've got.

I would also like to take this time to introduce some changes to the way I respond to reviews. By the request of Samuraiter and Snoopy, I will no longer be responding to reviews within the story itself. Instead, I will be responding to reviews by e-mail. I will respond to reviews from those whose e-mail address is for some reason not displayed to the public (eg. users who have not signed in), but those responses will be taken down if and when (hopefully the latter) I finish this story. The same applies to any review responses I have already given in the story. This process has officially started now, so if you left a review, you should have recently gotten an e-mail from me in response. If any point really needs to be cleared up, I will make a point of it in the author's note before the chapter.

Conveniently, there is something about chapter 3 that should probably be cleared up. During the first section, I made reference to an "unseen eye." One reviewer thought that this referred to a Black Fang member who was spying on Eliwood and Elbert. It was actually meant to be a metaphor for court procedure, and how it has infiltrated even the private lives of nobles. I guess I messed that up a little bit.

That said, here is the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you can find the time to review.

Chapter 4: Taking Leave

A cold wind blew down from the Bern mountains onto the plains of Pherae. As it passed the majestic Castle Pherae, a guard on duty at the top of one of the towers shivered. The wind slowed for a moment and then hurried on. As it headed towards a nearby village, it passed a small group of people near the outskirts.

There were four people in the group: Eliwood, Eleanora, Marcus and Isadora. Eliwood was dressed in his blue traveling gear, with a blue cloak and with light armour underneath and on the shoulders. Eleanora wore a simple white dress, with a blue cloak similar to Eliwood's over it. Both of them were on foot. Marcus and Isadora stood taller than them, both atop their resplendent warhorses. Marcus' horse, Old Faithful, had gotten a bit more ragged in the past year, with a similar increase in grumpiness. On the other hand, Isadora's mare, known as Muriel, was in its prime, and it gleaming white coat was a sign of that. Marcus wore his full suit of bronze armour, which shone as a result of a polish the night before. Isadora wore a suit of armour painted with the white of Lady Eleanora's personal guard. The plates of the armour had had to be largely custom made to fit Isadora, as she was the only woman in the Knights of Pherae.

Eliwood shivered slightly as the cold wind passed into him. The hairs on his neck stood on end: the wind was eerie, almost as if it was devoid of something that would give it warmth. Trying to forget about it, Eliwood turned to face Marcus. In a low whisper, as if anything louder might wake the nearby village, Eliwood asked, "Have we got everything?"

"I have just finished checking, Lord Eliwood," Marcus replied, pointing to one of two rather bulky bags tied to either side of Old Faithful. He held up an open hand. "We have the tent, the blankets, some rations, some healing salve and enough gold to last us for a few months." When he had finished speaking, he had tapped down all of his fingers, turning his hand into a fist. "And of course, I have food for my horse and all of my weapons. I trust Lord Eliwood has his sword?"

Eliwood patted the rapier that hung at his belt. "I have it right here." There was a long silence. Eliwood looked at his mother. "Well, I suppose we're all set to go." Eleanora looked like she was about to cry. Eliwood could only imagine the grief she must be feeling. First, his father, her husband, had vanished, and now he too was leaving. Eleanora was going to be alone.

"Eliwood," Eleanora said, "I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, you won't do anything reckless. True, I do fear for your father, but if anything were to happen to you, my heart could not bear that sorrow."

"I'll do my best, mother, but I'm afraid that that may be a promise I have to break in order to save father. But I promise you this: I will return, and I will return father to your side." Eleanora gave a slight nod of acceptance. Eliwood looked at Isadora. "Isadora, I place my mother under your protection. Please, take good care of her."

"I shall, Lord Eliwood," Isadora replied.

It was only then that Eliwood noticed that Isadora was no longer wearing her engagement ring. He found that very odd, as he had seen her with it on mere days ago. Why had she given up hope now? "Isadora," Eliwood said, "we'll find Harken."

Isadora closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "No, you won't. If your father is alive, then he is most likely a prisoner. Harken would have died rather than simply let Lord Elbert be taken prisoner. I may wish it wasn't so, but Harken is gone." Tears slid down Isadora's face. Eliwood wanted to do something, to say something to comfort her, but he was paralysed by his own fear and ignorance. What did he know of these matters, of love, of life and of death?

He did the only thing he could think of. "Then I suppose that's it," he said. "Farewell, Isadora, until we meet again. Farewell, mother." He knew that was insensitive, but it was the best he could do at the time. Isadora gave a silent nod.

Instead of speaking, Eleanora walked up to Eliwood and wrapped her arms tightly around his chest. It was a hug that only a mother could give. Eliwood hesitated for a moment, before returning the embrace. He didn't try to rush it. There was no telling when they would see each other again, or if they would see each other again at all. All that could be heard was the wind.

Then, as suddenly as the embrace began, it stopped. Eleanora backed away from Eliwood, a look of pure sorrow upon her face. She slowly turned away and started walking back towards the castle. Isadora turned and followed. Eliwood and Marcus watched them until they passed some tress and disappeared from sight.

Eliwood sighed. That had been the hardest thing he had ever had to do. He had gone away from home before, even for extended periods when he was studying in Ostia, but he had always known that he would return home. This time, as much as he had been trying to convince his mother otherwise, he did not. There was not telling what this journey he was about to embark upon would present.

Eliwood turned to face Marcus. "Well, Marcus," he said, "It looks like it's just you and me now."

Marcus shook his head. "Not true, Lord Eliwood. My man Lowen is travelling with us. He's in the village, seeing if there are any mercenaries staying at the inn."

"Lowen…" Eliwood whispered, closing his eyes as he tried to picture Lowen in his head. "Tall man in gold armour, scruffy blue hair, stays around the kitchens a lot?"

Marcus nodded. "That's right. He has quite a lot of potential, and I would hate to see it wasted by me not being there to train him." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "But don't tell him I said that."

Eliwood laughed to himself. Positive reinforcement had never been part of Marcus' training program. "Marcus, my lips are sealed, but try not to be too hard on him."

"Lord Eliwood, why don't you leave the matter of training up Pherae's knights to me? I have trained many knights in my time, using the same methods I use today, and not a single one who has made it as far as Lowen has failed me." Marcus' expression became grimmer. "Frankly, I would have preferred to set out with a larger company, but this was your order, my lord."

Eliwood frowned. "I'd prefer not to rob my mother of a single more guard than is necessary. When my father left, he took all of Pherae's best knights bar you with him. The ones who are left behind have to both guard the castle and patrol the surrounding villages."

"Yes, and to be honest, it's starting to show. I've heard reports of increased bandit activity in the last few months." Eliwood and Marcus looked towards the village, which was starting to become clearer as the first rays of sunlight passed over the mountains. Around the small cluster of buildings that made up the village itself, there was a wall of wooden stakes. A gate on the side facing Eliwood and Marcus was one of only two entrances. The other entrance was a secret gate built into one of the side walls. Eliwood had many fond memories of sneaking out of the village through that gate to go exploring the nearby forest. Those were good times, but they were now gone forever. There was silence for a few minutes, before Marcus spoke up. "What is taking Lowen so long?"

As if on cue, the gate opened, and a lone rider charged out of the village. He rode a brown horse, and even from the great distance between them, Eliwood could see the gold armour that identified the man as Lowen. "Lowen's certainly in a hurry," Eliwood said. "I wonder why?"

Marcus frowned. "We will have to wait and see."

As Lowen drew closer, it became clear that there was another person behind Lowen on the horse, but Eliwood couldn't make out any details. It wasn't long before Lowen reached Eliwood and Marcus. He was panting heavily. "Lord Eliwood! Sir Marcus!" he cried out in a rather boyish voice. "It's b… b…" Lowen's voice descended into a series of ragged gasps.

Marcus held up a hand. "Lowen, calm down," he said. "Take some deep breaths." Lowen complied, and his breaths became slower and deeper. "It is important for a knight to always be calm. Fear and anxiety lead to lapses in concentration, and lapses in concentration can lead to death." Lowen hung his head, presumably trying to avoid eye contact with Marcus, although Eliwood found it difficult to tell through Lowen's abnormally scruffy hair. "Now, tell us calmly what has happened."

Lowen took one last deep breath before speaking. "Bandits are attacking the village."

"What?" Eliwood gasped in shock. "How did they get in? Aren't the gates supposed to be closed at night?"

Suddenly remembering his manners, Lowen bowed to Eliwood as best he could, given that he was on horseback. "They knocked down part of the north wall, Lord Eliwood."

Eliwood frowned. "So much for the subtle approach. They were probably breaking in even as we were watching. We must stop them at all costs. Tell us, Lowen, what information can you give us about our enemy?"

"Well, Lord Eliwood, I was able to rescue a girl from the village. She should be able to tell us something."

As he said this, a girl jumped down from the horse. She appeared to be in her mid teens. Her dark green hair hung down in pigtails, and she wore a light green bandana over the top of her head. The rest of her clothing consisted of boots, gloves, a tunic and a short skirt, all in various shades of brown. She carried a bow over her shoulder, and she had a quiver strapped to a belt at her hips. She wore a blue sash around her waist. As Eliwood was trying to remember what that blue sash meant, the girl spoke up. "Lord Eliwood," she said, "I'm Rebecca. I'm the daughter of the village magistrate." That explained what the blue sash was for. "Please, Lord Eliwood, you have to help us! The bandits are looting the village even as we speak!"

"Rebecca, we'll do everything we can," Eliwood replied. "But first, we need to know how many bandits there are, and where we can find them."

"I'd say there are at least thirty of them, my lord. But they've only attacked the northern part of the village; something seems to have drawn their attention in the town square."

"Then we'd best head there now. Whatever's gotten their attention won't do so for long."

"My lord," Marcus interjected, "If we're going to save the village, then we need a plan. Attacking the bandits head-on would cause more harm than it would avert."

Eliwood knew Marcus was right. They were badly outnumbered, and neither he nor Lowen had had much battlefield experience. Eliwood could hold his own in a duel, but when it came to a large-scale battle, he wasn't so sure. Then an idea popped into his head. "Lowen, Rebecca," he said, "were either of you two seen when you were escaping the village?" Lowen and Rebecca both shook their heads. "Good. Then here's what I want you to do, Lowen. You are to head to the eastern wall surrounding the village. About halfway along that wall, you should find a large mass of ivy covering the wall. Behind that ivy is a secret door, which you will use to get into the village. Meanwhile, Marcus and I will create a diversion, drawing the bandits into the southern half of the village. You will then hunt down the bandit's leader and kill him. Lowen, you will cut off his head and impale it on your lance." Both Rebecca and Lowen turned slightly pale upon hearing this. "You will then find us, and show the head to the other bandits. Do whatever it takes to get their attention. My guess is that they will surrender when they see that their leader has been defeated. Bandits are cowards by nature."

Lowen, meanwhile, seemed to have slumped slightly. "But Lord Eliwood," he said, "what if I can't defeat the bandit leader?"

"Lowen," Marcus said, "every bandit that I have ever encountered as a Knight of Pherae has been slain as much by the fear of us as by my own skill. The same will go for you. If you ever want to become a great knight like Harken or Isadora, you must overcome your own fears. Now go. That's an order."

As Lowen slowly turned his horse towards the village, Rebecca turned towards Eliwood and said, "He doesn't have to go alone. I'll go with him." Before Eliwood could voice his objections, Rebecca added, "I have hunted animals for most of my life, so I have some skill with a bow. Please let me go with him, Lord Eliwood. I want to help."

Eliwood closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't like putting his subjects in unnecessary danger, but Rebecca had volunteered for this. Was it really his right to prevent her from trying to help when that was what she wanted to do? Even when that wasn't borne in mind, the fact of the matter was, they could use all the help they could get. "Very well," Eliwood said as he opened his eyes. "You will go with Lowen and help him out. Just be careful and stay with him at all times."

"I will, my lord," Rebecca said. She climbed onto Lowen's horse, almost slipping as she did so, but fortunately Lowen caught her. Soon, Rebecca was seated atop Lowen's horse, behind the young page, holding onto him tightly.

Eliwood looked at the two and thought to himself that somehow, this looked right. "Take good care of her, Lowen."

Lowen turned his head to face Eliwood. "I will," he said. Lowen gave his horse a light kick under the saddle, and he and Rebecca rode away, the horse accelerating unusually slowly for a hose of Pherae.

Eliwood turned to face Marcus. "Well Marcus, I suppose we had better be setting out too." He climbed onto Old Faithful, seating himself behind Marcus. The horse gave a loud grunt as this happened. Eliwood had a bad feeling about how this ride was going to go. He held on tightly to Marcus as Old Faithful galloped away.

After a short but very bumpy ride, Eliwood and Marcus reached the front gate of the village, which was still open. The sound of fighting could be heard within the walls of the village. Eliwood was starting to feel slightly apprehensive as he jumped down from Old Faithful.

As they walked through the streets of the village, which were now empty as all the people were hiding in their homes, Eliwood wondered how Lowen and Rebecca were doing. Eliwood was starting to question whether his decision to send them after the bandit leader was a wise one.

"Lord Eliwood," Marcus said, "do you have any plan for creating our little diversion?"

"Not as such," Eliwood replied. "But I think that once the bandits see me, they will recognise me, and will most likely try to capture me in an attempt to extort money out of Pherae. That is why I'd like you to remain hidden at first, to ensure that the bandits take the bait and don't simply run away."

"My lord, are you sure such a plan will be safe? Your safety should be paramount." Marcus hesitated for a moment, a rarity for him. "Perhaps it is not my place, but I think you should stay out of combat, Lord Eliwood. Let me deal with the enemy! You can stay with me, and thus travel in safety."

Eliwood shook his head, and looked up to where Marcus was seated. "No, Marcus, this is something I must do. This is my quest, and if I cannot deal with a simple group of bandits, what chance do I stand against whatever fell force is now holding my father."

It seemed like Marcus was about to say something, but he didn't, for at that moment, both he and Eliwood stopped in their tracks. They had just entered the town square. Neither of them could believe the scene before their eyes. A dozen dead bandits were scattered around the area. Some had had their limbs hacked off, while others had been decapitated. The remaining twenty-odd bandits were swarming the large platform at the centre that had formerly been the gallows. But no sooner had a bandit gotten up to the top, then they promptly tumbled back to the bottom. The other side in this battle was what appeared to be two men atop the platform, although Eliwood couldn't make them out very well amidst the swirling melee.

Eliwood nodded at Marcus, and the knight slowly maneuvered his horse around a nearby building, out of sight of the bandits. Eliwood took a deep breath as he walked into the town square. This was it. He stopped, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "In the name of Pherae, I bid you men lay down your arms!"

Instantly, every participant in the battle turned towards Eliwood, who did a double-take upon seeing that one of the men fighting the bandits was Dorcas, one of Lyn's companions from a year ago. Judging by his expression, which admittedly was as hard to read as always, Dorcas returned the feeling of surprise. The other man fighting the bandits was a large, almost brutish brown-haired man whom Eliwood didn't recognize. The man wore an outfit similar to Dorcas', but with a blue singlet, and a grey, studded headband. His brown hair was scruffy at best, but that may have had something to do with the situation he was in. His expression was one of sheer battle-driven rage.

The bandit nearest to Eliwood laughed. "I can handle this one, lads," he growled. "The rest of you, back to the fighting! The boss will kill us of we don't get this job done soon!"

Before anything else could be said or done, Dorcas and the man with him had each decapitated a bandit with one stroke of their large axes. That was the signal for the battle to continue. Meanwhile, the makeshift leader tossed his weapon aside as he approached Eliwood. "I don't need a weapon to beat you, you pansy noble!" he said, cracking his knuckles. "Besides, you're much more use to us alive."

With those words, the bandit charged at Eliwood, bringing one fist back behind him. When the bandit was mere metres away, Eliwood quickly pulled his rapier from its sheath and, in the same motion, lunged at the bandit. The sword went straight through the bandit's heart, bringing an immediate halt to the motion of both combatants. As Eliwood pulled removed his rapier, which was now covered in blood, from the bandit's chest, the man slumped to the ground, dead.

Wasting no time, Eliwood rushed towards the centre of the battle. One bandit managed to see Eliwood just in time to attack. The blow was very clumsy though, and Eliwood easily ducked to dodge it. One thrust with his rapier put an end to that bandit. Another bandit promptly charged. This one had more time to aim, so Eliwood didn't have time to dodge. Instead, he parried the blow along the handle of the axe, where there was little force. With a light flick of his weapon, Eliwood was able to slit the bandit's wrist. The bandit dropped his weapon instantly, clutching his wrist while howling in pain. Eliwood kicked the bandit with all of his might to put him out of the fight.

This had left the steps up to the top of the platform open. Eliwood ran up the steps two at a time, parrying a stray attack as he went. By the time he'd reached the top, Dorcas and the other axe-fighter had finished off most of their opponents. Just as he was about to fight another bandit, Eliwood heard the sound of hooves. Daring to look away for a moment, for everyone else there had as well, he saw Marcus charging in atop Old Faithful, sword held high, shouting a battle cry as he went.

Marcus' right hand left the reigns for a moment, as he pulled a small axe free from his belt. Swinging his arm with what appeared to be all of his might, he threw the axe, sending it spinning as he did so. Eliwood's eyes bulged as he realized that the axe appeared to be headed towards him. But there was no time. He screwed his eyes tight as he prepared for the pain…and felt nothing. Eliwood opened his eyes and saw that the axe was now embedded in the skull of the bandit Eliwood had been preparing to fight mere moments ago.

This was all that was needed to break the bandits' spirit. Screaming, they ran away from the wrath of Marcus as fast as their legs could carry them. Their path took them towards one of the other exits from the town square: right towards Lowen, who had just appeared on the scene along with Rebecca. Shaking slightly, the young page held his lance in his right hand. Impaled on the point of the lance was a bearded head that Eliwood assumed belonged to the bandit leader. He noted, with interest, that an arrow was stuck right between the head's eyes.

The bandits stopped in their tracks. Behind them was a furious veteran knight who had just dispatched one of their own with ease, and in front of them was a man who, although not nearly as furious, had just killed their leader. One by one, the bandits dropped their weapons and held their hands in the air. The battle was over.

Eliwood breathed a sigh of relief. "Rebecca," he said, "Find your father and bring him here. Tell him we have something he'll be most pleased to see."

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A few minutes later, Rebecca returned with a middle-aged man whom Eliwood recognised as the village magistrate. The magistrate has brown hair and a large, bushy moustache. He wore the clothing of a worker, for the village was not wealthy, but he did wear the traditional blue sash of a Pheraen magistrate. Several other men followed behind, each one carrying rope to tie up the bandits. Marcus was riding amongst the bandits to discourage any last-minute escape attempts.

Upon seeing Eliwood, the magistrate ran towards him. Although he did seem glad to see Eliwood, his overall expression was rather grim. Eliwood could understand why. After all, much of the village had been damaged, and even though no villagers had been seriously harmed, the damage would take some time to repair. The magistrate didn't let such thoughts get in the way of formality, and upon reaching Eliwood, the magistrate promptly bowed.

"You must be Lord Eliwood," he said as he rose again. "Thank you for saving our village."

Eliwood raised his hands and shook his head. "No thanks are needed. It is a lord's duty to protect his subjects."

Any joy that was in the magistrate's face promptly evaporated. "If only that were true, my lord. The people of Laus know no such protection. Their Marquess is caught up in his preparations for war, and he doesn't seem to care about the troubles of the common folk."

"Preparing for war?" Eliwood asked incredulously. "Are you sure?" Eliwood knew that Lord Darin desired power, but surely he wouldn't go to war over it. After all, there was no way he could possibly defeat the armies of the other Lycian territories.

The magistrate nodded glumly. "Aye, my lord, it is true. My brother lived in Laus until just over a week ago. His house was torched by bandits, and he was forced to come here. He had seen these war preparations with his own two eyes."

Marcus, who had overheard the conversation, rode over to Eliwood. "Could you excuse us for a moment, magistrate?" he asked. The magistrate nodded and walked over to where the bandits were now being tied up. "Lord Eliwood," Marcus whispered. "If Marquess Laus is preparing for war, then he probably means to attack another Lycian territory. Perhaps all of this is related to Lord Elbert's disappearance."

Eliwood stroked his chin, deep in thought. "My father and Marquess Laus…" he whispered, more to himself than to Marcus. "It's a rather weak connection at best, but it's all we have to go on. I suggest we set out for Laus as soon as we're done here."

"Agreed. I will go inform Lowen of our plans. The boy seems awfully jittery, even for him. For some reason, he won't say anything about what happened with that bandit leader." Marcus shrugged his shoulders, and rode slowly towards a nearby wall, which Lowen was leaning on, rubbing his temple with one hand. Eliwood guessed that having to cut off the bandit leader's head might have had something to do with Lowen's behaviour, but he chose not to voice his opinion.

"Oh by the way, Lord Eliwood," Marcus said, turning back to face Eliwood, "I must congratulate you on your fine performance in battle today, Lord Eliwood. I'm impressed by the strength you've displayed today. You have truly grown, and for that, I am joyful."

Eliwood laughed quietly to himself. Marcus rarely gave compliments to anyone, but when he did, he had a tendency to exaggerate. "Ah, Marcus, your sentiments are always larger than life."

Marcus sighed, and he suddenly looked much older than normal. "But it does make me lonely, you know. When you were born, Lord Eliwood, why, I had just received the honour of knighthood." Marcus' face took on a wistful look as he stared off into space. "When you were little, oh how you would follow me everywhere!"

Eliwood raised his hands in protest, smiling. "Stop it; you embarrass me, good friend." Indeed, most of his memories of his early childhood were of times spent with Marcus. Part of him wondered whether that was truly representative of that time in his life.

Smiling, Marcus turned once more, and Old Faithful trotted towards Lowen. Eliwood, in the meantime, glanced around idly. It was then that he spotted Dorcas and his companion leaning against the far wall. He realised that he had not even shown Dorcas the courtesy of a greeting. Seeking to redeem himself, Eliwood walked over to them.

"Well, Dorcas," Eliwood said, "long time no see. What brings you to Pherae?"

"Well, my wife Natalie and I live in Pherae now," Dorcas replied. "I liked the look of Lycia when I was with Lyn, so we decided to move."

"Is Natalie here?" Eliwood asked, not sure what to hope. If she was here, then she might have been hurt, but if she wasn't here, then there was no telling what may have been happening to her.

"No, we live in a village about a day's travel from here, on the other side of Castle Pherae. It's a larger village than this, so it's fairly well-protected. I only came out here because I heard that they were having trouble with bandits."

"So you're a mercenary now?" Eliwood asked, as an idea popped into his mind.

Dorcas nodded. "That's right. I work with Bartre here," he said, gesturing in the direction of his companion.

"That's right! I'm Bartre the Brave!" Bartre boasted, as he pounded his singlet with his fist.

Eliwood glanced briefly at Dorcas who simply gave a nod that indicated to Eliwood that Bartre was always like this. "Well, Bartre," Eliwood said, resisting the urge to laugh, "it is a great pleasure to meet you." Eliwood decided that he might as well see if his idea had any merit. "Say, I'm sure that you two have heard of my father's recent disappearance." Dorcas and Bartre both nodded, although Bartre seemed slightly more hesitant. "Well, I'm going in search of him, and I'll need some additional soldiers, since Pherae is rather short-staffed at the moment. Would you two be interested in doing some mercenary work for me? I should you warn you, it will be a long journey, so you'll probably have to clear it up with your wife first, Dorcas."

"That's fine," Dorcas replied. "I'll just send a letter to Natalie explaining it. This isn't the first time I've gone on a long assignment, after all."

"Okay, then, I'll let you take care of that. What about you, Bartre?"

Bartre appeared to be deep in thought, an activity that appeared to be almost painful to him. The muscles of his face were tense with concentration. "You'll be fighting lots of tough enemies on this journey, right?" he asked.

"That's right," Eliwood replied, although he didn't really like to think about that. Any foe that could have caused any harm to his father and his knights must have been a very powerful foe indeed.

Bartre grinned. "Then, Lord Eliwood, you've got yourself a deal!" Bartre seized Eliwood's hand and shook it firmly, possibly a bit too firmly for Eliwood's tastes.

"Excellent," Eliwood said, ignoring the pain in his hand. "Well, we'd better get the tedious paperwork done first, so if you follow me we'll get that out of the way." As Eliwood led the pair away, he clutched his aching hand. He just hoped that Bartre could write.

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By the time the now-larger group left the village, the sun had risen high into the sky. Summer was nearing its end, so it was no longer as hot as it had been in previous weeks, but it was still a bit too hot for Eliwood's tastes. He couldn't believe that he had been shivering this morning. He hated to think about how hot Marcus and Lowen must have been in their suits of armour. Although Marcus had learnt a long time ago to suppress those feelings of discomfort, it was clear that Lowen wasn't a fan of hot weather. The two knights rode slightly ahead of Eliwood, Dorcas and Bartre. This was relatively flat terrain, so even Marcus had to admit that there was no real likelihood of an ambush. Eliwood relished this peace, for he knew it would not last.

The village was still in sight when Eliwood became aware of someone shouting at them. Eliwood turned around to see Rebecca running towards them. Eliwood raised his hand. And the group stopped. He wondered what Rebecca wanted.

As soon as Rebecca reached the group, she headed straight for Eliwood. "Lord Eliwood," she said, panting slightly. "I would like to thank you for saving our village."

"There is no need for thanks, Rebecca," Eliwood replied. "Your father has already taken care of that."

"That is not the sort of thanks I am referring to." Rebecca knelt down. "My lord, I offer you my service, such as it is. Please, let me fight for you."

Eliwood was torn. He sincerely doubted that Rebecca had any real idea what she was getting into. But just like earlier today, she was volunteering for this, and showed such a desire to do this that it almost reached the point of begging. Eliwood didn't know whether he had any real right to refuse such a request. "What does your father think about this?"

"My lord, he is willing to accept it. That is, if you are." She looked at Eliwood with an expression of longing that Eliwood couldn't resist.

"Very well, Rebecca, welcome aboard." Rebecca smiled at him as she rose. "However, I would like to remind you that neither oath nor contract holds you to this journey. You are free to leave any time you wish."

Rebecca bowed. "Thank you, my lord."

"Oh, and you don't need to do the bowing thing either. I imagine it would start to lose all meaning after you've done it a hundred times." Eliwood and Rebecca both laughed.

Eliwood looked around at his companions. He found it hard to believe that there had only been three people in the group at the start of this day, and now there were twice that number. He didn't know for sure what trials they would all go through together, what allies they would gain, what foes they would face, and ultimately, whether they would succeed in finding his father. However, he did know one thing: his journey was only beginning.