A/N: Yes, I am alive, believe it or not. I know, it's been far too long since I last updated. I could tell you some incredible tale involving alien abductions to explain the lateness of this chapter, but I won't, as that would be lying. Suffice to say, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and that you can find the time to review.

There were a few nasty typos in Chapter 4, but I have uploaded a fixed version of it with this chapter.

Since this point has come up a few times in reviews now, I would just like to make a point clear: Mark/the tactician/whatever you want to call him will not feature in this story. Basically, I feel that I would either turn him into a Gary Stu or an utterly useless character. If you want to see good stuff with Mark, then I would recommend reading Samuraiter's story One Year. There's some excellent stuff with Mark in there.

In this chapter, I have included one quote from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (the film), and one slightly altered quote from Hamlet. If you feel up to it, see if you can find them.

Finally, would anyone be interested in becoming a beta reader for me? All you would have to do would be to read the chapter, find any mistakes and suggest some changes before I post it up. I would give you about a week from when I first send you the chapter to do this. You would also be acknowledged in an acknowledgements section at the end of the story for your help. If anyone's interested, please e-mail me at 5: Birds of a Feather

Eliwood frowned as he shoved the last of his things into the bag. It was late morning now, two days after the group had first set out. Most of those two days had been spent on the march, with only a short break in the middle of the day for lunch and an eight-hour break in the night, during which they had dinner, slept, and had breakfast in the morning.

This morning, however, they had woken up later than usual, as Lowen had fallen asleep during his watch, and thus had not woken everyone else up. Needless to say, Marcus' shouting upon finding the young page asleep at his post woke the rest of the group up very promptly. Now, they were hurriedly packing away their tents and supplies in an attempt to make up for lost time. Eliwood had no knowledge of camping, so he let Marcus pack away the tent they shared, while he went to work on packing away the other supplies.

Now, he was finished, and he took a moment to look around to see how the others were doing. Dorcas and Bartre appeared to have finished a long time ago, being quite used to travel and camping as a result of their work. Rebecca, meanwhile, seemed to be making slow but steady progress on the tent she and Lowen shared. But where, then, was Lowen?

Eliwood jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Regaining his nerves, he turned around to see Lowen standing there, looking quite flushed, more so than usual. "Lord Eliwood, I'm so sorry!" he said, kneeling down as if begging for mercy.

"Lowen, what is it?" Eliwood asked. He assumed Lowen was apologising for falling asleep at his post, but he thought it best to check.

"My lord, this morning, did you have… breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" Eliwood cried, trying not to laugh. He had a bad feeling Lowen was being serious. "Well, now that you mention it, I overslept, so I didn't really see the point in holding the group up by having breakfast."

Lowen pointed at Eliwood. "Ah ha! I knew it!" He held his head in his other hand. "Oh, if Sir Marcus finds out, I'm finished! Especially after my earlier… failings."

Eliwood held his hands up in an attempt to calm Lowen down. "Lowen, please! Missing one meal is not such a big issue."

Lowen shook his head. "Oh, but it is! "If the stomach is empty, empty too, lies the heart. You know the proverb!"

Now it was Eliwood's turn to shake his head. "Actually, that's the first time I've ever heard that one."

Lowen rose to his feet. "Then you must remember it henceforth!" He then added, speaking more slowly, "If the stomach is empty, empty too, lies the heart!"

Eliwood nodded slowly. "Right, I'll remember that."

"Now, I must go get you some breakfast, before Sir Marcus finds out!" With those words, Lowen rushed off towards his tent, leaving a dumbstruck Eliwood standing in his wake. Clearly, he had a lot to learn about Lowen, but he definitely didn't want to know where Lowen learnt his proverbs from.

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It was well into the afternoon when the group reached the border of Santaruz. Soon after the group had set out from Pherae, Eliwood had decided that it would be best to stop in Santaruz on their way to Laus. Surely, Lord Hausen would be able to provide them with men, supplies or at least a safe bed for the night. Eliwood really wasn't fond of camping out; it was simply too big a change from the comfortable dwellings to which he was accustomed. He would be glad to be able to sleep in a bed once more, even if it was only for one night.

The journey had been quite slow, as only Marcus and Lowen had horses. Eliwood and the others had to walk. Marcus had offered to let Eliwood ride with him, but Eliwood had refused. Somehow, the idea of riding on Old Faithful seemed far more exhausting than walking. It was times like this that Eliwood wished that his old horse Zephyr was still alive. Still, as Eliwood's father had said when he'd found out about Zephyr's death, there was no point in crying over a dead horse.

Still, right now, Eliwood was able to take a quick, and very rare, break. Upon Marcus' advice, the group had stopped in a valley that was formed by the edges of two tall, rocky outcrops. It was one of the few areas near Santaruz that wasn't flat terrain. Marcus had just sent Lowen off to a nearby village to obtain some more supplies – not too much, but enough to last until they reached Castle Santaruz.

Right now, Dorcas and Bartre sat on the grass near one wall of rock, talking about subjects that Eliwood had no desire to know about, while Rebecca sat against another, adjusting her bowstring. She seemed to be having some difficulty, but Eliwood was sure she knew what she was doing. That said, he had yet to see her in combat, and part of him wondered whether she would be up to the task of battle. Marcus had just loaded the supplies off of Old Faithful, and was currently placing a small box of food under its already awaiting muzzle. The stallion seemed much more pleasant than any time that Eliwood had tried to feed it.

"I think I'll go for a walk," Eliwood said as he approached Marcus.

Marcus looked towards him. "I'll go with you, my lord," he replied as he stood up. "None of us should wander alone, least of all you."

Eliwood was tempted to remind Marcus that he had just recently sent Lowen off alone, but he thought it better not to do so. It would undoubtedly cause Marcus to start one of his speeches about testing the abilities of all knights. In all honesty, Eliwood didn't see how going to obtain supplies could test anyone's abilities, but Marcus was the expert.

"Marcus, you worry too much," Eliwood said. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." With those words, Eliwood walked off, and Marcus followed behind. They ambled away from the rest of the group making several turns in the makeshift canyon. Eliwood couldn't help but be amazed at how long it was. After a few minutes, they reached a small clearing.

Eliwood stopped and leant back against one of the rock faces. He sighed. Marcus appeared to have noticed, for in an instant he said, "Lord Eliwood, something appears to be troubling you. Would you care to share it?"

Eliwood shook his head. "It's nothing," he replied.

Marcus smiled. "Lord Eliwood, I know you're lying. Even the most foolish person chooses something to worry about, and you are far wiser than any fool. That said, if you do not wish to talk about your worries, than that is your right. However, I'd like to remind you that most people would consider it a good idea to talk about your troubles. It tends to lessen them, if only slightly."

Eliwood raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And since when have you been one to confide in others over your troubles, Marcus?"

"My lord, even I have people whom I trust enough to confide in when I'm feeling at my lowest. It's just that, after years of experience, one learns not to be so troubled by life. That said, I doubt you have quite enough years behind you to be at that stage yet, Lord Eliwood. Come, surely you trust me enough to tell me what is bothering you."

"As usual Marcus, you make an excellent point. Very well, I'll tell you." Eliwood sighed again and stared off into empty space. "I'm just wondering whether I'm going about this quest in the right way. I mean, what if I make a mistake and cost us all our lives? What if I could prevent all that now, and I don't?"

For nearly a minute, Marcus frowned in silence, but then he spoke up. "Lord Eliwood, it would appear to me that this problem is caused by looking to events on too grand a scale. The fact of the matter is that there are many events that you can't change right now. The future is always in motion, and thus you can never be sure what will happen in the future. This isn't to say that you shouldn't think about the future at all, but rather that you should take everything in small steps. In this case, getting to Santaruz is the first step. All other things can be considered once we get there."

Although Marcus had slightly swayed Eliwood's opinion, the young noble remained unconvinced. "But what if going to Santaruz isn't the best option?"

Marcus smiled once again, more broadly this time. "Frankly, my lord, that is foolishness, and nothing more. There is absolutely nothing to fear from going to Sanataruz. Marquess Santaruz has always been a good friend of Lord Elbert, and of you. He would never do anything to harm you, so relax. We are not in any danger yet."

Eliwood smiled. He had been very foolish. "You're right, Marcus. The danger hasn't started yet. I'm glad you're here to point out the error of my ways."

Marcus shook his head. "Think nothing of it, my lord. While mentoring isn't strictly on the list of duties that a Knight of Pherae must perform, one does learn to expand one's uses, if only slightly. Take Lowen for instance-"

Marcus was interrupted by loud almost thunderous footsteps from further down the valley. Marcus and Eliwood turned to find three men walking towards them. Two of them appeared to be quite muscular, but Eliwood's attention was turned towards the man in the centre of the small group. He was truly a giant, standing at well over seven feet tall, and with enough bulk so that Eliwood suspected that he easily weighed as much as three average men. His pudgy face had a sinister grin on it. He had a large battle axe strapped to his belt.

The group stopped several metres in front of Eliwood and Marcus. "Hello, noble sirs," the gigantic man said in an incredibly fake village accent, "alms for a poor villager?" He held out his hand expectantly.

"Poor villager?" Marcus said with a hint of disgust in his face. "You look nothing like an honest man. Now clear the road." Marcus was scowling now.

The gigantic man laughed menacingly. "I think you're the one who'd better clear the road," he said, all traces of the fake village accent gone. His voice was now deep and brutish. "Someone wants the boy dead." The gigantic man pointed at Eliwood and shrugged. "A shame if you ask me, but he'll die here today. But he's the only one we've been ordered to kill, so why don't you do what's good for you and stay out of the way, old man?"

Eliwood could tell that Marcus was fuming inside now, but the knight kept his exterior appearance as calm as always. Marcus stepped in between Eliwood and the three men. "If you intend to harm Lord Eliwood," Marcus said, "you'll have to go through me."

The gigantic man stopped laughing, but he still had a grin on his face. "Oh no, I won't," he said with a shake of his head. He then shouted in a thunderous voice, "Come on out, boys! Earn your keep!"

At that moment, a series of loud roars erupted throughout the valley. As Eliwood looked up, he saw countless bandits standing at the top of the rocky outcrop, ready to strike. Eliwood heard someone snap their fingers, and the bandits leapt, near-simultaneously, into the valley.

Eliwood leapt back and drew his rapier. As one bandit landed roughly near him, Eliwood thrust the rapier into the man's chest. Eliwood didn't even bother to check whether the bandit was dead, but simply pulled his rapier out and focused on the pair of bandits charging at him, one on either side, axes held high. Eliwood waited until the last possible moment to jump to one side. The bandits collided with a sickening crunch, and were clearly out cold, at least.

Eliwood took a moment to look at the scene around him. Marcus was valiantly hacking bandits down left, right and centre, but there always seemed to be more to replace them. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was heading towards Eliwood, and he knew that he couldn't possibly take them all, as there were still well over two dozen bandits.

At that moment, though, another loud roar echoed through the canyon, as Bartre appeared around the corner, and charged into the whole pack of bandits. Dorcas followed shortly afterwards. Eliwood breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they could pull this one off.

Eliwood heard a voice from above him yell, "Look out!" and then out of the corner of his eye he saw an arrow whiz by. Eliwood turned around to see a bandit standing less than a metre away, axe held high and with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Eliwood calmly stepped backwards as the man's body fell forwards.

Eliwood looked up to see Rebecca standing at the top of the valley, bow in hand. "Thanks, Rebecca," Eliwood said.

Rebecca nodded in reply as she notched another arrow. "Glad to be of service, Lord Eliwood," she replied.

Eliwood turned his attention back to the battle. Dorcas and Bartre were holding their own against their group, but Marcus was still having trouble making his way through. Eliwood ran towards the latter group. As he reached them, he dispatched a few with ease, and Marcus calmly dealt with the rest. "Are you alright, Marcus?" Eliwood asked.

Marcus was panting, and he suddenly looked older than usual. "I'll live, my lord," Marcus replied, "which is good, seeing as how we still have some thugs left to deal with."

Eliwood turned to his right to see a large group of bandits charging towards them, with the gigantic man among their numbers. Eliwood and Marcus assumed defensive stances, but before they could do anything else, they saw a flash of gold as Lowen charged past on his horse, lance in hand, headed straight for the bandits. Muttering something incomprehensible, Marcus charged as well, but Eliwood hesitated.

Lowen reached the group first, and plunged his lance into the first bandit he could, before disappearing into the mass of people. Eliwood heard a scream from within, and could just make out Lowen being thrown from his horse. Marcus, meanwhile, charged into the fray, dispatching two bandits in an instant, before he too disappeared from sight. Neither of them noticed the gigantic man come out of the pack. Eliwood certainly did though, as the man was walking towards him, axe in hand. He seemed even bigger from this small distance, and the axe was larger than any Eliwood had seen before. He was shaking slightly, but he bit his lip in an attempt to calm himself.

The gigantic man seemed to have noticed Eliwood's fear. "Scared, whelp?" he asked with an evil grin on his face. "I can't say I blame you, seeing as how your life ends here and all." In one swift motion, the gigantic man had raised his axe behind his head, shouting a battle cry as he did so. As the axe fell, Eliwood rolled forwards to dodge the blow.

Before Eliwood could counter the blow, the gigantic man leapt out of the way with surprising agility. Eliwood rose to his feet, just in time to leap back and dodge another attack. Eliwood was panting now. He needed to find an opening, before the fight wore him out. Eliwood leapt back onto a nearby rock to dodge the next blow, but he landed poorly, and struggled to find his footing. He wobbled, and had to hold his arms out to his sides to maintain his balance.

Eliwood could see the gigantic man winding up for another attack, but he knew that he couldn't move enough to dodge it. As the attack came down, Eliwood put all thoughts of balance out of his mind, closed his eyes, and thrust his rapier forward. He heard a sickening squelch, followed by a scream.

Eliwood opened his eyes slowly. The scene he saw before him shocked him. His rapier was sticking right through the left wrist of the gigantic man, whose axe was barely a metre from Eliwood's head. The gigantic man was howling in pain. Eliwood withdrew his rapier.

Eliwood didn't register what happened next. All he could tell was that he heard a loud snap, and then he was flying. His back hit the rocky wall of the valley, hard. The pain in his jaw was more than anything Eliwood had experienced before. He could barely move.

Eliwood's vision was still fine, though, and he was able to see the gigantic man clamber onto the rock where Eliwood had been standing moments before. The man had his axe in his right hand. Time seemed to slow down as the gigantic man rose to his feet, and raised his right arm into the air.

Eliwood felt true fear now. He was going to die, here and now. But it couldn't happen now, not like this! His quest had barely begun. He still hadn't rescued his father. He had broken his promise to his mother. There were so many things that he would never get to say or do.

Time seemed to have stopped now. The gigantic man was still standing there, axe held high. He seemed to be taking forever to finish the job. Eliwood wished that it could all end now. Dying was terrible, but waiting on the edge of inevitable death was a fate Eliwood would not wish on his worst enemy.

Then, Eliwood slowly came to a realisation. Blood was trickling down the sides of the gigantic man's head. He now had a blank look on his face, and his whole body was looking incredibly pale. Then, a large gauntleted hand pushed the lifeless corpse to Eliwood's right. It fell without protest. Where the gigantic man once stood, there now stood an axe-fighter whom Eliwood was infinitely more pleased to see. There, atop the rock, with a large, bloody axe in one hand, stood Hector of Ostia.

"You know, Eliwood," Hector said with a grin as he leapt down from the rock, "some day I won't be around to save your hide."

Eliwood tried to speak, but as he tried to move his jaw, a sharp pain erupted throughout it. Resisting the urge to scream, Eliwood just let out a few moans.

Hector gave a surprised look. "Hey, what happened to you?" Eliwood seriously hoped that that was a rhetorical question. As Hector leant in for a closer look, he frowned. "Ouch. Looks pretty painful." Eliwood nodded, being careful not to move his jaw. Hector turned behind him, to where the rest of the group was even now heading towards them. Apparently, the bandits had been defeated. "Hey, Serra, get over here!" Hector shouted.

Eliwood felt something lurch inside him. Was this the same Serra that had travelled with Lyn, the one whom Hector found so incredibly hard to deal with? Why would she be here now? True, if Hector was setting out on a journey, it would make sense to have a healer – it was only a lack of spare healers in Pherae that had prevented Eliwood from bringing one – but why Serra? Alas, Eliwood's worst fears were realised when a familiar, pink-haired cleric emerged from behind the crowd.

"Ah! Lord Hector," Serra said in her usual cheery, rather high-pitched voice, "isn't there something you want to say to me?"

"Yeah," Hector replied, pointing to Eliwood, "can you heal the broken jaw we've got here?"

Serra stared blankly, a slight look of disappointment on her face. "Oh, okay." She looked over at Eliwood, and instantly recoiled, her look of disappointment changed to a look of disgust. "Ewwww! There's blood everywhere! Can't you men fight in a cleaner manner?"

Eliwood stared incredulously at Serra, but Hector merely sighed. "Serra, the healing?" Eliwood was in complete agreement with Hector. The sooner he got his jaw healed, the better.

"Oh, alright, if I have to." Serra walked towards Eliwood, keeping her staff held out as far as possible so as to maximise the distance she could be from him. The look of revulsion was still on her face. "Now hold still, Lord Eliwood, this won't hurt a bit." As she said these words, she closed her eyes. Eliwood couldn't help but notice that she seemed so much more peaceful and serene now. Serra's stuff touched Eliwood's jaw. The staff began to glow with a bright white light. As it did this, Eliwood felt the pain slip away, to be replaced with a gentle, almost soothing, tingling sensation. The glow lasted for a few seconds, and then it was gone. Eliwood could no longer feel any pain in his jaw, though as he gently brushed it with his hand, he found that there was still a lot of blood there.

As if to confirm his findings, Hector said, "You might want to get that washed off, Eliwood. You look like you've been feasting off a corpse or something."

Eliwood laughed, and walked back to where they'd left their gear, in the hope that there would be enough water to wash off all the blood.

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A few minutes later, Eliwood was much cleaner. The group had returned to their original resting spot until Eliwood decided what they should do next. Meanwhile, Marcus had taken Lowen out of sight, but not out of earshot. The conversation could be heard so clearly that it might as well have been right in front of Eliwood.

"What do you think you were doing?" Eliwood heard Marcus shout. "Riding off into battle in such a foolhardy manner was bad enough, but then I was forced to save you, and Lord Eliwood nearly died as a result! It's lucky for all of us that Lord Hector showed up when he did? Do you realise the consequences of your actions?"

"Yes, Sir Marcus," Lowen replied meekly. The whole group was listening intently to the conversation now.

"Did you even think about following any of battle techniques and strategies I taught you?"

"No, Sir Marcus."

"Why not?" Lowen was silent, so Marcus answered his own question. "Because you didn't think! Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Sir Marcus."

"Now get back to camp! There will be sparring practice in the two hours before dawn. And just to make sure you don't fall asleep during your watch again, I'll be making a sneak attack on you some time during your watch. You had better be ready for it, unless you want to find yourself running back to Pherae with your tail between your legs."

A few seconds later, Lowen emerged from around the corner, slouching. His face no longer displayed the mix of jitter and enthusiasm Eliwood had seen before. Instead, it displayed a look of pure dejection, as if his life's very meaning had been taken away from him.

Lowen walked past Eliwood, avoiding eye contact, or so Eliwood guessed. Eliwood wanted to say something to him, but at that moment Marcus appeared. Upon seeing the Pheraen knight, everyone looked away and resumed their conversations, trying in vain to appear as if nothing had happened. Marcus glanced around, his frustration clear. With a shake of his head, Marcus walked towards Eliwood.

"Lord Eliwood," he said, "I take it you heard all that?"

Eliwood nodded. "Yes, you tend to be rather noticeable when you're instructing the recruits," he replied. "Marcus, are you sure you're not too hard on Lowen?" Eliwood knew it was pointless to say this. Marcus would never budge on this issue.

Marcus shook his head and sighed. "Lord Eliwood, as I've told you many times before, the only way people learn anything is through strict discipline and constant vigilance. Every mistake must be pointed out bluntly if they are ever to improve."

"Oh really?" Eliwood asked. "Then how come you never shouted at me when you were teaching me the ways of the sword? I must have made a hundred mistakes, but you always made it seem like part of the learning experience. You always looked on the positive side. Why don't you do that now?"

Eliwood was shocked. For the first time ever, he had made Marcus speechless. All the Pheraen knight could do was stare, his expression not revealing anything. Eliwood sighed. "Marcus," he said, "it's not about Lowen, is it? You're blaming yourself for all of this, aren't you?"

"Lord Eliwood, that's preposterous," Marcus replied, but Eliwood saw right through him.

"No, it's not. Ever since my father disappeared, I've noticed a change in you. You used to be a bit harsh, but now you're getting ridiculous, and I know why. You blame yourself for my father's disappearance because you think you should have been there to help him, so you took it out on the other soldiers by increasing their workload by far more than it needed to be. And now, you're blaming yourself for what happened to me just then, and you're taking it out on Lowen!"

Marcus was silent for a moment. "My lord, have you talked to Lord Hector yet?"

"Marcus, don't change the subject."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Should I take that as a no?"

"Well, it's true that I haven't talked to him yet, but - "

"Then perhaps you should do so.," Marcus interjected. "We can still cover a lot of ground today, if we set out soon. It would be best to see if Lord Hector has any information for us, and if he would wish to join us. We can continue this conversation whenever you wish after you have done that."

Eliwood knew that arguing with Marcus was pointless. "Okay, I will, but we need to talk sometime soon." With those words, Eliwood turned away and walked towards where Hector and his group was standing. With Hector was the Ostian knight Oswin, a brown-haired, middle-aged man who wore a full suit of bronze armour. His stern expression reminded Eliwood of Marcus.

Serra was also standing with Hector, along with a young man whom Eliwood hadn't met before. The man wore simple clothing, with a scarlet cloak that didn't seem to match with the rest of the outfit. His brown hair was untidy, though nowhere near to the extent that Lowen's was. He had a casual smirk upon his face.

"Hey, Eliwood," Hector said upon seeing the Pheraen noble.

"Well met, Hector," Eliwood replied, as if to remind his friend of certain formalities. Hector rolled his eyes in a joking manner. Eliwood smiled. "So, what brings you here?"

Hector stared blankly at Eliwood. "You're kidding, right? Your father's missing, and even in Ostia we heard the rumours that you were planning to go off in search of him. Do you honestly think I wouldn't come along?"

"Well, I was always sure you would want to. I just thought that you wouldn't. Hector, your brother hasn't been Marquess Ostia for very long. Don't you think he'll still need your support?"

"My brother is not that weak. He knew what I was planning, and he let me go."

Eliwood's spirits lifted at this news. "Then it would be unwise to reject his kindness! Welcome aboard, Hector."

"No worries. Say, you remember Oswin don't you?" Hector asked, pointing to the Ostian knight. Eliwood nodded. "And I suppose you'd know Serra now," Hector added, with a vague nod in Serra's direction. "Believe it or not, she's a cleric of Saint Elimine."

"I know, we've actually met before."

"Oh, you remember me!" Serra exclaimed, beaming. "Not that I'd expect you to forget such a beautiful person as me."

Hector groaned, and then said, "When did you two meet? I don't recall ever introducing you."

"It's a long story," Eliwood replied. "Remind me, and I'll tell it to you sometime." Then, with a grin, he added, "Or perhaps you'd like to hear it from Serra?"

Hector's eyes bulged. "No!" he said quickly. Then, more slowly, he added, "I mean, I'd be glad to hear it from you whenever you have the time, Eliwood. Uh, say, have you met Matthew?" Hector pointed to the other young man. "He works for Ostia, he does a lot of… sneaking around."

Eliwood raised an eyebrow. "Sneaking around?" he asked inquisitively.

"Uh yes," Matthew replied in a calm, casual voice. "I gather secrets, open doors, chests and so forth." He raised his hands slightly. "I have… nimble fingers." He wriggled his fingers round as if to prove his point.

"That sounds like a thief's work." Eliwood guessed that Matthew was really more of a spy than a thief, but he was getting some enjoyment out of this little accusation. But where had Eliwood heard the name Matthew before?

"Yeah, well, don't let that bother you," Hector said, in an attempt to draw the conversation away from that point. His face became grim. "Listen Eliwood, I have a feeling that this journey's going to be a lot more dangerous than your realise. You may have to live with some things you don't like." Clearly, Hector remembered Eliwood's dislike of spies and thieves.

"What makes you say that?" Eliwood asked. He already thought that this journey as going to be dangerous, and he certainly didn't want it getting any more so.

"Well, let's just say that there have been a lot of rumours going around recently. Our spies have reason to suspect that there's a secret organisation operating in Lycia at the moment. They may have something to do with your father's disappearance."

"Lord Hector is right, Lord Eliwood," Oswin said. "In fact, when we arrived here, we found a soldier of Santaruz watching the battle, but he did nothing. He seems to have been intent on watching you die, Lord Eliwood."

"That reminds me of something the leader of that group of brutes said," said a familiar voice from behind Eliwood. He turned around and saw Marcus standing there. If the knight was still angry, then he was very good at hiding it, for his previous look of extreme frustration had been replaced with his standard stern expression. "He said that someone wanted Lord Eliwood dead. It wouldn't surprise me if they were connected to this mysterious organisation you spoke of, Lord Hector."

Hector nodded. "You might be right there, Marcus. And if you are, then I think that both of these groups must be connected to Santaruz in some way. But why would Marquess Santaruz want you dead, Eliwood? You and your father have always been on good terms with him."

Eliwood was silent for a moment. Truthfully, he had no idea. "I don't know Hector," he finally said. "But I do know this: something is rotten in the state of Santaruz, and I intend to find out what it is."