Mark slowly put the finishing touches on a painting, seated beside his father in his studio. Saxton had called him here for an unknown reason. Mark had assumed it was for another of his daily training sessions. It had been years since Mark had seen his father pick up a paintbrush as he was now. The way he was sitting, sun streaming through his large studio window behind him, Mark was reminded of the time when his grandfather was still Mage General. His father was never so strict on him in those days, and to this day in the present, he had no idea what could have possibly changed. In silence the pair worked on their artwork until Mark put down his brush, finished. He stood up to leave quietly until his father motioned for him to sit back down, not taking his eyes off of his art. Mark obliged and sat back down. He wished that he could see the artwork that his father was creating, but they were facing opposite directions. After about an hour's worth of time, Saxton finally finished, placing down his brush. After admiring his work for a little bit, he put his glasses back on and looked at Mark.

"Why did I call you here, Mark?" He asked.
"...To paint?"

"Hmmph. Well, you're correct, but why did I do that?"

"I don't know, father."

"...I would like to see what you created. We'll turn our art towards each other at the same time. Ready?" Saxton gripped the top border of his artwork and looked at Mark expectantly. Mark sighed and grabbed his as well.
"Sure." He said, unenthused. At least this was better than the training regiments. Together the pair turned their art around and examined the other's pieces. Saxton had drawn flames, pure and simple, on a royal purple background. While perhaps minimalistic, as it covered the entire bottom half of the frame and then some, Mark couldn't help but marvel at the astounding detail captured in it. Cinders flew off the top of the flames, which came from no source. Despite the heavy sunlight, the fire seemed to nearly glow off the canvas. Mark had never seen a more detailed painting in his life. It made him angry. He turned his face back to his father, smugly.

"Why father, are you angry about something?" He said sarcastically. After all, the flames had to mean something to his father, otherwise it wasn't even art. Mark had said this as a snide joke, but his father merely looked at him, expression unchanged.

"Furious." He said calmly. Mark gulped. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

"Is that why you called me here?" He asked. Saxton shook his head.

"No, I called you here to paint. You had it right before."
"But, why? I thought I was still due for heavy training?"

"You can't train every day."

"You could certainly have fooled me."

Saxton sighed and rubbed his eyes lightly with his thumb and forefinger. "Enough about that. I wanted to paint with you. How long has it been since we painted together? Too long, I find. Besides, I'm told you kept up the habit while you were in Lycia and I wanted to see how you improved."

Mark sighed as he was once again reminded of how his entire time in Lycia was monitored and influenced by Saxton. "Well, here we are then. May I leave?"
Saxton held up a hand. "Wait. There's plenty more to discuss. For instance, this painting. You're not over the young pegasus knight, hmm?"

Mark could feel his blood beginning to boil, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. His painting was a resting Florina in a light blue dress, smiling in a field of sunflowers. He hair was lovingly splayed about the flowers and grass, caught in various places but she didn't mind at all. In comparison to Saxton's details however, it simply looked blotchy. "Believe it or not, yes," Mark said, "I'm still mad you had the first love of my life assassinated." He said sadly.

"First, is a very important word, Mark. One I hope you one day find the true power of. Those that are first are in many ways the victor. You can look at this concept in many ways. The one who strikes another first gains an advantage, the one who you fall in love with first will always have a special place within you. Yet, you can still lose any fight you strike first, and your first love can die. That's the way of things, but the power of being the first one in any category is undeniable."

"Right." Mark said bitterly. Saxton observed him before sighing.
"You know Mark, I had several suitors before your mother. Being son of the Mage General, I was always being set up with someone. There were even a few I dare say I loved, even more than your mother at the time."

"What happened, did you have them killed too?" Mark said angrily. He was ready for impact, but Saxton simply shook his head. Mark couldn't help but be relieved that his outburst didn't result in another broken wrist.

"No, no. They were denied, either by my family or theirs, for some political reasoning or another. That's simply life as the heir to the Mage General. Something to consider, I suppose, as you're next in line." Saxton scratched his beard as he continued to observe Mark's painting. "The light blue compliments her hair color quite well you know. An excellent choice." Mark wanted to vomit.

"Well, if that will be all-" Mark said.

"No, no, I'm not finished. As I said, there's much to discuss." Saxton stood and moved to his desk, grabbing his journal and opening it. "You've no doubt been wondering where your mother has been, correct?" Mark sat up. She had apparently been missing since Mark had left, which is why Cecilia was staying in the manor.

"Yes, why?"

"She was on a mission for me, one I personally trusted her with. You're no doubt aware she is almost as powerful as I am." Saxton flipped through his book casually. "And yet, she was supposed to arrive back a month ago. I have received no correspondence."

"I-I see…" Mark said uneasily. At least father hadn't had her killed. Mark's mother had always shown him kindness, and it often resulted in arguments between the two.

"Yes, I'm sure you do." Saxton closed his book, apparently done with the subject matter. "And thus, I will be leaving for a few weeks in search. You are to remain here. I have left you a training regiment in my absence. I've assigned a few servants to observe whether or not you actually do them, so please, try to abide by them." With that, Saxton grabbed his overcoat and began to walk out of the room. Mark stood up quickly.

"W-Wait, you're leaving now? Then what was this all about? Just to let me know? Why painting?!" Mark was angry that his father wasn't acting how he would expect. Saxton stopped and looked back at him. His expression was blank, but the two stared at each other in silence for more than a few moments. Saxton sighed and began to continue walking. "I wished to paint with my son. I will see you when I return. Do not disappoint me."


Eliwood dutifully paced around, checking every nook and cranny of his father's study that he could to find some kind of clue as to where his father had gone. A grim furrow of his brow made it obvious that he wasn't finding anything of worth. Marcus stood by the doorway, arms folded behind his back, observing his lord.

"Sir Eliwood, perhaps it is time to give up the fight. You have been here for more than a few days." He said with concern. Eliwood quietly shook his head.
"No, Marcus, there must be something here that we can use to help us find him. He would never disappear like this in ordinary circumstances." He said calmly, picking up a new book.

"Sir, I-"

"I said no, Marcus." Eliwood stated with more authority. Silence took the room over once again, as Marcus sighed and helped continue the search. After many hours of quiet focus, long after the night had come upon them, Eliwood finally made his discovery.
"Marcus, look how father talks about Marquess Lauz in this passage!" He said excitedly, moving towards his loyal knight. Marcus, not expecting too much, gave his lord humble attention. "Two weeks ago, he writes: 'I go now to Marquess Lauz's manor, I leave tomorrow at dawn. My wife and son must not learn the true nature of this trip, as I am certain they will be cross with me, but having heavily considered my options I must do what I know is right. I'm not sure exactly what Marquess Lauz specifically hopes to accomplish, however. I must speak with him and the other attending lords upon arrival, and I will not leave until I have my answers. Despite steeling myself, I simply must know everything. Everything."

"He told me nothing of such an important meeting." Marcus marveled at this discovery. Eliwood nodded grimly.

"Based on the passage about not telling mother or myself, I imagine he only told his personal guard. But what could possibly be so secretive? So important he couldn't tell his family?"

"I… Sadly I know not, milord." Marcus said.

Eliwood sighed and closed the book. "We won't tell mother for now. Father must not have wanted her to know for a reason. At the very least, however, we have a destination. How soon can we set out?"

"Perhaps we should wait a little while longer, milord? Lord Elbert may simply be taking more time for any number of reasons. I worry for his health as well, but we must not rush."

Eliwood quietly considered his vassel's proposal. "Very well. We shall leave in two weeks time, provided he has not returned. During that time however, I expect you to begin gathering provisions for our journey."

Marcus bowed politely. "Of course milord. How many men should I procure?"

"Not many." Eliwood said thoughtfully. "Too many and we leave mother undefended. Too few and we won't stand a chance against possible dangers. Send a letter to Hector, see if he could possibly spare me some men. Don't mention this information my father left, just in case."

"Understood. I shall pen the letter immediately."

"Be safe father…" Eliwood said to himself.


Hector held the letter from Eliwood in his hand, spinning a pen in the other and wondering how he should respond. Certainly, he could offer some soldiers, but the response felt far to passive to Hector. He was feeling cooped up in the castle anyway. He slammed the pen and letter down on his desk and stood up.

"Matthew! Oswin!" He bellowed. He heard it echo through the hallways. He waited, to no response. "Hey, Matthew, get in here! You can hear me, right? Oswin!" Hector shouted louder. Still no response. "...Huh…" he muttered. He walked out the door in search of the spy. Hector searched the halls for the better part of an hour, before accidentally running into his brother.

"Hector!" Uther said happily, grabbing Hector by the arm and pulling him in to ruffle his hair before he could escape. "How's my favorite brother doing, huh?!"
"I'm your only brother-!" Hector strained against his older brother's superior strength.

"Ahahaha! I suppose you're right! Where are you off to?" Uther bellowed, finally letting him go. Hector took a breath and chuckled.

"I'm trying to find Oswin, have you seen him anywhere?" Hector said, intentionally leaving out he was looking for Matthew as well.

"Ah, yes, your loyal knight. I haven't seen him, no."

"Well, then, I'll be going this way." Hector said, brushing past his brother, only to be stopped by an outstretched arm.

"And why are you looking for my spy, as well?"

Hector laughed nervously. "I'm not! I have no need for your spies, I have my own! What would make you think that?"

"Oh, uh, I told him." Matthew said, leaning against the wall behind Uther and eating an apple. "Hi, by the way."

"When did you even get there?!" Hector said in disbelief.

Matthew smiled playfully and shrugged. "I dunno, just kinda walked in."

"Why do you need my spy, Hector?" Uther asked seriously.

"He's the best spy in Ostia! I wanted him for uh… a project." Hector said, in a vain attempt to not bring Eliwood into the conversation. Matthew continued to casually munch on his apple as Uther sighed.

"A project, eh? And I assume you won't tell me what that project is?"

"Well, you know… not really." Hector said plainly. He knew his brother was good natured about these things. He had always let Hector had his freedom, within reason.

"Well." Uther said, clear annoyance on his face. "Then, you do not get my spy. I'm sure Oswin will be plenty for whatever scheme you're concocting anyway."

"He'sh in the training grounsh." Matthew said, mouth full of apple.

"Great. Thank you Matthew. Brother, I'm sure I'll see you later. Excuse me." Hector hurriedly walked toward the training grounds as Uther watched and sighed.

"He never tells me anything anymore, huh?" He said with only a hint of sadness.

"Eh, you're the ruler. It's hard." Matthew shrugged.

"Oh? It is?" Uther said. "Have you refrained from telling me things too, then?"

"Uh, no, not that I'm aware." Matthew said. "Oh, except for that one thing. And the other thing. But other than that, no." He said jokingly.

Uther bellowed a laugh. "Well, keep an eye on Hector for me. Make your own best judgement on whether or not you're needed for this… project, of his."

Matthew bowed happily. "Of course, milord. I've been bored since Leila left anyway."


Pent casually sipped fresh tea as his wife hummed to herself, tidying up the chamber in the archsage's halls which they occupied. Pent was feeling rather good about himself. His home was lovely, his wife was his greatest joy, and his personal student, Erk, was making excellent progress as of late. In addition, he was making a breakthrough in thunder magic, one that could revolutionize his fighting style. Yes, everything was going well, and Pent was contented.

"Dear, have you seen Erk today?" Louise suddenly asked. "I went by his room and he wasn't in there this morning."

Pent furrowed his brow. "Why, no, I don't believe I have. Was he going out for anything today?"

Louise held her head in her hand in thought. "That's what I was going to ask you. I simply thought perhaps you assigned him a training assignment in the desert."

Pent placed his cup down and stood, taking his cape from a hook and heading towards the door. "Not today, no. I'll look for him."

Pent ran up the stairs, confused at Erk's disappearance. Just yesterday Erk had asked questions about his training for the coming week. From Pent's perspective, it seemed he had every intention to stay. As Pent rose up the steps towards the desert sands, a thought suddenly took hold, his pace slowing. Standing on one of the top steps, Pent slowly turned around and began to descend the steps. Erk was not supposed to know of the archsage, it was part of the agreement that Pent made with the old hero in order to let Erk remain there. Yet, Pent couldn't shake his uneasy feeling. Erk's hunger for knowledge had only grown since his journey with Mark in Lycia, and that hunger couldn't help but make Pent uneasy at times. It was one thing to try and grow for the sake of your friends, it was another to be too intense about it.

Of course, Pent was hardly one to talk. He hadn't talked to his brother Saxton in months, and had no intention of doing so soon as he was too busy pursuing magical mastery. Pent shook his head as he skipped down the steps three at a time, shaking Saxton out of his mind. He left for a reason, no point dwelling on it. Besides, he had a family of his own now. Sure, it was just him and Louise, but Erk was practically like his son too, and both depended on him. He couldn't lose his good will with Athos. Pent reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the vast throne room. Running water calmly ran on either side of him, as he solemnly walked towards the throne. The archsage was sitting, reading a scroll. His entire being radiated power, which always made Pent uneasy, but he ignored it and continued to approach. To the right of the Archsage's throne was Hawkeye, the guardian of the desert. He stood monstrously tall, holding his axe at rest in front of him, watching silently as Pent approached. Pent hadn't talked to the man very often, but he couldn't help but admire his physical presence. He was certainly intimidating.

"Pent Reglay." Athos's wise and deep voice echoed over the sapphire walls. He didn't look up. "You come wondering about your student, do you not?"

"That is correct, Archsage." Pent confirmed, kneeling at the throne. "I thought perhaps the young man was giving you troubles."

Athos chuckled. "Oh you and your wife, you always say such humorous things! I do enjoy having you around, hohoho!"

Pent laughed nervously, slightly perturbed that his serious concern was dismissed so easily. "That's most kind, Lord Athos."

Athos nodded, stroking his beard. "Yes, young Erk would never be any sort of trouble for me, hoho. I simply have too many years on the lad."

Pent only became more confused. "So… he isn't here?"

Athos shook his head. "Oh no, no, not at all. He left early this morning. He had a pack as he trekked through the desert. Hawkeye saw him. I imagine he isn't planning to come back for some time."

Pent was shocked. "T-Truly? He was so adamant about his training, though, why would he- ...Lord Athos, I have bothered you enough for one day. I'm sorry to burst in here so suddenly. Please, excuse me."

Pent turned around, but Athos called after him. "Pent!" Pent stopped. "Do not pursue your student. He has learned much, in these last few months. Place your faith in his knowledge. It would be better for all involved should he be left to his devices in this manner."

Pent turned around. "...Is that so, Lord Athos? A vision of yours, perhaps?"

Athos slowly nodded. "Yes. I cannot make out much, but this I know. Leave the young Erk on his own for now. He will find what he needs on his own."

Pent couldn't help but laugh. "Lord Athos, what is it that he needs? He was doing quite well!"

Athos returned Pent's laughter. "Why my dear Pent." Athos paused and smiled. "I have no idea. Doesn't that make it all the more interesting?"

"...I suppose so, Archsage. Please, excuse me."

"Farewell, Pent Reglay. And, do not be concerned with coming down here. In fact, you and Louise should come more often! You two make me feel young again, hoho!"

A/N: I'm not dead I swear, and I'm feeling good about this story still. It's just hard to find the time hahaha. On the bright side, I might be getting sick, so I'll have the better part of a weekend to possibly crank out another chapter. In addition, there will only be one more chapter before we officially enter Eliwood/Hector portion of the story! I wish this huge gap in chapters wasn't happening in the most mundane part but I promise everything that's been happening in the last few chapters will be important down the line. Thank you so much for your patience guys. I hope you continue to enjoy Wanderer of Elibe :D -Matt