I apologize for the late chapter! As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

Dwarven Vow 26:
Cha sgeul-rúin e 's fios aig triúir air.
It's not a secret if three know it.

4-

Despite the drizzle in Luin, there were various people out and about in the marketplace. Colette strolled through, glancing at the wares, but she had no idea what she was looking for, and decided instead to go straight for help from someone who would.

The front garden of the little red house at the corner of 4th Street and Eason Street was well-maintained, with a lovely row of bushes and flowers that added color to even the dreariest days- a total contrast from Lloyd's plain home just a few houses down. But, for all the pleasantness of the garden, this dreary morning found it anything but peaceful.

There was a swordsman and a swordswoman at odds with one another, dressed in civilian clothes but fighting with weapons that looked very real. The man, slightly younger but just as steady on his feet, was making advances while the woman blocked them. He was talented, but no matter how he tried to find an opening, she was too fast, anticipating his every attack. It was as if he were fighting a robot, her moves were so precise and rehearsed.

As Colette approached, she heard a third voice say "Stop. Good. Now defense." At the cue, it was no longer the young man pursuing the woman, but vice versa. He did well to block her attacks up until a point where she struck from above. He went for a counter-blow, but found himself slipping up, allowing his opponent the perfect angle to-

"Freeze. Right there."

Colette had shut her eyes, seeing where the movement was headed, but the two fighters were stopped before anything became serious. Kratos stepped in between them, focusing his attention on the young man as he continued his instructions.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

"Y-yes, I…" the young man began to stammer a response. "...the angle was-"

Kratos didn't let him finish. "First of all, posture. Straighten your back. Bend your elbows more. You're too stiff. Watch how Anna does it."

Anna took a step back, mimicking her opponent's movements but with a smoother style.

"R-right." The young man nodded. "I'll work on that."

"As for the angle," Kratos continued, "you're right. The way you held the sword then, you were leaving yourself open to a strike from the shoulder. You need to keep a lower angle, otherwise it's easier to get in-between. Try it again, this time with everything in mind."

"Yes, Captain!"

The match proceeded again from where it had left off, Anna attempting the same strike. However, this time her opponent was able to block it effectively, the sharp sound of the two swords meeting ringing out through the air.

Adora, who'd been peacefully sleeping in Colette's arms, was suddenly jolted awake by the noise and began to cry. The sound pulled all the attention to Colette, who no one had noticed standing on the other side of the fence until that moment.

"Oh! H-hello!" Colette waved, bouncing up and down a little in an attempt to soothe Adora's cries. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt. I just… came to see if Miss Anna was home…"

"Colette!" Anna chimed, sheathing her sword and running over to the fence with a big smile on her face. "You're always welcome! We've been at it since this morning, so it's time we finished up anyway. And who is this? What a cutie!"

"This is Adora." Colette moved so that Anna could get a better look, still rocking back and forth on her toes. "I'm, uh, babysitting her for a while, but I'm not totally sure of what I should be doing. I was hoping you could help me."

A look of giddy excitement passed over Anna's face, and she leaned over the fence as she replied. "You've come to the right person, Colette! I'll teach you everything!"

Anna reached over the fence and took the still-crying infant from Colette's arms. Within a few seconds, she had managed to both quell Adora's tears, eliciting a surprised coo instead. Colette was in awe as she watched Anna turn back toward the house.

"C'mon, Colette!"

As Colette walked around to the garden gate, Kratos began apologising to his student for the abrupt end, giving some last pieces of advice. She would've paid the conversation no mind, but the student interrupted Kratos with a plea.

"Captain, I don't understand! Anna is still so far ahead of me in every way, it's not fair for you to make her step down as platoon leader just because of a little flu-"

"The decision has already been made," Kratos interrupted. "You're a skilled soldier, limited only by your own insecurities. Anna is glad to be a part of a platoon under your leadership and she aims to serve you well. As the leader, you must do the same."

"But it's not right! Not when she's clearly superior to me in-"

"That's enough. If you're hung up on this, everyone else will continue to be unhappy as well."

"They should! This isn't-"

"I am the captain and I make the decisions. I made you the platoon leader because I know you are capable. Act like it."

Colette had been standing behind the front door, unable to leave the conversation but not wanting them to realise she was eavesdropping. Kratos replaced Miss Anna as her platoon leader? Why? She let the door close as quietly as possible and headed toward the kitchen, where the sound of Anna working with pots and pans was audible.

"Um, Miss Anna…?"

"Hey, Colette!" Anna chirped. She was doing exceptionally well for someone holding a baby in one arm and trying to juggle kitchen appliances with the other. "Did Adora's parents leave you with any specific baby formula? I don't have anything like that right now, so I'm just heating up some milk for her. I've also got the kettle on for some tea. It's ginger root- would you like some? Or how about something for lunch? I'm starving!"

Anna's enthusiasm brought a smile to Colette's face. She was so much like Lloyd, the way she tried to keep a cheerful attitude despite what was going on. Colette couldn't bring herself to ask about the earlier conversation.

"No thank you on the tea. But I'd love something to eat- I never did get breakfast this morning."

Anna chuckled. "That makes two of us. Here, I'll warm up some of the stew we ate last night. Take Adora, will you? She likes grabbing at things, so play with her some. She's learning a lot at this age."

"Of course…" Colette accepted the infant, rocking her back and forth again and placing her hand in front of her to distract her. "Why didn't you eat breakfast? You were training today, and Lloyd says it's important not to fight on an empty stomach."

"That's true, but an empty stomach was what I needed this time," Anna answered with a laugh, firing up another burner on the stove. "I didn't want to get sick all over my new platoon leader. That wouldn't be a great way to start off his new leadership, would it?"

Colette looked up in surprise. "You still have the flu? But Lloyd said you were feeling better! Genis made you some chicken soup, and I made a get-well charm, but Lloyd seemed convinced you were okay."

"Lloyd is very… excitable," was Anna's answer. "I don't need him worrying about me while he's so busy with other things. It's better just to say I'm alright and leave it at that."

"I see." Colette frowned, looking back down at Adora who was now reaching for her hair. "Is that, uh… why Kratos made you step down as platoon leader?"

Anna placed the lid on the pot and turned to pour herself a cup of tea. "Kratos didn't make me do anything, much as people might believe otherwise. It was my decision."

"But you're such a good fighter-"

"A leader isn't necessarily the best fighter in the group," Anna interrupted, cutting her off and gesturing back into the living room. "To be a leader, you need to be the one willing to work hard and stay clear-headed in the midst of difficulties. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does." Colette nodded, sitting down on the sofa. Bending over like that allowed the ends of her hair to fall into Adora's reach, and she grasped a handful of blonde locks, immediately shoving them into her mouth. Colette gasped in realization as she thought back to the milk warming on the stove. "Um, do we have a bottle or something we can use to feed her?"

"A bottle! That's right! We don't have anything like that!" Anna gasped, jumping to her feet again. "Um, um, um… oh! Mrs. Dalben across the street has a two-year-old! I'll bet she has one we can borrow!"

As she scrambled out the front door, she passed by Kratos. He didn't question her, he simply sighed and walked over to sit on the couch beside Colette. "I'm sorry about her. She's been cooped up in the house recently, so suddenly having something to do is making her go overboard. I mean, not that she doesn't go overboard on everything anyway…"

"It's okay," Colette giggled, trying to pull her hair out of Adora's grip. Every time she did so, the baby reached up and grabbed it again, so Colette finally resigned herself to using her hair as a toy, dangling a handful in front of Adora and then pulling it away as she reached for it. "She said she was still sick, but it seems like she has her energy back. I guess that's why Lloyd isn't worried."

Kratos didn't reply to that statement. Instead, he leaned over to get a better look at Adora. "I only caught a little of your conversation. You're babysitting, right? Babysitting for who?"

"U-um…" Colette struggled to think up an answer. "It's for a friend of Zelos'. In Meltokio."

"A friend of Zelos'?" Kratos replied, clearly skeptical "With a half-elf baby?"

Colette stiffened. "Um… yes?"

"I see." Kratos reached out, his expression still unconvinced. "May I?"

"Hold her? Sure!"

Honestly, Colette was surprised to see how gently Kratos handled Adora. His motions were so smooth, so much more confident in his handling than she was. He really did have parenting experience, didn't he? Perhaps it was him, rather than Anna, that she should've asked for advice first. She took a deep breath, about to explain the full situation to him, but he cut her off before she had the chance to speak.

"She has beautiful eyes."

Colette looked up in surprise. "I thought so too! There's such a rich blue color-"

"Fringed blue," Kratos interrupted.

"Huh?"

"That's the term for the coloration. It's a recessive trait specific to half-elves, where there's yellow pigment only around the edges of the iris. Rather than turning the eyes green, it just deepens the blue color. But I didn't know the trait was still around. I haven't seen it in hundreds of years except for…" He stopped, his voice trailing off. "Well, it's safe to say that I thought the trait had died out."

"Did you know someone who had it?" Colette asked.

Kratos was busy waving his fingers in front of Adora, allowing her to reach for them and clench her fists around them in amusement. He spoke, but it was almost an absentminded mumble. "Mithos. Funnily enough, that was the only complimentary thing Yuan would say to Mithos' face."

"That he had nice eyes?"

"Yes. That Mithos' fringed-blue eyes reminded Yuan of his grandmother, and he liked that." Kratos closed his eyes and chuckled. "Yuan would be glad to know that the trait is making a comeback, if I could only get the chance to talk to him."

"The chance to-?"

"Got it! I got it!" Anna burst in the front door, holding up a pair of bottles in her hands. "I got two of them! We'll see which one Adora likes best, okay? No need to get up- I'll get the milk!"

Kratos and Colette watched Anna run to the kitchen, and could hear her yelp and start shuffling with cutlery as the sound of something hissing and bubbling on the stove took over. A few more surprised squeals and a hissed "ow! hot!" from Anna elicited a groan from Kratos and he handed Adora back over to Colette so that he could get up.

"I'm coming!" he called into the kitchen, leaving the couch behind.

Colette hadn't gotten the chance to ask about Yuan, and in a way it felt like her opportunity had passed. She glanced down at Adora with a sigh.

"I guess everyone has problems going on right now, huh?"

Adora didn't answer, just watching Colette with a blank expression, but part of Colette felt like the little girl understood her. She leaned back on the couch, but perked up again as she heard Kratos raising his voice from the kitchen. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she tiptoed over to the door so that she could listen in.

"-haven't you told him that it was your initial decision to step down and not mine?"

"Yes, I have," Anna shot back. "But it doesn't make any difference. All Bryan sees is you condoning unfair treatment. We might as well tell him the truth."

Kratos' response was understanding but firm. "I'd rather not announce it to everyone until you go on full leave. It'd be a distraction, and with the contract work we have coming up in Meltokio, I can't have that."

"Sure, but Bryan should know, at least to make him understand-"

"Bryan needs to rely on his own confidence as a leader. He needs to know that this decision was made because of his abilities as a fighter, not your lack thereof-"

The sound of a glass hitting the countertop cut Kratos off. "Lack thereof?" Anna spat. "What's that supposed to mean? Remember the time I took out five Desians with nothing but a shovel when I was eight months pregnant with Lloyd? There is no lack thereof happening here."

"Th-th-that's not what I meant!" Kratos stammered. "I'm just saying that his self-esteem is already pretty rocky. Telling him that he's just a stand-in leader for a maternity leave won't exactly help that-"

Anna held up a hand to cut him off, and Colette suddenly realized why. She'd been inching closer and closer to the opened doorway, so by now she must be in plain view. Her cheeks flushed and she took a step into the kitchen to face them, her mind buzzing as she watched the realization cross their faces that she knew.

Well, no use in beating around the bush by this point.

"Miss Anna? You're pregnant?"

Kratos was the first one to answer, approaching Colette with one hand outstretched. "Not a word to Lloyd," he commanded. "Not to anyone, really, but Lloyd especially."

Colette frowned. Adora was starting to squirm in her arms, and she wasn't sure how to handle that. "What do you mean, don't tell Lloyd? This means Lloyd is going to be a big brother, right? He'll be so excited!"

"Right." Kratos answered. "He will. And much as we love him, that's exactly what we don't need in this situation."

"But-"

"Kratos wants to keep things quiet for a little while," Anna interrupted, forcing a smile. "And I don't blame him for that. The thing is, Lloyd's not very good at keeping secrets. So we know that, once we tell Lloyd, the whole world is going to know. So until we- until Kratos- is ready to announce it to the whole world, we'll just have to… keep it a surprise from Lloyd. Okay?"

"But-"

"You make it sound like I'm being unreasonable when you say it like that," Kratos broke in, addressing Anna this time.

"What? No, that's not it at all! I just meant that you're the one who-"

"If you really want to tell him, you should say something. I'd never force you into silence-"

"No! You're not at all! I totally understand your insecurities-"

"Insecurities? This is a totally rational cautiousness for someone in our position-"

Colette took a step back. This wasn't her place, her home, her argument, and yet it felt like, if she didn't do something, things were going to get out of hand. Adora could hear the arguing and was growing restless, whining and squirming in Colette's arms.

And then the doorbell rang.

The silence that followed was a welcome relief as Anna and Kratos looked at one another, realizing what they'd been doing. Anna's face flushed and she scurried toward the front door before anyone else could, handing Colette the warm bottle of milk on the way.

"I'll get it."

Colette watched Anna go until she realized that Adora had recognized the bottle and was straining to get to it. She held it up for the infant to drink, and turned back to Kratos who'd stepped closer.

"I'm really sorry, Colette. We didn't mean for you to get wrapped up in this."

"Of course not. I'm the one who was eavesdropping. It's all my fault."

"Well, it's not like we were being quiet-"

Before they could say anything more, the front door opened and they could hear a voice calling out from the porch.

"ANNA, DARLING! So good to see you- you look positively radiant today! Your skin is practically glowing. Are you using a new moisturizer? You've gotta give me a recommendation, please-"

At the sound of the voice, Kratos had groaned to himself with a mumbled "for the love of god" and stepped back out to the main room. Amidst the chaos, he had to yell to get a word in edgewise.

"Yuan's not here. Go home, Song."

Colette followed Kratos to see Anna welcoming their guest. It was a lanky half-elf man, his rough, unshaven look a contrast to the youthful glint in his eyes. He ignored Kratos' statement, choosing instead to offer a hug in greeting.

"That's my bro-cicle! Cold as ever, eh, Kratos?"

Kratos didn't return the gesture. "I told you, Yuan's not here. Please leave us alone- we have a guest."

"Oh! I'm sorry! How rude of me!" Song twirled around to face Colette, offering a hand to shake, but then retracting it as he realized that her hands were occupied. "The name's Song Lu, master ceramics artisan from Yuan and Song Ceramics, Meltokio. It's a pleasure to meet such a lovely young lady- and who's this precious sugarplum you have with you?"

"Th-this is Adora, and I-"

"Adora! What a gorgeous name! That's one of my all-time favorites, you know!"

"I see…" Colette could barely stammer a reply, unsure of how far she'd get. "Wait, did you say Yuan and Song Ceramics? You're Yuan's business partner?"

"Sure am!" Song looped an arm around Colette's shoulder and led her toward the sofa so that they could sit. "Business partner and best friend in the whole world! Er, besides Kratos here, but that's a first-come-first-served kinda deal. Still, it's an honor to be so high up on the list. He's a great guy, Yuan."

"I, uh, didn't realize Yuan was much of an artist," Colette tried to smile, still overwhelmed by all the information.

"Oh, he's not. He works all the day-to-day logistics of the shop so that I can be in the back working my magic at the wheel. He's got all the makings of a top-class businessman: clever tactician, sharp-tongued, not a bad eye for interior design-"

"Song." Kratos' voice broke through the explanation as he stepped forward. "You came to look for Yuan, right? He's not here. Please stop harassing Colette and go."

Song's eyes lit up at the sound of her name. "Colette? You're Colette?"

"Yes, I-"

"The Colette, Lloyd's best gal pal and- word on the street in Meltokio- Zelos Wilder's current plaything?"

The term 'plaything' sent Colette reeling, but she couldn't say anything about it directly. With Adora in her lap and the bottle in her right hand, she held up her left for a dismissive wave. "That's, uh, not really-"

"Yow! Look at those diamonds!" Without warning, Song grabbed her wrist. "Don't tell me… playboy Zelos Wilder actually put a ring on it? I can't believe it! I can already hear the weeping of girls all over Tethe'alla."

Colette yanked her hand back, scooting back to put some distance in between them. "D-don't say anything to anyone! We're not announcing our engagement until the picnic, and Zelos would be horrified if rumors started flying around-"

"Don't worry about a thing. I won't tell a soul." Song responded with a wink.

"No, you won't." Kratos grabbed Song by the shoulder, tugging him to his feet. "Now go look for Yuan somewhere else. You're interrupting."

Song laughed good-naturedly as Kratos led him toward the door. "Alright, alright, you don't gotta push. I was gonna go look for him anyway. Thanks for your help, though. Hey, Colette!" He stopped and waved at her. "Next time you're on Meltokio's Southwest Boulevard, come by the shop! We'll give you a friends-and-family discount!"

Colette tried to smile. Really, Song seemed like a nice guy. He was friendly and complimentary, if no doubt affected by the rumours that flew around Meltokio. Still, he was the kind of person who clearly grated on Kratos' nerves, and that alone made his presence an issue.

No wonder Kratos doesn't want to talk to Yuan anymore… I wonder how Yuan got involved with this guy to begin with?

Anna turned around once the door closed, looking back at the others. "You didn't have to yell at him."

Kratos shook his head. "I did have to yell at him. He was being rude to Colette. And why is it that, whenever he's looking for Yuan, this is the first place he comes?"

Anna shrugged. "Maybe Yuan is more complimentary of you when you're not around. Song is pretty sure you have that number-one-friend spot all wrapped up."

Kratos rolled his eyes. "You could color me surprised if Yuan does anything but trash-talk me behind my back."

"Um," Colette began, and Kratos and Anna turned immediately back to her.

"I'm sorry, Colette." Anna shook her head. "Here, let me show you the best way to hold Adora when you're feeding her. I can help you with all kinds of other things as well. It'll be a good refresher for me, since it's been so long since Lloyd was that little."

"Th-thank you." Colette nodded while Kratos walked back into the kitchen to check on the stove. Colette glanced at her ring as she sat down, taking a deep breath before speaking up again. "And, listen, if you want me to keep things quiet around Lloyd, I will. It's probably better that he hear it from you than from me anyway. But… I think you should tell him sooner rather than later."

Anna smiled.

"We'll think about it."

"Yuan! Yuan! There you are, you rascal!" Song nearly skipped down the street as he caught sight of a head of blue hair around the corner. "I thought you'd gone off to Kratos' place- I went all the way to Luin to look for you and you weren't there… though, I did get to meet Colette, and that was pretty cool in itself-"

"Song. I've been looking all over for you."

"Crazy coincidence, huh?" Song laughed. "Maybe if we'd been searching for each other in the same place, we wouldn't have had to look as hard! Right?" He reached out to slap Yuan on the shoulder, but he stopped as he noticed that Yuan was holding something large under his cloak as though trying to shield it from the rain. "What's that you got there?"

Yuan's stern expression matched his curt words. "See for yourself."

"A… box?"

Song looked down to find Yuan offering him a wooden box, left ajar so that the empty interior could be seen. Yuan closed the lid all the way to show off the carvings on the top and shoved the box into Song's arms.

"Read it. Look familiar?" Yuan hissed. Song glanced over at him and then back at the box, seeing the carvings in the top with new eyes.

"...uh oh…"

"Uh oh doesn't even begin to cover it." Yuan closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. "I've been so stupid lately… I should've known that, with the celebration coming up, there'd be an influx of visitors to the Great Tree. I have to find out exactly what's been going on under my nose all this time."

"W-wait for me!" Song chased after him, clutching the box to his chest. "Do you want my help? I can go with you to-"

"Don't bother." Yuan shrugged his shoulders. "I'd rather you take the box back to Meltokio and hide it. Besides, don't you have patients waiting for you?"

"Oh, right. Patients." Song stopped walking, glancing down at the dark wood that was pressed against his fingers. "I mean, unless they've decided to stir up trouble, nobody's in really bad shape. Couldn't I just, y'know, stick with you for a little while? Seriously, buddy, I hate for you to be on your own when you're stewing over this-"

"I am not stewing," Yuan shot back.

"But-"

"Come on. If you're going to help out, you can't be slow about it. The rain's only going to get worse, so you can borrow my cloak."

Within a few minutes, the two had taken off again down the road, Yuan's dark cloak now draped over Song's shoulders. Song still had the box, and he kept his focus on it as they walked, his eyes examining the damp wood grain. He wondered if perhaps he should say something about Colette. But, no, it had to be a coincidence. A damn strange coincidence, but it was just too far-fetched.

Better not to think too hard and just enjoy the ride.