As I prepared to do a final edit of this today, I came to the realization- "is this the chapter?" Yes. This is the chapter. As usual, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy.

Dwarven Vow 53
Chan eil saoi air nach laigh leòn.
No hero is proof against injury.

26-

"There you two are! What were you talking about all this time? Some juicy gossip?"

As soon as Genis and Raine arrived in the dining room, Zelos hovered around them asking questions about their absence. Genis kept his mouth shut, not sure how much Raine would want him to say, but she seemed to have no qualms about defending their little chat.

"Oh, yes, the juiciest of gossip." Raine shot back with a roll of her eyes. "All about my exciting evening with Professor Low."

Zelos' eyes lit up. "Ooooh! Do tell!"

Raine shook her head. "Hmph. As if I'd tell you about all the fun we had babysitting Bianca."

"Aw, you tease!" Zelos elbowed her and sat back down. "But you're surely not here to dangle stories of preteen playtime over our heads. We're writing a speech here, and I think that maybe- possibly- you can help us out."

Lloyd sat up on his knees and leaned over the table. "C'mon, c'mon, read her what you have so far!"

Seles shook her head. "It's derivative, Lloyd. We were just playing around."

"But it's good!"

Zelos sighed and cleared his throat. "Friends, Tethe'allans, Sylvarantis, lend me your ears. I come to bury the Chosen, not to praise him. The evil men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones-"

Genis broke in before he could get too far. "Okay, but seriously. What have you got?"

"What, you don't like my tasteful parody? Or would you prefer a Homeric reference instead?"

"I think," Sheena responded, "he would prefer you take this seriously. We don't have a lot of time, you know."

Zelos waved a hand dismissively. "Okay, okay, I was just having a little fun. I'm taking this seriously now, I promise."

"Then perhaps we should start with the body of the speech," Raine leaned forward in her chair, taking a piece of paper from the stack in the middle of the table. "I find that the best way to compose any piece of work is by beginning in the middle. You should figure out the main points you want to make with your speech, structure the body, and then worry about introductions and conclusions."

"She's right," Colette nodded. "That's how I teach my kids to plan their book reports. Three body paragraphs, an introduction, and a conclusion."

"Good," Seles murmured, "however, I think it might be better if a public speech is on a higher level than a fourth-grade book report."

"Actually, Colette's right. The techniques they teach you in fourth-grade composition do apply on a much larger scale," Zelos offered. "I've already thought up my three main points as well. One, I want to say that the reunion of the worlds isn't some event that happened five years ago, it's a process that's still going on today… inside our hearts, if you will."

"A horribly corny way to put it," Genis muttered, "but a good point nonetheless. The cultural and ideological rifts between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla will never be reconciled if we never acknowledge them."

"Two," Zelos continued, "when it comes to matters of science and mana, the most important thing is getting the information yourself and making your own decisions. People shouldn't let others make decisions for them. Does that sound fair?"

"I think so," Lloyd nodded.

"That's what we want," Raine agreed. "Rational thought and critical analysis is all any scientist can ask for in the public. It's how science advances."

Colette leaned over the table, nudging Zelos' shoulder. "And the third one is about being the Chosen, right? Your real thoughts on it, I mean."

"That's my hunny! Right as always." Zelos sent an affectionate nudge back in Colette's direction, trying to ignore the fact that Genis was rolling his eyes at them. "Point number three will be, the Chosen is dead."

Seles coughed, Colette made a high-pitched noise and flinched, and the rest of the group stared wide-eyed. Lloyd reached out tentatively. "Wh-what?"

"Guys, don't look so morbid! It's a figure of speech. I'm just saying that the concept of the Chosen is dead now that the worlds are united and there's no need for the journey of regeneration." Zelos laughed and leaned back in his chair, picking up the front legs of his chair so that he could rock it back and forth. "Being a little overdramatic is what the people want. What's wrong with a few hyperboles? All great public figures do it."

Colette fidgeted with her hands. "I can't speak for everyone else, but it makes me uncomfortable when you say such… foreboding things."

"Foreboding? What's so foreboding about-" Zelos began, but he cut himself off. "Ah, right. Death. Yeah, I guess the concept is a little off-putting."

"Honestly, brother," Seles scoffed, "there isn't one person here who wants to imagine your death."

"It's not like I'm gonna die, sis-"

"Perhaps not," Raine broke in, "but the situation isn't one in which we can speak so casually. You're going to be addressing a group of people who are in conflict not only between each other, but likely within themselves. There are people like the Church of Mana and Dr. Watson who are determined to use violence to get what they want. I recently heard that there are two political criminals on the run somewhere in Meltokio, and that alone is cause for concern."

"Huh? How do you know about Dr. Watson?" Lloyd asked, shifting in his seat so that he was leaning closer to Raine. "That's the guy who burned the docks and bridges at Lake Sinoa, isn't it?"

"Did he really?" Genis gasped. "He planted a dry ice bomb on the marina in Palmacosta too! Apparently he'd been sending threatening letters to the marina owner."

"Yeah, the dock manager in Luin said that he'd been getting similar letters," Sheena nodded her head. "Kratos took one of the letters to the authorities here in Meltokio for analysis. It must be the same person. J.H. Watson, right?"

Zelos's expression turned serious again. "J.H. Watson? That name sounds familiar. I heard it from some of the Lezareno shareholders who tried to back out when Regal said he'd fund the Alpha-Beta project should government funding be revoked. They all received threatening letters telling them to comply with Lezareno's decision, or else. I think Regal convinced them, so there was no violent retaliation, but…" He let his voice trail off.

Raine, meanwhile, buried her face in her hand. "No, no, no. Don't tell me this maniac's influence runs all over. He's sullying the name of scientific progress. The conclusions of peer-reviewed publications should speak for themselves. If someone's coercing the general public into believing it, it's just as bad as the superstitious drivel that this Church of Mana group is spreading."

Colette leaned closer to Zelos, grabbing onto his arm. "I didn't know about any of this. Do you think the celebration will be safe? I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Don't worry so much, Colette." Zelos tapped her on the shoulder. "This is why I'm trying to stay neutral in my speech. I can't tell other people what to think. And maybe, if this Watson guy or these Church of Mana crazies hear me say it, they'll take it to heart."

Sheena crossed her arms. "I don't think these people are the kind to be influenced by whatever the Chosen says."

"Ah-ah-ah. Point three. I'm not the Chosen anymore, remember?"

Colette clapped her hands. "Right! I just had an idea- something you can say instead of the whole the chosen is dead sort of thing."

"Oh? What's that?" Lloyd asked.

"Well… if you think about it this way, when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, it isn't a caterpillar anymore. But that doesn't mean it's dead, it just means that it's left its old identity behind and turned into something else. Something better, in my opinion. So maybe you're not the Chosen anymore, but that doesn't mean you're not someone special. That's what I think."

There was a brief moment of silence as the group stared at her. Zelos' cheeks turned slightly redder, and he started to say something along the lines of "that's beautiful, but-" before being cut off by Raine.

"Colette, that's genius! I'll write that down!"

"Oh yes." A smirk appeared on Seles' face. "I can't wait to hear my brother tell everyone in Meltokio what a beautiful butterfly he is."

Zelos elbowed her. "Oh yeah? Well, I'll have you know that I'm not just a beautiful butterfly, I'm the most beautiful butterfly!"

"Most… beautiful… butterfly…" Raine spoke as she wrote the words. "Alright, sounds good. What else?"

That question seemed to be just what the group needed to kickstart their creativity. Within the next few minutes, everyone was putting forth ideas. It was a barrage of ideas, statements, and metaphors. Zelos struggled to gain control of the whole thing, but he gave up after a short amount of time, seeing his friends having so much fun. He had the final say in, well, what he was going to say. It wouldn't hurt to make use of their enthusiasm.

Within a few hours they had strung together the ideas to make a speech that everyone was at least mostly satisfied with. Lloyd fell asleep several times at the table, but Colette had diligently woken him each time, and he was the most excited about the final product in the end. Even Zelos admitted that it was better than what he might've come up with on his own.

Seles, who had struggled to stay awake some at the end, was the first to excuse herself to get some sleep. Colette and Zelos offered to walk her back to her room, and Genis and Raine went back to their room as well. Sheena and Lloyd stayed a few minutes more only because Lloyd was in the middle of drawing a picture and refused to go to sleep until he finished. Sheena stayed to keep him company, and stood beside his chair as he finished up.

"So what exactly is it supposed to be?" she finally asked.

"What does it look like?"

"To be completely honest? Abstract art."

Lloyd groaned and set his pencil down. "It's my idea for the stage decorations tomorrow. I thought these kinds of flowers and streamers would look best."

"You know they've already set up the decorations in advance, right Lloyd?"

"...yeah. Genis told me after I'd already started." Lloyd stood up and pushed his chair back into the table. "I just can't stop drawing in the middle of an idea, though, you know? Maybe I'll use it to decorate for Dad's birthday next month. Can you believe he won't tell me how old he's turning? I know Dwarves can live to be, like, a thousand, so there's no way he's that old! I wonder if he's just trying to be difficult…"

Lloyd continued to talk as the two of them walked up the stairs to the hallway where the guest rooms were. They stopped outside of Lloyd's room to finish their conversation, and once they had, Lloyd offered Sheena a good-night hug that was so tight, she was surprised she didn't break a rib. She started back down the hallway toward her own room, but stopped before she got too far.

"Hey, Lloyd?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I just wanted to ask- tomorrow, after the ceremony and speeches and stuff… can we talk? Y'know, just you and me. I had some things I wanted to ask you."

Lloyd frowned, but nodded his head. "I'd love to talk with you. But what's this about? Is it something bad?"

"N-no, no! Not at all! I just wanted to discuss some things. Like, about Sylvarant culture and how it differs from Mizuho culture. I just think it's really interesting, and I'd like to talk about things… one on one with you."

Lloyd's expression lit up. "That sounds really cool, actually! Do you want to talk some now? We'd probably have more privacy here than we'd have tomorrow-"

A voice down the hall interrupted them, and the two turned around to see Zelos peeking his head around the corner. "Hey," he called, "if you need a little extra privacy, just put a sock on the doorknob. All the servants know what it means."

He disappeared around the corner again as soon as he'd appeared, but Sheena wasn't going to let him get away. "ZELOS, YOU EAVESDROPPING PERVERT! GET BACK HERE!" She started down the hallway and paused only once to look back at Lloyd. "We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" she offered with a wave. "Good night."

"Good night!" Lloyd waved with a laugh. Part of him was curious to see what Sheena was going to do to Zelos, but he figured he could always ask her tomorrow. They had all the time in the world, after all.

Yuan had never seen crowds that size on Southwest Boulevard. It was a shame that businesses were to be closed for the holiday- he was sure that their little ceramics business would make a nice profit if they were to advertise their wares to all these newcomers. Song would be happy that people liked his work, and it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra money now that the household had another mouth to feed.

The fight with Zelos was still fresh in his mind from the night before, and he was still trying to get over it. He would never admit that something Zelos said had gotten to him, but… well, he was trying to take extra care not to let Adora out of his sight today. Song had offered to watch her while Yuan went out to buy a newspaper, but Yuan had insisted on taking her along. He was glad he'd done so, partially because the usual stand where he bought them was sold out and he had to walk all the way down to 10th Street to find one, but also because she helped him move more easily through the crowd. People generally made way for a man with a baby in tow.

Yuan made it back to the apartment with the news, expecting to find Song and his female friend- what was her name? Margie, or something?- cooking breakfast. But when he made it up the stairs, the kitchen was empty. Puzzled, Yuan set the newspaper down on the table and peeked into the next room.

"Hey Song? What's going o-" He stopped as he made eye contact with a visitor he hadn't expected to see. "...Anna? What are you doing here?"

Song's male patient was still occupying the couch, and his sister was sitting on the arm beside him. Anna, meanwhile, was in the chair across from them with Song standing over her and watching her as she drank tea.

"Oh, hi, Yuan! Hi, Adora!" Anna waved, a pleasant smile on her face. "How are you? It's pretty crazy out there, right? And we're not even in the middle of the action here- I'd like to see how many people are already gathering in the main square!"

Yuan stared, not even fully processing what she said. "...I thought you and Kratos were working today. What are you doing here?"

"Hey, now!" The man on the couch propped himself up on his elbows. "That's not a very nice way to speak to your guest."

"Didn't she break your nose and knock you out the other day?"

The man turned his head away. "I just startled her, is all. I admire a girl who can defend herself."

Anna giggled. "It's okay, Felix. He's right to be confused. I am on duty. Kratos gave me the special assignment of keeping an eye on the political fugitives to make sure they don't get involved in anything suspicious."

"Excuse me? After I just said I admired you-?"

"She got sick while on patrol this morning," Song interrupted, stepping in front of her chair to make sure Felix couldn't get to her. "Kratos ordered her to take the day off and asked me to look after her."

Anna pouted. "I'm not sick, I swear! Kratos is just overreacting, like usual."

"You threw up all over his uniform, Anna."

"That was an accident! And he has plenty of backup uniforms-" She cut off her defense as she caught sight of Yuan covering his mouth with his free hand. He was trying to make it look like he was sickened by the thought, but he couldn't quite manage to hide his laughter.

"Oh gods, the high-and-mighty Captain Kratos… by one of his own soldiers… if only I could've been there." He managed to control his laughter and steady his words. "I have a weak stomach, but I'd risk it just to have seen the look on his face."

"Mister Yuan!" Margie stood up from her spot on the arm of the couch. "She's not feeling well! Show some respect, will you?"

At that statement, Yuan allowed himself to laugh openly. "Her? Oh yeah, she looks so sick. So long as you keep her out of the kitchen and away from any of Adora's things, I really couldn't care less. It's probably her own fault for scarfing raw cookie dough or something." He started to walk back down the hallway so that he could put Adora down for a nap, but Anna called after him.

"I appreciate the concern for my well-being, but I'm not contagious. You don't have to worry about Adora."

Yuan stopped halfway to his room and took a few steps back. "What are you talking about? It sounds like a typical foodborne illness to me. How are you not contagious if you're-"

Wait a minute.

Yuan stepped completely back into the room, narrowing his eyes. "You're not even a real human. You were created by an exsphere. You can't be-"

He didn't get to finish. Adora began to whine and squirm, and he had to pay attention to her instead. As he did so, Anna took the opportunity to reply.

"I won't be told what I can and can't do by somebody who doesn't even understand how exspheres work. They're made of humans, you moron. Of course I'm a real human."

"I know how exspheres work! I just-" With a sigh of resignation, Yuan shook his head and started back down the hallway. "You know what? Fine. You and Kratos can singlehandedly populate the newly-united world if you want to. I don't care. I have hit my limit on caring about things by this point."

The sound of Yuan's door slamming caused Song to jump. He glanced down the hallway, and then back at the rest of the group. "So, uh…" he began with a nervous laugh, "...who wants breakfast?"

Most of the group was happy to accompany Zelos on stage- as "bodyguards," he told questioning authorities- but Raine had promised to watch the speech with Professor Low in the audience. This was partially so that the two of them could discreetly slip away once the ceremony was over, but Genis was the only one Raine had told of that plan. She hoped, however, that she'd have the nerve to speak her feelings. Postpone. That was the word she was going to use. She would ask Professor Low to postpone the wedding. Surely there'd be no hard feelings if she put it that way, right?

"Raine, my love! You look positively splendid!" Professor Low located Raine and ran to her side, grabbing her right hand and pulling it to her lips with a kiss.

"T-Todd, people are staring." Raine blushed, glancing around. "What if someone recognizes us?"

"You're too used to small towns, Raine. Here in Meltokio, no one cares what anyone else is doing. If we can't be happy together on our wedding day, when can we?"

"...I-I suppose…" Raine found herself stammering, and shook her head. "Actually, um, I wanted to talk to you about that-"

The screech of a microphone system being hooked up and tested cut her off, and Professor Low pointed up at the stage.

"Oh, the opening remarks are starting. Can we discuss it afterward?"

"Yes, of course."

"Wonderful!" She smiled and squeezed Raine's hand. "I'll look forward to hearing what you have to say."

Meanwhile, Lloyd was getting chills, being up on stage. Much as he liked being praised, he wasn't the kind of person who liked being in the spotlight. Even dressed as elegantly as Zelos could outfit him, with his beautiful new sword on his back, he felt self-conscious. He tossed a glance across to where Sheena and Colette were standing, and the two gave him smiles that helped calm him down. This was Zelos and Colette's big day, after all. Lloyd couldn't let himself be nervous when it was his job to make sure it was as special as they deserved!

Once the opening remarks were finished, another official-looking person that Lloyd didn't recognize stepped up to introduce Zelos. Zelos stepped out onto the stage and walked up the the podium with Seles in tow. He tapped the microphone a couple of times to make sure that it was working, and then picked it up out of the stand and waved at the crowd with his free hand. It was an incredible response, the entire crowd cheering with thunderous enthusiasm. Zelos laughed and offered a "thank you, thank you!" before waiting for the commotion to die down. He briefly considered offering a wink in the general direction of the crowd, but he figured he should save it for afterward. For now, he had a speech to make.

"Alright, alright," Zelos finally began, "I think it's about time we get this party started, what do you think? Let me tell you, I've been working on this routine for months. And then yesterday... I decided to scrap it and start over. But isn't that a great realization- that you can always start over? There's always time to change. And change can be a really good thing. Like two worlds being united, for instance. Or two people. Tell me, how many of you lucky people in the crowd are married or planning to be? Raise your hands!"

There was a thunderous cheer from the crowd, and hands flew up wildly. Lloyd could swear he saw someone toward the back that looked like Professor Low waving her hand around, but he wasn't sure, and figured he shouldn't think too much about it. He turned his attention back to Zelos, who had continued speaking by this point.

"It's so great to see all those wonderful partnerships out there. There's nothing quite like true love. Don't you think it's amazing when two individuals can put aside their differences and form a family together? That's why, here on the anniversary of the worlds' union, I want to start by publicly announcing my own upcoming union by introducing you all to my fiancee."

Zelos set the microphone back on the stand and ran over to Colette, grabbing her by the hand and stepping forward so that the two of them were at the edge of the stage.

"Some of you might know Colette Brunel as the Chosen of Sylvarant who helped reunite the worlds. But now-" He paused and winked at the crowd. "-I also want you to think of her as the beautiful, brilliant woman who made Zelos Wilder her trophy husband!"

There was a raucous applause in response to the statement, and Colette covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. "Zelos!" she whispered, her smile audible in her words. "That wasn't in the script!"

"Chill out, hunny," he whispered back as his lips brushed against her cheek. "Sometimes you gotta ad-lib. It keeps things natural."

Lloyd could see Sheena rolling her eyes and hear Genis groaning beside him, but he found the whole exchange charming. It seemed the crowd did too, because it took a great effort on Zelos' part to get them calmed down enough to begin his actual speech. But once he did, the silence was astounding for a crowd that size. Zelos' words seemed to have captivated them, and Lloyd couldn't focus on anything but listening to the speech as well.

"-the path to world reunion isn't fast, it isn't easy, and it isn't always linear. There will always be some form of conflict. But that's normal in any relationship. Last night, Colette and I had an argument about something we didn't see eye-to-eye about. But we didn't give up on everything we've worked for just because of some petty disagreement. We worked through it, just like we've done with conflicts in the past, and just like we'll do with conflicts in the future. And that's just what we as citizens of the united world need to do too."

He paused to allow the crowd to react, and began again once the cheers died down.

"Some differences have become very volatile as of late. Both religion and science have been called into question over these last few years, and people are looking for somewhere to turn. Large, influential groups are taking sides. The Lezareno Company has promised its commitment to scientific advancement. The village of Mizuho has placed priority on the safety and welfare of the people. It's hard to know where to turn. Like most people, I've been pressured to take a side. And, yes, I'm here to tell you all to do the same. But what I'm not here to do is tell you which side to take."

There were some gasps and murmurs of dissent and confusion amongst the crowd. It caught Lloyd's attention, and he turned from looking at Zelos, Colette, and Seles at the podium to scanning the crowd.

Something wasn't right.

"People of the united world, I'm here today to encourage you to seek your own truth. Get all the facts, listen to all sides of the story, and make the decision that you believe in. No one should allow a public figure to decide for them what's right and wrong." Zelos looked out on the crowd with a smile. "Your greatest gift as people- as humans, half-elves, elves, dwarves- is the ability to choose your own path. And you can't let anyone take that away from you."

There was another pause, just as Zelos had planned before the segue into the third point of his speech. However, amidst the crowd there was something else. A chorus of angry boos fought against the cheering mass, and all of a sudden a flash of light from somewhere toward the back elicited yelps of shock and fright. Lloyd tried to cover his eyes, but the world still seemed to flash around him as a voice rang out through the crowd.

"THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS NOT A CHOICE, IT IS A FACT. FOOLS WHO DENY IT WILL ONLY FALL VICTIM TO NATURAL SELECTION. ACCEPT YOUR PLACE IN THE NATURAL ORDER OR DIE!"

If Lloyd was going to do something, he had to do it now.

An explosion of light and mana sent the crowd screaming. The commotion made it hard for anyone to see what was happening on the stage, and it was almost impossible to tell where the yelps of pain were coming from, there were so many. People began to trample one another as they blindly tried to disperse, only adding to the chaos. Raine and Professor Low barely made it out of the horde as they clung to each other in shock.

"What just… who…" Professor Low stammered, her fingernails digging into Raine's skin as she held on tightly. It was a protective hold, but also a fearful one. "...did they just say what I think they did? Who the hell do they think they are?!"

"I don't know! I don't know what just happened… what's happening on the stage?" Raine snapped out of her panic to turn back. "Genis?! Everyone?"

"Raine, I can't let someone get away with this! I'm going to go after the assassin- you take care of your brother. Consider the wedding postponed."

Raine looked up, too stunned to argue. If the situation were different, she might have felt lucky. But if this was anything, it was a stroke of bad luck.

"Todd, be careful! Don't be reckless!"

"Don't worry about me, Raine. I'll be just fine. There are others who need you now."

The flash of light had momentarily stunned Zelos, but it hadn't blinded him the way it had some others. He wasn't sure whether he had his angel senses to thank for that or if he had just been lucky, but there wasn't much time to consider it. He could barely process the voice through the commotion, as Seles blundered into him from behind and Colette grabbed onto his arm for support. Suddenly, there was a high pitched noise, another flash, and someone yelling his name.

And there he was, on the floor of the stage. Whatever had fallen on him, it was heavy and had knocked the air right out of his lungs. He'd blacked out for just the slightest moment, but came to with a fuzzy awareness. The commotion around him was nearly deafening, and he couldn't see well yet, but he could feel warmth on his chest and smell the sharp, metallic scent of blood…

The thing that had knocked him over. It wasn't something, it was someone.

Zelos could feel blood soaking into his shirt- blood he was sure wasn't his own. He tried to pull his head up to get a better look at his surroundings, but the first thing he could see was a mass of brown hair blocking his view.

"...L-Lloyd…?"

Zelos grabbed Lloyd's shoulders and pulled him away, fear gripping him as he saw the vacant, glazed look in his friend's eyes.

"Lloyd! Lloyd! LLOYD!"

"...Zelos…" Lloyd choked out. When he opened his mouth, a thin stream of blood ran from one corner down to his chin. "Zelos… oh, thank goodness… you're okay…"

"Lloyd!" Zelos shrieked, trying desperately to sit up and assess the damage. Unfortunately, Lloyd didn't respond any further. Instead, he crumpled limply into Zelos' arms, his body shuddering with every breath.

"No, no, no! Come on, answer me, Lloyd! Bud! Wake up! You've gotta- you've gotta-!" Zelos continued to yell as people surrounded them, slapping the side of Lloyd's face in attempt to wake him up again.

It was useless, but what else could he do?