I used Roar of Dominion from FE3H for the Balthazar fight scene!

I know Faren doesn't have an official first name yet, and might never. If he gets one I'll edit. He was also frustrating to write until I realized he's Sain from FE7 lol.

51: The Hero of Amnoon

The roof of the palace was blisteringly hot. Damara gasped for air, her sand lion Myran beside her, Sohothin in her hand. Balthazar loomed before her, indomitable in his fearsome armour and his own gigantic weapon. Behind him was the wreckage of his robotic weapon. She still couldn't believe she'd disabled it on her own. The others were still engaged with Forged below; they'd promised to follow her when they could, but what if they couldn't...? Fire raged all around the rooftop; behind her, Kralkatorrik's massive head loomed out of a cloud of purple magic and sandy dust that obscured the rest of him. She was afraid down to her bones. If she died this time, there would be no coming back for her. But then, she hadn't expected to come back the first time.

Balthazar huffed a disdainful laugh at her and attacked. She dodged, hacked a hasty slash back, and ran. "Yet again, you stand alone..." He slammed his sword against the rooftop, waves of fire crashing in her direction. She rolled out of the way. "...against the god of war... armed with nothing but a sword... and the foolish belief... that you've... just... accomplished... something!" Every word was punctuated by another swing of his sword, and she tried to quell the panic. The others would be here soon, right?

"I've stopped you from destroying Tyria," she panted, wiping the pouring sweat from her face in the half-second before she had to dodge again. "That's 'something'."

"You've stopped nothing," Balthazar retorted. "All I need to finish Kralkatorrik is the scion trapped behind me."

He wouldn't hurt Aurene again! "Then I guess we're not finished here!" Though she was spending all her time dodging. She couldn't attack like this. Did her defiance count for much? Sooner or later, she was going to get smushed and fried.

Even as she thought that, fiery chains flung out towards her and wrapped around her, trapping her in place. She snarled and her lion snarled, but she was completely helpless – just like before! "Myran- run-"

Aurene trilled and broke free of the broken machine, scampering to Damara's side and shattering the chains with a blow of her tail. "Aurene! Thank you! Stay close. We can do this if we fight together."

Balthazar snorted again. "Impudent newt! You're of no use to me dead, but half dead will still work."

"The god of war likes to fight infants?" Damara cried, dodging another wave of fire and managing to get close enough to lunge a stab at his leg, then rolling away again before he could retaliate.

"The god of war likes to win," Balthazar growled with finality.

An explosion shook the rooftop slightly, and a rift appeared in the fire, water and earth intermingled blasting through it and keeping it down, long enough for figures to appear: Annhilda, Phiadi, Rhyoll, and Caoilfhionn, who had undoubtedly let them in with his new magical powers. "Hey, Damara!" Phiadi called. "The cavalry's here, you can stop holding back now!"

"'Bout time!" Damara called. "My baby had to save me, with all the time you were taking! I'm supposed to be saving her!"

"Baby?" Caoilfhionn asked, and vanished in a blink of fire and lightning, reappearing in Balthazar's face with a stab and another explosion, then darting away again with lightning bolts playing about him. Once he'd talked to that weird guy at the creepy academy, he'd mastered the dual-element skills he'd been working on in, like, a day. Wegaff hadn't been able to believe his readings – or his eyes.

Didn't he know? She could have sworn she'd told him. "My baby girl!" Damara wailed, nodding at Aurene. "All right, sweetie, let's do this! Just like we practiced!" Practiced so long ago in Tarir, she barely remembered what to do herself. Crap.

With seven targets to defend against and attack, Balthazar could not focus on her alone, and now she took Sohothin with both hands. No Human had wielded it since Prince Rurik of Ascalon. Now she was going to kill a god with it.

For an instant, long-ago discussions with Annhilda flashed through her mind. Where would Balthazar's power go when he died?

But while he lived, he was a menace to the entire world. They'd just have to kill him and hope that that didn't destroy the world.

"You cannot win," Balthazar mocked her, seeking to chain Aurene this time. Damara stabbed at the chains, shattering them with a shower of orange sparks; Aurene hissed at Balthazar with spread wings and bared fangs. How could something so dangerous be so cute? Good girl! "The gods have abandoned this world. Abandoned you."

"No, they abandoned you," Annhilda said. "We asked." Rhyoll's rifle cracked, but Balthazar shrugged it off.

Damara laughed breathlessly and darted around Balthazar. "Come on, Aurene! Come on, Myran!" Aurene bounded to flank their enemy, and hissed blue-white fire at Balthazar. He growled and jerked back, stung by her crystal flames. Myran roared and clawed at Balthazar's knees, shedding a cloud of sand that swirled around him, though she didn't think it would blind him nearly as effectively as it blinded mere mortals.

Balthazar roared and swept out more waves of fire, rings rippling outwards from his body, knocking everyone down except Caoilfhionn, who managed to jump over all of them, but her Sylvari friend hesitated to close with Balthazar, choosing instead to focus on healing them. Damara pushed herself up, feeling her muscles whimper with exertion and her shoulders scream with burns.

Phiadi coughed as she dragged herself to her feet on the other side of the rooftop. "Think you're so special... just because you had superpowers once..."

For answer, Balthazar simply stabbed silently towards Phiadi, skewering two of her minions and nearly-! Annhilda sprang in front just in time, catching the blow on her shield, and getting knocked back, nearly off the roof. Damara and Caoilfhionn tried to take advantage of his distraction, dashing to attack him in the back, but he spun and the flat of his massive sword caught Caoilfhionn and sent him flying in the other direction, into Rhyoll, whose rifle rang out accidentally into the sky.

Melandru, help her! Everyone was down again, and they were all going to get killed like she had unless she... Myran lunged, and Balthazar kicked her lion away as if he were a puppy. Damara cried out, and barely ducked another swing of the flaming greatsword, and the shockwave knocked her to the roof yet again. Oh, gods, it burned. Her body nearly gave up right there, driven to the edge of exhaustion by the heat and stress.

But she got her arms under her, got her legs under her, took a tight grip on Sohothin, and raised herself yet again.

Balthazar snarled. "I am fire! I am war! What are you!?"

Damara chuckled grimly with the last of her breath. "Still standing." Her pet was down, but not dead. The others were still moving. Everything hung on a knife's edge, but they hadn't lost yet!

He roared as he loomed over her, about to skewer her with another blazing-fast stab. She didn't have the strength, or the speed to counter...

Aurene howled, and breathed blue-white flames all over Balthazar. He flinched, and Damara stabbed. Straight into his left shoulder, through a gap in his seemingly-impenetrable armour...

"No!" Balthazar shouted, reeling back. "I am a god!"

But flames burst from his hand – his left arm exploded from his body, fiery magical energy bursting from the wound. He shook and thrashed, as if power were building up inside him, trying to clutch at the pouring stream of energy – and then his other arm exploded – and his helmet – and now he was beginning to look like one of his own Forged, hollow, staggering, a marionette of metal and flame. His face was gone, and Damara screamed to see the blank mask where it had been, eye sockets and gaping mouth revealing the fire behind it.

Piece by piece, he crumbled, disintegrated, until the blue-white magic within him flooded the rooftop, spreading into the storm he himself had created, knocking everyone to the searing hot stones. Damara cried out again as her fingers and arms burned against the stone. She couldn't see much, only that there was magic and light and shadow everywhere, and the wind was whipping dust into her face and through her braided hair. Caoilfhionn was going to have to generate a lot of ice for everyone as soon as this storm died down...

Aurene chittered unhappily, buffeted by the magical wind, as Damara found she still had the strength to stand in the middle of the storm. Sohothin was still in her hand, somehow. "Aurene! Are you okay, baby?"

Aurene was spinning in the centre of the storm, magic shooting into her, pulled in, and the little dragon was helpless to resist. "Aurene!" Damara dragged herself forward, limping painfully, reaching out to her sweet child, just as the last of the magic slammed into Aurene and she splatted to the rooftop, trilling angrily and covered in fire. As soon as the baby dragon recovered her footing, she took off and flew away, trailing a bright stream of magic. "No, come back...!"

A roar from behind her reminded her there was another dragon about, and she turned to see Kralkatorrik swallowing the rest of the magical storm. "Crap," she heard Phiadi mutter. "That's... not good. Carry the seven... No, not good at all."

Kralkatorrik roared again and turned away, vanishing into the storm of purple lightning.

Annhilda sighed. "Okay. We saved the world for about two seconds. Now how are we gonna tone down Kralkatorrik so he doesn't destroy everything, without actually killing him, which would also destroy everything?"

To Damara's surprise, Caoilfhionn was smiling. "We'll figure it out. It can't be impossible."

"You're just saying that because I'm going to be doing most of the work," Phiadi said.

"Wegaff and Taimi will certainly have something to say about that," Caoilfhionn said. "And Annhilda and I are not inept at deciphering magical mysteries. But the real work done here today was by Damara, and I thank you for it." He bowed to her, smiling with such heartfelt happiness she almost believed everything was going to be okay. She guessed he had a reason to think it could be done, though. After what he'd done before, being so in love as he was... he must believe anything was possible.

"Er, thanks!" she said, smiling back awkwardly. She'd take his word for it, for now. "Couldn't have done it without you, though."

"That's why we're a guild!" he said. "But I want to say 'well done' all the same."

"Thanks! You're welcome? I... am glad that's over. I'm really hungry!"

"Me too!" Rhyoll said. "Guess it would be in bad taste to roast snacks over what's left of a god, huh?"

Annhilda chuckled. "And I'm really thirsty! Let's go find out where the others got to."

The party in Amnoon was in full swing, and Damara was right in the middle of it, having left Myran back at her lodgings where he wouldn't get overwhelmed with people. Because she'd been the one to kill Balthazar, she had to do the speech, which was really, really scary – almost as scary as fighting Balthazar all over again. No, it wasn't that bad. But she didn't want to do it, so she was stuffing her face with cake while she could. And hoping she wouldn't get sick once they pulled her up on stage. What was she going to say? Some of her friends, like Rytlock and Phiadi, said she needed to be grimly honest about what they were going to face, with Kralkatorrik stronger than ever. Caoilfhionn and Kasmeer said she should be inspiring and hopeful, to let these people have their night of celebration unmarred by fears. Annhilda and Canach said she should ride a middle line and let them figure out what needed to be done for themselves.

She barely remembered making the speech. This wasn't anything like leading soldiers for the Vigil or the Pact. She had the vague idea that she ought to pretend she was talking to Petra, another civilian, and focus on what she would need to hear. It was... mostly hopeful? Ugh, she wished she didn't have to do it. Annhilda was really happy that it wasn't on her shoulders for once, and Damara supposed that Annhilda deserved a bit of a break, after all the speeches she'd had to make as guild leader in the past. And at least Caoilfhionn had been the one sweet-talking Joko's generals into the attack.

She was heading to the drinks table – time to get tipsy now that the hard part was done! - when she caught sight of fantastic pectorals and stopped dead. "L-L-Lord Faren!?"

"Hello, Damara!" Faren cried, in his bathing suit and absolutely nothing else, looking... ravishing, if she was honest with herself. She tried to keep her eyes up, but it was difficult! "Splendid speech! Just splendid! Congratulations on your victory. Though, I imagine you'd have won the battle sooner with Swordmaster Faren at your side. No matter! You should try the Elonian wine. It's magnificent!"

"Oh, but you had an important job in Lion's Arch, didn't you?" She took a glass of the wine and sipped it. "Wow, you don't get this at home." She'd never had a wine that tasted buttery before. Though she'd heard some nobles liked to put butter in their wine... like weirdos.

"You're right, of course! It's a good thing I stayed behind. Yours truly was responsible for thwarting an organized theft of supplies. Imagine! Without Lord Faren on the case, these refugees would have gone without tanning oil." He gestured, and they began to walk through the party, heading in the direction of the docks, where there was a bit more air.

"Right," Damara said, glancing at his midsection inadvertently. "Which... you've been putting to use yourself, I guess."

"The sun here is amazing! Though once I've developed an even colour I'll have to get to work on those pesky tan lines. Do you know of any nude beaches around Amnoon?"

"Do I know of any nude beaches? Lord Faren, do I look like I know about nude beaches?"

He laughed. "Perhaps not. But you don't need to tan. Your skin is already a lovely even colour just naturally! I imagine you'd just go for the enjoyment."

"Lord Faren!" She reached out to slap him, blushing hotly, not that he could tell, and hesitated. He was still wearing next to nothing, and she didn't really want to touch him when he was doing that. "It's nighttime. You should put some pants on, at least!"

"But that would thwart my tanning regimen!" he cried, gesturing theatrically to the skies. "I need every ounce of sunlight Amnoon can throw at me, day or night. These rippling muscles and glistening chest hairs take a lot of work, I'll have you know."

Damara turned away, covering her face, wondering if she was in danger of getting a nosebleed. He wasn't wrong, and she hated it. "Yes, but..."

"I wonder if I could start a cruise from Divinity's Reach, with my new airship, for other like-minded souls..."

"Lord Faren, you're incorrigible."

"And proud of it!" He beamed with delight at her and she found herself blushing again.

"I bet I could take you in a fight, though," she said.

"I think you said that before! Alas, I don't have my rapier with me. But do you really think so?" He didn't sound doubtful, only curious.

"Look, I once kept Annhilda from falling to her death off an airship. I may not groom myself like you but I'm friggin' ripped under this leather." She saw his eyebrows go up with intrigue and regretted saying it like that.

"I'd be interested in-"

She set her glass down, grabbed him, and put him in a headlock without much difficulty. "Ta-dah! Any questions?"

"Yes, could you let me up, milady?" He was laughing, and she laughed too, and let him go, retrieving her glass. Wow, she was already more tipsy than she thought if she were manhandling Lord Faren. But she knew he wouldn't mind. He was generous to his friends regardless of class.

They'd wandered out to the docks, which were very sparsely inhabited for the moment – everyone was in the market where the food and music was. The water lapped softly at the old stones, and the moon shone down brightly upon them. She finished her drink and let the glass hang loosely from her hand. The alcohol had gone softly to her head, and she was pleasantly dizzy now. And she didn't really mind hanging out with Faren for a while. He was friendly, and familiar. ...And good to look at.

And then he took her hand in a more intimate fashion than she was ready for and she felt a jolt run up her spine. "What are you doing?"

"Admiring you," he said cheerfully. "You are the Hero of Shaemoor, and many other things besides, but that title doesn't do justice to your doe-like loveliness."

"My what-"

"Do you not like deer? I thought you would, with all your pets..."

She pulled her hand away. "Lord Faren..."

"What is it? What's wrong?" He looked worried.

Best to just come out and say it. "Why are you hitting on me? Your usual admirers not enough for you?" With Merula and Jasmina no longer paying attention to him, he was technically single, but what did that mean with Faren?

"Ah, er, haha, well..."

"Lord Faren." Damara raised her chin. "You are a fine friend, but you are a terrible boyfriend." She didn't want to prick his ego too hard, but she felt vulnerable and anxious and covered it with aggression. "I'm not anyone's side chick or rebound or fling. I'm not going to be used and cast aside."

He looked stricken. "I... I see. I, um..."

They stood awkwardly several feet apart in the romantic moonlight. She'd just murdered the mood with a greatsword. Two seconds ago she'd thought she wouldn't reject this kind of attention, but when it came down to it... she didn't want to get hurt later. She didn't dislike Faren, she just didn't trust him not to cheat on her. And after all, wasn't that the reason why she got so infuriated whenever she heard about his new conquests? She had a crush on him but couldn't believe he would care for her the way she wanted to be cared for.

He cleared his throat. "Would it help matters if I confessed that I've admired you for years...?"

She whipped her gaze up to stare at him in shock. "Then how come you were always philandering?"

"Um... You never seemed interested."

"That never stopped you before."

"Like, really not interested. You always seemed annoyed with me. It was... intimidating. So I hesitated. And, you know, since I'd never said anything, I didn't think you would care if I saw a lady or two..."

"Or ten, or twelve," she retorted. "That's why I was always annoyed with you. If you can't commit to a woman for longer than two months, how could I even consider dating you? I'm not in the habit of changing partners on a regular basis. You'd just break my heart like all the others."

He hung his head, shamed for once in his carefree life. "I... see what it must look like to you. Clearly, I have been a complete and total ass. I swear, it wasn't like that. I'm also doing spectacularly badly at sweeping you off your feet tonight... I had thought it perfect – a celebration, the full moon on the water, my sculpted physique..."

"Physically, everything might be perfect," Damara mumbled. "Emotionally... I just... don't trust you in that way."

"I see..." Slowly, he reached for her hand again and held it gently. "What can I do to repair your trust?"

She looked up at him, feeling surprise creep over her. He really was asking? And it seemed like he was going to listen? Maybe he was just asking because he wanted to get in bed with her but he was so clueless she thought he might have trouble hiding insincerity. At least, she hoped. Maybe he was really good at it on this specific subject. "Uh... well... I don't know where to start."

He winced. "The list is that long, is it?"

"No, I honestly... I mean, I don't mind talking to you as a friend, I trust you to be a good friend! You've been a good friend and I appreciate it. But... you want to know more than that, don't you?"

He knelt on one knee before her, and wouldn't let go of her hand though she tried to pull away, and she was too polite to be violent. "Loveliest Damara, jewel among heroes, I admire you and wish you to be happy. What do you wish of me that would permit me to be the one to try to make you happy?"

She could at least try and tell him that. "Um. Okay. So if we were in a relationship... I hope you wouldn't try to change me. I've noticed a lot of the girls you go for are... Well, I'm really practical and pragmatic and self-sufficient, and I like girly things but I'm not really girly myself, you know? And I'm really, really not upper-class. If I had to wear dresses all the time and just go to parties I'd probably go crazy."

"It doesn't seem like you, I'll admit," he said. "I'm a pretty good judge of character, you know! I know you would look bewitching in a silk gown, but naturally if you were to wear such to save the world, it would probably ruin the gown. And of course your allure comes from your dashing rugged outdoorsiness!"

Probably ruin it? Had he ever seen her fight? Surely he had! She was always running around dirty terrain, dodge-rolling enemies, climbing rocks and trees – a gown wouldn't last five minutes out there. But at least he got it. Except for the part about him being a 'good judge of character', that was debatable. "And I guess the other thing is no cheating. I don't want to change you either, but I have to say absolutely no sleeping with other women, and no kissing them." Like... duh.

"But I can still talk to them, right? I know so many!"

He did, and the way he said it vaguely annoyed her... "Yes, of course, flirt with them if you must, that's basically how you talk to anyone, just don't sleep with them. Look, I died two weeks ago and came back to kick Balthazar's butt just because I didn't like him. So please imagine what I'll do if you cheat on me."

He swallowed with a nervous grin and nodded vigourously. "Yes, ma'am." And suddenly his eyes ballooned. "You died!? Surely you mean..."

She shifted uncomfortably. "No, I really died. I... couldn't fight Balthazar on my own. I had to talk my way out of the Domain of the Lost and kill some kind of demon creature to return to life."

He pressed her hand to his lips fervently. "You are truly the bravest woman in the world, to challenge a god not once but twice. Thank the- Thank Dwayna you are still with us all!"

"I mean, hell yeah, I avenged my own death. But I wish I did haven't to." She didn't like thinking about it. She was afraid she'd start trembling if she did.

He was starting to fidget. "Um... can I get up yet? This ground is actually quite hard."

"Yeah, don't hurt yourself." He clambered up, brushing the sand from his knee. "So... what exactly do you want from me, my lord?" He'd asked her what she wanted, it was only fair she do the same.

"Want from you?" He looked at her with indignation, but his expression melted into his normal charming grin. "What I want is for you to cease calling me 'my lord'."

"Well... okay. Even when other nobles are around?"

"Of course! I think you've earned the right to speak to anyone as an equal. I mean, who else has killed two Elder Dragons and a god?"

"That just means I'm good at being violent," she said. "I don't even know your given name."

"Damara." He took her hand again, clasping it to his heart – and she could feel it beating, under the hair and skin of his chest, and that made her heart jump like whoa. "My given name is Kyle."

"What?" Why was he telling her this? Why was he being so gentle?

"My name is Kyle," he repeated, patiently. "You can still call me Faren if you like. You're probably used to it by now! Without the 'lord' part, obviously, now. But I wanted you to know."

"Okay." She let herself relax a bit, let herself smile at him. "Anything else... Faren?"

He grinned at her, pleased by her effort, and clasped her hand closer. "Please let me make this night magical for you!"

Whoa, whoa, whoa. She tensed up. "What do you mean?"

He looked surprised. "What are you afraid of?"

"Isn't this a bit soon?"

"Can't I lavish compliments upon you by the light of the moon?" he said plaintively.

If that was really all he meant, then... She laughed with embarrassment. "Yes. Sorry. I haven't dated in years, and you know..."

"I understand. Your last boyfriend probably did not have my eloquence. We won't hold it against him. But if I may begin anew..." He cleared his throat. "Dearest Damara, bright star of Kryta, the moon itself cannot compare to your beauty, nor the earth to your strength, nor wind to your grace, nor fire to your spirit-"

"Ack!" She flapped at him. "Too much!"

"Too much?" He looked puzzled. "Er..."

He was still holding her hand, and she squeezed it reassuringly. "Hey, can't we just... talk like friends... while holding hands? You don't have to put me on a pedestal. They already did that back in there and I didn't really like it."

"You make a good point, my dear," Faren said, and drew her arm closer. "But it doesn't seem like enough to me. What about..." He pulled her close enough to wrap his arm around her waist, to press her body against his, and she shivered. Her now-free hand hovered nervously for a moment before carefully settling against his back. His skin was warm, and smooth, and his back was broad and firm, and the arm about her was strong and certain. "Dearest Damara, would you permit me to be your boyfriend?"

He'd heard her stipulations, right? "Yeah. Yeah, I will." Petra would have a massive glee fit.

He tilted her face up to him with his free hand, practically radiating charm, from his sparkling eyes to his carefully-tended sideburns to the dazzling smile they framed. Gods, he was handsome. "Thank you for granting me this honour." He leaned in, eyes closing, and she caught her breath... and let him kiss her.

She was still nervous. She didn't quite trust him yet. But dangit, she wanted to be kissed by a cute guy, and this cute guy had just admitted that he'd messed up in the past, and he clearly really liked her, and she wanted to give him a chance. She hadn't been kissed in years, and... and... and Faren was really good at it, which wasn't a surprise. His mouth was as warm as the rest of him, and right now he was being very gentle, respecting her uncertainty, his free hand softly brushing her hair away from her face.

He released her and gave her a confident smile. "Was that pleasant?"

"Yeah," she said, and then realized that her other hand had somehow ended up on his shoulder. Why couldn't he put a shirt on!? Well... priorities. "Oh, I guess that's another thing I could ask... I wish you'd take me more seriously when I ask you to put pants on." Pants, then shirt.

He pouted, making the biggest puppy-dog eyes Damara had ever seen. "Don't you like my fine legs? I've worked hard on them!"

She couldn't restrain an embarrassed grin. "You're really cute. It's true. And there is something I've wanted to do for a while..." She slapped his butt with the hand that had been on his back. Faren jumped and yelped with a high-pitched squeak. She giggled uncontrollably. "Sorry?"

"My dear Damara! How forward!"

"I'm your girlfriend now! Aren't I allowed a few liberties?"

Faren stopped rubbing his backside protectively and chuckled himself. "Why, yes, you are. What a delightful tease you are! I adore you more than ever." He leaned in for another kiss.

This time, she leaned up to him. His mouth covered hers and she felt herself melt against him, even mostly-naked as he was, felt one of his hands thread through her braids to support the back of her head. Gods, she didn't have to 'let' herself get seduced. It was happening anyway. And she was going to enjoy it.