Years in the Making

by Splattifying Agent 2

Tinni approaches Chronos castle, and her inevitable fight with her worst enemy.

[A/N] So I played through FE4 for the second time a while back and thought to myself: "Hey, Tinni's my favourite second generation character, let's write something about her." So write I did. This story took me over a year to finish because life kept getting in the way and motivation comes and goes. That's how this project came about.

The long and short of what happened next is that I read some other fanfics and found out how vague the info in FE4 can be. There's a lot of different folks out there with different headcanons and there isn't really a canon interpretation of how bad things were for Tailtiu and Tinni while they were trapped in Alster, other than 'Hilda abused them.' There's some information that I know I got wrong, but I didn't feel the need to rewrite it, so we're sticking with what I got.

Oh, and the name spellings come from the Project Naga patch.

Tinni looked at the Thoron tome in her hands, one of the few keepsakes she had of her mother. The tome was powerful, and had saved her life a number of times, but Tinni feared that it wouldn't be good for battle for much longer.

The weapon had always given a thrum of power whenever she held it. It was a comfort for her - she knew that as long as she held it, her mother would be with her and she would be safe. But that thrum had grown weaker and weaker since the war began. The tome was losing its strength.

However, she'd heard from Faval and Larcei that there were businesses that prided themselves on restoring any sort of weapon to its original state, so here she was in the streets of Perlucos, on her way to find one. She had a good idea of where it was, at least.

Soon, Tinni came to a stop just outside a little shop with crossed swords over the door. An armory, maybe? If it wasn't the place, she could probably ask where it actually was. With that thought in her mind, she entered.

There was a wide selection of weapons on either side of her. It was a bit imposing, but she kept walking until she came up to a counter at the other end of the store.

A very large and muscular man was standing on the other side. He looked exhausted, but he still looked over and gave her a friendly smile. "Hello, missy," he said. His voice was deep and gruff, but not rude. "What brings you here?"

Tinni looked up at him shyly and showed him the tome. "I heard you can repair weapons..." she said. "Do you work with magic, too...?"

He took a long look at Thoron, and shook his head. "'Fraid not. I've never been any good with that stuff, but my wife knows her way around it. Want me to take you to her?"

Tinni smiled at him. "Yes, please."

The blacksmith walked out from behind the counter and led her out of the store. "She had to set up shop a little bit away from me, so stay close, alright? Don't want you getting lost."

"Thank you, sir," Tinni replied.

And so they walked. The blacksmith led Tinni through the streets of Perlucos. "Now," he said. "I might not know much about magic, but that tome of yours looks pretty hefty. What's a cute little kid like you doing with something that strong?"

"I'm with the Liberation Army," she told him. "This tome was my mother's."

He was silent for a moment. "Can't say I like the idea of such a little kid fighting in a war like this."

"My mother's tome protects me," Tinni responded quietly. "I can fight."

"Never said you couldn't, kiddo," the blacksmith said. "I'm sure you're a capable fighter." He tousled her hair. "Just... it ain't something kids should be going through."

Before she could say anything else, he continued. "Oh look, we're here."

From the outside, the store looked almost identical to the blacksmith's, although there was a complex-looking design above the door rather than the crossed swords. The blacksmith opened the door up and ushered Tinni inside.

"Aimee!" he called. "I got a customer for you!"

A smooth female voice responded. "Wonderful! Business has been very slow today."

The blacksmith smiled down at Tinni and led her a bit further into the store. A woman came into view. She wore a shawl, and was crouched on the floor, surrounded by thick tomes. She looked up when she saw Tinni with the blacksmith, and smiled.

"Thank you, Muston," Aimee the shopkeep replied. "I'll see you back at home later, alright?"

The blacksmith - Muston - waved goodbye and left. Aimee was now giving Tinni her full attention. "So," she said. "We have ourselves a young mage here, hm?"

Tinni nodded. "Yes... I needed some help with my tome..."

Aimee reached a hand out. "May I?"

Tinni hesitated for a second, but handed her Thoron. When Aimee got a look at the tome, her eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped.

"Is this... is this a Thoron tome?!" she asked, staring at it reverently. "How did you... these tomes are priceless treasures of House Freege! They're incredibly powerful! How...?"

Tinni felt a bit bashful under her gaze, but responded anyway. "My mother was a noble of House Freege... it belonged to her."

Aimee swallowed, and quickly handed the tome back to Tinni. "F-Forgive me... it's not common that I get to see a tome as rare as that. It is a wonderful sight to be sure... but what do you need me for, my dear?"

Tinni cleared her throat and spoke evenly. "I have been using this tome for a while now, and I don't think it has much time left... but your husband told me that you can, um... you can recharge magical tomes. You can restore their power."

"And you want me to restore your Thoron for you?" Aimee asked excitedly.

Tinni smiled. "Yes, please."

Aimee clasped her hands together. There were stars in her eyes. "It would be such an honour! Thank you for this opportunity, my dear!"

Tinni was a bit startled by her enthusiastic reaction, but felt grateful for the help. "Please be careful with it..."

"Of course, of course!" Aimee responded breathlessly. "This is priceless! I swear I'll guard it with my life, Ms…?"

Tinni gave her the tome and her name, and Aimee gently placed it on the floor in front of her. "Now..." she continued. "We can discuss payment once the job is finished, but I should warn you that this will take some time."

"How much time?" Tinni asked anxiously.

"A few days, I imagine," Aimee replied apologetically. "Will you be staying here that long?"

"Yes, I think so..."

"Wonderful," Aimee responded. "Restoring magic tomes is already a difficult job, but with something as powerful as this, it will be quite a challenge, especially when it's been used so extensively. You've obviously taken very good care of it."

Tinni nodded silently. Aimee reached out and stroked the girl's arm. It almost felt like a motherly gesture. "I'll send for you as soon as I'm done, alright, Tinni? And I'll work as fast as I can."

Tinni nodded again. "Thank you, Miss Aimee."

And with that, she left the store. It felt a little wrong to be away from Thoron, but this was better than being unable to use it in the middle of a battle. And besides, if there was an emergency, she still had her old Elthunder tome.

That was a good idea. She could pick it up after the war council.

She'd told herself that she was going to participate this time. Tinni rarely had much to contribute to the meetings, but she wanted to change that – or at least try to. If nothing else, Arthur would be there, at least.

Even before she entered the room where the council was being held, Tinni could hear a very heated discussion. The small room was crowded. Seliph, Oifey, Lewyn, Arthur, Shanan, and Ced were huddled around a table. Ares, Leif, Altena, and Finn were behind them in a discussion of their own. Everyone's eyes swung toward Tinni when she entered.

"Tinni," Arthur said. "Is there something you need?"

She shook her head. "I just... I wanted to join the meeting. ...If that's okay."

Arthur traded a look with Seliph and Lewyn, and ushered Tinni out of the room, much to her confusion.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Once they were a short distance away from the room, Arthur put his hands on her shoulders and spoke. "Tinni. I want you to sit out this next battle."

She blinked. "Sit out? Why? We've gotten so close now."

He shook his head. "Trust me. I don't want you in this one. Stay here. Help guard Perlucos. I'll get Altena to pick you up when we're done and you can join up with us."

"But why, Arthur?" she asked urgently. "You know I can fight... and you've never had a problem with it before. Why don't you want me to help?"

"Just listen to me, Tinni," he insisted. "I'd rather you not know. Just stay out of it."

She put her hands on her hips, feeling quite annoyed now. "You can't just not tell me these things, Arthur!"

"If I tell you, then you'll refuse to stay behind!"

"I'm gonna go even if you tell me not to! You might as well let me know!"

Arthur dragged one hand down his face, exasperated. "Ugh... fine. Fee and Altena got back from reconnaissance and found out who was at the head of Chronos castle."

"Who is it?" Tinni asked, rather proud of herself now that she got him to relent.

Arthur hesitated for a second. "It's Hilda. Blume's widow."

Tinni fell completely silent as her world turned upside down. The mention of that name caused memories to flood into her brain – awful, terrible memories that she'd done everything she could to leave behind.

"I was hoping to kill her myself," Arthur told her, trying to get her back to reality. "I didn't want you to have to worry yourself, Tinni. I knew we'd end up fighting her eventually, but I just hoped I could protect you..."

"W... Were you ever going to tell me, Arthur...?" she asked.

He sighed. "I'm not sure. Probably, at some point. But I at least wanted the war to end without you having to know."

Tinni swallowed hard, and took a few deep breaths. "Alright... alright. When are we moving out?"

Her brother cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"When are we attacking Chronos castle?"

"You can't seriously be considering this, Tinni!" Arthur scolded. "I'm not letting you anywhere near that woman! Just... let me handle it."

Tinni emphatically shook her head. "No. This is my fight, Arthur."

"I have Forseti," he reminded her. "I can handle these threats better than you can."

"I don't care!" she retorted, her voice rising in pitch. "Were you trapped under Alster your whole life?! Did you get starved and attacked every day?! Did you have to watch Mother die in front of you, Arthur?!"

"No I didn't, and that's why I'm doing this!" Arthur shouted back. "What do you think is gonna happen if you get on the battlefield and fall apart?! She'll kill you, Tinni, and laugh the whole time!"

"I'm not gonna fall apart!"

"I just mentioned her name to you, and you froze up completely!" he continued. "What do you think is gonna happen when you're face-to-face?!"

"What the hell is going on out here?!" Another voice sounded out from behind Arthur, causing the siblings to jump. Ares was stomping toward them. "Would you two mind keeping it down?!"

Tinni glared at the both of them for a second longer. "Don't worry about it, Ares. I'm done talking to him."

And she stomped off, even as Arthur called after her and tears streamed down her face.

Tinni was happy she got her own room to stay in. It meant no one would hear her sobbing.

She slammed the door closed and sunk to the floor, absolutely miserable. Memories flashed through her head, and she was powerless to stop them. Her cries grew louder as her body shook violently. Faintly, she thought that someone might hear her now.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at her door, and a polite voice reached her ears. "Tinni? May I come in?"

Seliph, she thought.

Part of her wanted to say no, but she'd calmed down a bit more now and recognized that that would be rude. Besides, Seliph was the army's leader. Tinni couldn't just turn him away. So she slowly rose back up and opened the door, keeping her head bowed so he couldn't see her face.

"W-what can I do f-for you, Lord Seliph?" she asked, trying and failing to keep her voice level.

"First, you can look at me," he said softly.

She shook her head. "Please, no," she responded. "I-I don't want anyone to see me like this..."

She heard the faint smile in his voice now. "It's fine, Tinni," he said. "No one will think less of you for crying." There was a moment's pause before he continued. "If you like, we can go into your room so no one else can see."

She nodded a few times, and moved out of the way so Seliph could enter. Once the door was closed, she finally looked up at him.

Her eyes were red and puffy from the crying, and the dried tears left visible streaks on her face. Her lip was still trembling. Tinni didn't like it, but Seliph smiled at her as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Do you care to tell me what's troubling you?" he asked.

Tinni took a few breaths. "I-I had a fight with Arthur."

Seliph gently led her to the bed, and they sat down. "Yes, I heard you both. What was it about?"

Tinni swallowed. "H-Have I ever told you about my life before I joined you, Lord Seliph?"

"No, but Arthur's told me a little bit. Is that what the fight was about?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that's what it was..."

"Do you want to tell me?"

Tinni was silent for a moment.

"If it's too much, you don't have to."

She shook her head. "No, I... I can do it."

Seliph patiently waited for her to continue.

"Mother told me when she was still alive..." she said. "When I was born, we all lived in Silesse, but Blume came and captured Mother and I when I was still a baby. Arthur was the only one who got away. I think our father took him, but he couldn't help Mother or me."

"Why did Blume take you away?"

Tinni shrugged. "I dunno. Mother told me once that her father thought she was a traitor to her family or something. Maybe that's it."

Seliph chewed his lip thoughtfully. "And then?"

"Blume took us back to Alster. That's when we met Hilda. She was his wife. She... she locked us both up under Alster castle, and... that's where we stayed."

"For how long?"

Tinni sniffed. "A-all my life, Lord Seliph," she told him. Tears beaded at the corners of her eyes again, but she forced herself to keep going. The words left an awful taste in her mouth as they formed on her tongue and she needed it to stop. "They let us out sometimes to keep up appearances, but it was never for very long. I didn't know how long we were down there until I got out a-and Arthur told me how old I am..."

Her voice wavered a little more, and she felt Seliph rub her back gently. "You don't have to keep going, Tinni."

She shook her head vigorously. "No, I... I w-want you to know, Lord Seliph. I-I want you to know so you'll let me come on this mission!"

She continued before he could cut her off. Words tumbled from her lips, faster than she could think to organize them. "She came down every day and she'd start h-hitting Mother with chains and scratching her with her nails and squeezing her neck a-and Mother would always ask for more so that awful woman wouldn't touch me and she did it every day but Hilda would still hit me sometimes even though she said it was an accident and she w-would laugh the whole time and s-sometimes she'd use her magic and light Mother's clothes on fire and we'd try to put it out but we both just got burned-"

"Tinni-"

"-and sometimes she'd shoo away the servants who brought us food just to make things worse and Mother cried the whole way through and that just made her laugh harder and she called her all of these awful names like bitch and whore and traitor and I just wanted her to stop but she never did and every day Mother would talk to me and she just sounded dead more and more every day and she looked like it too and then-"

Tinni wailed, clutching her head. "And then she really was!"

"Tinni!"

Seliph was suddenly above her, looking quite concerned. Tinni could feel the hard wood of the floor under her head. She was breathing very quickly, and she could taste bile in the back of her throat.

Had she fallen? When?

One of his hands was on her shoulders, and he spoke her name again. Tinni absently noted that his other hand was on her forehead now.

"L-Lord Seliph...?"

"Tinni, you had a fit," he said. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head to clear it. Her breath slowed to a normal pace. "I... y-yes..."

Seliph helped her back up to a sitting position as he explained. "You fell on the floor. Your head was shaking and you kept screaming about what Hilda did to you."

He gently reached toward her mouth and wiped away a bit of saliva. Tinni hadn't even realized it was there until he did it.

The door burst open and Arthur ran inside. "Tinni!" he said. He fell silent when he saw the two of them on the floor. "Lord Seliph, were you-?"

"We were just talking, Arthur," he responded. "Tinni? Are you alright now?"

Tinni blinked and nodded, embarrassed.

"Would you give us a moment, Arthur?" Seliph continued. "I want to talk to her a bit more."

He looked distressed for a minute, but the older mage composed himself and walked out of the room without a sound, closing the door behind him.

Tinni sniffled. "I'm not... not..."

Seliph rubbed her back a bit more. "Not what?"

"I'm not strong like you..." she whispered. "Arthur was... he was right..."

"What was he right about?" he asked softly.

"I can't do this..." Tinni continued, her voice wavering again.

Seliph was silent for a minute.

"I should... I should just... stay behind a-and help guard the castle..."

He responded to her now. "I think you're wrong."

"W-what?"

"You're very strong, Tinni," Seliph told her. "You need to have some more confidence in your abilities."

"Huh?" she asked. "But... but I can't even t-talk about her without breaking down..."

"That doesn't make you weak," he continued, smiling slightly. "Everyone has their sore spots. I know I do. So does Arthur, and everyone else here. No one thinks you're weak, Tinni. Some are even jealous of you."

"Jealous...?"

"I heard Lester talking to Faval a few weeks ago," Seliph said. "He was saying he wished he knew how to use magic like you can. You're strong, Tinni. Certainly stronger than her."

"I'm not stronger than my brother," she replied. "He's a lot better at magic than I am."

"I don't think so. He can't use Thoron."

"Yeah, he can," Tinni sadly told him. "He just doesn't because he's being nice to me. He knows it was Mother's and he thinks I need it more than him."

"Maybe," Seliph conceded. "Or maybe he thinks you're better at handling it than he is."

Tinni said nothing.

"It can't be easy to control thunder magic," Seliph said. "That's what I think, anyway. You're the best in our army at bending a powerful force of nature to your will. I'd call that strong."

Tinni's shoulders started to shake again. "L-Lord Seliph..."

His eyes widened. "Ah, are you alright?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry again..."

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. "N-no... thank you so much, Lord Seliph... for everything..."

He didn't respond right away. He just comforted her while she let out a final few sniffles. When he did reply, it was to say "one week."

"Huh?"

"Another village's children will be leaving Rados, bound for Chronos, in one week. That's when we'll move out. We'll intercept the squad holding them captive and take Chronos in one fell swoop."

"B-but-"

"I want you there, Tinni. I want you to help us take the castle."

"Me?" she asked. "B-but I... I can't..."

"Yes you can," Seliph told her gently. "I know it. Arthur and I will be with you. So will Ced and Ares. I know you'll be able to do this, Tinni."

She swallowed hard, and nodded. "O-okay. ...Thank you for trusting me, Lord Seliph..."

He just smiled, and got up to leave. Once he was at the door, Tinni called to him again. "Yes?"

"Um... you said earlier that everyone has a sore spot," she said. "Could you... would you please tell me what yours is?"

He smiled. "My parents," he told her. "I can't help but shed tears when I think too much about them. But soon I'll be able to look back on them with pride, not sadness."

She hesitated, almost afraid that he would be angry for asking too much, but still replied with "Thank you." Just like me, she thought.

He left the room with that, and Tinni was left on the bed.

Outside the room, Arthur was still waiting. "Is she alright?" he asked.

"She's fine, Arthur," Seliph replied. "I've asked her to join us in Chronos."

Arthur blew out a breath. "Yeah... alright. Maybe I was wrong. I hope I was wrong."

"She can do this, Arthur," Seliph told him. "Let her know you have faith in her."

Arthur chewed his lip, nodded, and entered the room.

Seliph watched the door close, and quietly walked off.

He was pretty sure he'd done the right thing. Tinni seemed to be feeling better after he was done, which was good.

Her rant about Hilda disturbed him, though. Seliph couldn't even begin to imagine what any of that must've been like. He shuddered.

It was a grim reminder that even though his early life was without his parents, with the Grannvale Empire after his head for as long as he could remember, he was still luckier than some of his friends.

He really hoped that this could end soon, for everyone's sake. But they had almost made it to Grannvale; the war was on its last legs. They just had to keep marching, through this battle and the next.

He just hoped he was right about Tinni.

Seliph shook his head, clearing the thought from his mind. Don't think like that. He had complete confidence in her, and that was the truth.

But if anything happened to her or the rest of his friends, Seliph would never forgive himself.

{asterisks}

Tinni spent most of her time over the next few days training for the fight to come. This mainly involved forcing herself to fight in the city's arena with her old Elthunder tome. There happened to be a woman there who was capable of wielding Bolganone.

Coincidentally, this was the same sort of tome that Hilda was likely to use. Tinni was a bit suspicious of this fact, but there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary with her.

The important thing to note here was that Tinni had a hard time defeating her, no matter how hard she tried. She could win, but only barely, and Hilda was certain to be a lot more skilled.

She tried to tell herself that it was just because of her weapon, and she would be just fine as soon as Thoron was in her hands again. But that felt like excuse-making to her. She couldn't help but be worried.

That's fine, she told herself. She'd have the others with her. They'd have her back.

Seliph's words had comforted her, but it was still difficult for Tinni to have the kind of faith in herself that he did. Either way, she had to keep training.

So train she did. She kept using Elthunder for it, though; Thoron was to be saved for real battles. She got Arthur and Ced to help her out with it, and they weren't easy partners – but she managed.

A week passed, and the group was preparing to move out. Aimee had finished with the tome by then, so Tinni had Thoron close to her chest as she prepared. Thoron might be the only thing she needed to fight with, but these battles tended to take several days, so she kept rations on her person as well. Not a lot, but enough. Just in case.

"Tinni!"

She jumped when she heard the voice, but calmed down when she saw it was just Arthur. "What's wrong?"

"I have something for you," he replied.

Tinni watched as he slipped off a ring he was wearing, and pressed it into her hand.

"What's this?" she asked curiously.

"I found it while we were staying in Alster," he told her. "In fact, I found it near the place where you... lived."

"Where I..." Tinni started, but trailed off as she put the pieces together. "T-then... does this mean...?"

Arthur smiled. "Yeah, Tinni. I think it belonged to Mother."

She stared at the little ring in her palm and swallowed. "How did I... how could I miss something like this...?"

"My guess is that someone, ah... took it. After she died."

"Then... wait, why are you only showing me now?"

"I found it right before we moved out to battle," he explained. "When we fought Blume at Connaught. You remember?"

Tinni nodded in response.

"I got called to battle as I found it, so I just put it on and then forgot for a while. But I'm giving it to you now, Tinni."

The ring was a little bit too big for her, so she had to fit it over her middle finger, but as soon as she did, she felt a gentle thrum of power. It wasn't unlike what she felt when she held Thoron.

"I think it'll help you, Tinni," Arthur told her. "And I know how much you loved Mother... how do you feel?"

Overjoyed was a good word, since she had a second keepsake from her mother now, and would treasure it as much as she did Thoron. Overwhelmed was another, considering how unexpected this was. Tinni wrapped her arms around her brother in a great big hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."

He returned the hug, and smiled at her. "So are you ready for this?" he asked.

Tinni nodded. "Yeah. I'm totally ready."

He raised an eyebrow. She looked away for a second before returning his gaze.

"Okay, maybe I'm still afraid," she confessed. "But I'm still gonna do it."

Arthur's face remained expressionless for a moment, but he nodded. "That's good," he said. "To be honest, I'd be a bit worried if you said you weren't."

"You would?"

"Yeah. Listen, Tinni, we both know what you went through with that woman. I think it's natural for you to be scared. But you're still going to fight, aren't you?"

She nodded emphatically. "Of course!"

"That's what's important," Arthur told her. "You're fighting even though you're scared. And you're gonna have us behind you."

"...Did Lord Seliph tell you to say that?"

Arthur frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you've been acting a lot nicer since he talked to me..."

Arthur bit his lip. "He did ask me to be a bit nicer after we... fought. But I'm not just trying to make you feel better, Tinni."

"You're not?"

"No," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I've seen what you're capable of, Tinni. I believe you can do this."

She took a deep breath. "O-okay... Okay. Thank you, Arthur... I think I'm ready."

He smiled in response. "Excellent. Let's go. Lord Seliph said he wanted you to ride with him."

Tinni blinked. "He did?"

"Yeah. You don't ride a horse, so you have to pair with him in order for everyone to get to Chronos at the same time. Ced's going with Ares." He checked and double-checked the tomes he had on hand. "You're all set?"

"Yeah, I am," she replied, and the mage siblings strolled off to the gates.

Seliph trusts me, she thought to herself. He trusts me enough to watch his back in a fight.

She couldn't quite get over that fact. Seliph – leader of their army, heir to Chalphy, and one of the most admirable people she'd ever met – had enough trust in her abilities to let her ride with him as they went to battle.

This was it, then. She'd really have to push herself to the limit this time.

For Seliph.

{asterisks}

"Are you feeling alright, Tinni?" Seliph asked.

She adjusted herself a little. Riding a horse was a pretty foreign feeling, but she didn't have time to get used to it. "Yes," she responded.

"Alright. Hang on, then. We're gonna be moving pretty quickly."

She clutched her tome close with one hand, and, after a short hesitation, slipped the other around his waist. She blushed despite herself, but Seliph didn't seem to mind, if he noticed at all.

A snap of the reins sent them off. It was faster than Tinni was expecting, and it took a moment for her to get her bearings straight, but she found her balance again momentarily. Immediately, she began scanning their surroundings.

There were no enemies that were immediately apparent, but that didn't mean there was nothing there, so she kept an eye out. She kept a hand on her tome, ready to fire off a spell at a moment's notice.

"There's definitely gonna be some troops between here and Chronos," Seliph told her. "Keep an eye out. I'm relying on you to get the first hit."

Tinni gave a little noise of confirmation.

"Remember, fighting is the only thing you need to worry about right now," he continued. "Stay focused on the task at hand. I'm counting on you."

"Okay!" Tinni said. Her senses were on high alert, and she readied an attack. Just in case.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure. Her head whipped toward it, and she forced herself to wait and see whether it was friend or foe.

The figure stepped into full view, and Tinni saw the dark cowl covering its face.

That definitely wasn't any of her friends.

She extended her arm and let loose with Thoron. The brilliant beam of lightning shot toward her target and landed dead-on. The foe was forced backward, but still had enough strength in him to take cover. Tinni could just barely see him raise one arm as the distance between them increased.

"Lord Seliph!" she shouted. "To the left! There's a mage!"

"Understood!" came the reply, and he urged his horse to pick up speed. "Can you hit him from here, or should we move closer?"

Tinni quickly gauged the distance. "If I'm fast, I can do it!"

"Then I'm counting on you!"

Tinni took a quick breath and drew in some energy. She aimed at the target and fired two quick shots of Thoron.

It had exactly the result she was aiming for. The first shot destroyed the foe's cover, and the second was another clean hit. He fell to the ground, twitching a few times before laying still.

Seliph slowed a bit to more easily maneuver his mount through the trees, eventually reducing his speed to a trot. Tinni kept her eyes open for any movement around them.

"Are we supposed to be alone, Lord Seliph?"

"Yes," he replied, assuaging her worries a bit. "The plan was to split up and regroup in front of the castle. Every member of our assault team is more than strong enough to take on a few enemy units by themselves, so by spreading them out, we're trying to stop them from organizing a full ambush in the forest."

"Ah," Tinni said. "You all put a lot of thought into this, then."

"We have to," Seliph responded idly. "This is war, after all. We plan everything for the purpose of making sure that none of us die."

"I appreciate that," she said. "And everyone else does, too." There was a short pause. "How big is this forest?"

"Fairly big. It might take long enough that we'll need to spend the night. Right now, we need to focus on reaching Chronos. A guarded convoy will be approaching with the children from the latest hunts," Seliph explained. "Once we get there, we'll see which one we need to take first - the convoy, or the castle."

"Do you think Miss Julia is in Chronos?"

Seliph was silent for a second, and Tinni immediately regretted the question.

"...No, I don't," he confessed. "I think that if Julia really has been taken, she'll be close to Julius and Manfroy. I don't think they'll kill her, but I'd still rather get her back as soon as possible."

"We will," Tinni said quickly. "I know we will."

He smiled, and although she couldn't see it, she could hear it in his voice. "Thank you, Tinni. I trust that we'll see her again."

They fell back into silence for a while. The only noise was Seliph's steed as its hooves fell on the forest floor, and it continued in that manner for some time. Tinni kept her senses on high alert, but worry still ate at her mind.

"I don't like this," she said eventually. "It's too quiet… I haven't seen anyone in a long time."

"I agree," Seliph murmured in response. One hand reached over to grip the sword on his hip, though he didn't unsheathe it. "Stay alert."

"Right," Tinni said. Her right hand faintly crackled with lightning as she readied a blow.

Even despite this, however, the pair continued to find no one. Tinni's heart pounded as the natural light around them slowly disappeared.

"We've been moving for a long time," she finally said. "I don't think there's anyone else here."

"It's possible," Seliph replied. "But our enemies are patient and clever. They could be waiting for us to let our guards down. And we're at a disadvantage in the dark, so they might wait for night to fall completely, and then strike."

"I can make some light for us."

"But then we'd be clearly visible," he pointed out. "An easy target in the dark."

Tinni bit her lip. "If they plan to attack us when it gets dark, then at least the light would give us a chance at catching them before they do it."

He was silent, so she continued. "If we're at a disadvantage in the dark either way, then we can make a light and give ourselves a chance at finding them before they strike."

Seliph hummed in response. "You may be right - and my horse is tiring out. We may have to stop anyway."

"Oh, that's probably good," she told him. "I have a Fire tome in my bag. I can use that to give us some light."

"I thought you could make fire on your own?"

"Ah, no…" Tinni confessed. "Just lightning and wind. I need a tome for fire. A-and even then, I'm not very good at it…"

"That's fine," he reassured. "All we need is a bit of light."

"So are we stopping, then?"

"Yes, let's," Seliph agreed, bringing his horse to a halt. The two dismounted, and Tinni started to get their supplies. The dying light made it difficult to see, but she got what she needed before long.

"Better get it started before it's too dark to see," he noted.

"Right." Tinni rummaged through the bag, searching for the Fire tome.

Out of nowhere, she heard the characteristic clang of steel on steel. Tinni jumped in surprise, and quickly looked for the source of the noise.

A swordsman had appeared from the trees and launched an attack at Seliph. Tinni couldn't see very well, but she heard Seliph grunt with the effort of blocking the blow.

"Tinni!" he barked. "Light!"

With a short incantation, she lit a small flame at their feet. It wasn't much, but the flickering light was enough to see by, and Seliph used his newfound awareness of the situation to quickly duck out of the way of another attack.

Tinni scrambled after Thoron now that the fire was lit. Seliph continued to fight off the assailant. He had to keep the enemy distracted, he thought; Tinni couldn't fight up close as well as he could, and she was certainly much more frail. He needed to either end this quickly, or keep the enemy busy for long enough that Tinni could get her hands on Thoron and finish him herself.

His enemy wasn't wearing much armor - he was dressed for speed, not defense. That would be Seliph's advantage. The assailant launched a quick blow at Seliph's side, but the prince shoved back as it came in to parry it.

Tinni grabbed Thoron from where she'd left it, and readied an attack. Seliph was in the way from where she was standing, so she had to dart to one side to get a clean shot. She didn't want to hit Seliph by accident.

The assailant launched a heavy blow at Seliph's collar, and that's where he saw his chance. The prince shifted his shoulder up a bit, allowing the blow to catch on the armour he wore there, and used the opening to shove his blade forward into his opponent's belly.

As he did, a blast of thunder came from one side and struck the target. Seliph felt a buzz as the attack landed, coursing through his sword and up his arm, as the enemy's body finally went limp.

Panting slightly, Seliph pulled his sword back to him. To his right, Tinni lowered her hand and rushed forward to him. "Did I hit you?"

"A bit," Seliph replied honestly. "My arm went a bit numb, but it's fine now. Thank you."

Tinni bit her lip. "You're bleeding."

The prince blinked in surprise. "I am?"

She gestured to his shoulder, where he'd taken the enemy's last attack. Sure enough, a bit of blood was trickling down his arm. Seliph hadn't even noticed at the time, but pain began to course through it as the adrenaline left his body.

"Can you help?" he asked.

"I-I can try," Tinni responded. "I didn't think to bring a staff, so we'll have to go without."

"Why didn't you bring a staff?" Seliph asked reflexively, immediately hoping that it didn't sound too harsh.

She was rummaging through her pack to look for supplies, but looked up when she heard him talk. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Seliph cleared his throat, and moved one hand up to the wound. "I was just curious why you didn't have a staff."

Tinni's cheeks turned pink. "I-I… it's kind of embarrassing…"

He was silent, allowing her to decide whether or not to say it.

"I guess I didn't think I'd need one since… well, since I'd be with you."

"With me?" Seliph asked, surprised. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"You…" She took a breath, and kept searching through her bag to distract herself a bit. "Every time we finish a battle, you never have a scratch on you. It's like… it's like divine protection. That's what I thought at least, Lord Seliph. I guess I thought that we'd both be fine because of that…"

Seliph wasn't quite sure what to say to that.

"I'm sorry," she continued. "That was… that was stupid. I should've thought to bring one…"

"Don't beat yourself up," Seliph told her. "I'll live. A cover and a bit of time to heal and it'll be good as new. Besides, it wasn't my sword arm."

She finally found what she was looking for - a bit of wrappings and a cloth. "Here, let's take that off."

The whole thing was connected, so Seliph helped her remove the armor he wore. He shrugged his arm out of the clothes he wore underneath as well, giving her more direct access as Tinni started to wrap the wound up tight.

Seliph frowned. "I'm not used to this."

Tinni blushed again, embarrassed. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't dwell on it," he responded. "I apologize, Tinni. I won't bring it up again."

She finished binding his wound in silence, grateful for his words.

"...There," she said when she finished. "I don't think you should strain it too much. It might reopen if you do, but Lana probably knows more about that than me…"

"I'll ask her to look at it after we rendezvous with the others," Seliph said. He gave her a little smile. "Thank you."

"I suppose it's good that we're stopping for the night," Tinni noted quietly.

"On that note, would you mind taking the first watch?" he asked. "I'd rather get a bit of rest in case someone else comes along."

"Ah, not at all," she replied. "I… I need to protect you, after all. That's why I'm here."

"You're here because I trust you, Tinni," he said, offering the same smile. "I have complete confidence that you'll drive away any attackers that come our way."

Tinni couldn't help but blush a bit at the declaration. "Then I guess I don't really have a choice now," she said.

The fire at their feet crackled and burned. Thanks to its magical nature, it hovered a short distance above the ground.

"You should sleep a bit now, Lord Seliph," Tinni told him. "I'll wake you up when it's time to switch." She paused for a moment. "Pleasant dreams."

"Thank you," he responded, laying down and shutting his eyes.

It didn't look like he'd fallen asleep that quickly, but she stayed quiet out of courtesy, drawing up into a cross-legged pose as she waited. She kept her ears open for any nearby movement, however.

Tinni glanced over at Seliph from time to time. She always thought that he would've looked quite peaceful as he slept, and that wasn't untrue - his features certainly softened and his expression was blank. But his eyebrows still turned inward, forming what looked like a rather unpleasant expression on her face.

Annoyance. Fear. Worry. It looked like it could be any of those, although Tinni's guess was the latter. Seliph spent a lot of his free time on his feet, checking and re-checking the state of just about everything in the army - weapons, armor, mounts, and most of all, the warriors. Seliph's ultimate goal may have been to topple the Grannvale Empire and return peace to Jugdral, but his true ideal was ensuring that no one died under him when it happened. He'd grown to be close friends with just about every member of the liberation army, and he was quite open about that.

Other generals might call that a weakness, being unable to sacrifice one's own warriors. Tinni, meanwhile, couldn't be more grateful for his kindness. He'd make a fine leader once they'd liberated the continent.

She shook her head. Now wasn't the time. She had to stay vigilant, and ensure that Seliph's trust wasn't misplaced.

Tinni stayed on high alert, but didn't hear anything for a long time. That being said, though, she didn't want to relax - that would be what the enemy was waiting for.

She waited for a long time - it felt like a few hours, but it could've been less. There wasn't any sound but the wind through the trees and the crackle of the fire. Tinni allowed herself to relax a little bit. Just a little, though.

She looked over at Seliph. She knew that she had told him that she would wake him up when it was time for the guard to switch, but he looked so peaceful when he was sleeping that she felt reluctant to do it. A small smile crept onto Tinni's face as she watched him, but she soon forced herself to look away, cheeks reddening.

Tinni mentally reprimanded herself for her behaviour, and before she could stop herself again, reached over and gently shook Seliph's shoulder. His eyelids fluttered a bit, but he soon woke up with a quiet noise. "Tinni…?"

"It's gotten late, Lord Seliph," she told him. "Time to switch, I think."

He scratched the back of his head, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and looked over at her. "Right… of course." He tilted his head a bit. "Tinni, are you alright?"

"Hm?"

"Your face is red."

The blush spread a bit further, but Tinni kept her voice steady despite herself. "I'm fine. I haven't seen anybody yet, so there's probably nothing to worry about for now."

"Mm." Seliph pulled himself into a sitting position and set his sword - well-worn from many a battle, but still in good condition - on the ground near his dominant hand. "Try to get some sleep then, Tinni."

She laid down without another word, fatigue suddenly hitting her body hard. It wasn't easy to get comfortable on the forest floor, but Tinni soon found her eyelids drooping, and she fell into the clutches of a restless sleep.

{asterisks}

"Tinni."

A hand was on her shoulder, shaking her awake. Tinni's eyes opened, and she groaned quietly as she sat up. She looked at the hand, thankfully finding that it was Seliph's. "W… what's going on?" she asked, failing to stifle a yawn.

"We need to move," Seliph told her.

All at once, Tinni was aware of the noise around them - faint sounds of battle. The trees muffled the sound, but the noises of steel on steel were unmistakable. She stood up, trying to shake off the fatigue, and as she did, a gurgling sound came from behind her. Tinni looked around and gasped at the sight.

An enemy soldier was lying there, bleeding from a wound in his torso. He wasn't moving much. She looked at Seliph for an explanation.

"He tried to attack us while you were sleeping," he explained. "I'm surprised you slept through it, but now isn't the time. Let me know when you're ready."

It didn't take more than a minute or two for Tinni to gather her supplies back up, and the both of them got back on to Seliph's horse and moved out.

They traversed the remainder of the forest slowly, and came across a couple more enemy troops, but managed to escape the woods without injury. The castle of Chronos was visible in the distance.

Tinni watched it approach with growing apprehension. Now that the forest was past them, it wouldn't take more than a half day - perhaps even less - for them to reach the castle. If all went according to plan, the others would join them there, and then it would be time.

Time to face off against her.

Tinni could feel her stomach doing backflips.

"Hold on," Seliph advised. She took the same position that she'd had yesterday - one hand readying a spell, and the other around Seliph's waist - as they sped up.

Tinni continued watching their surroundings. Far off to one side, a pair of horses broke away from the battle. Hopefully, that was Arthur and Ares. She looked forward next. Chronos castle was in front of them, and ahead of that, she could faintly see a small convoy of horses and riders.

"Is that the squad we're intercepting?" she asked.

Seliph leaned forward a bit, trying to get a good look ahead. "That's what it looks like."

"What's the plan?"

"Depends," Seliph replied. "It's supposed to be a pretty big convoy. If everyone can get past the forest in time, we'll fight them head-on and rescue the children right away. If not, we'll focus on taking Chronos first and launch a surprise attack when they get close."

Tinni gulped. "So we're hoping that Arthur, Ares, and Ced rendezvous with us, right?"

"At least them, yes," Seliph replied. "The five of us are prepared to storm the castle either way." His eyes flitted to the left and right. "Can you tell where they are?"

She looked back at the scene of the battle. "There's a couple of riders coming this way, but they're too far away for me to tell if it's them."

He was silent for a moment. "Keep an eye out. Once you're sure, let me know."

"Right!"

They had to keep moving forward - there was no way to know for sure at the moment, but their enemies had used long-range magic against them before, and there was every possibility that it would happen again. But even with magic, it was much, much harder to hit a moving target.

They continued to ride on toward Chronos, the path suspiciously devoid of enemy soldiers. Tinni's heart was pounding.

It continued in this vein for some time. The lack of opposition was scarier to her than any large-scale battle could be. The sounds of the battle in the forest had gone from her ears by now, and all she could hear were the horse's hooves on the ground and the wind whistling past them.

All the while, everything continued to move. Chronos castle got closer, and the convoy kept moving forward. She kept stealing glances at the two riders who were following them, and after an uncomfortably long time, recognized something unmistakable.

"That's… Mystletainn," she murmured.

Indeed, one of the riders was wielding the legendary blade itself. She watched as an enemy mage appeared out of nowhere and fired off a dark magic spell, which the rider cut through using the sword. Right after this, the second warrior retaliated with a brutal gale of wind, one that she had seen many times.

Tinni didn't need to look at the result to see that the two riders were their friends.

She felt a smile creep across her face. "Lord Seliph, it's them."

At her words, he stole a glance to the side to confirm it for himself. "Excellent," he said. Tinni could hear the relief in his voice.

They rode on, and Tinni could watch Ares and Arthur moving in closer. She looked ahead.

Chronos castle was almost upon them, and it looked like the riders would get there in time. It did not, however, look like everyone else would. If the plan went the way that Seliph had described, that meant that the five of them would be storming Chronos - and soon.

Tinni kept an eye on the entrance to the castle. The gates were shut, but with three mages in their group, that probably wouldn't be an issue. The main problem was that they probably wouldn't have the element of surprise on their side; the forest was the only cover offered to them between Perlucos and Chronos, and considering how much space they'd put behind them now, it wouldn't be difficult to spot them as they rode up to the castle's entrance.

As Tinni and Seliph rode up closer, Arthur and Ares finally caught up. She could see Ced riding with Ares, and smiled. Thank goodness everyone made it.

She stole a glance at the convoy again. It was noticeably closer to Chronos, but either they hadn't seen her and Seliph or they weren't in any particular hurry. "Lord Seliph," she said. "How long before the convoy arrives, do you think?"

Seliph looked at it again, and narrowed his eyes. "Hmm… at that pace, maybe another few hours. At the most, a half day."

Tinni gulped. At most, a half day was how much time they had to conquer Chronos. With five of them, against a castle, which had an unknown amount of enemies in it.

Well, she supposed that the others might come eventually while they were at it. That would probably be the best outcome.

The odds were against them, but when weren't they by now? This whole campaign had seen them being outnumbered, and working around it. This was nothing new.

That didn't stop Tinni from being afraid, but it brought her some small amount of comfort. They had done this kind of thing before, and they could certainly do it again.

Yes. She just had to steel herself. She took a deep breath, and fixed her eyes on Chronos.

Seliph's horse slowed, and finally came to a halt in front of the closed gates. Behind them, Ares and Arthur had arrived as well. This was as ready as they were gonna get.

"Tinni, do you think you can break it down?" Seliph asked.

Break the gate? She hadn't done that before, but there wasn't time to argue. She dismounted, and took a moment to gather energy within her body.

Tinni took a breath, and as she did, she felt the ring that Arthur had given her burn a little with heat. It caught her off guard, but she kept going, and when she was finally ready, extended one hand.

"Thoron!" she shouted, and a brilliant beam of lightning shot out of her hand, punching straight through the wooden gate and continuing to fly. She watched as it happened to strike a soldier on the other side.

She didn't even mean for that to happen.

Arthur stepped forward next. Forseti's brutal winds whipped out from the hole she made in the door and expanded outward, tearing the remainder of the wood to shreds. As that happened, Ced caught the wooden shards with a Tornado spell, and sent them flying forward into the castle. The shards shot ahead, and some of them embedded themselves in the bodies of a few more soldiers. The remainder stuck in the floor.

For a tense second that felt like hours, nothing happened, and Tinni had to wonder if they really did have the element of surprise. There were several soldiers lined up inside, and they had thoroughly shocked looks on their faces.

But she didn't have time to worry about that, because the battle had truly begun. Seliph and Ares had drawn their blades, and Arthur and Ced were beginning to weave their magic next to her. Tinni had to fight, too, and scanned her surroundings as quickly as she could.

Most of the enemy warriors in the immediate area were heavily armored, which meant that the three mages had a lot of work to do. Tinni could see a few foes who were dressed more like the assailant from the previous night - lighter clothes, built for speed - and they were the ones who Seliph and Ares would be more likely to deal with. Knowing who was at the head of this castle, she could also expect to see some enemy mages, but Mystletainn granted Ares the power to battle them more easily than just about anyone else in the army.

Speaking of enemy mages, Hilda was nowhere to be seen. She must've been somewhere deeper within the castle. But now wasn't the time to worry about that. Tinni gathered a shot of Thoron as quick as she could, and let loose at the closest opponent.

His movement slowed, but didn't stop, and his armor clanked together as he moved forward. Tinni fired a second shot, and the soldier went down.

The ring that Arthur had given her was growing hot again. She wasn't sure what it was supposed to be doing, but it wasn't uncomfortable, and she felt fine, so she kept going.

Seliph and Ares were ahead of them, doing their best to goad the foes into fighting one-on-one. Powerful combatants though they were, neither would last for long against a large crowd of enemies, and they knew it.

Unfortunately, their opponents seemed to know it too. Orders were barked, and a circle quickly formed around the pair of swordfighters, cutting them off from their allies. Tinni gasped, and immediately aimed at one of the warriors keeping them trapped.

"Lord Seliph!" she shouted, and fired. The brilliant bolt hit its mark, and she could see Seliph take advantage of the opening to begin an assault against the group.

I have to help! Tinni thought. She aimed, and fired again. An attack from both sides was much more likely to succeed.

Tinni watched the bolt fly forward and…

...miss.

The warrior she was aiming at had ducked to avoid a strike from Seliph, who was standing right in front of him. Tinni's eyes widened. Seliph saw the attack coming straight for him, and turned away as quickly as he could, but the bolt from Thoron grazed his injured arm.

Seliph's expression was pained. Ares' turned angry, and he backed up a bit to defend him. Tinni watched in horror as the circle began to close.

"Arthur! Help!" she cried, and aimed again. This time, she went for someone who wasn't in between her and Seliph, and fired again.

"Tinni, to your right!"

Ced's voice came from one side, and she whipped her head around to look. An enemy swordfighter was coming at her quickly.

The space between them was closing fast. It didn't look like she'd have time to launch an attack before he would be upon her.

Out of nowhere, however, Arthur had jumped in front of her. He let loose with Forseti's gale, straight at the soldier from point-blank range.

"Get away from my sister!" he snarled.

The wind whipped across the soldier's body, causing cuts to appear there, and he was blown backwards at a great speed. His body slammed against the far wall, and when he fell to the floor, he wasn't moving.

Tinni was grateful, but there was no time to express it. She looked back at Seliph and Ares. Seliph had gotten back on his feet, and Ares cleaved through one of the soldiers with Mystletainn, but they were still outnumbered. As she watched, a couple of the soldiers moved in from the circle and aimed attacks at their backs.

"Arthur, help!" she cried. But she didn't have time to fire a shot before their attacks would land.

The first warrior swung at Seliph's side. His armor caught on the blow, but it wasn't enough to stop it. Seliph cried out in pain, but quickly reversed his grip on his sword and drove it behind him. Whether out of sheer luck or impressive skill, the sword met its mark, and the warrior fell.

Ares caught this happening out of the corner of his eye, and whirled around to parry the attack from the second enemy soldier. Without missing a beat, he drove Mystletainn through the foe's belly, and withdrew just as quickly as the man fell.

The whole exchange took little more than a few seconds, and Tinni quickly raised her hand. "Arthur!" she repeated.

The two of them let loose with their magic. Thoron blew through the first target to strike the man behind him, and Forseti's gale ripped through the air, scattering debris and causing enough confusion that Seliph and Ares had a chance to retreat. Behind her, Tinni could hear the telltale sounds of Ced's Tornado tome as well. He was probably covering them.

Now that Seliph and Ares were out of the way, there was nothing stopping the mages from going all-out. Tinni darted away from an incoming attack, and took a moment before firing Thoron yet again at her current assailant. Ced whipped up a blast of wind that carried another soldier right out of the gates, and Arthur made use of Forseti to force his foes away from him before following up with the tome's characteristic storms.

"Ced!" Ares barked. "Tend to Seliph!"

Tinni watched. Ares was supporting Seliph on one shoulder. Their young leader was pale, with a pained expression on his face. His injured arm was hanging limply at one side, and his torso was bloody. Ares helped him down into a sitting position as Ced rushed to his side.

She shook her head. Tinni could worry about that later. They were still under attack, although the bulk of the fight was over. The only enemies left were a few stragglers to pick off, several of which were retreating already.

She stepped up to Arthur's side, and helped him finish off the last few targets - the ones who still attacked, at least. Those who were retreating, they allowed to leave.

Strategically speaking, that was probably a bad idea. But considering the ruckus they'd already kicked up, anyone else inside the castle - well, one person in particular - certainly knew they were inside by now. It wouldn't change much if someone told them. Instead, they allowed themselves a moment's peace before the fighting inevitably started again.

Feeling confident that they wouldn't be attacked for a short while yet, Tinni rushed to where Ced and Seliph were. Unlike her, Ced did remember to bring a staff with him, and was making good use of it to help patch up their leader's wounds.

She knelt down next to them. "Lord Seliph, are you alright?"

She winced inwardly as she asked the question. Of course he wasn't. He'd been injured more in the past day than she'd seen him in weeks. His armor, which had been set aside for the moment, had more blood on it now (although how much of it was actually his, she couldn't say), and his arm was dangerously still.

Despite all this, he still managed to smile at her. "I've been better."

The warm light of Ced's staff washed over him, and the wound in his side mostly closed as Tinni watched. Seliph experimentally pressed his good hand against it, and grimaced. "It still feels tender."

"Healing magic can do a great many things, Lord Seliph, but an instant cure-all it is not," Ced told him. "How about your arm?"

Seliph opened his clothes a bit and pulled his arm out so it was clearly visible. Tinni's wrapping job from the previous night was still there, although it had unraveled quite a bit by now. There were also noticeable burn marks.

"I-I…" she whispered. "Lord Seliph, I'm so sorry…!"

"It's not your fault," he said immediately. "You couldn't have foreseen what would happen."

She swallowed hard. "But… you were still hurt because of me. My magic."

"And I still believe in you, Tinni," he told her. "I'll live."

"You were lucky it was a glancing blow," Ced noted. "If it had hit you dead-on, you would be in much worse shape."

"Lucky indeed," Seliph replied. "I don't expect to be doing much more fighting from here on out."

"Lana is much more knowledgeable in these things than I am," Ced said. "And more skilled, to boot. I expect she'll get you up and running by the end of the week at the latest, but for today, I don't think you should push yourself anymore."

"Understood," Seliph said.

"I'll guard you until we can rendezvous with the others," Ced continued. "Arthur, Ares, and you, Tinni, will have to be responsible for the attack from now on."

"O-okay," Tinni said.

This would be fine, she told herself. The bulk of the forces in the castle would be gone by now. There wouldn't be much more left, and if they had weathered the initial battle, they should be fine getting through whatever was left even with fewer warriors at their disposal.

"We should move on soon," Seliph said. He used his good arm to help himself stand up, and Ced stayed by his side.

"That won't be necessary. You can die right here."

The new voice echoed through the hall, a low female one with a cruel edge to it. The voice was accompanied by the slow, deliberate sound of steps on stone.

A flickering light appeared in a stairway in the corner of the room. The sound seemed to be coming from there, and as they watched, a tall female figure appeared there with a flickering flame in one hand. A smug smirk was on her face, and she kept walking until she was in the center of the room, reasonably far from all of them.

Tinni gasped, recognizing the face easily. It was a face that she had become very familiar with, a face belonging to the person that had caused the death of her mother.

Hilda looked at each of them in turn. No one had moved yet. Tinni was closest to her, and she was trying to gauge the situation.

The fight hadn't started yet. She still had time to think, so her mind was racing, trying to work out any advantage they might have by running down what she knew.

Weapons. Let's start with that. She had learned that although Hilda was a descendant of Fjalar, she was unable to use Valflame. Even if she could, that weapon would almost certainly be in the hands of Emperor Arvis, so the most likely outcome was that Hilda would be wielding another powerful fire tome, like Bolganone. At least they wouldn't have a holy weapon to deal with this time.

Terrain was next. There wasn't much in the way of it inside the castle - sturdy stone pillars to hide behind were about the extent of it. Tinni wasn't confident that she'd be able to punch a hole through one with Thoron - at least, not very easily - so they'd be effective cover for Hilda, but probably not for her.

And… was there anything else?

Tinni gulped. Was that really all there was to it? She wasn't sure if she could take Hilda in a head-on fight. Their weapons would be about equal in strength, so the deciding factor was likely to be their individual magical prowess, and Tinni didn't think she could surpass Hilda in that regard.

...No. That was wrong. She did have the better weapon. Her mother's strength was within Thoron, and she would help Tinni win.

That was what she hoped, at least.

"So what did you expect to accomplish here?" Hilda asked. The edge was still present in her voice.

Seliph was the one to reply. "We're here to stop the child hunts that you-"

"Not you," Hilda snarled. She flicked a hand in Seliph's direction.

The ground beneath him began to open up, and Seliph's eyes widened. He began to scramble backwards, with Ced helping him out, as the hole beneath them continued to expand. Once it had grown considerably, fire began spewing from within it, hurling in every direction. Tinni had to take cover, and it looked like everyone else was doing the same. Heat surrounded them for several seconds.

Once it had cleared, Tinni looked back around. It didn't look like anyone had been hurt, luckily, but if the room hadn't been mostly stone, they would've been surrounded by an inferno by now.

Hilda continued as if nothing had happened. "I was trying to speak to my lovely. Little. Niece."

Tinni raised her head and looked at her.

"I'll ask again," Hilda said. "And this time I don't want to be interrupted. What did you expect to accomplish here, Tinni?"

Tinni swallowed, and fought to keep her voice steady. "We… we're here to stop the child hunts. We're here to help the children you kidnapped."

Hilda slapped her forehead with one hand and made a frustrated noise. "No, you stupid little girl, that's why he's here," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at Seliph. "I thought that after all this time you would finally grow a brain in that head of yours, but apparently I still need to spell it out for you. He is here to help those precious little children. I want to know why you are here."

Tinni said nothing. Hilda smirked. "Come now, you can say it. We all know exactly what you're here for, Tinni. Don't make me force it out of you."

She gritted her teeth, but her voice remained surprisingly calm. "I'm here to kill you."

"Yes, I'm sure you are," Hilda said. The smirk never left her face. "How long have you been waiting for a moment like this, Tinni? How long have you wanted to kill me?"

"As long as I can remember," Tinni said. One of her hands clenched into a fist.

"And do you think you can?"

"I know I can."

Hilda chuckled. "Pray tell, then, why haven't you done it already?"

Tinni said nothing. She was trying not to show weakness - trying not to admit that she wasn't sure if she could win.

Hilda kept laughing. "You incompetent fool. You're afraid, aren't you? You're just as spineless as your mother was."

"Stop," Tinni said before she could stop herself. The onlookers might have noticed that she was trembling, but Tinni herself did not. "Don't talk about my mother."

"Oh? Struck a nerve, did I?" Hilda asked, feigning surprise. "Your mother was pathetic, Tinni. But my goodness, was it ever fun having her around! Sometimes, I wish she hadn't died. It would be nice to have someone to ruin again."

Tinni couldn't recall the last time she'd felt this angry. She wasn't sure if it had ever happened. "She died because of you."

"Oh well," Hilda said with a shrug, as if she hadn't heard Tinni speak. "I suppose I'll just have to settle for you instead. Even if it's just for a few minutes, maybe it'll make this day worth it." Hilda narrowed her eyes. "Do you think you can entertain me, Tinni?"

Tinni took a deep breath in response. Thoron provided her with that comforting hum of power, and she readied her attack.

Hilda's eyes lit up. "Oh my, you're much more defiant than you used to be. This could be fun. Do you still have those scars I gave you, niece? Would you mind letting me relive a few memories?"

"I am not your niece," Tinni said. Her voice began to rise. "You are not my family. You are a murderer, Hilda, and I will stop you."

"Ha! Big words, coming from such a worthless little girl!" Hilda crowed. "If that's how you'll be, then go ahead and try!"

Tinni didn't bother to respond to that. She simply raised her hand and blasted Thoron directly at Hilda.

Without missing a beat, the older woman spun out of the way and let the attack strike the stone wall behind her. It made a noise when it hit, but fizzled out without damaging the stone. Hilda turned back around and scoffed. "Even your magic is pathetic," she taunted. "My daughter would've blasted that wall to pieces."

Admittedly, she was right, but that was only because Ishtar could actually wield a holy weapon. There was a big difference there, and both of them knew it. Hilda was just trying to get under her skin.

Tinni took a step forward, and fired again. Hilda stepped back and away, and snapped her fingers. A ball of fire manifested next to her and shot in Tinni's direction. The younger girl ducked just in time. She could feel the heat pass over her head.

Hilda pointed at the ground underneath her next, and once again, a hole began to form. Tinni darted away as fast as she could, and once again, an inferno formed around them as Bolganone revealed its power.

However, Tinni wasn't just running to evade the attack. She used Hilda's move as a distraction, allowing her to move quickly and land a shot of Thoron.

Hilda noticed at the last moment, and tried to dodge again, but the brilliant bolt grazed her side. Immediately, the smirk dropped off her face, and she pressed a hand to the place where she'd been hit.

In that moment, Hilda's expression twisted into one of pure rage, and she stalked toward Tinni. Tinni scrambled backwards, but she hit a pillar as she did. She extended her arm, but Hilda had reached her by now, and she grabbed the extended limb and hauled her to her feet.

"You insolent little brat!" Hilda snarled. Her free hand came up, and connected with Tinni's face, hard. It stung, and badly. "How dare you wound me!"

"Tinni!" Arthur's voice came from behind them. Hilda looked back to them, eyes blazing, and extended one hand. Once again, Bolganone's blaze began to form, this time beneath Arthur's feet.

Tinni didn't have time to see if he had moved out of the way, because Hilda's hand came up and slapped her once again. She cried out in pain, and her eyes began to sting with tears.

"Quiet!" Hilda shouted. "I can't stand it when you cry like that! Shut up and accept your punishment like a good little girl!"

Crack. Another slap. Tinni's dominant arm was still being held tight, so she couldn't attack.

With a surprising amount of force, Hilda swung her body into the stone floor. Tinni cried out once again. When she met the rock, she could feel a wet sensation on her head, and suddenly felt quite sick.

Tinni absently noted that she could hear footsteps now, rapidly approaching her position, and she braced herself for another strike.

But no, these footsteps were coming from the other direction, and she could see Hilda raise her head to look at her next assailant.

"Stay out of this!" she shouted, and raised one hand. Another small fireball appeared and shot in one direction. She heard a grunt of effort - Seliph - and he appeared from the corner of her vision, apparently unscathed.

She was grateful for the help, but a part of her stubbornly wished she could refuse it. Hilda was her enemy. This was her fight.

But Tinni forced that part down, and decided to take the chance that was given to her. With Hilda having let her go, she could finally raise her hand and allow Thoron's bolt to fly once again. The tears in her eyes made it harder to aim, but Hilda's outline was unmistakable.

Hilda didn't have a chance to react with Seliph still charging toward her, especially when Tinni was attacking from point-blank range. Hilda's eyes widened. She successfully got out of the way of Seliph's strike, but Thoron landed a direct hit.

That's for you, Mother, Tinni thought.

Hilda was forced backwards, but it wasn't a fatal blow; the attack had been hasty, and didn't carry enough strength to kill. But the fact that she had landed a direct hit in the first place was enough for the moment.

Still a bit dazed, Tinni forced herself to her feet as quickly as she could, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head. Seliph was there to offer her a shoulder, and she took it gratefully. She vaguely thought that she shouldn't, since he was still injured, but he didn't seem discomforted, so she figured there wasn't a problem.

If it was possible, Hilda's expression turned even angrier. She pointed at the ground beneath their feet, and the telltale sign of Bolganone appeared there. Tinni was prepared this time, however, and used that short moment to fire off Thoron yet again. It was another direct hit, and the attack ended prematurely.

Hilda was knocked off her feet, and rolled a few feet backwards. Her stance was shaky as she got back to her feet, and she was breathing heavily.

Tinni drew in power again, preparing to deliver the final blow. The ring - her ring - began to heat up again, and as images of her mother's face flashed through her head, she let loose with Thoron one more time with a cry.

The attack shot right at Hilda, whose eyes went wide. Time seemed to slow down, and as Tinni watched, Hilda turned on her heel and disappeared.

Thoron struck the stone wall harmlessly, and Tinni stared.

She was vaguely aware of Seliph easing her down into a sitting position. Footsteps came next, and Ced and Arthur appeared next to her. She was bathed with a warm light from Ced's staff, and she could feel the wound on her head closing.

"What was that?" Seliph asked.

"Some mages of sufficient skill can instantly move from place to place," Arthur explained. "They disappear and reappear somewhere else."

"How far?"

"Can't be sure. But if she's retreating to Grannvale, she could very well be on the main continent right now."

"What makes you think she retreated? Could she not still be in the castle, preparing an ambush?"

Arthur smirked. "Tinni did a hell of a number on her. If it were me, I'd regroup."

"Besides," Ced chimed in. "That kind of instant movement takes a toll on your body. After that fight, it would have to be a last resort, and she wouldn't be going anywhere for another few days after it. She'll need time to recover."

"I see," Seliph mused. "Do you know from experience?"

"Indeed," Ced replied. "I've tried it a few times. I've not practiced much, so I can't move very far yet, but it still takes all my energy just to move from room to room. You'll forgive me if I don't demonstrate."

"Of course. Thank you for the information, both of you."

Tinni took note of this conversation as it happened around her, but didn't pay much attention. Her body was trying to catch up with her mind.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd used her magic that much, so close together. Compounded with her injuries, Tinni felt exhausted - not so much that she couldn't move, but she didn't trust her chances in a fight for a while. The battle with Hilda had pushed her to her limit.

Even more than that, however, another thought was at the forefront of her mind.

"She… she got away," Tinni said in a small voice.

The three of them looked at her when she spoke.

"Hilda… got away," she repeated. "She's still… alive…" Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes again. "I failed Mother…"

Seliph shook his head. "You haven't failed anyone, Tinni."

She looked at him, silently asking him to continue.

"You won," he said. "If you hadn't, she would still be here. Hilda got away because you beat her, Tinni. And when we find her again, you'll beat her again."

"But… what's stopping her from running again?" Tinni asked. "What if she gets away for real next time?"

"Do you think she would?"

She opened her mouth to respond before closing it again, thinking.

No, she realized. No, she wouldn't, and Tinni said this out loud.

"She's… she's too prideful for that. I think if we find her again, she'll stay, even if it kills her."

"Then that's it," Seliph said. "I've no doubt we'll see her again, and when we do, you'll be ready. We already know you can do this, Tinni, and now you know as well."

"The next time we meet Hilda, you'll win again for sure," Arthur agreed. "You know you can do it now, right? And so does she. If anything, Hilda is the one who should be running scared of you."

Tinni took a moment to process this information.

They were right. Of course they were right. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She had won once, and she could do it again.

It wouldn't be easy. But it would certainly happen.

"Thank you…" she murmured. She reached up and pulled both of them into a hug. Before she could stop herself, she also planted a kiss on Seliph's cheek.

No one made any mention of it when they all pulled away, although Seliph's cheeks were dusted with pink and Arthur's eyes were narrowed. Perhaps there was a discussion to be had, but now wasn't the time.

"Lord Seliph!"

Another familiar voice came from the gate. This time, it belonged to Larcei. Tinni looked around and smiled at what she saw.

Everyone else had made it.

"Well met!" Seliph replied. There was a smile on his face, too - relief. "What's going on?"

"The convoy will be here soon," Larcei replied. "We're all set to send them packing!"

"Perfect," Seliph replied. "I'll be right with you." He knelt back down to Tinni again, and spoke with her.

"Rest up, alright?" he requested quietly. "I think you've done more than enough fighting for one day. You can ride with Oifey, and stay behind us. I'll get Lana to look after your injuries as well."

Tinni almost protested out of reflex, but he was definitely right. She was thoroughly exhausted, and any fighting in this state wasn't about to end well for her. "Right…"

He smiled. "Thank you. You did well today, Tinni. Don't forget that."

She returned the smile gratefully as Seliph got up and prepared to lead the charge. His words continued to echo in her mind.

You did well today.

And she would continue to do so. That would be Tinni's goal.

[A/N] Jeez, it was really hard to write that last fight scene. Turns out that two mages slinging the same spells at each other over and over isn't that interesting on its own.

On a happier note, I've been at this for over a year and it is FINALLY done. My main worry throughout this story was that I was making Tinni seem too pathetic, and while that worry still persisted by the end, I'd like to think I did a decent job at writing her either way.

With this project finally finished, I've got some other stuff I need to work on next. That'll get here when it gets here, I suppose.

Thank you for reading!