So instead of writing a lot more, I went back to my backlog because for some reason, I wanted to upload a new chapter near my birthday (only a couple of days late). I guess it's because I know that I wouldn't get much time to enjoy it on the actual day or the upcoming weeks even, so you guys might as get something out of it. I should have edited more I think, but I got tired and just wanted to put it up already. I'll check again later.

"I feel violated," Loiya mumbled, poking his new armour. He was dressed in red and gold armour, which fit surprisingly well for armour that wasn't built to his specifications like his armour in Daein was. He had his lance from the port and a shield, but he merely kicked it over. He never used the shield in Daein and although he said he refused to use it in Begnion, Kaetar doubted he would really go through with it. Kaetar himself was wearing the uniform of a typical Bengion archer... he wasn't even a promoted unit like Loiya was. It reminded him of far apart their skill levels really were.

"It doesn't bother me much but I can see why you would be so disturbed..." Nicholas mumbled with a shrug. He had a red hood pulled over his blonde hair, which was set down instead of being tied back like it usually was. "You're so fiercely loyal to Daein... it's kind of scary sometimes."

"I honestly feel like throwing up. No offence to Begnion but why should I have to wear their uniform? And we don't even get to talk to the girls as much because we can't share a barrack with them! And what about Ema? She can't use a weapon so there's no uniform for her!" Loiya removed his helmet and shook his hair. It was alright, seeing as they were in the barracks, a darkened room that contained many beds and left little room for actual armour to sit when it wasn't being used.

"It's only until Syrin and Darius get back or for one month, whichever comes first. I think you can survive until that time. It's not like we're going head-to-head with Daein or anything," Nicholas reasoned with a shy smile.

Loiya huffed. "You can say that because you were born in Begnion."

"But I wasn't raised in Begnion. I grew up in Crimea for one part of my life and in Daein for another part of my life. I'm not attached to a banner in any, shape or form," Nicholas began with a shrug. "If anything, I fight for myself and for my beliefs. I believe in Syrin's cause so that why I'm here now. I also believe that I should protect you because of everything that you father did for me, so the only right thing to do is to make sure you get home. If that means that I have to spend a month under Begnion's flag then that's just the price I have to pay to advance my goals."

Kaetar always thought of Nicholas as being cheerful but he was being serious. Like Darius, Nicholas had more to him then just being happy and chatty.

"I see... I'll do my best to cope then," Loiya answered.

"I just hope that this isn't the only place we'll be at. I was hoping that I could find my parents in Begnion since there was no sign of them in Crimea or Daein. That means that they have to be somewhere in Begnion, unless they've moved into a laguz country," Nicholas murmured quietly.

"Are they still alive?"

"I think it's a strong possibility. I don't believe that there any deaths in that fire and age would not have done them in yet. However... I just don't know if I would recognize them if I saw them. It's been long enough that they probably wouldn't recognize me either. I grew up and changed during our years apart and they would have gotten older as well," Nicholas mumbled, his head hanging low.

"Could a parent not recognize their child?" Kaetar asked. He was sure that at least Nicholas' parents would recognize him, even if he couldn't recognize his parents. They watched him grow up and for the longest time, his face was the one face they would have known the best. He couldn't be drastically different, even after growing up. Kaetar had no doubt that he would be recognized but it was a simple matter of where they were.

Though it seemed that Nicholas either didn't worry at all or he worried too much.

"A mother would know. Maternal instincts and what not," Loiya mumbled. "Mothers always seem to know."

"I suppose you're right as well. Still, I can't help put to wonder-"

"You three! Back to training! No excuses!" Yugris shouted from outside the barracks. Loiya sighed as he lifted up his shield.

All Kaetar could say was that he was thankful for the arm braces. He heard the string slap against it several times, reminding him of the nasty bruise from his attempts at Rykuu's home. If it was not for the arm braces, then his entire arm would have been purple and blue for a good two weeks.

He was rusty in the beginning. He had to relearn his stance and how to aim with plenty of help from the other archers. Some of them laughed but many of them were not much better than he was. It was the first time that anyone laughed at him in such a demeaning way; Kaetar could only hope that Loiya was showing everyone who a proper fighting Daein was.

He also lost Nicholas and what happened to the laguz was a mystery to all.

Kaetar sighed.

"Your aim is getting better! You're going faster than some people here did," the trainer commented with a grin. The commander, who Kaetar never learned the name of, was a tall and thin fellow with little muscle tone. He had shaggy black hair with one brown eye; the other was covered with an eye patch so he had some sort of accident. Kaetar questioned his trainer's aim but his tips were spot on.

"He spent the entire day on that iron bow," someone muttered.

"Practice makes perfect, just like I have been telling you boys all along! Sure you laugh now but this is kind of dedication that gets you somewhere. Where do you come from?" the older man asked, patting Kaetar's shoulder with his calloused hands.

"Daein," he answered without much thought.

The man had a surprised look on his face and Kaetar regretted not thinking through his answer. No one in Daein would fight for Begnion, especially someone of Kaetar's status! None of them knew he was a prince aside from Yugris and those who arrested him and he was sure that they didn't tell anyone. However, another slip up would be a complete disaster.

"You're from Daein?"

"Born in Daein but raised here," Kaetar mumbled quietly. He didn't know what he would do if Nicholas hadn't brought up his past again.

"Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter too much. With more practice you'll be a fine shooter in no time," he answered. Kaetar didn't think that he bought it completely but there were no further questions.

He considered himself safe for now. If people found out that he was a prince, it could cause serious problems. For one, there was a lot of people and he had a feeling he would hounded on for various things constantly. It was more of a Daein thing since he more of an important figure there but royalty anywhere was tedious. He had gold and not everyone else did. Second, he wasn't sure about his safety here. He could take on his other archers as most of them weren't much bigger physically. However, he as scared about the other people he would meet in the barracks; they were not all archers. In fact, he was probably the only archer in his barrack. If someone had a vendetta against Daein, he was in trouble.

Finally, he didn't want a title holding him back. Serena was different in the way that she wanted him to fight instead of sitting around but no one else would feel the same. It all pointed back to the fact that no one wanted to start a war among nations again. No one wanted to harm the peace. He would most like sit in a corner while other protected him, fearing the wrath of Daein if something happened to their prince.

With a sigh, Kaetar raised the bow again and fired. He could feel how weak the bow was under his fingers, coming to the conclusion that the bow was useless to him in such a state.

Kaetar practiced for a week when he started hearing of the Daein Demon and came to one conclusion. Loiya's body had to be back to the way it was when he was training under Daein. Who else could be the Daein Demon if not Loiya? He was more skilled then most people his age due to the training he received when he was little and it surprised many that a baby face could wield a lance like he could.

He was certainly young but sometimes, Kaetar had the sneaking suspicion that Loiya consciously used it his advantage whenever he sparred with recruits.

Kaetar slipped away from his training and wandered the fields until he saw the halberdiers sparring. They were all using sticks and some had a coloured ribbon hung loosely their necks but most importantly, they were all missing their armour. It was very easy to spot Loiya without the helmet or the armour concealing him.

They had to be playing some game. While some had no ribbons on and they were sitting on the side, others had two or three and some with five or six wrapped around their arms. Loiya had five, not including the one hanging off his neck. For the most part, Loiya seemed to be on the defensive. Whenever someone tried to strike him, Loiya merely jumped out of the way or held his own stick up to protect himself. Or at least it was the first thought that went through his mind. It only took a moment for Kaetar what game it was that they were playing.

The ribbon represented life. When one soldier got hit, the person who hit them earned their ribbon. Loiya was protecting his ribbon and also "killed" five people.

Kaetar knew Loiya enough to see that he was exhausted. Perhaps he went a little wild at first to steal all the ribbons that he did and left little energy to defend himself with. Perhaps his body wasn't completely back to status-quo yet. The prince watched painfully as someone jabbed Loiya with their stick, hitting him hard enough to knock him down. The winner stepped over him and pulled his ribbon from his neck, though he didn't touch the ribbons on his arm.

"And the demon is down!" Someone shouted. Loiya rolled over to his side.

"Leave it Kasey to take him down!"

Kaetar stepped a little closer.

"BREAK! I don't think he's doing too good!" Kasey shouted, bending over Loiya who had yet to come back to his feet. He helped the bodyguard sit up and pounded his back a couple of times.

"Cut it out! I'm just winded!" Loiya panted. "Damn it all... did you hit everyone that hard?"

Kasey smiled helped him to his feet and off of the battlefield. It was relatively silent for those who cheered his fall moments before. Perhaps he really didn't look that good but he was too far away to know for sure. If anything, a good break was all he needed and he would fine.

Kaetar didn't watch the rest of the game. He had no one else to cheer for, no matter how friendly Kasey was.

It was a lucky blow. That was all there was to it.

But that's all it took.

Apparently, Loiya wasn't too hungry after having a stick shoved into his chest, leaving Kaetar to wonder how big the bruise was. Nicholas joined the two of them in the mess hall, his plate full as well - though it wasn't like they had much of a choice in what they got. It was typically bread, vegetables and mystery meat that even Kaetar ate when he was hungry enough.

He glanced down at Loiya's plate. For the most part, there was still a lot of food on it.

"Don't like it?" the mage mumbled.

"Not hungry," Loiya responded.

"Why? Is it the game from today?" Kaetar asked as he finished his plate.

"How did you know about the game?"

"I finished my training and went to look for you. I was there when you got hit in the stomach and lost your ribbon," the prince explained, pushing Loiya's plate back towards him. He needed to regain all the energy he lost or he would fall ill and it really wasn't a good time to fall ill. They needed to perform to stay in Serena's favour and for that, they had no time for illness.

He had to be the most exhausted of all of them and he refused to eat. He had to move more than Nicholas or himself, being one of the classes on the front lines and a class who had to use their entire body to fight. He had to eat. Loiya glanced at the prince and then, as if slowly understanding the prince's worries, he began to slowly eat the food on his plate. The bodyguard didn't look as though he enjoyed eating but it made Kaetar happy that he decided to put his health first for once.

"So you are the Daein Demon," Nicholas chuckled.

"Who else would it be? But it's just a nickname, it doesn't bother me very much. If anything, I take it as a compliment."

"That's the way to think of it, I suppose. Aren't you worried at all, though? You still need to survive for another three weeks here. These people can make those three week awful for you if you can't cooperate with them," the mage muttered.

"Who said this had anything to do with cooperation?" Loiya asked suddenly.

"Demons are not liked, Loiya. Perhaps you wave the Daein flag too proudly. It is one thing to proud of your country but you should also represent your country," Nicholas answered sombrely. Kaetar could see Loiya tense up.

"I don't need a lecture," Loiya answered.

Nicholas sighed but remained silent.

"Let's not think about that now. We've been here for a week, no? Surely there must have been progress," Kaetar said suddenly. "I can hit more than half my targets now."

"Really? In a single week?" Loiya asked.

"Well, it's not like I haven't had experience before. I didn't forget the skills necessary to use to use it... it's just my aim that was bad. After all of this nonstop training though, I've been able to improve my aim a lot," Kaetar explained with a smile.

"Now that I think of it, my accuracy with Elthunder has improved a great deal as well. They have also allowed me to try a Bolting tome and I could still hit targets. My magic has improved but I never noticed until you brought it up."

"I just... regained what I lost on the boat. I think that this point it's difficult for me to improve unless I fight someone who is better, not at the same skill level. Rather, I keep what I have," Loiya mumbled, finally finishing his plate.

"Let's go outside," Nicholas mumbled. The other to nodded and followed him to edge of the base. This was considered their free time. After all, if no one got a break then it could only prove to detrimental to the army. It helped no one. This didn't mean that they could leave but rather it meant that they could have time to themselves. For once, they fought exhaustion and ventured their limits. Kaetar spoke up first.

"Maybe there is a reason that Serena put us up for this. For one she probably thinks that this is funny. She thought it was hilarious that Loiya used vulgar language so her sense of humour is rather... odd. Second, maybe this is her way of helping the rebellion without making any big political moves like sending a regiment of her own army. This way, she can listen to the conversation without entering the room sort of thing."

"I can see that. Instead of adding to our army she instead improves the skill of what we have. But didn't someone say that skill eventually loses?" Nicholas asked as he relaxed himself on the ground.

"Eventually a small group will be overwhelmed, no matter how great they are. That is true. But if what Kaetar said is true, she can't add to our numbers. We have to rely on Darius and Syrin to that for us. Instead, she can make sure that we are ready to fight when they do return. When we leave, we'll have both our skills and numbers boosted," Loiya answered. He too was lounging on the ground. He decided to take his shirt off and sat in an undershirt, though he had to remove his collection of ribbons first.

"That's very sneaky of her," Nicholas muttered.

Kaetar just shrugged. It was just the way that it worked. Being in charge of a country and interacting with the other people who are in charge of a country was a dangerous game. Serena didn't seem to share everything on her mind and neither did his own father. They all wanted peace but did that mean they trusted each other? Did the laguz kings trust each other more than they would ever trust the beorc rulers? Or was the peace the existed everywhere- except for Crimea - only exist because of mutual fear? No one wanted to be the one to ruin the peace; history would always remember that and remember it harshly. Some still seemed bitter about what Daein did a little over a century and a half ago. Some Daeins were a little bitter about Begnion's oppression.

And when people got over that, they'll remember this rebellion. They'll also remember anyone who started a serious war.

And Grann was just in the middle of it all, being a country of Branded that didn't seem to have political power. They got their independence and seemingly disappeared from history. No one knew or even really seemed to care how they were doing, almost as if it was doomed to be alone from the start. Was that something Grann wanted? What place did they have in all of it anyway? Would they support Syrin or would they support the cause? If Syrin ended up dying, would they leave?

Kaetar didn't want to play. He was worried about being on the throne but he didn't have a choice. If he cared about Daein whatsoever, he wouldn't leave the country without a leader. He would have to put his own interests aside and take control but the thought made him anxious. Who knows who still be leading when his reign started? Who was he going to have to earn trust from? The only people who he could count on staying were Ramon and Kurthnaga – the youngest king who could be a couple years older and a dragon laguz.

Not even the cool breeze could make him feel better. What was it about the night sky that made him think so much? He could hear Nicholas and Loiya talking in the background but Kaetar couldn't stay focused on their conversation. He was too worried about his own future. Would he be like Ramon? Or Pelleas? He wasn't remembered for anything remarkable or even anything good – just a short reign and dragging Daein in war against the Laguz Alliance. The greatest thing he did, in Kaetar's opinion, was turning the throne to Micaiah.

He didn't want to be a bad king... but he didn't know how to be a good king.

Kaetar found himself getting distracted constantly during his training. Though his worries from the previous night still deprived him of sleep, he had some time to think about it through. His father had plenty of time to teach him assuming that Kaetar came home. His father was getting older but he had still had plenty of years left to tutor his son. It wasn't like he was being tossed onto the throne and left to figure out everything on his own. He had time, a concept that made Kaetar feel a lot better about his situation.

But did Serena honestly mean to keep them here forever? Sure they were being trained but Kaetar didn't know how Misha was doing on her own, where Ema was or even where Nasir was. If the laguz and beorc were trained together then why was Nasir not with them? And now that he thought about it, there was only beorc with them as far as Kaetar knew. It was kind of cruel to separate them like she did and not have news on how the others were doing.

Kaetar was torn out of his thoughts when he was suddenly pushed forward. He stumbled but caught his balance and looked at his target for the first time. He thought he was going to be sick.

Hanging from a wooden beam was a pig with a target painted on it. It was already dead – perhaps from illness if they were firing at it and not eating it – but it made him feel a little sick just thinking of a pointed object tearing through flesh. He fainted once before when Loiya cut down all those soldiers back at the village. He managed to stay awake when he had been stabbed but that didn't end up being very serious.

His master gave him an expecting glance. Kaetar was one of the better archers in the group thanks to the red-headed Soren but it never did occur to him that he would have to fire at flesh. Kaetar took a deep breath and focused on the target. If he pretended that he was just firing at a target like he always did before and not through flesh, then maybe he would be alright.

Maybe Kaetar just thought too much of it. Maybe that's how Loiya could kill others.

"One shot, middle of the target," the trainer shouted. Kaetar took a deep breath and aimed carefully, focusing on red rather than the soft pink of the flesh.

He fired.

"Never forget how that feels. Allow yourself some time to grieve and wish the best for the family. That's what I do. It's difficult but I believe it's the best for long term coping."

"But what about bandits?"

"I do wonder about bandits, whether they're really scums of Tellius or if they're desperate. However, they'll kill you if you don't kill them first. They don't give you much of an option in that regard."

By the sounds of it, the mage didn't seem to do much fighting against real soldiers but Kaetar still trusted his opinion. Kaetar was kind of freaked about the fact that he hit flesh at all – this was his first time with an experience like that. Loiya wasn't around and he wasn't sure if he was able to help at all anyway.

Loiya had different motivations. Kaetar figured that taking a life the name of the prince's safety granted his family another day of comfort. Another day where his family didn't have to worry about where their food was coming from and another day that the family could go to sleep under a roof that they didn't have to fear losing. Clearly, Loiya would do anything to give his family that kind reassurance.

"You didn't faint from the blood did you?"

"It wasn't a big wound so there wasn't much," Kaetar responded with a shrug.

"It's something you'll have to get over... and those random fainting spells too. You have to find the root of the problem before you're battle ready. By the sounds of it, your aim is coming along nicely but you still have a couple of obstacles. You've come a long way haven't you?"

Kaetar was about to answer when a halberdier came around the corner, meeting them in front their barracks. "Are you busy right now?"

"No, we're done training for the day," the mage answered.

"Great. Go get your weapons and armour. We need some extra hands to go out and search for bandits. They are several reports of attacks in Sienne," he answered. Kaetar and Nicholas came back quickly, fully prepared for battle as they followed the soldier outside the walls. Kaetar was sure to slip the Syrin's necklace into the quiver before filling it with arrows.

"Don't worry, Kaetar, I'm here to protect you," Nicholas mumbled as they followed behind two soldiers, who were also considerable new. No doubt it was their first mission, just as it was Kaetar's first time battling without Loiya keeping an extra set of eyes on him. He felt anxious just thinking about shooting arrows at someone but he would have to do it without Loiya too? That was asking for a lot. He only ever felt truly safe around his bodyguard. Nicholas seemed relatively calm but he wasn't Loiya.

The other thing that made him uneasy was the fact that most of the help that was recruited were all new people. In the group he was assigned to, he had Nicholas and two soldiers that would be beneath Loiya. The only experienced people in his group were a halberdier and a fighter. Wouldn't the job be easier with more experience soldiers? Weren't there patrols? What about the central army he heard so much about in the books? What were they doing? Was this what gaining experience meant? They would have to fight eventually but Kaetar felt that they needed more practice, more training... anything. Maybe letting the rookies get experience was the reason why the bigger and better troops weren't called out. Either way, it didn't make sense to him.

"There's-" one of soldiers shouted but cut himself off when he realized what they were dealing with. The group of bandits they ran into had about ten members, carrying weapons that seemed purple in colour. There was a couple archers and some with a sword, but the others had scary looking axes. Nicholas began casting the spell as the soldiers in front took up a defensive position. Kaetar took out an arrow and pulled the bowstring back.

He took a deep breath and fired, hitting one of the axe users in the shoulder just as Nicholas finished casting his spell, hitting the same target. The halberdier in the front took the lead and rammed his lance through one of the bandits while dodging the swing of an axe. The warrior hung back with everyone but still in the front of all of them as if he was guarding them all. So far so good.

Suddenly the halberdier cried out as a sword grazed his side. He still stood but not for long, falling to his knees after a final, defiant thrust of his lance. Kaetar couldn't really describe it. It was as if he was all of a sudden overcome by weakness and it sapped all of his energy away. Nicholas growled and began to chant again while everyone else braced for an attack.

It didn't come, at least not immediately. One of those bandits met Kaetar in the eyes and he felt himself freeze. He was the largest of all them, with a scarred face and a shaggy beard. "Boys! I want tha' archer alive! I know nobility when I saw 'em!" he laughed. The two soldiers looked back at him and Nicholas stopped his chant for a brief moment. Even the mage was surprised.

"He's... no... He's one of us," the halberdier mumbled before being stepped on.

"I know 'em when I see 'em. It's in his eyes! Hah! Ya scared, kid? If ya'll behave and hand the kid over, we won't hurt da rest of ya," he laughed.

The warrior was the first to respond. "As if you guys would follow your end of the deal. We won't leave any of our comrades behind!" he shouted, throwing his axe at one of the nearby bandits. In an instant, the rest of them moved and the warrior had to unfasten an axe at his side in order to defend himself from an oncoming sword. The two soldiers also moved the defend themselves but Kaetar didn't know if they could bring themselves to attack. They looked like they were just scared as he was.

The prince couldn't even bring himself to move. His limbs were suddenly very heavy and his hands were trembling. He was scared. He was scared in the village but this was something else. Being caught by Crimean soldiers was different than he caught by dirty bandits – at least he had an idea of where he would be going if the soldiers caught him. But there was no telling what the bandits would do f they got a hold of him. He was either going to be a hostage or something way worse. He wanted Loiya. Nicholas was trying and so was everyone else, but he didn't feel safe.

He only felt safe without Loiya if Darius, Ema and Misha were with him too, but he would trade them all for Loiya.

His bodyguard would kill all of them, all by himself.

The prince stepped back and found himself bumping into someone else. He looked up and found the scruffy ringleader staring down at him. How did he even get there? How did someone like that get behind him without noticing? He must have been too distracted in his thoughts to see him move.

Everything happened in slow motion.

"No!" the warrior grunted as he took down another bandit and made a mad dash towards the prince with his axe in a swing. The ringleader grabbed the prince with one arm, swinging him over his shoulder like a sack of vegetables as he kicked the warrior down. The warrior was down before he could make contact. Nicholas shut his book, brought it over his head but was struck down by an arrow. He was suddenly overcome with the same weakness that took down the halberdier and dropped to his knees as well. His captor turned and ran.

The two soldiers were abandoned as the remaining bandits, a handful from the amount that was there in the first place, fled with their leader. Kaetar screamed and beat his fist on the bandit's shoulder. He kicked his legs, earning a hard fist to his own back. It hurt and Kaetar lost the will to kick anymore.

"Behave ya little brat!"

"LET ME GO! IF MY BODYGUARD WAS HERE-"

"Then what? We'd all be dead?" another bandit laughed.

"Yes!"

"Just behave and nothing will too bad will happen to you!" one of them sneered.

"Where are we taking him, boss?"

"Didn't you hear earlier? We're going to meet up with what's left of the other gangs and head back. We'll sell the kid off later,"

So that's why the patrol was spread so thin. There were multiple gangs and if the central army was somewhere else - or maybe someone just messed up and didn't think to even deploy them - then of course Begnion would have to rely on rookies. It still didn't make sense to Kaetar. Sienne should have been the last place to be attacked by bandits. The central army should have been there. Just where had they gone?Maybe the bandits planned this attack on a day that they knew the main army would be gone and a small group left behind. However, they should have been the ones fighting, not him! Why didn't he just say no? No one would have been hurt in his name and he wouldn't be on a bandit's shoulder if he just said no!

Nicholas was right. You kill them... or they would kill you. They didn't offer any choice in the situation. It was your life or theirs.

"Boss, we have a straggler!"

The ringleader paused and turned around. Nicholas staggered forward, leaning on a building for support. He was sweating and panting heavily, his chest expanding at an alarming rate.

"Heh! Leave 'm! He can't do anything!" the boss laughed.

Nicholas stayed where he was. He must have ran behind them but he was paying for it now. Whatever overcame him came back stronger than ever, forcing him to collapsing to the ground once again.

"See? Nothin' to worry about!"

"Let him go," a voice warned.

Kaetar couldn't see who was talking but the voice was both deep and cold. His captor growled.

"Who do ya think you are?"

"That doesn't matter – you won't be alive for much longer anyways and quite frankly, you don't even deserve to know."

Kaetar was thrown to the ground as everyone charged towards the stranger. The prince got up to his knees and quickly looked at the owner of the voice. He was a tall man with short black hair and grey eyes that remind him of Serena. His clothes saw better days, perhaps an indicator of someone who moved around a lot. They didn't look bad, just worn out. The prince's eyes were then drawn to the broadsword he was holding with both of hands, which he raised and with one powerful swing, took out the three bandits that rushed in front of their boss. It didn't kill them immediately but judging by the amount of blood on the ground and the walls if the buildings, they would bleed out quickly.

Without another word, he spun around and sliced into the ringleader's side before he could even bring his own axe up. Kaetar's stomach knotted and he found himself getting dizzy when he noticed how deep the gash was, almost as if he was cut in half. The sword was pulled out and the boss' body collapsed.

"And who are you supposed to be?" the male barked, his eyes following Kaetar's movements.

"Kaetar... I'm a Daein noble."

"Then go back to Daein."

"I can't... it's complicated."

The man sighed. He looked like he didn't even want to deal with Kaetar anymore.

"Are you alright?" Kaetar heard another voice say. This was a female's voice and she sounded pretty young. It took the prince to figure out that she wasn't talking to him though. A girl with long pink hair, wearing clothes in the same condition as the mans, was squatting beside Nicholas. He was sitting on the ground but leaning against the wall. Kaetar slowly made his way towards him.

He was unresponsive, a bad sign coming from him.

"Nicholas, c'mon!"

Kaetar shook him but nothing changed.

"His temperature is high," she sighed. "This is really bad! Arum...!"

"He was probably hit by one those bandits. They use poisonous weapons. They're all cowards," he growled.

So that's why everyone practically collapsed on contact. It was also why Nicholas was so affected by it after all the running he did – he just made it course through his body faster and if that was the case, then he was in serious trouble. Kaetar moved a hand to the back of his shoulder and pulled it back. He was still bleeding.

The girl looked at Arum with her green eyes and Arum sighed once more. He bent down next to Nicholas and scooped him into his arms. "Where are we going?" Kaetar asked.

"To a healer," he answered simply.

"I'm sorry... don't take his words personally," the girl said as she began to follow him. Kaetar took a deep breath and trailed behind her. From behind, he could see that she wasn't jsut a girl who followed Arum around. She seemed to be able to take herself as well, as most girls didn't wear two swords as a fashion statement. Did she use both or was one of them a precaution in case she found herself without a sword?

"So he's Arum... your name is?"

"My name is Elli. I just got caught up with your friend there," Elli answered. She was nice but also seemed a little shy. Kaetar didn't think she talked to him personally without speaking to her first. Any other time, she seemed to be speaking to Arum, someone that she was clearly comfortable with. Kaetar didn't blame her for being shy around him though. He was still a stranger.

The chapels in Begnion were different than the ones from the past, one of the priests explained. Though the buildings were original in antiquity, the figures and statues inside were instead moved to a museum to represent a time of a different worship - Ashera. Even then, Kaetar wasn't sure how seriously they were taken. He thought he heard something about Begnion originally being a theocracy, with the apostle at the head. Sanaki changed all of it. The chapel that Arum guided to was once the biggest chapel in Sienne to worship Ashera and was since transformed into one that believed in Ashunera. Was there a differencing between worshipping and simply believing?

"You said he was poisoned?" a priest asked as he scurried into the room, carrying a staff with a green orb with him just as Arum set Nicholas down on a bed.

"Yeah, bandits. He also ran with it too," Kaetar responded, watching as the healer yanked the arrow out of the Nicholas was ease and laid it down on the bed beside him. Then he waved the staff with the green orb over the mage before switching to the red-gem staff that was leaning against the wall. It looked like it was always there and the priest leaned it against the wall again when he was finished. Kaetar supposed that it was simply handy to a staff in each room.

"That should be good," the priest answered. "I suggest he stays here for night and takes it easy, however. The fever should break soon. He was very weak when you came in with him, so he'll need time to recover that strength before doing anything serious."

Arum suddenly turned his head towards Kaetar. "I believe you owe us an explanation," he demanded simply. Kaetar looked for Nicholas to help him but the mage wasn't available. "You said you were a noble."

"I'm a prince actually. I just learn not to say my real title in public like that. I'm here because we needed to find people to help in the rebellion," Kaetar mumbled.

"You mean the one in Crimea where Ike is worshipped as a God?" the healer asked as he took a seat on Nicholas' bed. Apparently, he was curious as well, or perhaps he still felt it to be necessary to keep an eye on the mage.

"Yeah, that one. I joined the rebellion and we got some help on the way but our force still doesn't amount to much, so two of my friends went to Grann to go get some while the rest of were dragged into the military here."

"What for? They can't do that to a prince, can they?" Elli asked, as twirled a piece of her hair between her fingers.

"The Empress sent us. I'm still not sure of the exact reasons, but that's how I ended up getting kidnapped by the bandits. I was sent out to help but they went after me when the boss said I looked like a noble."

"I see," Arum mumbled.

"Well, you'll need someone to make sure that you're taken care of, don't you?" the priest ask with a smile. "Of course, I understand if you reject but it would be everyone's best interest if I came with you."

"You want to come with us?" Kaetar gasped. Why would a priest of all people be willing to join a foreign rebellion? To Kaetar's understanding they were typically fragile and it was yet another person to protect in a group that didn't have many protectors.

"Please, allow me to come with you. My name is Peter and I'm part of the ministry here and as such, I grew up to be a firm believer of the Goddess Ashunera. She is the true reason why we're here today. Knowing that, it's just so... so... aggravating that Crimea denies it all and chooses to instead worship their hero! Such insults towards Ashunera can no longer be tolerated. I need to take action to assure that the misguide Crimeas find their way. My brothers and sisters here will understand if I take a leave for the greater good."

Kaetar was taken back. He never met a priest with so much passion about one subject. His kind eyes flashed with raw emotion at the very words of Ike being a god. How could he say no to him? In the back of his mind, he knew that healing was a burden to Syrin and they couldn't rely on him to heal anyway in a pinch. The fact that they didn't have any staves in the first place also made it difficult even to heal anyone should Syrin agree to even bear the pain to heal.

In fact, maybe Peter could help with that blasted arm of his. Kaetar doubted that a heal staff would work but he could help manage it, couldn't he? He had to know of someway to relieve the pan a little.

"If you don't mind, Prince Kaetar, we would also like to join. Arum and I are just wandering Begnion at the moment, so we're not doing anything in particular. We don't mind lending our blades," Elli spoke up, her eyes falling on Kaetar.

"Begnion owes us nothing anything. Anywhere is better than here, even if Crimea is a hotspot," Arum sighed.

"I suppose it's decided then, isn't it?" Kaetar answered.

So there we have it! Now introducing Elli, Arum and Peter. Those three don't belong to me. I was and still am very nervous. I think I'll be perpetually concerned about whether or not I'm portraying these characters correctly.

Other characters that have been submitted and will show up are:

Arkit
Zeke
Chibuike
Joel

I thought it would be fun for your guys to try and guess who these guys are with and what classes they are. It's also a way of kind of confirming that I haven't forget about those guys! Their owners better not say anything. I would have included Mike but since he was submitted through a review, you guys already know him. I guess you try to guess when Mike will come.

One last note: you only have two more chances to submit a character from Grann that will come back with Syrin. Otherwise, you will have to tell me how your character gets to Crimea. It's now or the next chapter!