This chapter was based off of a review that asked if Nasir would be implicating Goldoa by transforming to scare the Crimeans away. And yes, I think it would! It also let me introduce something that will make a lot more sense towards the end, hopefully.

Adrien spent more time than he meant to looking over the newest letter from Crimea. One of Ramon's advisers, wanted to meet up with all of the leaders to discuss something as soon as possible. He knew he had to go and see what was going on for himself but he felt uncomfortable leaving Daein alone. Generally, whenever he did leave, he left Daein in the capable hands of Issac and Adalyn. His wife knew what he wanted done and how he wanted it done and Issac would update her on what was going on, but with her pregnancy he didn't want the added stress. If she wasn't up for her usual hobbies, then she wasn't up for helping to run a country but perhaps they were both being over cautious about the pregnancy at the end of the day.

Surely, with Issac's help, she could lead from her bed. She was far along and it began to seem unlikely to him that she would lose the child. He would bring it up with her later.

If she chose not to, then that would just leave the four riders, or rather the three that remained behind. He did feel comfortable with them but the letter gave him a bad vibe and suddenly he didn't Daein was safe unless he was there.

For one, it just confirmed that Ramon was not in control of his own country. It was a little unusual for a leader to even call for a meeting, as they all had a schedule figured out. The meetings were generally held about six months apart and they all took turns hosting it. Adrien already had his turn and Skrimir decided that it was his turn to host next. It was concerning that someone who was not Ramon would decide to host a meeting in Crimea. It had to do with the rebellion, that he knew.

It was the tone of the letter that irked him though. He called for the remaining riders and kept his letter out while he waited for them. Issac was the first to arrive, then followed Gander. Gander was the oldest of the riders and was approaching fifty. He still had a strong build, being the highest class of armour knights, with a scruffy beard and scruffy hair to match. He was also beginning to go grey, but it wasn't so much from stress as it was just old age. He always wore the dark Daein armour but lived outside of the castle in his own home in Nevassa, but today he surprised Adrien with causal clothing.

The next rider went by the name of Vaughn. He was about Adrien's age with long dark hair that concealed most of his face. It was a miracle he could see at all but he was one of the best wyvern riders in Daein. It was actually Vaughn that taught the king how to ride his own wyvern for all the meetings, and Adrien would make him teach Kaetar too. He too had black armour, and judging by the added spikes, he seemed to like draw all the fighting towards himself. He was on the short side though, not so much taller than Kaetar was.

Vaughn immediately flopped himself into the closest chair. "So, what's up?"

"'What's up?' You should speak more formally in front of the king," Issac muttered, seating himself beside Gander, leaving the largest of them in the middle. Gander leaned back in his chair and folded his arms in front of his chest, anticipating the next squabble between Vaughn and Issac. Obviously, Issac preferred the seat farthest from Vaughn, and if Saira was around she would be stuck in the middle. She hated that she was stuck in the middle all the time and she hated that she was stuck in the middle with a bunch of "sweaty old men" as she put it.

"At ease, Issac. I'm too frustrated for formalities right now," Adrien mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Crimea has called for an emergency meeting, except that it was not called by Ramon."

"That imposter call the meeting?" Issac asked.

"Hold on, something happened to that Ramon kid?" Vaughn asked.

"We believe so," Gander answered. "Issac and Adrien figured out that the last letter sent from Crimea was not Ramon, even though it was supposedly signed by him. This is shady."

"I thought so as well. I don't want to go but I fear this may involve Kaetar, Loiya and Joel. I can't miss this. I think something may happen if I leave though," he sighed. He didn't know why he was being so assertive about it or where that feeling in his gut came from. He was related to Micaiah but that was watered down at best. He was quite sure that he received nothing from their shared blood but perhaps it was possible he got something from her? He thought that was something special to Micaiah.

"It almost feels that way," Issac mumbled. "I haven't even read the contents of the letter, but an emergency meeting cannot mean well. I feel as though this might be a ploy to distract the leaders. I wouldn't go unarmed."

"Yeah, don't you have that custom sword? It's a gorgeous blade and you've never used it!" Vaughn laughed.

"However, I don't believe that Crimea has the troops to spare," Issac stated simply. "You may have a bad feeling, and maybe you got something from the blood you share with Micaiah, but I don't see how it's possible for Crimea to deal with the rebellion and pick fights with us. Crimea has never been known to have impressive armies by itself. Even in the Mad King's War, it was all that mercenary group that actually took a stand against Daein first. They also got a Begnion platoon and help from Gallia. Crimea doesn't have an Ike or a Soren."

"Who?" Vaughn asked, struggling to find a comfortable position in his chair.

"Augh! No one knows who Soren is!" Issac gasped, shaking his head. Adrien shrugged. He remembered the name but never knew who he was. "He was the staff officer of the Greil Mercenaries and he was the one who devised all the plans against Daein and Begnion. Anyone who studies strategy at all spends some time looking at all of Soren's plans as he could make small numbers work tremendously well. He was the hidden gem to Crimea's success-"

"Calm down, Issac. I didn't call you here for a history lesson!" Adrien sighed. "I trust your words, but I also need to trust my own instincts. I need you to stay here, Issac. Gadner, you will patrol Nevessa and Vaughn, you will patrol the borders with two battalions. You're all dismissed."

Vaughn shrugged and was the first out of the room. Gander and Issac looked conflicted but left nonetheless. They didn't have a choice. Adrien sighed and went to his bedroom, where his wife rested on their shared bed. He quietly searched his closet for his cloak and threw it around his shoulders, pulling the hood up. He was going to leave the castle for a small walk and he didn't want anyone to follow him. Adalyn opened her eyes and sat up.

"Something wrong?"

He didn't mean to wake her, but she wasn't usually a light sleeper. Perhaps she couldn't sleep?

"I need to clear my mind. You will be alright by yourself, right?"

"I'll be fine. Tanix and I aren't going anywhere."

"Tanix?" Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have a feeling that we're welcoming a boy into our family. I like the name Tanix... but if I'm wrong then you can choose her name," she said with a smile. "You'll be back soon, right?"

"Of course, dear. I'll be back in time for dinner," he said with a smile, moving in for a kiss. Their lips met for a moment but separated quickly.

"Perhaps we'll take a walk in the garden after dinner. We haven't gone out since Kaetar went missing. It would be nice."

"It does sound nice. Wear sandals though... Tanix's been hard on your feet. Even though you spend most of your days resting, your feet are still rather swollen."

She laughed. "Kaetar gave me no trouble until now, so maybe this is a sign that Tanix will much the opposite."

"I meant to ask you something. I might disappear to an emergency meeting," Adrien began. Adalyn was instantly serious. She didn't seem to have a good feeling about it either. In the very least, she would have at least thought it was odd. "Are you alright to handle everything? I'm not sure how long I'll be if I go."

"I can rule a country from my bed. I'll just need a little more help from Issac. Anyway, you better go now, or you'll be late for dinner," she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

Once outside, he moved quickly through the streets, taking all the main roads for the most protection before turning into a dark alley. It wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself – he brought a slim sword just in case, but he preferred no confrontations. He was looking for one home in particular. It was a modest home, small but functional and cozy. There were no plants outside, leaving the only distinguishable feature being a set of purple curtains that was visible from a window. He knocked on the door impatiently.

"Are you around?"

"You're welcomed inside!"

He quietly let himself in and locked the door behind him. Inside, there wasn't much. A few old relics lined the walls, old daggers that didn't seem to be useable, a pile of old tomes sat on a table, and scrolls sat just beside him.

"This place hasn't changed," Adrien mumbled.

The woman he came to see smiled. "You were very young. Take a seat. I knew you would be coming today."

Truth be told, he was nervous. The last time he came to see her was when he was around eight, and he stayed glued to his father's side as they discussed something. It was a miracle that Adrien could even find it with his earliest memories of the place being so old. Actually, he felt like he was guided there. There was just a lot of mystery around the woman who was once called the Silver-Haired Maiden that Adrien just didn't understand.

It was a odd case to be sitting beside your ancestor, especially when he considered the fact that everyone who reigned after her and before himself were dead. She was a great deal older than he was but he looked like he was the oldest.

"How did you know?"

"Yune and Ashera may not be on Tellius in person, but their influence is not gone. I still have my ability of foresight. I saw you coming and I can feel that you're troubled," Micaiah mumbled with a small pout. He was troubled indeed. He had a feeling she only got visitors when they needed advice. She was wise and gifted, and her heart was in the right place.

"There's just a lot wrong with the rebellion in Crimea. I've been called for a meeting in Crimea and it seems to be too suspicious for me. I don't feel comfortable leaving Daein but I also can't skip the meeting. I've asked my remaining riders to stay here in case something happens, but there is also my own safety to consider. I'm not just imaging all of this, right?" Adrien asked, leaning his head back on the sofa. It was oddly comfortable for someone who lived quite modestly after abdicating the throne to her son. It relaxed him.

"You're not. Lately, I've been seeing a lot of sand," Micaiah stated. "Perhaps I should dust off my tome and join the battle. I won't let anything happen to Daein."

"I don't want you to destroy your reputation. It's probably best for you to stay behind," Adrien mumbled. He didn't understand it though. What did sand have to do with anything? The only place that really screamed sand at him was Grann and the deserts that were to the east and bordered a nation outside of Tellius. It wasn't like the deserts would suddenly overflow with sand though – it wasn't how nature worked.

It puzzled him and Micaiah seemed to sense it.

"It's hard for me not to help Daein. I sacrificed so much for Daein and even after the death of Sothe and my own son, I never had the heart to leave this country. I will fight no matter what comes this way," Micaiah stated.

"Just make sure you cover yourself. I don't know how everyone would react if they knew you were still alive," Adrien sighed. He personally had no problem with the brandeds. How could he? By all means his blood was filthy – between Micaiah and her husband, his family came about from thievery and what many considered to be cursed blood of brandeds. He could not deny who his ancestors were because that would mean denying himself. Besides, he couldn't help but to feel comfortable around her. She was a warming, inviting individual who just wanted what was best for everyone.

He couldn't damn her for something like her branded but that did not stop the ignorance of others. To judge her was to judge everyone born from her and that wasn't something Adrien couldn't accept. He would rather avoid that drama until the boys were home safe and sound and whatever bad feeling he did have went away.

"Do what you think is right. Follow your feelings. If you think you must go to this meeting then go. I don't think Daein is doomed. Whatever is coming our way, we can beat it. We did it before and I know we can do it again."

Adrien nodded. He could kind of see how she was so beloved by Daein's people, the sort of love that got her crowned. He was actually glad he sought her out – he felt better about his situation, though it was still serious. He had no control about it but he couldn't underestimate his country.

Three days later, he finally found himself surrounded by the other leaders. It didn't surprise him that he was the last to show. He was surprised to see that Tibarn had a new hawk sitting with him and that she was female. He personally never saw a female laguz in line to be royalty, though he was aware that there was one outside of Tellius - Skrimir mentioned her before. Her black hair was shoulder length and very messy. Her clothing was bold – she was covered with a red jacket for the most part with sleeves that went to her elbows, but she appeared to just have wrapped her chest gently and left it like that. She had grey pants but then just kept her hands and feet wrapped. Obviously, she didn't care what she looked like and she was similar to Serena in that regard.

Serena seemed somewhat amused, perhaps happy that she was no longer the only female in the room. Perhaps she just sensed the tension and knew she was going to get a good show. She had her elbows on the table that they sat at and rested her chin on her hands. She was smirking and it was a little unsettling for Adrien. Her boredom must have been reaching new heights. How did she even have time to be bored?

Kurthnaga and Skrimir sat together, like they always did but both them looked a little concerned. Skrimir had no hints of a smile like he usually did and Kurthnaga seemed to be frowning.

The last one in the room was someone with a white hood, but his sleeves had orange on them that just seemed to be near the bottom and that part was embroidered with small swirls. Adrien couldn't see his face and all he could see was his chin and a little bit of a cheek while long straight hair covered the left side and was sitting on his chest.

"Ah, Adrien was it? I was afraid we would have to start without you. You didn't seem to be coming."

"Well, I'm here, so start talking."

"Wow, so rude. I'll introduce myself first. I'm Eero, one of Ramon's advisers. I trust you mostly know each other, with the exception of... Zara was it? Anyway, she'll be replacing Tibarn at some point," Eero shrugged. "I also trust that you guys know that this is about the rebellion."

"Yeah, yeah. Emergency meetings don't happen so we can all say hello," Serena mumbled. "And the rest of Tellius is relatively peaceful – it's only Crimea that screwed up."

"I beg to differ. According to some... intelligence that I've received..." he gestured towards what appeared to be a kid with his eyes obscured by a green cloak. He had a grin on his face though and looked like he could break out laughing when Adrien looked at him. He covered his mouth his hand and Adrien assumed that he couldn't hold in his laughter anymore. "All of you had some hand with helping the rebels. Skrimir, you have the laguz named Ema who was to see how the rebellion was progressing and ended up joining. Kurthnaga, you have a dragon laguz who transformed in front of my men and threatened to attack. I already knew for a fact that it could be none other than Nasir. I have yet to see if the two bird laguz have any connections with Serenes, but I have my eye on those two. And let's see... Serena, you let the rebels stay in Begnion for a full month. You trained them and housed them."

Adrien was surprised to hear that. He thought that Serena would have sent Kaetar and Loiya home if she found them in Begnion, just as he asked. She usually did what he asked, usually with a comment but she did it nonetheless. What were they doing in Begnion anyway? Serena didn't look fazed at all by the accusation.

"And you, Adrien, have three people from Daein in the rebellion and you have so far failed to get them home."

Why was he blaming him? It wasn't like he told Kaetar to go to Crimea! He went there himself and he was apparently made of butter judging from Saira's lack of results. She was great when it came to tracking and hunting. He was being a slippery boy and he had a feeling that both Loiya and maybe even Joel contributed to that. It didn't seem unlikely.

"I'm being accused of not working fast enough? I have better things to do than to keeping tabs on my son's every movement. You'll just have to wait a little longer. But even with him gone, the rebellion would continue, so I still don't see why you called this meeting," Adrien stated.

"Truth be told though, we all do think that your claims are... how do the poor put it? Bullshit? Yeah, that's the word he used. What you're trying to pull is bullshit and if you think you can implicate all of Tellius for one or two people, then you're dead wrong. The dragons alone can probably wipe out your army and then you'll have no left to take care of the big, bad rebels," Serena laughed. Zara laughed with her.

Adrien was surprised to say in the least. He never thought he would hear that word come out of her mouth. It wasn't the first time that Serena acted so boldly either – the first had been when she was first at these meetings alone and she basically walked out because she just didn't feel like having a meeting. She calmed down since and just kept her boldness to the clothing she wore but it would seem she still had it in her to be quite bold verbally.

"It's not like any of you agree with this. Skrimir, Tibarn, Kurthnaga... all of you spoke with Ike, did you not? You know he's mortal. Well, he was mortal." Serena shrugged.

"He was a young beorc when I last saw him, but beorcs don't last more than a century," Kurthnaga nodded.

"We all know it, Serena, except for one person here. But did you really let Kaetar go without telling me?" Adrien asked.

"Later, Adrien," Serena sighed.

Kurthnaga shock his head. "Eero, do you really plan on attacking all of us because there are a couple of people in each country inside the rebellion? You would really go to war for a handful of people? That's not practical for any of us and it's rather trivial."

Suddenly, Eero began chuckling. "Don't think I don't have soldiers. These soldiers are theoretically better but I have yet to make them very practical... I've sent out many for a test run. I would stay out of Crimea's business if you don't want to be a test either. "

"Better, huh?" Tibarn leaned back in his chair.

"Indeed. They're not alive. They don't breath, eat, or tire like beorc and laguz do. They're impervious to physical attacks. I would... go home if I were you, Adrien and make sure everyone is okay."

Adrien didn't even hesitate when he jumped over the table to lunge at Eero. He knew he was going to pull something and it was out of character for him to act so strongly but he had a knife in his pocket and he was going to use it. If he killed the man right there then Kaetar go home. He had to be the mastermind behind it all. Eero stood up. He heard gasps and someone mumbling something he couldn't understand. He pulled the knife from his pocket but as soon as he had Eero's face in view, and he saw his one exposed eye – a deep green colour – he was suddenly knocked back against the wall with a sharp pain in his side.

The kid in the green cloak licked the blood off his knife. How did anyone move that fast? He was just at the door!

"Adrien!" Serena shouted, making her way to him. "Are you okay?"

"Dammit," Adrien said under his breath, pulling his hand away from his side. The tips of his fingers were red.

"Don't try that again, Adrien, and don't any of you think that I would hesitate to send soldiers to your countries as well. Run along now, Adrien. Your people could be dying as we speak."

"You're a bastard," Adrien growled.

"I was aware," Eero said calmly.

"Adrien, you need to go back to Daein right now! The last time I got a message like that, a lot of my people died. You don't want to be the one who wasn't fast enough!" Tibarn shouted, tossing his chair to the side. Adrien shot up, needing a moment to catch his balance before running off. The kid let him pass with no trouble at all. He knew the castle well enough to get outside by himself and he knew where he put Revvi, his navy coloured wyvern.

He couldn't get to Daein fast enough. He was disturbed – Tibarn's words kept ringing his head and he couldn't ignore it. He saw his men die and by the sounds of it, he couldn't stop it. He couldn't save them. Adrien didn't want any of that.

It was the sound of fighting and the sight of other wyverns that got his attention.

"Your Majesty! Your side!" one the riders called out to him.

"What's the situation? Speak freely."

"We don't know. We keep trying to attack but nothing has worked against them! They looked like sand but walk as if they're dying men. They don't really attack with weapons but when they touch us they seem to use magic. General Gander, Vaughn and Issac are all out on the field!"

Wyverns were brilliant creatures to get Gander and Issac out into the field so fast.

"But about the citizens?"

"Evacuated into the nearest forts. None of them have broken through but they're gaining more ground."

"Thank you," Adrien mumbled. Vaughn's wyvern was black and his helmet and shoulders were adorned with spikes. Between him and his wyvern, Vaughn was the easiest to spot in the field and that was Vaughn's intention. He loved fighting and liked to direct battles towards himself and diverge attention from troops who were getting overwhelmed. When he landed, he could see exactly what Micaiah had seen.

Sand. Sand everywhere. Whenever Vaughn attacked, sand flew everywhere but the creature seemed to reabsorb the sand and continued to lunge forward in a slow pace. They barely looked human – they were the average height but there was no facial features except for eyes that glowed. There was no muscle definition, but they had limbs that they could move, albeit slowly. He watched as Vaughn's silver axe sliced one of them in half just before it was going to attack him. He took a few steps back, settling his feet on grass instead of sand.

"Adrien!" Vaughn shouted like they were simply passing each other instead of fighting for Daein's well being.

"What are these things?"

"Who knows? They all just crawled out of a bunch of crates we found near the borders. We've been fighting and switching out men for a couple of hours now."

"Have you destroyed any?"

"Not me personally, but someone did and we don't know how yet. Issac's here for that," Vaughn said almost tiredly, swinging his axe again. Adrien removed his sword from Revvi's saddle and began slashing too. His side groaned in pain whenever he swung his blade and he seemed more exhausted than usual. The cut wasn't deep – it was enough to send a warning and to inconvenience him but he didn't think it was fatal.

He was beginning to tire when Issac shouted for him.

"I've got it!" he said in a pant. "It's their eyes!"

"Their eyes? Are we hitting them in the eyes?" Vaughn asked. Issac said and shook his head while the rest of the Daein soldiers, Adrien included, struggled to keep Issac safe.

"These things are animated from sand probably from the same spirits that mages call upon for magic. They don't technically need anything resembling eyes. If my hunch is right, then the eyes represent what elemental spirit is making the sand move. Someone out there commanded the spirits to do something else other just invoking magic. If we hit them with the opposing magic, then the spirit should be defeated and will leave the sand body behind," Issac said simply.

"How many mages are out here?" Adrien asked.

"Less than ten light mages – we have one person volunteering and they don't seem to be part of the army – and about two dozen anima mages. No dark mages, but I believe we can do without them."

"So we defend the mages until all of them are gone," Adrien said quietly to himself. It seemed simple enough but in truth there weren't many mages but there were a lot of sandmen. To wait for the mages to kill them all would take a long a time and Adrien couldn't tell how much of an area these enemies covered. Did they have enough mages with them? "Do we have any rex tomes on the field? Maybe the tomes one level down?"

Issac shook his head. Damn. It was time to invest a little bit more into his army.

"Are you going to be okay to keep fighting here, Adrien? It might be a while before we can take a break," Vaughn mumbled, bouncing on his feet the entire time. Adrien didn't know when he jumped off his wyvern but he was on his feet and looked to be having a good time. Vaughn thrived on the battlefield.

"I'll stay. I would be a bad king if I wasn't out here defending Daein when everyone else is," the king answered. It felt almost useless to swing but it seemed to slow them down into something more manageable for the mages. He couldn't even see them but he could hear them chanting and he could see the unmoving sand on the ground. It was starting to pile up, making him slip when he tried to attack. Most of the foot soldiers had that problem – understandably, desert training was not a priority. Only Grann and some parts of Daein had that much sand and Adrien did not plan on invading Grann.

"All this damn sand! I can barely keep still!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Is this all we can do? Are the mages the only ones who can do anything?"

"Keep the mages safe!" Issac shouted. "It's your job to keep those things from gaining more ground! Your King is fighting along side with the same goal in mind!"

Adrien could hear the Daeins roar and the soldiers were filled with new vigour. He was proud of his men. He sliced through another one, watching as the halves collapsed. That what it always did. The two halves of the sandmen – the torso and legs – would separate, then form together on the ground before getting up again. However, that one was different. It didn't get up again when it reformed. Instead, it grabbed his legs with both of its "hands" in a death grip. He couldn't shake those hands loose and he could feel it burning through his pant legs.

He couldn't remember the last the time he felt such pain. It hurt when that kid knocked him into the wall and it hurt to swing his sword with that cut in his side but nothing compared to the burning he felt in his legs. It felt like those hands were burning through his legs and he couldn't shake it! He grunted and sliced the hands, making the sand fall. Without being connected to the main body, the sand simply dissolved in grains of sand that would be reabsorbed into the main body all over again. Adrien staggered back.

"Adrien, you okay?" Vaughn asked, grabbing the king's arm. It didn't soften the fall whatsoever. In fact, Vaughn grabbing his arm actually dragged him across the ground when he landed on the ground.

"I don't think I can get up."

"What the heck do you mean?"

"I don't twist my words around! My legs hurt a lot and I don't think they can support my weight. Can you help me get to Revvi?"

Adrien was right when he thought his legs couldn't support his body weight. Vaughn threw his axe into the ground and put Adrien's arm around his shoulder, leaving the free arm to support his waist. Now on his mount, he could fight without needing his legs.

"Whoa there, Adrien, I didn't train you for that," Vaughn mumbled as he lifted his axe off the ground again. "I don't think even Revvi knows what she's doing."

"I'll last," Adrien said quietly as he hacked away at the sand.

"Careful of the yellow eyed ones then, bud. Wyverns dislike thunder," Vaughn warned. "If you get dizzy, then leave."

The king gritted his teeth. Though he couldn't see Vaughn's eyes – no one could – he could tell that Vaughn was actually very worried about him. The rider picked up his speed, ploughing his way through as many as the creatures as possible. He was almost reckless, a controlled chaos. Adrien stayed still, cutting anything that came too close to his dear wyvern. She also tried to attack, sometimes getting up on her hind legs, which surprised Adrien every time she did so.

He couldn't help but to smile to himself when he spotted mages sitting and casting from the back of wyverns. He saw one with a light blue cloak. Their eyes met for a moment, her jaw locking when her golden eyes gazed upon his legs. Nonetheless, she shouted out a quick spell, destroying a creature with dark coloured eyes with light magic. She couldn't stay away after all.

"Wow, look at that!" Vaughn laughed when he spotted them. "Who came up with the idea to put the mages on a wyvern 'sback? Issac?"

"It was just a quick idea I came up with," she said quickly before casting another spell. "Turn and loop around again. There's more of them up here than back there!" she yelled to her rider.

Vaughn was laughing again. "That's the volunteer. I wonder why she just doesn't join us full time. She looks capable to me."

"How long have you been fighting for, Vaughn? I haven't been here for long and I'm already exhausted," Adrien mumbled, changing the subject.

"For far too long. I'm going to straight to bed after this and I'll kill anyone who tries to wake me up! I can't sleep with these bastards around though."

Adrien chuckled a little but he was suddenly hit with a dizzy spell and tightened his grip on the reigns. Vaughn shouted something but all Adrien was aware of the ground rushing up to meet him.

Adrien wasn't sure when he was transported to the fort. It was all a blur. All he could really remember was forbidding anyone from using a heal staff on anyone until everyone else was healed but he was sure he was mumbling. Clearly, they still understood him as civilians wrapped and cleaned his legs before cleaning and wrapping the wound on his side.

He wasn't sure if the battle was still occurring outside either. The fort seemed to be far from the battles. All he knew was that the civilians were not happy when they found out that they have been invaded by humanoid sand creatures and had to be moved to forts but they were even less pleased to know that the sandmen had injured their king. He didn't know that his people cared so much about him.

Adrien was actually kind of happy that he could spend at least a little bit of time with them. He let a great deal of them into his room while he rested on his bed and listened to various concerns they had as he struggled to find a position to sit in that didn't bother his legs or his side. He wouldn't have wanted to pass up the chance to speak to his king if he was in one of their shoes, so he didn't really mind just listening. It wasn't easy for those near the border to make it up to Nevassa to request an audience and they had their own special concerns about their safety.

It was the least he could do if he wanted to be a good king.

"Adrien! Are you in here?"

Adrien was surprised to see it was Tibarn who squeezed his large self into the small crowded room. His wings were tucked in tightly.

"What's going on in here?"

"My people are just discussing their concerns with me. Is this private?" Adrien asked. He didn't want to kick out his people when they only just started talking.

"Nah, they can stay. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I would have ripped his head off if that kid didn't hold Serena hostage. He's like those damned senators!" Tibarn shook his head.

"Those senators that called for the occupation of Daein way back?" one of the civilians asked.

"Yeah, those ones. A bunch of cowards, they were," Tibarn growled, his wings fluttering. He then seemed to remember how crowded the room was and flattened them against his back.

"I need more information before I take action. Daein will be in good hands with Kaetar, so I need to know he's safe. I can't start anything knowing that he's somewhere in Crimea while all of this was going on," Adrien sighed.

"I have an idea of his status," Tibarn sighed, then turned to the majority of the people in the room. "Can I speak with him alone for a bit?"

"How about all of you meet together in a different room, decide on the major problems that all of you can agree on, then come back when I send for you so I can write down your ideas? Will that be something that everyone can work with?"

The citizens nodded and left the room, leaving only Tibarn and Adrien.

"How badly are you injured anyway?"

"There was a lot of blood and serious burns. The worst of it is black and some of my skin is flaking off like it's burnt wood," Adrien said quietly, leaning back on his pillows. "You said you know something about Kaetar?"

"Before you arrived, I spoke with Kurthnaga and Skrimir and we agree that the only person who cares so much about Ike and has the motivation to actually take action may only be Soren," Tibarn stated.

"That tactician? Wouldn't be dead?"

"He's branded. He might have been able to fool the beroc but we know better. Laguz who knows can smell them or even just feel them. If it really is Soren behind the rebellion and your son joined him, you're probably not getting him back until the rebellion wins. If Soren thinks that Kaetar is somehow valuable, he'll use what tactics possible to keep him around." Tibarn flexed his wings slightly as he took a seat.

"What does Soren want with my son?"

"Who knows? I didn't know him that well. It's like he was Ike's second shadow or something. Only Ike could get him to talk about something other than tactics, so I don't know what he's really like. He was just annoyed by one's mere existence. I can only think that Soren might just found something useful about Kaetar's personality. It's hard to say what goes through his head."

Adrien didn't like the news. He didn't like the idea that someone had more control over Kaetar's whereabouts and safety than he did, that he had to place his faith in some stranger if Kaetar was to come home. Soren may have been legendary to those like Issac but Adrien could not trust someone he just recently learned of.

Then again, he never seen Saira have so much difficulty catching someone before. She was quite the professional when it came to tracking down someone. When Issac told him he was sending Saira, he thought Kaetar would return within a couple of weeks when he considered travel time. But now he was getting concerned. Could Soren outwit Saira?

"If I was you, I would trust Kaetar in Soren's hands. He knows what he's doing. The bigger problem is what to do about that Eero bastard," Tibarn said when Adrien didn't respond right away.

"The laguz are out of the question for one. You're not known for magic and there isn't time to train any of you even if you are able. Unless you want the sand creatures after your people, then it's wise to just stay out of the way. Is Serena sending anyone from Begnion?"

"She's out of it. She doesn't know what to do."

"Then we should probably wait and see if we can't prevent an attack first."

"That's the hard part isn't? It's almost a shame that Soren's busy," Tibarn chucked lightly. He turned his chair around and rest his arms on the back of it.

"Nothing a good spy can't handle," Adrien said quietly. He wish he could relax like Tibarn but his legs seem to hurt no matter what position he set them in. If by some miracle his legs didn't hurt, his side did. The joys of being injured and being too much of a gentleman to let someone use a heal staff on him. He didn't want to appear to not care about his soldiers though – he had enough problems without adding unhappy soldiers to the mix.

"Are you up for this?"

"My injuries? I'm fine."

"My main reason for coming was to make sure Daein was okay. The last time I received a warning like that, most of the men in Phoenicis were slaughtered by the Begnion Army save for the elderly. Many heads would roll if that happened to you as well," Tibarn sighed.

"I didn't think you would be the type to care so much," the Daein king mumbled.

"I'm just pissed off that we spent the entire time walking around on eggshells instead of cutting the problem at the bud and preventing it from getting this far. We should have gone to Crimea to see what the hell was up! If this was before that war with Begnion, we wouldn't have hesitated to charge in," Tibarn said with clenched teeth. "But now, it's like a war would insult everyone that died fighting. It's like spitting on Ike's grave, wherever the hell that is. I guess that's why we tried so hard to avoid problems but it ended being worse off like that!"

"No, I understand. You ignore the true cause of a problem when all you have on your mind is trying to be nice to everyone else for the sake of those whose achievements surpass their very existence. You laguz are stuck in the past."

"I suppose we are. I've been alive long enough to sink my talon's into Ashnard's flesh."

"I'm not saying it's a necessarily a bad thing, but it's hard to move forward when you keep looking back. It's not so relevant now I suppose, with Zara taking over for you," Adrien said quietly.

"It's not taking effect immediately. I thought I would wait until Crimea's stable before I hand Serenes over to Zara."

That was wise. There was no reason to cause more change in times where there was little stability. They had to come together to help find a solution and throwing Zara in the middle was unfair to her. However, Adrien noticed that Tibarn's eyes seemed livelier than they were a couple of minutes easier. He could have felt better but to Adrien, it looked like he had some sort of plan. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know but Tibarn got up suddenly.

"Anyway, I think I should go. I don't want to keep your people waiting," the hawk king said suddenly, leaving the room before Adrien could even ask.

Even though October got two updates, it would be rude to leave you guys hanging until December.

Anyway, I always thought that with Soren's definition of magic from his A support with Ike, that it comes from interaction with spirits, then magic doesn't seem to be used to its full potential. At least in Tellius. I think interacting with spirits to do something other than healing and attacking would be difficult but possible with help from other skilled mages. The sandmen are sudden, I will admit, but I also thought it was easier to set them up this way and would have been sudden no matter what I did with them. They are kind of important though, at least the concept behind their existence.

Also, this chapter did no justice for Zara. She'll be around later, I promise. I like her too much to not do anything with her after this.

Next chapter will be more... normal.