Knight and Healer

Sigurd POV - Gran 757

Jungby had always been a second home to me. Father had been friends with Ring since they were young boys hitting each other with sticks, they were the Best Men at each other's weddings, and even in their old age, they were always there for each other with barbed words that hid how much they loved each other. As such, I'd spent almost as much time in Jungby as I did in my own Chalphy, playing with Brigid and Aideen, teasing Andrei, and riding through the vast and colorful fields. Of course, this visit wasn't nearly as pleasurable. I was in Jungby now because we heard Verdanites had crossed the border and struck, killing many of the knights left behind and kidnapping Aideen, my oldest friend. We had driven them out, thanks to Father leaving me behind with some of our knights on Arvis's advice, but it was clear that this would be a much more drawn out conflict than expected. Grannvale, essentially, was fighting two wars, enough to make even the fiercest and most foolhardy quake in their boots.

At the moment, though, I was quaking for a far different reason. Ethlyn, my dearest and darlingest little sister, had been injured in the battle. Already a thing to shake my heart, but Quan was fussier than a mother hen. And Ethlyn hated being fussed over. Meaning I was quaking because I desperately was trying to keep my sister from murdering my brother-in-law out of sheer exasperation.

"Look, look, how about I see if there's a healer available?" I suggested, bringing my hands up slightly in a hopefully placating gesture. Some part of me, probably the part of me that held onto what little sense I had, screamed that I should just run and keep out of the married couple's spat. The rest continued to stay exactly where I was, right between the two in the tent Finn had set up for Ethlyn to rest in. "I'm heading into town to check on the wounded anyway." Particularly Midir. Midir had been horribly injured in the assault, to the point that I was surprised he was still alive when we found him. "And I'm sure the healer will confirm exactly what you say, Ethlyn, but you did get hit with an arrow."

"That was only because you were reckless!" Ethlyn snapped, focusing her ire on me. I sighed, and Quan shot me a sympathetic, and thankful, smile. "Jumping over me with a horse of all things!"

"In my defense, you were not in my line of sight when I first charged that enemy." And when I couldn't stop in time… well, jumping was the obvious choice. "I do acknowledge that the shock was why you got hit with the arrow in the first place." And then she dodged an axe, which knocked the arrow loose. "And your worry for me, which is what brought you all the way up here in the first place."

"I wasn't worried about you." She scowled, huffing. "I just knew you would have some trouble without a healer, and Father said that he was taking all of ours with him, including Bishop Palmark. And, besides, when was the last time people were in trouble and you didn't leap straight in? Someone had to save you from yourself."

"Well…" I wished I had a good retort to that, but I didn't really. She was right. If someone needed help, my sense tended to run, and if involved people I cared about… "Wow, been a while since I got this lecture. Yet you give it like it was only yesterday."

"Probably because I had to yell at you so much that it's engraved on my soul. I'll probably be saying it when I'm dead." Which hopefully wouldn't be for a very, very long time and after me. She was one of my most 'precious' people, after all.

But that didn't mean I couldn't tease her. "Such a lecturer. I feel sorry for Quan!" I laughed and laughed even harder when Quan threw up his hands in a clear 'oh, no. I am not getting in the middle of this'.

"It's your fault, dummy!" She picked up a pillow from the cot she was on and threw it at me. I, of course, ducked, and Quan caught it before it went sailing out the entrance. "Ugh… regardless, I learned how to heal so that I could help and save lives. I've gotten lots of practice in Leonster as well, so I knew I could be useful."

"I'm sure." Though it did hurt my heart. My only 'complaint' about her marrying Quan had been her going to Leonster, which was in a constant 'unofficial' war with Thracia. But she knew the dangers, and coddling her wouldn't do anything but make everyone miserable. "Still, dragging Quan all the way out here..."

"Like Quan wasn't already packing as soon as we heard about Isaach."

"Well, of course I was," Quan confirmed, not hesitating in the slightest. He even frowned at the implication that he wouldn't have done that. "Sigurd is every bit as important to me as he is to you, my love. We were brothers in all but blood even before you and I married." That was true. He, Eldigan, and me… we had been friends for quite some time. I couldn't imagine my life without either and, hopefully, I never would have to. "Took a while to argue Father into letting me come."

"I think he only agreed because you were planning on sneaking out," Ethlyn pointed out. She did smile sweetly when he tucked the pillow behind her. "But if anything, I'd say you dragged me."

"I think between you and me, it was a mutual dragging. With poor Finn behind us. Still, I think the experience will be good for him." Quan shook his head. "Regardless, dear, please let Sigurd…"

"All right, all right!" Ethlyn threw her hands up in surrender. "I give! But if they're busy, Sigurd…!"

"Like I'm going to order a healer," I deadpanned. I knew better that to do that; I liked having my head not bitten off. "Gods, how low of an opinion do you have of me?" I smiled to let her know I was joking and crouched down a little to give her a hug. "Thank you very much for coming, by the way, as I've missed you greatly." I kissed her forehead. "I will be right back with a healer, just in case. You just rest and try not to strangle Quan, okay?"

"Okay, brother," she murmured with a smile. She then returned the hug, giggling. "I've missed you greatly too. Let's catch up as soon as Aideen is safe."

"Sounds good." I ruffled her hair as I pulled away and winked at Quan. "Try not to fret her to death, dear friend. Otherwise, she's going to make herself a widow!"

That time, Quan was the one who threw the pillow, but I dodged and escaped, laughing. Then, keeping that smile, I looked over our very small group. Emphasis on 'very small'. Naoise, Alec, Arden… my dear and brave knights who fought beside me… Originally, I had wanted them to stay back, not wanting to risk their lives for what I knew was a foolhardy course. But Naoise chastised me, reminding me that he was a knight in my service, and proud to risk dying to fight in my name. And, of course, how disgraceful it would be if they let me risk my life alone in battle. It was good that he had argued with me, since the three made up for my shortcomings so easily.

Despite being a lord and knight, I hyper-focused on saving Aideen, and it was Alec who reminded me that we had to ensure the safety of the villages as well. A very good thing as many were already under assault, since Verdane's attack was far more widespread than I could've ever expected. Though, to be fair, it had been Oifeye's idea. Oifeye had simply been hesitant to bring it up, while Alec had no qualms reminding me when my fervor outrode my sense. He never had.

Of course, the battle would not have been possible without Arden guarding our backs. Due to being thrown from a horse as a page, Arden couldn't ride, but his strength allowed him to wear much heavier armor and his sturdiness made him perfectly ideal for guarding. Though he didn't like being reminded of how 'slow' he was, compared to the rest of us. Still, he was the only reason I allowed Oifeye to come along with us. I knew no harm would come to Oifeye if Arden was near to guard him.

The thought of Oifeye made me hunt for him, and I smiled when I saw him tending to my horse, while Finn did the same with Quan's. The two were talking shyly, smiling at each other, and it gladdened my heart. Between his grief at losing his parents so abruptly and his social awkwardness, he was horribly isolated. I'd done what I could for him, and thankfully, it seemed to be working, but it was good to see him with a friend his own age, especially one who was a squire much like himself. I could only hope that it would be a friendship that lasted. I knew well about how vital friendships could be for a knight. How vital they could be for anyone, really.

"Whoa, watch it!" However, woolgathering in the middle of a pathway wasn't exactly the brightest of ideas, particularly when people were moving things. "You okay, Sigurd?" Lex asked, setting down the boxes he'd been carrying, all three of them. Though Neir's blood wasn't known for strength, as Hezul's was, the weight of their armor and axes meant that such strength was required and Lex had no qualms showing it off. "Staring off into space like that isn't exactly the best of ideas."

"I think the boxes that almost collided with my thick skull proved that," I joked, laughing a little. Behind him, I saw Azel carrying a basket of much lighter things. I thought about making another joke, but then I noticed how much he was fidgeting, so instead, decided to simply be concerned. "Is everything all right, Azel?"

"Hmm? Y-yeah!" Azel replied, voice going a little squeaky. Lex facepalmed. "Just… well, this is the farthest I've ever been from home."

"Really?" For a split-second, that surprised me, but then I remembered Arvis had once told me that Azel often became ill while riding. We often spoke when we were at formal events at the same time, both because we adored our little siblings and because we both rolled our eyes at all the matchmakers. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm well." Azel's smile calmed. "So long as I ride the horse, and not ride in a carriage, I don't get sick anymore."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that." However, that reminder made me very curious about something. Very. Curious. "I forgot to ask this earlier, Azel, but is Arvis okay with you being here?"

"Er… well…" Azel smiled nervously; Lex chuckled. That was all the answer I needed.

"Something tells me you're in for quite the scolding later." I swore I could hear it even now. And the lecture I was going to get for being adjacent to this issue.

"Yeah…" Azel winced and looked down, fussing with the items in the basket. They looked to be cloths. "I'm quite the nuisance for him…"

"I highly doubt that is the case." I thought of how Arvis's expression would light up when talking about his little brother. Sometimes, it felt like Azel was one of Arvis's very few joys. It made me worry and wish I had more time to spend in the north, so that I could better befriend him. "However, no matter what I think, that doesn't change how you feel. And, no matter your reasons, I am thankful for your assistance."

"You sure? Because you were just staring down the whole Verdanite army with only a handful of people," Lex pointed out. I tried not to sigh, because in retrospect, that had been very, very reckless. I could hear Eldigan scolding the living hell out of me. "But, whatever. I just can't 'no' to this twerp." Lex sighed, though his smile showed he didn't mind at all. "Man, I can't believe I let you drag me into another mess, Azel."

"Well, what else could we do? Most of our forces are warring with Isaach, with Jungby and Chalphy on a skeleton force!" Azel protested with a frown. He set the basket on top of the boxes Lex had been carrying. "We must do our part to help. We have a responsibility to the people, as both nobles and descendents of the Crusaders."

"You're parroting Arvis there." Lex grinned and slung his arm around Azel's shoulder. "Come on! We've been friends for how long now? You can just admit the reason is to help out Aideen and look all cool for her."

"Of course not, you dolt!" Azel, however, began turning as red as his hair, and I couldn't help but snicker. "Sigurd, ignore him!"

"Of course, of course," I replied, doing my best to not burst into laughter. Or wincing sympathetically. While I had never been interested in romances, I had heard Quan and Eldigan both talk about unrequited love and how painful it was. And I knew Azel's feelings were unrequited, because Aideen had been in love with Midir for years. "I suppose we can change the subject for your sake." I focused on Lex. "So, I'm going to assume that your father has no idea you're here, Lex."

"Oh, hell no!" Lex yelped, shaking his head. For a split-second, I saw raw pain and even rawer hatred in his eyes. Then it was gone. "You kidding? With how much my father hates yours?"

"I figured as much." I wasn't quite sure why, but Duke Langbalt of Dozel absolutely loathed Father. Father never explained why, but also never thought much about it, or Duke Langbalt. Sometimes, I wondered if that was the problem. "I imagine I shall receive a very angry messenger from Dozel, then."

"Doubt he cares." Lex rolled his eyes, and then half-scowled at me. "Just to be clear, though. I'm not here for you. I'm here for Azel. He's my best friend and I owe him more than I can ever hope to repay." Again, there was a flash of pain. Something had happened and it was something that hadn't entered the gossips. Which hinted it was very, very bad. "He wanted to help."

"Then I am extra-appreciative of your assistance, Lex." I smiled as warmly as I could, and Lex softened pretty quickly. Azel, however, looked at him worriedly, hinting there was much more going on. And if they were going to talk about it, then I needed to not be near. "Ah, but here I am being distracted when I've a task. I'll talk to you both later."

I left them behind then and quickly made my way back to town. While the people had offered to let us stay in the castle, due to the amount of cleaning and repairing, I honestly felt it was safer for us to remain outside. Not to mention how… strange… it felt to be inside the walls and not chatting happily with Aideen over something. It wasn't like we camped far from the town, though, and I very quickly found Elder Reisin, the de facto leader of the townspeople given everything, not far from the church that was being used as the infirmary. In between his profuse thanks, I learned that Midir, to my surprise and utter delight, would actually survive. A healer by the name of 'Alicia' had saved him and, even better, he was expected to make a full recovery.

However, Elder Reisin was so insistent on thanking me, each time louder than the last, that it took me forever to finally ask, "How many have perished?"

"Forty-eight." Strangely, the answer didn't come from Elder Reisin. It came, instead, from the young woman stepping out from the church. Patches of dried blood marred her simple, colorless dress as well as her skin and hair. Red hair the same shade as Azel's, hinting to some Velthomer heritage. Her expression was serene and unreadable, from the calm smile to the gentle green eyes, and she held herself with near-perfect poise. "Ah, no, my apologies. It's forty-nine now," she corrected, her voice and tone perfectly neutral. I'd seen it in other healers, and knew from Aideen that healers trained to be this way, but she seemed to take it a step further. "I suspect that we'll reach fifty-two or fifty-three before the night is done, though."

Elder Reisin immediately turned to scold her for the blunt words, but I didn't care. Instead, I focused on the name he'd called her. 'Alicia'. This, then, was the woman who saved Midir's life. So, when she tried to apologize for the 'blunt words', I waved it away. I owed her, after all. Still, it was a surprise to learn that she was the leader of the healers here.

"You must be quite skilled, to have such responsibilities at your age," I murmured, hoping to pay her a compliment. Though, looking her over a second time, I guessed she was barely older than Azel.

"I am only moderately skilled, my lord," Miss Alicia replied, deftly turning the compliment away. Her voice was soft and low, and perfectly even, barely changing at all. It was soothing, truthfully, which I suspected was on purpose. "The more skilled ones were conscripted into the forces for war."

The conversation turned to Aideen and how she was missing. Elder Reisin quietly left to tend to whatever other duties he had, leaving me to talk to Miss Alicia alone. She stated the dangers to Aideen with blunt honesty, but softened the words with a serene smile and apologies for said bluntness. Not that, of course, I hadn't thought about that sort of danger. In fact, I'd argued against Aideen leaving knight training to take up a healer's path, because she'd have less training in defending herself. So, I was terrified for her, and terrified that I'd be too late to help her. Eventually, though, the topic grew too heavy on my heart and I had to change subject.

"Ah, I'm off topic," I murmured, shaking my head. I just had to hope that the famous Ullur luck would help Aideen. "I came here to find a healer and to check on the wounded."

"Well, my lord, you are looking at one," Miss Alicia reminded me. She even brought up her staff for emphasis. "What do you need of me?"

"Are you so certain? I'm sure you're exhausted." For some reason, my words caused her to laugh and the sound brightened her expression considerably. The change was so starting that it was almost enough to make me forget my worry. With so few healers, she had to have been healing for literally hours. "I do not wish to ask too much."

"Well, so long as you don't expect me to change my clothes and give myself more than a cursory wash, I believe I can find the energy to assist you." She laughed again, but her expression became serious and neutral again. Save for her eyes. Her eyes held a spark of purpose to them. "What say you?"

"I say 'thank you kindly'." Because that spark told me one thing important. Keeping her from healing was as 'disgraceful' as trying to keep my knights from following me. Just as they were my knights, she was a healer. Healing was what she did.

So, she followed me back to camp and, at her prompting, we talked a bit about my forces. I explained how Ethlyn was the one injured, and had hoped that complaining about the ever-fretting Quan would get her to at least smile, but she maintained that poise with perfect ease. She even held it even when I teased Quan and Ethlyn about the possibility walking in on them kissing. I thought it might've dropped a little when I dragged Quan out by the collar, but it was too quick to really catch.

"While I am appreciative, how skilled is this healer?" Quan asked, looking back worriedly. If I wasn't maintaining my grip on his shirt, I was sure he'd charge right back in. "I mean no disrespect, of course, but…"

"You're fretting so much that I'm tempted to chuck you into the river, Quan," I teased, continuing to lead him away. I knew the words held weight because I had done that once to get him to stop worrying. Eldigan had done it twice. "Relax. Miss Alicia saved Midir's life."

"She did?" Quan's eyes lit up with relief, and I knew it wasn't just because of the reassurance that she was skilled. He'd been worried about Midir as well. "That speaks of quite a bit of talent."

"It does." I thought it also spoke quite a bit on how lonely she must be, though. Even if you had a talent for something, you did have to work at it in order to truly 'master' it. And, as all those with Holy Blood knew, that required time. It was for that reason that I chose against training as a Master Knight as Father did, because I knew I wanted to focus more on ruling, and still have time to spend with my friends. "So, how about you stop fighting me?"

"Er… right…" Quan coughed and looked away in embarrassment. But soon he was smiling again. "Ah, I missed such banter. It's been much too long, Sigurd."

"It has." That, however, reminded me of just why it had been so long. Not just distance, but also because of… "Are you sure things are okay, though, Quan?" I couldn't help but worry. "I know Thracia…"

"That's why Finn is the only one I brought along with me. Though, don't fret, he's skilled." Quan grinned. "He's got a natural talent and a determination few have."

"I'm sure." Still, I couldn't help but look down, unable to keep his gaze. "I'm sorry for pulling you into this mess." While I never regretted helping people, I always felt guilty over dragging everyone with me. "I know you've got your hands full, and Altena isn't even a year old and-"

"Sigurd, you wound me!" Quan even playfully looked hurt. "Yes, things are difficult in Leonster and yes, I miss Altena, but how could I not keep my part of the pledge we swore?"

"Ah…" I remembered that pledge. We had been talking about our hopes and dreams of the future, of the changes we wished to make, and then Eldigan had suggested that we make an oath, sealed with blood as the ancient oaths of Agustria were. So that it would endure for as long as we and our lines did. "Always to help each other. Come to each other's aid."

"Precisely." Quan grinned. "I am here for you, now and forever. Besides, someone has to help you with these savages, yes? It must get tiring to kill them all on your own!"

"Hey, hey, it wasn't all on my own!" I smiled again, touched. I was truly blessed having him and Eldigan as my friends. "Ah, never mind that. Let's discuss tactics for the next battle, shall we?"

However, even as we talked, I was remembering Miss Alicia and wondered if she might join our cause. We could use a dedicated healer, and… well, she saved Midir and was tending to Ethlyn, despite how tired she had to be. I wanted to repay her for that. And it was likely arrogant to think this, but I thought the best way to repay that was to help her not be so lonely anymore. Help her laugh and smile freely. And our small 'army' was so varied that I was sure that we could help. Though, again, it was probably arrogant and me being a busybody.

Still, I'd just need to think of how to ask. Maybe tomorrow. Today had been far too long for me to continue thinking tactfully.

Author's note: Welcome to Memoirs of the Destined. Yes, it's yet another Memoirs thing. I know; I know. There's a lot. However, because of just how long, timeline wise, the first generation is (5 years), I just couldn't shake the feeling that despite Memoirs of the Holy War completing the first generation (and me quite happy with how it turned out), the first gen chars' stories weren't quite done yet. So, after talking it over with trusted friends, I decided to do this, a oneshot collection much like Memoirs of the Lost, but focused on the First Generation during the years of the game itself. Not all of the oneshots will be in Sigurd's POV, and not all of them will have a focus on Alicia or anything; it just felt right to start off this collection with Sigurd's view of that very important first meeting.

So, this will work much like Memoirs of the Lost. Collection of oneshots, and I will updated whenever I feel like. Stories aren't necessarily going to be in chronological order. You are free to make suggestions, but final say in what appears and whose POV shows up are mine and mine alone and I will go ahead and state that there will likely be no POVs depicting the Belhalla massacre in this particular collection (I feel like things related to that are better suited towards Memoirs of the Lost). Each story will have a title, with the POV and year listed underneath. Game-Chapter (and Memoirs of the Holy War chapter) will/should show up in the author's notes to help piece together the timeline. Think that's about it… oh, yes, it's 'Destined' because of the 'doors of destiny' phrase that shows up twice in the First Generation (and it was less depressing than my other ideas, which included 'Doomed' and 'Tragic' and 'Fallen').

Sigurd being left behind in Chalphy at Arvis's advice is mentioned in Memoirs of Velthomer. Sigurd leaping over Ethlyn on a horse is from the Oosawa manga. The talks with Azel and Lex are based off of the ingame conversations, both the ones they have with Sigurd and their 'intro' conversations when they first appear on the map. Same for the conversations with Ethlyn and Quan. The paragraphs about Sigurd's knights are based off of the intro scene for the chapter. Aideen once being in training as a knight comes from a conversation she has with Sigurd… I want to say Game-Chapter 1, but don't quote me on that on. Palmark is an NPC that appears in Game-Chapter 10, mentioned to have served Chalphy for quite some time. And, for the sake of clarity, this chapter takes place during the game's prologue, and chapter one of Memoirs of the Holy War.