Songs of War

Quan POV - Gran 757

There was a saying in Manster District, derived from the 'Tale of Diarmuid'. 'When the songs of war ring out, the winds shall be heavy.' It was part of a well-known speech, one that many of Leonster could recite by heart. 'When the songs of war ring out, the winds shall be heavy. Heavy with the souls of the dead. Heavy with the dreams of the fallen. Heavy with the screams of the living. Yet the wind shall carry its burden stoically, as it always will, to lead the songs of war away and let peace reign again.' It was said by the hero Diarmuid right before the final battle, as a means of steeling his resolve. It was one of my favorite parts of the story, and often, I would whisper the full speech before riding out to battle as a means of reassuring myself. Leonster was constantly fighting, but with luck, the songs of war would fade and the Thracian peninsula would be unified. It was my dream to make that happen, to help that happen in some small way.

But today, I didn't whisper the speech before I battled. Instead, I whispered it as I watched farmers train to be soldiers, all too aware that they had absolutely no idea what they were getting into. None at all.

Grannvale… I wouldn't say it was peaceful, but its battles were more often fought with words and manipulations than actual blades. Aside from the occasional bandit attack, most of its people never saw fighting. Eldigan and I once talked about it, noting that Grannvale 'fought' nature more than it 'fought' man. It was so abnormal to both of us. Leonster, of course, fought Thracia near constantly and Agustria, being a country of warlords held together only through oaths of loyalty to the line of Hezul, frequently had territorial disputes. As such, we were exposed to warfare and the whole 'political manipulations' thing was foreign to us. Perhaps that was why the two of us bonded so easily with Sigurd, who was too straightforward to play such games. Then again, that could've just been because of how Sigurd was a force of nature and always had been.

Sigurd and I had been friends ever since our first year at the military academy in Belhalla. I had insisted on attending, to learn foreign tactics in the hopes of it helping our people in the constant battles against Thracia. So, when I had arrived, I'd been very serious, not inclined to make friends and uncaring at what they thought about me. If anything, I had hated them for taking things so lightly, so I had ignored their insults and refused to acknowledge their shunning and their bullying.

But Sigurd had. Sigurd had noticed, and Sigurd had been offended on my behalf. So, he had devised a counter-attack which went… slightly out of control. So he'd grabbed me and run, laughing all the while. He'd dragged me all the way to the market, and showed me around, happily greeting people by name. He had been unlike anyone or anything I had ever seen before. It was almost like he was light itself, incarnated in a human form to experience and enjoy life. That day, I had assumed it would be a one day thing, just a whim he'd had and would discard before long. But that hadn't happened. Sigurd had sought my company out often after that day, and soon, dragged Eldigan into our group. From then on, we were a trio, inseparable, and I learned what it actually meant to be happy. I learned what it meant to have fun. I truly learned, thanks to Sigurd, just what kind of life I wanted my people to experience.

That friendship was everything for me. I would protect it, and my friends, with everything I had, and do all that I could for both of them. Which was why I was all the way up here, getting involved in another country's war, training farmers into soldiers.

Suddenly, something pulled my arm, and my thoughts, and when I turned to look, I found myself drawn into a very warm, very sweet kiss. Literally sweet.

"Did you just eat some candy or something, darling?" I asked, amused once I processed what my wife had done. Ethlyn smiled and licked her lips, giggling. "You did."

"Are you complaining?" she asked, still giggling. She clasped her hands behind her back and gently bumped her shoulder against me. "You were being all scowly. I thought I'd cheer you up. Did it work?"

"You always cheer me up." I smiled softly at her, relaxing automatically. Her presence had always been a balm to my spirit, especially as we both got older. "I would've thought you'd be bothering Sigurd, though. It's been a while since you got to annoy him."

"Sigurd is too happy to see me to be bothered!" She sulked for half of a second before giggling, beaming. She and Sigurd were very close, though I had been told that they once hadn't. I couldn't imagine it, really. For all that I have known them, they had been practically the ideal siblings. "So, I thought I would check in on you! A good thing too. I think you're scaring the recruits with your scowly-scowl."

"Once again, you remind me of how blessed I am to have you as my wife." I caressed her cheek, playing with the strands of hair by her face, and grinned at her blush. "How are you holding up?"

"Quan, you know I'm no fragile flower." She held my hand against her face with both of hers, and I was struck by how small she was. Thanks to her vibrant personality, she often came off as larger than she was. "I mean; I survived a pregnancy. Bring on a war. I'm ready."

"I'll take your word for that." I leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, just to hear her squeak. "But you're making me fall for you all over again with lines like that."

"Good. Because I fall in love with you again and again every day." She said the words easily, and laughed when I immediately looked away in a desperate attempt to hide my blush. "You are so easy to tease."

"Don't you have others to try and embarrass?"

"Mmm… no, but I did want to visit the villages with Alicia, so I think I shall go bug her!" She hopped up to kiss me again and skipped off, winking at me over her shoulder. I smiled softly at her, watching her leave, and then attempted to be serious again so that I could properly train these farmers.

However, that was when I noticed Finn standing nearby, patiently waiting for me to acknowledge him. My squire… Finn wasn't the typical squire by any means. For one thing, the Prince of Leonster didn't normally take squires. For another, Finn was a commoner and the rules were clear. Knights were nobility, training since childhood as pages, and commoners became soldiers, beginning their training at age fifteen. Each year, we had a new batch of recruits, and normally, I paid no attention to the new faces on the castle's grounds. However, on a whim, I decided to watch the soldiers' first practice session, and almost immediately, Finn caught my eye. And held it.

It wasn't necessarily his fighting or anything. He had a natural talent to be certain, but that alone wouldn't have held my attention. Many in Leonster had a natural talent, and truthfully, the 'normal' thing to have done was recommend he apprentice to a similarly skilled soldier, like Xavier. However, his stance, his bearing… the spark in his eyes… all of it had reminded me of Sigurd and Eldigan. Someone with the heart and spirit of a knight, someone who would protect people with everything he had… that had held my attention, and before I could think twice, I asked if he wanted to train as a knight instead. I had to fight so many to make it happen, even my father, but I had no regrets at all about it. Given a few more years, and a bit more experience, and Finn would likely become the greatest of Leonster's knights. And, on a personal level, Finn's presence brought me joy and gave Ethlyn comfort.

Of course, dragging him all the way out here was a gamble. Dorias had asked why I was doing so, and offered to train Finn for me if teacher-obligation was the only reason. It was highly atypical for a squire to leave Leonster's borders; it wasn't typical for Leonster knights to leave at all. But I had multiple reasons, really. Chief among them… well, Finn was always alone. In terms of friends, he had Glade, the son of a duke, and Selfina, Dorias's daughter. In terms of family, he had Ethlyn, Altena, and myself. And that was it. But I knew any army Sigurd gathered would be friendly. I knew any army Sigurd lead would welcome people, and let them not be alone. So, I hoped Finn would find more friends here, and so far, I had been right. He and Oifeye bonded well, and I had frequently seen Sigurd's personal knights (Naoise, Alec, and Arden) drag both squires into their antics, answering their questions with easy cheer. Finn smiled more as well.

"You asked to see me, my lord?" Though, Finn wasn't smiling now. He regarded me with an impassive expression, similar to the expression he'd had when I first made my offer. "I apologize for being late," he murmured, bowing slightly. "I was helping Miss Alicia clean the infirmary."

"Again?" I asked, a bit startled. It seemed like she cleaned every morning. That is, when she wasn't mending or making medicines. It was almost like she looked for excuses to not interact with people. "Really?"

"It is very important to keep the infirmary clean, my lord." Finn looked up at me seriously. "The healers in Leonster were the same."

"That's what I get for not paying attention." My personal philosophy with healers tended to just let them do what they wanted. Though I did make stupid comments in front of them once or twice. Or more. "Ah, no matter, I wanted to apologize for dragging you into this, Finn."

"Whatever do you mean?" He frowned, genuinely confused. It did make me feel a bit better, since I did feel bad about taking a gamble, even if it seemed to be working. "I am but your humble servant, my lord. I go where you will."

"Thank you, Finn." I smiled at him, relaxing. If I had heard the words from anyone else, I might've rolled my eyes, but it was just another similarity he had with Sigurd and Eldigan. Being able to say such things with a gentle sincerity and be believed. "It's a relief to hear that."

"I am honored by your confidence, my lord." Finn hesitated a bit and looked down. "Though I doubt I'll be of use to you."

"You've already been quite helpful." Still, I had to fight off a laugh, because this was just like Finn as well. He was humble to a flaw, truly. I hoped that his time with this army would also help him find his confidence. "If you're truly so worried, though, we can scale up your practice sessions. For now, will you help me turn these villagers into soldiers?"

"Of course, my lord." Finn bowed and immediately headed over to one villager in particular, helping them with their grip. I smiled, and closed my eyes, whispering the speech again to settle my nerves and steel my resolve.

I wondered how many of these villagers would be alive when the songs of war faded away. Sadly, I knew we'd find out long before I wanted.

Author's notes: Have a Quan. Timeline-wise, this is set between the 'Prologue' and 'Game-Chapter one in FE4, during 'Interlude - Evans' in Memoirs of the Holy War. Finn's past was briefly mentioned in his oneshot in Memoirs of the Lost. How Quan met Sigurd is briefly mentioned in Chapter 3 of Memoirs of the Holy War. Finn and Quan's conversation is based on their convo in Game-Chapter 1, which gives Finn some boosts to his stats (+1 to str, skl, and def iirc). The whole 'Tale of Diarmuid' thing is something I made up and mentioned in Memoirs of the Holy War for fun.