Chapter 3) Escape

Slowly, Hezul and I heal. To both of our surprises, it isn't just the physical wounds that mend, but some mental ones that I had been so used to, I didn't even notice them anymore. It becomes easier to accept Dain's affectionate gestures to the head, Baldur's reassuring hands on the shoulder. I almost come to expect Noba's enthusiastic hugs, or Vala's knowing winks and nudges. It was frightening. I hadn't experienced such warmth in a long, long time. I no longer knew how to return that affection.

The only thing I could think of was to leave and try to keep them safe. It was all Hezul and I could do for them.

"Easy, Hezul. Please, don't push yourself." I supported Hezul's back and shoulder as we walked slowly outside. It had been a few days since Vala had cleared Hezul to walk around and he immediately began training and walking, trying to regain his strength as fast as possible. "You will set their work back if you do," I chided, frowning up at him. It distracted me from how we were quite a distance away from the village and house. That made me nervous. "That isn't very fair to them."

"No, I suppose not," he agreed. He sighed and let me continue to support him, slowing to match my pace. "How are your feet?"

"They have healed." Though, a couple of the injuries had scarred, perhaps made worse by how I was still barefoot. There wasn't a cobbler in this town anymore, the last one had been forcibly drafted, and the group didn't have spare shoes for me to borrow. "According to Dain, we have also regained some of the weight we had lost."

"So, we're almost recovered."

"I suppose so." An uneasy quiet fell over both of us. When we were recovered, we had to leave. Neither of us really wanted to, of course, but... "It is best for them."

"It is safer for them." Hezul smiled sadly and looked up at the sky. "It has been nice, though. For a small time, we were content."

"That is quite true." I closed my eyes and leaned into him. The contentment here was the closest we had gotten to the happiness of our childhood, before Galle received the tome. I would miss it. "It has been a pleasant dream, but all dreams must end."

"They do, sadly. You can't pretend forever. All you get for trying is a rude awakening."

"That is quite true." It was like us, when we realized that pretending Galle would 'come back' and everything would 'go back to normal' was nothing more than a delusion. "We should return to the house."

"We should." However, just as we turned to walk back, he stiffened and looked down the road with narrowed eyes. "I hear horses." I froze, knowing what those words meant. Horses were expensive, especially in a world where you could barely feed yourself. Horses in these parts would belong to nobles, or knights. "They're here."

"I see." Was it coincidence or were they after us? The answer didn't matter. "Can you walk on your own?"

"Yes."

"Stay safe." I let go of him and ran down the path. I ran and ran, as fast as I could, all the way back to the house. I opened the door sharply and it cracked against the wall as I swung inside, banging my shoulder on the doorframe. "Vala!"

"What in all the hells?" Vala stood up from the table, where she had been making medicine. "Gwyneth, what's going on?" she half-demanded. There was a trace of fear in her eyes. "Did Hezul collapse?"

"No, he didn't. But we believe knights are approaching," I informed her. I tried to keep my voice as even as possible, and managed to remain calm despite my own anxiety. "Is there an evacuation plan for the village or…?"

"Knights? Here?" She brought up her hand and a tiny bit of red light danced at her fingertips. In the light, I saw the outline of a tiny person with sharp wings. "Shit, they are. Gods damn it, they haven't hit here in five years." She stood up abruptly, knocking the chair back. "Packs. Packs, and informing the others. We have to move quickly. Is Hezul returning here?"

"He is."

"Then we'll wait for him. We'll need him for some of the higher stuff."

Vala and I packed everything as quickly as possible, and I noticed that many of their important things were half-packed already. When Hezul returned, Vala made him clear out the cupboards for us, since both Vala and I were a little too short to reach. As soon as we did that, Vala ran for the village, shouting that knights were on the way. Hezul and I followed with the packs, not quite sure what else to do. Thankfully, others did, but even with that, evacuations proceeded slowly, though not for a lack of trying. The people believed the threat easily, and they had clearly been prepared. The difficulties resulted mostly in reaching the fields, finding playing children, letting the few farm animals loose. Dain, Noba, and Baldur took command, issuing orders with startling ease. After a moment of awkward lingering, Hezul helped with gathering the children, and I helped Vala pass out small medicinal packs to whoever came to get them. Our own packs were tucked safely to the side, where we could pick them up easily when it was time to leave.

Unfortunately, the knights arrived before everyone had been evacuated and the sheer number screamed just what their purpose was. This was indeed a coincidence. This was a Child Hunt, and it was... I had always known they were horrifying. I had seen the arena matches, and I had seen the remains of the sacrifices. I knew, thanks to Galle's games with prisoners, the nausea and terror that came from watching someone 'hunt' a person. But even knowing all that, I had never quite understood how horrifying they were. Never.

I watched a child, barely seven years old, be ripped away from their mother. The child screamed and sobbed until they were taken out of sight. The mother shrieked and wailed until a knight cut off her head.

I watched an adolescent, twelve or thirteen, fight desperately to protect their younger siblings. A knight defeated them easily and slung them over their shoulder like a sack. Another knight butchered the siblings, punishment for defiance.

I watched two friends, both somewhere around eight years old, cling to each other desperately as others died trying to protect them. But the knights came and dragged them apart. They screamed each other's names, but there was no effort in keeping them in the same place. Instead, the knights began setting fire to the buildings to chase more out into the streets.

I watched quite a lot, frozen in terror, and when I finally unfroze, it was simply to turn away and cover my mouth to keep from screaming and drawing attention to those still running away. But turning made me realize Hezul was next to me, already sooty, hinting that the flames had been burning for some time. He watched the knights and the horrors unfold, tense to the point of shaking, cold fury icing his expression. There was no need for words. I knew what he wanted to do, I knew what he felt he should do, and I knew what I had to do.

"Hezul," I whispered, resting a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at me, the ice thawing only a little. "I will be waiting." I tried to hide my shaking. We both knew what would likely happen. "If you can…"

"I will find you," he replied quietly, his hand coming up to gently touch mine. There was no mention of 'where' he would find me. It was the only way he could say 'I promise'. "Go."

I turned away, grabbing his pack and mine and barely noticing that the others had already grabbed theirs, and ran towards the edge of the village, helping to herd people to the others, to where I could just see Noba waving. There was a terrified scream and I turned back to see Hezul had already killed two of the knights. Wounded as he may be, Hezul still know over a thousand ways to kill a person, with or without a weapon. When he stole a sword from the dead, even more fell. He would likely die, because of his injuries, but he would take the knights with him. He would buy us the time we needed. If I doubted how needed this was, then the amount of children who managed to escape the flames and ran straight for me proved it.

"This way," I urged, as that first group reached me. Many were bloody and dotted with ash. Most of were sobbing. "You made it. It will be okay. Noba is just down there, and she will show you the way to the others."

"M-Miss…" one of the older ones began, a young girl desperately clinging to a couple of younger children. "I..." Her voice caught and she threw herself at me. It took me a second to realize she wanted a hug, and so, I awkwardly complied. "Why is this happening? What did we do?"

"…You did nothing." I didn't know what to say. "This is just the result of a mad man serving a madder god. You did nothing to deserve this. No one did."

"My brother… they took him…"

"I am sorry." I patted her back and then crouched down to look her in the eye. After a moment, I wiped away her tears. "I am also sorry I don't know the words to comfort you. But I do know that you need to keep going, and I know you can make it."

"R-right…" She sniffed and nodded. "Thank you for the hug, miss."

She ran, taking the other children with her, and I continued herding the escaping children, serving unintentionally as a 'first post' to let them know where to run. Many stopped for a hug, and each time, I gave them one that I hoped was comforting enough. None of them complained at least. They got the hug they wanted and then they moved on. I lost track of time, focusing solely on how many children were running my way. Seconds didn't matter. The children did.

"Lord Hezul?" A voice startled me and I looked back to the village, wondering who would be calling Hezul. The flames were spreading quickly, so I could barely see Hezul, carrying a blade dripping with blood, facing down a knight. "Lord Hezul, is that you?" they asked, sounding strangely hopeful. They took off their helmet, and I realized I knew him. I didn't know his name, Galle would never let him close enough, but I recognized him. He was the leader of the mage knights, someone far too high-ranked to be involved in a Child Hunt. Perhaps this had not been as 'coincidental' as I originally thought. "Lord Hezul, we found you!" His face lit up with a smile. "Oh, thank Loptyr! The castle has been frantic with worry ever since you and Lady Gwyeth were kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped?" Hezul repeated. He spoke coolly, and held himself calmly. Fire and smoke spiraled out from the nearby buildings and blood dripped down his face, seeping into his clothes. I kept one eye on him, and one eye on the children. The last were heading my way. "That's quite the bold statement."

"Is it not the truth? Well, perhaps it is more accurate to say Lady Gwyneth was kidnapped. I can't imagine a pack of rebels beating our Black Knight, after all!" The knight grinned. Hezul remained stoic. I wondered how many people heard that revelation. I wondered how many people have the energy to care. "Ah, where is she? We should hurry. Emperor Galle has been so despondent!"

"Gwyneth is away, or should be soon. Where she goes is no concern of yours."

"I am a knight, same as you, and she is to be our empress. I would say it's of great concern."

"Corpses don't have concerns." Hezul brought the blade up in a very clear threat, and the knight's expression morphed to terror. "We were not captured. We ran. We escaped. And she will continue to run, and I will make you all regret this hunt in your final moments."

"You…" The knight's voice shook. "You of all people betrayed…?"

"I did, because I am very tired. Perhaps you might win this duel with that handicap. But then again, perhaps not. Galle liked watching me kill for a reason. I am very, very good at it. Shall I show you?"

The last child made it past me at last, and I turned away to follow them, picking up the packs. I fought against the urge to cry, and instead focused on simply running to Noba. I couldn't waste this. No matter how much it hurt, to the point I swore a large chunk of me had been torn away, I couldn't waste this.

All of us ran as fast as we could. We ignored our bruises from tripping over roots and crashing into trees. We ignored the blood from scrapes and busted toes. We ignored the tears in our clothes from clinging thorns. We ignored how much our lungs burned. We ignored everything, save the run and making sure that no one was left behind. It was far more difficult than it sounded.

"No, no, child, you can't stop here," I whispered, picking up a child who had just sat down in the mud, too tired to move. They looked to be five years old, too young to be 'hunted', but there were no signs of an older sibling or parent nearby. "The bad people will catch you if you do."

"I want Mama," they whined. Big fat tears rolled down their face and they began to wail. "Mama! Where are you? Mama!"

"I am certain she is ahead, looking for you." I crouched down and tried to wipe the tears away, desperately looking for some sort of assistance. I had no idea what to do and worse, the group was moving ahead. "Come on. You can hold my hand."

"B-but…" They sniffed and nodded. They were too tired to argue any further. "Okay…"

Thankfully, as soon as we caught up, someone else took charge of the child for me, someone far more skilled. Despite that relief, I found myself keeping an eye out for other children who were briefly overlooked because they didn't understand, or because they were tired. Whenever I found one, I would pick them up, dry their tears, and hold their hand until someone else could help. It was all I could do, and it kept me from worrying about Hezul.

I hadn't spoken much with Baldur, Noba, Dain, or Vala since this mad dash to 'safety' began. Truly, I had only told them that Hezul had stayed behind to buy time. Their eyes held questions, but none pressed me. The only thing they insisted on was for Dain to carry Hezul's pack for me. I gave it over without a thought, but part of me wished I had held onto it. But there wasn't any point to it, and I knew I would have difficulties carrying two packs, along with all this exercise. I had enough trouble with one. Perhaps that was why I was so good at finding lost children. I was tired too.

A clamor at the head of the group startled many of us, and I pushed my way to the front to ask what had happened. However, as soon as I got there, I realized with horror just what happened. We had run right into an ambush of Loptyrian priests, and all of them already had spells ready. I didn't see the Hel or Fenrir tomes, but that didn't matter. Even the most basic of dark magic could poison and no one here was especially good at resisting magic. In fact, I knew that Dain, Noba, and Baldur had no such defenses. Vala had some, but dark magic eroded the elemental magics like her fire.

I knew what would happen. They would die. The villagers would die. The children would be captured, providing they were in the 'proper' age range. The rest would be slaughtered. But I had an advantage. I had a means to distract them. I was absolutely terrified, but if it meant protecting these people, I…

"Pardon me!" I made sure my voice was just loud enough to be heard, the words clear and distinct. It was always the best way to snag someone's attention, and these priests were no different. "Good day there," I greeted, stepping away from the group to make sure they could see me. The priests froze, clearly thrown off. Vala, realizing what I was doing, started pushing the villagers down the path. I could have hugged her for it. "Might I ask what you are doing here?"

"That is a better question posed to you, Lady Gwyneth," one of the priests replied. I didn't know them. All the priests blended together in my head, due to wearing so similar clothing and hoods that masked their faces. "Why are you in such a place? Our emperor has been worried ever since you and Lord Hezul disappeared."

"Regardless of what Galle believes, I am here of my own violation." I had to fight to keep from trembling. I had to fight to keep from screaming. I was terrified. I had to focus completely on them. If I looked to the others, I knew I would falter. "Leave these people be. They have enough to worry about."

"We are in need of sacrifices, Lady Gwyneth." The priest shrugged, unbothered by the idea of killing children. Of course they were. They did it every day. "But please, stay there for a moment while we-"

"I think not. I think, instead, we are going to play a game." I reached into my bag and pulled out the Loptyr tome. The priests all gasped, recognizing it instantly. I was nauseous from fear, but I kept going. I was an expert in keeping calm when I would rather be ill. "I assume you wish to see me back to Galle. I also assume you would like to reclaim this tome. So, here is the game I propose, a game of tag.

"T-tag?!" The priest bristled. I could almost hit myself for how idiotic it sounded. "Nonsense! Stay there, and give us the tome!"

"No. Never." I tucked the tome back into the bag. "If you want it, then come claim it."

I ran. I ran as fast as I could, away from group, and hoped that they would follow. The shouts and yelps behind me, without the heaviness in the air that always accompanied dark magic, told me I had won the gamble. They followed me, and left the villagers alone.

I ran in random directions, simply focusing on drawing them as far away from the villagers as possible. I crashed through shrubs, bloodied my toes on roots. I scraped my arms on trees and cracked my head against low-hanging branches. Blood trickled down, seeping into my shirt and skirt. I felt horrible about it. I didn't know how to wash blood out of clothes, and these were Vala's.

The view in front of me suddenly cleared, all trees and bushes disappearing for open sky. I skidded to a stop, falling and rolling, scraping up my palms and legs. But it was much preferable from sliding off the sudden cliff. As it was, my right foot ended up dangling over the edge and the ground was very soft, making it a struggle to stand up. By the time I did, the priests had caught up and they didn't look very happy. Then again, they only looked happy when torturing people. Loptyr wouldn't let any other type of person rise so high in his priesthood.

"Lady Gwyneth, you really shouldn't run." The same priest as before talked to me, voice patronizing. I held onto my calm and made sure to hold myself with perfect posture. My mother would have been proud of my poise. My father would have been proud of how I held my ground. "See, you're wounded," they sighed, shaking their head. "What treacherous rebels."

"There are no rebels," I retorted coolly. I was so afraid that I had gone numb. "I was not kidnapped."

"Lady Gwyneth, the story is clear." They spoke slowly, as if to a child. "You were kidnapped, held hostage by rebels. Lord Hezul surrendered to lessen the chances of you coming to harm, and to accompany you to look for an escape. When you saw the knights, you two escaped. That's all. That is the story Emperor Galle believes."

"I don't care what Galle believes." I took a step back, my heel right on the edge, and I held my pack out over the open space. I had no idea how long the drop was, but I knew it would be enough to make them pause. "Don't come closer or I will drop it."

"Lady Gwyneth, be reasonable."

"I already am." I glared at them. "Don't come closer."

"Fine, fine, but please, step away from the edge." They smiled slightly, too slightly, and their hand twitched by their tome. I could hear the lie in their voice before they even got the next words out. "We will not do you harm."

"I grew up in the court of Emperor Galle the Sixteenth and have lived the past three years in Galle's. If you think I can't recognize such an obvious lie, then you are truly the greatest fool in all of Jugdral."

"You…" The priest growled and the other priests began pulling out their tomes. "You used to be so tractable. You haven't been gone that long. What in all the hells happened?"

"I learned that there are things still worth fighting for in this world." Noba, Baldur, Dain, and Vala… they and the kindness they showed me… the villagers who cried and screamed because of uncaring knights… the children who wanted hugs so badly they clung to a stranger… they were worth this. They were more than worth this. "You had best hope you don't kill me. I am certain Galle would be most displeased."

Apparently confident in their ability to non-lethally hit me while I was on the edge of a cliff, they brought up their hands, prepping their spells. I simply shifted more of my weight back onto that half-off foot, locking my jaw to keep from screaming. Whether they believed it or not, if they struck, I would go over the edge. It wouldn't be a fast death, or rather it would be a death I would see coming. But it would be better than suffering capture, and I would take the tome with me. I qualified that as a victory. So I closed my eyes and waited for the spells to hit. But they didn't. At least, their spells didn't.

"Hellfire upon you!" Vala's, however, hit her mark perfectly. All of the priests went up in flames and she walked through the fire and ashes without a care. "Gwyneth!" she called, smiling in relief. The priests screamed, but she paid them no attention. "Gods, I was so afraid when I realized you headed for the cliff. Come over here. The ground is soft and prone to slipping."

"Ah, yes?" I murmured, stunned. Jerkily, I managed a few steps forward before collapsing, all the feeling gone from my legs. "Oh dear…"

"Easy." Vala crouched in front of me, smiling softly. It was a strange picture, considering the fire burning people to cinders behind her. I couldn't even smell them burning anymore, just the smoke. "I think you overextended some."

"I believe you are correct." I found it so hard to think. I had been prepared for death, and yet here I was. "The villagers… they…?"

"Dain's got them. Noba and Baldur went to see if they could get Hezul. I came after you." She leaned forward to hug me. She smelled of smoke, blood, and sweat. But she was warm, and the hug was comforting and grounding. "You are absolutely ridiculous, by the way. You stole the tome. You stole the freaking tome. Most powerful weapon in the entire empire, and you stole it!"

"I did." I leaned out of her hug to take out the tome again. The flames made me consider something, and... "You have fire."

"I do." She snapped her fingers and fire appeared in her palm. The fires behind her had mostly died, leaving just the charred bodies of the priests, twisted up in pain. "Shall we try burning it?"

"We might as well." I put the tome into the fire, holding onto the uppermost corner. But, to our surprise, the book didn't burn. Instead, it appeared to devour the fire in shadows, and I swore I heard a horrible hissing sound as it did. I quickly retracted it and flipped open the book, hunting for any sign of ash or burning. But there was none. There wasn't a single sign of flames on the pages. "Well, that was…"

"Oh, that's just wrong." Vala grabbed one of the pages and attempted to rip it. It wouldn't tear. The pages bent, but they wouldn't rip. "That's so wrong. What the hell is this tome?"

"I don't know." I stuffed it back into my pack. "I just know I don't want them to ever retrieve it."

"Yeah, neither do I." She stood up and stretched, looking around. "Come on. We're not far from the village, so let's see if Hezul, Baldur, and Noba need any help." She offered me her hand, laughing. "You and Hezul went and undid all our hard work, you know. Your feet are mangled."

"They are not mutilated quite yet." I did guiltily look at all the bruising and blood on them, though. I had certainly come close. "I am sorry."

"Eh, you're alive. I can deal. Let's go."

We had to walk slowly because of my feet, but Vala didn't mind. She helped me whenever I tripped and pushed away some of the sharper rocks in the path. But, before long, we made it to the village, or what was left of it. The fires were dying out, leaving only smoking ruins. Blood flooded through the broken buildings, dammed up by various corpses. Vala and I both covered our noses and mouth to try and dampen the smell as we meandered through, and I was certain we would find Hezul among the bodies. I worried we would find Noba and Baldur. However, to my surprise, we… we didn't. He was alive. They were alive. In fact, the three of them were sitting on some random boxes, likely old storage containers, all perfectly fine. Baldur was tying some bandages around Hezul's side, reopened wound gushing blood, and Noba was laughing about something.

"Oh, hey there, you two!" she greeted brightly. Her clothes were ruined by all the blood, and she sported injuries and bandages. But still, she smiled warmly. "Yay, you caught up with her, Vala!"

"I did!" Vala proudly declared. She immediately skipped over, glancing around. "Wow, were you guys fighting new recruits or something? There are a lot of bodies for just three people."

"Hezul said we were, based on the newness of the armor and how standard their attacks were. Combined with unorthodox tactics, Hezul intimidating the hell out of them, and having a bit more control of the terrain, we managed."

"I'll say! All hail the conquering heroes!"

"Huzzah! I'm lightheaded."

"That's the battle fever. Hold still while I check you over."

The two continued to chat while Vala made sure they had no serious wounds, eventually drawing Baldur into it when he finished bandaging up Hezul. Hezul pushed himself away slightly, staring at them in incomprehension, before he turned at looked at me with a slight smile. I stared back, not quite sure of what I was feeling. There was relief, certainly. There was guilt. Terror. There were other emotions I couldn't name. So, I didn't bother. I didn't say a word. I just dropped my pack and ran over to hug Hezul. He stiffened at the sudden contact, but relaxed and leaned into me before long. He didn't return the hug, but I didn't expect him too. It was enough to simply hold him and know he was still alive.

"We need to leave before reinforcements arrive," he murmured after a moment. Silently agreeing, I stepped back and clasped my hands in front of me before turning to the others. "More will come, far more skilled."

"No doubts about that," Vala agreed. She grinned and brought up her hand. Fire flickered in it and, among the flames, I thought I saw a tiny person with sharp wings again. "Okay, I asked a pixie to stay near Dain so that I could track him. Let's see what we can salvage and get going!"

"Yes." But Hezul didn't stand up. He didn't move, even as Vala and Noba did. Instead, his attention went to Baldur and, when Baldur stood up to follow, he grabbed his sleeve to stop him. "Why did you come save me?"

"Hmm?" Baldur replied, twisting to look at him. He looked somewhat confused. "Why ask that?"

"You were first. You appeared long before Noba. Why? Why come back for me?"

"Because we're friends?" Baldur said the words like they explained everything. Perhaps to him, they did. But to us, it was the most confusing explanation ever. "We're falling behind. Gwyneth, I'll carry your pack. I'd rather you didn't strain yourself."

These people just could not be real. I had no other explanation for why they were so kind.

Thanks to Vala, and Dain's own tracking abilities, we found him before long and we set up camp far away from where the villagers had taken refuge. We figured it was safer. Hezul and I tried to leave, of course, but Baldur and Noba stopped that. In fact, Noba had an iron grip on my ankle as she bandaged up my feet, again, to make sure of it.

"I… I suppose formal introductions are needed," I murmured after a while of just sitting awkwardly around the campfire. I did my best to sit as properly as possible while having my feet in someone's lap, mostly out of habit. "My name is Gwyneth, once of the Chalphy duchy. I was betrothed to Galle when I was young and have lived in Belhalla for most of my life because of it and because of my family's death by plague."

"Chalphy is to the east, isn't it?" Baldur asked. He had designated himself as Hezul's bandager, though Vala was the one applying medicine, since she had finished treating my own non-foot injuries. Hezul sat stiffly, not quite sure how to react. "Will that be a safe place to run?"

"No, it wouldn't. At least, it won't be for now."

"Got it." Baldur poked Hezul's shoulder, one of the few places not injured. "So, you? Don't let her be the only one being proper."

"I'm Hezul, once of Edda," Hezul answered easily. Sarcasm threaded through his words. "I am the infamous Black Knight. I really don't see what more there is to say."

"Why the black armor?" Noba asked. She finished with one of my feet and switched to the next one. "Just out of curiosity. No one else in the army wears it."

"Galle liked the contrast of my gold hair and eyes with the black armor." Hezul sighed, shaking his head. "Sadly, most things can be answered with 'Galle wanted it and I valued my live and the lives of others for some reason'."

"Or it was honestly the lesser of two evils," Vala added easily. She got up on her knees to tend to an injury along the back of Hezul's head. I smiled to try and reassure him when he stiffened. "I probably should've said something sooner, but… well…" Vala shrugged. "Anyway, since Velthomer isn't far from Belhalla, I've seen them a lot. I didn't think it would be important yet."

"I hope that isn't an apology as there's no need for one," Dain chided. He had decided to be productive and actually set out blankets and the like for sleeping. "Besides, while I wasn't expecting them to be so high ranked, I did suspect they were nobles. I don't know of anyone else who didn't know laundry."

"Well…"

"Regardless, though, I suppose we're in a bit of trouble," Baldur commented. He tied off the last of the bandages and leaned back to stretch. "It seems that Galle believes you two were kidnapped. Though, considering Hezul's skill, which I think rumors talked down…"

"It's not skill so much as experience," Hezul protested immediately. He finally relaxed when Vala sat back too, done with treating his injuries for now. "Galle had me participating in the arena every other day for the past five years, and they were new recruits."

"Regardless, though, why would he think that? Knowing your skill."

"Well…"

"If I were held hostage, and he couldn't guarantee my safety, Hezul would drop his weapons without hesitation," I explained, knowing the answer easily. Noba finished with my other foot, so I twisted to tuck my legs under me. Noba scooted a little closer, smiling. "Between that knowledge and Galle's apparent incapability of believing we would leave by choice, I imagine it was quite an easy story to concoct." I sighed, feeling annoyed and guilty. We should have left sooner to avoid dragging them into this sort of thing. "Though, I now fear that you all have been labeled the 'kidnappers' in this scenario."

"Ooo, kidnappers, that sounds like fun," Noba giggled, completely unbothered. How she held onto that cheer, I didn't know. "Well, whatever, for now, we need a direction, and I think I know one. There's supposed to be a forest to the west here where ghosts are said to tread." She grinned like this was just a game. "Sounds like the perfect place for some kidnappers to take their captives!"

"Pardon?" I exchanged a stunned look with Hezul. "Ah, Noba…"

"Nope! Hush! Captives don't get a say for where their kidnappers take them!" Noba giggled, clearly enjoying this new 'role'. "You're stuck with us! Besides, like you said, we're officially your kidnappers, so we're in trouble no matter what."

"Well, I suppose, but…"

"Majority rules," Dain interrupted. He was actually smirking, but it disappeared quickly. "But, to change the subject, Gwyneth, what was that tome you pulled out? The one that made the priests chase you?" Silence fell as Hezul and I glanced at each other, silently deciding what to say. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but..."

"It's the Loptyr tome," Hezul answered for me. I smiled gratefully at him. The reminder of that chase made me a bit nauseous. "The most powerful tome in the entire empire. It blunts all potential attacks, making them half as effective before they even hit the wielder, and its might is simply greater than any other spell."

"Oh, so that's the legendary tome that the First Emperor used to break the land under his heel." Dain focused completely on me. "And you stole it. You two stole it and ran."

"I didn't steal it. I just helped Gwyneth escape with it."

"My apologies. But still, that is quite a feat."

"But why carry it around?" Baldur asked. He twisted to face the rest of us, leaning forward slightly. "Regardless of how strong it is, it's just a book, right? Can't we just throw it into the campfire and be done with it?"

"Sadly, it's fireproof apparently," Vala groaned. She frowned at the campfire and threw a bit of magic into it to strengthen the flames. "Gwyneth and I tried it and it just ate the fire. It also wouldn't tear. I suppose we could've just dropped it off that cliff, but…"

"If we're going to do that, we should make sure it's a cliff that isn't easy to scale." Baldur said the words easily. I wasn't sure how to feel about the 'we' in that sentence. "If it's fireproof, I'm going to assume it's waterproof too, but we can test that with a river. Though, dropping it on a lake or in the ocean might work thanks to simple depth."

"We'll test some theories and decide what to do later," Noba declared. She smiled brightly at everyone, eyes dancing with good humor. "For now, we're camping and heading to the woods! It'll be an adventure again, like when we first found Vala!"

"Very true, and I'm sure we adventurers are all in need of a good meal," Dain laughed, pushing himself up. He headed for the packs and pulled out a couple of pots. I was amazed that despite all the chaos, we hadn't lost a single pack. "Let's see what we can manage for the night. I'd rather not forage at this hour unless we have to."

"Let me help!"

Noba, Baldur, and Dain all began happily setting up to cook, while also checking that there were enough blankets. As they did, Hezul and I exchanged absolutely confused looks, baffled by this turn of events. Vala smiled sympathetically and sat by us. "It's better to give up," she advised. "I tried the same, and they wouldn't let me go either. They're the clingy sort of people."

"I noticed," I murmured. I still thought it would be safer for them, but it wasn't as if I could really protest much more. For one thing, Hezul had reopened his injuries, and I inflicted new ones on my feet. "I suppose there are few things more foolish than fighting a losing battle."

"Exactly. So, you two rest here, okay? No chores for you tonight!" She laughed and went to the others, badgering them into letting her help.

Hezul and I stared for a while before sighing, truly giving up. I rested my head against his shoulder, and he gently took my hand while I dozed, feeling the stress of the day catching up. We stayed like that until Baldur called us over for dinner, and then we all settled in for the night. Noba and Vala had me situated between them, possibly to make sure Hezul and I didn't sneak off during the night. But there was no fear of that. For one thing, I was far too tired to do much of anything but sleep.

These people were completely insane. Perhaps that was why they were so kind. But I couldn't say I was unhappy by it. This continuation of the dream… I was not unhappy to experience it, just a little longer.

Our Group:

· Gwyneth

o 19 years old

o Stole the Loptyr tome from Galle, crippling the empire, and seeks a way to either destroy or hide it

o Has little regard for her own life, due to heavy guilt. As such, she's perfectly willing to use herself as bait, despite knowing the fate that awaits her if she's caught.

o Because of her life in court, she has some skill in detecting lies, though it is much better with people she has seen before

· Hezul

o 21 years old

o Widely regarded as the best warrior in the empire, and is perfectly capable of killing with his bare hands. Prefers swords, though.

o Believes that his life is meaningless due to all the people he has killed, but he will protect others with everything he has

o Despite being uncomfortable with it, he is perfectly willing to use his reputation to intimidate opponents to either avoid a fight, or to make them let down their guard

· Noba

o 18 years old

o Skilled enough in fighting to hold off fully trained, if new, knights

o Is a very cuddly person and though she is careful to respect personal boundaries, once she is certain that a person will welcome it, she hugs them often

o As soon as she learned the civilians would be safe, she debated with Vala over whether she should go after Hezul or Gwyneth. She decided Hezul, because she can run faster than Vala, and figured Hezul would need the most help

· Baldur

o 20 years old

o Skilled enough with his sword to win against fully trained, if new, knights, even at a weapon disadvantage

o Was the first one of the group to insist on going back, refusing to leave Hezul to fight them alone. He eventually simply left, trusting the others to take care of the villagers

o Though he knows the rumors, he chooses to believe his own eyes and experiences over them, and thus, trusts Hezul and Gwyneth completely.

· Dain

o 22 years old

o Highly trusted by the villagers, and very keen on getting them to safety. Though he hated leaving them, he prioritized the civilians over Hezul and Gwyneth

o Knows the woods and mountains well, and is a very skilled tracker, which is why he didn't mind the others going after Hezul and Gwyneth and leaving him alone. He knew he could find them.

o Is quietly smug about Gwyneth and Hezul staying with them, but does his best to not show it.

· Fjalar; Vala

o 17 years old

o Has a tendency to say dramatic things right before casting. It helps her feel like she's the hero in a tale, instead of a person in living hell

o Finds it absolutely hilarious that in the course of one day, Galle lost his strongest weapon, his perfect fiancé, and his best friend. She claims the thought is the source of good dreams

o Can use her pixies to track people, which is how she was able to find Gwyneth despite having no tracking abilities otherwise

Author's Notes: 'Hellfire upon you' is one of Arvis's 'skill quotes' in FE Heroes. The 'forest haunted by ghosts' mentioned here in the Spirit Forest in FE4. Child Hunts only target children between 7 and 13 years old in FE4/FE5. In FE5, the basic dark mage spell (which I am not going to attempt to spell) will inflict poison, if the enemy casts it. If you cast it, it's just a normal spell. FE5 is a game that thoroughly hates the player.

All Holy Weapons have a 'might' of 30, though some have a greater 'effective attack' due to the bonuses they give. Valflame, for instance, gives a +10 to magic, meaning it effectively has 40 might. The next most powerful spells, in all magic types, is 20 and give no bonuses. At this point in the story, the only 'Holy' weapon in existence is the Loptyr tome, meaning it literally has no equal. Yet.

The Loptyr tome halves the enemy's attack power before damage is calculated (though there is, of course, a super weapon to go around that). It also gives a +5 to Res, possibly to make sure you can't simply silence/sleep the user and trivialize the final boss of FE4. (Well, trivialize in a manner that doesn't involve the super tome.)

This is probably something I should've mentioned earlier, but for ease of convenience, the Grannvale duchies all have the same names as they do in FE4/FE5.

(Those who have played Fate/Stay Night might recognize the phrase 'continuation of the dream'.)

Next Chapter – Safety