Chapter 5) Thunder's Fist

So, the days pass. We settle into new rhythms and into the new life here in the camp. The others in the camp teach me new skills to help me survive. Our injuries slowly heal, including the ones Hezul sustained from the Hel spell. It is a very odd experience, but it is also strangely comforting.

When I was very little, my father told me old stories about how, in death, everything was peaceful and warm. Some days, I think I just ended up in that paradise instead of running away. The quiet contentment was just too out of place from the world I thought I knew.

"That will be where we end for the day." I smiled as the children groaned. It always surprised me how reluctant they were to leave. "We will continue the lessons, and the story, tomorrow," I told them, picking up my own materials. My legs were stiff from so much sitting. "Go on. It is a lovely day, so go out and play for a while before practicing, all right?"

The children grumbled a bit more, but they did gather their things and hugged me before leaving, happily talking about the lessons. I heard one little girl, only about five, proudly declare to her waiting mother that she could now read a full sentence, and smiled a little more. I had discovered, at one point during the past few months, that most of the people here in camp had only the absolute basics of reading and writing, and offered to teach. It had somehow turned into me giving fairly regular lessons, not only in reading and writing, but also in arithmetic and history. It was rather fun, since so many were just eager to learn. I had no idea if the children or adults were more fun to teach, though.

"Can I hear the rest of the story ahead of them?" One child, however, always stayed behind. Naga remained crouched on the ground, watching me with sparkling eyes. "Please?" she asked, sulking a little. "Pretty please?"

"No, that won't work on me," I chided. She groaned and stood up, brushing off her pink dress. "Naga, you know better. I keep everyone as together as possible."

"But you tell the best stories!" She groaned, but began helping me clean up the 'school tent' as everyone lovingly called it. "Maybe a little hint?"

"It continues from where I left off." I brought my hand up to muffle my giggle when she groaned again. "You are the silliest sometimes, Naga."

"Aw…"

"Naga, are you causing trouble again?" Forseti walked in then, carrying a basket of flowers. He must have been with the foraging groups again. "You shouldn't do that," he scolded. Naga rolled her eyes and seized the basket from him. This, too, was a daily occurrence. "Might make people hate you, you know."

"No way," Naga retorted with a proud smile, showing off how she was missing her two canines. "I'm too cute to hate, dear little brother!" I was fairly certain Forseti was the older one of the two, but she always called him her 'little brother'. "Right? Right?"

"Don't ask me!" Forseti rolled his eyes, but smiled before turning to me. "Thanks for watching her, Miss Gwyneth."

"It is no trouble," I reassured, muffling another laugh. They were always rather fun to watch. "Though, truly, I am not certain if Naga is learning anything from these lessons." Naga could read, write, and do arithmetic almost as well as me, despite her younger age.

"I learn lots of things!" Naga protested immediately, sulking again. She whirled on me so fast that the basket nearly lost some flowers. "Like history!"

"I suppose that is true." Neither Naga nor Forseti knew much about Jugdral's history, truthfully. It was almost surprising how little they knew. "Regardless, though, Naga, I do believe I gave the order to go out and play."

"I'll make sure she obeys," Forseti joked. He ruffled Naga's hair, as green as his own, though he had blue eyes, the same color of the sky, instead of her dark green. "Will you be holding the evening classes like normal?"

"At this point, yes," I reassured. Like many of the older members of the camp, Forseti attended the evening lessons. The children had my mornings. "Shall I see you there?"

"Yes, Miss Gwyneth." Forseti steered Naga towards the tent's entrance. She stuck her tongue out at him, but took his hand with a smile. "I look forward to it."

"Farewell!" I smiled as they left before I finishing gathering my things, mostly my lesson plans, and left the tent to head towards the 'practice area' of the camp. I smiled to people as I passed, but I didn't stop to gossip or anything. Then again, no one really stopped me either. It was routine by now. After morning lessons, I would always head to the practice area, where Hezul was giving his sword lessons.

It had started as him simply helping Baldur, because Baldur wanted some tips from someone 'properly' trained. However, others began coming to him for advice, and Hezul couldn't turn them away. As word spread not only of the good advice, but of how Hezul was the 'Black Knight' and I was the 'Quiet Princess', more people came to him to learn 'from the best'. Now, Hezul was one of the primary weapons instructors in the camp, with a focus on swords and lances. It all amused me truly, though it baffled Hezul.

"No, shift your grip a bit," Hezul instructed one of the teenaged girls, reaching over to show her where it should go. As I approached, I noticed the girl's face was a bit red and felt a little… odd over it. It was an uneasy feeling in my stomach, which didn't make sense to me. The girl was likely in the middle of drills, so it would make sense for her to be flushed. "There you are. This will make you less likely to sprain your wrist." Hezul stepped back, and watched her swing the sword in whatever drill he had ordered before moving to the next one, a boy a bit younger than the girl. "You're overextending. You'll hurt your shoulder that way."

I waited on the edge of the practice yard until he ordered everyone to walk around and cool down. Only then did I walk up. "It looks like you had a productive lesson," I told him with a smile. He smiled at me briefly before focusing on his students again, making sure none of them cut their 'cool down' short. Sprains and pulled muscles were not things Blaggi normally treated with healing staves, and could set their training back significantly. "How are they doing?"

"Some make more progress than others, but this group is almost done with the basics. The trick, of course, is to get the basics so engrained into them that they can do it when tired." Hezul whistled and silently dismissed all of them. Most left quickly, but a couple did linger briefly. That girl had been one, but a friend of hers dragged her off. "None of them truly know how tiring a real battle is. I hope they never learn."

"I agree." I clutched my lesson plans a little tighter, remembering that Child Hunt I witnessed. I feared seeing the children I taught being among the captured or the dead. "Regardless, are you done or do you still need to do something?"

"No, they deal with their own practice weapons." He smiled again, a little softer than his normal one. "Why?"

"Oh, it is nothing, truly. I am simply done as well for the morning." I could kick myself for the words. There had really been no reason to bring either fact up, but I said the words without thinking, so now, I simply felt awkward. "I was wondering what to do with the rest of my morning."

"No weapon lessons?"

"No, my earliest is archery in the afternoon today." What had started as an attempt at joking had been taken for 'fact', so now, I had lessons for essentially every weapon, save for dark magic. I also had staff lessons with Blaggi. "Why did everyone take me seriously with that?"

"I suppose both you and I need to work on our joking."

"I suppose we do." Though now, I had no idea how to continue and felt a little too big for my own skin.

"Hezul! Gwyneth!" Baldur, thankfully, saved me from the awkwardness. He ran up, smiling brightly. Behind him, Sety facepalmed, apparently exasperated by something. "You guys done too?" he asked, skidding to a stop in front of us. He nearly fell, but Hezul managed to catch him. "Sety and I are going fishing. You want to come along?"

"Is this another attempt to teach me how to fish?" Hezul asked dryly. I muffled my snicker as I remembered the previous attempts. Hezul was just bad at it. "You can't talk, Gwyneth. You couldn't even bait the hook." That was also very true. The way the worms had squirmed made me shudder and stay as far away from them as I could.

"No, but if you want to try, I'll gladly laugh at your failures again." Baldur grinned and Hezul rolled his eyes. I muffled another laugh. "Nah, neither of you have to. Just thought it would be fun to hang out."

"It does sound good." Hezul glanced at me and I nodded. "Very well. Let's head to the lake, then."

We spent the rest of the morning at the lake, watching Baldur and Sety fish up two buckets worth of fish. We chatted about various birds and plants the two had seen on their guard duties, and some of the adorable antics Hezul's and my students had made. It was a very enjoyable morning.

During archery practice, Heim sent for me. I found that odd, especially since I would be there anyway to help after my practice, so I quickly cleaned everything up and didn't even bother changing out of my practice clothes or gloves before heading to his tent. Hezul actually met me there, apparently having received the same message, so I wondered if this was Heim asking us to leave for the safety of the camp. The thought made me nauseous, but if it meant keeping everyone safe, Hezul and I would do it without a single complaint.

While I worried, Hezul 'knocked' on the tent entrance, and Odo opened it for us. Stepping inside, I saw Blaggi standing behind Heim, while Heim sat at his 'desk', both of them talking to someone with very familiar purple-silver hair, even more familiar purple eyes, and a face I had seen many times at the court.

"Lord Thrud?" I called without thinking. The person turned with a frown, and then his jaw dropped when he saw Hezul and I standing there. "Lord Thrud, what are you doing here?"

"Lady Gwyneth? Lord Hezul?" Thrud replied, still staring. Then he smiled, a kinder smile than I was used to seeing on him, and bowed respectfully. "I am pleased to see you're both safe."

"I am pleased to see you still live as well, but I am afraid that doesn't answer my question." I stepped a little closer to Blaggi, while Hezul hovered near me, settled in a deceptively relaxed stance. By the closed entrance, Odo also held himself ready, one hand resting on his blade. "What are you doing here, Lord Thrud? We are nowhere near Friege."

"We're not, no." Lord Thrud laughed a bit, genuinely relaxed. I had never seen him like this before. "I'm here because…" There was another knock on the tent, and Odo opened it to let in Vala. "Lady Fjalar?"

"Vala. I go by Vala," she replied automatically. Then she realized who was here. "And what the hell are you…?"

"You don't think your father was the only noble involved in resistance groups, do you?" Lord Thrud replied with a small smile. However, he lost it quickly and bowed his head. "I'm sorry for your family, though."

"Yeah, me too." Vala looked around and took the unoccupied corner of the tent. "So, you're…"

"Part of a resistance group, much like you all. Though, I do make sure my official name is never associated with it. I go by 'Tordo' when I'm working with the Resistance." He shrugged. "The rest is my sister being a badass, my mother covering tracks, my brother being adorable, and my father maintaining plausible deniability for all of us. It's risky, to be certain, but damn if the people don't need that little bit of hope to survive."

"I see you all do know each other," Heim finally said, reminding me that he, Blaggi, and Odo were, in fact, still here. He smiled, perfectly calm, though Blaggi still looked worried. "Forgive me, but when you revealed yourself to be a noble, I did send for three of ours of noble birth."

"No offense taken. If anything, I'm pleased to see they're well!" Lord Thru… Tordo reassured. "Random noble shows up out of nowhere? It's smart to have them checked."

"The other option was to find Sety, but he is resting at the moment. I figured this would suffice." Heim sat back in his chair, hands clasped in his lap. "So, what does your resistance group do? Some heal, some gather information…"

"Mostly what you all do, I think. My group primarily hides children taken by the Child Hunts and works on getting them to other resistance groups to safely get them away. There's quite a few nobles in my group, so we get access to more information and areas."

"I see. Then what brings you here? Belhalla is quite some ways away, from my understanding."

"Right, right." Tordo's expression grew series. "Going to preface this with saying it's not quite my idea, I just agree with it. But the leader of the main resistance group in Edda, Ullur, had a crazy, but possibly workable, idea." Tordo shrugged and crossed his arms. "Mainly, it's the idea of combining all the various resistance groups throughout the empire and forming a rebellion."

"You want to what." For the first time since we arrived, Heim's expression completely blanked for astonishment. No one could blame him. "You wish to…?"

"To put it bluntly, the empire is dying. Child Hunts all the time, random executions… Galle's utter insanity becomes more apparent by the day, and with all the violence, it feels less like he's trying to be a tyrant and more like he's trying to wipe everyone out." Both Hezul and I winced at that, and guilt flooded me. While I had been there, while we had been there, we could have…

"This isn't your fault." Odo's words were quiet, but instant, and he fixed both Hezul and me with a surprisingly fierce gaze. "To stay with a monster in the hopes of 'blunting' their violence would have only killed you, and simply delayed this reaction," he continued. Vala and Blaggi both nodded in agreement, but Hezul and I shared a worried look. "Though, I suppose I am surprised to hear that the priests are letting him do this? They seem so keen on having their sacrifices…"

"No, they actually seem rather pleased by it all, strangely enough," Tordo explained. He looked rather uncomfortable by the thought. "Maybe they think they'll be spared. Or maybe there's some weird mental thing going on. Some of these priests… I swear they don't seem quite right."

"The ones that burned down my home made absolutely no sound, even when they burned," Vala murmured. She shuddered, no doubt remembering. I knew she still had nightmares of it. "I honestly wondered if they sent Deadlords after us. They don't react to pain either."

"Well, they're dead, technically, so that makes sense. Point is, though, is that the priests are happy about all the suffering."

"Perhaps that's why they talked of reassigning me once the wedding happened," Hezul murmured. His hand reached for the scar, now healed, the only physical one Galle had ever given either of us. "Galle panicked about it. Almost turned me into a Deadlord to stop it."

"Oh, gods, I don't want to fight you when you're alive, much less as a Deadlord," Tordo groaned, shaking his head. "I've seen you fight."

"Just surround me if that happens. My specialty is one on one battles thanks to the arena."

"Can we not speak of that?" I demanded tartly. The very thought made me feel cold and nauseous. "I would rather not think on that."

"Of course, Lady Gwyneth, my apologies," Tordo replied with a little awkward laugh. Hezul simply shrugged, earning some concerned looks from Blaggi, Odo, and Heim. Vala simply gave me a sympathetic smile. "Besides, I'm sure the reason why they wanted to reassign you was because of the gossip." He laughed awkwardly again when Hezul and I gave him confused looks. Vala facepalmed. "Neither here nor there. Not important. Promise. We are incredibly off topic."

"We are," Blaggi murmured. The forlorn look on his face made all of us become serious again. "You mentioned a rebellion. What makes you think we can even succeed?" He looked almost pained at the thought. "To risk so many people's lives… to see so much death… if there's no chance of succeeding, then is such a course worth it?"

"I'd argue that it would be a lot faster of a death, but there is actually a rumor that makes us think we can make it," Tordo explained. He made his voice softer, like he was suddenly afraid we'd be overheard. "The tome of Loptyr, the spell that has allowed the Empire to maintain it's strangle hold, is missing apparently. He doesn't have it. And if we can move while they don't have it…" He shrugged when Heim, Blaggi, and Odo gave him a skeptical look. Vala, Hezul, and I, however, exchanged worried-knowing looks. "Look, it'll be hard. I'm aware of that. All of us are. But if we're just having to fight against 'normal' weapons? That's a fight we might be able to pull off."

"That is…"

"I have to think on it," Heim interrupted firmly. He put on a serene mask, but I was able to see the cracks. Tordo was probably the only one in the room who couldn't. "There's too many people in my care to make an instant decision."

"Of course, and I'm sure you're currently thinking I'm insane," Tordo reassured with a smile and a slight bow. "No one will blame you for sitting out as well. You're right. You do have many under your care. Ullur is actually currently reorganizing things so that the noncombatants of his group have a safe haven."

"How should I contact you?"

"For now? I'll be in Evans for a few more days. Whatever your answer, 'yes', 'no', 'still need more time', let me know. The innkeeper here is actually one of mine, how I found out about you lot actually, so send someone there and ask him for the Thunder's Fist."

"That's an interesting nickname."

"He got it because once hid a Thoron tome's page in his fist and released it when he punched someone," Hezul explained. I had to cover my mouth to hide my smile. That had been quite the fun memory, truly. "I still don't know how you didn't damage your hand."

"Insulated gloves," Tordo revealed easily. He held up his gloved hands for emphasis. "That's all, really. Neir came up with the design. But neither here nor there. It's the one thing 'connected' to me that I let the Resistance use, so simply ask for that."

"I will. Odo?" Heim requested. Odo nodded and held open the tent flap, following Tordo out to escort him to the edge of camp. As soon as it fluttered shut, Heim sighed and sagged. "What a thing… what a thing indeed…"

"What will you do?" Vala asked. She held herself stiffly, like she was trying desperately to keep herself still. "Will you fight? Will you stay?"

"I don't know. However, I will inform everyone of the option, and hear out everyone's thoughts. Those that wish to leave and fight may do so regardless of the group decision." Heim covered his face briefly before looking to me. "I'm afraid I will have to skip the light magic lessons today."

"Of course," I reassured. This news was… nothing any of us had expected. "Should we cancel all evening activities?"

"Probably be best," Heim agreed. He stood up slowly and rubbed at his temples. "I might actually need a nap. Can you all…?"

"Of course."

The three of us left Blaggi to help Heim settle down for a nap, and gave each other knowing looks before dispersing to spread the news that all evening lessons and the like were canceled due to an important announcement. Our group, however, wouldn't attend. We would be having our own meeting.

After all, that rumor was true. We had the Loptyr tome still, as indestructible as always. Now, we had to decide what to do.

During dinner, Heim told everyone about Tordo's suggestion. Our group took dinner alone, where Vala, Hezul, and I told Baldur, Dain, and Noba about what was going on. We all agreed pretty quickly that we should let them know that we should let them know that the rumor about the missing tome was true. What we would do, however… that became a much harder question to answer.

"I'll fully admit that I am all for fighting," Vala bluntly declared, hugging a pillow to her chest and accidentally bumping her shoulder against mine. We were in the boys' tent for the meeting, so we were all sitting very close to one another. It was, after all, a tent made for three people at most. "But, well… it's not about saving people. I don't mind helping the people around me, of course, but honestly, I want revenge. I want them to suffer. Probably not the best reason for fighting."

"So long as it doesn't consume you, I think any reason to fight is viable," Dain countered softly. He was across from me in our tight little circle, between Noba and Baldur. Noba was using his shoulder as a pillow. "In my opinion… oops, sorry, Baldur…" He'd tried to shift, and ended up accidentally elbowing Baldur's ribs. Baldur just waved it off, though. "In my opinion, I'm not really certain on fighting at all. I'll stay with everyone, of course, but I rather like not fighting."

"You're happiest when you're cooking or playing with the kids."

"I am indeed."

"I like the idea of helping people, but I don't know if we can make any sort of difference," Noba murmured. She tried to tuck her legs under her, but winced when she just kicked Hezul. "Sorry…"

"It's fine," Hezul reassured. He shifted a little closer to me so that she had the room. I didn't mind, and reached down to tentatively take his hand. "I would argue that any soldier can make a difference, but there's no guarantee that soldier survives."

"That too. I don't mind risking my life and all, but running into this almost feels like suicide. That's not exactly something I plan on doing." Noba sighed. "At the same time, though…"

"At the same time, even if we don't do anything, we're basically all dead anyway," Baldur pointed out. He leaned back a bit as Dain tried to get comfortable again and almost hit him in the face. Holding this meeting in the tent probably had not been our best idea. "And people are dying now. Even if they're far away, I feel like we should try to help them."

"With that said, what chance do we stand against an army?" Dain countered, a little tartly. He winced at his own tone and shook his head. "We won't be fighting only new recruits."

"True. And this could just end up as a suicide mission like Noba said." Baldur rested his head on Vala's shoulder to give Dain the room he needed to finally untwist. "Random change in subject, but how the hell are you three able to sit so still?"

"Court dinners are long and boring things," Vala explained with a grimace. She tossed her pillow up and it somehow managed to land right in the middle. "You had to also be very quiet and not react when people threatened to kill each other for using the wrong fork."

"That had been one of the tamer dinners," I murmured, grimacing. Galle had thought it all funny, but I had been unable to eat the rest of my food. "Were you ever there when there were actual executions?"

"No, I think I missed those. I heard of them, though."

"Some days, I honestly wonder how you three are as sane as you are," Baldur complained. He sighed and sat up again. "Okay, there's no way we'll be deciding this tonight. It's too big of a decision for that. So, let's resume conversation in the morning?"

Everyone agreed and slowly dispersed, everyone leaving so that we could stretch out. On the way, I caught Hezul's sleeve and nodded towards the practice yard. He nodded back, and the two of us headed there for a sword lesson. Since I had somehow managed to learn the basics, lessons were more 'sparring and then Hezul told and showed me what I did wrong', which tended to be a lot.

"Ah!" Despite lasting longer than usual, I winced as Hezul landed a blow on my arm and dropped the blade on instinct. "One of these days, I will learn to not drop the weapon," I grumbled, watching it clatter. "Ow…"

"Are you okay?" Hezul asked, as close to a panic as he got. He, of course, never lost dropped his weapon, but his free hand hovered over my arm. "I'm sorry."

"Hezul, sparring does require hitting me."

"I… well, yes…" He smiled sheepishly, and I had to smile back. "I'm sorry. Perhaps Baldur would've been a better teacher for you. I'm scared to hurt you."

"I don't mind bruises with things like this."

"I do." His fingers gently brushed over my arm, and I ignored the heat the touch left behind. "I really rather you not fight."

"Honestly, I would prefer that as well, but I do like the idea of being able to protect myself. I worry about being a burden."

"You are never a burden. But I do think that is an end to the lesson."

"I suppose you are correct." I was certainly quite tired, and uncomfortably sweaty. My hair stuck awkwardly to the back of my neck and my face. "Hezul?"

"Yes?"

"What are you planning to do?"

"…I think I will fight." Hezul picked up my fallen practice sword and went to put it up. I followed him closely, startled. I knew how much he didn't like fighting. "I know their tactics and I am a very skilled warrior. Less so against an army, but still, I am strong. It feels wrong to not offer the knowledge and skill I have and perhaps I can atone, just a little, if I do."

"I see." I followed him in silence, and didn't speak again until he had set the practice swords away. "Well, if you are going, then so am I."

"You're what?" He whirled to face me, ready to protest. "You don't have-"

"I want to." I looked up at him with the most serious expression I could manage. "I don't want to leave you, Hezul. If you are going to fight against Galle, then so shall I. After all, I may not be a skilled warrior, but I do know our enemies just as well as you do. In fact, I know dark magic better than you." Galle had delighted in explaining it to me. "If it is wrong for you to stay back and not offer, then it is wrong for me."

"That's… no, you right." He sighed, deflating. "I'd rather you were somewhere safe, though."

"If things are as bad as Tordo says, then there is no safe place, truly." I smiled at him, relieved he wasn't going to argue. I wasn't sure I would win an argument against him. "Perhaps this way, I can prevent my students from being hunted."

"Perhaps." He smiled back and even laughed a little. "Perhaps."

The two of us just stood there in silence, staring at each other and smiling. I was far too aware of my pulse and my breath. I was far too aware of the heat he gave off. I was aware of how my breath caught when he brushed some hair behind my ear. I was far too aware of… of everything, really.

"Gwyneth! Hezul!" Then, when someone called my name, I instinctively panicked. He and I stepped apart in unison, and I turned, excuses bubbling to my tongue before I realized I knew the voice: Noba. "Hey, you two, it's late!" she scolded, waving to make sure she had our attention. "Time to go to bed!"

Hezul and I shared a sheepish smile, and I ran over to her while Hezul checked that all the practice weapons were put up properly. Noba looked ready to tease me about something, but the mischievousness disappeared for worry as she studied my face closely. Instead, she took my arm and led me to the bathing tent. After a quick bath, and a change of clothes, the two of us returned to the tent we shared with Vala. While I braided my hair to sleep, Noba whispered something to Vala. I wasn't sure what, and chose to not ask, simply continue getting ready for bed. Noba, as usual, fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Vala and I remained awake a while longer, just listening to the noises in the camp. This was typical for us as well, and most nights, we just remained silent. Tonight, though, Vala chose to say something.

"Gwyneth?" she called, checking I was awake. I rolled over to face her, and saw how serious she looked. "I told you that you're free, remember?"

"You did," I replied softly. It had been one of the first things she had said to me, when we escaped. "Why?"

"I meant you were free in a lot of ways." Vala snuck her hand over to squeeze mine. "Not just, you know, being away or being able to do what you want. Well, I suppose it's focused on being able to do what you want."

"I believe that is what 'free' means?"

"Yeah, I'm not saying this right." She grumbled a bit in frustration. "Well, time to be blunt. Despite what legal things might say, you're not Galle's fiancé anymore. You're free to love whoever you want, or act on feelings you already have."

"That's…" I had no idea how to respond. I truly didn't. "I…"

"Not right away. Not even in a little while. But you can. That's all I want to say for now. We can talk about it again when you're healed enough to wrap your head around it."

She closed her eyes, pretending to fall asleep. I knew she was still awake and debated trying to continue the conversation, but since I had no reply, I simply kept silent. She continued to hold my hand even as she fell asleep in truth, but I remained awake a while longer, trying to decipher what she had truly been saying, but unable to because of a deep rooted panic that threatened to overwhelm me.

Things were… far too complicated, sometimes.

Our Family:

· Gwyneth

o 20 years old

o Serves as a teacher for anyone who wishes to learn how to read and write, as well as a caretaker for the children. Also helps Heim with organizing the reports as well as helps with the budget.

o Studying multiple weapons and, despite threats to drop some, she does like having such versatility and practices all of them faithfully. She has the most trouble with axes, and is best with light magic.

o Many in the camp think it'll be cute if she and Hezul courted, but lingering scars from Galle make it hard for her to even consider it.

· Hezul

o 21 years old

o Serves as a weapons instructor for the camp, primarily swords and lances, though he helps the axe users and bows, due to watching others train

o Though there is a bit of risk, he does participate in the Arena back in Evans, easily making it through the seven levels. However, he does it infrequently to lessen the chances of word reaching the capital

o Despite frequent invites from others to hang in the taverns, he refuses to go or even drink alcohol. He had to drink a lot at the court, and loathes the taste and memories said taste brings

· Noba

o 19 years old

o Does patrol work for the camp, though she also infrequently appears at the arena to earn more money for everyone

o She often organizes little 'parties' where various people share stories about and from their homes, just to build on the sense of family and to learn more about the world.

o Wants to help others, but at the same time, is afraid of being separated from her family, so she's uncertain on whether she wants to fight or not

· Baldur

o 21 years old

o Works as a guard for the camp, and infrequently appears at the arena.

o Also acts as a peacekeeper for the camp, mediating arguments and treating it seriously, whether it's an angry couple, a pair of friends, or children arguing over who won a game

o Despite being a bit more pragmatic than Noba, he perhaps embraces the idea of being a hero the most because he somehow believes the world can be better

· Dain

o 22 years old

o Works primarily as a cook, though he also will do patrols or work as a guard. Doesn't appear in the arena, but will frequent the tavern to learn more dishes

o Helps Gwyneth with watching the children, playing with them since she doesn't know too many children's games. They enjoy his piggybacks the most

o Would honestly rather continue hiding to not lose more of his home or family, but respects that the others might want to fight and will stay with them, no matter what

· Fjalar; Vala

o 17 years old

o Works primarily in the infirmary, though she is also Gwyneth's teacher in fire magic. She teaches a few others, but is awkward about it.

o She tries to help Hezul and Gwyneth heal, because she knows it took her a while as well, but she doesn't really know how to do it and feels like a bad friend for it

o Despite how calm she behaves, she is still hurting deeply over her family's deaths. Because of that, though, she's afraid she'll lead her new one to destruction.

Our Friends:

· Odo

o 19 years old

o Works primarily in the arena, though he gives a different name every once in a while to avoid rumors. He's also essentially Heim's right hand, and does his best to ensure the few rules of the camp are being involved. He breaks up fights, but leaves the diplomacy to others

o Will follow Heim no matter what he decides, so he doesn't really think much about whether or not he should fight or not. No one knows why he is so loyal, only that he is.

o That said, he's very kind and gentle with children, and will proudly walk around with whatever flowers they braided into his hair, among other things

· Blaggi

o 18 years old

o Liaison to Lord Maera's followers, and the only person truly trained in healing staves in the camp, though he teaches all that want to learn. He's Gwyneth's teacher for staves

o Squeamish about fighting and seeing more injured, but does recognize that the risk might have to be taken

o Perhaps because of his compassionate nature, he doesn't really know how to fight, though he knows basic light magic for self-defense.

· Sety

o 20 years old

o A guard/patroller who tends to just guard and let the wind inform him of everyone's comings and goings. His close bond with the wind has saved the camp many, many times

o Despite his friendliness, he does keep his distance from everyone, using his smile as a shield. No one knows really anything about his past, but all agree he's a valuable member of the camp

o Teaches Gwyneth wind magic, though his distance does make her wonder if he just feels obligated and would rather do something else

· Heim

o 28 years old

o Leader of the camp, who does his best to keep everything running smoothly. During his breaks, he teaches Gwyneth light magic, finding it very soothing to simply focus on one thing.

o Dislikes leaving people suffering, so he is torn between wanting to protect those around him and trying to save those still suffering

o Sent a messenger to the Spirit Forest to discuss things with his best friend. He fully intends to not make a decision until he's heard everyone's opinions

Our Allies:

· Naga

o Unknown age; looks about 12 years old

o A young girl who joined the camp about a year ago. Cheerful and bright, though she sometimes seems far older than she looks.

o Always carries about a beautiful gemstone, one that shimmers between blues, greens, and whites. She calls it her most precious treasure and says her brother has one too.

o A very helpful girl, she often runs messages for Heim and will spend hours simply watching everyone with a bright smile on her face

· Forseti

o Unknown age; looks about 18 years old

o A young man who joined the camp alongside his sister. Gentle, but a bit of a hothead whose quietness hides an intense passion

o Absolutely loves learning new things and can spend hours watching people work. He's particularly enthralled with Sety's flute playing, calling it the most beautiful sound he's ever heard

o Seems to be a wind mage like Sety, though he doesn't really fight. He's an impressive hand to hand combatant, however

· Thrud; Tordo

o 20 years old

o A noble of Friege, the middle child of the ruling duke. A talented thunder mage who maintains a laidback persona to avoid being dragged into the worst of the court

o Was not the founder of the resistance in Belhalla, but is the current leader due to his connections and skill. He jokes about him being a figurehead, though, and readily admits to relying heavily on his best friend, Neir, to make sure everything runs smoothly

o Has a high respect for Vala, Hezul, and Gwyneth, simply because he knows how hard it is to live in the courts, and yet, they managed to hold onto their morals

Author's notes: So, have another crusader-to-be, and the mentions of the last two. Like with Fjalar/Vala, I'm utilizing both the official localized name and the fan-translated name for Thrud/Tordo. Because there's been a few months between this chapter and the last, a couple of the ages have changed. 'Thunder's Fist' is Reinhardt's title in FE Heroes, but since Reinhardt is noted in FE5 (and in Heroes, if I recall Olwen's castle convos correctly) to be the 'second coming of Thrud/Tordo', I decided to have the title be Tordo's as well. Yes, as mentioned in Memoirs of the Holy War, Gwyneth is training to be a Master Knight, though she's more magically inclined than Lachesis.

Forseti and Naga being here is for sheer amusement and fun (well, there's character reasons for it too, but still). Naga is mentioned to have appeared before the Crusaders in the guise of a young girl, hence why she is a young girl here. However, Forseti is noted to have been the youngest of the group, hence the 'little brother' thing, despite taking an appearance that appears older.

Ftr, the Jugdral games are canonically set in the same universe as the Archanea games, though long before those games. For the purposes of this story, I'm choosing to have Loptyr making a blood pact with Galle during the war the Divine Dragons and the Earth Dragons waged. The two missing 'canines'/'fangs' are because this is after Naga forged the Archanean Fire Emblem and Falchion, and she's still 'regrowing' them. This is, however, also long before the Archanean empire was founded and long-long before the Dolhr Empre and all the backstory for the Archanean games occurred.

Next Chapter – Hope's Rising