Chapter 8) Little Princess

After our… abrupt… departure from Jungby, we make our slow and careful way to Chalphy. It has been many, many years since I had been here. I hadn't been allowed to even attend my parents' funerals. I have no idea who lived or who died.

I am strangely nervous about returning, and I didn't know why. It wasn't like those stories Father told me, where the 'rightful ruler' returned to throw back the darkness. It would simply be a place where we stopped for a short while, before moving on to the true destination: Miletos.

…Looking back, Father's stories always held hope and light. I wonder if that was why Galle's father just let him and all of Chalphy die. Perhaps Father had been planning his own resistance, and taught me how to hold onto that little bit of light to do the same, eventually.

The bakery on the corner was nothing but ruins. The florist shop in the middle of the square had been replaced by a tavern. The tailor's shop right by the castle was an empty, boarded up building. Little things like that reminded me of just how long it had been since I walked the streets of Chalphy with Baldur.

"This place is more cheerful than I expected," Baldur commented. He reached up to fix my hood, and looked around some more. He was right, of course. There were signs of festivities still. If I didn't have a memory of how things 'used to be', I would have called it 'cheerful'. "Was it like this before?"

"It used to be brighter," I answered sadly. It might be the haziness of the memories, but compared to it, Chalphy was 'enduring'. It was the cheer of people who had been beaten to the ground, but had managed to stand up again. I found it all the more beautiful for it, but it still did sadden me. "There were more sounds and laughter. A lot of bards played on the streets."

"A shame Sety isn't with us, then." He helped me over a muddy puddle in the middle of the street. They must have had rain here recently. "Do you think the others are having luck?"

"I hope so." Noba, Dain, and Hezul decided to check which would be 'easier' for us: boat or bridge. I had thought it might be the bridge, since I vaguely remembered most using it, but we weren't sure. "Thank you for obliging me."

"For… oh, for coming along." Baldur shrugged and grinned at me. "We did want to try and find the resistance here, and it makes sense that you'd want to look around." A little girl almost ran into us, but we managed to dodge. Baldur helped her avoid the puddle as well before we continued walking. "Hey, who rules here?"

"Officially, I am. Considering Galle, though, it is likely that no one truly rules here. It would've gone to my second born."

"Why the… oh, right, the first born would've been the heir." Baldur fell quiet for a moment, and I looked around again. There weren't as many stalls in the market. There didn't seem to be as many people as I 'remembered' either. "Say, Gwyneth?"

"Yes?"

"I know you would've probably have been 'required', but ah…" Baldur fidgeted, fiddling with the edge of his hood. "If you had a choice, would you have wanted children?"

"I didn't want Galle's children, no. Why ask?"

"Random thought." He shrugged, laughing sheepishly. "I don't think I'd want a child with things as they are anyway. I mean; child hunts and all."

"That is quite true. Mine would have been 'exempted' from that, but…" I would have had to watch the tome 'eat' my child as well, and know that they would be absolutely insane, no matter what. "I wonder…" My mind jumped to 'I wonder what Hezul thought about such things', but my mind almost immediately supplied the answer. Galle would have never allowed it. It would be more people to 'steal' Hezul away.

But with the thought came another. 'Perhaps I wouldn't have minded having children if Hezul…' That was as far as the thought got before panic seized me. Panic and terror barraged me. Can't think that. Can't notice that. Forget, forget, ignore, ignore. Galle would kill him. Galle would kill me. Galle would… Galle would…!

"Gwyneth?" It took a couple of blinks to realize Baldur was in front of me. "Hey, can you hear me?" he asked gently. I looked about wildly, hands shaking as I pressed them to my chest. My heart was pounding and I swore I was in the halls of Belhalla palace. I swore Galle was just a few steps away, and I had to throw away the thoughts because… because… "Hey, it's okay." Baldur pulled me into a hug, pressing my head against his shoulder. By this point, all of me was trembling. "It's okay, Gwyneth. We're… relatively safe."

"Isn't the statement supposed to be 'we are safe'?" I managed to joke. I still shook, though. "I am-"

"You don't need to apologize. I don't know what triggered this, but you certainly don't need to apologize." Baldur patted my back and, slowly, I managed to calm down. "Feeling better?"

"I think so." I straightened and looked down, thoroughly embarrassed. However, Baldur poked my nose and I squeaked and glowered up at him. His smile told me he had done it on purpose. "I am very tired suddenly."

"Panicking drains a person, or so Dain always says. It's your brain deciding to dash for half a day on its own." His smile grew to a grin, and I smiled back. "Now, then… oh. Oops."

"What is it?" The answer soon became clear. We were slowly being surrounded, though by people without armor, but carrying weapons. "I suppose you should have picked a different alley?"

"Seems so." Baldur waved at the group and subtly hovered his hand over his sword. I reached into my pack for my Lightning tome. "Hello, there! It seems we've done something suspicious."

"New people are always 'suspicious', and you are very close to where we were having a meeting." One person stepped through the crowd, a man with graying black hair and sharp brown eyes. I frowned because, while the face had more wrinkles than my 'memory' said, he was familiar. "But it seems you're a friendly fellow," he continued. "Surprising."

"I do try," Baldur replied. He made sure to keep on smiling, and I stepped closer to him, still studying the man. "I don't suppose you'll relax enough for a polite conversation?"

"Now, why would I do that?" The man smiled slightly in amusement, deepening a few wrinkles by his mouth, and the smile prompted me with a name: Cian. If I was correct, then this was Cian, Captain of the Palace guard, and my father's dearest friend. "Considering everything."

"Well…"

"I don't…" I began hesitantly. I paused, but Baldur nudged me and smiled encouragingly. "I don't suppose you'll relax for a little princess?"

"For a…?" the man repeated. He then frowned, clearly confused. His compatriots glanced around at each other. "You know that term, but I don't know you two. New Resistance members, then?"

"…That isn't exactly it." I glanced at Baldur before bringing down my hood. "It has… it has been a while, Captain Cian."

"Lady Gwyneth?" Cian stared for a moment before smiling warmly. Yes, it was him. His face was older, but the smile was exactly the same. "Ha… it is you. You look like your father." That… startled me. I couldn't remember his looks at all. "Heard a funny story about you being kidnapped, by the way."

"I shall delight you with the truth in a moment, but I assure you, I was 'kidnapped' by very good people." I gestured to Baldur, who also brought his hood down. Cian signaled his people to stand down. "The old nickname for me is a code word among your group?"

"Few people know it, little princess. Though, you're not so little anymore." Cian nodded up at a window, and I barely caught a flicker of movement. Someone else had been waiting there. "Let's find a more secure, and quieter, spot to talk. Is it just you two?"

"No, but we will get my friends." I smiled back finally. "I am glad to see you lived, Captain Cian."

"Glad to see you're alive too, Lady Gwyneth." He bowed respectfully to me, and I almost felt like crying. I hadn't seen him in so long. I felt like a child again, but in a 'good' way. I felt 'safe'. "Glad to see you too."

Baldur and I picked up Hezul, Noba, and Dain on the edge of town, to their confusion. I happily explained to Hezul that we had found Cian, and Hezul had lit up at hearing that. Some of Chalphy's resistance members led us to the old barracks after that, where Cian sat with drinks to share. We then spent quite a bit catching Cian up on things, and explaining what we were doing in Chalphy again. For some reason, Cian found the whole story intensely amusing.

"So, that's what's going on," he murmured once he finished attempting to kill himself by laughing. The rest of us simply sipped the juice Cian had provided and shrugged, glancing about. The barracks were remarkably clean with fresh incense, and the table we sat at was polished. Apparently, this was a common meeting place. "So, Ullur decided to gamble on his good luck, and ended up with quite the potential prize."

"Providing we can bring everyone together for it," Dain pointed out. He leaned back in his chair, deceptively relaxed. Noba rested her head on his shoulder, dozing. I didn't blame her. Noba had pulled consecutive watches last night. "Will you join up?"

"Of course. Chalphy's been ready for a rebellion for years. Ever since Emperor Galle the Sixteenth left us all to die." Cian shrugged. "But we didn't want to just go and die. Not after everything we've survived. If we die, we at least want to leave a scar, like the scars this empire has left on its people."

"I'm sure the others will be glad to hear that."

"Coordinating all of this is going to be messy and risky, but it'll be worth it." Cian leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "So, your group is going to try and get Miletos?"

"And the southeastern peninsula," Vala confirmed. She almost shrugged, but she remembered in time that she had let me rest my head on her shoulder, since I was a little too drained to try and sit properly, as Hezul did. "Any tips?"

"The southeastern peninsula? Sadly, nothing," Cian answered. We tried to not mask our disappointment. "Tordo is correct. There's resistance there, which we know because people save children from child hunts and the like, but damn if we know where exactly. I do know that there's some in the mountains, though. But you have to be careful wandering there. Dragons make their homes in the caves or something."

"Dragons?" Vala frowned and glanced at the others. "I thought dragons were just… stories, or something created from magic. Not real."

"Nope. They're giant flying reptiles of horrendous strength and some of them even breath fire." He laughed at our skeptical looks. That sounded too much like fantasy, truly, to actually exist. "I think I've heard there's something north of Manster, though. Maybe try to reach Leonster. It's the northernmost part of the peninsula."

"So, mountains and Leonster… got it."

"Best I can do, sadly. Now, Miletos, on the other hand, I can help you a bit more."

"That would be appreciated, Captain Cian," Hezul murmured. He kept his head bowed slightly, smiling a bit. I wondered if he felt as I did, like a child, but in a 'good' way. "What advice do you have?"

"You speak more formally that you used to," Cian observed. Hezul simply shrugged, a bit embarrassed. Baldur nudged him, though, and got a smile. "The first thing is that you're going to want to get a stable life there before you try."

"We will?"

"Yes. Get to know the people of Miletos. Live with the, work beside them. You are going to want them to come to you, and trust me, they will. When they do, you show them this token." He set a small wooden 'coin' on the table. "That will get you straight to Emer or, at last, her new second in command, Jarl. From there, you can bargain. You'll have to work to make them think it's safe to hope, though. Miletos has suffered far too much to just jump at the call."

"Do you have recommendations for where we can stay?"

"Pick a place in the poorer district. There's always an empty building there." Cian pushed himself back in his chair and observed all of us. "We'll get you there via boats. You'll probably want to go ahead and nap in the tavern or something. You'll have to leave just before dawn. Guard is weakest then."

"Thank you a lot for this," Baldur murmured. He smiled warmly, and the rest of us just exchanged more looks. This felt… this felt a little too easy, truthfully. "We hadn't really expected so much help, even if we did find you."

"As I said, Chalphy has been prepared for a rebellion for years," Ciana reminded. A dark look came into his eyes and he looked at each one of us. "If your group had sent anyone else, I'd be giving them the same help. Too many people have died. Might as well give the deaths some sort of meaning."

"…Of course." Baldur's smile faltered slightly, but he recovered it quickly. A strange tension hung in the air as we all looked at each other again, this time a little uncomfortable. "Where do you recommend we take that nap? Noba's already taking hers, as you can see."

"I'll show you. They house most resistance members, and they have very good sugar cookies." He glanced at me when he said them, and for a moment, I had absolutely no idea why. But then I remembered. When I was little, I had adored sugar cookies. I hadn't had any in a long while. Galle detested sweets. "They might even have a meal set up by now."

"Oh, good, because I think we're all starving." Baldur laughed, and the rest of us joined in. Still, that heavy air remained.

'Give the deaths meaning.' For some reason, those words shook us far more than they probably should have. I didn't like that very much. I didn't like it very much at all.

After a meal and a nap, Hezul and I decided to visit my parents. Neither of us had ever been to the graves before, and I couldn't remember the way to the family crypt. Cian, thankfully, was willing to lead us there, though he had to leave quickly to arrange our crossing. The crypts were incredibly quiet, every sound muffled, but they were carefully cleaned. There wasn't a speck of dust, not even in the corner, and every grave had some sort of flower on it, to show that someone had visited and paid their respects. I knew that if we had time to wander the cemeteries, we would see similar care.

"It's so easy to forget that your parents had been well liked, for some reason," Hezul murmured. It was easy to find my parents' graves. They had the most flowers of those in the crypt, flowers of all colors. "I guess it's because after they died, no one in the court ever talked about them."

"That is very true," I agreed softly. I crouched by the graves, and wished I had thought to bring something. But, honestly, I hadn't expected to be able to visit. "Galle was determined to make me forget I ever had a 'home' besides the inner wing of the castle."

"He didn't want his favorite toys taken away and never wanted them to even think about it." Hezul's voice was bitter, and I couldn't blame him one bit for it. "Though, I suppose, if we ran to a place he knew, he would've just brought an army."

"Yet, here we are, preparing to raise an army against him." I looked up at him and smiled sadly. "I suppose he couldn't quite kill our spirits."

"Not for a lack of trying." He hesitated before gently stroking my hair, fingers twisting around the strands. My breath caught, and I wasn't sure why. "You know; I don't think I've seen my family's graves either."

"…No, I don't think you have." I knew he hadn't been present for the funerals. Hezul had wanted, but Galle had refused. That was the last time I had ever seen Hezul cry. "If we survive this, we should visit."

"We should."

We lingered down there for a while longer, just staring at the graves. I supposed I should have said something, but I didn't know what. So much had changed since I last saw them. Besides, could the dead even hear the living? I had no idea. So, we both stayed there in silence before Hezul offered me his hand. I took it and held onto it as we walked out of the crypt, still not saying a word.

When we were outside, automatically, we both headed to the gardens. They were overgrown and choked with weeds. The paths were broken and covered with dirt. The castle itself was dark, and lonely looking. No one had lived there since the plague. The barracks had been cleared, but the castle and the gardens clearly hadn't.

"We used to play here, didn't we?" Hezul asked as we meandered about. It took a moment to remember he was correct. It felt so far away, like it had happened in another life, to another person. "I don't remember what we played."

"I don't either," I whispered. I squeezed his hand and he helped me over a bit of rubble in the path. "Did we play here with Galle or was it just us?"

"I can't remember that either." He laughed bitterly and I just smiled ruefully. We truly couldn't. "We should rejoin the others."

"We should." I paused and looked around. "Do you… remember how we get to the front?"

"…No." This time, his laugh was sheepish and I had to muffle my own laugh. "Well, we'll figure out eventually. Or someone will get us."

"That is quite true. I wonder which shall be first?"

"Only one way to find out."

It turned out that we found our way outside first, though we did run into Dain coming to get us. He smiled when he found us, and led us to where the others were sitting in the… well, my memory said 'park', but it was a very lonely looking place with a couple of sickly looking trees. I vaguely remembered sitting here with my parents, listening to bards play during a festival. Now, it was our family, sitting on a patched blanket with a large pile of pastries and the like in the middle.

"There you are!" Noba greeted, waving wildly. It seemed the nap had restored all her energy and cheer. "Some of the locals gave us some treats for luck or… something?" She frowned and looked to Vala, who was stuffing her face. "What did they say exactly?" Vala attempted to reply, but her mouth was too full, so she shrugged. "Baldur?"

"They said it was 'luck' and 'thanks'," Baldur answered. He scooted closer to Vala so that Hezul, Dain, and I could sit down between him and Noba. I ended up between Hezul and Dain, across from Vala. "I think they went through most of their sugar supplies for this."

"I think so too." Noba tore a pastry in half and passed half to Dain. Dain popped the whole half into his mouth, and smiled as he chewed. "Still, they're super good. I wish I could bake half as well."

"I would kill to be able to bake a quarter as well." Baldur picked a couple at random and handed them to Hezul and me. Hezul took it, but I instead picked up a sugar cookie to nibble. Almost immediately, a memory bubbled up with the taste, of happily eating them while my father laughed at something. "We might as well enjoy ourselves. Once we're in Miletos, we're going to be incredibly busy."

"Yeah." Noba's cheer faded, though she tried to hide it by taking a big bite of another pastry. "I hope we can do this."

"I hope we can as well. We have a lot of people depending on us. All their hopes…"

"Did anyone else realize the magnitude of what we were doing when Cian mentioned that and the deaths?" Vala asked with a wry smile. The half-mockery was offset by the crumbs and syrup stuck to her face. "We have to be the most insane people in all of Jugdral."

"I could have told you that, quite a few months ago," I retorted instantly. It sparked a laugh from everyone. "Also, Vala, you might want to wipe your mouth?"

"Huh? Oh!" She blushed and hunted for a handkerchief. "Uh…"

"Here," Hezul offered, pulling one from his pocket. She seized it with a grateful smile. "We have certainly undertaken a great task, though."

"I tried to warn you," Dain pointed out, just a little sour. The words were softened by his smile. "Saving the world is a big job. Which we volunteered for."

"Well, someone had to. Though, I am curious on how assassination attempts are going to go. I normally guarded Galle from them."

"They have to have someone else on the job. Still…"

"Oh, enough of that," Noba scolded. She leaned forward and stuffed a pastry into each of their mouths. "Let's just have fun for a moment, okay?"

"I quite agree," I added. I picked up another sugar cookie and smiled. "Let's discuss something fun. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

It took a little while to figure out something. After all, most of our 'fun' stories had at least a little bit of sadness to them. We all missed the camp. We all missed just hiding and living from day to day, without the weight of the world on our shoulders. Still, we figured out some, and we were laughing and teasing each other.

Tomorrow began the real task. Chalphy was easy to convince, but others wouldn't be. We would likely fight more as well. I wasn't looking forward to fighting. But this was our path and, no matter where it ended, I didn't think I was going to regret a single step. After all, it was the path I chose for myself, the first time in my life. I wondered if my parents would be proud. I was, just a little.

Our Family:

· Gwyneth

o 20 years old

o Class: Shaman; Weapons: Fire – E, Thunder – E, Wind – E, Light – D, Staves – E

o Was affectionately called 'Little Princess' by the province, as a nod to her betrothal to Galle the Seventeenth. The nickname was then used as a code word for Chalphy's resistance, as a quiet prayer that, one day, she'd help them destroy the Empire. Cian is happy their hopes were answered.

o Due to the traumas of the court, she genuinely has difficulty remembering the happier memories of her youth. Cian handed her a sketchbook filled with old portraits and the like to help her try to remember, when she has time.

· Hezul

o 22 years old

o Class: Paladin (dismounted); Weapons: Swords – A, Lances – C

o Was surprised by how nostalgic he felt, walking through Chalphy, since he had only visited a few times. He thinks it's because they're some of the few happy memories he still remembers

o Sparred a bit with Cian to get tips on how to improve. Was glad Cian easily found things, partly as a reminder that he can still grow and partly because it reminded him of the past

· Noba

o 19 years old

o Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lance – B

o Had hoped that they could 'borrow' a couple of horses, but there was no way they could take care of them. Cian promised to bring the horses to Darna, though, so eventually, she will get her horse!

o That said, there was a moment, when all of them were eating sweets outside, that she wondered if they might stay there instead. But she knows they shouldn't. They have to help people, after all.

· Baldur

o 21 years old

o Class: Mercenary; Weapons: Swords – B

o Rather liked Chalphy, reminded of his original home, the one he had before he lived with Noba and Dain. He also admires the people's tenacity to continue living to the fullest.

o Eager to get to work, especially since he knows it will be hard. But he's also worried about messing everything up, especially now that he truly understands just how much rests on them.

· Dain

o 22 years old

o Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lances – B

o Worried about how they'll find shelter and jobs in Miletos. Among everything else they'll need to do. He has a lot of worries.

o Half-hopes they'll just stop in Miletos, but knows they won't. There's too much hope on their shoulders now, and even though he's reluctant, he can't bring himself to disappoint them.

· Fjalar; Vala

o 17 years old

o Class: Fire Mage; Weapons: Fire – A

o Was very suspicious of how immediately helpful Cian was and had the pixies watching him the entire time. Placated somewhat by the reassurance that the rest will not be so easy

o Isn't looking forward to sailing. She can't swim to save her life. Literally.

Our Allies:

· Cian

o 55 years old

o Former Captain of the Guard in Chalphy, leader of its knights. After the death of Lord Elyan, he founded a resistance movement, the oldest one in the Empire. Most of the province is part of it and even those who aren't officially part are supportive.

o Thinks fondly of the 'old days', which plays a part in why he's so quick to help. The other is that he has been desperate for revenge for quite some time, and has no qualms dying, since in his view, he's been 'dead' ever since Chalphy was devastated by the plague. He just knows that Lord Elyan would scold him for dying recklessly.

Author's Note: Have a bit more about Gwyneth's past and probably the last resistance group that just jumps on board without some sort of test or something. (For the bios, the bios will only have the main chars that show up in the chapter, for convenience's sake.)

Next Chapter – Hope and Rebellion