Chapter 9) Hope and Rebellion

Cian proved good to his word, of course, and we were in Miletos within a day. It took the better part of two days to find a place to stay, though, two rooms in one of the poorer districts of the city. From there, we settle in, following Cian's advice to let them come to us. But we are starting to worry. We arrived in the later months of spring, and now, we're approaching midsummer. Meanwhile, our friends were recruiting allies, gathering forces, or so we assumed. We have to keep up.

Why couldn't building a rebellion be easy?

"Here, Gwyneth, like this!" Cathleen instructed, helping me with the laundry. You would think I would have figured it out by this point. "Wow, you have a lot of laundry."

"Well, it is for a group of six," I reminded her, laughing as we accidentally splashed ourselves. Cathleen was one of our neighbors, a young woman about my age, and often did her family's laundry at the same time I did ours, because she knew I had difficulties. "We are split across two rooms, but we are one family." Hezul, Vala, and I slept in one of the rooms; Baldur, Noba, and Dain had the other. We alternated between where we ate and had baths.

"And you guys have the smallest rooms in the whole building, right, right." She made a face, and I smiled wanly. I knew that, despite her having one of the larger rooms, it was barely large enough for her family, though she was used to it. Cathleen's parents had been killed when she was small, protecting her younger siblings from a Child Hunt. They actually succeeded, but she was left raising all her siblings at fourteen. I had learned that, sadly, it was a common story. "You're scrubbing too much, silly."

"Ah!" I dropped everything and pulled the shirt out, making sure I didn't wear a hole in it. Thankfully, I hadn't, this time. "One of these days…"

Cathleen laughed and laughed, before returning to her own laundry. Things like this had become my normal. Cathleen, after all, had been the first of our neighbors to welcome us, but she wasn't the last. Everyone in the building was very kind to us, and they helped teach me how to do laundry better, and also how to clean. I did a lot of cleaning, since I was the only one of our group to not have a job. That had been part of the plan, since we worried that knights might be able to recognize Hezul and me.

Hezul, in fact, was supposed to not get a job either, and simply help guard our home. However, in our first week of living here, there had been a murder and Hezul had apprehended the murderer. The guard more or less recruited him on the spot and none of us could figure out a way for him to refuse, particularly when we discovered how well the job paid in comparison to everyone else's jobs. Baldur worked as a laborer on the docks, Valla assisted the local apothecary, Dain worked in a local tavern as cook/barkeep, and Noba ran errands for one of the blacksmiths. Hezul's pay was almost as much as all of theirs combined. I didn't much like that, even if it did mean we could save up quite a bit and not call attention to us by selling some of my jewelry. I worried for the danger.

"Hey, you two!" Darina swung outside into the little yard right behind the building, carrying her own basket of dirty clothes. She was recently married, and had two young children who were always running about and getting into things. She and her husband, Kyran, also took care of their younger siblings, though I hadn't heard how their parents died. "Lovely weather for laundry!" Darina laughed, smiling brightly. I rarely saw her without a smile on her face. "Got some water and soap to spare?"

"Always do, Darina!" Cathleen replied with a laugh. As was typical, I marveled at how bright they were. You would think I would be used to seeing people being happy by this point, but it still… with everything so dark, I would expect more people to simply give up, but they didn't. No, they continued to live, to laugh, to love. They saw the darkness in the world and decided to not let it swallow them. They didn't let fear keep them from caring and from helping.

It was almost like it was the greatest of rebellions. Everything was dark and they refused to let it break them. It was awe-inspiring, truly.

"So, any new gossip from Kyran?" Cathleen asked, shifting so that Darina could just use her tub. I did the same, knowing Darina would have to split between the two tubs. This was also our normal. "Anything from being a scribe for one of the fancy merchants?"

"You're always fishing for gossip," Darina teased, separating out the clothes. "Always."

"You have the best. Or, rather, Kyran does."

"Oh, hush." She winked and glanced at me. I smiled innocently, already waiting for her gossip. "You're both enablers, I swear. Yes, yes, but it's not exactly fun gossip."

"Even better." Cathleen continued to smile, but it did grow dimmer. "We can prepare."

"I suppose." Darina shrugged, still going through her laundry. "They say that Emperor Galle has gone mad ever since the Quiet Princess and Black Knight disappeared. Or… well…" Darina paused and frowned at the particularly bad stain on the shirt she held. I tried to not squirm. I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, yet… "Where did he…? What even is this? Oh, whatever." She tossed it to the side, to be soaked and bleached later. "Anyway, I shouldn't say 'gone mad'. Every emperor is mad. But it's like he's stopped caring about pretending to be sane."

"So, they really did disappear?"

"The official story is that they were kidnapped, but honestly, most of the rumors say they're dead. That the emperor killed them. Or maybe the priests." She shrugged. "Regardless, though, it is sad. Some more rumors have been spreading about just how miserable their lives had been."

"Truly?" I asked, startled. I hadn't expected anything like that. "What has been said?"

"Well…" Darina began. She glanced around and then leaned forward and dropped her voice to a whisper. "You know how they say that the Black Knight killed his brother to prove his loyalty to Emperor Galle? Well, it's been spreading that he only did so because his little sister had been held hostage!"

"No!" Cathleen gasped, clutching her chest. I held very still, absolutely stunned. "What happened to his sister?"

"Killed anyway," Darina replied with a shudder. "Before the duel, in fact. Along with his entire family. All because the emperor, or was he prince then…? Oh, whichever. Point is, he wanted the Black Knight with him always, and…"

"That is horrific!"

"I know!" Darina grimaced and tugged at the hair escaping her braid. "And the Quiet Princess? She was kept locked away, not even allowed to leave certain parts of the palace. Had her braid bells in her hair so that he could hear her approach, among other things."

"Was she his fiance or his toy?!"

"Both, apparently."

They continued talking, but I ignored them, focusing on the laundry while my thoughts whirled about in my head. I wondered just why these stories were being told, and shortly came to a possible answer. It was the others, our friends. They were spreading these stories, to keep people from balking when they learned we were fighting for the rebellion or to have them believe that we truly were helping. Though, maybe that wasn't it. Maybe it was simply servants gaining the courage to talk of life in the court, and those were some of the stories that spun out. I wasn't sure. I also wasn't sure how comfortable I felt about people suddenly knowing. I wasn't sure even our little family knew the full truth behind Hezul's infamous duel with Mimir. So, I didn't like it, even if it would be 'helpful'.

"I figured I would find you here." As if my thoughts and the gossip as summoned him, Hezul walked up then, ushering Aidan, one of Cathleen's brothers, towards us. "He was attempting to steal some trinket from a stall in the market," Hezul explained quietly. Cathleen gasped, and Aidan looked down in shame. "He's lucky I'm the one who caught him."

"Oh, bless you, Hezul!" Cathleen blurted, rushing over to Aidan and hugging him. "Don't do that, Aidan! If the guards catch you, they'll cut off your hand or worse! You shouldn't risk that for a trinket!"

"Speaking of which, though." Hezul dangled a small, but pretty, necklace in front of Cathleen. "He wanted you to have a proper birthday present for once. He'll run errands for me the next couple of days to pay me back for it."

"You are too good to my scamp of a brother." Still, Cathleen put on the necklace with a smile and kissed Aidan's forehead. "You are more than enough of a present, Aidan. I don't need necklaces when I have you and everyone. But I will thank you for the thought, and you are getting punished later for the method. I mean it."

Cathleen nudged AIdan inside, no doubt giving him some chores to work on and stay out of trouble. I hesitated a bit before walking over to Hezul, smiling. "I thought guards were supposed to catch thieves," I teased. I glanced back worriedly at Darina, hoping she didn't feel abandoned, but she caught my eye and winked, doing all of our laundry for a short while. "Did that change?"

"I did catch the thief," Hezul corrected with great dignity. "I just didn't turn him in." He grinned, a faint light of mischief in his eyes, and I covered my mouth to muffle my giggle. "I have to get back on patrol. I just wanted him in a safe place."

"Of course." I smiled up at him and he stared a moment before smiling back. "Stay safe."

"You too." He walked away then, heading to… wherever he was supposed to be. I watched him leave, feeling… odd. It wasn't quite 'unsettled' or 'sad', but… ah, I didn't have a word at all for it.

"You two are so adorable~" Darina teased, startling me. My expression blanked when I faced her, not quite sure what she meant. "You and Hezul!" She laughed, apparently having quite a bit of fun. "You're so cute! Are you two going to get married soon?"

"I… that…" I tried to say. Panic, however, nearly overwhelmed me, and my eyes darted around wildly, expecting Galle to appear out of nowhere. I had to ignore the thought. I had to refuse. If Galle somehow found out… if anyone found out that I… if that happened…! "I…"

"Oh, sweetie…" Darina stood up and patted my shoulder with a sad smile. "You had a bad one in your life, didn't you?"

"I…" I hesitated, the panic still bubbling in me. But it was… less. It was less than it used to be. It was less and that let me blurt out some sort of explanation. "I ran away from my fiance."

"Poor dear." She pulled me into a hug, letting me rest my head on her shoulder. I closed my eyes and, for a flicker of a moment, I felt like I was a 'child' again, getting reassurance from my parents. It was weird, since Darina wasn't that much older than me, but it was a nice feeling. "That will take time to heal. But you are, and you have a good man waiting for when you think you are healed enough to try again. Though, he holds scars too. You can tell by how sad he is."

"Hezul was my fiance's best friend. He was no kinder to him than me."

"Poor dears." She rested her cheek against my hair. "The panic and pain is normal. But you will heal. I can already see it."

"...You think so?"

"I know so."

Darina continued holding me until Cathleen returned, after which point Darina went into some sort of outrageous story to chase away the gloom. We spent longer on laundry than we normally did, but none of us cared. It was fun, and fun was… well, fun.

"You're getting very good at making bread," Dain observed. I smiled up at him but focused on kneading the bread. It was rather surprising how easy it was to make bread. Cathleen had happily taught me. "Are we trying a new blend this time? It smells different."

"I might have thrown in a couple of extra things, since we had that extra you brought home," I explained with a small smile. He grinned back and focused on the food he was preparing. The two of us always ended up making dinner, since I was always home and Dain was the first to get back. Vala was typically second, but she always took a bath as soon as she got home. Due to the lack of surgeons and healers, apothecaries doubled as doctors, so Vala dealt with a lot of sick and injured people. "I thought we deserved a little treat."

"True. Treats help us forget our frustrations." Dain cut up a few vegetables, frowning. "I wonder how much longer we will have to wait for this Miletos resistance group to contact us."

"I don't know." I glanced at him briefly before checking on the bread I had in the oven. "You would rather they never did, though."

"Well, I can't deny how much I do like this little life we've built. But we have a lot of people relying on us…" He grimaced. "I hate disappointing people."

"I agree." Noticing the bread was done, I pulled it out to cool and put in the other batch. "Well, it at least looks good."

"Smells good."

"But does it taste good?"

"Should we call Vala? Or do you think she's too busy reheating the water in her bath?"

"You didn't see, but she had blood on her. I think there was an amputation."

"Reheating the water, then." Dain started dicing and setting things together for the pottage. We had it a lot; there weren't a lot of ingredients available for non-nobles. Still, we had fun with cooking and the fresh bread helped out a lot. "Regardless, let's get it cooling."

"Of course." As I did, I heard the creak of the door opening. "Welcome home."

"Good to be home!" Baldur called, stumbling in and playfully sniffing the air, like he was just following a trail. "I smell deliciousness!" He grinned brightly, and I almost smiled back. But I gasped when I noticed the bruising on his neck and face. "What?"

"You are injured!" I snapped, dashing out of the kitchen and into the room Vala and I shared. It took a bit of rummaging to find my healing staff, but I found it before long and returned to tend to it. "What happened?"

"One of the ropes we were using to pull some heavier stuff onto the ship broke." Baldur tried to shrug, but winced. As I healed him, I sensed most of the bruising was on his back. "I managed to catch and drag a few away, but lost my footing and fell hard." Baldur sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "No safety measures…"

"I would feel better if you found work in a safer place, truthfully."

"I'll keep an eye out."

"Baldur!" Completely oblivious to the somewhat serious conversation, Vala skipped out of the bathroom, still dripping a bit. She could never dry her hair well. "I went ahead and heated up a bath for you," she explained, reaching up to hug him. She frowned at the staff in my hand, but nodded when I mimed for quiet. "Go on, before the water cools."

"You're the best!" Baldur laughed, returning the hug. "I'm so glad you don't mind using your magic for convenient things."

"Why not? It gives me good practice." Vala shoved him into the bathroom. "Go on!" She made sure he entered the bathroom before turning towards the kitchen. "He's right in that it smells amazing. And it looks so good…" She scooted a little closer, staring at the food with sparkling eyes. I was half-certain she was drooling. "Ugh… I'm hungry!"

"Here, try this then," I suggested, walking over to the cooling bread. I cut off a small piece of bread and past it to her. "It is a new recipe."

"Yay~!" She gobbled it up so fast that I wondered how she could taste it at all. "So good!"

"I am glad." I smiled in relief. "Set up the table, will you?"

"Okay!"

"I'm home!" Noba declared cheerfully, bursting in then. She always made sure to call out that she was home. I wasn't sure why. "Smells amazing! Who needs fancy incense? We have fresh baked bread!" She dodged Vala by the table and jumped into the kitchen to hug Dain before hugging me. As always, I smelled the smoke on her and some 'iron' scent that she claimed was 'the forge'. "Oh, Hezul said to go ahead and eat without him. He was asked to do… a late patrol? An operation? I forgot. Can I take a bath?"

"Baldur is in right now," Dain answered. He laughed when she groaned. "You can badger Vala into making you one in our room."

"I'm going to do that, then!" She darted back to the table and immediately began pestering Vala, nearly causing her to drop the plates. "Oops."

I laughed, especially when Vala started scolding Noba and Noba pretended to not be paying attention and fixated on the bath. However, when the laughter faded, I couldn't help but feel a little sad that Hezul was going to be late. I knew it had to be important, but…"

"You wanted to show off a bit, huh?" Dain teased suddenly. He glanced at me with a grin. "Or maybe have him be the one to taste test?"

"That is not…!" I began, on the edge of a panic, even though the words were so simple. But I was distracted from said panic very quickly because of the burning feeling on my face. "What is wrong with my face?"

"That would be a blush." Dain peered at me curiously. "Quite the red one too. I think you're as red as a not-rotted apple."

"I… am blushing?" I pressed my hands to my face, feeling the warmth. It was just so… unusual. "I don't think I have blushed in a long while." It made me think of Darina's words and I sighed. Slowly. Slowly, I could admit, but… "I suppose the two of us are-"

"If the next word is anything but 'heartwarming', I will have to poke you." Dain ruffled my hair and smiled warmly. "You have healed enough that we can tease you about it. I'd say you're making progress."

"...If…" It was hard to form the words I wanted. I couldn't even think some of them. "I will return the favor." That was the closest I could say.

"I look forward to it." His smile told me it was enough. "Now then, let's finish this up."

"Yes."

We were halfway through dinner when Hezul returned, bandaged from a fight. Vala got him a bath, Dain made him a plate, I tended to his injuries, and Baldur and Noba had him (and all of us, truly) laughing before long.

I couldn't blame Dain for half-wishing we could just stay like this. It really was fun.

Some time during the night, I woke up slowly, not sure why I was even awake. It wasn't dawn, and Vala was fast asleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Even Hezul was still slumbering, or so he appeared when I briefly checked in on him in his own room. Yet here I was, groggy but awake.

Sighing, I rubbed at my tired eyes and walked around our little home, checking that everything was in order. Seeing that it was, I wandered to our lone window, more of a 'hole in the wall' than the windows I was used to. It let in a cool breeze, though, keeping our home from being horribly sticky from heat. It also smelled of the sea, which was strangely soothing, as soothing as watching the city. Miletos, being a trading port, was a city that never really slept, and you saw people dashing about this and that. It was fun, just watching.

A flicker of light caught my attention, and I leaned against frame, frowning as I tried to figure out the source. I instead saw people in dark hooded cloaks huddled around something. They darted away quickly, but the light remained. It remained and grew larger… and larger… and larger…

I realized it was a fire shortly before I smelled the smoke, and all sleepiness disappeared for sheer alarm.

"Wake up!" I shouted, running back into my room. Vala sat up slowly, yawning, but Hezul was wide awake when he poked his head into our room. "There's a fire!"

"Our building?" Hezul asked. Vala blinked owlishly, not awake enough to understand anything yet. "Or nearby?"

"It is certainly close. I saw it out the window." I winced as the bells began ringing, because that meant I hadn't hallucinated anything. Hezul left to likely check on how close the fire was. "Vala, get up!" She yawned and almost fell back asleep, and I ground my teeth in frustration. Gods, did she take sleeping medicine again? "Of all the times…"

"Not our building, but it's close enough that we need to get out of the building, just in case." Hezul returned and stared at the strangely uncooperative Vala. "Did she take a larger dose of sleeping medicine?"

"I don't know." I sighed and looked up at him. "Can you get the others? I shall gather our things."

"All right."

I raced about our home, gathering the most important things, while Hezul darted across the hall to let the others know what the bells meant. Baldur solved the 'far too sleepy Vala' predicament by simply picking her up and carrying her out. Dain and I got our things, making sure that we had the tome with us, while Hezul and Noba helped the others in the building evacuate. Once outside, we put our things down with finally waking up Vala as guard and joined with the crowd to try and figure out what was going on and get it under control. This included trying to find people missing and, to our terror, Cathleen's brother Aidan as well as Darina's youngest sister were among those 'missing'. Worse, both of them had friends who lived in the building that was on fire and it wouldn't have been the first time they had stayed the night.

I did my best to stay out of the way as people attempted to put out the fire and debate what to do about those who were still inside. I wasn't sure what exactly to do, so it felt best. But I saw people scurrying along the edges of the crowd and crept closer, wondering if they were people lost. I covered my mouth, though, when I saw the dark cloaked figures again, this time recognizing the robes. These were dark mages and that made me wonder if this fire was just a cover for a Child Hunt. After all, if any went 'missing', they would just be written off as victims of the fire. Of course, I had no idea why they would go through the subterfuge. It could be that they just wanted to bring everyone outside to hunt easier.

I watched them step into the building and decided to do something very, very stupid. I followed them in. I followed them into the fire, and I went without telling any of the others. It truly was one of the stupidest thing I ever did.

The heat was the first thing I noticed. It was a sparking, overwhelming heat, one that made my eyes and mouth dry out and my skin prickle. The smoke was the second thing I noticed, mostly because of how it tried to strangle me as I pushed through the crumbling infrastructure. Some burning wood fell onto my arms and my back, and searing pain would have made me scream if I had the breath for it. A strange acrid smell, one that I couldn't identify for the life of me, followed me as I hunted through the slowly falling apart building. The floor gave out under me once, though I managed to get to safer ground before I fell. My ankle hurt each time I tried to put weight on it afterwards, but it wasn't any worse than wearing heels, so I kept going.

Eventually, through the crackling flames and the groaning building, I finally caught the sound of crying and I followed it as closely as I could. Before long, I found… well, I found more or less what I had expected. A group of three Loptyr priests were trying to kidnap some children, many I recognized. This was about the point where I realized another reason why this was one of the stupidest things I had ever done; I didn't bring a weapon.

But the priests didn't see me, didn't know I was there, and that gave me a distinct advantage. So, I crept up behind them and waited for a good chance. One of the children, Aidan, saw me, but nodded when I mimed for quiet. The fire crackled and burned, drying everything out. The smoke stung my eyes and choked my lungs. But I waited until we neared a broken section with a long drop, and that was when I pushed them. I got the first easily. The second tried to grab the floor, but it crumbled underneath their fingers. The third fought back. They grabbed my hair, scratched at my face. They tried to throw me instead. They tried to reach their tome. But I snatched the tome first, threw it into the fire, and then used the distraction to shove them out. They caught themselves and the floor held, so I stomped on their fingers to make them fall.

While I did all of that, Aidan had gotten the children over to a safer area. A few had passed out from the heat, but the older ones carried them. Of course, finding a way out of a falling apart building, that was on fire, was much harder that pushing people off a ledge. Thankfully, though, while we were trying, Hezul found us. Hezul, who was as close to panicking I had ever seen, and who smiled so warmly when he saw us, had worked with Vala to secure a path. Vala used her magic to control the flames while Hezul climbed his way through the rubble.

When we got outside, I coughed and winced at how the 'cold' air felt like daggers in my lungs. Baldur caught me and scolded me severely, while Noba clung to me and Dain tucked a threadbare blanket around me. I was ordered to sit and not move until the apothecary, Vala's boss whose name I couldn't remember at the moment, could check me over, so I just enjoyed being in not burning air while the others did their own rescues and the fire brigade tamed the flames into nothing but cinders and smoke.

When it finally did calm, and we learned that our building was perfectly intact, Vala and Noba took me back to our home as soon as the apothecary cleared us. That was when I learned just what the 'acrid' smell had been. My hair had caught fire and had burned into random patches of lengths. So, we all clustered into one room and Noba cut my hair while Vala put more balm on the burns I had gotten.

"These are going to scar," Vala sighed, wrapping up the injuries. She sounded a little sad about it, but I didn't mind. "Where are the boys again?"

"Hezul was asked by the guard to do patrols to find the arsonists," Noba explained. She was perfectly still behind me, very careful in evening out my hair. I made sure to be equally still, all too aware that there was something sharp so close to my neck. "Baldur and Dain are helping to move the rubble and see if there's anything that can be salvaged, or anyone still alive."

"Oh, that's right." Vala continuing bandaging me up. "Ugh, of all the times to take a sleeping potion."

"Maybe you should… Oh, never mind." Noba fell silent, and I knew what she had been about to suggestion. 'Maybe you shouldn't take them'. But it felt wrong to say that, especially to the person who knew the most about medicines in our group. "And done!" Noba set the scissors down and patted my shoulders. "All evened out."

"Thank you," I whispered. I waited for Vala to finish bandaging me and reached up to feel for my hair, curious about just how short it was now. I winced, both from pain and the realization that it was just above my shoulders now. It had been to my knees. My heart keened bitterly at the loss, but at the same time, it felt oddly liberating. I hadn't had my hair this short since I was a child. "Does it look weird?" Still, I felt very hesitant about it. After all, the only thing pretty about my appearance was my hair.

"A little," Vala answered honestly. She scowled when Noba reached around to swat her shoulder. "Look, she's always had long hair. It's going to be weird."

"She's asking if she looks weird, Vala," Noba scolded. She reached around to hug me, settling her chin on my shoulder. "You look lovely, Gwyneth. As always."

"Oh, well, yeah, of course she does." Vala stood up with a stretch and bounced on her toes. "Whatever. Let's get water or so for the boys when they return."

"That does sound good. Here, I'll make a little snack. Gwyneth, rest here, okay?"

We did our best to stay awake to wait up for the boys, but I, at least, lost the battle against sleep and ended up dozing off on Noba's shoulder. I woke up only once, and it was when Dain came by to drape a blanket over Noba and me. He noticed me stir and smiled before shaking his head, telling me to just keep on sleeping. So, I did. I felt I earned it.

It took a couple of days for the rubble to be cleared. It took a couple more for the people who lost their homes to find new lodging. I got into the habit of bringing them warm food, though my movements were limited and I had to rest a lot when doing chores. Since I was the only one who knew staves, and staves couldn't heal the user, I was stuck relying solely on medicine for my burns to heal. It was almost annoying, but Cathleen and Darina kept me in good cheer. In fact, they made sure of it, so often times, I found himself humming a little song when I returned to the room after laundry. I had been humming more and more as of late. I vaguely remembered having the habit when I was younger, but Galle had hated it. He had thought it annoying, and so, I had stopped. But Cathleen and Darina had thought it fun, even if they didn't know the song. To be fair, I no longer remembered it either.

I walked back into the room and I paused, noticing it was different from when I had left. A couple of the clothes I had set aside to mend were in a different spot. My mug of tea, left steeping while I gathered the dry laundry, was on the table instead of the windowsill. A couple of other things were out of place. I pretended to not notice, bowing my head like the pain had overwhelmed me briefly, and made my slow way to my room to drop off my basket, continuing my humming. I picked up my Lightning tome and tucked it under my arm to hide that it was anything but a 'normal book'. Then I returned to the main room, feeling my pulse hammer in my throat and ears. If I was right, then...

"Ah, hello there."

I struck out automatically with a Lightning spell, stepping back to give myself some distance. The person yelped and fell back, coughing and pressing a hand to their injury. Almost immediately, though, I noticed this person couldn't have been a Loptyr priest. They dressed too simply for that.

"It is very rude to sneak into someone's home," I began, bringing my hand down. I frowned at them and moved so that my back was to a wall. "Who are you?"

"I… I am with the resistance within Miletos," they coughed. They also backed up, keeping their back to a wall. "Had wanted to talk. But you're weird. You have weapons."

"I do." I eyed them warily and, slowly, walked to the kitchen and fetched Cian's token from the cupboard. We hid it there for easy access. "Here." I tossed it to them, still making sure my back was to the wall. "Take a look at that."

"At…" It only took them a moment to recognize the token and they gasped when they did. "Ah. Cian." They nodded and tossed the token back to me. "I'll show you where to go, then."

"Might you return later this evening? I would hate to go ahead of the others."

"All of you were from Cian?"

"No. We're with Heim. Cian is helping us."

"Heim… he's the one near Evans, yes?" They frowned. "Why are you guys all the way here, then?"

"That is a discussion with Emer." I fixed them with the most stoic-confident look that I could. "Can you arrange it?"

"This evening. Yes." They bowed slightly, wincing still from pain. "One of us will return then."

"You have my thanks." I made sure to smile. "Would you like me to heal that up? I am trained in staves as well."

"Y-you are?" They just looked more and more out of their depth. I felt sorry for them. "Um… yes, that would be nice. Thank you."

I healed them up without and issue and saw them out with a smile, but as soon as I closed the door, I rested my head against it and sighed. Dain hadn't been the only one who had half-hoped we could stay like this. I had as well. But the fire had reminded me of just why we were doing this. All those people who lost their lives, who lost their homes… they had lost them because someone had decided they wanted the chaos as a cover to steal children. Some children had still disappeared and I wondered if it was to the flames or to be sacrifices.

...Though, it wasn't just the fire. I had seen why we fought every day. I saw it in the courage people had, in waking up and living each day to their fullest. I saw it in Cathleen, who lost her parents and had to raise her children, yet still woke up with a smile on her face. I saw it in Darina, who married and started a family, despite knowing the very real threat of the Child Hunts. I saw it in all the people who lost everything, yet still held onto their faith and hope.

So, I went about the rest of my day as normal and pretended everything was fine with Dain returned from work. I might as well not have bothered, though. He knew something was as soon as he walked in.

"What happened?" he asked, quickly coming over to me. He took my hand and pushed back my sleeve to check the bandages on my arm. "Are you in pain?"

"No, I am…" I began. I paused, though, and grimaced. "Well, I am in pain, but that isn't what has me contemplative."

"What happened, then?"

"The resistance made contact." I smiled wanly when his expression immediately locked up. "I know."

"...Well, we'll want a good meal. And our best clothes." He sighed and started gathering up what we had. "We'll want to make a good impression, and I somehow doubt we'll be coming back here afterwards."

"Well, we might spend one more night here." I doubted we would be able to say goodbye to anyone, though. "We knew we would have to get back to work."

"We did." But his bitter smile told me he wasn't happy about it. But that was fine. I wasn't either. "Let's see… what shall we make, then?"

Our contact arrived late at night, just as I had requested, and all of us had made sure to dress in our best clothes and wear our weapons openly. They had noticeably paused before escorting us outside and through the backstreets, towards the wealthiest district in the city. From there, we dodged the crowd until we made it to a bustling tavern, one that looked popular, but not overly so. We were led to the basement and, from there, we were shown into an underground area, one so large that I wondered what it had been prior to being appropriated. But I supposed it didn't matter. It was the Resistance's now.

We were shown into a very large room, one filled with people and tables, no doubt like the tavern above us. However, this room had a very clear focal point and an even clearer path to that focal point, a woman I assumed was Emer. She was a surprisingly small woman. She was smaller than even Vala, and her delicate features, framed by short black hair, made her seem even smaller. Her eyes, though, were a very sharp blue, were very fierce, and promised that any who judged her by appearance would find themselves regretting it very quickly.

"My name is Emer," the woman introduced, confirming my guess. She gestured for the others in the room to give us more space, and our group carefully stood together, protective but with Baldur front and center. "No need to introduce yourselves. I've been keeping an eye on you lot. Standard procedure whenever someone new comes in. You get spies from the capital, and then… well, we do recruit." She looked at all of us impassively, her eyes settling on our weapons. "Seemed like good people. I was particularly impressed when the fire happened, and you all jumped into helping. Seems I was right to think that, considering you have Cian's trust." Her eyes narrowed. "My person said you're not from Cian, though. You're from that Heim fellow, the one with light magic and ties to Saint Maera. What brings you all the way to Miletos?"

"Well, truth be told, we're doing a bit of recruiting of our own," Baldur began. He smiled charmingly and bowed his head slightly. "For a rebellion."

"You're what." Emer's eyes widened, and I heard quite a few people gasp. Hezul twitched and looked to the side, a hand resting on his sword. "Easy, blondie. Surprised as I may be, there's no need to-"

"Tell your own to sheathe their weapons," Hezul interrupted, still looking to the side. "At least, that's the sound I heard."

"Quite the impressive ear," another murmured. A man stepped out of the shadows near Emer then, also looking to the side. He was dressed in painfully simple clothes, and had a sword strapped to his waist. He wore his gold-brown hair long and his eyes were somewhere between gold and yellow, almost glowing from the dark. "I was going to deal with it subtly, Emer, but he is correct."

"Oh, for crying out…" Emer sighed. She snapped her fingers and waited. "Weapons withdrawn, Jarl?"

"According to my ear, and his." He nodded to Hezul, who slowly relaxed. I briefly took his hand. "Let's hear them out, Emer."

"I'm not sure I should." Emer's voice was a bit of a growl as she focused on us. "So, you come to Miletos, of all places, to suggest rebellion?" Her voice was also very, very dry. "After everything we've suffered? Did you pitch this same insanity to Edda?"

"Edda's resistance was the one to suggest it," Baldur countered easily. He kept his voice perfectly calm and even. He kept his expression sincere. This was why we had him talk, really. The rest of us looked about the room, prepared for anything. "Though, it was Friege's Tordo who first brought it to Heim."

"Why the hell would Edda…?" Emer grumbled. She pinched the bridge of her nose, looking annoyed now. "So, what? You heard the rumor that the Black Knight is no longer protecting his emperor-"

"He's not," Hezul interrupted, again. This time, he smiled sardonically and bowed. "I'm him. I am Hezul of Edda, the infamous Black Knight. It is very nice to meet you, Emer of Miletos."

"...I… that…" It was truly hard to tell if she was more surprised or annoyed at us. "Fine, okay. But they still have the tome and I don't care what the rumors say, it-"

"Is right here," Baldur explained, giving her his best smile. I pulled out the tome for emphasis and saw Jarl's eyes narrow. After a moment, he nodded and I wondered why. "That is the Loptyr tome. Sadly, we have been unsuccessful in actually destroying it. It resists all fire, water, and tearing. But it is here, and according to Scathach, Lord Maera's descendant, they cannot make a second copy. They can duplicate its shielding abilities, but not its might." I was glad I had thought to tell Baldur that prior to all of this. "That rumor is true as well. I know; it's surprising. But it is."

"...There is still the army, but that's why you're here," Emer muttered, crossing her arms. I put the tome back in my back. "That's why you're recruiting." She closed her eyes, digging her nails into her arms. When she opened them again, she had a very dark look. "Well, in that case, I have a task for you."

"A task?"

"Yes." Her tone was very clipped, and I defaulted to stoicism, remembering how that tone never meant good things in the Court. Vala winced, likely for similar reasons. "I lost contact with the resistance groups in Rados and Chronos. They're two of the big cities to the south of us. Peruluke's leader hasn't heard anything either."

"I take it you would like us to find out what happened?"

"Yes, and reestablish contact if possible. By the end of the year." We all bristled at that. It was midsummer now. "When the calendar turns to 644, if you reestablish contact with them, and convince them to join, then I'll throw my lot in with yours."

"That's not a lot of time."

"No, it's not." She had a very dark look in her eyes. "I don't gamble. I dislike gambling. So if I am, I'm going to go only with people who pull off very. Hard. tasks. I'll give you a fairer chance, though." She gestured to a man standing next to her, half in the shadows. "Jarl will head with you. He knows my codes. He knows people." She smirked slightly. "What do you say, then?"

Quietly, we looked at each other and shrugged. We couldn't refuse, and we had been warned repeatedly that Miletos would not join up easily. It still hurt, though. It also hurt to know that she was setting us up with something she had deemed impossible. I half wondered if we should just give up and move to the southeastern peninsula, but it felt like an insult to the people who strove so hard in a world like ours. We had to at least try.

"We accept your proposal," Baldur replied calmly. Her smirk fell; she had expected us to refuse. "Though, we do worry about our jobs."

"I'll handle that. They all have ties to me," Emer dismissed. She glanced at Jarl, who nodded. "Jarl will meet you at the southern gates."

"Thank you." Baldur bowed politely, and the rest of us followed suit. "I hope we can have such a polite conversation again."

We left then, assuming it was the right thing to do. I paused at the threshold of the door, though, and, after a moment, turned back towards Emer. "Might I ask a question, Emer?" I asked, clasping my hands in front of me. I waited until she nodded before continuing. She still looked annoyed. "I have only lived here for a handful of weeks, but something that I found remarkable was how strong the people are. Despite how horrible the world can be, they still continue living and making their lives as happy as possible. Bad things happen to them, and yet, they have the courage to rebuild." I hesitated again, but pushed on. "You have lived in this city your whole life. You have to have seen that courage."

"What was your question?" Emer asked dryly. She was definitely done with us. I could tell she was regretting ever contacting us. "You're rambling."

"I am explaining. There is a difference." I made sure to look her in the eye, with all the dignity I could muster. "Why is it that your response to seeing that is to hide? Do you think you can actually keep people safe this way or are you just too afraid of the dark to do anything? If it is the last thing… then isn't it an insult to the people you claim to protect to show less courage than them?"

I left then, my own courage gone, and I wasn't called back. There was no shouted answer. There was nothing but silence. I wasn't sure if it was because my question was so idiotic or if I had actually hit a nerve. I doubted I would ever learn. So, I just caught up with the others and began wondering about the tasks ahead.

I wished I had gotten to say goodbye to Cathleen and Darina. I would miss them.

Our Family

Gwyneth

20 years old

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

Feels very odd without long hair, but also feels oddly liberated. You can't braid bells into it now, after all.

She finds strength in watching the people around her live their lives, pushing forward and finding happiness even with all the sadness in their pasts and presents. They're the ones who give her the courage to continue.

Hezul

22 years old

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

Was nervous at working with the guard because he was only used to protecting Galle and Gwyneth. He fell into it with an ease that surprised him, and actually found the paperwork enjoyable. His fellows thought him crazy for that.

Often looks up to find Jarl studying him. He's not sure how comfortable he feels with it and, for the first time in a long while, wishes he had his armor.

Noba

19 years old

Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lance – B

Enjoyed working at the smithy and actually secured new weapons for them. New and good, at that.

Thanks to working in the smithery, she's gained a lot more strength, though she still retains a bit of her clumsiness

Baldur

21 years old

Class: Mercenary; Weapons: Swords – B

Was rather annoyed by the lack of safety among the laborers and wonders if there is a way to fix that. After, you know, saving the damn world.

Is repeatedly confused as to why he ends up being the spokesperson for the group… until he remembers that he tends to be the first one to speak up anyway. He wonders if he should've left it to someone else, though, and feels responsible for being unable to convince Emer.

Dain

23 years old

Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lances – B

Learned a lot of new dishes from the tavern, and how to prepare local delicacies. He half-wonders if he might just open up an inn, if they survive all of this.

Very annoyed by the task given to them, because he feels like if they want to hide, they should just hide. He can understand not wanting to get involved, but he can't understand forcing people to 'prove' they're the right side

Fjalar; Vala

18 years old

Class: Fire Mage; Weapons: Fire – A

Learned a LOT more medicines, allowing her to more efficiently heal people. Though, since Gwyneth's skill in staves has improved, she's starting to think about branching out.

Possibly because they are planning the rebellion, she has been particularly haunted by nightmares of her family's deaths. She's taken to drinking sleeping medication when it's particularly bad.

Our Allies

Emer

35 years old

Leader of the Miletos resistance, who maintains contact throughout the province with her messenger birds, crows that she raised herself. She's been leading for quite a while and every single one of her people is absolutely loyal to her

She's extremely skeptical about this fledgling rebellion, thinking it's pointless to fight so openly. She only agrees to give the group a chance to prove themselves because of her trust in Cian. That said, Gwyneth's words did, in fact, hit a nerve, as did Baldur's genuine sincerity.

Jarl

Unknown age; appears in his early twenties

Class: Hero; Weapons: Swords - A, Axes - C

A recent addition to the Miletos resistance, but his skill in battle allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks. His willingness to lead from the front wins him the admiration and loyalty of his fellows

Quiet and an extremely skilled warrior, who appears almost amused by the group. Strangely, he carries a gold colored stone with him always, a stone that looks strangely similar to the stones Naga and Forseti have

Author's note: So, the trial for Miletos begins. 'Emer' is the name of Cu Chulainn's wife in Irish mythology. 'Jarl' is from Norse mythology, the son of the god Rig and the founder of a race of warriors.

Next Chapter - Grand Gates