Chapter 13) Galle

Finally recovered, and reassured that Rados would be well, we set off towards Chronos, the other city we had to reestablish contact with for Emer's task. We have to travel off the road to avoid the frankly startling amount of traffic. It's near constant, from morning to night, and no one knows why Chronos would be so busy. While one of the Miletos District's most prominent cities, it was considered more of a 'stop along the road' for merchants.

I have a bad feeling about this. We all do.

"I've seen less guards at a formal ball in Belhalla," Vala growled as we ducked into another alleyway to avoid being spotted. Again. We were becoming intimately familiar with all the side paths of Chronos. "What the hell is going on?"

"If you want another oddity, I recognize many of them as castle guards," Hezul murmured. He peered out around the corner and frowned. "It's rare they'd leave Belhalla."

"Lovely." Vala groaned and leaned into Dain's side. He wrapped an arm around her reassuringly. "Just freaking lovely.

"There's honestly more guards than people," Baldur whispered. After a moment, he looked to Jarl and Salamander, who both looked just as unnerved as the rest of us. "Not normal, then?"

"Not at all," Jarl whispered. His expression had completely locked up, showing nothing. "Miletos, yes, but not Chronos."

"Well, depending on how long it has been, this might explain why Chronos went silent." Baldur carefully shuffled to the front of the group and peered around the corner to watch, just as Hezul was. "I think we can make it to the next one?" He glanced at Hezul, who nodded. "Here we go."

We all darted to the next alleyway. Noba managed to catch her foot on something, but Salamander kept her from falling, and I took her hand to help pull her forward. We barely managed to reach the alley before a patrolling soldier saw us, and we all waited in a tense silence for them to pass. Only once we were certain they had did we even breathe.

"This is way more stressful than I thought," Noba complained. She leaned against the wall of a building, and brought up her leg to poke her ankle. "I think I twisted something. What did I even trip over?"

"A hole in the ground, from what little I saw," Salamander answered. He crouched by her to study her ankle, frowning. "You definitely twisted it. It's swelling. I can see that even through your boot."

"Well, that's just perfect." She growled in frustration, and smiled sardonically when we all looked at her sympathetically. "A hole in the ground. Of course there was a hole in the ground. Why is there a hole in the street?"

"Likely? They're too busy patrolling and aren't bothering to fix things like infrastructure." Salamander pulled a cloth out of his pack and tugged off Noba's boot to wrap it. I helped Noba keep her balance by holding onto her shoulders. "We aren't too far from their hideout, though."

"That's a relief," Vala sighed. She went to the corner and looked out carefully. "Let's hope they… are…" She trailed off, expression blanking and all color draining from her face. Then, in an instance, she snarled, her eyes flashing with bright and terrifying anger. She tried to lunge, but Dain, thank everything, snagged her before she could. "Let! Me! Go!"

"Denied," Dain murmured, picking her up easily. He tossed her, literally, to Baldur and looked out. "Okay, I don't see anyone being murdered or raped or anything, so we do indeed have time to figure out what the hell."

"That… that bastard is the one who led the attack on my family!" Vala struggled to escape, but Baldur held her tightly, angling her so that she held into his shoulder and thus, was muffled. "I have to…!"

"Slight reminder, Vala, that charging right now will get you killed, and probably the rest of us as well because we won't let you run off alone." Though Dain didn't look at her, he kept his voice firm. After a moment, Vala stopped struggling and just began to cry, with Baldur rubbing her back. "That said, if we manage a nice and convenient way to see him dead, we will. Maybe not where you can see it, sadly, but he'll definitely die."

"O-Okay…" Vala buried her face into Baldur's shoulder, trembling. To my surprise, Jarl actually gently patted her back reassuringly, looking at her with a terribly sympathetic pain. I wondered if he had also lost most of his family. "I…"

"Which one is he, by the way? So that we know who the priority target will be."

"B-black hair…"

"Only one within sight, so I'm assuming it's him." Dain frowned. "He has a very punchable face."

"Which one is it?" Hezul asked, peering out now. Dain pointed towards the group, or so I guessed, and Hezul frowned. "That's… wow, I'm surprised Cadogan's alive still."

"He is?" I asked, startled. As soon as Salamander finished binding up Noba's ankle, I headed to the entrance to look myself. Sure enough, I found Cadogan before long. "How? Galle thinks he is a complete and utter fool, and not even an entertaining one." I had to wonder, now, if Galle had Vala's family killed less because of 'danger of rebellion' and more of 'hopefully, they can get rid of the fools'. I also had to wonder if Galle had even ordered her family dead at all, and it was just Cadogan's attempt to gain favor. But I couldn't say that, because no matter what the reason, Vala still suffered horribly. "Still, his presence is odd. He is normally stationed in the north, if I recall correctly."

"He is." Hezul sighed. "There's too many oddities. I don't like this. I don't like this one bit."

We all remained silent while Vala cried and Noba and Salamander wrestled her boot back on. As soon as both were ready, we began our 'dart through the alleys' again, making our slow way towards the center of town. Apparently, the Chronos resistance was like Miletos's in that they hid in plain sight, using a popular shop as their front. However, as we got closer, we saw more and more guards and yet, when we reached the center square, there was a very conspicuous 'empty' spot in the crowd. When we pushed our way to the front, we saw why. What was once a brightly colored, and likely welcoming, shop was now a splintered ruin with dried blood staining the floors, broken windows, and walls.

"They must've been wiped out," Salamander whispered sadly as we walked past. We didn't want anyone to suspect we had been heading here. "Gods, have mercy…"

"Why would they leave just a bloody building, though?" Baldur asked quietly. We all pushed together so that we could hear each other, and not be lost in the crowd. "That seems odd."

"Leaving a warning isn't odd, Baldur."

"I know that, but don't they normally go with bodies? The ones I've seen in the past would nail them up and have them slowly rot as a warning." Baldur's eyes lit up suddenly, a burst of inspiration. "Oh, but what if there weren't bodies?"

"Pardon?"

"Survivors," Vala explained, voice still a little thick and raspy from her earlier crying bout. She looked around to make sure no one was truly paying attention to us. Both Jarl and Hezul were on high alert, eyes darting at each and every sound. "There's a lot of blood, but since we know there was more than one person, that amount of blood doesn't necessarily mean deaths. It just means a lot of people were bleeding."

"If that's the case, then the bloody building would be their only warning," Dain added, smiling slightly. He motioned us all to be quiet as a soldier passed close by, with Noba purposely stepping in front of me to make sure I couldn't be seen. Dain did the same for Hezul, since even if we all wore our hooded cloaks, there was still a risk. "Vala, you think you can use the pixies to track them, like you do with us?"

"I can certainly try, though I don't know them at all." Vala shrugged and looked to Salamander. "What do we have to lose? If we're wrong, then we just send a message to Emer and try and get a proper burial for the lot."

Quietly, Salamander agreed and the two carefully focused and followed the pixies, the rest of us trailing along behind them. As we did, we watched the people around us, making sure none paid us any mind. I frowned at the number of knights I recognized on sight, knights that Galle had liked enough to allow in the inner wing. Why were they so far from Belhalla? What had happened here in Chronos? The more we walked through the city, the more worried and anxious I became.

Eventually, we came upon a rather nondescript building, with a sign over the door that announced it was an apothecary. The pixies had us go to a side-door down an alley and, after a moment, Salamander knocked on the door. "Magni, are you there?" he called softly. Jarl pushed himself to the front of the group, while the rest of us watched the entrance. "It's Salamander, from Rados, and Jarl, from Miletos. We've brought friends."

We stood there in an uncomfortably long and tense silence before the door slowly opened to reveal a young man black hair haphazardly tied back in a loose ponytail and a rather striking green eye, even when tired and in pain. I assumed he was in pain, at least. He was so covered in bandages that it took a couple of moments to even realize he wasn't wearing a shirt, and some of the wounds were bleeding through. Not to mention that he had bandages messily wrapped over one of his eye. But, after a moment, he smiled. He quickly covered his mouth to hide the blood in his teeth, but it still softened his face considerably, highlighting someone who was probably usually very friendly.

"Gods, it's good to see friends," the man breathed, leaning against the door frame. Both Salamander and Jarl smiled in response, noticeably relieved. "I hope you have medicines as we kind of need them."

"I-I also have a healer's staff," I offered automatically. I looked down when he glanced at me and half-hid behind Dain. "Er… I mean…"

"Yay, more friends and apparently exactly what we need. Maybe the gods do care." He continued to smile, though it had a bitterness to it, and stepped out of the doorway to show us inside. "We'll do introductions on the way down. I'd rather not delay. As I'm sure you've noticed, Chronos is teetering on the edge of hell and all of us with it."

Well, that was ominous.

The next few hours were spent doing whatever we could to help the wounded. The man, confirmed to be Magni, had me set up in a room with the absolutely worst wounded, the ones that medicines simply couldn't help. I healed those I could, glad that I had gotten stronger staves, but to my grief, there were some who were just too far gone to save. Vala would give them pain medicine to ease their passing, in between working on the other injured with Salamander and their medicines. True to form, Dain immediately got to work on cooking, getting some of the lesser wounded to help him make dishes specific to the area. Jarl and Baldur went on patrol to make sure no one had followed us, while Baldur and Noba handled chores that had been forgotten in the mess of trying to survive, including a very thorough cleaning to reduce the chances of illness spreading. That was the last thing they needed.

"I cannot believe you were ambushed in your own headquarters and you set up a new one at an apothecary," Salamander groaned, facepalming. It was much later, closer to evening than afternoon, and we all finally sat down to try and discuss things. Though, for the moment, it was more of our little family listening to Salamander, Jarl, and Magni catching up. "There is a limit to how much refuge audacity can me."

"We didn't start here," Magni protested with a laugh. He then winced because even laughing pushed him too much. He honestly should have been healed up with a staff, but when I had offered, he had asked if he would die without it. When I admitted he wouldn't, he had refused the staff healing, preferring to endure the pain and longer healing while I used my skills to save others. "We've been bouncing around a bit before settling here last week, after they had already searched through all the apothecaries in town."

"I see." Salamander smiled slightly. "Well, it is still a little on the audacious side."

"One can argue having a resistance group at all is a little on the audacious side, and we won't even talk about what it takes to suggest and plan a rebellion." He smiled at us, nodding in respect. He had laughed hard enough to reopen injuries when we had told him our purpose. "Got to like that moxie, even if I also think you all are the most insane people in all of Jugdral."

"Sometimes, it is the people insane enough to hold onto hope who save everyone from the dark," Jarl replied. The rest of us silently exchanged surprised looks since he… that honestly might have been the first time he had complimented us. "Regardless, Magni, what happened? Protective and audacious as you can be, you're still careful."

"We got betrayed." He held up a hand when Jarl and Salamander instantly tensed; Jarl even snarled. "Well, that's the simple version. The truth is that he broke and just stopped caring about everything." Magni sighed and reached up to brush the hair out of his face. He stopped himself though, to avoid touching the bandage over his eye. Sadly, he had lost it completely. It was a miracle he hadn't gone into shock and died. "We had a group caught while helping children escape. The children made it, but the group… well…"

"I see…" Jarl slowly relaxed, and Salamander rested a hand on his shoulder. "So, was it bad?"

"Worse." Magni winced, both at the memory and pain since he accidentally moved wrong. "Couple were flayed alive. Another was on a torture rack with oil burns and spikes driven through his limbs. Then, there was our traitor's fiance, who apparently had been particularly spirited and refused to break. They took it as a challenge."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"Let's just say that we found her clawing at her face, desperately trying to find the pieces of her soul and put them back in her skull. Or so she babbled. We did find her clawing at her face." Magni shrugged and then winced. "Did I reopen something with that?"

"You did," I whispered, already moving behind him. Crimson splotches stained the bandages. "Hold still, please."

"Thank you," Magni replied. He lifted his arms slightly to make it easier for me to remove the stained bandages and put on new ones. "So, that's all that happened. She's still alive, though we have to wrap her hands up in cloth so that she stops trying to claw her skin off, and we have to keep her watched."

"Would it not be a mercy to simply let her die?"

"It could be, but well…" Magni paused, gathering his thoughts. "During the ambush, her fiance, our 'traitor', tried to mercy-kill her. I think it was the only thing left of 'himself' at that point and, honestly, I was going to let him. But she actually killed him. Broken and driven mad, she still killed him and it didn't look accidental. So we can't help but wonder if she can heal."

"I see." I tied off the fresh bandages, thinking a moment because there was something strangely 'familiar' about it all. After a while of not finding the memory, I leaned around to look at Hezul. "What do you think?"

"It doesn't sound like someone who went mad from constant Hels and healing," Hezul murmured. He glanced at Vala, who flinched. "Forgive me, but your brother…"

"He did take a while to break, and supposedly confessed to some rebellion my father planned," Vala confirmed hollowly. She drew her knees to her chest, and Noba wrapped an arm around her. "I only saw him once before… everything. He was laughing mad. Others, I know, are completely silent."

"Yes, that's what I thought." Hezul closed his eyes, thinking, and Dain joined Noba in trying to comfort Vala. "I don't know of a spell that directly breaks the target's mind."

"There shouldn't be one, but dark magic is all about knowledge, so…" Her voice only grew more muffled. "Maybe they made one." That could be, but something told me that wasn't exactly the case. "Manipulative, conniving, children of bitches."

The word 'manipulative' jogged my memory and I gasped as I put the pieces together. "Ah, that is it!" I declared, ignoring everyone's strange looks. "Her mind must have been broken during an attempt of mental manipulation. My best guess would be wiping her memory, but I suppose they could have tried to turn her into a puppet or..." I trailed off as I saw everyone still staring at me. "Um… perhaps it is not important?"

"More shocked that they can do that," Baldur reassured. He made sure to smile and it instantly made me feel better. However, it also made me curious because I noticed then that Salamander and Jarl weren't surprised. "Can they?"

"Truly, they are only dark magics taught to the Archbishop, but if he is present, it would partially help to explain why there are so many knights here." I hoped he wasn't, though. He always unnerved me. "Though, sadly, that would still only be 'partial'."

"Well, the Archibishop was in residence, before His Imperial Majesty sent him back to Belhalla a few days ago, so maybe that is what happened," Magni mused. He smiled sardonically at everyone's yelps, but Hezul and I froze. "Sorry, I should have mentioned it sooner. Emperor Galle has been 'blessing' us with his presence for the past couple of months. Made it hard to send out messages to Emer, particularly when it was a nightmare trying to figure out what the hell was going on in Rados. Then all the rest happened."

"What do you mean Galle is here?" Hezul half-demanded. I was glad he could talk as I was far too frozen. "Galle doesn't leave Belhalla. Even when he wasn't mad, he hated leaving the castle. Drove him to hives with anxiety."

"Seems he's solving the anxiety with rampant slaughter." Magni noted frowned and focused completely on Hezul. "Though, now I am just curious. You know a lot of dark magic and now you know about Galle. How would you-?"

"Black Knight. Hi." Hezul paused and looked to Baldur. "You're the one who handled introductions. You didn't tell him?"

"I figured it could wait!" Baldur retorted defensively, with a scowl at that. Noba rolled her eyes, and I wondered if she had suggested Baldur bring it up. "And I don't know if you want to announce it to every person we meet. You don't seem to particularly like the title."

"That explains how you all got the tome," Magni noted, cutting off the little argument. To his credit, he didn't look suspicious or anything. "Regardless, though, he is here and they have taken advantage of our inability to act by rounding up children."

"That's…" Baldur winced. "Oh gods…"

"I don't pretend we can get all of them out, but I will admit to hoping we can coordinate to get some." Magni looked all of us in the eyes. "If you're willing, that is. It won't be required for my cooperation in your rebellion. We need it. This incident has proved to me quite clearly that resistances are simply not enough anymore."

"Well, of course we'll help." Baldur paused and guiltily looked at the rest of us as he realized he volunteered us. Noba grinned and Vala rolled her eyes. Hezul and I instead looked at each other, aware of what we would have to do. "I'm just not sure how we can help." But Hezul and I did, and Hezul opened his mouth to offer...

"No." However, Dain's voice cracked through the air before Hezul could and he was scowling at both of us. "No, you two are not going to play bait," he declared firmly. I couldn't tell if I was touched or exasperated he figured us out so quickly. "Not happening."

"But it will keep Galle busy, and that will buy you all time to get everyone out," I protested. Vala nodded, agreeing, but Noba and Baldur looked uncomfortable. Jarl and Salamander were expressionless. Magni rested a hand on his temple, lost in thought. "There are children, Dain. Who knows how long they have?"

"That's…" He winced. "But you two…"

"We escaped once. We just have to do it again." I made sure to smile, even as the weight of what we planned settled on my shoulders. I wanted to scream. I wanted to be ill. But this would… "We'll leave the tome with you all, just in case."

"And if I become a deadlord, make sure to surround me and catch me with magic," Hezul added. He said the words lightly, like they were a joke, but we all knew the very real risk. "Shall we prepare, then?"

Two days later, we set our plan into motion and Hezul and I headed for the gates of the castle, once home to a reigning lord and now Galle's residence. The old lord had died, likely killed for some inane reason, meaning that when Galle left, there would be no one ruling here until he bothered installing a new one. I doubted he would, but the Archbishop might…

"Gwyneth, are you certain you want to go through with this?" Hezul asked softly as the gates came into view. "I can go in-"

"I won't leave you alone with him," I retorted, snappier than I intended. But I did feel nauseous over all of this and half-wished we had listened to Dain. Dain had protested us doing this until the last moment. "Maybe with both of us to focus on, we shall blunt the worst of it."

"Maybe." Hezul's smile told me he didn't believe it. To be fair, I didn't either. "Well, here we go." He knocked on the gates to catch a passing guard's attention. "Pardon, but might we come in?" Hezul brought down his hood, and the soldier frowned. "It's important." The soldier continued eyeing us warily, but did open the gate to let us in. "My thanks." The soldier remained perfectly silent and prevented us from walking too far inside. I pushed back my own hood. "I take it you're waiting for a superior?" The soldier nodded, still quiet. I studied their armor and thought they might actually be part of the city's guard, not Belhalla. "Very well."

Both Hezul and I stood there awkwardly in the courtyard, perfectly silent. The soldier remained just as quiet, lance at the ready for any suspicious movement. Another couple of guards joined them, reinforcements I supposed. I wondered how they planned on telling anyone anything, but decided there must be some sort of signaling system. I thought about starting a conversation, but I couldn't. It took all my resolve to remain where I was. I knew this was necessary, but I hated it. I hated it because...

"Move." It was a simple, sharp command followed by a deceptively simple shove. However, the soldier stumbled, coughed, and then fell apart into a mess of blood and rotting flesh, starling the remaining two. In their place was a young man with long brown hair tied back in an intricate braid and sharp blue eyes. He stared at us for a moment before his face lit up with a bright and saccharine smile. "Gwyneth! Hezul!" he cheered, leaping for us. He caught me in a hug first, fingers digging into my shoulders hard enough to bruise. "You're back!" He let go of me and hugged Hezul. "I've been terribly lonely." He looked at both of us, eyes glinting even as he continued to smile. "Inside, inside! We need to get you out of those dreadful rags." He wrapped an arm around my waist and I had to bite back the urge to snap at him. I liked these clothes. "There was this beautiful silken dress in the market that I thought would be perfect on you, Gwyneth, and a ruby tiara to go with it…!"

Once inside, Galle had the servants whisk us away and then it was a whirlwind of activity I just tried to ignore. Servants stripped me down and bathed me. After toweling me off, they dressed me in clothes Galle had picked, including a silk dress of purples and silver that was incredibly heavy, to the point that it felt like I used all of my strength to even stand up. He might as well have attached a chain to my leg, but that wouldn't have been 'pretty', I supposed. The servants cooed at my appearance and made sympathetic noises over my burn scars while they brushed my hair and placed heels on my feet. The promised ruby tiara appeared and they set it carefully on my head before switching to putting makeup and perfume on me, all things Galle also picked out.

Once all of that was completed, another servant escorted me from 'my room' to a sunny parlor with black lace curtains and silver furniture. Galle and Hezul were already there, Galle talking happily while Hezul listened. It was almost startling to see Hezul in black armor again. He hadn't worn armor at all since we escaped and seeing it again made my heart ache because here we were, back again.

"The sword is a temporary measure until we find the fools who stole the tome, Hezul," Galle was saying. It took a moment to realize Galle was, in fact, wearing a sword despite having very little weaponry training. "It mimics the defensive ability of the tome and protects me even further from magic. Sadly not as powerful, but it'll serve. They insisted on me carrying it since you disappeared."

"My apologies, Galle," Hezul murmured, bowing his head slightly. He looked up again, though, and smiled when he saw me. It was warm and gentle. "Gwyneth."

"Hmm?" Galle turned towards me and smiled too. It was saccharine and sharp. "Ah, there we are…" He walked over to me and cupped my face. "There's my pretty bride. Though whyever did you cut your pretty hair?"

"We got caught in a fire, Galle," I whispered, looking down. I wasn't certain I could look at him without glaring. Then I felt panicked over the thought of glaring at all. "We had to cut off the burnt strands."

"This is why you shouldn't leave, Gwyneth. You just ruin your beauty." He turned away and I had to fight to not wince. Noba had said I looked pretty. "Come here; sit down!" He pulled out a chair from the table and gestured to it. "I have your favorites!"

"You are too kind, Galle." Gingerly, I sat down, still feeling the weight of the skirts. I dug my fingers into the cloth to make sure they weren't metal. "Surely, it was difficult."

"Nonsense!" He practically hummed as he set about making tea. I just hoped he wouldn't try putting me to sleep again. I had been horribly ill the last time. "Ah, it has been too long! You would not believe-" Someone knocked on the door and I looked to see a priest walk in. Galle snapped his fingers, though, and the priest died in agony, black flames ripping out of his veins. "Tch…" Galle stormed over to the body and kicked it out before signalling a passing servant. "Do away with this thing. I am spending time with my bride and my guard." Galle's eyes were cold and, as always, there was the slight emphasis on 'my'. We were his possessions. We had always been his possessions. "If there is trouble, deal with it on your own. Quickly and quietly. I will be most vexed if you disturb me." The servant quietly did as Galle bade, blanch with terror. I almost got their eye to smile reassuringly, before remembering Galle would kill them for it. "Ugh… I lost my thought. Idiotic priests."

"You were talking of how long it has been, Galle." So, instead, I smiled at Galle and he smiled back immediately. I hoped it would distract him from how I wasn't touching the tea. "Though, you are already back to your gifts."

"Well, how can I not spoil you, Gwyneth?" Galle laughed, and there was a trace of madness to it. "Ah, though, before I forget…" Galle went to the closet in the room and pulled out a blade. My skin instantly crawled at the sight. "Hezul, the Archbishop made this for you!"

"Did he now?" Hezul asked, carefully neutral. Both he and I knew that never meant anything good. "I'm surprised."

"It's a beautiful sword! The magic in it allows for two hits with one swing, and it will nullify some abilities! Plus, it's strong." Galle held it out to Hezul. "You'll be absolutely devastating with it! Lots of blood flying and everything! It'll be fantastic!"

"It is certainly a great boon." Hezul's eyes narrowed slightly at the blade. He didn't like it any more than I did. "But are you certain, Galle? It sounds as if my duels will end quite quickly with it."

"Ah! Then I won't be able to show you off!" Galle promptly tossed it back into the closet. "That won't do at all! I haven't been able to enjoy your fighting lately, due to recent events." Galle skipped behind me and, strangely, wrapped both arms around me, some facsimile of a hug. "Really, Gwyneth, why did you get yourself kidnapped? Don't you know all the trouble it caused?"

"My apologies, Galle," I whispered. I felt very unnerved, like the air was heavy and pressing down on me. "I…"

"So much trouble." He sighed gustily, and I tried to not squirm. I just stared straight ahead, and the window with the black lace curtains. "Whatever am I to do with you? I need to make sure you don't go away again." One hand came up and gestured sharply, and then all I knew was pain, so much pain that I nearly screamed. I bloodied my lip to keep silent. "Huh, the skirt is thicker than I thought." He leaned around me and I glanced down to see blood pouring down the side of my leg, the skirts slashed precisely where the wound was. It was a large laceration, from my knee to my ankle, almost as if he had scraped off the skin there. "That was supposed to take your leg off." He wiped the blood off my chin and smiled slowly. "You know, dear Gwyneth, that shade of red looks much better on you. I'll have to remember that. For now, though, let's properly take the-"

"Galle!" Hezul snapped, snatching his arm. Galle frowned and looked up at Hezul curiously. "Why are you hurting her? If anyone is to blame, it's me for not protecting her!"

"Yes, you did leave as well, so shortly after you said you wouldn't either," Galle replied sourly. He sulked like a petulant child who had to share his 'toy'. "You're my guard, you know. Mine. I won't let anyone else have you. Not even Gwyneth." He dug his fingers into my shoulders, another bit of pain. I swore I was going to faint. "Though, Hezul, why are you yelling? I'm just-"

"Emperor Galle!" Another priest burst into the room, and Galle snapped his fingers to kill them before they could say another word. However, a second priest came in on their heels. "The sacrifices have escaped!" they blurted. Galle paused, a split-second away from snapping. "We must…"

"Bother," Galle sighed. He shrugged and kissed my cheek. "I'll be right back, you two. It seems some rats are scurrying about." He left without another word, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as it clicked, Hezul gathered up the cut off material from my skirt and began using them as makeshift bandages. "Gwyneth, please, say something," he whispered frantically, his movements sharp. "Anything."

"Anything," I managed to joke, voice thinner and higher than normal because of the pain. He smiled slightly. "Well, he is a trifle madder than I had thought he would be." I had no idea which definition of 'mad' I was using there. "I think we should be thankful that he didn't go ahead and turn you into a deadlord."

"We need to get you out of here."

"We need to get out of here. I am not leaving you, especially when he is like this." Dain was going to kill us. "So, be honest, is this shade of red my color?"

"I'm not fond of blood-red, so I'd have to say 'no'."

"Oh, good, I don't think it suits me either." I leaned back in my chair and struggled to not faint. "But yes, we must leave. If the children are gone, then the others have succeeded and we can't bait Galle away anymore."

"Right…" He finished bandaging my leg, and went to the door. However, it wouldn't open. "Oh, great, he locked it."

"Well, there is a window." I smiled wanly at him. "Why don't you climb around and I find more things to use as bandages?"

"Looks like I'll have to." Hezul growled and raked a hand through his hair. "How the hell did he think you'd survive a wound like that? No, never mind. Don't want to even try." He sighed and headed for the window. As he passed me, though, he hesitated and then took my hand to kiss it. "I will be back as soon as possible."

"I know." Finally, I relaxed. "Let us return to the others. I miss them."

"I do too." He squeezed my hand and left, climbing out the window easily. I pushed myself up and limped over to the closet, certain there would be something in there.

Dain was truly going to kill us for this. I hoped I got to hear him say 'I told you so'.

The door hadn't been 'locked', but rather barricaded with statues. Hezul managed to push them to the side and helped me with the last of the messy bandaging. Then, together, we made our way down the hall. Sadly, due to my limp, we had to go very slowly.

"Gwyneth, how are you doing?" he asked me as we paused at a corner. He peered around, making sure no one was near. Thankfully, no one was. Everyone was busy hunting for the children. I prayed the others were safe. "Here, I'll carry you."

"Considering how heavy this dress is, Hezul, I am honestly not certain you can do so," I retorted. My voice was breathier than normal. "Even if you could, you can't fight and that might be needed." I shook my head and kicked off my heels. "I should have done that sooner."

"I'm not sure you should be running around in your bare feet, Gwyneth."

"It can't be worse than running through snow." I glowered at him. "Come. We must keep going."

"I still think I should carry you." He continued leading the way, though, helping me limp. "You're not that heavy."

"As I said, I think the dress is and if you have to fight, we-" We rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a small group of patrolling soldiers. Worse, their leader was Cadogan. "I shouldn't have even brought it up."

"Lord Hezul, Lady Gwyneth, what are you doing here?" Cadogan asked. Dain was right; he did have a very punchable face. He also had a surprisingly grating voice, a voice that tried to be smooth, but just clunked about instead. "We are quite a ways from your wing…" He frowned for a moment, studying us, before snapping his fingers. "Ah, of course. You're escaping."

"I am trying to find Gwyneth a healer," Hezul retorted. I gestured to my leg for emphasis; some blood seeped through the makeshift bandaging. "Continue with your work."

"If it is a healer you seek, then I shall gladly show you."

"That isn't necessary."

"I would think you would welcome the help, to get her to a healer sooner. If that was your goal, at least." Cadogan smiled slowly, and I wondered why Galle thought he was an idiot if he figured out everything so quickly. "Well, well… I did always want to prove who was the better warrior, Lord Hezul." Never mind. I knew why now.

"And here I was, thinking that maybe you were cleverer than I gave credit for." Hezul sighed and let go of me. I leaned against a wall, and looked about curiously, wondering where we were. "All right then." Hezul lunged and killed one soldier, an axe wielder, with a punch to the throat. He knocked down a second one and stole their sword. "Let's see you try."

Hezul promptly began reminding the soldier's why he was often said to be the strongest swordsman in the Empire, to Cadogan's flustered and indignant protests. I stayed back, limping along the edges of the battle to get past, at least until I noticed we were near a room. I poked my head in to see if it was a safe place to hide or a place with better bandages and discovered it was actually a magical workshop. There were a few medicinal kits in sight and, perhaps more importantly in the current circumstances, a couple of tomes.

"There you are!" Cadogan, however, had apparently decided I was a much preferable target. Based on how much he was bleeding, he had already tried Hezul. "This way, Lady Gwyneth," he snapped, lunging for me. Even with my limp, I ducked out of the way, though that sadly put me away from the tomes. "You can't escape!"

"You don't exactly have a good record with killing women, Cadogan," I retorted. I found the axe of the first soldier Hezul killed and I picked it up, nearly breathing a sigh of relief because it was light enough for me to do so. "Fjalar of Velthomer says 'hello', by the way."

"One of that filthy house lives?!" He snarled and swung wildly. I stepped back and settled into a stance, just as Jarl taught me. I did have to favor a leg, though. "Damn it! I thought…!"

He swung wildly again, leaving a large hole in his guard. I waited, doing my best to keep calm, and then swung as soon as I thought he was close enough. I got lucky; I got him right in his unarmored neck. He dropped like a stone, choking and spitting up blood, and I jerked the axe out to make sure he bled out faster. After a moment, he stopped moving and I sighed.

"That was… not how I pictured that going," I murmured. Given how important he was to Vala's trauma, I expected a bigger moment or something. But, then again, he was just a human general, one low enough in Galle's regard to be sent on an out of the way patrol. "I hope Vala doesn't get mad." Then again, at this point, I just hoped I got to see her again.

I dropped the axe by the body and limped back into the workshop. I used the medicinal kit to replace the makeshift bandages, and then started hunting through all the research notes. To my surprise, and delight, I actually found something about 'broken souls' and 'memory manipulation', hinting that the workshop might have been where the Archbishop stored his things. I made sure to snatch them up, covering the pages to avoid getting them too bloodstained. Then I grabbed a few more that looked interesting or useful, including a few that might have been letters, before grabbing a fire tome and setting the place on fire. It was a decision that might top 'walking into a burning building without letting anyone know' on the 'stupidest thing I have ever done' list, and some part of me was amused that both incidents involved fire. But it would cover our escape.

"Gwyneth?" Hezul stepped into the room just as the smoke began filtering out. He was completely splattered with blood. "You just… set everything on fire," he sighed. I grinned, strangely proud of myself. "I don't think the phrase 'burning your bridges' actually involves burning things, you know."

"We best be off," I replied. I took a medicinal kit with me and tucked the wrapped papers inside. I held onto the tome with the other. "Though, do you have any idea where to go?"

"Of course not, but the smoke should help us at least find a window." He helped me out of the room and I threw more fire behind us. "This is the second time our group has burned an important building down."

"It is for Vala and making a statement." I also hoped the fire would have the servants escape as well. "Lead on, Hezul."

We made our slow way through the halls, watching for potential escapes. At random points, I would throw more fire to help it spread faster, stopping only when I heard alarm bells ringing. Then we followed the sound of the bells, hoping it would lead us closer to outside. Once outside, we could slip away in the chaos, hopefully, and find the others. I couldn't wait to see them again. But, as life would have it, there was one more complication we had to deal with, yet another thing Hezul and I wouldn't have expected.

"Gwyneth! Hezul!" Through the crackling flames, I heard Galle calling desperately for us. "Gwyneth! Hezul! Where are you?!" Through the smoke, I could see him frantically looking for us. "Gwyneth! Hezul!" He would see us soon. The smoke didn't provide that much cover.

Thinking quickly, I whipped some of the flames up to the wooden support beams and burned through the sides to make them crash down. A loud scream of pain made me realize, with a strange bit of horror, that one of the beams actually fell on Galle.

"Gwyneth! Hezul!" Still, though, Galle called for us. The more he called, the more he sounded like a lost child. The more he yelled, the more he sounded like his old self. "Where are you? Don't leave me! Please! I don't… I don't want to be alone!" His voice cracked with what might have been a sob. "Where are you?! Gwyneth! Hezul!" Hezul automatically stepped towards him, and I shifted my tome under my arm and rested a hand on shoulder. Hezul glanced at me briefly before nodding and turning and helping me down the hall. "Don't leave me!"

"...Farewell, Galle," I whispered, wincing in pain before focusing entirely on not passing out because I was still bleeding. "Farewell." The next time I saw him, I would be actively trying to kill him. I knew he wouldn't die here. Someone would be by before long to get him.

We continued on, with Hezul glancing back every once in a while. I kept my gaze forward, leaning into his side both to help ground him and because the pain in my leg was just getting worse. We both kept silent, ignoring the heat of the fire and the soot falling on us like grey snow, until we felt a cool wind and found a way out of the burning castle. Even better, it was a way out with no one near. We could escape and find the others. We made it.

"I've resolved myself to leave, yet I keep wanting to save him out of habit," Hezul murmured. He glanced back yet again, but this time, smiled ruefully. "Need to keep that in mind, when we begin the rebellion."

"Yes, that will be a concern," I agreed quietly. Even now, my heart ached. I knew it had to be done, yet… "But we did it again. We escaped again."

"We did, and this time, it truly feels like we're 'free' now."

"It does." The thought reminded me of the many things our family had told me since that first escape and that led to an impulse I was far too exhausted and in pain to truly check. "Hezul?"

"Yes?" He looked back at me curiously. "Need me to carry you?"

"No, I don't yet." I studied him a moment longer before leaning up and kissing him full on the mouth. When I pulled away, he had the most adorable dumbstruck look on his face. I just had to giggle. "You taste like soot, and blood."

"Sorry?" His voice was a little squeaky and he coughed, pointedly looking away. To my amusement, he was blushing. "I… uh…"

"Don't be. I liked kissing you." Feeling strangely giddy, I walked ahead, carrying the tome and medicine kit. "Come now. We need to return to the others." I looked back at him and smiled. He still stared in shock, blushing as red as an apple. "We should confirm they are well."

"Yes, we should." After a moment, he smiled back and caught up easily. "I'll take point."

"I shall follow you then." I actually laughed, despite the pain and exhaustion. "I wonder how badly the others shall lecture us." It would be worth it, though. I would be back with them again. I couldn't wait.

Jarl found Hezul and me while we tried to remember the path back to the hideout and got us safely to the others. Vala was the first to greet us and she yelped over my injury, fussing and immediately working on getting it treated. Noba helped me get that too-heavy dress off and into one of Dain's shirts, since he was much larger than me and his shirt fell to my thighs. Normally, I would be scandalized by the amount of skin shown, but I was so thankful to get out of the dress that I honestly couldn't care less.

"We are never doing any of that again!" Dain snapped, pacing around the room we were using. He had been the last of our group to return to the hideout, and had been furious when he saw my injury. "Never! No more using you two as bait!"

"It worked, though," Hezul pointed out. He had changed out of his armor and into some clothes he borrowed from Baldur and now, Noba helped him tend to the scratches he had picked up in that lone fight we had. In retrospect, I wondered why we didn't just change into our own clothes, but at the same time, there was so much comfort in borrowing clothes from family. "You got all the children out."

"Don't care. Last time we're doing that. Period. No more discussion." Dain growled a few more curses under his breath, but happily accepted some water from Baldur. "Also, why aren't you two wearing your own clothes? I don't mind, but I'm confused."

"Some of the children were dressed in only rags, so we lent them clothes to wear," Noba explained with a sheepish grin. She cleaned the last of the scratches and laughed. "They were enthusiastic about it, because it reminded them of borrowing their parent's clothes to sleep in and… well…" She shrugged. "Honestly, most of our clothes went to them. I suppose Hezul could've just walked around shirtless."

"Regardless, we're all alive, and all the children made it," Baldur declared dramatically, shifting the subject. Dain just facepalmed. "I'd say that was a job well done!"

"Three huzzahs for us!" Noba grinned. "One… two… three…!"

"They are filled with so much energy," I laughed as Noba and Baldur did begin cheering. I laughed more when they dragged Hezul and Dain into it. "How is my leg, Vala?"

"I think I want to send for one of the healers to look at it, honestly," Vala answered, glancing up at me. I had the lone chair in the room, to make it easier for her to tend to my injury. "You won't die, but I am worried about it being crippling."

"I see." I smiled softly, but it faded as I remembered who I killed. "I am sorry."

"That man. Cadogan. I killed him." She froze. I tried to smile, but it felt like a grimace. "He was trying to stop Hezul and me."

"...You sure he's dead?"

"I slammed an axe into his neck and he would have been left on the floor while everything burned. So, I hope so." Though, depending on how badly the body was burned, he could become a deadlord. "I am sorry."

"...Okay." Vala paused a moment to close her eyes and then nodded. "It's fine. I mean; I am a little peeved, but it's not like you went after him. He tried to stop you two from returning to us. I love you two more than I hate him."

"I wish we hadn't met him, or that he had let us trick him." But no, he had to have been clever enough to see through it, but stupid enough to pick a fight. "You deserved…" Vala reached up and batted my shoulder with a smile. "I shall be quiet now."

"Say, Hezul, do you know who set the place on fire?" Baldur suddenly asked, drawing my attention. Hezul immediately pointed to me and I sheepishly raised my hand. In retrospect, that was incredibly dangerous. "Well, it's a statement to be certain. Apparently, the fire led to the guards transporting Galle out of Chronos entirely, so the place is now devoid of a lord and all the knights. Because Galle is clearly more important than everyone else." Baldur rolled his eyes. "Though that does mean Chronos should be fine, in a few weeks."

"Do you know why they had gathered all the children?" Hezul asked quietly. He leaned against the wall, while Noba and Dain sat on the floor. For some reason, Noba was braiding Dain's hair. "We heard 'sacrifices'/"

"It does seem like they were trying for another Sorrow, but since they don't have the tome, they have to go slower. Luckily for us, since it means we got most of the taken out."

"I see." Hezul smiled. "Also, I learned-"

"Ah!" Baldur held up his hands. "Write it down if it's important and we'll discuss other serious stuff tomorrow."

"In that case, can we get my armor checked to make sure no one can track us with it?" Hezul squirmed a little as we all looked at him. "It's good armor. I've missed having good armor. I'd like to keep it."

"But it's from-"

"That's why I want to make sure it's not cursed or something. But it's good armor, and will let me be more useful if we ever get into fights again." Now Hezul almost became petulant. "So…"

"Well, it seems you all are cheerful enough." Salamander swung into the room, wonderfully cheerful. "Jarl wanted me to let you know that he's sending a message to Emer," he explained. "She will handle convincing Peruluke's group."

"...That's right," Baldur breathed. He grinned and, slowly, all of us realized why he was suddenly cheerful. We had completed Emer's task, early at that. "Wow, we… uh… guess we should plan on heading to…"

"You should, but you also shouldn't head into the mountains during the winter. We'd also like to try and get you all more information." Salamander smiled softly, and proudly, at us. "So, my suggestion is for you all to spend the winter in Peruluke. You can rest, train, heal." He looked pointedly at my leg as Vala finished up the bandaging. "He tried to skin your leg?"

"He actually tried to cut it off so that I couldn't 'run off' again," I corrected. Dain immediately growled something unflattering, directed at Galle. "My skirts saved me, though I never want to see the dress again. Cut it up for bandages or something."

"We can probably cut it down and make a pretty dress for someone else," Vala murmured. She tied off the bandage and hopped to her feet. "Anyway, I second resting. We need it, and honestly, training is also a good idea."

"Yes, it is." I needed to get better with physical weapons. "Everyone?"

"My only question is where do we stay and how do we find work?" Dain asked. He tried to stand, but Noba stopped him to finish up a braid. "I'd rather we didn't run all over the place for either."

"Emer will set it up," Salamander reassured. He grinned when we all gave him slightly skeptical looks. She hadn't been very happy with us. "Or, rather, Jarl will make her. He likes you lot and you deserve the reward. Just as you deserve rest." The grin faded, but not the cheer. "Magni has rooms set up for all of you. I'll lead you to them."

Hezul insisted on carrying me to my room, and the others agreed for me before I could even try to protest. It was a little embarrassing, since I still only wore Dain's oversized shirt, but it was a relief to not have to worry about limping. Before long, Salamander showed us to my room, a small room I would have all to myself, just like the others. Salamander offered to wait for Hezul to drop me off, but the others started pushing Salamander along before he even finished the sentence. After a moment of confused staring, Hezul got the door opened and helped put me to bed.

"No trying to leave without assistance," Hezul warned, tucking the blankets around me. It was a small bed, just big enough for one person, but the blankets were warm and cozy. "Honestly, we pushed our luck today with that injury."

"I would argue we pushed our luck by heading in at all," I countered. The memory of Galle's sobbing cries echoed through my head. It was… painful. But it had to be done. The injury on my leg was a clear testament of how right we had been to leave when we did. Odo was right. Staying would have only delayed the inevitable. "We might have burned some, actually."

"Along with the building?" He smiled slightly at the joke before it faded to study my expression. After a moment, I smiled, not certain what he was looking for. But it was apparently that smile because he leaned in and kissed me, much more softly and hesitantly than that first kiss. He smiled when he pulled away, and I just couldn't stop giggling. I truly was far too giddy. "Was it better without the soot and blood?"

"Yes, it was." There were probably words to say in a situation like this. But even as I tried, my instinctual panic blocked the words. It was almost frustrating, but he was silent too. It was still too hard, too panic-inducing to say those simple words, but we… we were free and had healed enough to acknowledge them silently. For us, that was enough. "You should get that armor checked before you head to bed."

"I should." He lingered a moment longer before brushing my hair behind my ear. "Rest well."

He left abruptly, a blush lingering on his face. Noba passed him on the way out and after a moment, she decided to visit me. "So, what happened?" she asked with a sly little smirk. "He's blushing and you're all giggly."

"I kissed Hezul~!" I blurted, still laughing. I had no idea I could be this giddy. I half-thought I had gone delirious again. "Twice!"

"You did?!" Noba gasped and grinned, sitting on the bed to hug me. "Yay~! I'm so proud!" She sat back and winked. "But now I have to do my duty as a friend and tease you relentlessly!"

"Mercy, mercy!"

There was no 'mercy' from Noba, who asked all sorts of questions about both kissed, though both of us laughed too much to care. Vala eventually came by again to change my bandages and happened to overhear, sparking another round of squealing, cheering, and teasing. By dinner, our whole little family had learned and, to my utter delight, they were all happy for us.

This was a proper family. If I 'belonged' to any person, I 'belonged' to this crazy group of people I loved so dearly. Escaping that day had truly been the best decision I ever made. I would never regret it.

Our Family

Gwyneth

20 years old

Class: Shaman; Weapons: Fire - D, Thunder - D, Wind - D, Light - C, Staves - B; (Axes - E)

Has fully resolved herself to fighting Galle, even though it is still painful and she still feels guilty. However, she finally truly understands why Odo said it was not her fault.

Is a little scandalized by her boldness with the kiss, but doesn't regret it at all. Even if she's teased without mercy by the others. After all, the kiss helps her remember Vala's words about freedom, and how she is finally free to admit she loves Hezul, and has for most of her life.

Hezul

22 years old

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

Troubled a bit by his instinctive reaction to guarding Galle and worries it'll prevent him from being as effective in the fight against him. Fighting is the only thing he's good at, so he doesn't want anything to weaken his edge

Was, and still is, very startled by the kiss, to the point that when Baldur teased him later, he nearly bit his tongue stumbling over his words. Still, he can't say he regrets it. He can finally acknowledge that he's been in love with her for a long, long while.

Noba

19 years old

Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lance - B

Was one of the two who directly went to the children, reassuring them that all would be well while the others handled actually freeing them.

When she was little, back when her home wasn't burned, she used to put braids in Dain's hair all the time. She stopped once it was destroyed, but the sight of the children made her nostalgic.

Baldur

21 years old

Class: Mercenary; Weapons: Swords - B

Was one of the two who went directly to the children and reassured them that all would be well. He hugged every single one that escaped.

Keeps a close eye on Vala since things were a little trying and does his best to cheer her up. After all, it's the duty of a 'brother' to make sure his 'sister' is happy.

Dain

23 years old

Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lance - B

Was one of the guards who dealt with any curious soldiers and priests who came wandering down. He was a little more brutal in killing them than normal, due to his frustrations

Firmly resolved that Gwyneth and Hezul will never play bait again (and that Vala never would). The next time a plan seems to require a bait-sacrifice, he's determined to take the role himself

Vala; Fjalar

18 years old

Class: Fire Mage; Weapons: Fire - A

Is more upset about not being able to kill Cadogan than she let on, though she means what she says. Hezul and Gwyneth matter far more to her than any sort of vengeance. It's just… she'd imagined it a lot, and had come up with a lot of good one-liners for the occasion

Melted the locks and bars alongside Salamander, though she told jokes and stories to the children to try and get them to relax. The looks of fear when they saw the flames hurt her heart.

Our Allies

Jarl

Unknown Age; appears in his early twenties

Class: Hero, Weapons: Sword - A, Axes - C

Lost his entire family to a traitor when he was much younger. As a result, he sympathizes greatly with Vala's pain, and has no tolerance towards betrayal.

Worked as a guard alongside Dain, prioritizing the mages to make sure Dain wouldn't sustain too bad of injuries. He's a surprisingly effective mage-killer.

Salamander

Unknown Age; appears in his early fifties

Class: Mage Fighter; Weapons: Fire - A, Thunder - D, Wind - B, Swords - C

Is incredibly proud of the group for pulling everything off and has great faith in their ability to save the empire. After all, they saved Rados and Chronos

Melted the locks on the cells alongside Vala, and also used the flames to create random shapes like birds and the like to keep the children entertained. It's important to remember that while fire burns and kills, it can also warm and sooth. One must be cautious, but avoidance only leaves you cold.

Magni

29 years old

The fourth leader of the Chronos Resistance Group, having served in it since he was five years old. Under his leadership, the resistance also works as a smuggling group, getting precious and often expensive items for the common people, including priceless medicines. For that reason, practically everyone in the city was willing to shelter him and his when the soldiers came

Is honestly shocked by how… strangely everything worked out, from the group arriving to them having the exact skills needed to help him. It's enough to make him think the gods really do exist, and are actually trying to help.

Author's note: So, have a Galle. Have a couple of kisses. Have the group finishing up their task and getting the Miletos District with the Rebellion. Huzzah! (This will be the last time for a while that we'll see Jarl and Salamander, btw.) 'Magni' is the name of a son of Thor in Norse Mythology. Galle making the soldier 'rot' with a touch is based off of the Inflict Wounds spell from Dungeons and Dragons.

The line about silken dresses and ruby tiaras is actually taken from FE5, in a somewhat similar circumstance. The Loptyr Sword (which Galle wears) is a sword exclusive to FE5, which both halves incoming damage and boosts one's magic (which also functions as resistance in FE5) by 20. (FE5 has all stats save HP cap at 20, btw.) The second blade mentioned, but put away, is the 'Shadow Sword' (also called the 'Darkness Sword'), a weapons that appears in FE2/15 and in FE5. In FE5, it is a cursed weapon which drives its wielder to kill (I brought in a nod to the weapon in A Thief's Testimony and A Tactician's Legacy.) The 'memory wipe' and 'turning a person into a puppet' are nods to two incidents in FE4, both of which Manfroy (specifically noted to being the Archbishop of Loptyr) instigated.

Next Chapter - Peruluke