Chapter 15) Glow

Though the winter in Peruluke is nice, by the end of it, we are eager to continue on our journey. To stand a chance against the Empire, we have to gather as many allies as possible and that cannot be done by resting. So, as soon as winter becomes spring, we leave for the peninsula. Sabia and Magni actually see us off, and help us prepare, as best as we are able, for the harsher weather the peninsula is known for. Peruluke's Resistance even buys us new clothes, things that can better handle the wear and tear of travel, and new weapons.

Though I know how serious things are, I cannot help but be excited as well. These past few weeks have truly highlighted just how far I've come, and how far I can still go. I look forward to finding new limits.

"Gods… look at those mountains…!" Noba breathed, as if we had not all stopped at the sight of the mountains looming over us. Perhaps it was silly to be so impressed, since we had technically seen them for quite a few days, but today was the first day we were right by them, and their size was… "I can't see the top. The clouds block it."

"I wonder if anything live on the top," Dain murmured. He smiled, eyes sparkling. "Would be fun to climb that."

"I think you'd die if you tried. Well, maybe not you, Dain, but do remember your fragile little sister."

"What fragile little sister?"

"Hey!"

"Try not to be so loud," Vala grumbled, trying to work off her boot. She ended up using Baldur as a balance and shook a few rocks out of her boot. "Ugh… the mountains look cool and all, but I am so done with this rocky soil. I really am."

"I can definitely see why everyone insisted we have sturdier boots," Baldur agreed. He helped Vala steady herself while she pulled the boot back on. "Can you imagine? We would've felt every single little rock in the path in our old boots."

"Since I seem to be getting a taste of that anyway, I can definitely tell you that it's not fun." Vala sighed. "Not fun at all. Though, if the soil is so rocky, how do crops grow? Don't you need like… not rocky soil for that?"

"Hmm? Ah, yeah, it can be rough." Baldur hummed a bit, thinking. "When the soil is all rocky and hard, the plants can't spread their roots as well, so they often don't get enough nutrients. You have to really work the ground to even have a chance, or spend a long while building up the soil with compost and the like."

"You rattled that off quickly."

"Well, my father was a farmer before the Empire torched everything." Baldur shrugged, though Dain and Noba winced. "Picked up a few things from him."

"Really?" Vala frowned. "You never talked about them, you know. Your birth family. I know you've lived with Noba and Dain for a long while."

"Yeah, though I did know them longer." Baldur grinned happily at Dain and Noba, before focusing on Vala again. "But, no, I don't talk about my parents. They didn't exactly meet happy ends. If, in fact, my mother met an 'end' at all that day." Now his smile became very bitter. "She was very pretty."

"...Ah." Sadly, we all knew what that meant. "That's…"

"Well, I imagine she is dead by now, given how long it's been, and is resting peacefully with my father." Baldur skipped a bit ahead and turned back to smile at us. "But if Vala's done complaining about rocks…?"

"Okay, I'm done feeling bad for you." Vala sighed. "Honestly…"

"Aw, and here I was going to offer to carry you."

"What? No, carry me! Now!" Vala ran forward and jumped on Baldur's back. He stumbled a bit, but soon regained his balance. "Yay!"

"Baldur is certainly the embodiment of resilience," Hezul noted quietly, looking to Dain. He and I held hands and… honestly, we had been trailing a bit to smile shyly at each other. It wasn't something we should have been doing, mind, but… "I understand your home village was torched as well?"

"Yeah, a few years after Baldur came to live with us," Dain confirmed, reaching up to fix his headband. Noba leaned into Dain, closing her eyes. "He was non-verbal for a few months afterwards. Bit rough. But we all managed. Somehow."

"I think that's how all of us get through things. 'Somehow.'" Hezul smiled kindly. "But we're still here, and we have a chance to lessen the chances of someone suffering like that again."

"Very true." Dain smiled back. "And look at that. You're slowly becoming an optimist."

"Oh, the tragedy of it all." Hezul made sure his tone was perfectly deadpan, and the rest of us laughed. "Noba, are you well?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Noba reassured, with a sweet smile. She did, however, take my arm and tug me towards her. "However, I'm stealing your love, okay?" Before Hezul could react, she was running down the path, passing even Baldur and Vala, and dragging me with her. "We all need a good run. Get the blood flowing!"

"I would think a hike through these paths would do that well enough!" I yelped, barely keeping up. Still, the fact that I even could certainly made me proud. "They have no roads here." We walked on barely there paths by rocky cliffs. I swore some would tumble down and kill us.

"Yeah, it's pretty weird, huh?" Noba slowed to a walk before we were too far ahead of the others. "I know nothing about this area. Do you?"

"I only truly know that the area, particularly the southern half where we are, annoys the Archbishop." I stepped a little closer to her and looked around, noticing how the trees were so much smaller than I was used to. "I don't know why, though."

"The lack of information is frankly startling. Someone has to be doing that on purpose." Noba pitched her voiced into a conspiratorial hush. "Maybe a great monster devours the priests!"

"There are supposedly dragons." I still thought they had to be fictitious. "Perhaps they're why."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." A pebble suddenly tumbled down the rock face by us. "Huh?" Noba looked up curiously, right as some people in familiar black robes appeared with tomes in hand. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

"Run!" I jerked Noba forward, just as the priests released their spells. I tried to pull out one of my own tomes, but panic made my fingers too clumsy to get it in time. "We need a better area!"

"We'll group up later!" Noba shouted the words to the others before following me down the path. "Ugh… why are they here?"

"Sacrifices?" I still struggled to pull out a tome, even as we still ran. "Ah!" I also lost my footing and nearly fell, but Noba caught me. "My thanks!"

"Just focus on running until we're in a better location!" Noba suddenly cursed. It took a second to realize why; there was a group of women carrying baskets of wet clothes up ahead. The way their skirts were tied up by their knees hinted they had been washing the clothes in a river. Somewhere. "Guess we'll have to-"

"Is everything okay you two?" one of the women asked, a very pretty woman with long brown hair and grey eyes. She stepped through the group and smiled warmly at us. "You look like you have had quite the fright!"

"I… well..." Noba began, growling a bit in frustration. Above us, the priests were approaching. "So, uh…"

"Hmm? Oh, them again?" The woman shrugged, completely unbothered. "Poor dears. They haven't been chasing you long, have they?"

"Er… well… no…?" Noba frowned. "But ah… while we can fight, I'm not sure we can-"

"Oh, don't you worry about that. I'm sure you're tired from traveling." She giggled. I genuinely wondered if she had hit her head at some point, but the other women were also nonchalant. "Is it just you two? Were you traveling with others?"

"Uh… yes? Though they're behind us and…" Noba groaned as the priests caught up, still above us, and prepared spells. "Now is not the time. Gwyneth, think you can do a spell and-"

"I thought you children had learned your lesson by now." It was a quiet voice, almost swallowed up by the snap of someone's fingers. But the shadows under the priests suddenly swirled and then elongated into spikes, straight through the priests. The spikes grew and grew, carrying the priests up and, slowly, pulling them to shreds. "What idiocy." There was another snap and the shadow-spikes dissipated, sending the pieces plummeting to the ground in a gruesome rain. Through the splatters, I could see the others, as frozen as we were. "Hmm? And it seems we have more foolish children wandering about, though you seem to also have the sense to not attack."

"Master Neit!" the lead-woman greeted, smiling warmly at the strange person who stepped out of the shadows. "We have guests!"

"You know; just because I can deal with the priests… ah, you never listen anyway." The person sighed and regarded us with complete and utter apathy. Their hair was a very pale purple and long, falling to their waist, though it was also twisted up and pinned so it was hard to tell the true length. Their eyes were a dark purple as well, very tired and very cold. "Well, let's get them into the city proper, then. Welcome to Grutia, young fools."

Grutia was an old fortress-turned-city, apparently the location of one of the last strongholds who resisted the Empire's formation. Skuld, the woman who had greeted us so warmly and was apparently the 'ruler' of Grutia, informed us about its history as she led us to her home, within the fortress itself. In return, we told her more about her purpose, which she found absolutely delightful. It half-seemed like she found everything in life delightful, truthfully.

"You all are absolutely wonderful to organize such a thing!" Skuld declared brightly, clapping her hands. We were in a parlor room, one with painfully simple decorations compared to the ones I had been in the past, lit by bright sunshine and with some tea. I wondered why there were no snacks with the tea, but then wondered if it was because of the rocky soil. If there was too little food, then… "The Empire has been strangling everyone to death, really."

"We thank you for the praise, Lady Skuld," Baldur murmured. As per usual, he was our spokesperson and so, he sat across from Skuld. Hezul and Dain were on either side of him, while Noba and I sat beside them. Vala was on my other side; an empty seat was next to Noba. "I must admit that we didn't expect such warmth."

"We southern people are a stubborn lot, I am afraid, so even after we lost, our ancestors continued the fight. Of course, they only didn't die because the land is so barren that the Empire doesn't really want it. They've only been sending people out of pride." Skuld poured tea for all of us, giggling. "Oh, but please, no title. I might 'rule', but really, that just means I'm the unbiased judge when people start going 'he said, she said' in arguments."

"Very well, Skuld." Baldur hesitated a bit and glanced at Hezul. It was only after Hezul picked up his teacup that I realized why; he was wondering how to hold it, since we were in a 'formal' setting. "I did notice the rocky soil. I imagine crops are hard."

"They are, though thankfully, the people in Manster are more than willing to assist. The northern lands of the peninsula are incredibly fertile, so they often have surpluses." She giggled and sat down again. "Drink, drink, and do not worry about 'proper manners'. I certainly don't know them."

"No, but half the family does and one will no doubt delight in the opportunity to tease about it." Baldur looked pointedly at Vala, who smiled innocently. "Little sisters."

"Ah, I know the feeling. I have two, though they live in different cities now. Married and all." She brought up her hands and 'sketched' a little map for us. "One lives in Luthecia, to the north, and the other lives in Kapathogia, which is even further north. If you all head that way, I'll give you some letters to give to them. They'll get you set up there, easily."

"That's very kind of you." Our group shared a look, though. "We were, however, wondering if there were Resistance groups, though?"

"The whole peninsula resists, as I said. I think. Well, I think I've said, not that I think they resist." She paused, clearly thinking before shrugging. "But if you're talking organized-organized, like what you're trying, then there's actually only one here in the south. And you won't get there easily."

"Of course not," Dain grumbled. He blushed in embarrassment and looked down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, no, speak your minds!" Skuld insisted. She had to be the happiest person I had ever seen. "I imagine it is frustrating, trying to coordinate everyone into a large enough force. That's why we haven't done it!" She laughed. "Though, sadly, I have no way to make it easier for you. They are not based in any city, but in the mountains themselves. Specifically, the ones around Thracia."

"In the mountains?" We all shared an incredulous look. "Why there?"

"Well…" She paused and glanced outside. Then she smiled. "Actually, let's step out on the balcony for a moment."

"...Why?"

"Come now! Be the proper gentleman and indulge a pretty lady!" She hopped to her feet and dragged Dain out of his chair, over to the door on the far wall. "This way, everyone~!"

"She's a force of nature!" Noba laughed, not bothering to help Dain in the slightest. Dain freed a hand long enough to make a rude gesture at her. "Aw, that's just mean."

"I'm kind of curious what she wants us to see, though," Hezul murmured, standing as well. He hesitated a bit before offering me his hand, and I took it with a smile. "Shall we, then?"

"I suppose." Noba finished her tea first, same as Vala. "Let's see what's got her attention."

Slowly, we all gathered on the balcony, which overlooked Grutia. At first, I had thought I would study the city, but a strange growl above drew my attention up and my breath caught when I saw a most… gloriously frightening sight. It was a group of what appeared to be something reptilian, but the word was simply far too tame. They were huge, easily the size of a horse or bigger, not accounting at all for the wingspan. Their scales were all sorts of colors, from green to red to black. Even from here, watching them fly over, I could see razor sharp claws and fangs.

"First look at dragons, right?" Skuld laughed. She practically bounced, still clinging to Dain's arm. Dain, for his part, was completely awestruck. The rest of us were as well, of course, but we had traces of fear. If Dain was afraid, though, he didn't show it. "The answer for 'why the mountains' is because the dragons primarily reside there. They took the time to earn the dragons' trust and, so, they are allowed onto the territory. Meaning that whenever the priests actually try to do anything to them, the dragons show them who truly rules these lands. Them." She giggled, apparently pleased by our reactions. "That's all."

"I think you all take the title of 'most insane people in Jugdral' from us," Vala instantly deadpanned. I could only nod in agreement and looked down when one of the dragons actually glanced at us, one with pitch-black scales. "What do you think Dain?" Dain didn't answer. He continued watching the dragons. "Dain?"

"I see the dragons have gained another admirer." Skuld continued giggling. Noba waved her hand in front of Dain's face to try and get his attention. Dain batted her hand away. "Ah, but it's almost time for Neit to return, so-"

"How in all the bloody hells do they fly?" Dain half-asked, half-demanded, frowning. He now seemed irritated. "They're huge and their wingspan might be large, but I'm honest not sure they're large enough for that sort of bulk. Yes, their bones could be hollow, like a bird's, but even then, the wings seem too small."

"Dragons rely on their powerful legs, or jumping from a high perch, in order to get themselves into the air." We all peered inside to see Neit sitting at the table, drinking tea. "They are also magical beings, much like the pegasi far to the north, though because their bones are not hollow, most of the magic is actually dedicated to allowing their ability to fly," Neit continued easily, barely paying us any sort of mind. "They have a poor ability to resist magic, especially when compared to a pegasus, but that redirection of magic allows them to maintain their bulk, adding to their considerable strength. Some even have the ability to breathe fire."

"Now that makes absolutely no sense." Dain still remained irritated, even as we all filed back in and sat down in the seats we had before; Neit had the previously empty seat. "How would that even work?"

"The ones that can have a special gland in their body that produces a highly flammable fluid, and a secondary hole in their mouth that will expel said fluid. When the fluid comes into contact with the air, it automatically ignites, at which point, the dragon simply breathes it out very quickly, avoiding any real contact between the dragon and the flames." Neit attempted to pour himself another cup of tea, but Skuld batted his hand and did it herself. "Of course, the fire-breathers need to eat quite a bit more than the non-fire-breathers in order to account for the extra energy of creating and maintaining such an ability. That's actually why some of the dragons slowly evolved to lose that ability."

"Neit knows quite a bit about dragons," Skuld happily explained, pouring more tea for all of us. I had a feeling she redirected the question because most of us had definitely lost the point of the explanation halfway through. "Of course, he thinks we're all very silly for living next to the dragons in the first place. And silly in general." She sat back down, giggling. "But he protects us anyway, silliness and all. Though, we think he's a former Loptyr Priest due to his magic and-"

"I have told you a thousand times that I have nothing to do with that overgrown maggot," Neit grumbled, annoyed. Skuld giggled once more, all sunshine to his grumpy gloom. "Or his sycophantic cult of idiots." Hezul and I shared a glance at that, and nodded. Someone of his power… they would've been someone we would've at least seen, when we lived in Belhalla. We also didn't know that spell at all, and we had seen almost every dark spell the priests used. "Regardless, word has already spread over what these children are trying to do."

"You're not that old, Neit." Skuld smiled, though. "But I'm glad. What do you recommend with getting them to Thracia?"

"Must you ask?" Neit sighed. "Waiting. Their group should hear of them first before they even try to approach."

"That's what I was thinking. The dragons do make approaching more complicated, though." Skuld's smile finally took on something other than 'chipper', 'warm', and 'bright': regretful. "You might even have to wait for them."

"Well, it's not the first time we've had to bait a group out to talk," Baldur noted, with a warm smile. The rest of us just sighed and nodded, because it was true. "That said, is there a place we can stay and some jobs we can do in the meantime?"

"Well, aren't you all the sweetest?" Skuld laughed, back to her cheer. "Of course there is! Follow me, and I'll get you set up!" She jumped to her feet and skipped out of the room, humming all the while.

"You would've gotten shelter without having to do anything if you hadn't said a word," Neit dryly pointed out as soon as she was out of sight. He continued sipping his tea, even when we all stood to follow Skuld. "Now you're trapped in working."

"Oh, but that's all the more reason to repay them!" Baldur chirped, still smiling. Neit narrowed his eyes. "You should meet kindness with kindness, after all."

"You're quite the idiot, aren't you?"

"But a nice one, surrounded by good people. So, I think I'll keep doing what I do!" Baldur grabbed Vala's hand and dragged her out. It took a moment to realize she had a spell half-ready, no doubt intending a prank on Neit for the insult. "Let's go get settled in, everyone."

We all followed slowly, mostly just trying to process everything that happened. I ended up lingering by the door, wondering if I should say some sort of polite farewell to Neit. But he continued to ignore me, so I simply caught up with the others. There was clearly nothing else to be said, for now.

"No, your grip should be a little more like this," Hezul corrected, reaching over to adjust the little boy's grip on the practice sword. The little boy nodded and tried the swing again. "There you go. You're doing well." Hezul moved to the next one in the line, the boy's twin sister. "You should adjust your stance. It'll be easier on you."

Hezul continued moving down the line, and I watched while I helped some of the people clean the outside of one of the buildings. They were just two of the things our group fell into while we stayed. Skuld had originally asked us to simply help with patrols and the like, but that had felt too little, so we pitched in wherever we could. The people of Grutia welcomed the help with the same cheer as their ruling lady, and it was frankly startling how lively they were. No matter where you were, you could hear laughter and teasing, much like the camp, back before we decided to start this Rebellion. Helping the impression was the amount of children just racing about without a care in the world.

Shadows flew overhead, disrupting the sword lesson briefly, but everyone settled back into their respective work before long. Dragons flying about was apparently very common for this time of year, with the dragons doing extra hunting to compensate for the leaner winter. Though, I had been told that the dragons didn't necessarily eat just meat. Supposedly, they ate just about everything, from meat to grass to even rocks. I was certain they were simply teasing me with that last one, though. Regardless, even we were becoming used to the dragons, surprisingly enough.

"Why is it that you're teaching children how to kill?" We were also growing used to Neit's near constant barbs. "Surely it can wait a few years, yes?" Neit continued, eyeing Hezul warily. Hezul, for his part, simply ignored Neit. It wasn't as if we hadn't heard worse back in Belhalla. "Children should be children."

"While that is perfectly true, the fact is that they asked Hezul for the lessons," Baldur cheerfully defended, appearing next to him. The dirt on his hands hinted he had just finished his shift at the fields. "Besides, it's good exercise, good for discipline, and I'm sure if there was really a problem, their parents would intervene."

"Hnn." Neit didn't say anything else, just continued on his way to do whatever it was that he did, and so, Baldur smiled triumphantly. This was also becoming normal. Neit would say something cynical; Baldur would jump in with a more optimistic turn on it. It almost seemed like they were playing a game, one Baldur was determined to win, even if he had no idea what 'prize' Neit was playing for.

"Why is it that you don't just ignore him, Baldur?" Vala asked, also joining us. The ash in her hair and the equally ashy complexion showed she'd finished burning all the trash and whatever else the locals asked. They were fascinated by magic, since the only other magic they knew was Neit's and the priests', nothing like the elemental magic. "That seems to be what everyone else does." She made a face when Baldur gently brushed the ash out of her hair. "That or just laugh it off."

"I'm just irritated, that's all," Baldur answered with a little shrug. Then he winced, no doubt having pulled something again. He wasn't used to the farming life, but he certainly did enjoy helping with it. "Such constant cynicism! Even Gwyneth and Hezul were willing to just go along with our crazy optimism, even when they thought we were idiots."

"Even Gwyneth and Hezul were willing to go along, even when they thought we were idiots!"

"You are one," Hezul instantly retorted, barely even paying attention. He was fixing another child's stance. Baldur immediately sulked and Vala laughed. "If you've the energy to talk about nonsense, then come help me."

"How about I wash up and then come back to help?" Baldur grinned. "I'm all icky and everything."

"I doubt they would notice, but go ahead."

"Hey!"

I smiled sadly as Hezul and Baldur bantered, with Vala chiming in to help Hezul tease Baldur. It reminded me of when Hezul and Eir would team up to tease Mimir. I was glad Hezul felt like he had healed enough to have things like this, and even smile about them, but it was still a sad memory. So, I did my best to work out the frustration by cleaning, and was rather pleased with myself when we finished. My hands stung, certainly, it was certainly a job well done or so I guessed by everyone's praise. So, giggling, I left to wash up and prepare for my evening lessons. It had simply started as a child asking me to read for them, but it had turned into me teaching the children how to read and write. I truly couldn't be happier simply teaching, though it did make me miss the children of the camp more. I hoped they were okay.

"Gods, if I was half as bad as him, I'm surprised no one kicked me in the head before everything." Neit's half-whisper caught my attention, and I tiptoed near, mostly to see just where he was so that I could avoid him. "Worse, he's the closest match I've encountered, meaning…" Neit grumbled, pinning his hair up again. "Ugh… why did she have to get… no, I know why she got involved. Damn you…" He hissed, and at first, I thought it was from anger. But then he doubled-over, one hand digging into his shoulder, and I realized it was from pain.

"Are you all right?" I asked, rushing over. I touched his shoulder to try and steady him, but he jerked away and lashed out, knocking me back. "Ah…"

"Don't touch me!" The words were raw and tight, and louder than I'd ever heard him speak. "It's nothing!" He flinched further away, trying to put more distance between us. He moved stiffly and awkwardly, a far cry from how he normally walked. However, he still could glare, and it was terrifying; it reminded me of Galle's. "It's nothing. A phantom pain. Nothing to do with you."

"I-I know some healing, though." Still, I managed to get the words out. After all, even if the glare reminded me of Galle's, I did know that Neit protected the people here. Galle… didn't protect anyone. "So, I can…"

"There is no healing this." He closed his eyes and sighed. "I do… appreciate the offer. I suppose. But healing magic can't fix this. It's a phantom pain, scar tissue on nerves. Staves won't fix that. I'd need some sort of surgery for it."

"I… I see." I hadn't known that could happen. I knew scars could ache, of course, because Hezul's often would, but he never showed pain like that before. "Vala can make you a pain medication."

"Sadly, I'm highly resistant." He sighed again, and slowly brought his hands down to his side. I hoped that meant the pain had subsided. "Worry more about yourself, girl."

"...No, I like worrying about others." I made myself smile. "Who I worried over… that was one of the few choices I had, in Belhalla."

"Then I won't tell you to stop." He reached up to pin his hair and turned away. "But do worry more about yourself. If only for the people you love."

Neit walked of and I let him, wondering why he'd make such a point about it right then. It was only then that I noticed how scraped my hands were and realized he had, awkwardly, been trying to point it out. Maybe that was why the people of Grutia didn't seem to mind his cynicism. Maybe it was just because he was a very awkward man.

I woke up slowly, not even sure why I was awake. I just… was. I looked around to see if Noba or Vala were awake, since we shared a room, but both were fast asleep. In fact, Noba had done her typical 'heat-seeking' thing and was clinging to Vala. Vala never minded, actually finding some comfort in it. So, I made sure to fix the blankets over them and stepped out into the hall, to see if there was something going on. Everything seemed quiet, though, so I continued into the main room. Still finding nothing, I stepped outside, wondering if I'd see some sort of fire again. But there was wasn't. It was a very peaceful scene, with everyone fast asleep. Well, almost everyone was. Baldur and Neit weren't and, surprisingly, were talking.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you simply don't have the intelligence to worry about yourself," Neit grumbled. I wondered if he's had another spasm of pain and Baldur had seen it. "Certainly makes sense, considering what you lot plan."

"Well, hey, if we're wrong and fail, then at least we die quicker," Baldur pointed out blithely. He kept a certain distance away, and was very careful to not get closer. "So, since all we have to lose is everything, why not?"

"You are a total idiot." Neit sighed, but Baldur grinned. "Well, here's a question. What if you don't die?"

"Hmm?"

"What if you don't die? What if you're captured? Tortured?" Neit's eyes were hard and cold. "What if you are broken until you no longer know yourself? Your enemies are more than capable of such things."

"I move forward." Baldur said the words easily, without the slightest bit of hesitation. "If I survive, I walk forward. Or limp. Or crawl."

"What if you go the wrong way?"

"If I survive, then I take another path. I feel like that is the duty of those who survive." Baldur shrugged. "And while I might be an idiot, I'm not completely naive. I have heard the horror stories. Both on rumors, and from what Vala, Gwyneth, and Hezul share of their pasts. I know very well what could happen if we fail. I know that some of it will be things far beyond my imagination." Baldur winced. "By the gods, there was a girl in Rados's resistance who had her mind broken into pieces. I never thought that was possible. I never thought about it at all."

"That would be the least of your worries."

"Yeah, well, you know something? That girl is recovering. Slowly, but she is." Baldur shrugged again. "Perhaps it's arrogant, but I'd like to think I would do the same. Could do the same."

"Perhaps. With support." Neit's eyes were still hard, and he crossed his arms to add to the stern image. "But what if you have none?"

"Oh, but I'll always have support." Baldur smiled, bright and cheerful, and Neit frowned. "After all, even if my friends, my family, leave me somehow… even if they die or we're separated or something… they won't be really gone. I have my memories of them."

"I am going to point out that if your mind is broken into pieces, you won't have said memories."

"Sure I will. The fragments might be too tiny for me to see, but they'll still be there. And what I have learned from them will always be in my heart, even if they break it." Baldur closed his eyes, laughing softly. "I know that for certain."

"You really are an idiot." Neit scowled. "What makes you so certain?"

"Because I only have my heart because of them. I am only me because of what I have learned from them." Baldur rested a hand on his chest, over his heart. "From Dain, I learned how to protect. From Noba, I learned how to smile. From Vala, I learned how to shine. From Hezul, I learned how to heal. From Gwyneth, I learned how to be strong. And that is just what I have learned from my family. I've learned so much more from so many others. And those things are not things that can be taken from me. No matter how hard they try, they will linger until I die."

"...Gods, you really are a fool." Neit pinched the bridge of his nose, but Baldur continued grinning. "But you do glow. So maybe that's enough."

"Huh?" Baldur's grin dropped for surprise. Eavesdropping as I was, I was startled too. That had to be the most optimistic thing I'd heard Neit say since we'd met him. "What do you mean?"

"Bright lights are easily swallowed by the dark. Glowing lights? They endure far longer than you expect. You can cover them, but often times, when you pull the cover away, they're still there. Glowing." Neit looked up at the sky. "See the stars, for instance. The sun dazzles, blinds, and hurts when you look directly into it. The moon is gentler, but constantly changing, because it draws its light from the sun. But the stars? They are always there."

"Wow. You can be optimistic."

"It's facts, not optimism. You can observe it all on your own." Neit gave him a droll look. "That all said, you're all idiots. You just might be idiots who can get through this. Somehow. Maybe."

"I will take the ringing endorsement for what it is!"

"It is not a… oh, gods, never mind." He sighed again, shaking his head. "You won't listen, any more than she does."

"She?"

"...A good friend, and the one person who never gave up on me. And the only reason I'm out here in the first place." He shrugged and began walking away. "Ah, but you can have fun explaining all that glowing praise for your eavesdropping friends."

"Huh?" Baldur frowned in confusion and looked back to the house. I was also confused, until I stepped back and saw that the others were awake. They had just been eavesdropping by the windows. "Uh… how much did you all hear?"

"Well, I heard from the 'if we fail, we will die quicker' part," I replied, seeing no reason to hide. Neit used the distraction to continue his escape. "I don't know when they woke up. Vala and Noba were fast asleep. I didn't check on the boys, though."

"Dain and I were awake ever since Baldur got up," Hezul explained. All four of them were clustered by the window, and all were smiling. "By the way, the compliments were very nice, even if I don't quite understand a couple of them. Namely mine."

"I don't understand mine either." I giggled, and then laughed outright when Baldur's face went bright red. "Ah, well, if we're all awake, let's have some tea?"

"I'll make it!" Noba immediately volunteered, racing into the kitchen. Within seconds, we heard something fall. "Ugh… who put that there…?"

"I'm going to make sure Noba doesn't hurt herself, and whip us up something light to eat," Dain laughed, heading into the kitchen. "Set up the table, someone! And someone else make sure Baldur doesn't go hiding!"

Baldur truly did try to hide, but Vala wouldn't let him. She just latched onto him to prevent him from moving, while the rest of us got things set up for a late night meal. Perhaps it wasn't the healthiest thing to do, but it was rather fun. That was enough.

Our Family

Gwyneth

21 years old

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

Skills: Critical, Paragon

Is really confused why Baldur would think he learned 'strength' from her, but Baldur got embarrassed and refused to answer when she tried to ask about it. So, she's stuck just wondering why.

Has been asking around the city, wondering if there is anyone willing to help her with bows. Thankfully, a few are, so she slowly begins lessons with that, and sincerely wonders how she's supposed to carry all the weapons in the first place.

Hezul

22 years old

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

Skills: Pursuit, Ambush, Wrath

Thinks he knows why Baldur says he learned 'healing' from him, though he does wonder why Baldur wouldn't have learned 'healing' from, say, Vala. It could simply be, though, that Vala has not healed from her family's deaths, whereas he is finally healing from the deaths of his family

Hadn't planned on teaching anyone, but while he was practicing in the morning, he noticed some children trying to mimic him and, so, he began helping him, which eventually turned into proper lessons. The whole thing amuses him, truthfully.

Noba

19 years old

Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lance - A

Skills: Adept, Nihil

After their home was destroyed, Noba felt lost and simply tried to keep Dain and Baldur smiling, because she didn't know what else to do. One of her proudest moments, even now, is the day she managed to make Baldur smile again and she holds that memory dear in her heart as a means of encouragement.

Heard about the wild horses that live in the northern peninsula and she's fixating on wanting to learn how to ride again. She tries to hide it, since things are serious, but she is hoping that whenever they make it to the north, she can learn.

Baldur

21 years old

Class: Mercenary; Weapons: Sword - A; (Lances - D)

Skills: Pursuit, Charisma

Though he doesn't show it, he is still very traumatized by the sudden and brutal loss of his parents and first home, followed by the loss of his second. However, he remains determined to keep on smiling, for the sake of the people who saved him.

While he can understand cynicism, especially in the world they live in, he does get irritated when people constantly speak with barbed words. He knows it's a bit irrational, probably born of how bad he used to be, but he can't help it, nor can he help pointing out the silver-lining.

Dain

23 years old

Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lance - A; (Swords - E)

Skills: Nihil, Adept

In the months after their home was destroyed, Dain did everything he could to protect Noba and Baldur, suffering some scars in the process. He doesn't draw attention to it, however, because to him, it was the obvious choice and he doesn't regret any of it.

Can't decide if he's more fascinated with the dragons, or irritated because they make no sense to him. He half-wants one to just land close enough for him to study it and see if they'll make far more sense. Even if Noba teases him silly over his fixation.

Vala; Fjalar

18 years old

Class: Fire Mage; Weapons: Fire - A; (Swords - D, Thunder - E, Wind - E)

Skills: Wrath, Miracle

Hates hiking. A lot. She half-wishes they could afford horses so that they wouldn't have to walk everywhere. The reason why it's only 'half' is because she remembers how tiring riding is.

Baldur says he learned how to 'shine' from her is because of her near-constant confidence and ability to keep on 'burning', even when she is at her lowest. He happily explained when asked, mostly to make her squirm and yelp.

Our Allies

Neit

Unknown Age; appears 25

Class: Unknown; Weapons: Dark - A

A powerful magic user with an equally sharp tongue. Cynical and rolls his eyes at just about everything, but he stays with the people and protects them for unknown reasons. The scars he bears might be a hint to why, and why he is so cynical.

Carries a purple crystal that, every once in a while, seems to shimmer to a pale blue before turning purple again. He keeps it hidden, as if the sight of it pains him, and yet, he also cannot let it go.

Skuld

21 years old

The cheerful 'ruler' of Grutia, descended from the last official ruler, who fought the Empire with everything he had before falling in battle. Though she speaks lightly of it, she's quite proud of her ancestors and strives to rule Grutia as well as she can, especially after her parents' unexpected death to illness

She's actually fascinated by the group and that they are willing to rise up and fight, especially since they grew up in an environment that would've done its best to crush their fighting spirits. She thinks they're far stronger than her and hopes to learn from them during their stay. And she thinks they all have funny reactions to things.

Author's note: Well, welcome to the next 'arc' of Memoirs of the Crusaders, and with a new arc comes a slight change to the bios as Gwyneth becomes a bit more battle-minded: skills (though only for the people Gwyneth knows well). Hezul has three due to being a promoted class (though if you want to imagine gameplay, imagine it more akin to FE4, where promotion just boosts stats, not reset the levels). Noba and Dain share, because they are siblings and for convenience.

'Grutia' is the second to last castle you capture in Game-Chapter 9 of FE4 and, again for convenience, I'm sticking with the FE4/FE5 names for locations. 'Neit' is the name of a war god in Irish Mythology. 'Skuld' is the name of one of the three Norns of Norse mythology, representing 'future', and is also the name of a valkyrie.

Next Chapter - Archbishop