Though the terrain surrounding Isaiah's homestead brought him constant pain as a reminder of how far the world had fallen, it was rather beautiful in an eerie way to impartial observers. Isaiah lived just north of the border between the Plegian and West Feroxi Administration Zones, right in the heart of the West Feroxi Badlands. These badlands were more diverse than the Ylissean counterpart. Though both areas are characterized by the lack of soil or vegetation, the Ylissean Badlands are flatter, save for a few mesas, and still receive rainfall. By contrast, large swaths of Ferox had been barren before Grima's Blight made the world so, and as such these badlands were more natural. Much of this land was cut apart by canyons, ravines, and gullies. Though the area surrounding The Saltworks was largely flat, these impressive geologic formations could easily be seen in the distance. The land itself offered a spectacular presentation of colors. One one end of the spectrum, some of it was a dark black or blue from coal stria. In the middle, some of the land was bright yellow, brown, and tan from clays. Finally, scoria from volcanoes millions of years dead gave some of this land a deep red color. It was truly a sight to behold, but Isaiah couldn't see this beauty. To him, it was all a tribute to what the Shepherds had failed to prevent.

Isaiah knelt before his house and ran his hand along the ground. There was a thin layer of sand, shale, and clay that had blown in from the more desert like Death Valley on the surface of the ground. This was less than a centimeter deep. Past that was about five or six centimeters of shale, clumped together in popcorn like balls. Beyond that was just bedrock, and this layer extended all the way down to the planet's molten mantle. This lack of regolith was the defining feature of all badlands. It took Isaiah very little effort to force his fingers down to the bedrock, and his face contorted with sadness as his course and calloused fingers caressed this layer of rock. Most humans never even saw bedrock. Their feet trod on life giving dirt and soil. This is what made farming possible. It was what made human civilization possible, and farmers like Isaiah had dedicated their lives to working it. Now the Blight had eaten away the plants responsible for keeping the soil firmly in place, and rain and wind had washed it into oblivion. Now the Earth was scarred and naked, as it was before any life called it home. Plants were becoming the stuff of legends and fables to the younger generations not living in the fertile Grimleal controlled areas, and Isaiah wouldn't see any living things on his property if he didn't live on the edges of the Fungal Lands. The Fell Dragon was erasing life itself, and Isaiah couldn't help but wonder if humanity, and especially his own family, was just living on borrowed time.

Isaiah became lost in thought as he pondered the dying Earth, and several minutes went by before he withdrew his hand at the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned to find Gaius standing behind him, an arquebus in his hands. This wasn't Gaius' own weapon. It was shorter, only about a meter long, and it notably lacked a trigger. It relied on a matchlock firing mechanism, and the gun was braced against the chest rather than the shoulder when fired. The weapon was also dirty and a bit rusty from improper maintenance. Gaius held it up and smiled. "Well look at that. Good ol' handcannon. I haven't seen one of these in twenty years. This yours?"

Isaiah's face twisted with annoyance, and he began to remember why he and Gaius weren't particularly close thirty years prior. He was also annoyed by the suggestion that the firearm was old. It was cutting edge technology when he purchased it twenty five years ago, but the Grimleal and its enemies' constant need for more destructive weaponry had the consequence of considerably accelerated weapon developments. New advances in gunpowder weapons were being made every year, and Isaiah's handcannon was already a relic of the past. "Where did you find that?!"

Gaius shrugged. "It was just in the back of a closet. Thing doesn't look like it's been touched in years."

"Put it back."

"Wait hold on. Can I ask you something?"

"Put it back!"

"But-"

"Put it back now you damned thief!" Gaius stepped back, and Isaiah rose to his feet. "The nerve of you! I invite you in here out of the goodness of my heart and you think you can just run yer paws through my things? Ever hear of something called privacy? I'm fixin' to teach you some manners!"

"Huh?!"

"And how dare you say my fire stick is old! It shoots bullets don't it?! What makes it worse than any new fangled banger?! Argh! I hate these gol' dang guns! A sword was a sword. A spear was a spear. But there's all these different kinds of guns, and every year they make some bigger, louder thing. If you go to the bathroom for five dang ol' seconds they'll have made a new one by the time yer finished! By the time I'm old and gray they'll be big ones with a hundred barrels shooting a thousand bullets a second! It's horse dung! These weapons are monstrous! Ripping through skin and shattering bone and severing limbs! All at the lighting of a match! War was always rough but now it's some kind of nightmare! There ain't no honor in it no more! It's just like what the world has become, you know?! Everything's shot to hell! The land is dead! The Grimleal enslaves us all! I have to work myself silly just to raise a family! I'm struggling just to survive, and now I have to worry about some thief rummaging through my things like a hog through slop?! I'm fit to be tied up I'll tell you what! Put that back! NOW!"

Gaius was taken aback by Isaiah's frustration, and his own face tensed up. "Yeesh! Calm down, Tinhead! I'm sorry!"

Isaiah calmed down and shivered as he suppressed the sorrow and frustration inside of him. "No I'm sorry. I was just… I was just thinking about what the world has become, and you caught me at a bad time. I'm sorry."

Gaius gave his old ally a more understanding look and stepped closer to him. "Want to talk about it?"

"No. It's fine. What did you want to ask?"

"Oh yeah." Gaius held up the archaic arquebus, admiring its features. "I was wondering if you had any spare powder and shot? We could use it for our weapons, unless you need it of course."

"No. That's fine. I haven't fired that thing in years. I should have some spare gunpowder and bullets around here somewhere."

"What'd you get this thing for?"

"Hunting. Self defense. I don't know. Things got so chaotic when the Grimleal was rising to power. I just felt I needed something to keep my family safe, and those new fangled things seemed so powerful." Isaiah sat down on the ground and sighed. "Course nobody came for me way out here, and there ain't no animals to hunt. It's been seven or eight years since I've seen an animal on my property. They're all gone. They probably migrated or starved to death."

"No animals?"

"Not even birds no more. Not even birds."

"Oh." Gaius looked out over the badlands, and he tried to imagine how hard the sight must have been to a farmer. "Well thanks for the supplies, Tinhead."

"Yeah."

Isaiah just stared blankly off into the distance, and Gaius didn't want to leave him like that. He slowly walked over to him and sat down, groaning as he settled onto the sand. "Oof. Oh that's not comfortable."

"You get used to it."

"Donnel… Isaiah… whatever." Gaius took a deep breath. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just scraping by. I've lost a wife and two daughters. Half my diet is mushrooms. I was on the losing side of a war and now my enemies have taken over the whole world. My kids won't be able to be farmers like I was when they grow up. Yeah, Gaius, I'm doing just fine." Isaiah muttered in a grim tone.

"Well you've certainly hardened."

"Who hasn't in this world." Isaiah almost smiled. "Except for maybe you. You've gotten more sensitive. Where's that thief who didn't care for no one else back then gone?"

"You take that back!"

"Aw come on, Gaius. You seem more attached to Chrom then you used to be. I don't remember you ever giving me this kind of time."

Gaius thought about it. "Just because you didn't know me well back then doesn't mean I didn't care about anyone. I had friends, and I had a wife and daughters too. But… I guess you're right. It's just that I've been alone for thirty years. I thought I was okay with it. Seeing Chrom again… getting to know him better… I just can't take my friends for granted now. I don't want to be… alone again." Isaiah looked at Gaius for a long time, just staring at him until Gaius started to scowl. "Uhh… Tinhead?"

"What exactly did you do for thirty years, Gaius?"

Gaius was silent for almost a minute, but he spoke just before Isaiah decided to give up. "I suppose I should be honest with you, but are you sure you want to know? It's not pretty."

Isaiah hesitated, but he eventually nodded. "Yes."

"Alright." Gaius leaned back into his arms and spoke calmly. "I was an assassin."

"You k-killed people for a living?!" Isaiah choked out.

"That is what assassin means."

"A-anyone?!"

"Anyone I was paid to."

"No wonder you know so much about guns. No one touches those things for no reason."

"To be honest they do freak me out, but they make the job easier. Especially since my body eventually had to pay the check all those sweets I ate as a young man wrote."

"And it makes the act of killing easier don't it?"

"Yeah."

"How… how could you?"

"With surprising ease. I never wanted to take a life as a thief, but Chrom and Robin asked me fight when I joined the Shepherds. As if I were any other soldier. Killing got easier and easier, and I found my combat skills could help me survive as the Grimleal began to take over everything. I'd have to work constantly to make a living if I had remained a thief, but as an assassin? Much easier. Each job paid very well, and in a twisted way society looks on hired guns more favorably than it does thieves. The men in charge hate the idea of losing their property, but they know damn well how important it is to remove your enemies. I'm not proud of it, but I was willing to do anything to survive."

"So you could kill innocent people-"

"Woah. A lot of them can't really be called innocent-"

"Innocent people because Chrom and Robin had you fight in the Shepherds?! How does that make sense? The enemies we fought back then were bad folk."

"Were they? All of them? Did every brigand, and Plegian, and Valmese soldier really deserve death? Don't you think some of them were just trying to get by? Fighting the Grimleal and the Risen was another story, but the actual killing was still rough. It affected me, Donnel… err, Isaiah. It made it possible for me to kill anyone my employers asked me to. I wasn't proud of it. I'm not proud of it. But… I could do it."

"And… meeting Chrom changed you. Made you give it all up? Seeing him again made you want to help save the world, right then and there?"

"Uhh… lets just go with that. Yeah, sure."

"Huh. That's… that's a pretty inspiring story, Gaius."

"Nothing about my life is inspiring."

"No really. You gave up being a thief to help the world. Sure you became something ugly to survive after things got bad, but now you're helping the world again. I reckon your life has more meaning than you think it does." Isaiah stared back out into the badlands, but a faint smile crept across his face. "And I guess Chrom's story is still pretty inspiring too."

"He is a good man."

"But he's not perfect."

"Well we know that better than anyone. In fact I try to remind him of it. I made him tell the three young women the truth of what he did."

"He didn't tell them?"

"Of course not. I almost don't blame him, but they deserved to know. I'm helping him now, but not just by fighting with him. I'm also helping him by reminding him that he can make mistakes. By keeping him grounded. I know he founded the Shepherds, but I think it revolved around him too much. Maybe if things had been more equal, something could have been done to prevent what happened. Maybe something could have changed. This group now is more equal, Tinhead. We're all in this fight together, and we really trust each other now."

"Really?" Isaiah contemplated what he was hearing, and he couldn't help but feel that anger he had long hidden inside of him was fading. "Maybe he has changed."

"Oh yeah, but the good parts of him are still in there. He just wants to help." Gaius stood up and took a few steps back towards the house. "Anyways, thanks for the powder and shot. I won't take too much."

"Don't worry." Isaiah said as he rose to his own feet. "I really don't think I'll be needing it anymore."

Gaius smiled back, but he heard sounds of an argument. He turned to see Chrom and Henry some distance away. "Blue and Junior? Blue sounds angry."

Isaiah looked over and also noticed them. "Are they fighting?"

"I guess we should find out."

Chrom looked warily at Henry as the dark mage knelt in front of a small mushroom, seemingly testing some kind of curse on it. Chrom had no idea what he was really doing, and he didn't want to know. Though he fought with the Shepherds after Chrom helped convince him to leave the Plegian army, Chrom didn't really know much about Henry. The two hadn't interacted much, not even after becoming brothers-in-law. Chrom had always heard whisperings and murmurings, both positive and negative in meaning, about Henry's capacity for violence and his lack of empathy, but he never thought much about it. He only cared that Henry was a loyal and helpful member of the Shepherds, and he was too focused with the war.

But now, far away from the immediate danger of the Arch Surg, Chrom's mind was pulled back to the revelation Mustafa had shared with him. Henry had created the curse the Arch Surg leadership used to forcibly recruit followers, and he had likely used his dark magic for all manner of Arch Surg atrocities. Of course Henry himself couldn't be bothered to care. He tortured and brutalized without question for the rebel movement, and he just as easily turned on them when he no longer cared to stay. No one seemed to matter to him. No one except his granddaughter. Chrom had eyed Henry closely since the escape, and he noticed how close he wanted to be with Ophelia. Ophelia had the potential to be as powerful a mage as Henry, Lissa, or Emmeryn ever were, and Henry knew this. The thought shook Chrom to the bone. He couldn't allow Ophelia to end up like Henry. A hero of Exalted blood could not be some killing machine and little more. As much as Chrom wanted Henry's help, he couldn't let his grandniece become something so monstrous.

Chrom approached Henry cautiously, and he moved so quietly that Henry wasn't aware of him until he was only about a meter away. Henry gave his characteristic cheery expression when he looked up at Chrom, then returned to experimenting on the mushroom. Before Chrom could say anything, the mushroom started to glow a bright blue. Henry stood up and smiled triumphantly, "Ha! I knew I could do it!"

Chrom turned away from the mushroom as it continued to glow. "What exactly did you do?"

"I noticed some of the fungi nearby glowed, so I wondered if I could artificially induce this bioluminescence on other mushrooms. Apparently I can! I can't wait to get some people to try this on!"

"You'd make a man glow like that?!"

"Why not?" The mushroom continued to glow brighter and brighter until it finally exploded into flame. Chrom winced at the sight, and Henry just shrugged as he turned to see the mess. "Huh. I guess it still needs work."

"Gods above! Did you really think it'd be okay to do this with people?!"

"Well yeah. I'd have to test my spells on people if I want them to work on people. That's basic mage stuff right there."

"What about the ethical problems of doing that to a person?!"

"Ethical problems?"

Chrom found himself afraid of Henry, but he steeled himself. A part of him wondered if anyone had ever confronted Henry about the nature of his actions, or if people had been too terrified. Regardless, he couldn't let Ophelia learn this behavior. "You don't care about anyone else do you? It's all a joke to you isn't it?"

"What do you mean? I care that my spells and curses actually work on people. That's why I test them. Is that what you meant?"

"No! I mean you don't care about the suffering you bring on others!"

"Should I?"

"YES!"

Henry shrugged. "But we're soldiers. We inflict pain and suffering as part of our jobs."

"But that doesn't have to come at the expense of our humanity."

Henry's cheery look was starting to fade, but he wasn't angry. He just seemed confused. "What is this about, brother-in-law?"

Chrom's mood soured as he was made to think of his younger sister. "Lissa has been gone a long time now, Henry. Are we really still in laws?"

"Til death do us part!"

"That's for the married couple."

"Well anyways, what did you need?"

Chrom stood up straight, and he fought against the feelings welling up inside of him. Some parts of him were actually wary of any confrontation with Henry. Some parts of him were still racked with guilt over what had happened to Henry's wife and children. Chrom suppressed all of it. He had to do this for the family member still living. "Henry… have you been trying to teach Ophelia dark magic? Have you been trying to make her… more like you?"

"A little. I haven't really been able to teach her anything she doesn't already know, but I've shown her what she could do." Henry gave a wide grin. "She's got such a natural talent!"

"And what have you shown her?"

"Simple stuff. Burning people. Electrifying people. Rending flesh. Generating heat." Chrom's eyes widened, but Henry didn't notice or otherwise care. "What else… what else… oh yeah! I told her about that curse I did to the Arch Surg. How I made them mindlessly loyal for awhile. Stuff like that is way past her ability now, but she'll get there."

"So you were responsible for that."

"Did I not tell you? Huh. Thought I did. Anyways yeah, I sure was!"

"So you just cursed random people? Made them abandon their lives and work as slaves for the Arch Surg?"

"Sort of. Some of them were Grimleal or Arch Surg soldiers with histories of disobedience and reprimands. Some of them were random people."

"And this atrocity didn't affect you at all did it?"

"That's not true. I thought it was fun to come up with such a challenging curse."

"Fun." Chrom said bitterly. "You know what, Henry, Ophelia's not going to get there. I don't want you teaching her this dark magic."

Henry's smile faded, but he still looked more confused than offended. "Huh? Why not?"

"Because I don't want her to end up-"

"Like… me."

"Y...yeah." Henry just stared blankly at Chrom for a few seconds, and Chrom grew increasingly nervous. Was Henry on the verge of exploding? Was he thinking about it? The worry was eating away at him. "Henry?"

"You… you think dark magic is evil?"

"I don't like the way you use it."

"Look I know I've always been different, but why would she be like that? I didn't grow up with my parents, and I wasn't really close to anyone. When I joined the army, they encouraged me to be violent. I can't help it, but dark magic is a natural thing! It exists to help people!"

"Like helping the Arch Surg enslave people's minds? Like helping to kill and torture? Is that what you call helping?"

"I'm helping you aren't I?"

"W-well yeah… but-" Chrom steadied himself. "I don't want Ophelia learning that kind of magic! It's not right!"

"So I won't teach her any mind altering curses."

"You won't teach her any curses!"

Henry's voice remained calm, but he gave a more determined expression than Chrom had ever seen him make. "Well… you can't really stop me."

"Excuse me?"

"This isn't an army. You're not my superior anymore, and Ophelia is closer to me than she is to you."

"She is of Exalted blood."

"So you own her?"

"N-no! That's not… surely you see why I'm concerned."

"No not really. Look I'm sorry you're so worried, but there is nothing wrong with dark magic. I just want her to realize her potential!"

"She's not going to end up like you! You butcher, torture, and inflict terrible suffering on people and you think it's funny! What you did for the Arch Surg is beyond unacceptable, and you act like it's just another misadventure for you! Even thirty years ago, many of the Shepherds were afraid of you! At the very least they just accepted you because they didn't want your strength being used against us! Henry… thank you for everything you've done for us… but Ophelia isn't going to end up like you."

"So she should end up dead like Lissa or Emmeryn? Or should she end up like you? You talk a lot about your family's Exalted blood, well most of your family didn't die by the hands of any dark mage. They died by your blade. What is Ophelia supposed to learn from you then?"

Chrom gritted his teeth, trying desperately to contain his growing anger. Henry's voice was still calm, but Chrom could tell the animosity between the two was now mutual. "I'm putting my foot down on this, Henry."

"Alright. I'll just go around you then."

"Surely-" Chrom was almost tripping over his words now. "Surely you realize why I'm worried!"

"You Ylisseans, always afraid of anything Plegian. The only reason your people fear dark magic is because it's what has given Plegia the strength to maintain its independence from your conquering empire."

"This has nothing to do with ethnicity! I won't allow her to become evil!"

"What is evil? What is evil?! What is good? I don't see the man standing before me now as any kind of symbol of goodness. I see him as a bitter, controlling man, old before his time, that's upset because his granddaughter won't be exactly like him. Is that why you accepted Lucina so readily? Because she was a girl version of you! The Exalts really did create a very monocultural state didn't they? You don't want me around Ophelia because you're afraid she'll be too different from you."

"That's not fair!"

"What about this conversation is fair?!"

"What the hell is going on here?!" Chrom groaned as he turned to find Gaius and Isaiah approaching. It was clear to Chrom that Gaius just couldn't entirely let go of his resentment towards him, as it was immediately clear from his body language that he assumed Chrom to be in the wrong. On the other hand, Chrom hadn't realized just how loud he'd gotten. "Blue? Junior? Come on now?"

"Oh hey, guys!" Henry said, his voice reverting back to its default cheery tone. "Chrom and I were just reminiscing about good times, though I guess he doesn't agree that they were good."

"Why are you two fighting?!" Gaius gave a harsh look to Chrom. "And your voice is a lot louder than Junior's. What's wrong with you?"

"Henry never yells."

"Stop dodging the point."

Chrom scowled as he tried to focus on what he believed to be a sympathetic point. What he thought needed to be done to protect Ophelia. "Gaius… do you know exactly why a civil war broke out back at the Arch Surg fort?"

"Because Henry lifted some kind of curse he'd placed on the soldiers. I overheard what Mustafa told you. It is messed up." Gaius briefly turned to Henry. "I mean it's really messed up, Junior."

"Hey thanks! I do get that a lot."

"But… Henry has always been like this. Why are you upset now?"

"I don't want him teaching Ophelia to be like this. I don't want him… I don't know…"

"Corrupting her?" Henry said, a genuinely hurt expression gradually overcoming his smile.

"I wouldn't put it that way."

Gaius stepped closer to Henry. "Oh don't act like you're trying to be understanding. I think I get what you're saying, Blue, but Ophelia is a mage. Who else could teach her?"

"Couldn't Henry just teach her normal spells?"

"That's not really how magic works. There are different kinds, and dark magic is perfectly normal." Henry interrupted.

"What's normal about anything you've done?"

Gaius shook his head. "You know it just sounds like you're trying to control how he can spend time with Ophelia. What gives you that right? You're not our leader." Chrom seemed briefly puzzled, and that brief expression infuriated Gaius. "Oh you thought you were weren't you?"

"Am… am I not?"

"Oh-hoh now I get it. Now I see! Y-you think that we're just your soldiers again! That you can control us again! I thought this was a partnership, but oh boy was I wrong to think that the Exalt would ever allow himself to be treated *gasp* equally with us commoners!"

"Gaius, that's not-"

"Look, Chrom, Henry was always like this. The only reason it didn't bother you back then is because you didn't get to know him. You recruited him into the Shepherds, but then you never spent two minutes with him. Now that you're forced to spend time with him, you're realizing 'Oh, he's very different from me. I'm scared for my sheltered royal butt!' How is that fair?!"

"I'm worried for Ophelia!"

"She's not yours! Don't tell me you care about family when you're trying to tell Henry he shouldn't spend time with the one family member he has left! You were never a leader! Not even back then! You were a boss!"

"W-what's the… what?"

"A leader leads with his men. A boss just gives orders. Commands. A boss doesn't know anything about his men."

"I was there the whole time!"

"But you took all of us for granted! Robin made time to get to know all of us! ALL OF US! Even Gangrel and Walhart! You didn't. You didn't care. You didn't care about Henry. You didn't care about Cordelia. Now you're pretending to care about Ophelia, or Caeldori, or… the shrieky one? Don't make me laugh!"

Isaiah didn't really want to get involved, but he did nod along with some of the things Gaius said. "Yeah Robin did take the time to get to know us all. Why didn't you?"

Chrom looked around. Gaius was almost twitching with anger, Isaiah gave an unsympathetic look, and Henry just blankly stared back. "Why are you all turning against me?!"

"We're just reminding you of what you've taken from all of us!" Gaius shouted. "We all lost our families to you, and now you're daring to tell Henry how he can spend time with the one family member you didn't take from him. You are so full of crap! You're so used to everything revolving around you! Everyone fawned over you from the moment you were born, and it created such arrogance in you! Emmeryn wanted Ylisse to be peaceful, and you make an armed militia behind her back!"

"It wasn't behind her back!"

"Well she only supported it because you were her brother. You abused that trust! You didn't agree with her, but of course things always go your way. Lissa takes after you more than she does Emmeryn. She joins your militia and does whatever you told her to. Of course Emmeryn eventually got crippled, so you get to be Exalt in the end. Then you marry yet another privileged noble and she gives you a heir that's exactly like you. It's like the universe just rolled out a red carpet for you. You get everything you want! From that point on there wasn't anyone to disagree with you! Lissa, Robin, Maribelle, Lucina, they were all fervent supporters of the church of do whatever Chrom says. Finally, after a long life of being surrounded by yes men and bootlickers, you would finally give the throne to Lucina so she could be coronated as Chrom II, so that Ylisse in the future would be exactly what you wanted it to be. You get every little thing you want in the end, and no one is able to disagree with you about anything!"

"None of that was fair, Gaius! None of that was fair!"

"How is what you're saying to Henry fair?! You know even the Shepherds weren't fair. You and Robin decided everything, and Robin never disagreed with you on anything. You controlled all of us, so of course you're upset with Henry now since this is the first time in your life you couldn't control someone."

"Anyone could have criticized my decisions in the Shepherds!"

"How?! You never made time to listen to most of us! Who were we supposed to talk to?! Robin? Frederick? Oh yeah I really trust those two to be unbiased. Those two would be impartial about criticisms of Chrom."

Chrom felt he was losing control of the conversation, and Gaius and Isaiah were not on his side. He still felt what he was saying was right, but he didn't know how to phrase it anymore without things getting worse. In a way, Gaius was right. He really wasn't used to people turning on him like this. "I don't… why are you-"

"Let me tell you something, my lord. Your royal blood doesn't afford you squat right now. This is a partnership, but how can we trust you if you're going to be like this?!" Chrom forced himself not to say anything else. He just took deep breaths and tried to meet Gaius' glare. "You done?"

"I can see that this conversation isn't going anywhere."

"Tell Henry you're sorry."

Chrom reluctantly turned to Henry. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Henry. I don't mean to try and take you away from Ophelia. She's not mine to control. I just don't want-"

"You're still trying to-"

"Wait!" Henry stepped in front of Gaius. "Let me talk to him." Henry walked over to Chrom, his movements slow and calm. The complete lack of anger from Henry after everything Chrom said filled Chrom with a kind of guilt, and he could barely look Henry in the eye when he finally reached him, but Henry just smiled back. "You don't trust me. I get it. I'm sorry about that. But I promise you there's nothing wrong with dark magic. I just want Ophelia to realize her potential. We could share her."

Chrom sighed. "Is that really what I sound like? We shouldn't have to share her or compete for her. We should both be there for her. As family. We can both help. I'm sorry, Henry. I'd be lying if I said I'm not worried… but I'm sorry for what I said."

"It's alright. You could be with us when I teach her spells and curses if it makes you feel better."

"I… thank you. That sounds reasonable."

"Alright. I'll go find her right now!"

"But… I mean… alright. That's fine."

Henry walked off, and Gaius gave Chrom a severe look for several seconds before finally walking away. Isaiah found himself alone with Chrom, and he awkwardly cleared his throat. "Well I should see if Matilda needs anything from me. I have been shirking a lot of my chores today. Thanks for helping me pick those mushrooms earlier, by the way."

"No problem."

"Well… uh… bye."

Isaiah walked off, and Chrom took deep breaths to calm himself. He was still very frustrated, but he had nothing to take it out on. He drew his Falchion and intended to slam it into the ground, but then he thought about how strange and silly this would look to anyone that saw him. Instead he just held it, gazing deeply into the sword that had accompanied him since childhood. "Damn it. Just… damn it."

Soleil sat by herself at the kitchen table, resting her cheek against her arm and sighing. Matilda eventually entered the room and smiled at Soleil, though it was a smile that concealed a thinly veiled layer of annoyance. "Why so glum, sweetie? Bored?"

"I don't mean to be rude or anything. I appreciate everything you've done for us. There just isn't much for me to do out here."

"Oh bless your heart. Well when the kids say they're bored I always remind them there's chores to be done." Matilda thought to herself for a second. "Course you did help out with those mushrooms earlier, and you are our guest."

Soleil breathed a sigh of relief. "So no chores then?"

"Well you could always help us out some more if you should feel such a sudden desire for kindness."

"Err… how about later? Heh?"

Soleil left in the fear of being pressured into more chores, and Matilda smiled to herself knowing that she'd at least driven Soleil from the room. Soleil wandered outside and shrugged when she was sure she was alone. For the first time Soleil got a good look at the badlands and its almost otherworldly beauty. The wind from the prior night had died down, and the cool autumn air of southwestern Ferox was now pleasant. Soleil smiled wider than usual as she glanced around, her excitement growing when she couldn't find anyone. "You know… I think this could be a good time to practice my dancing. Just not my singing this time." Soleil proceeded to do just that. She flailed and fumbled around until she was so sweaty that the air alone couldn't cool her. Content that she'd made progress, Soleil removed her shield and plate armor on her arms, then relieved herself of her heavier padded top. She relaxed as the crisp, cold air hit her bare chest, covered only by a bra, and then slowly turned at the sound of noise to find Sarah staring at her. Soleil immediately tensed up. She wasn't afraid to change out of clothes in front of people if she felt like it, but the thought of Sarah having seen her dancing was mortifying. Sarah didn't react at all to Soleil noticing her. She just kept staring, watching Soleil as if she a wild animal that wandered near the house. "Err… can I help you, kid?"

"Just looking at cha."

Soleil noticed Sarah's gaze was drawn to her upper chest, and now her lack of shirt was bothering her. "W-wha-why, why are y-you just looking at me?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I was just looking at your tattoo."

"Huh?!" Soleil glanced down to her left arm. Just above the number tattoo she'd received at the Rockpile, which was too small to be visible to Sarah, was the Mark of Grima. It always seemed to stare back at Soleil when she looked at it, a permanent reminder of what she'd once been, no matter how brief. "Oh. Yeah."

"Were you a soldier?"

"Huh?"

"Grimleal personnel have to get the Mark of Grima tattooed somewhere on their body, and it's tradition for soldiers to get it on their upper arm. That way it doesn't affect their physical appearance, but it can be quickly shown to people who need to see it."

"That's right. But… that tradition isn't common knowledge. How do you know that?"

"I know a lot about the Grimleal."

Sarah's words disturbed Soleil. She decided to put her shirt back on. After poking her head through it and straightening out her hair, she found Sarah standing right in front of her. "Gah!"

"Want to see my books?!"

"Books?"

"That's how I know so much. Hey what army were you in anyways?"

"The 5th Army."

"That means you were stationed in western Ylisse right?"

"Yes. You really do know a lot about the Grimleal."

"Sure do. Come on! I'll show you my things!"

Sarah lead Soleil back into the house, past the kitchen, and into a bedroom. Sarah ignored the first bed, and instead pulled out a chest from underneath the second. "I have to share my room with mean ol' Paul, but he likes to be outside about now. He won't bother us." Sarah opened up the chest, and Soleil looked inside to find a number of books and several carved figurines. Sarah took out a book and handed it to Soleil. "See! These books tell me all about the Grimleal!"

Soleil looked at the book, and an unnerved expression erased her smile as she did. "The Grimleal and you. Starting your career in the Fell Dragon's Army."

"I like that book. It tells you all about the different kinds of soldiers, and it came with that poster behind you."

Soleil turned to see a poster on Sarah's wall. It depicted a Grimleal soldier wearing a full set of plate armor. The armor was a strange seafoam green color, and it was designed to be smooth and elegant. The Grimleal soldier was a young woman, though it was rather difficult to tell, and she was conversing with an old man. A little girl was tightly clutching her arm. Everyone in the poster was smiling, and on the bottom of the poster was "This is YOUR friend. She fights for YOU." Soleil had to take a step back to feel comfortable, but Sarah clearly enjoyed the poster. "Sarah… why did your parents get you these books?"

"Cause they're free. Daddy can't afford books normally, but the Grimleal in The Saltworks give out these books. I like to read, and they're all I have to read."

"They give stuff like that out for free?!"

"Sure do. Cool huh?"

"Gods. That's propaganda. They're trying to target children!"

"Propaganda?"

"It's when… it's when someone tells you certain things to make you think a certain way. Sarah, the Grimleal is trying to get kids like you to like them. You shouldn't be reading these books!"

"But why not? Mommy and daddy can't get me any other books, and I think they're interesting. They talk so much about the soldiers." Sarah smiled at the poster. "I want to be just like her one day."

"You… you want to be a soldier?"

Sarah gave an innocent smile, reminding Soleil that she was still just a naive little girl, and nodded. "Daddy wants me to be a farmer, but it's boring out here. I don't really like mushrooms. Daddy says farmers used to farm plants, but I've never seen one."

"You've never seen a plant?!"

"No. I used to think they wasn't even real before these books mentioned them. I just don't want to be a farmer. Soldiers get to travel. They get to go on adventures and see the world! Plus people always look up to them. Respect them. They're heroes! I want to be like that one day."

Soleil looked contemplatively at Sarah. "You know… I think I felt that same way when I was younger."

"Really?"

"I grew up poor too. I thought being a soldier would give me a new start. I'd get to travel. People would look up to me. I could pick up girls."

"Huh?"

"I mean… I could pick up… squirrels. Cause you know they're so cute and… stuff. Anyways, I know how that feels, Sarah."

"Did you like being a soldier?"

"No. No I hated it."

Sarah's excitement faded. "Oh."

"Sarah, I promise you it isn't what you think it'll be. It was mainly just a lot of training and marching, and when I was sent on missions it was only to collect rent or… punish people for not paying rent."

Sarah's expression became determined again. "Well it's not like that anymore."

"How do you know?"

"When did you serve in the army?"

"About fifteen years ago."

"Well things have changed since then. See they used to have regular Grimleal army soldiers collect rent and crack down on bandits, but now they use the irregular forces of the Lord Lieutenants to do that. Regular army forces are only deployed against enemies that the irregular forces can't handle. It's been that way since the Vorenus Reforms about nine years ago. If I join in a few years when I'm older, I won't be doing that."

Soleil thought about her words carefully. "Huh. You really do know a lot about the Grimleal. I'm not just saying the work was boring though. It was… horrible. The Grimleal made me do horrible things. They're jackbooted thugs, and I can't be part of that! They're evil!"

"But my books say the Fell Dragon was going to take over the world and destroy humanity. By talking to it, Aversa and Gangrel saved everyone. The Grimleal are doing what needs to be done."

Soleil took a very deep breath to calm herself, remembering that Sarah was just a little girl and not a real Grimleal apologist. "I'm not going to argue with that rhetoric you read. I'm just telling you these things from personal experience. I was where you want to be. It's not an adventure, and it's not right."

"So… the Grimleal is evil?"

"It is, Sarah."

Sarah actually considered Soleil's words. Her childish mind was willing to believe anyone and anything, and she struggled to reconcile it all. "So soldiers are evil?"

"Yes-no! No, no that's not true. Armies can be evil, Sarah. Soldiers aren't bad people but… some choose to be part of something terrible. In some ways soldiers are brave, but in some ways they sacrifice their humanity. We're all individuals who makes our own choices, but soldiers give that up. They believe in orders and the will of their superiors. It's not right to be a soldier unless you know in your heart that your cause is just, and the Grimleal is evil, Sarah. You wouldn't doubt it if you'd seen what I've seen. Maybe even what your father has seen."

Sarah just frowned. "This is hard!"

"It'll make sense when you're older. We're not Risen. We're not machines. We make our own decisions, and you have to learn to decide for yourself what's right."

Sarah stared at her poster again. "I don't know."

"Well… anyways…" Soleil tried to walk out, but Sarah tugged on her pants. "Do you still need something?"

Sarah was a little shy, but she wasn't afraid to ask for what she wanted. "Wait don't go! Can… um… can you… play with me?"

"Play with you?"

Sarah looked down. "Paul doesn't like to spend time with me, and mommy and daddy are always busy, especially since daddy's always with his new friends."

"Um… yeah alright. I'd be happy to." Sarah lit up, forgetting all about the difficult conversation she just had with Soleil, and quickly started to take some of the toys out of her chest. She took out a stuffed doll and hugged it tightly. Soleil giggled at the sight. "Aww. You want to play dolls?"

"NO! This is my dolly! Mine!" Sarah hid her doll under the bed and pulled out the figurines. "But you can play with my action figures! Let's play Grimleal vs Arch Surg. I'll be the Grimleal because they're more cooler!" Sarah eagerly handed Soleil a figurine of an Arch Surg soldier, but Soleil hesitated to grab it. Sarah frowned. "Or you can be the Grimleal if you want."

"No that's fine. I'm just wondering where you got these." Soleil took the figure and studied it. From what she'd seen of the Arch Surg, it was very accurate.

"The Grimleal give them out for free. Let me show you!" Sarah pulled out her entire collection and laid them out so that Soleil could see each figure. She pointed to several of the figures. "These are Grimleal regular army soldiers. I have a bunch of these." Sarah pointed to another figure. "But this guy is a 2nd Army soldier. Daddy just got him for me. That's the most prestigious army in the whole Grimleal!" Sarah pointed to a figure that looked exactly like the woman on her poster. "This is a Grimleal Pacification Unit. See for most of history, civilizations relied on soldiers or citizen militias to enforce the laws. The Pacification Units are dedicated police officers though. They're the first dedicated police force in history! They keep the peace in major cities so regular soldiers can go elsewhere." Sarah pointed to yet another figure, ignoring Soleil's attempts to speak up. "This guy is a Grimleal Marine. They're on ships for boarding actions and stuff. This guy is a sailor. They make the ships go! This guy is in the artillery corps. They do maths so the big guns will hit where they want them to. This guy is a Grimleal Provost. They police other army soldiers to make sure they're following the rules. This guy is a Commissar. They're political officers attached to regular army units to make sure they're loyal to the government. This guy is a Grimleal Army Ranger. They're the most elite units in the army. This guy is an Inquisitor. They work for the High Inquisitor, though they don't dress the same or use the same equipment. This guy is an SOG, which means Studies and Observations Group. They're trained in unconventional warfare, and they also work for the High Inquisitor."

"Damn girl… I mean… darn. You really know a lot about these soldiers. How about the Arch Surg figures? Did the Grimleal give these to you?"

"No, but there's a guy who makes toys in The Saltworks. Sometimes daddy has enough money to get me a figure carved. I tell him what I want, and the man makes the figure for me! I have him make Arch Surg figures so my Grimleal guys have someone to fight, you know? I know about the Arch Surg cause my books mention them." Sarah pointed to the Arch Surg soldiers. "Most of these are just regular soldiers, but this one here is a People's Storm. They're the Arch Surg's special forces. They're fanatics chosen not just for their combat skill, but for their devotion to the Archanean Liberation Front's cause. That's what my book says. Then there's this guy here." Sarah picked up a blue figure, and Soleil realized exactly who it was. "That's the Justicar! He's an Arch Surg officer the Grimleal keep running into. He's good at running away and slipping through the Grimleal lines. He's kind of infamous."

"Oh my gods! You have a Keith figure!"

"Who's Keith?"

"N-nothing. So uh… how do we play?"

Sarah smiled and picked up her Pacification Unit figure. She waited for Soleil to pick up the little carved figure of Keith, and then smacked it out of her hands. "Ha! Got you!"

"Ow! That hurt, Sarah!"

"War is h-e-double sticks, Soleil! What did you expect? Now you take one of your guys and get my guy!" Soleil took a Grimleal action figure in her hand, and Sarah acted like she'd just tried to burn the house down. "No! Those are mine!"

"Oh, yeah." Soleil took the People's Storm figure and knocked over Sarah's figure.

"There we go! I won't make it so easy next time though."

"Yeesh, Sarah. Isn't this a little violent?"

"It's not real." Sarah said, as if she genuinely thought Soleil felt empathy for her little figures.

"I know that! I mean this is a lot of violence for a little girl to be emulating."

"I'm not a little girl! I'm seven years old!"

"Uh huh…"

Sarah looked saddened, not because she disagreed with Soleil's opinions, but because she thought she was losing her playmate. Soleil noticed this, and was again reminded that Sarah was still just a child. "I see. You don't want to play with me. That's fine. I'm… I'm sorry."

"No! No that's not it. Come on, I'll play with you."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Sure." Soleil picked up an Arch Surg figure. "I'd be happy to."

Sarah grabbed another Grimleal figure and smiled. "So you became a soldier because you wanted people to look up to you?"

"That's part of it."

"Well I think you're cool. I want to be as smart and pretty and interesting as you one day, Soleil."

"Aww thanks."

Sarah quickly knocked over another of Soleil's figures. "Ha! I tricked you!"

"You little fop!"

Sarah's lip quivered and she looked hurt. "I'm telling mommy you were mean to me!"

"Wait no! That's not-"

Sarah used the opportunity to knock over another figure. "Got you again!"

"Ugh."

Dinner that evening was mostly the same as breakfast. Salted meat made up the main course, and gratuitous helpings of mushrooms and bread made up the sides. Everyone had crowded themselves around the kitchen table when Caeldori made her way down the steps for the first time since she'd been brought to the house. Ophelia grinned from ear to ear at the sight, and Caeldori gave a faint smile back. "Room for one more?"

"Caeldy! Feeling better?"

"Yeah. I think I've spent enough time lying around in bed, though my leg is still giving me trouble."

Matilda perked her head up and noticed the slight limp in Caeldori's walk. "Oh! What's wrong with your leg, sweetheart?"

"Just an injury. There's nothing you can do for it now."

"Why's that?"

"Really it's nothing. I don't want to be a bother."

"Well if it won't heal on its own, we could try having a doctor look at it. There's doctors in The Saltworks."

Caeldori perked up as she sat herself at the table. Matilda got up and started to serve Caeldori, though she tried to quietly insist that Matilda didn't need to do anything for her. Matilda just smiled through it. "Oh. So there is a major settlement around here?"

"Well look at that. I guess Caeldori doesn't know everything." Soleil jeered under her breath. Ophelia elbowed her.

"Yeah. The Saltworks. Only place we can get supplies round these parts. Isaiah has had to work the salt mines there in the past when money's been tight."

Isaiah chuckled as he took another bite. "Never take fresh air for granted again."

"So would there be a surgeon there?"

"Sure. All kinds of doctors. We could take you tomorrow."

"We can't ask you to do that."

"Nonsense. If you need medical attention then by all means get it!"

"Thank you, Matilda." Chrom added. "We'll pay for it all ourselves. Don't worry about that."

"It's settled then. Now don't be shy, Caeldori. Dig into your food."

As much as Caeldori hadn't wanted Matilda to expend any effort for her, she couldn't help but do just that. "Thank you. All of you."

Matilda smiled and looked over to where Soleil, Gaius, Chrom, and her husband were sitting. "So anyone do anything interesting today?"

"No!" All four of them exclaimed at once, remembering the very personal conversations they'd all had. Isaiah wiped his mouth with a napkin and sat up straight. "No, darling. Everything was quiet."

"You sure? You spent all day talking to 'em."

"Oh it's nothing you need to worry about. Dinner is delicious by the way. Thank you."

"Yes. Thank you so much!" Ophelia added with a heartfelt smile. Matilda nodded.

"Anything for the Exalt and his friends. And don't worry, Caeldori. Your leg will be fine. You don't need to concern yourself with it anymore."

"Thank you."

Matilda turned back to Isaiah, who feigned a smile and tried his best to ignore the awkwardness that had since risen in his side of the table; the former Shepherds there reminded of the earlier argument. "So quiet, peaceful day today, dear?"

"Oh yeah. Nothing to worry about out here. Nothing to worry about."

But just outside, barely visible against the night sky, stood a lone figure. It was humanoid, but one only needed a brief glance to see that something about it was off. The entity's face seemed to be covered by a mask, yet the figure's mouth seemed to come out of the mask, as if it was its face. The figure was a very dark color, such that it could only barely be made out in the blackness, but its eyes were a bright, glowing red. The monstrosity took a few listless steps towards the homestead. "GWAAAAAR! Humaaaans! Algol… kill… HUMAAAAARRRGHH!"