Memoirs of the Lost

by Naryfiel Lilith

Not all stories are written down. Not all stories get told. Some drift about in various pieces, waiting to be threaded together. Waiting for their time in the light, and eager listeners wanting to learn more. (FE4 Interquel; Oneshot Collection)

3. Lene - Gran 778

Lene - Gran 778

---

You would think, after so long, I'd be used to using the window as a mirror for my makeup. And, for the most part, you'd be right. The problem was that this window often had the sun glaring through, so too many times, I'd end up ruining something because I happened to look directly into the sun and freaking ow…

"Ugh… why does the sun have to be so bright anyway?" I grumbled to myself after my eyes stopped watering, checking my reflection to see if things were salvageable. Thankfully, it was, which was good. We were running low, especially on eye makeup, but needed another job or two before we could afford more. "Give me night and glorious moonlight. It's cooler anyway. Literally." Darna wasn't 'in' the desert, technically. It was just desert-adjacent and subjected to the same temperature extremes, meaning the only thing important about that 'adjacent' thing was that we had roads and a bit less sand. "Ugh…"

"Hey, Lene, what color should I go with?" Layla's reflection appeared in the window, standing in nothing but her underwear, holding two tops: one orange and one white. "And which one are you…?" she began, before smiling ruefully. I saw it in the window. "You're already almost ready, aren't you?"

"Clothes take me a small amount of time, but remember how long it takes me to decide jewelry and makeup!" I winked at her over my shoulder before finishing up. A touch more rouge should do it… "We're dancing for Brams today, right?"

"You really shouldn't call him that." Layla gave me a stern look, and I looked around pointedly before smiling innocently at her. We were in our little apartment somewhere between the 'well-off district' and the 'slums' of Darna. Perfectly safe from our 'ruling lord', the merchant who made a great show of how well his lips fit the Empire's ass. Then parading about like he was the gods' gift to humanity when they were looking away. "Ah, one of these days, you're going to mock him or something and get into trouble. And worse."

"Look, I hate dancing for him, and people like him. Let me have some fun to vent the frustration." Sadly though, Bramsel was the one who paid the most when it came to dancing, because he had the money to throw around. And we got half of it up front. No one else had that little 'deal'. No one else could afford it. "Whatever. Are we?"

"Yes."

"Then orange. It works best for the area." It was why I was dressed in pink, after all. "And we have to look our best for his stuff."

"And we have to be careful. More than usual." Layla grimaced. "Based on the rumors, he's hired a new mercenary group."

"Seriously? Another one? Who the hell does he expect to fight?" No one in their right mind fought the Empire. The insane ones that tried anyway just got themselves killed. Or worse. There was always worse. Bramsel had chained a few to some rocks just as the sun reached its highest point once. I heard their deaths had been painful. "Ugh… more creepy men leering. Gods, why do they think it's a compliment?"

"I don't know." She sighed, and I frowned. She was fretting more than usual. "It's a powerful mercenary group as well."

"So, even more entitled than usual?"

"More than likely. It's Javarro's group." She hugged herself, and I winced. A dancer heard lots of rumors, and if the rumors had a grain of truth, then Javarro's mercenary group was the best outside of Thracia. "And it's the whole group. Including their strongest. The Black Knight."

"Oh." That… that was… um… "That's the one they say is a god of war given mortal form, right? Invincible in battle?"

"They say he has taken on entire armies alone, and come out without a single scratch. He's the most expensive mercenary outside of King Travant in Thracia, and if the rumors are even half true, he's worth the money."

"And he's here." That was just great. Not only a group of entitled bastards who grabbed what they wanted when they wanted, but their strongest was probably the cockiest. And the hardest to get away from. Damn it. "How much are we getting paid again?"

"We got 200 gold up front. More afterwards."

"Oh. Right." And that 200 alone would buy us food for a couple of weeks, more if we were thrifty. "That'll keep us going for a while. And hey, maybe when we take out what we save, we can buy a proper mirror!" Not likely. Mirrors were expensive.

"Maybe." Still, Layla laughed, accepting the joke for what it was. "You go get your potential accessories while I change, and then we'll finish getting ready."

"Sounds good~!" I giggled and waved as she left, and smiled softly before returning to the window to finish with my makeup.

Things had been like this for a couple of years now. Layla and I had stuck together ever since we were the two weird orphan girls in the church, and discovered we had the Dancer's Gift or whatever the technical term was called. It was a good thing, whatever it was, because it let us get good money through our dancing. Not that we were automatically better than others at it, of course. We still had to practice and take care of ourselves. But our dancing gave people energy, and energetic people were more likely to spend money. A good thing too. The other dancers Layla and I knew often had to supplement their income with prostitution in order to make ends meet. Layla and I tried to help where we could, but even our Gifts didn't solve everything. It just let us not do something we, personally, weren't comfortable with. And that was part of why I took it up as well. To make sure Layla didn't have to. Because she, being a year older than me, had started dancing to provide for both of us when we got too old to stay at the church and it was rough getting enough money for two people to eat.

Finished with my makeup, I headed over to the small chest where we stored our scarves, set up by the sword I had, with a gold-pendant necklace looped around the hilt. A sword and a pendant. That was all I had of my family. I barely remembered them now. Just a vague memory of a woman who danced, with green hair like mine. A man with long blonde hair and a gentle smile and always smelled like the incense at the church. A little baby boy with a bright laugh who I loved holding because he'd been squishy and warm. All happy. At least, that's what I thought. My memory said we had been happy. My memory said things had been fine. But then I'd been left behind. My mom dropped me off at the church with a sword, a necklace, and far too many questions and then she just disappeared into the wind. Didn't even know what happened to my dad or that little boy that was probably a sibling. Where were they? What happened? Why had I been abandoned? Was it me? Had I done something wrong? Said something wrong? What did I do?

Another reason I took up dancing was because I hoped that I could find those answers. That I would at least find my mom. A fool's hope, through and through, but I had dreamed that maybe, just maybe, if I was good enough, she'd come looking for the 'rival dancer' and I could see her again. But, of course, there was nothing. When people left, they never came back.

If not for Layla, I'd be completely alone. It's a feeling I should be used to, but I hated it. But I guess I had to get used to it. Because who would stay with someone even her own parents discarded, right? Someone like me… someone like me was pretty worthless.

---

With Layla's help, I got my jewelry in order before long, and after some quick checks on each other's makeup and outfits, we made our way to Bramsel's castle with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, that meant having to suffer through listening to Bramsel's thinly-veiled 'compliments', which I ignored (to avoid snapping and giving Bramsel a perfect excuse to throw me in the dungeons and at his mercy) and Layla endured with a smile (because she was a far better actress than me). But eventually, it came time to perform for the various mercenaries that made up Darna's 'army' and as soon as the music started, I focused solely on performing. A dancer's job, after all, was to help people forget about their sorrows for a time, and simply relax and enjoy the moment. You couldn't do that when you were angry or feeling icky. You'd make your audience feel the same.

After the show, I lingered off to the side while Layla got the rest of the payment from Bramsel, trying to not wrinkle my nose at the smell. The smell of sweat and stale alcohol was as nauseating as it was familiar. Much as I liked dancing, this part of the job was the absolute worst. But, well, a job was a job. Money was money. Didn't matter if you were a knight, a merchant, or a dancer. People did what they had to do to survive. But I did wish these mercenaries would bathe a little more or something. I had no idea how they handled their own stink.

"Ah, there you are, pretty one." And now I had to deal with a drunkard. Terrific. My day was made. "You look like you could use a good time," he continued, practically reeking with alcohol. I made myself count to ten to keep calm and not retort. Harsh words might get me a fight, and I'd lose that in a heartbeat. "What do you say?"

"I think I'd rather stand outside during a sandstorm," I snapped, not able to calm my temper in time. Sadly, I was never one to just endure, and my temper often made my words move way faster than my sense. "Now leave me alone."

"Bitch, don't be so haughty!" His voice dropped to a growl and he brought his arm back, no doubt readying a punch. I glanced around, trying to figure out a good direction to dodge. Or if Layla was done and I had an easy escape, but she and Bramsel were talking longer than usual apparently because she was nowhere near. "I oughta…!"

"Take a bath and maybe do something about your breath?" I was already far too tired of this. I hated dancing for people like this. "You reek."

"You…!" He swung and I dodged, skipping away. Unfortunately, he recovered quickly, and prepared to punch me again. "Bitch, you'll regret this!" He swung again…

And then someone caught his arm, mid-swing. Just reached out and stopped it, like picking up a stone. "She told you to leave her alone, so I believe you should take your attention elsewhere," the someone murmured with a perfectly even tone. He was a very handsome man, with gold hair and matching eyes, and not even the stoic-stern expression on his face marred that impression. He was also a complete weirdo or something because few cared about women being harrassed, less cared when it was a dancer, and even less actually intervened. "Think there was a maid that was trying to catch your eye." He stepped in front of me protectively, holding the man's attention fully. "Why not see if she's still receptive?"

"Ares, are you trying to steal her for yourself?" the drunkard growled. He tried to jerk out of the man's grip, but failed miserably. Which was strange and impressive because while the someone wasn't exactly small, the drunkard appeared more muscled. "I saw her first."

"Ignoring the childishness of the sentence, and the implication that she is a toy and not a person, everyone saw her at the same time when she and her friend came out to dance." The someone rolled his eyes. I noticed that he didn't smell of alcohol, hinting he hadn't had much, if any at all. Which was weird for a mercenary at Bramsel's. Bramsel liked indulging, and mercenaries typically jumped all over that. "You definitely had too much. Come on. Let's get you set up so that you don't choke on your own vomit. Again."

"Don't get cocky with me!" The drunkard swung wildly for the someone's head, but the someone blocked the blow easily and twisted so that the drunkard landed hard on the ground. Facefirst. And hard enough to make some dust puff up. "Ugh…"

"Might've put a bit too much in that one." The someone knelt down and rolled the drunkard over, proving him to be unconscious. With one hit to the ground. I didn't even know that was possible. "Yeah, I did. Healers are going to have fun with this one." The someone sighed and scooped up the drunkard, slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of squashes. Again, far more easily than I would've thought given their relative sizes. "My apologies for his behavior, miss."

"I'm used to it," I replied, crossing my arms. What I wasn't used to was someone like this. He focused entirely on my face, despite my clothes emphasizing my breasts and hips. And the crossing arms drawing attention to the former. "Still, thank you. It's annoying fighting back without fighting."

"I can imagine," he murmured. Then he smiled faintly. Just faintly. But it was enough to warm his expression, and he was really handsome. Way better than I was used to seeing, that was for sure. "Your dance was very lovely."

"Thank you~!" Handsome? Nice? Polite? Either he was unreal or he was fishing for sex. Had to be. "Nice to hear that from a big strong warrior~!" A bit of flirting, just to see. Normally, they'd jump on it, thinking they'd 'won'.

But not this man. "I think your dancing is infinitely harder than my fighting." He barely seemed to notice at all, more focused on the unconscious man on his shoulder. "I need to get him to a healer, and it looks like your friend is trying to get your attention."

"Oh?" I glanced to the side and saw Layla trying to catch my eye from the hallway. She smiled as soon as she saw me looking and gestured for me to join her. "Ah, seems so. Thanks again~!" I winked and skipped over to Layla, keeping an eye on the man. But he didn't pay any attention to my leaving. Instead, he just left himself, carrying the drunkard easily. Weird... most would at least look at my ass as I left.

Layla caught my hand as soon as I made it to her, and we quickly got our cloaks and made our escape before someone else decided to try and 'win' us into their beds. Why they thought the drunken slurring and leers were in any way attractive, I had no idea. I thought it was just the confidence that drinking copious amount of alcohol brought. And a sense of entitlement.

"So, who was the blonde haired one?" Layla asked me quietly once we were a good distance away. Safe to talk, and safe to relax. Barely. So long as we kept to the main street. "The one who helped you?"

"No idea," I replied, shrugging. And then pulled my cloak more around me to lessen the chances of someone thinking I was looking for something. "I think I heard the other one call him 'Ares', but that's about it." An unusual name for an unusual man. Fitting. "Complete weirdo, but I think he's trying the nice-guy-tactic."

"Been a while since someone tried that one on us." Layla smiled warmly at a prostitute lingering on a corner. She smiled back and waved, a quiet reassurance of 'things are safe'. Something common among the girls who had to walk about at night. I made sure to wink and mouth 'you look amazing' at her. Which, you know, she did, especially when she smiled. And she smiled at the compliment. "We'll have to be careful."

"Yeah, we will. Especially you." I bumped my hip against hers, smiling like we were just joking around. "You're super charming, after all."

"I think people just like that I'm curvy." Layla laughed like it was a joke as well. But, sadly, her good looks had always brought trouble. The scariest had been those Loptyr priest people. Though the Child Hunts had only been 'legal' for three years, Darna had been losing children to them long before that due to how close it was to the Yied Shrine. I still didn't know how I got them to let go of Layla when they caught her. Or how I survived that spell of theirs, really, though they probably held back to not hurt Layla. I'd been shielding her. "But there's another reason."

"Oh?" I peered at her face worriedly. "You were talking with Bramsel for a while. Everyone okay?"

"Yes, it's just…" She sighed, slumping. That rarely meant good things. "Bramsel wants to hire us on a nightly basis. To keep the mercenaries in good humor."

"Nightly?" Oh, I could feel my feet aching already. I might have a good amount of stamina, but still… "Seriously?"

"Supposedly, there's less fights on the nights where we dance, and given that there's even more…" She shrugged, not quite looking at me. Talking around something. "He'll also pay us more for each dance."

"Really?" I frowned. "And what else?" I bumped my hip against hers again. "Might as well get it over with and tell me."

"Right…" She sighed and hugged herself. "He's offered to let us live in the castle, so that we're not constantly walking back and forth."

"Uh-huh. And then he and his get easy access to the weak and helpless dancers at all hours." I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "So easy to see through."

"He is, though I do think he'd wait a while for us to let down our guard." Layla smiled faintly, awkwardly. "And it's shelter. And food. And we're still being paid."

"That… damn, that is quite the offer." I bit my lip, thinking. On the one hand, not really open to upping our risk of assault and rape. On the other hand, that was shelter, food, and more money for us to spend on things for our craft. And medicines. "Did you already accept?"

"I told him that I was overwhelmed by his generosity and had to have some time to process it all." Layla was always good at being evasive. I shouldn't have worried. "I'm supposed to give him an answer when we're next scheduled."

"That's in two days, right?" I smiled and linked my arm around hers. "In that case, we'll shelve it for now, and we'll discuss it tomorrow after some food. There's good and bad to it." Just like everything else in the world.

"Yes, there is." She rested her head against mine briefly before we turned into the little alley and up into our building. Most were asleep, but a few were awake still. They smiled and nodded at us, and Layla quietly passed them a couple of coins, as a silent 'thanks' for keeping an eye out for us. We must've gotten a bit of a bonus, probably to tempt us further. "We'll organize the money in the morning. I'm tired."

"Sounds good." I found the key to our place amidst our stuff and opened the door. "Should we skip the nightly-?"

"No." Layla's response was so immediate that I had to laugh. "I can't, at least. You know how my skin dries out so fast."

"Right, right." And I'd stay up with her. She had to put up with me, after all. The least that I could do. "Things are going to be interesting, huh?" I just hoped Layla and I got through it in one piece.

---

We spent the whole day spiritedly debating before ultimately deciding to take up the offer. The lure of 'free' shelter and food was too great. And so, over the next few weeks, Layla and I moved into the castle, refusing the offer of separate rooms. It was simply safer for us. People were less likely to go after a group, and between the two of us we had more of a chance of subduing someone. Sort of. We were both dancers, not fighters, and while we had a great deal of stamina, more me than her, that didn't automatically translate to fighting prowess.

"I think that's the last of it," I commented, smiling proudly at the room. It was larger than our entire apartment and it had its own bathroom instead of one shared with the floor. Plus there were all these blankets and soft pillows. And rugs and curtains. "Wow, this might not be too bad."

"Until they start 'poaching'," Layla sighed. Still, she smiled too, braiding her hair over her shoulder. When she wasn't dancing, Layla's hair was always down or in a loose braid. I tended to wear mine in a ponytail no matter what. "Well, we should let Bramsel know that we're officially moved in. Should we change?"

"I don't see a point. We're not working, so why change into our work clothes?" That was a distinction Layla and I always did. 'On the job' clothing was different from 'off the job'. Simple dresses that had been carefully mended over the years so that they'd last longer. Most of our money went to replacing what we wore and used for dancing. A dancer had a duty to look their best, because it was a dancer's job to help people forget about their worries. Rags would make people remember the sad things. "Besides, you look so cute in that~!"

"You always say that." Layla laughed, amused. Personally, I thought the simple dresses suited her more than a dancer's outfit. Well, it suited her 'real' personality, not the more flirtatious one she pretended to have when she was dancing. "Silly."

"Well, that's because it's always true." I pretended to be offended, crossed arms and scowl and all. "Hmph."

"Silly, silly." She still laughed, though. "You know; since we're not worried about shelter, it might be fun to see if there's a person you'd like enough to date."

"You think there's someone halfway decent in this place?" I couldn't help the dry tone. I really couldn't. I also couldn't believe she'd bring that up at all. I hadn't thought about dating in years. "Really?"

"There's a chance." She giggled, smiling. "Small chance, but a chance. And there's quite a few people here. If you want a guy, the chances are smaller since most of the males here are the mercenaries, but the servants are mostly women and most of them are adorable, so you have good chances there as well."

"You seriously scouted the place out?" I facepalmed and she laughed. "Seriously? Layla, aren't you asexual?"

"I am. But that doesn't mean I don't have eyes and can't appreciate when someone is beautiful." She continued giggling. I just rolled my eyes, and tried to not feel sad. When we were younger, she'd sketch a lot to capture the 'beauty' in people and was really good. But she stopped because dancing was more lucrative and we couldn't afford for her to continue even as a hobby. "I am just having a bit of fun, Lene. You know I won't force anything."

"Yeah, I know." I also knew that she also loved every excuse to tease me, and past crushes had made me dopey enough that she had a lot of fun. "Certainly not expecting anything in this rathole." Nice and luxurious rathole, but still, when the place was ruled by a rat, the rest couldn't be much better. "Speaking of which."

"Right, to Bramsel." She covered her mouth and glanced around worriedly, even though we were in our own room. "We have to be more careful. People can easily listen."

"Right…" That was going to be hard. I hated censuring myself so much. But that was just the way things were now. A price to make it easier to survive. "Let's go then."

Layla and I found a maid willing to show us to Bramsel's 'study', and Layla was right, this place did have a lot of cute women as servants. While I appreciated the beauty and all, that did make my stomach knot from implications. And, worse, I knew there would be no safe way to ask about it. So, I just made myself smile like there was nothing creepy about it. I had to hold Layla's hand to make sure of it, though, and she squeezed back reassuringly. We only let go when we were actually at the study, and that was more because I wanted my hands free. Just in case.

"Ah, have you settled in?" Bramsel greeted us with all the warmth of a muggy day, a slight disappointment in his eyes when he noticed we weren't in our dancer-garb. I glanced around the room, noticing the excess of curtains and rugs, as well as fancy pieces of art. I wished they were tacky, but they were actually really pretty. Bramsel had a good eye for things, being a merchant. "Any complaints?"

"No, the room is wonderful," Layla reassured, smiling warmly. I focused on Brams and noticed there were two others in the room, an older man and the man who had helped me. Though, right now, his expression was stoic, locked up, with a hint of a scowl. I thought about smiling, but he didn't even seem to notice me. "We apologize for interrupting, but we did want to let you know we moved the last of our things."

"No, no, it's perfectly fine." Bramsel's smile was smug and irritating. "In fact, we should do introductions. Girls, this is Javarro, and his successor, Ares." I'd been right on the name, then. Successor, though? To a well-known mercenary group? He was definitely pulling the nice-guy-tactic on me last time.

"A pleasure to meet such beautiful girls," Javarro replied, voice polite enough, but there was something about him that made my stomach turned. Still, Layla and I both smiled and pretended to be shy. Because nothing was better than strange old men telling you that you were pretty. "My men have been eagerly awaiting your next dance."

"That'll be tomorrow night, I believe?" Layla said, glancing at Bramsel. Bramsel nodded, confirming that had been the agreement. Only good thing about him was that he did actually uphold agreements. He was manipulative, conniving, and would uphold it in the most technical of terms, but he'd uphold it. Carryover from being a merchant. "I hope they enjoy the show as much as they have the previous ones." She smiled kindly. "But, regardless of your kindness, we are aware we're interrupting, so we'll leave. We simply wanted to let Bramsel know how much we appreciate this opportunity."

"Beautiful and polite. Rare traits." Javarro laughed like that was a joke. Again, my skin crawled and I made a mental note to avoid him. It was probably wrong to judge him so quickly, but when my instincts screamed like this… well, last time, the guy turned out to be a serial killer. That had been a fun few months. "Until later."

"Of course."

Layla did wait until Bramsel nodded before we left, since we were employed by him, not Javarro, but we made sure to get away as soon as we could. Layla decided to head straight back to the room, but I decided to 'explore'. Really, just making sure no one was following. So, I lingered back for a while, keeping an eye on the surroundings while also checking my makeup in the window. Mostly my eye makeup because it could get tricky and if things were off, it was going right in your eye.

"What are you doing?" And that's when Ares appeared. While I was making silly faces trying to make sure nothing was going to irritate my eyes. Great way to make impressions. "Do you need to go to the infirmary?" he asked quietly, stepping a bit closer. He seemed intent on keeping some distance between us, though. "Did you forget something in the room?"

"I'm checking my makeup," I replied, crossing my arms and studying him. While he was still stoic, there was something softer about it now. "Making sure there were no awkward smears or anything."

"In the window?" He looked at the window for emphasis, frowning. "Really?"

"Windows reflect, you know. And tend to remain more stationary than a bowl of water."

"So do mirrors."

"Mirrors are expensive." I scowled, irritated at that little reminder, and I scowled more when he seemed surprised by that. "I thought mercenaries were money conscious enough to know that."

"I never looked into buying a mirror."

"Really?" I decided to widen my eyes and put on my best innocent expression. "What do you use to make sure you don't gouge yourself when you shave?"

"I said I never bought a mirror. Not that I don't have one." His tone became distinctly dry, though his expression barely changed. "Javarro gifted me one."

"Ah." And now came the awkwardness of not realizing the obvious. So, I changed the subject, for my own dignity. "So, what were you doing in big boss man's study?"

"Bramsel?" He pointed to the door and I nodded. "It was just a job. Getting rid of some 'bandits'." He said the words with a slight grimace. Like he knew there was a chance that they weren't bandits at all. "Something to prove that I can live up to the reputation."

"Reputation?"

"People like to talk." He shrugged, apparently uncaring. I wondered what it could be before deciding it had to be just the group's reputation in general. He did seem rather young. Early twenties at the oldest. "Do you need an escort back to your room?"

"No, I'll be fine." Like hell I was going to let him know where Layla and I slept! I had no idea what he wanted! "Thank you, though!"

I skipped off, heading the completely wrong direction to head back to the room, and I glanced back after a moment to see if he was watching, like most did. Strangely, he'd already left, and that just… argh, I did not get him! But my instincts weren't screaming at me, like they did with Bramsel and Javarro. So, maybe… nah, it was probably just him being the more 'typical' sort of person. My instincts stopped warning me about them long ago.

---

Living in the castle was an odd experience, one I never experienced before. Not having to worry about food, or even worry about cooking food, gave us more free time than we really know what to do with. Our dances were scheduled just for after dinner, with only the occasional afternoon show, so our days were pretty open. We practiced in the early, early morning, before most were awake, but after? It was often a struggle to figure out what to do. And I quickly discovered that I hated being bored.

"Layla, you haven't drowned or something in there, have you?" I asked absently, sitting on the bed and tending to the injuries on my feet. As always, they were healing quicker than expected. I'd always been a fast healer. When I was little, I joked that my pendant had healing magic in it, but it was something that happened with or without the pendant. "You stopped singing."

"I'm running out of songs!" Layla laughed, voice echoing a bit from the bathroom. It was accompanied by the splashing of water, because she was lounging in the bath. Hoping the warm water would help with her aching feet. Dancing nightly was certainly a test of endurance. "And I'm a bit thirsty."

"You're literally sitting in water."

"I'm not drinking my bath water!" There was more splashing, accompanied by her laugh. "How are your feet?"

"They're just fine." I finished with the bandaging, and let my fingers linger on my right leg. When I was little, I swore that there had been a pale white mark, twisting up from the bottom of my foot all the way to my hip. It had been pretty, reminding me of a painting or the beauty of a properly tended herb garden. But, it had disappeared, making me wonder if it had been there at all. Or, if it had, it had been some cosmetic thing. Now, it was just my very shapely, but otherwise boring, leg. Though, I did notice something. "Oh, ugh, I missed a spot while shaving again."

"I'll get it later. I'm probably going to need you to help me find the missing patches on my legs." Layla sighed. "We need more lotion, by the way."

"I'll add it to the list." Though, given our free time, I could probably start making them again. I'd made Layla's makeup and lotions and the like when she first started dancing, but when I took it up too, there had been no time. I could probably start making medicines again too. There was something so soothing about it. Like I was wrapped in a warm hug. "Say, Layla, if I started making perfumes again, what scent would you-"

"Lily!"

"That was fast." I laughed, though. Definitely was going to take that up again, then. "Let's check the budget and…" And a knock on the door interrupted me. "Expecting anyone?"

"No…" There was a lot of splashing, hinting she was getting out. "Here, I'll-"

"I'm already dressed and dry, you know." I hopped up and opened the door to find a cute maid standing there. Sadly, I didn't know names. I'd asked, but no one had given me it. Like their names were a secret or something. "Hello! Bramsel need us?"

"No, miss, I am simply delivering something," the maid explained, passing me something carefully wrapped. Confused, I hefted it a bit, testing the weight, before unwrapping it slightly. And then I nearly dropped it because it was a mirror. There was a note as well, but it was a mirror. "That's from Master Ares, miss."

"Is it?" I asked, even more confused. It had been days since I'd last seen him. I'd actually forgotten… well, I hadn't forgotten the conversation. I'd forgotten that mirrors had come up, though. I more remembered how aggravating he was. "Is he expecting a reply?"

"I don't think so, miss." The maid clasped her hands in front of her. "He passed it to me as he was leaving for a mission."

"Mission?" It took a minute to remember. "Oh, right, the bandit thing." I frowned when the servant winced. "What? Is it something different?"

"Not necessarily, miss." The maid looked down, and her tone became… something familiar, but I couldn't place it. "Master Ares left to deal with deserters turned bandits, and technically, it is a job for King Bloom. King Bloom has lost quite a few of his own soldiers, trying to deal with them. They're dangerous."

"I see…" I wasn't sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, I didn't really know him. On the other hand, I didn't want him to get hurt. "Well, I'm sure that group would-"

"Sir Ares left alone, Miss Lene." And finally, I recognized the tone. It was the tone people used for people who weren't coming back. "A shame, truly. He's been quite nice to us. Far nicer than his fellows."

"Oh…" Now I really was conflicted. Why would Bramsel send him alone? Had that been why Ares had grimaced back then? "Um… thank you for bringing this to me, then."

"Of course, miss." She curtseyed and smiled sadly before leaving. And I shut the door, leaning against it as I tried to think of what I felt. Then, sighing, I sat on the bed and carefully unwrapped the mirror because studying that was a much better use for my time.

I was startled by how absolutely and completely beautiful it was. A hand mirror with a gold backing and silver 'flowers' along the edges of the mirror. And it was a good mirror, reflecting me easily. It didn't look brand new or anything, there was some tarnishing, but it was something someone had carefully tended to, as best as he could. And with it was a simple note: 'This was just lying about in my things, and I don't use it, so how about you and your friend borrow it? -Ares'.

"He just happened to have something this pretty in his things?" I asked softly, holding it up. And I could only laugh. "What sort of rich nonsense is that?"

"What sort of what is what?" Layla repeated, walking in with one towel wrapped around her and using another to dry her hair. She gasped when she saw what I was holding. "Oh, that's beautiful…" She leaned over my shoulder, jaw dropping when she saw the quality of the mirror. "Why do we have this?"

"Ares, the man who helped me, is letting us borrow it."

"The one with the…?" Layla frowned. "That's a bit much for that tactic."

"I know, right? What does he want?" I had no idea. I… I did want to figure it out, though. It was annoying. It was frustrating. Even as I kept my cheer, I knew how the world worked. Except Ares seemed to fly in the face of that. And that just aggravated me. "But yay, mirror! This will help speed things up."

"It will indeed." Layla poked my cheek. "Regardless of his intentions, be sure to thank him?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whenever we see him again." Which honestly might be never. But I didn't want to think about that. "Wait, is that a blemish on my cheek?"

Talks quickly turned to reassuring ourselves that no, our skin was fine, and then we talked of other things, mostly whatever we felt like. My questions about Ares lingered at the back of my head, but I ignored them with ease, because there was a lot of other things to worry about. And the mirror did prove perfectly helpful when it was time to get ready, cutting down on the time for makeup significantly, letting us spend a little more time tending to our feet and ankles. So, by the end of that night's dance, I actually wasn't in as much pain as normal. Layla… sadly, Layla was in pain, so she quickly left the room to get some medicine on her ankle. And I probably should've gone with her, but I lingered. Why? I wanted to see if Ares was back.

"This is so ridiculous," I sighed, keeping to the shadows. I didn't want anyone to accost me again, or whatever the right word was. I was too tired for words. "Even if he was here, it doesn't mean he wants to see me." But, damn it, I wanted to ask about his motives. Letting us borrow a beautiful hand mirror like that? Really? Really? "I can't see him, though…" I thought of the maid who was so certain Ares wasn't coming back. "Ah, I'm being an idiot." So, I turned away, intending on sneaking out.

That was when the doors of the 'party chamber', whatever the actual term for the chamber was, opened. And Ares strode in with the most unimpressed, even bored, expression on his face.

Everything about him was different than before. Mostly. He was still handsome, but this time, it was the same way a predator was beautiful in the distance. And it wasn't just his expression that changed things. Outfits could also change people's perceptions, and his proved that all too well. It was pitch-black armor with a dark blade, one that almost seemed bulky but not, on his belt. Blood was smeared across the metal, and bits of his face. Even some bits of his hair, really, mostly the strands by his face and the ends. His stride was perfectly confident, just under 'swaggering', like he earned the right to be this confident and knew it. My eyes, however, went to the bloody bundle tucked under his arm, feeling ill.

"My apologies for the mess, but your servants insisted you wanted to see me as soon as possible," Ares explained, calmly and cooly, walking right up to Bramsel in the decorative chair in the back. Javarro sat next to him, a place of honor, and Javarro simply smirked, smug. "I had planned on cleaning up a bit more first."

"Nonsense! There's no need to do their jobs for them!" Bramsel laughed. His eyes glinted greedily, and his smile was a twisted facsimile of a child's at a sweet stall. "So?"

"You said you wanted just the leader's head, right?" Ares passed over the bundle and I tried not to gag. I'd been right. I hated being right. "All those who were there are dead as well. You can send people to check, if you want."

"Oh?" Bramsel unwrapped the bundle, and I had to look away as he laughed again, brandishing the severed head like it was some sort of trophy or jewel. "It seems your reputation actually downplayed your abilities, Black Knight! This man killed some of King Bloom's finest soldiers, and you dealt with them in a day!" Bramsel laughed like a child with a new toy. I was reeling because Ares was the Black Knight? Really? Based on the reputation, I would've thought… I don't know. There was just something shocking about it. "Well worth the money! Well worth!"

"I told you that we charge what we're worth, no more and no less," Javarro chuckled, standing He rested a hand on Ares's head, smiling slightly. That smile irritated me, though. It seemed proud, but I swore there was something fake to it. Ares didn't react, though, so maybe I was wrong. "We charge a pretty copper for Ares, but he gets the job done."

"Indeed, indeed!" Bramsel continued to laugh. He was actually playing with the head, moving the mouth like a puppet, bloated tongue lolling out. I had to look away again. "Some wine for our conquering hero!"

"Over here, Ares. Have at least one glass."

I stayed in the shadows, watching the three of them share a drink. Ares's expression didn't so much as budge, and it seemed like to me that he took the first excuse to escape, though that could've just been wishful thinking. I'd talked to this guy. This guy saved me from a troublesome situation. He was letting me borrow a super pretty, super expensive mirror. And I had to go thank him. And boy, I was ready to just go 'nope' and hide, because of all of that, but no, I had to be stubborn and follow him out. After a moment. I didn't want to be seen following him, after all.

The hallways were so much quieter compared to the rest, and I tiptoed through to not break the silence, hoping I could catch up to Ares. Not that it mattered. Keeping quiet, I mean. Because, before long, there was a loud 'thud', the sound of someone punching something, and I soon came upon Ares, who had apparently slammed the side of his fist against the wall. And there was… there was a noticeable dent in the wall from the impact. With little cracks spiralling out as well. How strong was this guy?!

"I'll have to fix that," Ares sighed, speaking to no one. He growled in frustration and ran his hand through his hair, grimacing. "Who the hell plays with a decapitated head? Bad enough I had to bring it back. Show some respect for the dead, damn it. Not like you fought him." He grumbled a bit more under his breath, and I felt somewhat comforted, for some reason. He hadn't liked it. It was just part of the job. Same as me. "Whoever is behind me, you have two seconds to reassure me you're not an enemy."

"I think I'd make a poor enemy," I replied instantly, keeping my tone cheerful. He turned to face me, expressionless. "So, uh… hiya?" I waved a bit awkwardly, skipping up. He continued being perfectly stoic. "What? Not used to pretty girls following you?"

"No? Why would they?" He frowned slightly, and I tried to not roll my eyes. There was no way he didn't know how handsome he was. No way. He had mirrors. "Did you need something?"

"Oh, I just wanted to thank you for the mirror. It's super pretty and nice, and it made things easier for Layla and me." I clasped my hands behind my back and smiled up at him, noticing he was a lot taller than me. The top of my head barely reached his chin. Maybe. "It was seriously just with your things, though?"

"Yes?" He kept on frowning. "Is that so weird?"

"It's super pretty. Not really a thing a mercenary would carry around. Or buy for a boy to use for shaving."

"It was my mother's."

"Oh, I…" Definitely took a second to process that. "Your mother's?!"

"Is it that surprising I had a mother?" His tone was perfectly dry. "No matter what the rumors say, I didn't spawn from a corpse or from blood and shadows."

"Well, no, that's not…" I didn't get him. This was annoying! "What do you want?"

"Pardon?"

"Look, you have been rather nice, you're being very polite, and you lent me your presumably-dead-mother's mirror…" I scowled. "So, what is it? This is a bit much for the nice-guy-tactic, you know?"

"The… what tactic?" He gave me a weird look. "Is it so strange?"

"Yes! Because no stranger does that for someone without wanting something from them!" I pointed at his face angrily. And, distantly, thought we probably a hilarious picture, with tiny me yelling at bloody him. "So? What is it? Sex? Normally, it's sex. And, well, you are rather hot, when you're not covered in blood, but-"

"Pardon?" If I weren't so aggravated, the fact that I'd knocked him so off-guard with such simple bluntness would've been hilarious. "That didn't even cross my mind!"

"Really? Am I not pretty enough?" I snapped my fingers, getting it now. "Oh, wait, you must be after Layla. She's charming, and-"

"Still wrong."

"Seriously?" Annoying! "Okay, then what is it?"

"Must there be something?"

"Yes! Because that's how the world works!" I glared, no longer caring about anything but getting this answer. "So?"

"You ever meet a terrier? You have a lot in common." Ares sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, something. Your dance."

"You want me to dance?" Special dance? Could handle that, but...

"No, that's not…" Again, he sighed. "Your dance was lovely. And it reminded me of happier times." He leaned down slightly, to better look me in the eyes. His eyes were very gold, I noticed. And, damn him, he was even more handsome up-close. "So, by your logic, I'm repaying you. Not the other way around." He straightened and turned away. I just stared, startled by his answer. "Regardless, I need a bath. Dried blood itches. So, miss, if you don't mind-"

"Lene." I crossed my arms and waited for him to turn back to me. "My name is Lene. My friend is named Layla. And you're Ares, right?"

"Yes, I'm Ares, the dreaded Black Knight." He said the words dryly, like he didn't care for any of it, but bowed rather respectfully. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lene."

"...Nice to meet you too, Ares."

He left, and I watched, still just… confused. He might have made a point, but no one had been nice because of my dancing before. If anything, they just wanted more from me because of it. So, that wasn't… a proper answer. It wasn't. But… ugh, he was the most aggravating person ever! I was going to bug him just as much to get even!

---

"Ah, what wonderful fresh air!" I breathed, giggling as we walked through the market. Next to me, Ares simply rolled his eyes and shifted the basket of purchases higher on his arm. "And you were just going to stay inside and waste such a beautiful day!"

"The day looks exactly like all the others," Ares retorted dryly. He shrugged off my playful scowl. "Pretty rare we get rain or anything besides 'hot as hell'."

"Well, you were already waiting to leave."

"You have been very consistent in dragging me outside these past few months."

"Mmm, true." I giggled, though, and his face softened with a smile. I had taken to dragging him outside to help me with my shopping, and it started because of my plan to bother him to get even. Now, it was habit, and more than a little fun. Layla thought I was insane, doing this, but I felt like I was winning. Or something. "Soooo…"

"Is it time for your daily random questions?"

"It's your fault for casually mentioning that job of yours that ended with a bunch of you dressed up as tree spirits." I had to laugh, just at the mental image. Ares had apparently not been one of the unfortunate few, but he'd had to watch. "And… oh, that necklace would be so pretty on Layla…" I paused at a stall and studied the necklace closely. It wasn't too long, so it wouldn't get in the way of her dancing or awkwardly get caught between her boobs, and it would add a bit more color to her favorite dancing outfit. "Price… yeah, I can get that." I noticed a necklace I rather liked, but getting both would be too much, so… "Shopkeeper! I'd like this one, please!"

"Why do you buy so much jewelry again?" Ares nodded to the shopkeeper and held up the basket so that I could just drop the necklace in. "I know you explained it to me before, but…"

"A dancer has to constantly update their outfit to continue bringing color to the audience. A difference in outfit makes it seem like the dance is different, even when it's the same sequences of movements." I smiled at the shopkeeper and continued on with a skip. It kept me from feeling annoyed because the nightly dances meant a good chunk of our extra money was spent on that. "It's the same audience and same venue, so something has to change, or it gets boring." And a boring dancer got fired.

"I find it hard to believe any of your dances would be 'boring', but I yield to the expert." He offered me his hand and I took it automatically, knowing he was helping me around something. A spill, from the brief look I got. "You had a question."

"I did!" I giggled, grinning at him. I rather liked that he didn't try to argue with me, even when he was confused or didn't agree. I also liked how he complimented my dancing. "It's… oh, the bards are out today." I paused to listen a bit, curious. I recognized it instantly. "Ah, the Fall of the Lionheart. It's such a sad song." And ever since the Empire showed its true colors, it became a popular one. The dashing knight who saw the Empire's corruption and fell trying to combat it… a perfect tragedy.

"It is." Ares's words were surprisingly terse and tight, and his expression was perfectly stony when I looked up at him. "Question?"

"Yes, what do you… oh, wait, my question, right." I focused on him again and we continued through the market, leaving the bards behind. "It's probably an obvious one, but why are you called the 'Black Knight'?"

"My best guess is the black armor I wear, but I honestly don't know." He shrugged, and seemed to relax as we got further from the bards. Guess he didn't like that song. "I'm not the one who picked it. Someone just started calling me that randomly after some battle, and then suddenly, everyone was."

"I see…" Tad disappointing, but that made sense. Ares tended to go with the flow a lot, probably because a mercenary had to be adaptable. "Do you like it?"

"It's useful for keeping idiots from picking fights." He stepped away briefly to catch a little girl's doll just as she dropped it. She reclaimed it with a smile and a laugh, and he ruffled her hair before returning to my side. "Otherwise, I'm mostly apathetic towards it. I find it a bit too grand."

"Really?" I wasn't sure why. 'Black Knight' was certainly a dramatic thing, but it was nothing like, say, 'Reaper's Wolf' or 'Goddess of Thunder'. Or those 'Scions of Light' you heard whispers about.

"Hezul was known at the Black Knight."

"Oh, he's one of the Crusaders, right?" I only vaguely remembered the stories, but that was mostly because the stories were vague, nonsensical legend stuff. "Darna is where they received their blessings, right?"

"The Miracle of Darna, occuring in the year Gran 645." He rattled it off easily, and I frowned. The more time I spent with him, the more convinced I was that he was a former noble. Would explain the mirror, among other things. But he also always seemed uncomfortable by the luxuries in the castle. Even more uncomfortable than Layla and me. "Far cry from the abandoned fortress they found."

"I imagine it wasn't so lively back then."

"Armies can be surprisingly lively. I was more talking about the poor condition of the walls." He pointed to a part of the outer wall that was noticeably worn and cracked, even at this distance. I remembered hearing some others complain about how not-protective the wall really was. Bramsel wouldn't maintain it, because that meant he'd have less to spend on wine and food and the like. "That's going to tumble down with a strong wind, much less a good sized force."

"Well, who's going to fight?"

"Reminder that I am a mercenary." He smiled slightly. "I literally get paid to fight the people who do."

"Ah. Right." A couple of pretty ribbons caught my eye, but I'd hit my budget, so I chose to not linger by them. "Well, I suppose we're done, so I guess we can return to the castle."

"Finally."

"Look, if you didn't wear black all the time, you might be better off in Darna's heat."

"But I am the Black Knight." He grinned briefly and I rolled my eyes. "More seriously, black is easier to clean."

"And this is why you folks need so many dances to be cheery." I had no idea how Ares hadn't dropped from heatstroke by this point. "Regardless, to the castle~!"

It didn't take long to return, and Ares passed me my basket before leaving to do whatever mercenaries did during the middle of the day when there wasn't a job. I quickly made my way to my room, bursting in with a laugh and a song. Mostly to make Layla yelped and squeak. It was fun surprising her.

"I have returned, bearing gifts for the illustrious princess of dancing!" I declared dramatically, shutting the door behind me. Despite the tone, I made sure to set out everything carefully on the bed. I wouldn't risk damage at this point. "Do you like my offerings?"

"You are ridiculous," Layla giggled, looking at everything. Scarves, makeup, things to make more makeup, jewelry… all things to change things up for a dancer's look. "Looks like you found quite a bit."

"There were a few things on sale." I double-checked that I had separated things out between 'hers' and 'mine' and began putting up my things. "And with my trusty bodyguard, it's safe to carry so much at once."

"That is true." Layla continued giggling, and hopefully, she hadn't noticed her pile was bigger than mine. She hated when I did that, but I couldn't help it. If one of us was going to get in trouble for being 'boring', I'd rather it be me. "You've been happier recently."

"That's a change in subject." Still, I knew what she meant. It had been easier to smile during performances, even though the audience was filled with strange, leering men. "Well, Bramsel is still gross, and the nightly thing is tiring, but the money is nice. We don't have to worry as much about pinching coppers."

"All true." Layla smiled mischievously at me. "But I have to wonder if Ares plays a part."

"Ares?" I frowned at her, confused. "You know that I'm just trying to aggravate him, right?"

"So you say." Her smile got a knowing look, and I knew her next words before she even said them. "I, however, wonder if you have a crush."

"On him? No freaking way!" Not in a million years! "Though, I've not been ignoring you for him, have I?"

"Really, Lene?" Layla's expression became perfectly droll. "Lene, we share a room. We share the bed. We literally talk for hours every night."

"J-just making sure!" The last thing I wanted was to make Layla feel lonely. She was the one person in the world who thought I was worth something. I couldn't bear it if I hurt her. "You're my very best friend."

"And you are mine." Layla smiled warmly. "I'm not bringing it up because I'm annoyed or anything. If anything, I'm happy."

"You are?"

"Yes." She laughed brightly, and I had to admit, it was brighter than her laughs had been the past few years. "You're good at faking a smile, but it's been a while since I've seen you happy-happy, Lene. And even if this is just the prankster in you having fun, it's nice to see you with your real smile again."

"Ah." I had no idea how to reply to that. Except to continue protests. "It's just the prankster thing. I don't have a crush."

"Of course."

"I mean it."

"I know."

"Ugh…" I put the last of my things away and flopped onto the bed, laughing at the bounce. There was just something fun about bouncy beds. "Hey, how are your feet?"

"They're… holding." She brought one up onto the bed, and I winced at the bandages on it. She'd have to wear different shoes for tonight. "I'm actually more worried about my ankles."

"They do look a little swollen." I hopped off of the bed to snatch some balm and sat back down. "Here, give me your feet." Layla swung around to do that, and I noticed her other foot was even more bandaged. "If you'd like, Layla, I can do some more complicated stuff to hide how yours are simpler."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course." Might as well use that whole 'more stamina' and 'endure more pain' thing to make things easier on Layla, right? "How much trouble will we get into if we ask for a night off?"

"I'd rather not." She grimaced. "I did discuss it with Bramsel, as a hypothetical, and I got an 'implication' of how we'd make up for it in other ways."

"Gross old man." Either dance until our feet were mangled or have sex with him. What an ultimatum. "We'll be fine. We always have."

"That we have." Layla smiled softly and closed her eyes. "Gods, if you hear a prayer from mere dancers, please let us make through these times and be happy."

"Oh, Layla…" Despite living in a church, I never was the religious type. But Layla believed, even if she wasn't sure they heard us. And I never teased her for it, because I knew it was another way she showed how much she cared. "Love you too."

---

Layla's feet and ankles got worse and worse with each passing day. She assured me that she was fine, that between the medicine and the 'ice and hot water' treatment she was okay. But I could see how much standing and walking hurt her and she still had to dance every night. Worse was that I thought Bramsel was catching on, because I was the only one who handled any solo shows he wanted, when before, Layla and I had split them. But I couldn't let her take anymore. She was balancing too much as it was.

"Ugh… everything that looks interesting is way out of my budget," I grumbled, hunting through the stalls. I had hoped to find Layla some sort of trinket to cheer her up, but so far, nothing. Even a simple flower was too much. "I knew I spent too much on scented oils." But I'd hoped the perfume would make Layla happy, and they had, so how could I not…? "Damn it."

"Damn what?" And, out of nowhere, Ares appeared. To my yelp-shriek. And near fall. "Sorry, I thought you heard me," he explained, helping me balance. I'd managed to jump and land on something not-stable. A quick look showed it was someone's apple. Someone didn't get their full money's worth then. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, save for the heart attack." I winced at how tart the words were, though, because it wasn't his fault I'd been trapped in my own thoughts. So, I made sure to add a little joke. "I mean; you're outside. In the sunshine. Without me to drag you. I am stunned."

"You're talking a lot for a stunned person." He shrugged, and held up a small bundle. I tried to not flinch, because I remembered the severed head. Even if it had been a while. Thankfully, the cloth was clean, and the bundle was small. "Buying something."

"Really?" I widened my eyes innocently. "I didn't think you bought anything."

"I didn't buy my mirrors. There's plenty of other things I buy. Like clothes." He shrugged, and smiled slightly when I eyed the bundle skeptically. "This isn't for me, though. I'm buying it for Layla."

"You are?" That was… odd. I'd never seen them even politely greet each other. "Really?"

"Yes, she asked if I would." He frowned slightly. "Her ankles were swollen. Will she be okay?"

"Well, dancing is hard work."

"I can tell, by how seriously both of you practice in the mornings." His frown deepened and I belatedly realized I'd totally… I didn't even know. I went on the defensive without even thinking about it. "That said, I don't see how that has a bearing on whether she will be all right?"

"Well, um…" I had no idea how the past couple of seconds just happened, so I was just going to try and salvage it somehow. "Are we sure I'm the terrier and not you?"

"What are… oh, right, I did say that." He suddenly smiled and it was not fair how much it softened and lit up his face. Gods' blood, he was handsome enough without the smile! "I forgot about that. I'm sorry if that insulted you."

"It was a creative way to call me a 'bitch'."

"Stubborn." He shook his head, still smiling. "I was calling you 'stubborn'."

"You'd be surprised how much the terms overlap."

"Much about you always surprises me." And he laughed softly. And it sounded nice. That was also not fair. Not at all. "Regardless, though, is she? They looked painful."

"We do have medicines." And only now did I think of a way to connect my point to his question. I was clearly on top of things. "But, dancing is hard work."

"Oh, that's what you meant. You're not sure because she's having to put so much stress on them because of her dancing." He nodded, understanding, and I mentally cheered at managing to salvage that! "I was thinking about buying her some medicines, but it occurred to me that I didn't know what you had and what you used. So then I thought about heading to the infirmary, but I'm assuming there's a reason you two don't go to it."

"Don't want to risk Bramsel cutting our pay." Or, worse, making us 'pay' for it in other ways. It would be just like him. "So, I'm actually pretty surprised she let you know." It was dangerous.

"Ah, that was more of an accident." He glanced down briefly. I looked around the crowd, hoping no one was eavesdropping. Thankfully, it was just the usual waves of people pushing past and not paying attention. "She collapsed in the hallway. I happened to be near."

"...Damn it…" I ground my teeth and had to fight the urge to kick myself. I knew she'd been bad off, but that bad? Some friend I was. "The apothecary is this way. Can you help me carry the medicine?" I'd have to go over budget, but this was important.

"Of course."

I led the way to the apothecary, nodding to the person behind the counter. I didn't know their name, but I'd talked medicinal herbs in the past with them. Today, though, I was going with the premade stuff. More expensive, but Layla would have to wait less. So, I hunted through, checking between the price cards, name cards, and the medicines themselves. I found a couple that had been switched around, no doubt by customers who didn't think of how dangerous that could be, but otherwise, everything was as it should.

"You're picking out which ones they are quickly," Ares noted after a moment. He stuck close to me in the apothecary, probably because it was a little more crowded than typical. "That's impressive."

"The name cards help," I murmured, debating between two balms. I couldn't afford both, but both would be pretty good for Layla. "But I've always been good at identifying medicines."

"As I said, impressive." He smiled faintly. "They all look and smell the same to me."

"Really?" I gave him a weird look before I remembered his reputation. Invincible Black Knight. I always forgot because that wasn't the sort of person you'd expect run errands for a dancer. But Ares never complained or anything. Weirdo. "I suppose you don't use medicines much, do you?"

"I use some. Contrary to my reputation, I do get injured." His smile became unexpectedly bitter, so bitter that I felt there had to be more to the story. But I didn't know how to ask. "I just can't tell them apart."

"I hope no one tries to poison you via medicines, then."

"It's happened once or twice. Didn't work." He shrugged at my dumbfounded look. "People do try to kill mercenaries to avoid paying them."

"Ah." I had… no reply to that one. "Which one do you think I should get?"

"That's a subject change." Still, he shrugged. "Get both."

"I don't have the money for that."

"I'll pay."

"Wait, what?" My jaw dropped briefly. No one had ever offered to just buy us stuff before. "I can't ask you to do that!"

"I told you that I was thinking of buying you two medicines anyway. I just didn't know what worked for you." He smiled and I scowled, realizing he did have a point. "I think it would actually be rude to make you pay."

"You… are so aggravating sometimes." Still, I didn't put up much of a fight. Regardless of what this would cost me later, and damn it, I knew there had to be some sort of price, Layla was far more important. "Oh, all right. What's the budget?"

"There isn't one." He shrugged when I gave him yet another skeptical, incredulous look. "I am the best paid mercenary outside of Thracia, and I don't have a lot of things to spend it on."

"Weapons?" It took everything I had to not be horribly sarcastic. And horribly jealous because gods, I'd love to 'not have a budget' for once in my life. "Weapons are expensive."

"Less than you think. I take good care of my sword to lower the need to replace it." He frowned a bit, like he sensed my darkening mood. But there was a bit of confusion to it, like he wasn't sure why. I was so irritated, but I tried not to be. It wasn't exactly his fault. "So, other than that, I just buy clothes."

"I see." So. Irritating. "Why charge so much then?"

"I charge nothing. Javarro is the one who handles the contracts." He smiled kindly. "But, I can't complain. I donate what I can, and I can use it to help you and Layla."

And now I felt bad for being irritated. Damn it. "You super sure you don't mind buying the medicines?"

"Just don't buy the entire store. I don't have that much money."

"Darn, there goes that idea." I bit my lip and nodded. I should just… "Okay. Thank you."

"Of course."

Medicines were purchased, and I tried to not wince when I heard the total. Ares paid for it without a word of complaint and carried the basket back to the castle for me. When there, someone called out to him, so I took the purchases and skipped to my room like there was nothing wrong. However, as soon as I got inside, and saw Layla resting in bed with badly swollen ankles, I was instantly beside myself.

"Layla, how are you feeling?" I asked, setting the packages down before hugging her. She squeaked a bit from how tight it was. "You should've told me you were that bad off!"

"How did you… oh, never mind," Layla sighed, hugging me back. She then pulled away to smile ruefully at me. "I didn't think it was that bad. Walking aggravated them more than I thought." Her smile became happier. "Ah, but guess what?"

"What?" I sat next to her and pulled her feet into my lap so that I could start tending to her feet and ankles. "Good news, I trust?"

"Very. Well, ish." She shrugged. "Bramsel is ill, so we don't have to dance until he's better. There's going to be no formal dinners."

"Oh!" I could see why she said 'ish'. We wouldn't get paid for our dances. But she could rest. She could finally rest for a few days. That was a relief. "I can't believe you tried to walk on these."

"It was worse than I thought, like I said." Layla pulled the package Ares had been carrying into her lap and opened it up. "Oh, good. They were still there."

"Hmm?" I glanced up briefly and saw her holding up a set of clear blue earrings. Probably glass or quartz or something. "Oh, pretty."

"Isn't it?" She held them by my face, and I teared up a bit when I figured out why. "I was right. These will look lovely on you. And they had the other pair as well!" She brought up another set, clear red, and giggled. "We'll match! Sort of."

"I love it!" I made sure to smile brightly for her. "I could've gotten them for you, though."

"But I wanted to surprise you! And a pleasant surprise not, you know…" She gestured to her feet. "Ah, and there's the ribbons."

"Ribbons?" I frowned when she pulled the out and frowned further when I recognized them. They were the ones I'd been interested in a while ago. "Uh…"

"Ares was near because he wanted to ask if you or I would be offended if he bought these ribbons for you." She reached around to undo my ponytail and redo it with the pink and white lace ribbon. "Hee… it looks nice. You should wear it with that pink dancing outfit you love so much."

"Yeah, sure." I was… so confused. "Why the hell would he buy me that?"

"He said it was because he noticed you staring longingly at them, and you prioritized things for me." She giggled, still smiling, distinctly amused. I was gobsmacked because I had no idea he'd been paying that much attention to me. "You know… he's a surprisingly nice man. I'm still waiting for the price, but if he has one, he's certainly taking his time."

"Yeah…" I'd heard of 'nice guys' playing long games, but I'd never experienced it before. And this was just… I don't know… weird. Like my instincts were telling me that, for once, I was wrong or something. But I knew how things worked. No one was this kind without some sort of ulterior motive. No one. "Layla, can you hold your feet a little more still?"

"Ah, sorry!"

After I tended to her feet, Layla decided to take a pain medication that would knock her out for a few hours, so I got her all tucked in and playfully fussed over her until she fell asleep. Afterwards, I cleaned the room up a bit, mostly just organizing the jewelry and scarves since we had so many. Then, after quite a few moments of debating, I left to go find Ares. I wasn't quite comfortable leaving Layla alone, but I had to get some answers. Proper ones. It was really driving me nuts.

Of course, I had to find a maid to tell me where to go. I'd never actually been to his room before. He'd never been to mine. So, some part of me, probably foolishly, felt like… I didn't even know. Ad I still didn't know what I felt as I knocked on the door and heard a… well, in retrospect, it was probably a 'who is it?' noise. Like a 'hmm?' or something. But in my annoyance, I'd heard something more like 'come in', so I just opened the door like a rude person. Not that I could quite say I regretted it. I mean; I hated intruding on him. It was mean and rude. But, well, he was shirtless, so I got very rewarded for my very bad behavior.

"Did you need something?" Ares asked, a touch dryly, expression somewhere between 'stoic' and 'exasperated'. I continued standing in the doorway, eating the eye candy. "Lene?"

"You'll have to forgive my brain freezing, Ares, because I wasn't expecting that," I retorted. I did look down sheepishly. And still studied him through my lashes. Because he was very handsome, very fit, and no matter how much I tried to distract myself, there was no denying those very true facts. "I'm sorry. I thought I heard a 'come in'."

"It's fine." Ares walked over to a set of drawers and pulled out a shirt. I tried to not sigh in disappointment, before I noticed something odd. He had a massive tattoo, one of amber ink, on the entire upper half of his back, jagged edges almost making it look like the upper part of a suit of armor. With that startling out of my rudeness, I noticed the mostly faint scars crisscrossing practically every area besides that very strange tattoo. I didn't think… based on his reputation, somehow I didn't think he would have any scars. "Lene?"

"Yes?" I jerked my head up just as he pulled the shirt on. "Sorry. Mentally cursing self." Though not for the reasons I probably should.

"I asked if something was wrong." He turned to face me, expression stoic yet curious. "Is Layla okay?"

"She'll be fine, especially since Bramsel is sick. Less money, but we'll have a few days off." I struggled to think of a way to get to the point and decided to, well, get to the point. "I wanted to thank you for this." I gestured to the ribbon in my hair and he smiled softly. "And I wanted to ask why you're being so nice."

"That again?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. The tips were damp, suggesting he'd just gotten out of a bath. And that was a mental image I did not need right now. "Really?"

"Yes, because it really doesn't make sense to me." I crossed my arms and glowered. As if that would be intimidating. But hopefully, it conveyed my seriousness. "So? And don't say it was the dancing. There's no way that was it."

"Right, because you can read minds." His voice was perfectly sarcastic, but I held my ground. I wanted answers, damn it. And, honestly, by this point, if he did say he was after sex, I'd go for it. He was insanely attractive, almost as much as he was aggravating. "Well, it's probably obvious by now, but I am the son of a noblewoman and a knight."

"Yeah, I figured by the mirror and the random knowledge facts."

"So, what you keep calling 'nice' are honestly things that I was taught was 'respectful'."

"Uh-huh." I failed to see how buying me a present, offering to buy Layla things, paying for our medicine, and letting us borrow his mother's mirror… I failed to see how any of that fell into 'respectful'. "Then why do you still act that way? You're a mercenary."

"I like what I was taught." His words were harsher, fiercer, than I expected. "I have spent most of my life on the battlefield, yes, but I still do believe and love what I was taught as a child. The ideals are foolish and led my father to a horrible betrayal, but I still hold onto them." With each word, he held himself a little taller, and a little more confident. Until I felt like I was addressing a king, a proper king unlike Bramsel, instead of an aggravating mercenary. "So, that's why." Then, probably because he felt he was being too serious, or maybe he sensed my sudden unease, he smiled faintly, softening the impression. "And my mother would come back from the grave to whack me over the head."

"Ah." I felt… I didn't know what to feel. Unease, certainly. Like I had crossed a line. Like I had crossed a line ages ago. Like he and I were from two very different worlds entirely. "Well, we'll go with that, I guess." I felt at a lost and out of sorts. I felt like crying, for some reason. "I do like the ribbon, so thank you again." I just… I didn't know what to feel. "And I'm probably bothering you, so I'll leave you to… whatever!"

I bolted. I bolted right out the door, not even bothering to close it behind me. I thought I heard him call after me, but I was down the hall before I could debate whether or not I had or just wish I had. And it didn't really matter, because I didn't stop running until I was well out of sight. I leaned against the wall, clutching my chest as I struggled to breathe. Before laughing bitterly at what an impression I made. How flaky and bothersome, and even if I did want to bug him as he had me, that had been...

I was the worst, really. It was a miracle Layla put up with me. It really was.

---

I avoided Ares for the next few days. Pretty easy, since I helped Layla with her injuries and Bramsel being sicker than a dog meant that we had plenty of time to rest and easy reasons to just stay in our room. It wasn't like we took meals with everyone anyway, our meal schedule was different due to the dances, and we had more or less everything we needed right in the room.

"Lene, did something happen?" All of that is probably why Layla waited so long to prod me about my somewhat gloomy mood. "You haven't been smiling lately," she murmured, frowning worriedly at me. We were on the bed and I was tending to her feet, a fairly common thing these past few days. They were finally on the mend, thankfully, but I was worried about her ankles still. They were still swollen. "I miss it."

"Sorry, I'm just worried," I whispered, focused entirely on my task. I was worried we'd need to see a healer-healer for her feet, and gods, that was going to be expensive. The church charged gold for even the simplest of things. Made me mad on so many levels. "Money is getting tight."

"I'm sorry."

"For what? Given how hard we've been working, it's a miracle you're able to heal." I shook my head. "I'll head out and get a bit more medicine." Or at least the components to make the balm I needed. Whichever was cheaper. "You make sure to keep on resting, okay?"

"Lene…" Layla leaned forward and hugged me tightly. "Is that the only thing?"

"That I can think of, yep." Not quite true. I was still feeling topsy-turvy because of that conversation with Ares. But I didn't even know where to begin on that one. "I'll let you know if that changes."

"You promise?"

"Yep." I pulled away and gave her the best smile I could. She smiled back, accepting that. "Ah, I'll make you up an ice-pack before I head out, okay?"

"Sounds good." She gently touched my cheek. "Don't overwork, please. I don't want you getting sick."

"Oh, you know me. Healthy as a… some really healthy thing." I pouted when she laughed. "It is way too early to think coherently."

"Lene, it's the middle of the afternoon." She continued laughing. I continued pouting. "Silly."

"Hey!"

She kept on teasing me as I finished bandaging her up and got her that ice-pack. Then I got my cloak and some coins before heading to the market. Carefully counting said coins as I went. When Layla and I made our budget, it was on the assumption that we would be getting paid daily for our dancing. But, with Bramsel sick and no dances, we hadn't been paid for a while. And while that was good for rest, and we still had shelter and food, it also meant that I had to calculate exactly how much I had and debate about going with the 'sure but expensive' or the 'not as good, but cheaper'. And genuinely wonder if I would need to sell some things. Maybe my pendant or my sword? Yes, they were from my parents, all that I had of them, but I never used the sword, and the pendant… well, I only wore it when I wasn't dancing. Meaning both were sentimental, but ultimately frivolous things that I might not be able to afford keeping. Not if I wanted to make sure Layla got better.

A small bit of commotion caught my attention as I stepped into the market proper, and I wandered towards it curiously, thinking it might be some traveling performer. But it wasn't. Instead, it seemed like a child almost got themselves hurt, and someone saved them. And as soon as I saw gold hair, I knew the 'someone' had been Ares. Because of course it would be him. Kind Ares who held onto knightly ideas while being one of the most feared mercenaries… he was definitely someone who would save a child without a second thought.

I thought about calling out to him. I even thought about asking him for help. But, instead, I turned away and left the market entirely, heading for the edges of town so that I could calm down a bit. A couple people called out to me, but I ignored them, knowing they were most likely just some guys wanting to 'compliment' a girl trying to mind her own business. Besides, I was too busy cursing myself. It was damned ridiculous, really, to run and hide from him. But he was aggravating and confusing at the best of times, and I wasn't in my best of minds. And I also felt ashamed for wanting to ask him for help. Especially given how I'd run away last time...

"Miss! Miss, come back this way!" The shouts followed me, and I continued on. I had no intentions of getting assaulted today. "Miss!" Though, there was a strange grinding sound in the air, and my instincts were screaming that something was very wrong. "The wall is-!"

A loud 'crack' made me jerk my head up and I realized just what had happened. I'd gone near the wall to get away from the market. And it was finally crumbling. The people shouting had been trying to warn me, but I… I'd been too lost in my thoughts, and so certain in how things worked that I had ignored it. And I already knew that I wasn't going to be able to dodge the large piece falling right for me, because it was at least twice my size if not more. I was fast, but not that fast, and it was huge. So, here I was, about to die. And all I could do was close my eyes and accept it.

But just as I did, something snagged me by the waist and jerked me to something warm. Then there was the sound of some sort of impact and a grunt and hiss of pain above my head. But I… I wasn't in pain. Not really. And I could still breathe. My heart still beat, thudding as it was in my ears. So, something had… no, someone had…

I knew even before I opened my eyes that I would see black. Because Ares almost always wore black clothes, and of course, he was the one who had saved me. Holding me close, shielding me from that giant chunk of rock. And somehow managing it, and the other smaller bits of rubble that fell on it, despite the fact that the rock was so large, larger than him. Yet, he held it up with nothing but his back and one arm. The other, of course, was still around me.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, voice surprisingly even. I couldn't figure out how to form words, so I just studied him, noticing how he didn't seem to be struggling. He shielded me easily, held back the rubble easily. "Lene?" Though, I couldn't say it was effortless. Blood trickled down his face and neck. Scratches? Scrapes? Worse? "Lene?"

"You're bleeding," I whispered, because that's all I could piece together coherently. I reached up and almost touched the blood, but I stopped myself in time. Just… hovering my hand by his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

"Unless you brought the wall down, then there's nothing to apologize for." He glanced to the side, and as my heart finally calmed, I could hear the shrieks and crying from the crowd. I wondered how many others got caught. "Seems like it finished, at least in this area." He looked back to me. "Can you stand?"

"Yes, I think so." I stepped back slowly, using his arm as a balance just in case. But I was right and it amazed me how fine I was. In fact, I was sure I didn't even have bruises. "Yep. I'm good."

"Good." He smiled briefly before letting go of me entirely to twist and shove the slab completely off of him. It actually rolled quite a distance, but I didn't pay attention to that. I was distracted by how his back was bloody. The arm he'd used to support the slab was bloody. He… he was hurt... "Okay, sharper than I thought."

"We should treat that." I looked around, wondering if there was a healer about. But it was hard to tell with the crowd screaming and demanding answers. And it was hard to focus on the crowd when I saw how an entire section of the wall just went. "I wonder how it fell down."

"A child could've thrown a toy at it and it would've fallen." Ares sighed and brushed some dust and pebbles out of his hair. More blood oozed down his back and arms. "Now Bramsel has to replace the whole thing, far more expensive." He stiffened suddenly, and I wondered why. Then I heard a high-pitched child's cry of 'Mama!'.

Ares was off just as I put the pieces together, and I followed, mostly to make sure he didn't make his injuries worse. Thankfully, the source wasn't far, just out of immediate sight thanks to the rubble. But it was clear what had happened, or at least, I came up with a scenario pretty quickly. When the wall began falling apart, the mother had tried to run. Failing that, she shoved her child out of harm's way and now, was pinned underneath some very large rocks. Bleeding out, assuming she wasn't dead already. And her child was sitting on the ground, wailing, because they didn't know what was going on.

"Hey there, it's going to be okay," I whispered, crouching by the child. It wasn't like I could help with the rubble. There was an entire group of strong looking people trying and failing to get the rocks off of her. Ares went to join them, to help with the futile effort. "Poor sweetie, you must've been so scared." I used my sleeve to wipe the worst of the tears, and 'coincidentally' getting some of the dirt off their face. "Would you like a hug?" They immediately threw themselves at me, not old enough to know 'stranger danger'. Thankfully, I had no intentions of kidnapping. "There, there… it's going to be okay."

Gasps and shouts of 'pull her out' made me look to the side and I gawked when I saw Ares had moved the rubble the group of people before had struggled with. As in he had cleared all the rubble off of her in the short time it had taken for me to talk to the kid! And he did it a second time with another pinned person. And a third. And a fourth. As I held and comforted the child, this time while some surgeons tried to save their mother's life, I watched as the rescue efforts slowly turn into 'Ares clears the rubble, and other people pull people free'. Each time, someone shouted their thanks to Ares, but Ares shook it off and moved to the next one. And, watching, I had to wonder…

The 'black' part of 'Black Knight' was obvious. He wore black, he had black armor, he rode a black horse… obvious. But the 'knight' part had been weird. Why call a mercenary a 'knight'? Why not some sort of animal? Why not boast that he was a 'god'? Why pick 'knight'? But now, I thought it was obvious and I had to wonder if it wasn't his enemies who gave him the name, but the people. The people he interacted with, who he helped without a second thought and shook off any gestures of gratitude. That respectful kindness that so baffled me… maybe that was why. Or, you know, my near-death-experience could just be making me loopy. But it was certainly a thought. And one that made me smile.

"Lene? Lene, where are you?" At some point, around when I was passing the child to his thankfully-going-to-survive-mother, Layla's frantic voice rose above the crowd. I couldn't see her, because of everyone, but… "Lene?!"

"I'm over here," I called, making sure to step away from the 'field infirmary' area that had been set up. While I was good with medicines, I wasn't sure I was good enough to help. "Over here, over here!" I waved a bit and, eventually, Layla pushed through the crowd, face ghost-white and eyes wide. "Hey, I'm-"

"Lene!" She didn't even let me finish. She just rushed over and hugged me tightly. "You're okay. You're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine." I hugged her back. "Just fine."

"Thank you, gods…" Her voice cracked and I knew she was crying. I could hear it, even if she held me too tightly to see it. "I saw the wall fall. And I knew you weren't supposed to be near, but I kept thinking 'what if' and then I was out the door, trying to find you and I couldn't find you and…"

"I'm okay." I leaned a bit into her. "I was near, felt a bit out of sorts, but Ares saved me."

"At this point, I don't even care what he wants anymore. He can have it." She pulled away, smiling sweetly at me, even if she was crying hard enough for her makeup to run. "You're okay. You're still here."

"I am." Embarrassed, I glanced down and to the side and saw Ares was apparently done with moving rubble. Some people clasped his shoulder or took his hands to thank him profusely, but he seemed almost uncomfortable by all of the gratitude. He did let the child from before hug him, though. He even ruffled their hair. "Ares, hey, you should-"

"You are a blessing!" And Layla decided to just tackle Ares with a hug. And Ares actually froze up, clearly having no idea what to do. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I couldn't help but laugh and laugh, especially as Ares tried to play it off, but Layla wouldn't let him. I should probably help, but I was glad to be alive and the sight of big, strong Ares being flustered was just plain funny for some reason. Not to mention I knew that it would be near impossible to stop Layla for another hour or so. So, I might as well enjoy myself a bit, yes? I nearly died. I wanted to laugh.

---

I, thankfully, remembered that Ares was injured and bleeding before Layla really did spend an hour thanking him, and we all quickly returned to the castle. While Layla went to rest, because believing your best friend was dead was a very tiring experience, I tended to Ares's injuries. He'd insisted he'd be fine, but I bullied him into letting me. He got hurt protecting me. The absolute least I could do was make sure nothing got infected. And, thankfully, he had his own supply of medicine for wounds.

"This is going to sound so stupid, but for some reason, I find it surprising you've got scars," I murmured, carefully treating his back. Quite a few of the injuries were on that strange tattoo of his, which I swore 'buzzed' or something. "But you've got quite a few, huh?"

"I've seen worse," Ares replied, sitting perfectly still. He kept his head bowed slightly to make it easier on me to treat him. I'd already gotten his arm bandaged. "Are you sure you're okay, though?"

"Yep, I'm just fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes?" I frowned at him and noticed his sigh of relief. "Ares?"

"I panicked when I saw…" He paused, trying to think of the words he wanted, before giving up on the sentence entirely. "Well, I was worried I'd hurt you by accident. I was more focused on making sure you wouldn't die."

"Ah." I wondered why briefly before realized the obvious. Somehow, someway, Ares was strong enough to hold back rubble with nothing but his arm and back, and strong enough to move pieces of stone too heavy for an entire group of people. That was easily strong enough to hurt me. That was strong enough to kill me. "Nope, I'm just fine. I'm not even bruised." I winked and decided to tease him. "I could take off my dress to show you-"

"N-no, I'll take your word for it!" Ares went way red, way fast, and I had to laugh. "You did that on purpose."

"Of course." Though, if he had asked, I probably would've. "I'll have Layla double-check once I'm done here. Just in case there's something I missed."

"And how are you mentally?" He caught my hand briefly and peered up at me worriedly. It was super weird to look 'down' at him. "You were close to death."

"I'm sure I'll have a breakdown later or something, but honestly, for right now, I'm just thankful to be alive and am very determined to make sure your injuries get treated." I smiled warmly and he smiled back faintly, accepting that. "Now that I think about it, I did something similar the last time I got close to death."

"May I ask what happened?"

"Some priests were trying to steal Layla, and I bit them to get them to let her go. We escaped, but I got hit with a spell." And, after my injuries were taken care of, I'd fussed over Layla's, even though technically, mine were worse. There was something comforting in tending to people, though. "Did you ever have problems with the priests?"

"If you mean if I was ever Hunted, no, I wasn't. I have many problems with them." His eyes became hard briefly, but then he shook his head. "The worst is escorting them to their prisons. They have a few in the middle of nowhere in Yied."

"Ick, that sounds rough." I had a feeling that wasn't the 'worst' at all, but it was probably the safest thing to say. King Bloom stopped Child Hunts where he could, but we were near Yied. The priests could be anywhere. "So, subject change, but I've heard many boast on how every scar has a story."

"I've heard that boast as well, but I wonder how they remember most of them. If they don't make them up, that is." He smiled slightly, going along with the subject change easily. "There's one in the group, Sean, who has a scar on his face from where he got drunk and ran headfirst into a window. But he'll deny that and say it was from some battle or duel to the death or something."

"That's so ridiculous. Both how he got it and that he'll lie about it." I giggled, unable to help it. It reminded me of some of the antics I'd seen outside of taverns. "Well, what about you? Any funny stories like that?"

"No, not really." He smiled a bit more when I gave him a skeptical look. "I don't like the loss of control drunkenness can bring, so I'm always careful about how much I have."

"I see." I almost called BS, but then I remembered our very first meeting. Even though his fellow had been completely sloshed, Ares hadn't smelled of alcohol at all. "Shame. That would've been funny."

"Sadly, all the scars are either things I don't remember or from sadder things." His hand hovered over a scar on his left side. "I got this when Leonster fell."

"Oh…" Leonster… I'd heard about it. Once the protectors, and rulers, of the Manster District, now just another conquest of the Empire. Though there were rumors that mentioned that the young prince managed to retake the castle and was currently fighting Friege forces in order to keep it. But that was ridiculous. No one held out against the Empire for long. "You said your dad was a knight. Was he a knight of Leonster?"

"No, but my uncle was." He hesitated a bit before continuing softly. "I'm not from around here. I was born in Nordion."

"Nordion?" That sounded vaguely familiar. "Where's that?"

"Agustria."

"Oh, he was one of the Cross Knights then?" I only knew of them through the songs about Eldigan the Lionheart, and his tragic end. "That... had to be rough." Escaping one hell only for the sanctuary to fall? Sounded like a nightmare. "So… uh… would you like a subject change?"

"Please."

"All right, then~!" I focused on cleaning a particularly deep cut on his back and came up on what had to be the obvious question, and something I should've asked a while ago. "Ares, how were you close enough?"

"Hmm?"

"You were close enough to save me. But you weren't near…" He'd been in the market. I'd run away from the market. "So, while I am very grateful, I'm also just curious."

"Oh, that." Ares smiled sheepishly. "I saw you in the market and went after you."

"You did?" I hadn't noticed at all. "Why?"

"I wanted to apologize." He looked up at me so sincerely that I almost winced. "Last we spoke, I clearly said something that distressed you."

"That…" I had no idea how to explain that. "It's not that you said anything distressing. It's more…" Hitting a blank… hitting a blank in words… words were hard… "You know; no one has ever been nice to me for no reason." I focused solely on cleaning his cuts as I did my best to try and explain… explain why he was so aggravating. "Layla and me… we were orphans in the church. Layla's parents died. Mine flat out abandoned me. The two of us had to fight for just about everything we had. No one gave us so much as a smile without us doing something to earn it." I gave him a dirty look. "And then there's you. It's a bit disconcerting, you know."

"Ah." Ares fell silent, considering his response. "Well, I wasn't lying the first time. It started with your dancing."

"Really? Because most of the time, the 'dancing' leads to more of the 'niceness with ulterior motives'."

"No wonder you didn't believe me, then." Ares laughed softly. "But I meant what I said. I enjoyed the dance. It reminded me of happier times. Back when Leonster hadn't fallen." He closed his eyes, remembering. "It was a trying time for the adults, I know. Yied, Belhalla… they'd just happened. But I was a child, barely old enough to understand that death meant Father wasn't coming home. That Quan, Ethlyn, and… someone else weren't coming back." He paused to gather his thoughts. I noted absently that he hadn't used titles for Prince Quan and Princess Ethlyn. I wondered who the 'someone else' was, though. Maybe their little girl? The little princess no one ever mentioned the name of because people only cared about her age and her tragic end? "Everything was strange, but still bright to me, back then. And during that time, my aunt and uncle took me on a trip to Darna. Them, me, and a little boy they were taking care of."

"What was his name?" I started bandaging him up, almost done. "Do you remember?"

"No, sadly. I remember his laugh, but that's about it." He smiled suddenly. "But, while we were here, there was a dancer. She was bright, laughing, and something about her seemed like energy personified. And she knew my aunt and uncle, so we went to her home, where there were even more warm and bright people." He looked up at me, still smiling. "It's a good memory. I only have pieces of it nowadays, but it's a good memory nonetheless. And your dance reminded me of it."

"Oh." Absently, I wondered if that dancer had been my mother. But that was a silly thought. What were the chances? "I see. So, in a way, you really were thanking me for reminding you of that memory."

"And then from there, it's just…" He almost shrugged, but I stopped him. I was still working on the injuries there. "I was always taught that you gave gifts to people you admire and respect."

"Ha, sounds like a noble's way of thinking." Still, I understood the sentiment. I loved being able to splurge and buy Layla things. "Well, I still find it weird, but it does make more sense."

"Would you feel better if I think of something more tangible?"

"Yes." Honestly, anything I could give to help even things out would be great. One of the main issues is that he's done so much, and yet I've done so little. I hated that.

"Then I'll try to think of something. Might take a while." He smiled sheepishly. "I pretty much have everything I need."

"Weirdo." I rolled my eyes, but accepted that. In a way, it was a compromise, so... "So, since that got super serious, what's up with this tattoo?"

"That's…" Ares hesitated and shook his head. "Another time, maybe. I don't…"

"Got it." Okay, more to it than I'd originally thought. "And that's the last of it!" I tied off the bandage and skipped to his dresser. "Here, I'll get you a shirt." Of course, I was soon distracted by the stuffed bear apparently hiding among Ares's clothes. A cute one, made from black and white cloth. "Uh…" I held it up curiously and looked at him. Ares just covered his face. "You know; I didn't think you'd have a stuffed bear."

"Of all the drawers you picked, you had to pick that one."

"It's so cute!" I moved the arms up and down and hugged it. I'd never had a stuffed animal, so part of me was a little jealous. But, mostly, I thought this was hilariously adorable. "Something from your childhood?"

"Yeah." He sighed and stood up, reaching around me to actually grab a shirt. I continued played with the toy, enthralled by it. "I don't really remember who gave it to me, though. I just remember it was a woman with long red hair and a kind, gentle smile." He pulled his shirt on fairly easily, especially given the bandages. "I think Mother said she was a healer, but I don't know that. I just remember the hair, the smile, and the fact that Father respected her." He laughed softly as I continued playing. "Maybe I should let you borrow it while I'm away."

"Away?" I frowned at him, and a cold feeling spiked through my gut. "What do you mean?"

"Bramsel's given marching orders. I'll leave with some of the others in a couple of days."

"Really?" I felt uneasy suddenly. "Who would you be fighting?"

"I have no idea." He grimaced. "Life of a mercenary, really. You get hired to kill people, and often, you don't know who you're killing until it's too late." He said the words softly, sadly even, and I wondered if there were jobs he regretted. People he wished he never killed.

But I couldn't ask that. So, I asked about something else. "Hey, Ares, how long have you been a mercenary?"

"I've been helping Javarro ever since he saved me when Leonster fell, so I've been in the lifestyle for most of my life. I didn't take a job until I was thirteen, though."

"Ah." And now I wondered if he clung to those old lessons in order to stay sane. "Well, come back, okay? You have to give me an answer."

"That I do." He smiled, a softer smile than I was used to. "Try not to get squashed while away."

"That wasn't on purpose!" I scowled, but he continued to smile. "Oh, whatever. I'll try."

---

Over a week. Way over a week. Closer to two weeks. That's how long Ares had been gone. Go off on his own? Back the same day. Leave with a group? Not back for who knew how long! It was aggravating! And, worse, Layla was amused with my frustration.

"If it was a large group, then surely it was more than simply killing," Layla teased, brushing my hair. She was up on the bed, while I was on the floor, playing with Ares's bear. He really had dropped it off on his way out for me. "That toy is adorable."

"It is," I agreed, softening. Things didn't seem quite so bad when you had something squishy to hug. "But I bet it's missing its owner." I held the bear up to my ear, pretending it was actually saying something. "You are? I thought so. He's so mean, leaving you behind for so long."

"You are so silly." Layla giggled, still brushing my hair. "Super silly."

"Well, someone needs to keep the cheer." I glanced up at her, though she quickly nudged my head down again. "And you've been fretting over something ever since you picked up our pay yesterday."

"Ah, yes…" Layla fell silent, focusing on my hair, and I waited, playing with the bear. "Hey, Lene, be careful, okay?"

"With what? The bear?" I frowned at it, worried that I might've torn something. But there was nothing I could see. Just nice, even stitches, like someone had lovingly made it. Or lovingly mended it, given its likely age. "Bear seems fine?"

"In general." She reached down to hug me, resting her head against mine. "Bramsel has been hinting about us being 'personal dancers'."

"Oh, gross." And not unexpected. I was surprised it hadn't come up sooner. "Did you refuse?"

"I pretended to not understand the implication. I was afraid refusing would lead to dungeons, or worse." She tightened her hug on me. "So, please, be careful? I know you do your best to avoid him, but if it comes up, just pretend you don't know what he's talking about."

"I'll try." Problem was, I'd likely snap if he tried. That was why I kept my distance. But the longer we worked for him, the more likely it was that… "I wish I could bite my tongue like you can."

"You've always been the fiery one of us." Layla let go of me to continue brushing my hair. "And my 'biting my tongue' is what let the priests almost kidnapping me. And I'd be dead or worse in that case." She kissed the top of my head. "And that fire gives your dancing a passion few can match." She pulled my hair back with a ribbon and patted my shoulders. "And your hair is done."

"Thank you." I smiled warmly at her, hugging the bear to my chest. "And I will try. The most danger will be right after a solo show."

"Right, if he says something like 'come over here because I have a present', you're more likely to snap and demand he come to you instead." She shuddered, wincing. "Oh, I can see that too easily. Maybe I should be in the audience whenever you do a solo show from now on."

"Well, I won't complain." I'd just try and continue my 'avoid Bramsel like a rat with the plague' thing, though. Safer and way better for my mental health. "You want to hug the bear? It's super soft."

"Sure." Layla took it from me with a smile, wiggling its arms. "Now is this a 'borrow' like the mirror?"

"I think it's a 'borrow until I come back'." Whenever that was. But that did make me look to the table where the mirror rested. Ares hadn't asked for it back yet. "He's attached."

"Darn. It's cute." Her smile became sad. "Shame we didn't have anything like this growing up. Would've been nice."

"Yeah…" The closest thing we had were knotted rags we pretended were dolls. And that was after Layla and I had scrounged up the rags ourselves. "Well, that's just how life is, I guess. So..." I trailed off as I heard some sort of commotion. "What's that?" I hopped to my feet and peered out the window curiously, noting there were a lot of people in the courtyard suddenly. It took a few moments to recognize them as members of Ares's group. "Oh, they're back!" I immediately headed towards the door, but hesitated at it, thinking of how stupid it probably was. "Um…"

"Oh, go on!" Layla smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure Ares would love to see you."

"You think so?" I smiled, feeling strangely shy. "You want to come with?"

"No, I think I'm going to rest my feet and ankles a bit more." She flopped onto her back and tossed the bear into the air before catching it again. "And playing, since you monopolize it so."

"I did not!" I huffed and she laughed, kicking her feet in the air. "Okay, I'll be back soon."

I carefully shut the door behind me and was careful to walk, not skip or run or anything that suggested anticipation, to the courtyard. It was still completely packed. Lots of laughing and some already had alcohol out. Because, of course. A couple whistled when they saw me, and made some rude gestures, but I ignored them, hunting for Ares. But despite the fact that he normally stood out in a crowd, the black and gold did that, I… I couldn't see him. Where… where was he? He had to be here, right? He had to be. It wasn't like he just left, right? Sure, everyone leaves, but surely…

"Man, Javarro, you're getting old!" I heard someone laugh. I couldn't see them, but I could see Javarro. Barely. The crowd was large and constantly moving, like an animal writhing in pain, so I could only see half of his face. It was honestly a miracle I could hear them at all. "If not for Ares, you would've lost a chunk of your head!"

"Bah, I knew the kid would cover me," Javarro laughed, smirking. I felt cold and a little nauseous. "Always does."

"He took a pretty bad hit with this one, right?"

"He did. Reckless kid."

The crowd's noise surged, drowning out the conversation. Or maybe that was the roaring in my own ears. Ares took a bad hit? Was that why Ares wasn't here? Was he…? S-surely not. His reputation… but I had seen him get hurt protecting people. Protecting me. If it was for that, then maybe… and maybe that was the catch. Maybe that was the price of him being so nice. It wasn't anything he wanted, but the gods taking one of the few nice people away. It figured, right? And gods, I just wanted to slap that smirk right off Javarro's face! How could he smirk when Ares was hurt? Hurt protecting him?! That…!

I stormed away, keeping to the shadows to avoid attracting attention. I had to escape, because otherwise, I really would slap him. And then I'd be a lone woman in the middle of a crowd of rowdy men, some of whom were already drunk. Not the safest place to be. So, I stomped down the hall instead, venting my frustrations that way. And my hurt. Because of course this happened. Why wouldn't it happen? And sure, they just said a 'bad hit', but he wasn't in the courtyard. So, when you strung things together…

My feet stopped automatically and it took a couple of blinks to realize I was at Ares's room. After a moment of staring, I tried the doorknob and found it was open. So, I walked inside, on impulse. Just because. And found myself staring at a shirtless Ares. Again.

"Lene?" Ares called, paused mid-movement. Took a couple more blinks to process he'd been toweling his hair, probably a last drying before pulling on a shirt. "I don't recall hearing a knock. Was I that out of it?" I didn't answer. I just stared. Because he was right there. Right there. "Lene?"

"You…" I began, voice wobbling. Tears pricked my eyes and all that frustration and anger just bubbled up in the most childish of ways. "You big jerk!" I ran over and hugged him tightly, making him stumble. "Dummy!"

"I have no idea what is… wait, are you crying?" Ares, somewhere above me, sounded very awkward and frazzled. The towel he'd been holding hit the ground. "Lene?"

"I went to the entrance to see you, but you weren't there, and everyone was talking about how you were badly hurt or something and…!" And I was just weeping. Great 'welcome home'. I was totally the best at this sort of thing. No wonder people left. "You weren't there! So I thought…!" And now I was incoherent. Brilliant me.

"...I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would be there to greet me, so I went to take a bath and get the blood off." He still sounded frazzled, and guilty. I struggled to get my crying under control. Easier than expected, after the initial wave. "Ah… what am I supposed to…?"

"Just stand there." I tightened my hug on him, as a means of reassuring me. Right here. He was right here. Perfectly alive. "You have no idea how to deal with hugs, huh?"

"Mercenary isn't exactly an affectionate job." His hands settled, gently, on my back. I took a few breaths to get those last bits of calm I needed. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I'm fine."

"Are you?" I pulled away, glad that I hadn't put on my makeup yet because otherwise, it would've been ruined by all the crying. And it meant I could safely wipe at my eyes. "They said it was a bad hit…" Though, now that I looked, all I saw were bruises. Nothing like what I feared. "Did they just mean it was bad for you or something? I mean…"

"I'm fine." He glanced to the side, not quite looking at me. "I got it healed."

"Oh. Right, duh, that's…" I looked away, now mortified. "Ugh… that makes so much sense." And then I became mortified for a completely different reason. "I totally just dug right into some of those bruises."

"No, you didn't." He said the words too quickly. I definitely had. "Are you okay, though?"

"I'm fine." Just kicking myself for all sorts of stupidity and jumping to conclusions. Again. "Just got scared. That's all."

"Ah." Ares fell silent before laughing softly. "Been a while since someone worried about me like that."

"Really?"

"I'm not easy to kill." Again, he glanced to the side. This time, I thought he was looking at his sword, resting against the wall. "Never have been."

"Ah." I had… no idea how to reply to that. So, I changed the subject. "Oh, shoot, I need to get ready. Layla and I will be dancing after dinner tonight." I smiled up at him. "Should be a nice treat, yes? Bramsel was still sick when you left."

"Yeah, it's been a while, huh?" He smiled softly. "I'll be sure to be there, then."

"Great! See you then!" And I skipped out of the room, feeling ridiculous yet happy. And a bit panicky because damn it, Layla was right. I was falling for him.

Stupid to do so. He'd eventually leave. Mercenaries only stuck around for however long their contracts lasted. But I could hold onto the feelings for now, at least. It wasn't like feelings listened to logic.

---

I tried to 'deny' my feelings for a bit. Not because I wanted to not believe I had them or anything, but because I wanted to delay Layla's smug reaction. Of course, there was no hiding anything from her for long. Especially when she suspected something already.

"I knew it~!" she laughed, sprawled out on the bed. I sat at the table, brushing my hair, and pointedly trying to ignore her. I'd only begrudgingly told her anyway, because she'd threatened to tickle me. "Hahaha, I was right~!"

"You weren't right when you first brought it up!" I complained, sulking. I knew she'd have this exact reaction. "Don't you have a skin care thing to do?"

"Already done, obviously." She rolled her eyes, and I grimaced at how bad that attempt at a subject change was. "It's super late, remember?"

"It is…" Bramsel had us dancing longer than usual, and while that did mean extra pay, it also threw off our 'schedule'. "Has Bramsel brought up the personal dancing thing again?"

"No, I think for now, the 'ignoring the implication' thing has dulled his… fire, shall we say?"

"More like ice water to the loins." I grinned when she snickered. "Let me know if that changes, okay?"

"Of course. You'll be in danger, just as much as me. Though…" Her eyes sparkled and I groaned. That subject change didn't work either. "You do have a knight in shining armor, now."

"He's a mercenary, and he's not mine." I was just the idiot who fell in love with him. "There's no guarantee he'd save me."

"I think if someone braves getting crushed under rocks to keep you safe, you can count on them to keep you safe from people."

"His employer, though?" Even as I said the words, though, I could… Ares did believe in knightly tenants, even as he acknowledged they could be just plain stupid. It's possible he would punch his employer. Maybe. "Oh, whatever." Things like that were stupid to think about, really. "Anyway, he's definitely not mine."

"He could be, though~!" Layla giggled, clearly having fun. She rolled onto her stomach and kicked the air a bit. "If you confessed."

"So not planning on that." What would be the point? He'd leave one of these days. Everyone did. And what would he see in me anyway? I was just the flaky dancer girl that always got into trouble and bothered him. "I'd like to keep some form of dignity."

"I'm not sure sobbing into his chest because you were so relieved he was alive counts as anything dignified." She grinned and I rolled my eyes, regretting telling Layla that part. "But that's assuming he's even 'in' to dignity."

"Layla!" I threw a ribbon at her, which fell woefully short of its target, and began braiding my hair to sleep. Honestly, we should've been asleep hours ago. But our nightly skin care always took a while, and then there was tending to our feet. So many things we couldn't neglect, and Bramsel keeping us longer than usual for his amusement… ugh… "Do I need to blow out the candles?"

"Do you mind?" She smiled sheepishly and flipped around to sit on the bed. "I think I want to keep weight off my ankles." Her eyes glittered with mischief, though. "Don't think you're getting out of this conversation. I have spent a very long time imagining it!"

"You've imagined it?" I groaned, moving about the room to blow out candles. She just laughed. "Seriously?"

"Well, I had to do something while on bedrest!"

"Like, I don't know, rest?"

"It's very relaxing!"

"Somehow, I doubt that." I rolled my eyes and blew out the last candle. "Whatever. Move over. You're not stealing all the blankets tonight."

"I never steal blankets. Ever." Layla gasped dramatically, like she was offended. I rolled my eyes again, even though she couldn't see it. Or barely see it. We had some moonlight from the window, but that was about it. "A shame we don't have the bear anymore."

"Ares said that we can borrow it again next time he leaves for a mission." But, unlike the mirror, he'd requested the return the very next morning. The bear was a reminder of happier times, and he wanted to hold onto it. "Anyway, much as I know you want to tease, it is late, so maybe hold off until…" I trailed off, feeling cold suddenly. My instincts were screaming. Something was wrong. Something was wrong. "Layla, head to the bathroom."

"Lene?"

"Just do it." It was a struggle to breathe. Last time I felt like this… "Please." It had been when the priests nearly kidnapped Layla.

"Lene, what's going-?" And the door slammed open, unknown people bursting in, proving me horribly right.

I'd been closest to the door, so whoever it was grabbed me first. I slammed my heel into their foot, jerked my head back to headbutt them, and generally just struggled as much as I could. Before long, I was able to bite them hard enough for them to yelp and jerk back, and I twisted free. Layla was struggling against her own assailant, throwing pillows in an attempt to just get some distance between them. I used the opening to grab the sword in the corner and clumsily unsheathed it. I… I didn't know how to fight. But I'd be damned if I let them take either of us without putting up one!

Still, I considered it very lucky that I managed to actually hit one of the attackers and buy time for Layla to escape to the bathroom. Unfortunately, though, drawing a weapon meant that the attackers did the same, meaning I couldn't escape quite as easily. I managed a couple of lucky dodges and hits, but they also scored some bad hits, namely on my arms and side. Blood soaked my nightgown as I struggled to simply retreat, wondering how I wasn't dead yet. I half-wondered if the sword had a protective barrier, but that was total nonsense. Well, I was sure it existed, but I doubted a dancer could afford an enchanted weapon, especially one like that!

"Lene!" Layla snagged the back of my nightgown and dragged me into the bathroom before shutting the door. She and I both shrieked when the door immediately splintered. "Why are they coming after us?" she asked, leaning against the door in a vain attempt to keep it shut. More splinters made me worried I'd just see her skewered. "We're just dancers. It's not like Bramsel would care if we died."

"He's probably going to be more annoyed by the blood," I muttered. I grabbed a couple of towels to wrap around my injuries and hunted through the room for anything that could be used as a barricade. Sadly, it was just a bathroom. "Hey, people who are ruining the door, we're really not valuable hostages! And if you're just trying to kill everyone in the castle, then you're not some fancy liberators, you're just assholes!"

"I don't think they care." Layla flinched, and jumped away from the door. Blood oozed from a thin line across her stomach, caught by a sword that went straight through the wood. "Ha… well, not exactly how I imagined dying, but fairly close."

"At this point, I'm hoping it's killing us and not worse." I gripped the sword tightly, sincerely wondering if we should just get it over with. Just in case. "Layla, do you…?" A scream of pain cut me off, and Layla and I shared a stunned look because it was outside the door. "Uh… what just happened?"

"I… I don't know?" Layla hesitantly placed her ear against the door. "I don't hear anything anymore?" She knocked against the door. "Uh… did someone just save us?" Silence. "Hello?"

"Oh, you two hid in the bathroom." Ares's voice was a bit muffled thanks to the door. I couldn't help but smile in relief. Even if Layla smirked a little. "Are you two okay?" he asked. I tossed Layla a towel to press against her injury. "There's blood on the bed."

"That's because dancers don't make all that great of fighters," I replied, stumbling over and opening the door. And dazed me focused on one thing that was totally not important, but hey, distraction. "You sleep shirtless?" That was so not a mental image I needed right now.

"I'm going to assume you're just fine, based on the comment." His tone was dry, even as his expression was worried. "I would normally throw on a robe, but the attackers are very rude with their ambushing." He rested a hand on the bloody towel around my arm, but focused on my sword. "Didn't know you owned a weapon."

"I inherited it." I looked down, feeling both defensive and shy. And then sick because wow, there was a lot of blood and I was literally standing in a pool of it. By a corpse. "I'm suddenly very nauseous." And I finally registered the smell. Which made my stomach turn even more. I didn't even want to know what it was. Or why it seemed familiar. "Ugh…"

"Battles are never as clean as the stories like to say." Ares patted my shoulder and stepped back, gesturing for Layla and me to follow him. "Here, you should-"

A flicker of movement and one of the bodies actually leapt up, apparently not quite dead. I shrieked, jumping back automatically, and went cold when I saw the attacker managed a bad hit to Ares's side. Ares, however, just retaliated instantly, lopping off their head without a single wince or bit of hesitation. More blood flew everywhere. More of that horrible smell joined the rest. I had to cover my mouth to keep from being sick. Behind me, I heard Layla losing the fight with her own stomach, which made everything so much worse.

"Well, I got cocky on that one," Ares sighed, flicking the blood off his sword. His pitch black sword that I half-swore glowed or something. "I'm sorry. I should've made sure they were dead."

"N-never mind that!" I yelped, stumbling forward. Behind me, I heard Layla running some water, probably to rinse out her mouth. "Here, we should… um… should…" Panicking. I was panicking. This was not my thing. Battles were not my thing.

"Easy." Ares rested a hand on my shoulder. "Take some deep breaths. I'm fine."

"Don't lie! I literally saw…" But when I put my hand near the injury, I found… it was scabbed already. Hell, it was almost healed, really. The blood was there, still fresh, but… "How…?"

"...You two should probably move to a different room." Ares looked behind me. "Layla? Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I can," Layla said shakily, joining me by the door. And instantly turned green again, grimacing. "Okay, I'm used to blood, but not like this."

"It takes a few times before you get used to this sort of thing," Ares murmured. He glanced at the door. "Grab whatever you absolutely need for the night. You two can hide in my room. It's a little more defensible."

Ares was perfectly gentle and patient as Layla and I grabbed some things, mostly medicines and a change of clothes, though I also grabbed the mirror, thankful it hadn't been broken in the mess. He was also careful, scouting ahead and also helping us when we stumbled. As soon as we were at his room, though, he left us to join whatever fight was going on, telling us to make ourselves comfortable. I was instantly uneasy, but I didn't want to tell him that. He'd already saved us once, so asking him to stay would be… Besides, Ares's room had more things that could be used to barricade things. Or something.

"That was terrifying," Layla whispered, bandaging my injuries on the bed. Her voice was a bit raspy, and she winced as she talked. "I screamed too much."

"I imagine the vomiting didn't help," I murmured. As soon as we were inside, both Layla and I had thrown up. Multiple times. "Ares has a nice bath, though." We'd both taken multiple baths as well, desperate to get the blood off. And thrown our bloody clothes into the corner, to be dealt with later. Layla had already changed into a clean nightgown. I, stupidly, forgot to grab that with my change of clothes, so I just sat in my underwear for now. Not exactly how I imagined being in my underwear in Ares's room, but neither here nor there.

"He does." She tied off the last one and hugged me tightly. "I can't believe people voluntarily fight like that."

"Same." I leaned into her, closing my eyes. "Ha… I'm so..." I ached horribly. My injuries burned. I had scrubbed my skin raw trying to get the feeling of blood off of me. I had also felt… I had no idea. "You should get some sleep."

"I somehow doubt I'm going to sleep after that!" She pulled away to sulk at me. "If anything, you're the one who should sleep."

"I am way too awake." And I was. Even as bone-crushing exhaustion seeped into me, I felt jittery. "We'll do… oh, what's that camping thing? Watches?"

"So, I sleep first, and then you'll sleep?"

"Yeah. I don't want both of us asleep." I shuddered, thinking about how lucky it was that we'd both been awake. If we'd been asleep… "So?"

"...Okay, so long as we take turns." Layla sighed and sprawled out on the bed. "Wake me when you get sleepy."

"I will."

To my intense amusement, Layla actually fell asleep pretty quickly. Probably everything catching up. I, however, remained jittery, so I got up to pace a bit, and even did a couple of basic dance moves, though the wounds made it difficult to do more. At some point, I decided I was tired of just walking about in my underwear, but that I also didn't want to sleep in the clothes I'd grabbed for tomorrow. So, after a moment of debating, I decided to just steal one of Ares's shirts to sleep in, because he said to make ourselves comfortable. And even if black looked horrible on me, I had to admit his shirt was very comfortable. I felt even better when I found where he stashed his bear and hugged it to my chest.

"The worst part is that there was something familiar about all of that," I whispered to myself, leaning against the window. Probably stupid, but the cool glass was comforting. "Something familiar about the smell. The blood…" If I closed my eyes, I thought I could hear screams. Smell smoke. Distant flickers of a memory, ingrained deep in my heart. Even if I couldn't truly remember it. But why would any of it be familiar? "Mom… Dad… what were you two doing? What are you doing now?" I wish I knew...

A quiet knock nearly made me scream, but I turned to see it was simply Ares coming back in, not saying a word as he moved about the room. He had some bruises and some scabbed wounds, but he also was surprisingly clean. It took a moment for me to see the damp hair and realize he'd washed up before returning. But then I was distracted by how slowly he moved, like he was carefully testing each muscle. And I thought of how much I ached. Even if he was used to it…

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. Ares glanced up at me, frowning slightly. "Too jittery to sleep, and I didn't want both of us asleep at the same time. Just in case."

"I figured that part," Ares replied. He continued frowning, setting his sword to the side. He must've cleaned it or something as it nearly shone in the darkness. "But is that my shirt?"

"...Yes?" I half-hid behind the bear, now embarrassed. "I forgot to grab a clean nightgown."

"Ah." He still looked confused, but shrugged and apparently decided to go with it. "We just got done with setting up patrols, and canvasing the castle. All attackers are either dead or are going to wish they are in a couple of hours."

"Wish they were?"

"Bramsel allows torture for interrogations." Ares grimaced. "As if that works."

"Should it matter if it works?" I felt nauseous again. Torture… it just seemed wrong. "I mean…"

"No, but the moral argument doesn't work with people like Bramsel." Okay, he had a point there. "I informed Bramsel that you and Layla were both attacked, so someone will be by to clean and fix your room in the morning."

"Thank you." I watched him walk to the dresser and pull out a couple of things. "What are you doing?"

"Grabbing a change of clothes. I'll stay in an empty guest room until your room is repaired."

"We can't steal your whole room!"

"I'm 'lending' you it." He smiled faintly, and I scowled, feeling aggravated. "Regardless, it should be safe to sleep. I did some of the patrols myself."

"That does make me feel better." Ares didn't seem like the type to shirk. "But Ares?"

"Yeah?" He draped the clothes over his arm and grabbed his sword's sheathe. "What is it?"

"You never answered my question." I made sure to look him right in the eye. "Are you okay? You look…" He looked like he was in pain. Every little wince, every careful movement… it all implied 'pain' to me.

"Nothing I'm not used to." He continued smiling, but I felt my heart hurt. "You should get some rest." He sheathed his sword and headed for the door. "I'll check on you in the morning."

"Ares…" I could only watch as he left and I sat on the bed, staring at the door. "I don't… want you to be used to pain, though…" It was pointless. The world just freaking hurt. But I still… "I really do want to help you." How did I do that, though? Regardless of the lovey-dovey feelings, he was… he was a friend. And I hated feeling like I was just 'taking' in a friendship.

But Ares never seemed to want anything. So, what was I supposed to do?

---

The weeks after the attack were tense. Security was upped significantly, and many of the mercenaries were sent out on daily patrols through the city. Ares, however, was often sent outside the city to deal with various 'bandits', leaving on almost a daily basis. I got in the habit of greeting him when he returned, mostly to reassure myself. Things always felt safer when I knew he was near. Probably because he'd saved me so many times. ...And because I was in love with him. It was more than a little embarrassing actually, especially since Layla would tease me relentlessly. But, at the same time, I didn't mind. Love really made you weird.

"Welcome back, Ares," I said, smiling warmly up at him as he dismounted. The first couple of times I'd done this, he'd given me a weird look, but now, he simply rolled his eyes and smiled back. "How many did you scare today with your glare of doom?"

"I haven't glared at anyone," Ares protested, shaking his head. He handed the reins of his horse to one of the stableboys, and returned his attention to me. "You exaggerate."

"Maybe just a little." I giggled, and glanced around. As usual, Javarro gave me a dirty look before scoffing and going about his business. He didn't seem to approve of Ares and me being friendly, for whatever reason. But he at least kept quiet. "Mind if we head in before your fellows start commenting on my fine ass and boobs again?"

"Probably a good idea." Ares glared when someone next to us opened their mouth, and they immediately 'eeped' and retreated. "Idiots."

"Come on, come on!" I took his arm and tugged him after me, ignoring the wolf-whistles and the like. Ares glared again over his shoulder. "Relax. I'm used to it. Dancer and all."

"They can still mind their damn manners." Ares rolled his eyes, but relaxed once we were safely in the castle. "So, what have you done today? Rest in your new room?"

"Yep!" Due to the extensive damage, and mess, Bramsel had just ordered us to move to a different room entirely. Fine by me, since the new room was different enough that I felt mildly safe in it. Ares helped us move our things. "Layla is checking over our outfits for tonight's dance." I looked up at him, studying his face, and sighed when I noticed something. "You're wincing."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not." I rolled my eyes and poked his side. And gasped when he flinched. "Sorry!" But that just solidified my certainty. He was injured. "Let me treat it."

"It's not that bad."

"Let me treat it."

"Lene, it's really not that bad."

"Let. Me. Treat. It." I smiled brightly at him and he sighed and raised his free hand in surrender. "Excellent."

"Don't you need to check on things for your dancing?"

"Just told you that Layla is doing that for me." Or, rather, Layla had insisted on it. To give me more time to spend with Ares. Because my very best friend did love teasing me ever-so-much. "You've medicine in your room, right?"

"Yes?"

"Perfect!"

Ares insisted on bathing first, probably a good idea anyway, so I actually left briefly to make sure Layla was okay. She was, and the mischief in her smile told me I wasn't going to hear the end of 'playing nurse to my crush' anytime soon. But that was for then. In the present, I was tending to Ares, a little happy at being able to actually help him with something, for once. With that said, I was actually startled because.. Well…

"I don't think I have ever seen you so injured before?" I whispered when I was almost done with cleaning his injuries. Ares sat stiffly on his bed next to me, moving only when I asked. He was really too injured to be moving. He had bruises, cuts, and gashes all over his torso and abdomen. "Well, maybe with wall. By the way, Bramsel is finally getting around to fixing that."

"Probably due to the attack reminding him the purpose walls serve," Ares grumbled. He shook his head and winced. He had a bruise at the base of his neck. "About time."

"I suppose he hoped to save some money." I dabbed a bit of bruise balm on that bruise before returning to cleaning the wound on his side. The one I accidentally agitated, and the last one I had to clean. "How did you get the bruise on your neck?"

"Someone tried stunning me." He rotated his right wrist, hinting it hurt too. "It didn't work."

"I see." Wounds successfully cleaned, I moved away briefly to get a towel to dry his hair a little more and then hunted for bandages. "I am so confused."

"About?"

"How injured you are." I found the bandages and sat next to him to bandage him up. "When we were attacked, I saw you take a bad hit, yet the wound already scabbed over. Yet here, you've got…" I gestured to the various injuries. "But there's no weird fast healing thing?"

"That's…"

"And don't tell me I was imagining things." I scowled up at him. "I know what I saw."

"You're not imagining things, and I don't recall saying you were." Ares sighed. "I just didn't want to explain right then. That's all."

"Just so we're clear." I nudged his arm so that he'd lift it and I could better bandage him. "Do you want to now? Or should I wait?"

"I…" Ares fell silent, and I did as well, simply waiting for him to decide. I was fine with either. Just knowing there was an explanation was enough. "You once asked about the mark on my back."

"I did." Strange subject change, but I'd go with it. "It's a pretty unusual tattoo."

"It's not a tattoo. It's a Mark." The way he said the word implied a capitalization. "A Holy Mark."

"Oh, that's…" I paused in bandaging, realizing just what he said. "Oh. That's…" I looked at it, wondering if that was why it had 'buzzed' before. "Fancy-smancy thing."

"Fancy-smancy thing, yes." He smiled slightly, in amusement, but there was something tired to it as well. "I have Holy Blood."

"And so, that heals you?" I frowned. "No, wait, that can't be right. You'd be healing now if that were the case."

"Right. The healing thing is because…" He looked to the side, at his sword. "Because of my sword. Mystletainn, the Demon Blade."

"Well, that's an ominous…" I trailed off, remembering the songs of the crusaders. Hezul with Demonic Blade… "That's an Holy Weapon."

"It is."

"Then that would mean…" I stared, dumbfounded. "You're a Major."

"I am." He smiled faintly. "Specifically, I am the Hezul Major."

"...I thought you said your…" Well, then again, all he ever said about his parents was...

"My mother was a noblewoman. My father was a knight of Agustria." He smiled sadly at me, expression somewhere between 'too hurt to cry' and 'wanting to sob'. "My father was the greatest of knights, the ideal all others strove for. Eldigan the Lionheart. And his best friend took advantage of his good nature and betrayed him." He relayed the story softly, and I winced as I thought of the songs in town. The tale of the Lionheart's fall… Ares had to listen to people make songs about his father's death. "Thanks to his treachery, tt was dangerous to remain in Nordion after that, so Mother took me to Leonster, with her relatives. She died when Leonster fell. I didn't."

"Ares…"

"We had been running with some people, but she had to fall back because all the stress… it weakened her health. So, she couldn't run as much, tired more quickly. And then the ceiling collapsed, separating us from… whoever we were with." He related the story softly, distantly. His eyes were unfocused, and I wondered if he was 'seeing' that horrible day. "I think it was my aunt and uncle. It would make sense."

"What were their names?"

"I don't remember anymore." He focused on me, smile now bitter. "I remember my aunt had gold hair like mine, like Father's. I remember my uncle had blue hair, and was a Leonster Knight. But I can't remember their names. I'd honestly forget Father's if not for the fact that everyone really likes making songs of his end." He closed his eyes, still smiling bitterly. I winced again. "Mother said something about finding another way, and so, we ran down a different hallway. And then the wall went. She pushed me ahead, and all the rocks fell right on her."

"That's…" I thought of when the wall fell. How Ares had immediately run to the child crying for their mother, and how Ares had cleared the rubble without pause and without help. "How long…?"

"She died instantly. Of course, I was five and barely understood death, so I tried to push the rocks off and help her out. But I was too weak." He opened his eyes and looked to his hand, laughing hollowly. "Hezul's strength comes gradually. Stronger than a normal five year old doesn't mean much to rocks. So, I sat there, calling for help. And, eventually, Javarro found me. Me, and Mystletainn."

"The Demon Blade."

"Called such because of its ability. It drinks the blood of its enemies and uses the lifeforce within to heal the wielder." He looked to me again, shaking his head. "So, that's what you saw. That was the difference between then and now. This time, I didn't have a chance to steal someone's life to fuel mine. Again." He smiled bitterly once more. "Quite the parasite, huh?"

"That's not…" Parasite? Honestly, Ares was the furthest thing from that. Though, I did wonder if his insistence on clinging to those more idealistic traits was a way to 'balance' Mystletainn. Then I wondered if it was a little boy's desperate attempt to hold onto his parents, parents he lost too quickly and too violently. "Does it hurt?"

"Pardon?" He frowned. "What are you…?"

"The healing? Does it hurt?" I tied off the bandages and made sure to look him right in the eye. His own widened, like he hadn't expected that. "Or is it just when you're first hit?"

"...No, it hurts. I still feel pain, and healing is… surprisingly painful." He looked to Mystletainn, resting innocently in the corner. "There's no convenient numbing. I feel the injury stitch itself back together."

"So, you're always in pain when you fight then?"

"No different from anyone else." He shrugged, unbothered. "I'm used to it."

"That's…" Impulsively, I hugged him, dragging him down a bit so that I could cradle him. It was a bit awkward, because he was so much bigger than me, but I think I managed well enough. Though, he did stiffen, startled. "I wish I could take the pain away. You're so nice."

"...I never know what to make of you." Slowly, he relaxed and I tightened my hug on him. "I really don't."

"Must be so aggravating, getting confused by someone." I had to tease and he chuckled, acknowledging the little barb. "But I suppose that's fine. You learn because you get confused, right?"

"Yeah. I suppose so." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Do you mind if I rest a little?"

"Go ahead." I tried to not smile or blush. I didn't feel like either would be appropriate. "I'm not going anywhere."

We stayed like that for a while, just content in the silence. Then he thanked me, for the hug and the bandages, and I left to go get ready for the night's dance. I was extra determined tonight, because of what I'd heard. Because Ares liked my dancing. It reminded him of happier times. And that's why dancers like me were important. We brought a bit of color back to the world, even when it was a screwed up mess of a place. And that was important, no matter what anyone else thought.

---

The end of the year was always a chaotic time. Mostly because of the aptly named 'End of Year' festivities. Lots of parties, lots of family time… for Layla and me, it used to be our most lucrative event. Even now, we were being paid extra to dance on the big stage for it, which meant lots of extra practice. And a lot of fussing over what to wear.

"Okay, we need to simply pick one, stick with it, and then work from there," I growled, feeling horribly frantic and antsy. I even glared at the outfits spread out on the bed like my indecisiveness was all their fault. "Otherwise, we're never going to finalize things."

"The festival just started, so we still have a few more days before the show," Layla pointed out calmly. As if she wasn't weighing out options for bracelets at the moment with a similar feeling of 'ah, not enough time'. As in holding them in her hands and literally 'weighing' them. "And it's just another show."

"We've never been on the 'big stage' before, though." We'd always just put on shows on the street corners in the market. "Ugh… okay, here's a new thought." I turned to her. "We pick one accessory that we just have to wear for it, and then we'll pick from there."

"Just one?" Layla looked pointedly at the table, completely covered in jewelry. Then at the closet door with was draped with all sorts of scarves. And then at the desk where all of our hair stuff was. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." I paused. "Well, two. I'd like it if we wore our matching earrings."

"Oh, yes, we definitely need to!" She plucked them easily from the pile on the table and cleared a small space to keep them separated. "That limits it some already."

"Yeah." Of course, then there was picking the 'one'. Which should've been hard. But my eyes automatically went to the pink and white lace ribbon Ares bought me, and I picked it up with nary a second thought. "This one."

"That'll be easy to pick an outfit around." Layla giggled, though, smirking. "But that's the ribbon Ares bought you, yes?"

"...Maybe." I refused to admit it, even though it was damn obvious. "So, pink. Fine by me. Oh, there's that pink and gold outfit I just got…"

"That'll be good." Layla continued smirking. "You know; I heard that if you confess during the End of Year festivities, the gods will bless you and your union."

"That's silly! You made that up!" I had to cover my face to hide my blush, even as I hunted for the outfit I was thinking of. "B-besides, what would he see in me anyway?"

"A cute girl who always brings a smile to his face?" Layla hugged me from behind, resting her chin on my shoulder. "A sweet girl who worries over him?" She giggled, leaning on me. "Come on, Lene. Give it a chance, at least!"

"And if I make a fool of myself?"

"I'll handle the revenge part~!" She winked, skipping back. "That's what best friends are for, after all."

"...Maybe." I finally found the outfit and held up the bottom part, studying it. "Mmm… some red and gold maybe?"

"Don't change the subject!" Layla sighed gustily and leaned on my back again. "But yeah, go with the red scarf, but the gold jewelry with more blue gems for your earrings?"

"That'll really bring the selection down." I had to laugh. Probably the first time something related to Ares reduced my frustration. Well, not really, but it was still amusing. "Okay, so…" A knock on the door made both of us pause. "You expecting someone?"

"No?" Layla frowned and she held herself hesitantly. "Who is it?"

"It's Ares." Both of us relaxed as soon as we heard him. Certainly weren't in danger with him around. "Do you mind if I come in?" he asked. "I have that makeup you wanted me to get."

"Oh, perfect!" Layla cheered, rushing over to open the door. I hung back, feeling embarrassed. "Thanks so much for that. I hope you didn't get too many odd looks?"

"If I did, I didn't pay attention." Ares shrugged as he walked in with a basket full of things. And did a double-take at everything we had scattered about. "Planning on opening a stall?"

"We have lots of choices for the show, and we're slowly whittling it down." Layla took the basket and went over to the desk to set the things out. "Oh, you got us some balms as well?"

"I was passing by, so I figured it wouldn't hurt." Ares lingered in the doorway, still looking at everything. "I knew you two had a lot of things for your dancing, but I never realized how much."

"Maybe we should ask you to help us."

"I can already tell you that my reaction will be to smile and nod." He hesitated a bit and then looked at me. "That said, are you free, Lene?"

"Uh… well, mostly?" I replied automatically, startled. He'd never asked that before. "Why?"

"I was wondering if you'd mind riding with me," Ares explained, smiling slightly. I didn't even need to look to know Layla was practically vibrating with glee. "There's a place that I think you'd like."

"Ah, that does sound like fun." Even if I'd never ridden a horse before. "Though…"

"Oh, Lene, you don't have to stick around to help me!" Layla immediately 'reassured'. She was grinning like the cat that caught the pigeon, and she took the outfit from me. "I'm going to be debating so much anyway, and you've already got your outfit mostly settled." She nudged me towards the door and I had to resist the urge to groan. She was definitely enjoying this too much. "Go on!"

"We can go another day, if that'll work better," Ares offered. He frowned a bit in confusion, having no idea why Layla was acting like this. "I know you're busy and that this is important."

"I was just arguing with her about how she should take a break, so this is perfect!" She had done no such thing! "You two have fun, okay~?" And she outright shoved me at Ares, clear out the door, and shut it behind us.

"Is… is she okay?" Ares looked totally dumbfounded, and I'd probably be the same if I weren't so exasperated. And mildly distracted because he'd automatically caught me, meaning I was wrapped up in a very protective and warm hug. "That was a little…"

"Layla's just enthusiastic because she 'won' the argument," I sighed, reluctantly stepping away from him. Still, I managed a smile for him. It wasn't hard. "So, quick warning, I've never actually ridden a horse before."

"I'd be surprised if you had, but it's honestly not too far," Ares reassured, looking at me with a faint smile. "That said, if you're busy…"

"There is no way Layla is letting me back in the room for at least an hour." I clasped my arms behind my back. "So, shall we?"

Riding a horse was… it was a strange mix of 'oh, not as bad as I thought' and 'oh, god, this is so much worse'. The latter was because while I knew horses were big, there was a difference between standing by one and being on one and being way off the ground. The former was because Ares continuously checked on how I was doing, and clearly knew what he was doing. However, even with that, there was a sense of nervousness as we left the city boundaries. I'd never stepped foot outside of Darna before. I'd always lived there. I probably always would. And I never thought about exploring the area around Darna. But maybe I should've because the oasis Ares brought me to was absolutely gorgeous.

"Wow…!" I breathed, giggling as I skipped along the edges of the blue-green water. I thought about running around the whole thing, but it was huge, so I decided against it. "Where did you find this?"

"Had to escort a couple of Loptyr priests a couple of weeks ago, and found this while I was waiting for them to stop complaining about the heat," Ares explained, loosely tying his horse to the branches of a tree. I didn't know what kind it was. Some sort of palm, perhaps? "I imagine it's prettier when more things are flowering."

"We'll have to come back to see that!" I spun and decided to splash a bit in the water. It was fascinating, seeing the water ripple out. I wondered how it got such a beautiful color. "I'm surprised that it's so empty considering…" I glanced back and pointed to where Darna was still within sight. "I mean…"

"Darna's got its own water supply, and it's farther than it looks, thanks to Darna being situated on a cliff." He shrugged. "I imagine this oasis served as a last stop when trading through the desert was common. Now, though..." He pointed north, up to the shadowy building just barely visible on the horizon, up on some distant cliffs. "The priests like keeping the desert empty. Probably to lessen the chances of someone finding their prisons."

"I imagine so." But that was too serious of a topic. This was a beautiful place. A fun place. I wanted to have fun. "So, Ares?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you thought of what you want?"

"What are you…? Oh, that." Ares sighed and I laughed. "Actually, yes, I did think of something."

"You did?" I grinned, bouncing a bit in excitement. The water splashed about my ankles, delightfully cool. "Well?"

"May I have a dance?"

"A dance?" I tried to not pout, because that seemed far too simple. "Shouldn't you be used to my dances by now?"

"They're too pretty to get 'used to'." He smiled slightly. "But that wasn't quite what I meant." He held out his hand, and I realized after a moment what he did mean. "I can somewhat remember the balls in Leonster."

"Ha… well, it's not my normal dances, but I do know some. Mostly the versions at festivals, though." I took his hand with a smile, letting him pull me from the water. "So, is this a 'dance together' or me teaching you?"

"It's more of the latter, I'm afraid. I'm going entirely off a very old memory." His smile grew, and he laughed softly. "So, this will be secret."

"Can't let anyone know that the big bad Black Knight has a weakness, huh?" I giggled, delighted. "Okay, let's start first with posture and position."

Ares wasn't kidding when he said it would be 'teaching' him. He had some sense of grace and rhythm, possibly due to battling, but he did struggle with remembering where to put his feet. He actually nearly tripped and fell in the water at one point, to my amusement. But he kept on smiling, and I kept on laughing as we slowly, if awkwardly, danced together by the oasis. There was something rather magical about the moment, really. I was sad when I noticed the sun setting because that meant we had to stop.

"Well, I think we got you to 'respectable'," I teased, giggling. Ares rolled his eyes, but smiled still. "Bit more practice and maybe Layla and I will drag you into a show."

"Please no," Ares instantly retorted. I simply laughed. "My thanks for being a wonderful teacher, however." He bowed respectfully to me, and went to get his horse. Who had been very well behaved, probably because of the easy access to water and vegetation. "We should head back, though."

"Yeah…" I sighed, not really wanting to. I was still bubbly and giddy. "We should do this again."

"We should." Ares smiled kindly and brought his horse over. "Here, I'll help you up again."

"Thank you." However, an impulse, born from how giddy I was, overcame me, so when Ares reached over to help me, I leaned up and kissed his cheek. Right by his mouth. "Ah…" And I blushed horribly when I realized just what I did. "Um…" Made all the worse by how he stilled. Way to go me, making things awkward shortly before I had to ride back with him. "Er…" And this became more and more awkward the longer he didn't react. "So… um…"

"Okay, that happened." Ares sounded perfectly calm, looked it too, and irritation nearly flooded me, even as my face burned from mortification. "That definitely happened."

"Yes, we don't need a commentary of me making a fool of myself." I looked down, tears pricking my eyes. I'd known it was pointless. Curse that damn impulse. "So, anyway, I-"

"Lene." He gently tipped my face up and leaned in, brushing his nose against mine. My thoughts stilled. "May I kiss you?"

"Eh?" So close. Couldn't think.

"May I kiss you?" He was smirking. I knew he was. "Please?"

"...Yes…" I closed my eyes and smiled as he kissed me gentle, if a bit hesitantly. But it was sweet. Sweet… and mine. "I love you."

"I love you as well." He smiled softly at me. "We'll make it work."

"We'll certainly try!" I wasn't so certain it would. He was a mercenary. He'd leave one day, more than likely. But, at the same time, I couldn't help but take that leap of faith anyway. Ares kept on surprising me, after all. Maybe… just maybe… he'd surprise me again. "For now, I'd like another kiss, please."

"Of course."

We kissed quite a few more times before riding back to the castle, laughing and basking in the glow of a successful confession. Like we were simple young adults living in a simple world, and not… well, not what we actually were. I was probably the stupidest girl in the world, taking this chance. But, for the moment, I was also the happiest. It would be enough, for now.

---

Author's Note: So, have a Lene POV, detailing her meeting and falling in love with Ares. Funnily enough, I had this oneshot planned before the banner in Heroes introduced them. Bit longer than the previous ones, but it also covers about a year's worth of time. There's no real mention of how long Ares and Lene have known each other prior to the start of Gen2, so I picked this at random, where they met early in 778 and started dating towards the end of that same year. (Reminder, Memoirs of the Holy War has Gen2 start in 779.)

Layla is actually Lene's substitute char, and I thought it would be fun if the two a) both existed and b) were friends. The mentions of Layla being 'charming' is because Layla's lone skill is the charm/charisma skill. Lene being better at combat is because, due to Holy Blood and the like, she has better stats and better survivability (hello, Miracle). No, we're not going into 'which one is better' discussion. Please don't bring it up. I don't care.

The mention of make-up, the importance of keeping up appearances, and how a dancer was supposed to bring 'color' to the world (and give energy to them) all come from Lene's various dialogues in Heroes. The earrings and ribbon mentioned in story are based off of Lene's art in Heroes. The injuries are because it is damn common for dancers to injure themselves, and it is very physically taxing (a friend of mine actually had to stop dancing because of the damage to her feet). Lene wondering about her stamina is because she is unaware of her Holy Blood (and her Mark faded/hidden is similar to Yuria/Julia's in Memoirs of the Holy War). However, as a Major Bragi, she's got a large resistance growth (65%, the highest any second gen char can have), which is partly why she was able to endure a Loptyrian Priest's spell in the past.

The sword mentioned is the… well, I suppose it's officially the 'Safeguard' sword thanks to Heroes (but we'll see how consistent that remains), but it's also known as the 'Defense Sword'. It's a special sword that gives a +7 to the wielder's defense stat, and can only be obtained by Sylvia via a special event in Game-Chapter 4 (she has to visit a certain village). Lene will often inherit it from Sylvia (probably why Heroes gave it to her). Lene's backstory of being abandoned by Sylvia is directly from the game, though there's no indication in game that she remembers any other member of her family.

Javarro finding Ares in the aftermath of the Fall of Leonster is canon, as is Grahnye dying during said fall (though, iirc, there's no mention on how she died). Mystletainn having the runesword/earth sword ability is something from the patches, not the main game, added to the story to give a reason for why it's called the Demon Sword as it is in canon. Heroes notes that Ares has spent most of his life on the battlefield and, thus, is uncomfortable in more luxurious settings. Him valuing the ideals of knighthood even after being a mercenary for so long comes from a Castle Line in Heroes, where he happily mentions that his father is exactly as his mother described him: the ideal knight. Just like in-game, Ares has no idea the true circumstances behind Eldigan's death, and only really knows about it via the songs and tales.