Author's Note: Hey everyone. I am truly sorry about the lack of updates for half a year. My plan of once a week got decimated by real life obligations. This is my attempt to get back on the band wagon, so hang with me. I promise I still haven't given up on it. I never will. I also read a comment that really gave me a boost in confidence. Time to write.

Chapter 14: Blood of Pride

Will supposed that as his plans advanced he became more distant from the members of the Fang. No one seemed to notice, as Will carried out the missions as their tactician. Jaffar and Nino were one of the few who did. If anything, they seemed to secretly support his bid for freedom. He really appreciated that. He was finally beginning to feel like they were friends.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nino asked, looking down at Will's plan again.

"Yes, I'm just a little stressed." Will said, shooting her a reassuring smile.

"Well… I suppose planning a big escape must be hard." She said, placing a finger to her forehead thoughtfully. She gave up quickly and probably hadn't understood all that much.

"It is." Will said simply.

"Of course, you'll come back and visit, right?" She asked innocently.

"I…" Will sighed. He doubted highly he would ever return here. But Nino knew the secret now, and he didn't want to give her a possible reason to let her tongue slip for fear of never seeing him again. So he lied. "Of course I will." Nino beamed before skipping off, leaving Will alone with Jaffar.

"You know I'll have to kill you." Jaffar told him in his no nonsense tone. It was always the same with him.

"Business is business." Will replied, looking back down at the plans and making a tiny note.

"You still plan to…" Jaffar intoned, trailing off.

"Yes. If I run fast enough, the Fang can't keep up." Will said confidently, making another mark.

"They always find a way." Jaffar said darkly, lowering his head.

Will set down his writing tool, rolling up the plan with a sigh. "I know." Jaffar looked at him sympathetically. "If it comes to that, I hope it is by your hand." Will said, with the smallest of respectful bows to his weapons teacher.

"It would be my honor." He said, bowing slightly in return.

"And…" Will said, making him look up. "Don't tell Nino." He looked at the smiling girl who was only now reentering the room, and nodded.

The past is dark, the present darker. I only hope I can make the future brighter.

With one final note in his journal, Will slipped it into his cloak pocket, before deciding to head for bed. Tomorrow was a big day.

Their march continued, generally in good spirits. Kent had elaborated on a plan he had been sitting on for some time, and Will had readily agreed to it the day before. "The plan is this." He had said, while Will listened closely. "The Marquis of Araphen seems sympathetic to our plight."

"Ah, so we restock our supplies and try to pick up a few extra hands there, eh?" Will had concluded, before Kent had time to finish. "Sounds like a plan." He said, and Kent smiled.

The rest had gone fairly smoothly. Sain had been stuck on hunting duty with Serra, much to his dismay, as she took every opportunity to flirt with the big flirt. When faced with someone of similar caliber Sain didn't seem to stack up very well.

"What happened to that brash guy filled with confidence that all the ladies loved him?" Dorcas said, slightly amused.

"He met Serra." Erk replied simply, which caused the older man to laugh.

"Is she really that bad?" Wil asked, packing up the extra supplies.

"You don't know the half of it." Erk muttered darkly, and the other two raised an eyebrow, and then gave a wary glance to where Sain and Serra had disappeared.

Sain hadn't been willing to disclose what had happened; only Will caught his mutterings that knight of "Crazy screaming loon…," "Never again…," and "I'll kill him…" which made Will hastily retreat.

Florina had stayed silent most of the time, but changed Will's bandage that night as he talked animatedly to Lyn about what he thought Sain had suffered through. They had a good laugh imagining it, until Serra came in and demanded to be, in her terms, "Part of your talk for I am the queen of gossip."

Why she bragged about that, Will didn't know.

Lyn was also acting secretive about something lately. Most of the men in the camp thought it was just a girl thing.

Florina knew that it wasn't.

"I know it's too much to ask for, Florina, I know." Lyn whispered to her firend.

"You've only known him for a little while!" Florina whispered back. In spite of her trusting demeanor, her fear for Lyn won out on this occasion.

"So have you! You have to agree he's the best one to help me do it!" Lyn hissed back.

"Lyn… shouldn't you talk to him first?" Florina said with a knowing look. Lyn's habit of springing surprises on friends was not one that helped.

"I will… soon… I think…" Lyn said, trailing off sheepishly.

"You're a bad liar, you know that?" Florina said with a smile, and the two girls shared a laugh.

After a moment, their laughter died down. "Bringing back my tribe… won't be easy." Lyn said sadly.

"And he was part of what destroyed it." Florina continued, though she knew that piece of information was one Lyn had tried to forget.

"That's why I think he'll help bring it back." Lyn said, trying to defend her stance.

"Out of pity?" Florina asked.

"No… out of friendship." Lyn said with a nod to herself.

Will decided to track down Lyn, though he wasn't entirely sure whether or not to address her recent behavior. He wasn't one that should be talking about suspicious actions at the moment. Thankfully he already had a grasp of the situation.

"Out here sewing again Lyn?" Will asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Yes, I want to finish it by the time we get to Caelin." Lyn said with determination.

"For Florina, right?" He said with a slight smirk.

Lyn whipped around, surprise written on her face. "What? How did you…?"

Will laughed. "Lyn, it's written all over your face."

She sighed. She didn't like it when her plans were ruined like this. Somehow Florina always saw through her, and Will was getting increasingly good at it.

"I think I know what it's for too." He said, that knowing look on his face telling her she wasn't free of this interrogation.

She nodded. "Florina's the closest to family I have. If I were to ask anyone… I'd start with her."

Will kneaded his forehead, trying to ignore a momentary jab of pain. "Good to hear." He said, managing a smile. The rest of the night passed away as Lyn sewed, Will sitting by her side.

Now they were very near to Araphen, and their march resumed. Will had written in his journal again, and at the quiet questioning of Florina, decided to read it aloud.

At last we have arrived at the land of Lyn's (He did remember to say Lyndis's, as he didn't want the knights on his case for it) mother's origin. Lycia is a federation of territories, each one ruled by a powerful Marquis. After my great success at being poisoned, we hurry towards Araphen in the hopes that the Marquis will extend us his aid.

"No lies this time, eh?" Wil said, laughing.

"Hey, those turned out to be true. Besides, it felt like bad karma to say something like 'Lundgren has prepared a surprise welcome' you know?"

"And yet you just said it." Dorcas said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh shut up." Will said wearily. The others laughed.

They reached the city only for Will and Kent to ride off towards the castle without so much as a goodbye. Lyn knew they'd be back soon but she couldn't help but worry.

"What city is this, anyway?" Serra asked Sain, who responded in a mechanical way. Erk sighed. Had she not listened to what Will said minutes earlier?

"Araphen. After Ostia, it is the second-biggest city in Lycia." Sain said with an almost robotic voice.

"It does seem awfully busy…" Lyn said, glancing around at all the people in the square.

"When will the other two be back, do you think?" Wil asked, also looking curiously around the square.

"Soon probably." Sain said, peering over the crowd on his horse. "Ah, there they are!"

Will and Kent were riding back swiftly, and made their way strait to the others. "We should proceed to the castle." Kent said, smiling. "They've prepared supplies for us. The Marquis has agreed to lend us his aid on this journey."

Lyn looked taken aback. "He'll help us?"

"Araphen and Caelin have shared a steady friendship for years." Sain said, waving it off. "Once they told him of our plight, I'm sure he was more than willing to help!"

Not exactly… Will thought, turning his head away.

Kent sighed. Will had given up a necklace to the man in exchange for aid. The Marquis was not a pleasant or amicable ruler. The necklace had belonged to Will's mother. Kent regretted having been unprepared for the meeting, but Will's refusal to illuminate on the necklace also had him at a loss. It had looked to be a marvelous piece of craftsmanship from the brief glance he had seen.

"If we pick up some spare solders, we'll be that much better off. I'm getting better at directing multiple people." Will said, and everyone around shared a murmur of agreement.

'Sorry I can't help you in battle…" he said, looking at his right hand, which still bore a distinctive scar. The discoloration remained, though it hadn't gotten much worse than before.

"Nonsense! You've been a great help." Lyn said, patting him on the shoulder. He gave a half-hearted smile.

"Thanks Lyn-I mean Lady Lyndis." He corrected, making her laugh.

"What about us?!" Sain asked indignantly.

"Kent, you are very capable." Lyn said to the knight, who smiled. "I've very grateful for all of your help." She said, nodding to everyone else.

"I suppose you are capable as well." She said, finally looking at Sain.

"Of course we are!" He said, smacking his armor proudly. Even mentioned last his reception was top class.

"The castle awaits!" Wil cried, thrusting his fist into the air. They had taken only two steps towards their destination when Karma once more came back to haunt them.

"Wait a minute…" Dorcas said, looking up at the castle. "It's burning!" He yelled, pointing. Everyone looked.

"Enemies." Will said, pointing to a much closer area where men were approaching. Lyn walked out in front of the party to meet the men, one hand one her sword and Will at her side.

"Who are you?" She asked, one hand on her sword.

"Lyndis, right?" The bandit said, grinning wickedly.

"What do you-" She tried, but the bandit cut her off.

"No questions. Prepare yourself!" He yelled, jumping at her. Will caught something in the corner of his eye, and quickly reacted.

A nearby horseman was pulling out an arrow. Whether against them or their foe, he couldn't be sure. "Lyn, down!" He shouted, and pushed her to the ground rather ungraciously.

The arrow flew strait through attackers head. Lyn's eyes widened as she spotted the horseman, before breaking into a small smile.

"So… he saved us instead." She said, almost jokingly.

"Never can be too careful." Will said, shrugging back.

The horseman had ridden up to retrieve his arrow. Lyn got up and addressed him. Apparently she recognized him as a fellow plainsman.

"Who are you?" Lyn asked, taking a step forward. He reared his horse but didn't respond.

"Why did you help us?" Will said, examining the corpse of the man.

The man looked at Will, then at Lyn, and spoke. "I thought I saw a Sacaen Plainswoman in trouble. I see now that I was mistaken." When he said that, he nodded at her companions.

"But you are right! I am of Sacae! I am Lyn, the daughter of the chieftain of the Lorca." She said, giving him a bow of introduction.

"The Lorca? There were survivors?" He said, and Lyn nodded. He looked towards the castle. "You should leave. A blaze has started at the castle and is spreading. Do not waste the life I just saved."

"The castle… do you know what's happening?" Kent asked.

"How severe is the fire?" Sain added.

Rath looked back at them. "The castle is under attack, and the Marquis has been taken captive. That man…" He gestured towards the dead one, "Was one of them."

"I see…" Said Will, looking at the others. "We've got to help you then." He said this as though it was a fact, and it made the others stare.

Lyn, however, nodded her approval. "These brigades are after me. They are attacking the castle because of me! We must do what we can."

Rath considered this for a moment. "Very well, let us go then."

"You'll accept our aid?" Wil asked, cheerily. He was ready for battle.

"Yes. I am Rath, of the Kutolah. Our tribes may be different, but I will not abandon a woman of Sacae." He said, looking at Lyn the whole time he said this.

So the rest of us can crawl up and die, or what? A couple of them thought bitterly, including Florina and Will.

"Thank you Rath!" Lyn cried, making the others' scowls deepen. "A thousand blessings upon you!" Now this was just ridiculous. Will half expected them to just start making out right there. They had become invisible to the two.

"And a thousand curses upon our enemies!" He cried, his horse rearing. Then he rode to Will instead, which surprised him.

Meanwhile, our friend the thief had taken up to looking out the window in a house nearby. "Sheesh, that woman couldn't let me watch for free, since she's hiding and all. Oh well, I'll just swipe something from whichever side is going to lose…" He was watching as Rath put an arrow through the head of one of the men. "Ouch. Guess I'll stay off his bad side…" Matthew said, thinking hard.

"Once the Marquess is safe, my men can move in." Rath explained, as Will listened.

"Secret passage?" He asked, taking quick notes.

"An underground tunnel that leads strait to the throne room. There are three triggers that will open the doors. We need people to stay on them to keep them open, and once the passages is open, my men can move in. We need to defeat the enemies inside."

"The doors are locked though, and we have no keys…" Will said, absentmindedly waving his hands and directing the groups to form.

"Right. Kent, you and Sain check out the houses there." Will said, but Sain smiled.

"Already done!" He proclaimed, extracting a key.

"Well then, you and Kent take the switch over there." Will said, and the two knights rode off. The others went to the gates to try and figure a way inside, but Will went into a nearby house. He had the feeling someone was watching him…

Kent and Sain already met a resistance quite large, when Wil appeared. "Will sent me as back-up at the last second! I've already got three!"

Sain and Kent gave a little laugh, and plunged into the battle anew. Quickly the bandits were being scattered, but their attack had been so planned out, that it seemed like a larger force was behind it. Mark again? They could only guess.

"YOU!" Will and the man inside the house shouted, pointing their fingers in the other's face.

It took a moment for them to compose themselves. The thief spoke first. "Well, this is an unexpected turn of events. I didn't expect to run into you here."

"How do you know who I am?" Will asked.

"Come on. Maria's reports, duh. Her description of your face was to the T. I don't forget these things." The thief said with a grin.

"Uh-huh…" Will said.

"And how do you know of me?" The thief asked, jabbing his finger at himself now.

Will shrugged. "Maria showed me a picture of you. I remember those things. She also said you were 'her sister's lover.'"

Matthew turned red, and then quickly covered his tracks. "Well, looks like you're in a spot of trouble. Want me to help you?"

Will sighed. "I don't think I would need the help of a thief, or a spy."

Matthew made a 'tut' sound. "Then tell me how you plan to open the barrack doors?"

Will twitched. "I don't think that should concern you…" He said, trying to keep his voice level.

"Bulls eye!" Matthew laughed, making a 'bang' motion with his hand, as though he had hit the target right on. "Ah… don't be mad." He said, seeing Will's expression. "Hire me. For you, I'll even lower my normal rates."

Will hesitated, but he knew they didn't have time to argue about the help that came their way. "Fine. If you can really get those doors open, you're hired." He said. But before they left, he had to ask. "Why ally yourself with us?"

"Oh, well I had a front row seat of that little fiasco right then, and to tell the truth, you guys looked a lot more fun than the dead guy." He said, with such simplicity it was almost suspicious.

"Have it your way…" Will said, as he left the house.

"Time to get to work!" Matthew cried happily, and ran off. Seconds later, one of the barrack doors flew open, and Dorcas ran in, killing the few enemies that came near, and standing on the switch.

"First switch is a go!" He called. "Two more!"

That opened yet another door. A new passageway stretched in front of Will, Lyn, Matthew, Erk, Serra, Rath, and Florina.

"Oh-ho!" Matthew called, pointing out an obviously locked chest. "Would you look at that? Why not help ourselves while we're here?"

"Stealing is wrong." Will said simply, but Matthew didn't give up.

"Oh come on! You're so boring! You have to use all means at your disposal to win a battle, am I right?" He pushed.

"Not exactly." Will said, more avoiding the question than answering it.

"Look, let's just call it… an advance on our reward for saving the Marquis!" Matthew knew his way around words and it was better than the chest being stolen by bandtis.

Will couldn't find a good enough response to Matthew's comment, so he nodded.

"Alright! Treasure time!" Matthew called happily. Then he ran over, and opened the chest. He pulled out the item, one known as the angelic robe, and stuffed it into a bag. They'd deal with it later.

"The weird thing is…" Erk muttered, making Will turn to the Mage. "I heard that the Marquis hates Nomads. It is strange that Rath would be captain of the guards then. Perhaps the Marquis likes having them underfoot."

"Yeah, he said he didn't like the stink." Serra said, as Matthew rushed to the next door, followed by Rath and Lyn.

"Door's… open!" Sain called happily, and Kent nodded, as he cut off another bandits arm. Wil followed by plunging arrows into three more.

"Hah! I've got ten!" He yelled. Kent had gotten eight, and Sain only five, as the enemies here weren't as plentiful as they were back at the last stand of the Ganelon bandits.

Sain stood on the switch, and Kent stayed with him. Wil turned, and ran to where Will had told him the first switch was. He was Dorcas's back up.

Dorcas, however, had no trouble. Only two other bandits had attacked him, and he had taken them out easily with one wide sweep of his axe.

Suddenly, another passage opened. Erk's magic flew, destroying one archer. The other aimed right at Florina, but Will's sword was in his chest before he could fire. "Ow…" He muttered, clutching his throbbing right hand. He was doing his best to stay out of the fight, but he hated sitting back and doing nothing even more.

Now, the leader remained. Florina charged just as Rath came back around the corner, along with Lyn and Matthew.

"Lyn, you and Matthew stay back. Erk, you and Rath unleash some long-range attacks on him, Florina, take him out!"

The battle was short and decisive. Erk's blast of fire hit the leader, tearing off his armor. The next blow came from Rath's bow, and it hit the man's weapon hand, forcing him to drop it. He couldn't strike back as Florina and Huey came plunging down from the sky, her lance going right through his heart.

"Another nameless man, dying for who knows what…" Will muttered, pulling his sword out of the archer.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Matthew muttered, spotting Serra among the others. "God forbid she does anything useful…" He then effectively hid behind Rath's horse, seeing as she hadn't spotted him yet.

Florina landed on the switch. "This is the last one, so…" She said, and suddenly the passageway opened.

"Here it is!" Lyn cried. "You can take it from here, right Rath?"

"Yes." He said, and motioned to his men. They rode inside, moving quickly.

A short time later, all of them, including Rath, were with the Marquis in his throne room. "Ah! Rath!" He said, giving the Nomad a look of slight praise. "Well done."

"If you have any thanks," Rath said bluntly, as he seemed to always speak. "It should be given to this group."

"And who are you?" The Marquis said, looking at all of them, especially Lyn, with an icy stare.

"I am Lyndis." Said Lyn, unafraid of this treatment. "I'm pleased to see you well."

"Ah, Marquis Caelin's…" The Marquess trailed off. "Rath, leave us." He said suddenly, making everyone look at Rath in surprise. The nomad merely nodded, and left the hall.

As soon as Rath was gone, the Marquis rounded on us. "Do you know who is responsible for this uproar?"

Will stepped forward. "The work of Lord Lundgren, Lyndis's granduncle." He said, choosing to leave the Marquis in the dark about the Fang. It was dangerous enough as it was.

"Exactly." The Marquis said, as though this made his decision final. "Which means MY castle was damaged because of your family's petty inheritance dispute!"

Dorcas gave a gruff snort. He thought this guy was a stuck up prick. And what he did next just proved it further.

"When I heard Madelyn's daughter was in trouble, I thought to offer my aid, but I find that my mind has changed. I withdraw my offer." Marquis Araphen said haughtily.

This was so unfair that even Kent was driven to speak. "But my lord! You gave us your word!"

The Marquis flicked his eyes once at Kent, then back to Lyn. "You and the boy failed to mention the most important detail when you asked my aid."

"And what would that be?" Will said, through clenched teeth.

"She does resemble Madelyn, but I did not expect her to be so tainted with the blood of Sacae." He snorted. The beauty of a noble mixed heavily with one of the plains. It did not please him.

"What?!" Lyn half-shouted, taking a step towards the Marquis.

"The Marquis of Caelin would be more troubled than delighted to meet a nomadic mongrel such as this!" Araphen said through tight lips.

Sain took a step forward. "YOU…"

"Peace, Sain." Kent said, stepping quickly in front of him. "Lord Araphen, please grant us your aid!"

The Marquis turned. "I hear the Marquis is ill and abed. I question whether he'll live survive to meet this girl. If that is true, his brother will take the throne. I wish to avoid trouble with the upcoming Marquis." Marquis Araphen made a waving motion to force them from the room.

"You evil son of a…" Wil began, but Lyn turned away.

"We're leaving." She said.

"But Lyn!" Wil protested, surprised at Lyn's willingness to concede in front of this noble.

"I am proud of the Sacaen blood that runs through my veins." She said, rather loudly, so everyone in the hall could hear, even those happening to be listening from the outside. "I need no aid from someone who disparages my heritage. Come on."

They left the hall. Outside, everyone suddenly smiled, and then laughed, because the look on the Marquis's face had been one of absolute stupidity.

"Well done milady!" Sain cheered. "The Marquis is a lout!"

"We're all here with you Lyn." Florina said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Lyn turned. Both Will and Kent were bowing. It was Will who had spoken.

"Why are you apologizing?" She asked.

"We were… too concerned with your safety, and not enough about your feelings. We didn't…" Kent said, trying to speak, and for the first time, failing.

"Don't worry about it." Lyn said, waving it off. "You were putting me above everything else. I've seen that myself. So keep your chins up, okay?"

"Sure thing, milady." Will said, giving more of a mock bow this time, earning him a bop on the head.

"And why are you following us?" Will said, looking back at Matthew.

"Because I thought it would be fun!" Matthew said with a smirk, and Will sighed.

"BAH!" The Marquis raged, obviously lost in his own world. "Arrogant child! If she had just shed a tear, I would have granted her request. We lords of Lycia will never understand those prideful savages."

Rath stepped out from behind the pillar. He had heard it all. "Is that how you truly feel, my lord?" He asked and the Marquis spun around. Rath caught the anger in his eyes before he covered it with a false smile. How often had he seen that look?

"Rath? I… I didn't see you there." He said, simply. He had obviously said something he hadn't meant to in front of the man. "My comments do not reflect upon you at all. I am proud of your service."

Rath felt a twinge of anger surge through him. He couldn't help himself. "Of course. As long as we bend our knee to you, you don't care where we come from. But when an equal comes from my lands?" He glanced at the entrance, where Lyn and her comrades were heading out. "What conceit."

"How can you speak to me like that when I've treated you so well?" The Marquis replied, his face turning red with rage. "I pay and treat you better than YOUR kind deserves!"

"You will never understand." Said Rath, turning, and walking to the exit. "My service ends here." And he was gone.

"He said my grandfather was ill…" Lyn said, sadly.

"The closer we get, the more dangerous it will become." Dorcas said, also seeming a little down.

"I'm counting on all of you." Lyn said, smiling. Everyone smiled back, despite the nagging that was occurring at the back of all their minds.

"We'll be fine. We've got something they don't. We've got the best damned team I've ever seen." Will said, and everyone laughed.

"Will… thank you." Lyn said, looking as though a burden had lifted from her shoulders. "When I'm with you… and everyone else… I know that we can't lose. We'll make it in time. I know it! They can't break our spirit!" Everyone gave a sort of group cheer.

Before the Legion headed out, however, they heard the sound of hooves. Suddenly, Rath rode up next to Will and Lyn, giving a silent nod.

"Rath! What are you doing here?" Will asked, approaching the nomadic bowman.

Rath shook his head. "I heard the Marquis talking to himself. Lyn of the Lorca, proud daughter of Sacae… I would add my strength to yours."

Once again, Will felt slightly annoyed. Were the rest of them invisible and useless? And why did Lyn have to respond like that?

"Really?" She said, gleefully.

He nodded. Then suddenly, Will was visible again, as Rath handed him a sack. "Take this as well."

Will jiggled it, hearing the sound of coins inside. "Gold? No, we couldn't take this from you."

Rath smiled slightly. "I have no use for it. And if it aids you…" He turned, looking towards Caelin, which he knew because of the maps he had seen. "I will not take back something once offered. So you'll just have to keep it."

Will sighed, and handed it to Lyn, who also looked amazed. "Thank you, Rath." He nodded, and they were on their way.

Finally, somewhere to rest. Ninian flopped onto the bed, rather ungracefully for a dancer. Nils laughed.

"Sorry." Ninian mumbled, her eyes already closed. "It's just been so long since we've been able to sleep in a bed."

Nils nodded. "I heard Will is coming this way. If we're lucky, we can join up with him."

Ninian nearly jumped awake. "Really? That would be great! We haven't talked to him in ages!"

Nils gave her a look, one of his eyebrows raised. "Ninian…"

"I know." She said, rather aggressively. "Let's get some sleep. I bet we'll have a bunch to do in the morning."

"What, like fixing your hair?" Nils teased, and had a pillow thrown at him in return.

Lucius settled in, hearing the sounds of a little scuffle in the next room. From the sounds of things, two people were having a fight with their pillows. Most likely siblings.

He smiled slightly, lying back in his own bed. The life of a traveling monk was never easy. At least he had received good funding at his last job. He had been teaching the children of the blessings of St. Elimine for a school.

"Now I'll have some food for a while… but where should I head? Back to Caelin…?" He thought about this, unsure of what to do. "Perhaps."