Author's Note: I now own The Last Story. I haven't had a chance to play it much yet, but just from the prologue I was pretty excited to play around and have fun with it. Also my semester has been in full swing for a month now so I've been crazy busy with everything going on.

But I will not give up! I'm approaching some chapters I'm really excited to write and create, so my motivation is still high. This chapter is going to deal with a couple things that have been coming down the pipe for a few chapters while working on the character relationships as always.

Should be fun! Always remember, if you have a bit of time please leave a review! I love hearing what people think about the story and how it can get even better.

Chapter 40: To Speak or Remain Silent

An excerpt from the Tactician's journal:

We exited Caelin within a couple days. Merlinus' caravan sped up our progress a lot within that short period of time. Marcus and Wallace are the main two on protection detail for Merlinus' caravan. If anyone slips behind our lines those two are the best to stop them. It means I'll need to plan strategies without them involved in certain battles, but with our current forces I believe we can pull it off. I've been training myself with light magic everyday with the routine Lucius made me memorize, so even if we don't find another mage we may manage without it. Tomorrow, we'll reach Castle Laus. There, I hope Eliwood can find the answers he's been searching for.

"Ah, Eliwood!" Hector called, flagging down his friend. It had taken them only a short time to set-up camp, and while Lowen was once again on cooking duty (he had requested it) they had some time to talk. Hector knew there was another matter he needed to address tonight, but he wanted to talk to Eliwood and maybe get his help first. "Still alive and well?"

"You expected otherwise?" Eliwood asked, tying the rope end to the peg in the ground to secure the tent he, Hector and Will would be using for the night.

"No of course not." Hector laughed. "I knew you'd be fine. The battle a few days ago didn't seem to be too hard on you."

"It wasn't." Eliwood affirmed. "So, what do you want?"

"Oh uh…" Hector began. He was finding it harder than he wanted to ask for help. "Nothing much. Just checking in, making sure your resolve was still strong and you weren't overworking yourself. You tend to push yourself if I'm not around."

"I could say the same to you." Eliwood said.

"Me?" Hector laughed. "Don't you worry about me. I'm fine. Built tough and all that. A little too much is just fine for me. You've never been a very hardy one, Eliwood. You're not very used to traveling, either. Push yourself too much and you'll collapse."

"We're all weaklings compared to you, Hector." Eliwood smiled ruefully. "That's part of why I asked Will along. He's well-traveled, and as a tactician he'll prevent me from overdoing it."

"Hmm." Hector grunted.

"Besides, wars are not won by strength alone, right?" Eliwood continued. "We've been sparring several times a year since we turned twelve, and of our thirty matches I've won fourteen, lost twelve, and four were draws."

"Eh?" Hector asked, confused. "Hang on a second! That's not what I recall. I'm pretty sure we've had thirty-one matches. An even thirteen wins and losses, with five draws!"

"Yes, well, you recall wrong." Eliwood stated flatly. "I'm in the right."

"And what makes you so certain?" Hector demanded.

"Who was it that snored so loudly it shook the rafters of our numbers class?" Eliwood asked.

"Good point." Hector conceded.

"Still, I'm touched you were worried about me." Eliwood said, placing a hand on Hector's shoulder. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, I get it." Hector said.

"You sure that was all?" Eliwood asked.

"Yeah." Hector said. "I uh… I wanted to ask you something, but I think it's better I do it myself."

"I see." Eliwood said. "I'm sure you'll do what's right."

Hector nodded as Eliwood turned and walked away. "What's right, huh…"

"General Wallace." Marcus nodded to the bald man as he approached. It was one of the few times Marcus had seen the man out of his armor. Underneath he wore a plain farmer's outfit.

"Paladin Marcus." Wallace said with a laugh. "It's quite the honor to be fighting alongside you again."

"Ah yes, we worked together briefly during the Taliver conflict didn't we." Marcus said. "I had heard you retired."

"Lundgren forced me back into service." Wallace said. "I was forced to leave my farm right after my first harvest. Shame too, I thought I did a pretty good job."

"You helped Lyndis defeat Lundgren then?" Marcus asked.

"Naturally." Wallace said. "Older men like you and I, we can tell a person's character. I looked in her eyes, saw the passion, the caring, the desires she held. None of them were about Caelin or power. It was all about saving her grandfather to her."

"An honorable goal makes honorable men. Though that proverb applies to women just as well." Marcus said with a smile.

"I'm surprised to find you in good spirits." Wallace said. "I've grown used to the laddie over the past year, but to be shafted from the frontline to guard duty I thought would shaft your hide."

"It is… not my preferred placement." Marcus agreed. "I would prefer to remain at Lord Eliwood's side. However, Lord Eliwood has placed his trust in Lord William. If Lord William feels it is best for me to protect the merchant, I will do so."

"Well, it's not just protection." Wallace said slyly. Marcus looked at the older knight in confusion. "It's a bit of insurance as well. Merlinus' enthusiasm is nice, but not many people are happy to join a band looking for war."

"What about young Rebecca and the Sacaen Guy?" Marcus asked.

"Rebecca and Guy joined us in different circumstances." Wallace said. "Rebecca joined under oath to Lord Eliwood and is Pharaen. Guy joined under duress from Matthew, but he is Sacaen and is more likely to keep his word. As it is, Guy is almost always paired with someone just in case."

"I… hadn't noticed." Marcus admitted. "So this Merlinus is suspicious?"

"Possibly not." Wallace said. "There are dangerous people in the world, and if Merlinus is leaking information in some way, we need to cut him loose before it becomes a problem."

"So a Paladin and the 'Crag of Caelin' are insurance?" Marcus asked. "I'm not sure I enjoy knowing this either."

"There are dangerous people in this world who only deal in extremes." Wallace said. "While Will wants to believe in them, it is foolish to leave oneself open or believe that anything less than extreme measures can deal with them."

"Sounds more like the mentality of a Black Fang member." Marcus sighed. "Lord Eliwood does not stand for any injustice he sees."

"I know." Wallace laughed. "And so does that laddie. Precious few have the strength to believe in people. Will wants to protect Eliwood just as much as you."

"I see." Marcus said. "He wants to but doesn't have the luxury of believing in others. So he tries to help those that do."

"Well, with a little help from some older more experienced fighters like you and I." Wallace said with another laugh.

"Indeed. I suppose I'll check our weapons once more before we rest. We do reach Laus Castle tomorrow." Marcus said. "I hope we won't need them."

Bartre gasped as he fell to one knee. He had asked Will to help him set this up before, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult. Will had told him he was acting too wild in battle and wasn't paying enough attention to his comrades while fighting enemies. So they had rigged a makeshift moving targets game, where Will had draped certain shapes over certain targets. Each round, Bartre's focus was to shift. Circle was enemy, square was ally and triangle was civilian. After the round, each would shift over one. This would prevent Bartre from thinking only certain shapes or colors were allies while others were enemies and forced him to train his brain to see and process at a faster rate.

At this moment, Bartre knew he was failing miserably. When he wasn't missing, he was accidentally killing or injuring an ally or civilian at least once a round. Even though he felt a bit tired, he wanted to go one or two more rounds to try and improve. Every little bit helped and tomorrow was going to be a troublesome day.

"Oh, hello there." Oswin said, as he sat at the mess table. It was made of wood with legs that easily came apart and could be stored in Merlinus' caravan. It was one of the many benefits having Merlinus had given them. "You're uh… the father right?"

"Dorcas." Dorcas said, sitting across from the knight. "Though yes, my daughter was recently born."

"Yes well, nice to meet you." Oswin said. "Eliwood hired you while in Pharae, right?"

"In a manner of speaking." Dorcas said. "Though I do it as much for him as for the money."

Oswin nodded. Dorcas certainly struck him as an honorable man. In fact, looking him up and down, Oswin had to admit the man was very striking. He was well-built, and even though he was large he didn't give off the same intimidating aura most men outside of the knights tried to achieve. He felt warm and soft, though there was a layer of determination underneath to do what was necessary. "I am Oswin, knight of Ostia."

"I know." Dorcas said, though in a friendly manner. "You were introduced to us after Hector helped Eliwood in that fight."

"Lord Hector, yes." Oswin said, putting slight emphasis on Lord. "I must admit, you are well built for a man still relatively young in years."

Dorcas raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"These days, there are too many reedy men in the service. Why, with a suit of armor on some of them can't even move! But you… you would make a fine knight." Oswin said, nodding to himself as he continued to examine Dorcas' physique.

"What do you mean?" Dorcas asked with a small sigh.

"Have you considered joining the Ostian Knights?" Oswin asked, leaning forward. "We need men like you. Soldiers. Warriors."

"That's not my style." Dorcas said. "I'm the father, remember?"

"Oh come now, plenty of knights have families." Oswin defended. "Besides, wouldn't you like to wear mail like this, the proud symbol of our order?"

"Not really." Dorcas replied.

"So you began to travel right after I left the Kutolah?" Will asked, as he and Guy sparred. Their swords clanged off each other as the two passed. They paused for a moment to catch their breath.

"Yes." Guy said, panting a little more heavily. "I've always respected Rath, but until you visited I found it hard to embark on a journey myself."

"Why not come with us?" Will asked.

"I wanted to experience the world for myself." Guy said. "I suppose I hadn't thought it through."

"Seriously." Will said, as the two raised their swords once more. Will took a more defensive stance, while Guy raised his sword above his head, pointing it at Will's neck in the classic Kutolah stance. "You collapsed from hunger a mere few weeks from the plains."

"I regret every second since I accepted that deal." Guy grumbled. "Matthew is a true con artist."

The two charged at each other again. Will's blade slid off Guy's with a small scraping sound as the two side-stepped each other at the same time, making their blades separate before they came close to injuring the other.

"Shouldn't you be using magic at the same time?" Guy asked.

"It's still a little beyond me to do both at once." Will said. "Magic is mostly mental while blade work is physical, so it should be possible, but right now it creates too much of a strain to try."

"Well, you are thinking of tactics even during battle." Guy said. "It's a lot to keep going all at once. You'll figure it out."

"I suppose so." Will said.

"Mother Earth guides our feet and Father Sky guides our minds." Guy said. "Even if I regret my choices, I have found my way forward. It may not be what I hoped, but I will travel the path nonetheless."

"Right." Will said. The two raised their swords once more and charged. Guy started with a horizontal swipe that Will barely parried with his own blade before lunging forward. Guy recovered just in time to sidestep, raising his sword into a defensive stance as will swung diagonally upward. The clang was better than Will's previous strikes, but wasn't enough to make his hands shake. With a small step in, Guy smacked the dull side of his blade against Will's hand, making him drop the blade. Guy held the blade to Will's chest triumphantly.

"Looks like I win." Guy said.

"Looks like you do." Will sighed, rubbing his hand.

Serra was humming softly to herself as she, Matthew and Lowen sat around the fire. Merlinus was also sitting nearby, though the older man seemed to be running numbers on his stock in his head. They had added what they could over the past few days, so Merlinus had a lot of new things to keep track of on top of his usual merchandise he still planned on selling when he could.

Lowen was also humming softly to himself, but seemed not to be paying much attention to the other two as he carefully considered each piece he placed into the pot.

Eventually, Serra stopped humming and began looking at Matthew, who was lounging on the grass not doing anything in particular. "Matthew!" She hissed. The thief ignored her, though she could swear she saw his eyes force themselves shut. "Maaaaaaaaaathyoooooooooo! Listen to me! Hey!" Her voice got progressively more annoying as she continued. "I. Am. Going. To. Tell. Hector. You. Said. THAT. If. You. Keep. Ignoring. Me."

"Jeez, what is wrong with you?" Matthew asked, sitting up and opening his eyes.

"Well, you never wrote or came to visit me, even though you were the closest member of Lyndis' Legion around!" Serra huffed. "Here I thought we were going to be great friends, and then you just go back to pretending I don't exist…"

"It's impossible to do that." Matthew sighed. "Every time I heard about you it was always about some tongue lashing you gave some person who came in for healing! You even told off some pregnant woman during labor!"

"Yeah, because she kept doing heavy labor while she was pregnant with the baby!" Serra retorted. "Everyone knows women who are carrying are NOT supposed to be pulling heavy carts every couple days! She's just lucky I'm so good at what I do."

"Right…" Matthew said. "You sure you're one of St. Elimine's clerics? You sure you're not the follower of some dark, evil god?"

"That's mean Matthew." Serra growled. "Very, very, very, very, very, very mean! Are you trying to hurt my tender feelings?"

"Tender. Right." Matthew sighed. "Look, I apologize or whatever. We good?"

"Dinner is served!" Lowen said happily, ending their conversation before it went any further.

After dinner, a stew that contained meat, potatoes and cabbage which was very delectable, the group began to disperse. Lowen was called over to Marcus to do some training, Wallace went to help Merlinus with his checklist, Bartre, Dorcas, Serra, Matthew and Oswin retired for the night, while Will, Hector and Eliwood were left on their own. After seeing Rebecca sneak off, Eliwood went to speak to her.

"Lowen!" Marcus barked. "What is that?"

"General Marcus, I was just…" Lowen began.

"Have you forgotten everything I've taught you?" Marcus sighed. "Your vigilance in surveying the field has been subpar lately at best! The enemy can always catch you unawares! Do not let your inexperience cost us injuries! Worse yet, it could cost you or another a life! That could lead to the downfall of an entire unit! An army!"

"Yes sir!" Lowen saluted. "I understand!"

"You've got heart, but heart isn't enough!" Marcus instructed. "If you don't have steel in your mind as well as your body you won't deserve a knighthood!"

"Yes sir!" Lowen repeated, stepping forward and thrusting his lance at the target.

Marcus smiled. "But your lance thrusts are looking better!"

"Yes sir! As per general's instructions, I do one thousand thrusts every day!" Lowen responded.

"Idiot!" Marcus barked, back to his stern nature. Lowen shuddered as he continued to practice. "You are still but half a knight! A half Knight must practice twice as much as a full Knight! Do you think you can make progress while doing the bare minimum, whelp?"

"N-No sir!" Lowen responded, regretting having spoken.

"At that rate, you'll never become a knight like Harken and Isadora! If your goal is me, even more so!" Marcus demanded.

"Y-Yes sir!" Lowen saluted. "I will try harder!"

"Good!" Marcus nodded. "Then keep working!"

"Miss Rebecca?" Eliwood asked, peeking through the trees.

"Lord Eliwood!" Rebecca jumped in surprise, her shot falling to the ground. He had managed to catch her at her secret training ground. She called it secret, but it changed every night since they were always on the move.

"What are you doing?" Eliwood asked, looking at her makeshift targets.

"Umm… training?" Rebecca said, a bit flustered.

"Training your archery?" Eliwood said. Rebecca nodded. "Why in secret?"

"Well I…" Rebecca trailed off. "Ever since we left my village, I've felt a bit… out of place."

"That's bound to happen." Eliwood said kindly. "I felt out of place leaving the castle even though I know I needed to. It must be worse for you, having lived in that village your whole life."

"It's… not like hunting." Rebecca said. "Shooting bandits. Before that day, I'd only ever shot an animal. When I realize I'm fighting a human, even if they intend to harm us, I… my aim isn't what it should be."

"Just because you don't go for kill doesn't mean you aren't a help to us." Eliwood said. "Aiming for the weak spots in armor, making them drop their weapon or unable to move, isn't that good enough?"

"I just…" Rebecca sighed, rubbing her arm. "I want to be of use to you, Lord Eliwood."

"You are." Eliwood said.

"Not enough." Rebecca said. "I couldn't see very well in the dark either. I wanted to at least… try."

"If you want to try, if you want to get stronger," Eliwood said. "Then do it with us. Get stronger together. That way, you can really help."

"Lord Eliwood." Rebecca said. She didn't intend to blush, but Eliwood's words were so sincere and moving she found it hard to keep her cheeks from turning red as she nodded.

"Good." Eliwood smiled. "Then let me help you. If you're having trouble seeing in the dark, let's have you focus on a moving target. Aiming and firing your bow can come after that."

"Right." Rebecca said brightly.

"You wanted to talk, right?" Will asked, as he and Hector took first watch at the fire. Not everyone had retired, but their schedules had been set. Will slightly regretted using random draw to decide who was on watch when, but he needed it to be fair, even if he ended up with Hector for a few hours. Besides, Hector had said he wanted to talk.

"Yeah." Hector said. "It's… hmm. I'm not sure how to talk about this."

"It's not like you need to worry about tact with me." Will said.

Hector grunted. "Alright, fine. It's about… your parents."

"My parents?" Will asked.

"Right well… I mean… They were Lorca right?" Hector asked. He threw another log onto the fire to keep it going.

The way he refused to look at Will told him he was finding this as difficult as he was. The air, which was already awkward between the two of them, got significantly more so. "Yes, they were."

"And they… died aboard that ship… the one that sank?" Hector asked. "It's rare for passenger ships to go down, it was big news back then."

"Pirates don't attack them?" Will asked in confusion.

"Well, not usually." Hector said. "It's like a weird… code or something. Cargo ships only. Passenger ships are rare enough that if pirates attacked them nobody would ever go out on the sea."

"I see." Will said. "Yes, they were. They're dead now."

"Right. I wasn't trying to… argh." Hector growled to himself. "Was your mom… I mean… was she Lycian?"

"Lycian?" Will asked. "I suppose it is possible. We lived in the Lorca before we moved to a port town in Bern. I can't say where my parents came from before that."

"Do you… have anything?" Hector asked. "Of them, I mean."

"A necklace." Will said. "My mother gave it to me." He tugged the chain around his neck, bringing the small cross necklace up from beneath his clothing. He looped it over his head before handing it to Hector. "It was right before we went on the cruise."

"I see." Hector said. He turned over the necklace, reading the small inscription. Daughter of M. S. I suppose that could stand for Marquis Santaruz, but that's still not any real proof. "What was her name?"

"To me, she was mom." Will said, closing his eyes. "I'm… not sure I know her name of the top of my head… I'm pretty sure it started with a C? Or was it a K? Katie?"

"Caitlyn?" Hector asked.

"Caitlyn… maybe." Will frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't remember."

"Damn." Hector sighed, sitting down onto the log.

"Why are you asking?" Will asked.

"Maybe it's just better to show you." Hector said. From his coat, he pulled out a letter which he handed to Will. This was the same letter he had read nearly a week earlier.

"This is… I see." Will said, his eyes scanning the paper intently. "It sounds a lot like my story. Disturbingly so."

"I was hoping you remembered something that could verify it." Hector said. "But…"

"Right." Will said. "What are the Lycian nations going to do with Santaruz?"

"If there isn't an heir to rule it…" Hector sighed. "There are two possibilities. One, it will be put under stewardship. Essentially, another nation will take over."

"That's not a nice way of putting it." Will said.

"The second way is worse." Hector said. "Another nation will simply absorb Santaruz, and the castle will likely be demolished."

"Then I suppose we should keep looking for him. Or find some proof that I am him." Will said. "Though I'm no leader."

"That's another reason I'm worried." Hector said. "If you're the heir…"

"Sacaen, Black Fang, Wanderer, a long list of things that do not a good ruler make." Will said.

"Hey now, only the Black Fang part is bad." Hector said. "It's just… really bad."

"Thanks. I think." Will said, a bit confused.

"Yeah, well… I'm trying." Hector said. "If Eliwood is going to trust you, I know I need to get past my… frustrations. It won't happen right away… but I know now you're a good person. So I… eventually… I'll get there."

"One step at a time." Will said.

"With a skip and a song is how Maria would want it." Hector chuckled.

Merlinus sat down inside his caravan, wiping the sweat from his brow. The last few days had been extremely exhausting, but rewarding nonetheless. His true hope, his dream for the last several years had finally come true. Their weapons and clothing were in good stead, and the supplies he had offered had only made them happier to have him along. With one wagon still reserved for his business supplies, he'd even get the chance to do some business the next few towns and villages they came to. Eliwood had also promised him a nice sum at the end of the journey for his trouble.

He opened a small hidden door which he usually covered with a tarp so others wouldn't notice, pulling out a small portrait of a woman with long, beautiful brown hair. Her hazel eyes seemed to shine in the painting, piercing his soul even now. "I've finally found your legacy." He said, soft tears welling in his eyes. "Please, allow me to aid however I can. I know I'm no warrior, or even a great man… but I will carry their burdens. If it helps you rest even a little, my love, I will gladly give myself to this task. Forgive the selfishness of an aging man."