Author's note: I remember when I was writing Lyn's story people enjoyed hearing the various points of view of the other Lycian Lords. I guess you can think of this as a part two to that, or a continuation. It's an idea I knew I needed to address and thought it was best put now when I needed the party to travel but had already done character work between them.

An update: I'm sorry to say my father did pass away due to complications after the surgery. I do appreciate the kind words offered from last chapter that those who reviewed offered. This means I'll have to move shortly, as my father and I shared this living space. Which means more of my time will be eaten in the coming weeks and months with moving and new job hunts. What does that mean for the fic?

To be frank, I don't know. I don't know how much time I'll truly have to myself in the coming times, so keeping up any kind of decent release schedule will likely be too difficult. However, I do want you all to know I have no plans of giving up on this fic. At the very least, if only because it's something I started, I want to see it through to completion. Here's hoping that if it does take another fifty chapters you all stick with me and enjoy every one of them until the end. I'll keep you updated in the meantime.

Chapter 51: The Lycian Conference

Brother,

Hopefully the materials I've provided are enough to explain the situation Eliwood and I face. Both Santaruz and Caelin have suffered heavily due to Darin's madness. Of course, those two aren't the only ones affected. Laus itself is in shambles at best. Whether you want to hand it over to that snake Erik or install a new puppet in his place I suppose is entirely up to you. I'll focus on helping Eliwood find his father and take down Lord Darin along the way. I know you'll make the best decision.

Good Luck to us both,

Hector

"As terrible at letter writing as he is at politics." Uther sighed, placing the letter back in his pocket. His entourage, consisting of a few cavaliers with heavy armor and archers, continued to march at a steady pace. They had been on the move for over a week now and were finally reaching their destination. A ruined fortress that had housed the Taliver bandits until their timely destruction. It was here he had requested the other Lycian Lords to show for their conference.

Too much had happened during the recent months for mere letters to suffice. Not only had the issues involving Lundgren's coup a year before not been resolved, but they hadn't once spoken of the Lycian Alliance and the recent events with Lord Darin only further the topics that needed full deliberation. The alliance against the Taliver, though temporary, was the first signs of a united Lycia. Would they continue down that path, or return to their uneasy truces and guarded borders? Worse still… Pharae was currently without a leader or heir, while Laus had started a rebellion that had cost both Santaruz and Caelin their Lords. The fallout from all of these events was causing great harm to Lycia's readiness as a whole. If Bern or Etruria were to start a war with them now… Lycia would be easily overrun. At the very top of this list was his own condition, which still refused to improve with time. He had told only a few trusted individuals, which was currently limited to Oswin, Serra and the new healer Serra had recommended to him. He hadn't brought the kind sister with him this time, if only to keep up the pretext of strength. Additionally, he had a few elixirs the sisters had made for him to help suppress the condition. They only lasted a short period, but that would be more than enough for what he needed.

As he entered the room where the conference would be held, he spotted a few Lords that were already present. Orun, his half-brother, sat confidently in the chair next to the head chair where Uther would sit, his feet propped up on the table as he covered his mouth, no doubt hiding a yawn. On the other side, near the far end of the table sat Marquis Araphen. It was only then Uther realized he had never learned the man's name, nor did he particularly care to know. Araphen's arms were crossed, his brow knit as he tried to ignore Orun's unbecoming demeanor.

Lord Kathelet sat next to Orun, his eyes closed as he battled with thoughts of his own. Across from him and Orun sat the Ladies of Tuscana and Tania. While Lady Rulers had become more common in recent times, they were still the first to rule in full absence of a husband to back them. An outdated practice, in Uther's opinion. Creating unnecessary tension where none was needed was foolish.

Lady Ryerde was seated next to Lord Kathelet. She had traveled to Pharae to visit with Lady Eleanora of Pharae and the two had traveled here together. Uther understood why she was there, though he would try to steer from that particular topic when he could. Lord Elbert's disappearance had caught all of Lycia by surprise. He supposed in that sense he shouldn't have been surprised to see Lady Eleanora accompanied by a few more guards then was normally brought to one of these events. They'd have to ask her to have them wait outside before they could truly begin.

Lord Badon and Lord Worde arrived just after Uther took his seat. Lord Worde, much like himself, was still a young ruler, having taken the throne only a month or two before the Taliver Alliance. His own rule had only begun a year prior to that, when his and Hector's parents had passed on due to illness. It had happened so suddenly, Ostia still hadn't fully recovered from their loss.

Three chairs remained untouched. Well, four if one counted House Cornwell, but they had been dissolved for entirely different reasons. Caelin and Santaruz's chairs remained untouched, as their respective lords were now gone and up for debate today. Laus' chair remained untouched because as it was, Laus had just tried to incite a rebellion. That was the most important topic to discuss during this council, at least in Uther's opinion. Others were likely to zero in on the now Lordless areas of Caelin and Santaruz, wishing to take the land as their own.

Hector had given him an idea in his previous letter, though Uther suspected Hector's idea came either from a certain tactician or a stroke of unknown genius. While he was weighing other options, there were few so tempting as the first. Santaruz, Caelin and Laus would be put on temporary stewardship until the situation with Eliwood's father could be resolved. With two potential heirs in Lyndis and William, it would be possible to keep Caelin and Santaruz strong. If Erik could be persuaded to remain neutral through a truce that let him keep stewardship over Laus, they could salvage the situation and keep Bern and Etruria from making use of Lycia's troubles. A war with one of the two super powers was the last thing they needed. He only hoped the other Lords had thought that far ahead as well, or this was going to be a long conference.

"Madam Hannah?" Merlinus asked, as the group set out once again. He, Lyndis, Lucius, William, Florina and Guy had arrived in Bulgar the previous night. However, they had no real desire to rest and after a quick conversation had decided to set out for Badon at once. While Will and Lucius discussed some magical theory, Kent and Sain lead the group, with Florina listening in while Lyndis and Guy spoke of Sacae. "Are you quite alright?"

"Hmm." Hannah grunted. She could still feel the lingering headache from her most recent bout of drinking with the knights, so she placed a hand on her forehead, kneading it gently. "I suppose I'm coming to terms with my own mortality."

"Ah." Merlinus said, nodding knowingly. "We have certainly seen much death since joining Lord William's company."

"Not through any fault of theirs, mind you." Hannah chuckled.

"Of course." Merlinus asserted. He had chosen to follow Will by choice, but he did make sure he knew their character before making his offer. "They've only done the best they can."

"Yet many of the men who have fallen before us are at least half my age." Hannah mused sadly. "Some even thrice. It can be… telling to say the least."

"Yes I… suppose you have a point." Merlinus said. "I've escaped death more times than my luck should have allowed."

"You have indeed." Hannah chuckled. "More than you may even realize."

"How did you come upon your gift for seeing the future, Lady Hannah?" Merlinus asked.

"It's not good to pry into a lady's secret." Hannah chuckled.

"I… uh…" Merlinus trailed off.

"Oh don't get your knickers in a twist." Hannah smiled. "I've been thinking a lot about it myself. I can't say I mind sharing a little of it."

Merlinus sighed in relief. He had wondered if he had overstepped some sort of boundary, but he was glad he was mistaken. "We have plenty of time for a tale, Lady Hannah."

Hannah closed her eyes, a small smile coming to her face. "It began when I was a young girl…"

A young girl trotted along the path to the well, holding an empty bucket in her hand. Their village was a small one, so even the children helped. Her job was to draw the water, as was often the case for maidens her age. The boys meanwhile would be taught to carry the smaller pieces of wood or how to control the carriages, to transport their goods.

All except for one: Ezekiel. He was born with a weaker constitution, so like the women he was used for less demanding labor. She often saw him drawing water at the well. If they had time, occasionally they would exchange words. Today however, she hoped not to see him. The reason was because she had a dream. Now, usually a dream was nothing to be concerned with, but Hannah remembered this dream with an unusual amount of clarity. Ezekiel fell into the inky darkness of the well, never to return as the rope attached to the well fell in along with him.

When she reached the well, however, her fear came to pass. She could hear a voice from inside the well, and the rope that was usually there was gone. Without hesitating, she quickly turned and ran back to town, dropping her bucket as she ran. Thankfully, they returned in time to pull Ezekiel out before he ran out of strength. She must've come just after he fell. With several people and a stronger rope, Ezekiel held on as they pulled him up and out of the well.

It was the first time Hannah realized she may not be entirely 'normal.'

Lady Tania sighed. "Are you so certain Caelin won't ask for reparations? Surely you can't think they are so naïve as to not take advantage of our choice to remain neutral."

Uther chuckled. "Sadly and perhaps beneficially for us, Caelin has much more pressing matters to deal with now. Lord Hausen has passed. His heir, Lady Lyndis, currently travels with Lord Eliwood. Who can say she will even take up the mantle her grandfather left behind? The responsibilities that come with ruling are not so easily accepted."

"Humph." Araphen grunted. "Sacaens despise conforming to rules in general as a principal. Even if she were to take up the crown, would we not have to keep a close eye on her and relieve her if she pushes her belief onto the masses?"

Orun laughed. "I'm not so sure that's the case, Lord Araphen. Some new blood may be exactly what Lycia needs going forward. A ruler that speaks their mind or challenges old precepts might turn out to be a blessing in disguise."

Lady Tuscana crossed her arms. "I can't honestly say I know much about this Lyndis. I find it hard to come to an opinion without meeting her for myself."

Lord Kathelet shrugged. "The successor Lyndis, so long as she desires it, has a legitimate claim to rulership. I think our problems lie more in Santaruz and Laus. Surely you do not think we're so naïve as to missed the signs?"

Uther shook his head. "Not at all. While I have gathered evidence to prove the connection between Lord Santaruz and his supposed grandson, it is merely evidence in the face of a dead man who cannot verify it himself. Not to mention, the grandson's list of deeds do not make him the most appealing of individuals."

Lord Worde mused over this. "From what I've gathered, he is a man who fell in with the wrong crowd after being stranded by the shipwreck. His survival alone is impressive, but recently he was deeply involved in the freeing of Caelin and is even now helping Eliwood search for his father, correct?"

Lord Ryerde placed a hand to his chin. "Before that, however, he can be implicated or linked to several of the Black Fang's operations. Whether or not he took part in them, he was part of the Fang during their execution. Assassinations in Bern, the destruction of a good portion of the Sacaen Plains by the Taliver, the loss of the boats that attempted to search for the Dread Isle… It is not honorable blood he has spilled."

Uther sighed. "Who are we to decide which blood is honorable, though? We may be Lords of our respective territories, but it is not as if we are free from responsibility. I myself have caused several deaths to protect Ostia, both ally and enemy alike."

"Lady Lyndis seems like the best choice." Lord Orun said. "Strong, capable and with a strong set of principles. William exists father into the grey zone. It is not a decision to make lightly. After all, we have to consider what will become of Santaruz if there is no ruler to take Lord Santaruz's place."

"Well what about Laus?" Lady Tuscana demanded. "Surely you do not claim we should allow Darin or his spawn to keep their rule? The citizenry suffers on a near daily basis!"

"Laus has always been a prime source of military minded individuals in our times of war." Lady Tania countered. "None of our militaries match theirs in terms of might. That may well be why Darin attempted his coup in the first place, because our armies were weak when compared to his own."

"So for Lycia to remain strong in the coming times, Laus' continued existence is essential." Lord Araphen growled. "Can we not simply improve our own training regimes in some way to make up the difference?"

"We could, sure." Orun said, waving a hand. "But the results of such a change wouldn't truly show for years to come. Five years at the earliest, but I'd say at least fifteen to twenty years before full results would be known."

Arapahen gritted his teeth. "So it's not our best option."

"Simply put," Uther began, crossing his fingers and placing his head atop them, "While we certainly need to punish Laus, we cannot afford to lose them in the coming times. Should Bern or Etruria go to war, Lycia will become a battlefield. We stand in each's way, so inevitably their attention will turn to us, attempting to force us under their rule. The issue is time."

"Either could invade at any time, is it." Lord Ryerde said, scratching the back of his neck. "So we may not be able to make the decision we would prefer."

"For the time being, I wanted to suggest having the three territories under stewardship. Pharae will be fine with Lady Eleanora at the head until Lord Elbert returns." Uther said.

"Thank you, Lord Uther." Eleanora said with a smile.

"I see no real issue with that solution for the time being." Lord Badon agreed. "I assume we'll be in discussions with Erik to see if he will agree to our terms?"

"Naturally." Uther said. "Lyndis and William I think we should all think about before reaching a decision. This is just to ensure we are all sharing the same information."

"If that's the case, should we address the Black Fang?" Lord Worde asked. "The whispers suggest that they are behind more matters than we ever suspected."

"Ah, I see." The black robed man said, pushing up his monocle which had begun to slide down his face. "You are Erk then, are you?"

"Yes." Erk said, bowing. "I'm glad I found you."

"I don't know how you know of me, though." The man replied. "Certainly, I am Canas, but I don't recall ever meeting you."

"You haven't met me." Erk affirmed. "In fact, you've never met my master either, but he has heard tell of you. Dar-err, Elder Magic Practitioners are exceedingly rare these days, especially one as gifted as you are."

"I'm honored." Canas chuckled. "But who is that told you of me?"

"You may have heard of him." Erk said. "Lord Pent of Etruria."

"The Mage General?" Canas shouted in surprise. "Amazing! I never heard he had a student, but it certainly is feasible. Might you show me some of your magic? Certainly, magic is different between each individual user, but generally you can see certain similarities between teachers and students. That comes from the student learning their magic casting technique directly from their teacher. Unlike the magical spells, the casting technique is hard to learn without visual representation. Rarely, though not entirely unseen, are magic users that derive their own casting style. Those castings styles generally emerge from the spells the user casts most often. For instance, fire users take and extra step back while casting to prevent themselves from being caught on fire, while lightning casters step forward instead to better aim the strike."

"Erk?" Priscilla whispered, as Canas continued to talk. "He's a little bit… different than I imagined."

Erk sighed. It was going to be a long night.

By the time she was twenty, Hannah had become well known for her divinations. After that day at the well, she had begun to refine her dreams. At first, it was simply retaining the information they gave her and writing them on whatever she could find. Eventually, that turned into a state where she could close her eyes, entering a near dream-like state as the visions came to her.

Her parents and the town were surprisingly accepting of her unique gift. In fact, many of them would come to her for readings. It was mostly simple things. The maidens would ask about their love life, the farmers would ask about the rains or the harvest season, the mothers asked about their child… it was all mundane. But it was nice.

Ezekiel and she were married. No one in the town saw anything wrong with it. They were an odd pair, but they fit perfectly together. At times, they seemed more like old friends than lovers and neither ever seemed overly interested in having children. At least, not at the time.

That changed when war came to their lands. Hannah began to have difficulties seeing the peaceful, like when a child would be born or the right time to harvest, though she could still tell when rain would come. Instead, her dreams became muddled with blood. Images of the battlefield forced their way into her mind, where she wanted none of it. To help her, Ezekiel decided he would leave the village and join the army.

She didn't want him to go. After seeing so many scenes of death, she began to understand what her dreams were trying to tell her. However, Ezekiel didn't listen. For the first time he did something selfish in their relationship. He promised to give her a child when he returned, kissing her softly before taking his pack and walking out the door.

Hannah knew better. When news came barely a year later that he had perished in battle, she could only nod in response. For the first time, she felt like her gift had become a curse.

"So in reality, our information is limited at best, we have no way to confirm if the Dread Isle is even the Black Fang's true base or just an additional base on top of their one in Bern and there's not even a confirmation that the Fang is even behind these events." Araphen said, shaking his head. "It's not that I doubt Ostia's network, but when you compare the Fang to the threat Bern poses…"

"It certainly seems less important than one might believe." Lord Badon said. "Besides, isn't Eliwood already going to try and find his way to the Dread Isle? Why are we even necessary? It's not as if we can spare any ships or troops."

"That's what I was afraid of." Lady Eleanora sighed. "It's not that I don't understand, but I had hoped the situation wasn't so dire."

"In reality, the things we lords can do are limited." Uther said. "However, that is why we must work together in the coming times. It will be imperative to keep our lands safe."

"So, at least we can agree to continue our alliance going forward?" Lord Worde asked. "I would greatly appreciate that."

"For our sakes, as well as the people of Laus, Santaruz and Caelin, I think that would be for the best." Lady Tuscana agreed. A quick round showed the rest of them also shared that sentiment.

"Then let us draw up our agreement." Uther said. "It shouldn't take us too long, I imagine."

"My lord, are you sure we're making good enough time?" Oswin asked. They had set out from Ilia as soon as they could towards Badon, but their progress was relatively slow.

"We're fine, Oswin." Hector chuckled. "Will planned for this, I imagine. We'll be there in good enough time for everything to be resolved."

"Milord, you've certainly grown more accustomed to Will, haven't you?" Matthew asked, a sly smile appearing on his face. "Did his wily charms win you over?"

Serra gasped. "Lord Hector! I never imagined you were that kind of man! Though, I suppose with your demeanor, perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised."

"I hate all of you." Hector grumped, spurring his horse forward. "Just because I can learn to forgive a man after working with him doesn't make it…" He glanced back, only to see Matthew's grinning face. "Fine! Think what you will!"

They continued on their way, enjoyable debating the nature of Hector's relationship with the tactician as they whiled away the hours. By the end, Hector's ears couldn't be redder from the embarrassment.

Hannah decided to travel. Without her husband, she felt a little lonely in their house in the village. Being a much older woman now and still without child, she didn't fit in amongst the other mothers. Nor was it likely she would marry again. She had never been the most beautiful and as she aged her looks quickly fell below the average. So she would travel.

With her gifts, she could get small amounts of gold by telling people their fortunes. She could stay in places for short periods, helping them improve their quality of life with her readings before leaving for the next place. It was a lifestyle not many chose, but she never regretted it.

Soon, she had become an old woman. A very old woman. She was surprised with her own longevity. How many years had it truly been now? Seventy? Eighty? She was no longer sure.

Then, Lord Eliwood and the young William had appeared. When she looked at them, a vision assaulted her like it had only done a twice before. The Day Ezekiel fell down the well. The day Ezekiel died in battle. In vivid detail, she could see it.

The end of their struggle. Her visions were driving her to them. To help these young men in their quest. Sure, she had been called on rarely, even less than she would have imagined, but that was good. They were growing on their own, without help. When they did ask for help, it was because they truly needed it.

So, for as long as she could, she would accompany these youngsters and lend them a helping hand. Otherwise, it would be hard to face Ezekiel when they met again.

Uther gripped the reins of his horse tightly with one hand, opening an elixir and downing it in one go. After making sure he didn't cough it out, he placed the empty bottle back into his pouch, before grabbing the reins with his other hand as well. That had gone about as he had expected. They had managed to renew their alliance for the time being, which would hopefully be enough to carry them forward.

Lyndis, William and Erik's cases were all vastly different, so for now there wouldn't be a decision on them. In the meantime, they would indeed be using stewards to care for the respective regions. In truth, he thought it unlikely that William or Lyndis would rule in future. Erik maybe would be allowed to rule under heavy scrutiny, but even he had less than a one in ten chance. No… it was much more likely that the remaining territories would take this time to try and diffuse these territories without rulers and divide them amongst themselves as a reward for their continuing alliance.

"Be careful out there… Hector. There's more than assassins to worry about in Elibe…" Uther muttered.

"It took you longer than I thought to get here." Eliwood said, as he clasped Will's hand. "I hope everything is okay?"

"It could be better, obviously." Will said. "But Lyn seems to be handling it better than I could have hoped. All I can do is trust in her, right?"

"That's true." Eliwood said with a smile. "Dorcas' group returned two days ago. I thought for sure you would be the first."

"Is everyone alright?" Will asked.

"Decent." Eliwood said. "Erk found the man we were looking for here in Badon. Dorcas' group thankfully had no trouble or luck in their search, but I'm still glad they went. I was able to send a letter to my mother and Dorcas had a chance to visit his family. I think he appreciates it more than he lets on."

Will smiled. "Dorcas is a good friend. I thought it best to take this chance to give him the motivation he needed. I hope going to Valor will be what leads to the end of all this."

"So, you suspect Nergal will be there?" Eliwood asked.

"I hope so." Will said. "So were you able to meet with Fargus?"

"Kind of." Eliwood said sheepishly. "He wanted, or maybe demanded is a better choice of words, to meet with you once you arrived. He said he had a proposition."

"Should've known." Will said. "I only traveled with the old pirate once, but he certainly wasn't one to be taken in by cheap words."

"Pirates?" Lyn asked, anger welling in her words. "You never told me about this."

"I figured you would disagree." Will said simply. "Fargus is our best chance to get to Valor in once piece."

"So you would entrust us to people who are no better than the Taliver?" Lyn asked. "No, I don't believe it."

"I've tried searching for other means." Eliwood said. "No one is willing to take us. Even with some winnings we've managed to get from the arena with Marcus and myself, it's nowhere near enough to sway opinion. Fargus' offer in gold was still the lowest amount I've been quoted."

Lyn grit her teeth angrily. Will sighed. "Will you at least come and meet him with me first?"

"…Fine." Lyn agreed. "But I still don't like it. You know that, right?"

"I do. You can rage at me all you want later." Will said. "Do we have an update on Hector's progress?"

"He should be here within the week." Eliwood said with a smile. "You were right to choose him to go to Ilia. He made a quick job of it."

"Good." Will said with a smile. "If Fargus' proposal is what I think it is, we'll need him."