Author's Note: I… I have no idea how to start this chapter. I know what I want to do, but after that hit from last chapter… boy oh boy. Our heroes lost Lord Elbert, Wallace and Renault on the island and have been forced to run away with their tail between their legs. In addition, Renault left Will the gift of Aureola. Why did he have it and what's Athos got to do with the coming events? Sorry to say that's still a few chapters down the line. Hang in there, everyone!

Guest: Don't you mean the Will…power?

Nintend101: Yeah, romance is going to be a big part of this final arc, alongside finally bringing these characters to their full potential. Thanks for your kind words about Renault. A part of me considered keeping him around, but I also felt losing a single member lacked the impact a full retreat complete loss should have on the heroes, so someone else had to be sacrificed. I'm glad I could build him up enough to give him redemption in his short stay in the party.

Thatguythere: You may be surprised, but I do remember your reviews from the original still! I'm glad someone from that time is around to read this version. I'm glad it's improved over the first. I'm also glad I raised the bar successfully. For people who played six seven may not have been very tense, but for a story it's more about the characters in this case then the main plot. The fact that someone would actually take notes on why and how I chose those who had to be sacrificed… thanks. It means a lot to me. With only Marcus being the truly experienced member left, decisions are going to become much tougher on the party when leadership is shaky between our heroes.

Tom-Ato13: Too true. It was very hard to go through with the character deaths even when I planned them out to heavy extent. Hopefully, it'll all be worth it.

Ultimabuster: Thanks for reading and taking the time to catch up! It's true, I haven't had a great talk with Will and Serra lately, so I'll have to find a good point to have one again. If I hadn't already planned on the Lyn or Florina pairing from the early days, I may have actually gone with Serra. While writing this she quickly became one of my favorite characters.

As always, please enjoy.

Chapter 65: Broken

Mother,

I'm sorry. I failed you both.

Eliwood

"He hasn't come out from that room since we left." Fiora muttered.

The other occupant of the room, Dorcas, sighed as he glanced at the door as well. The next room was directly connected to the cold storage, where they were currently keeping Lord Elbert's body. Eliwood, since they had gotten far enough away from the Dread Isle, hadn't left the room. Dorcas sometimes wondered if he even left the cold storage. "Does he… sleep?"

"Not much." Fiora sighed. "I've only peeked in once or twice… but he was still pacing the room even then."

"To think…" Dorcas said somberly. "Three of our number gone. In so short a time as well…"

"War isn't pretty." Fiora said. "What was there one moment… is usually gone the next."

"Even so, for the only body to be Lord Elbert's… Do we even know if Lord Wallace or Excellency Renault had family?" Dorcas crossed his arms.

"No." Fiora agreed. "We don't. I assume Lord Wallace would have mentioned it if he had family but…"

"Renault enjoyed his secrets." Dorcas sighed again. "And here we sit… unsure of what to do."

"All we can do is wait." Fiora said. "Once we get back to shore… I think our leaders will have made their decision."

"You have a point." Dorcas agreed. "I suppose I'll write a letter to Natalie. At least that way she'll know I'm safe after we've gotten back."

"Florina, Farina…" Fiora sighed. "I don't really have anyone else to write. Florina's already here and Farina… I don't know where she could be."

"Did she know about your mission?" Dorcas asked.

"Yes, but she would have also heard it failed about five months ago, most likely." Fiora said.

"Wouldn't she be looking for you, then?" Dorcas asked.

"I doubt it." Fiora scoffed. "Farina is… pretty bad at dealing with her feelings. She's more likely gallivanting about with a new mercenary troop."

"I… see." Dorcas said. "I guess it's a bit complicated."

"It always is with family." Fiora sighed anew.

Merlinus placed the clipboard aside, trying to stop the shaking of his hands. When he had agreed to help, sure it had been mainly because of a long lost desire to help a woman he had loved. Somewhere along the way, he had lost sight of how scary the entire situation truly was. Something about the way Lord William carried himself, protecting everyone with his tactics in every battle…

He should've remembered how young William truly was. He himself still felt like a young man and he was most certainly in his early forties.

A soft clunk made him turn. Marcus had just delivered the last of the armor, fully polished. "Here you are, Merlinus."

"Sir Marcus, I…"

"Please." Marcus said. "Not… not at this moment. Is there anything else you require of me?"

Merlinus sighed. "It's not what I require, but what they will need from you."

"Pardon?" Marcus asked.

"You failed your lord." Merlinus said simply. The words stabbed him deeper than any dagger could. "That's your thoughts right now, yes?"

"…Yes." Marcus admitted.

"Yet, when our Lords pick themselves up to fight, the first person who will need to be by their side are their loyal retainers. In Lord William's case, I can fill that role. In Lord Eliwood's case… Only you can provide what he'll need. Someone to believe in whatever choice he'll make, outside of his friends." Merlinus explained.

"I… no, I know you have a point, Merlinus." Marcus said. "I've just never experienced such a failure."

"And you have many more years to process with it." Merlinus said. "But they're… no older than twenty."

"Closing in on nineteen, even." Marcus agreed. "I will… try to collect myself, Merlinus. I owe Lord Eliwood and Lady Eleanora the remainder of my service, as promised."

Merlinus smiled lightly. In silence, the two set back to work. Next it was time to buff and polish the swords. He wasn't looking forward to that. He always felt like he'd slice open his hand working on them.

Erk patted Donald gently as he began to eat. He had to admit some small surprise that none of the steeds were any the worse for wear after their harrowing escape from the island. Tired, certainly. They ate ravenously and slept for long periods, but were finally looking like their old selves. Fiora handled the Pegasi, as their diet was slightly different, but for the time being he had taken over caring for the horses. Having traveled with Lady Priscilla, his handling of horses had improved greatly with practice, enough that even some of the elder steeds like Marcus' and Kent's allowed him to feed them without issue. Leaving the small makeshift-stable area, Erk made his way towards the galley. Now that he had fed the horses, he needed some nourishment himself.

As he entered, he spotted Lowen, standing over a pot and stirring away, holding a spice in his hand and contemplating whether or not to add it to the stew. As Erk decided to grab an orange, Lowen seemed to decide against using it, placing the spice to the side and letting out a sigh. He turned, before spotting Erk as he sat down at a nearby table and began peeling the orange. "Hey there Erk." Lowen said with a small smile.

"Hey." Erk returned, keeping his attention on the orange.

As Erk began to eat, Lowen returned to his stew. "It's been a difficult few weeks." Lowen mused.

Erk gave a grunt of consent. Weird wouldn't even begin to cover it, but it would do, he supposed.

"Do you think… no… I'm not entirely sure what I want to ask." Lowen sighed again.

"Same." Erk said. "I'm not sure there's anything we can say."

"It's just… everything we've done up to this point…" Lowen trailed off.

"Turned out to be a huge waste of time." Erk finished. "Of course, that's if you discount all the good we've done along the way."

"But even if we have…" Lowen said, turning off the stove, "Nergal making us retreat so easily like that…"

"Means we have quite the difficult choice." Erk shrugged. "Do we try to enlist Bern and Etruria to save us, knowing Lycia may be lost? Or do we try to fight Nergal again, knowing our lives may be forfeit?"

"I don't like the sound of either option." Lowen admitted.

"Me neither." Erk agreed. "I'm somehow hoping Will can come up with some kind of… third path. An alternative."

"But to rely on him right now is…" Lowen stopped again. He reached up to the cupboard to grab a bowl.

"Heartless?" Erk questioned.

"Something like that." Lowen sighed a third time.

"Maybe." Erk agreed.

Silence fell between the two again. Lowen poured the stew into a bowl, before grabbing a second bowl and filling it as well. He walked over to the table, placing both down and pushing one to Erk. Erk, though he had finished the orange and was likely fine, accepted the food all the same. The two silently offered thanks for the food, before beginning to eat.

Only the sounds of silverware could be heard for a few minutes, before Erk chuckled softly. "It's good."

Priscilla slumped back in the chair. She, Serra and Lucius were working in shifts in the makeshift medical area, doing their best to heal the damage done in the battle against Nergal, Darin and the Fang. One of the worst was Raven's condition. Darin's lance struck his dominant arm with enough force that it was a miracle the arm was even attached.

Of course, even so he was being unusually stubborn, refusing to sleep or even take much healing while they had been treating everyone else. Now that it was only him, Leila and Oswin he had less of a choice. If Lucius wasn't nagging him about it, she was. "Priscilla." Raven nodded to her, as she took up her staff again.

She began to heal him. The damage was… not looking good. After several days, only his left arm was back to full condition. His right arm… She was afraid to even think it. "Yes?"

"After we arrive… you should return to Etruria." Raven said, quietly enough that Oswin, who was awake and reading something, couldn't hear.

"Why would you say that?" Priscilla asked.

Raven scrunched up his mouth. He had likely been about to say something that would make him seem insensitive, but ultimately said nothing, choosing instead to shake his head.

"Why ask me to leave?" Priscilla pushed. "It took me this long to find you, why would you ask me to leave again? Because of this grudge of yours?"

"There are… things I must do." Raven said. "I just… don't like the idea of you getting involved."

"Are you… planning something dangerous again?" Priscilla asked. "Like that stunt you pulled during the fight against Darin?"

Raven looked away. "It's… nothing you need to know of."

"So it is dangerous." Priscilla said with a sigh. "Then now, more than ever, I will not leave your side. If you plan to put yourself in danger, I'll stand there right alongside you."

"You're not listening to me." Raven said. "You were sent to Etruria for adoption. You're no longer part of House Cornwell. Our problems are no longer yours."

"They are!" Priscilla said.

"And who will protect you?" Raven asked.

"I… what?" Priscilla asked in confusion.

"Erk's contract will end soon, won't it?" Raven asked. "He may stay with the company, but there's no guarantee he'll be protecting and serving you like he has all this time."

"I… I'm not helpless." Priscilla argued. "Erk hasn't always been by my side."

"He's done more for you than you care to admit though, hasn't he?" Raven said.

"Even if he can't protect me… I will stay, Lord Brother." Priscilla insisted.

"I see." Raven said. "Then perhaps I should put this another way. I'm your brother no longer. Leave me be."

The shock Priscilla felt in that moment began to bring tears to her eyes. Unfortunately, Serra entered to take over at that moment, leaving their conversation on that awkward note. Add in Raven's sudden insistence on suddenly pretending to be asleep… Priscilla left the room, her head hung low.

"Serra." Oswin said calmly. Serra ignored him. Perhaps he deserved it, if only to a small extent. "Come now, I know you can hear me. Ignoring me is only going to draw this out."

Serra huffed. "I can't hear you, Mr. Serra doesn't care about doing her job right!"

Oswin sighed. "I'm trying to apologize."

That caught Serra's attention. "Oh."

"My words before were… harsh." Oswin began, somewhat awkwardly. "I was trying to look out for the company's best interest, but in my eagerness I may have… how should I put this…"

"Been a big jerkface?" Serra supplied.

"Yes, that should suffice." Oswin agreed.

"No I… understand why you said it." Serra said. "I'm loud and abrasive. People aren't used to… dealing with someone as selfish as I am."

"Selfish is not the word I would use." Oswin said. "A selfish person would not go to war for money for the orphanage which raised her."

"But that's like… duty and stuff isn't it?" Serra said. "They aren't family, but they raised me, spent time and money caring for me… I have to pay that back, don't I?"

Oswin chuckled. "You don't owe them anything. They're simply doing their duty. The fact that you choose to help them anyway… shows the good person you truly are."

"I… I dunno." Serra said. "If that… if that was true… shouldn't I have been able to stop Lord Wallace? I knew… I mean… he wasn't really fit to continue in battle after taking that hit on the front like you, yet he insisted and I…"

"I heard you let him have a good tongue lashing." Oswin said.

"Yeah but… I mean… I was only…" Serra trailed off. "I should've forced him back."

Oswin shook his head. "It's not your fault. Nor is it any more mine or William's or Hector's. Lord Wallace made a decision, which this time… cost him more than he could afford."

Serra shook her head, tears coming to her eyes. "Shut up." She muttered. "I don't… I don't want to hear that right now."

"I see." Oswin said kindly. "Then could you please begin healing me? I think today I may just be able to get back on my feet."

"Only if you want a good staff whacking." Serra returned. "You've got at least one more full day of rest before you're even allowed to move, you got that!"

Oswin raised his arms in defeat. "If that's what the healer has decided, I suppose there's no help for it." Oswin chuckled again. He was glad he had been able to return Serra's good spirits. It was true. When she was being commanding, things felt a little safer.

Nils slept soundly on the bed, while Ninian, Florina and Lyn sat together at the nearby table. They seemed to be avoiding the main topic, but were having plenty of conversation nonetheless. "So, you're sure you're fine now?" Lyn asked.

"I'm tired." Ninian admitted. "Opening the Dragon's Gate like that drained most of my energy. When I'm not eating I'm sleeping and the other way around. I think… hopefully, by the time we get back to port, I'll be back to full strength."

"Nils is amazing though." Florina said. "He managed to survive on that island and find us at the gate just in time to save us."

"When we're not… umm… damaged like I was for a while there," Ninian began awkwardly, "We're able to sense each other and find each other. It's a lot like our danger sense."

"Oh!" Lyn said, suddenly realizing something. "That's why Nils knew where to find you when you were captured before we met!"

"Yes." Ninian said with a small nod. "When Nils and I were separated, my mind I… I'm ashamed to admit I let my thoughts possess me. Before I knew it, I was in the water and then…"

"You were drifting on the dory." Lyn mused. "And your memories had become jumbled. Perhaps you swallowed too much sea water?"

"Maybe." Ninian said with a small shrug.

"That's still amazing." Florina said. "Seeing Nils was able to help you recover like that. I wonder if I lost my memory seeing Lyn or my sisters would help me regain myself…"

"Let's try not to test that." Lyn grimaced. "I'd hate the ideal of you alone without your memories."

"Hey…" Florina pouted. "I thought you said I'd gotten stronger."

"You have!" Lyn said. "That doesn't mean I like the idea of you alone without memories! I'd hate that for anyone!"

"Yeah… that's true." Florina admitted.

"So uh…" Ninian began. "What's going on with uh… you know?"

"Will?" Lyn asked. "I… I don't know if now is the best time to talk about it. After what happened to Lord Wallace…"

"You wouldn't leave his side until he told you he was alright." Ninian said. "Even now, you're only taking a break because Kent caught you prowling outside his room."

"I just… I want to be there for him." Lyn said. "I know he needs support and I want to give it to him. But…"

"He's not being very open, right now." Florina said. "All he told us is that Renault is most likely dead too."

"Right… Renault talked to Will before leaving the company." Ninian said. "So he really did…"

"To give his life for people he had just met, covering their escape..." Lyn sighed. "I'm completely mystified by him, to be honest."

"Who was Renault, really?" Florina asked. "He didn't seem much like a priest."

"Yeah. He fit the mold pretty poorly." Lyn said. "Though, I suppose I can't say for certain. I don't know too much about the Elimine religion."

"Right, Sacaens worship Mother Earth and Father Sky instead." Ninian said. "I forgot about that."

Lyn nodded. "Of all of us though… Will would talk to us first… right?"

"If he talks at all." Florina said softly. "He might just… cram it all in. I know… or at least… I get the feeling that's what I'd do. I wouldn't want anyone else to worry about me."

"So what do we do?" Ninian asked.

The three fell silent. No good solution really came to mind.

Wil ducked under Bartre's axe swing, striking out with the wooden bow at the large man's wrist in an attempt to disarm him. Instead of getting what he hoped, Bartre grabbed his arm with his free hand and pulled the unfortunate archer into a headlock, choking him until Wil tapped out on the large man's leg. Bartre laughed, releasing him and flexing happily.

Ever since he had been healed, Bartre had been spending more time in sparring than any other member of the company. Wil had also come to make sure that his bow arm was back to full strength after his injury and while he was happy to know he was none the worse for wear, battling Bartre was not something he wanted to do again any time soon.

Lucius examined him to ensure that no harm had been done while Bartre reluctantly took a sideline seat. Canas took the floor alongside Rebecca. While she was eager to push Dart for more information, Rebecca knew now sadly wasn't the time for it. She only hoped she could convince him to remain with the company. If she and Wil tried really hard, she got the impression Dart may be swayed. Fargus however… she had no idea.

At least battling Canas would give her a chance to fight a magic user. One of Will's notes he had shared with the company during his brief forays from his room was that the Black Fang seemed to have an unusual amount of Archers and Shamans at their disposal, particularly of the morph variety. To battle them in the future, they would all need to get used to the speed of arrows and power of Elder Magic. This meant Canas was indispensable during training.

As Rebecca drew her bow, she saw Wil give her a small thumbs up, while Bartre crossed his arms. Smiling to herself, she remembered the lumbering giant got knocked out by Renault, but also was ridiculously poor at dealing with magic. Hopefully, she'd fare a bit better. "Ready, Miss Rebecca?" Canas asked.

"You're really going to ask? I thought we were simulating combat!" Rebecca shouted back.

"My wife would never forgive me for injuring a young lady unawares." Canas said politely.

"I'm fine." Rebecca said.

"Then, let's begin." Canas replied.

"Wait, you're married?!" Wil shouted in surprise from the sidelines.

The two ignored him, as Rebecca fired the first shot.

Kent and Sain left for the galley as Matthew emerged from below deck. He had just visited Leila, who still remained asleep even now. He was beginning to get a little worried, but she did seem to be getting better, if only a bit at a time. She had tried to apologize for not warning them about Nergal's trap, but in Matthew's opinion, she wasn't responsible for it, even if he was a bit biased. Even if they had heard, they wouldn't have been able to turn back. Finding Nils and Lord Elbert were the priority. Any extra preparation likely wouldn't have resulted in a much different outcome either. It was sad when he thought of it that way, but there was nothing for it.

This… Legault, on the other hand. As they were on the run he had simply accepted it, but now that they were safe… He spotted the older gentlemen, leaning against the railing and twirling one of his daggers idly in his hand. It put Matthew on edge, to say the least.

As Matthew approached, to his surprise, Legault turned to greet him. "A light gait… but not one outside of my exceptional hearing. Who might you be?"

"You…" Matthew began. He didn't usually brag… well okay, he might a little, but mostly in jest. He was still a dang good spy. The fact that Legault had heard him, over the shouts of the crew, the chirping of the birds and the sounds of the ocean… was downright impressive. "You're Black Fang, right?"

"Former." Legault said pleasantly, placing his dagger back in its holster. "I dropped them like a dead weight when I realized my head was on the chopping block."

"I wonder about that." Matthew said with a small scoff. "Disguise yourself, get close to the enemy… I know you aren't unfamiliar with these duties."

"Point." Legault admitted with a shrug. "Pretty difficult to take a traitor at his words. Even if you do, what's to say he won't drop you the moment things get dangerous, right?"

Matthew nodded.

"So then, what are you going to do?" Legault asked. "Kill me? Dump my body into the ocean and tell your friends I tried to escape?"

Matthew shook his head. "We're at sea. That'd be a pretty poor lie. Even Lord Hector might see through it."

"Point again." Legault chuckled. "Waiting until land then? Say I made a bolt and you had no choice?"

"I'd love to, to be honest." Matthew admitted. "After what they did to Leila, I have no sympathy for the Fang."

"Ah, the little cutie in the medical wing?" Legault said. "Yeah, she got real lucky. You should be grateful your tactician used to be the Angel of Despair. The only reason he even knew about that poison is thanks to his dealings with Mark."

"Will isn't associated with the rest of the Fang." Matthew said. "He hasn't been for years now. He's proved his loyalty."

"No no, I wasn't trying to cast suspicion." Legualt said. "Merely stated a fact."

"I have no proof you're an enemy." Matthew said clearly. "So, for now, I'll keep watch. You give me that proof and I'll kill you."

"My oh my." Legault mused. "Not a very popular fellow, am I? Very well, I understand."

"Good." Matthew said. "Then-"

The sounds of shouting and a scuffle broke off their conversation, the two turning to the deck door, only for it to burst open, Hector dragging Will out by the collar and tossing him onto the deck.

"What the hay's going on here?" Legault asked. Matthew couldn't respond.

"Say that again." Hector growled, his voice dangerously loud.

"I said," Will began, getting to his feet shakily. "I'm handing in my resignation."

Hector punched the tactician in the face, sending him back to the deck. "And why the hell are you doing that, huh?"

"Because it's my fault Wallace, Renault and Lord Elbert died." Will said. "I'm simply taking responsibility."

Hector punched him again. It was rather hard too, as Matthew could swear he heard the thump of Will's head slamming into the deck. "Who told you you could do that, huh? You think I blame you for that? You think I want some kind of apology?"

"Eliwood certainly seems to want one." Will muttered darkly. "Hasn't come out of that room yet, has he?"

"You…" Hector growled. "Stand up and face me."

Will did so. His feet were even shakier than the first time, but the Sacaen Tactician stared into Hector's eyes without a hint of giving way. "Someone has to be responsible for it. As the tactician, the responsibility for their deaths falls to me."

"So what, you think resigning and leaving us is how you solve the problem?" Hector roared. "You think I don't know you're just going to go off on your own, suffering as you try to do the impossible? Hell, I'm surprised you think any one of us'd let you do that!"

"It's not…" Will trailed off. "Lord Elbert has been found. Eliwood, Lyndis and you all have duties to attend to. You think you can keep gallivanting around the continent without any repercussions?"

This time, Hector faltered. He had to admit that was a point he hadn't considered. By the time they returned to Ostia, at least six months would have passed since his untimely exit. Sure, he had written his brother once or twice, but Uther hadn't sent any correspondence back. Did that mean things were worse than he had imagined? Was his stupid brother even getting enough sleep? His thoughts paused as, to his surprise, Will's fist met his face. It was much weaker than his punches, but he still staggered back.

"The world isn't so kind as to accommodate all our wishes." Will said firmly. "Upon our return to Badon, anyone who wants to join me can, but you and Eliwood need to return home."

Hector laughed. "Finally got through to you, huh? Let me guess… the real reason you're doing this is you're afraid I'll end up dead too?"

Will punched him again, harder this time. Hector collapsed onto one knee. "So what if it is?" Will demanded. "That doesn't make it any more true, does it?"

Hector's laugh continued, even as he massaged his jaw. "For someone with poor fighting skills you sure can throw a punch when you want to. Come on then!"

He leapt to his feet, throwing a punch at Will's face. This time, Will dodged, countering Hector's jab with one of his own. Hector was glad he hadn't worn his armor, the punch to his gut was much more satisfying without it. Will struck out again, but this time Hector grabbed his hand and twisted. Will wisely rolled with the twist, his legs flying through the air before landing squarely on his feet. Whatever hell training Wallace had put him through had clearly worked.

Their fight continued as a crowd began to gather. Their comrades silently worried about the outcome, but couldn't bring themselves to interfere. Hector tried to grab Will in a bear hug, but Will grabbed onto the right side before guiding Hector's large body onto his hip, using Hector's own momentum to throw him onto the deck. Hector didn't let that stop him, as he grabbed Will's leg with his now free arm and yanked it out from underneath him, bringing Will sprawling to the ground as well.

The two grappled, but eventually Hector's strength won out. Panting heavily, Will's wrists went limp in his grip. Hector finally let out a sigh, trying his best to catch his breath before collapsing to the side. "So." Hector began, his breath ragged. "What crazy stunt are you going to pull?"

Will took in a sharp breath. "I'm going to find Athos." He said. "If I can convince him, he can lead me to the legendary weapons."

"The ones used in the Scouring?" Hector managed in between gasps.

"Yeah. Those." Will said. "Renault… the parcel he left me… has Aureola. That probably means… to match Nergal…"

"We'll need the weapons." Hector finished. "Yeah… I see where you're coming from."

"I just… I thought with Lord Elbert and the Lycian League…" Will began

"Stow it." Hector managed. "Unless you want to go another round, I'm coming with you. I won't speak for Eliwood, but I'm a well-known lout. Anything I do, it shouldn't come back to bite my brother. You can count on me."

Will, in spite of himself, smiled. "You're… freaking crazy."

"Same to you." Hector chuckled.

The two began to laugh.

"So… do things like this happen often?" Legault asked.

"Well…" Matthew began, "More often then I'd care to admit."