Author's Note: Updates have certainly gotten slower. I do apologize for my busy-ness, but I will continue to reiterate that I will continue this fic until its eventual completion. There's a lot of updates you all should know. One: I got a new job! I just finished up my old job and started the new one recently. This one should be less strenuous and a bit more open towards career building in the future. Second: My show has finished its run! The cast and crew are all wonderful people and acting truly is my one main calling. Not that I don't enjoy this as well. Third: I've been getting sick a lot since I moved. I imagine it's the change in scenery but hopefully it's nothing too serious. Fourth: I've restarted my youtube endeavors, albeit perhaps at an even slower rate than addressing this fic. I also stream on twitch occasionally. If you want to find me, look up RPGatWill. With that, I think I covered it all, so onto some review responses!

KaiserUltima: I can understand the frustration. Sometimes I've disliked stories like that, but to be honest when relationships happen too early in stories I often lose interest. A big part of drawing out this dance was too keep the writing flowing.

Thatguythere: I always love cluing in other characters when I get the chance. Last chapter was a rare chance where I got to do that while moving something forward that was important to the plot in these next few chapters.

Dusk Mind: Did Legault come off as horny? To be honest I was trying to portray him more as a weird yet mysterious thief.

Tom-Ato13: It really does need to happen. Especially if they remake Blazing Sword someday. So disappointed by the lack of paired ending for them.

Pixelsaber: There are quite a few repeats in game dialogue. People who complain about the supports in awakening kind of forget that older games weren't ridiculously better at them. There was just… less of them. And yeah, I don't use Rath either. Sorry Rath.

As always, read and enjoy. If you have the time, please leave me a review.

Chapter 71: Living Legend

To whom it may concern,

I have knowledge pertaining to a deserter of yours. A man named Heath with green and silver hair was last seen with Euban's mercenaries. They were hired by Marquis Laus as a hit squad, attacking any he declared foe. Recently, my brother's forces met with Commander Euban's in conflict. I have been informed by my agent that none of Euban's forces survived the battle. Three of them named themselves before engaging in combat. Heath was one of these.

I would have asked for the body, but my agent informed me Euban's mercenaries were burned by pyre to prevent drawing wild animals to the old fortress. I only hope my word is enough on the matter. Having one less problem on your plate can certainly only be a good thing so long as the information is trustworthy.

I hope this information was useful.

Sincerely,

Uther, Lord of Ostia

The Nabata desert is a wasteland of scorching sun and frigid nights. By all rights, it rejects human existence. Any person careless enough to enter its embrace is doomed from the outset. However, to find Athos, we must trust in Hector's brother. Uther's words are what led us here and I have no reason to believe he would lie. We can only hope Athos hasn't yet moved on to some new destination.

Will closed his notebook before the sweat gathering on his brow could ruin the carefully maintained pages. He opened his mouth momentarily, before closing it quickly as the sand in the air attempting to invade. The desert was worse than he had imagined. He hadn't realized it, but during all of the events he'd been through he really was at his best in cooler weather. When things got hot, all he could think about was how nasty his shirt must be quickly becoming, with the buckets of sweat that were pouring down his face.

"It's so… hot." Nils moaned next to him. "I'm gonna… die."

"I couldn't agree more." Will muttered, though not loud enough for it to carry far.

"Hey, you need me to carry you, kid?" Hector asked, looking at Nils in concern.

"Huh?" Nils squeaked in surprise.

"What?" Hector grumped. "What's that look supposed to mean?"

"Such kindness from you just surprised me, Lord Hector." Nils said, raising a hand to his forehead as he looked away. "Am I suffering from a fever dream?"

Hector scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean? I was just worried you would collapse again, like the other day!"

"Well, with your usual demeanor, it's not surprising he's confused." Lyn chuckled. "Don't be shy, Nils. Let him help you out."

"But…"

"Just shut up and do it!" Hector suddenly grabbed the small boy, lifting him up on top of his shoulders with surprising ease.

"Waah!" Nils said, flailing his arms and legs wildly. "I'm going to fall! Stop it!"

"Marquis Ostia told us to enter the desert and move west to find our destination, and yet…" Ninian mused, though she eyed Nils' and Hector's interaction suspiciously.

Eliwood shrugged. "Perhaps we need to move further in?"

"How much further is further, though?" Will sighed, wiping the sweat unsuccessfully from his brow.

Eliwood chuckled. Ninian smiled, though she seemed a bit unsteady on her feet. Slowly, Eliwood extended his arm to her. "Here."

"What?" Ninian asked, surprised.

"The heat must be taking its toll on you." Eliwood said kindly. "If you please, my arm is free."

"I… I couldn't."

"Oh, come now."

Ninian blushed. "V… very well. Forgive me." She leaned lightly into him, both her hands gripping his arm softly.

"Is something wrong?" Eliwood asked.

"All of you… You treat me and my brother so… normally." She began. "Doesn't it ever… bother you? Our powers, the way we look… we're not… normal."

Eliwood chuckled. Ninian shot him a sharp look. "Forgive me," he covered quickly, "has that been bothering you?" She nodded. "What's wrong with being different from other people? When I look at you and Nils, I don't see other people. I see Ninian and Nils. Normal, kindhearted siblings."

"Do you speak truly?" She muttered.

"I do." He replied firmly.

Ninian's blush grew more pronounced. "Lord Eliwood…"

An aging man dressed in long robes that covered his entire body looked up suddenly from his writings. He had a magnificent beard, which went all the way down to the floor, white as the snows of Ilia. Slowly, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "I believe someone is approaching."

A young woman with beautiful blonde hair looked at him curiously. "Is it not Lord Pent?"

"No." The old man mused. "It's a group sent by Uther of Ostia. Yes… Hawkeye will meet them soon and bring them here." His eyebrows dropped suddenly. "They bring tidings both good and bad, I fear."

"Of?"

"Not of your husband, if that is your fear." The old man sighed. "He continues to search the desert."

"He's having no luck finding what we're after, is he."

"He will find it, in time." The old man said sagely, stroking his beard. "However… he seems to have run afowl of a group of bandits. They've crossed paths with him and no doubt intend to attack."

"Oh my…" The woman placed a hand on her cheek.

"Do you fear for him?" The old man asked.

"No." She giggled. "Lord Pent can handle himself. However, if his return is delayed, would you like to take your supper without us? I will wait for Lord Pent, but you must be famished by now."

The old man laughed. It was an aged laugh, but not without remnants of joy in it. The young woman merely looked at him in bemusement. "Ah, Lady Louise, you are a most amusing woman. I see now why you and Pent found each other. Ever since you've arrived, I feel as if I've laughed enough for ten years! You have my gratitude."

Louise smiled. "I'm not sure I understand, but I'm pleased to have been of service." Athos' laughter continued, though it did eventually slow. "By the way, these visitors are from Lycia, are they not? What could they want?"

Athos fell silent. Yes, it was certainly the pull of Aureola he felt. That meant… no, even with his sight he could still fall victim to speculation. But, if the stars in the sky had aligned in all the wrong ways…

"Lord Archsage, your coloring… are you well?"

"Once it begins to turn, none can halt the wheel of fate." He muttered darkly. "As long as hope remains, people continue to try… They do not know the despair that awaits…"

Louise fell silent, glancing towards the ancient doorway. What dark path was the world traveling down, and how could she and Lord Pent stop it?

"Everyone…" Ninian suddenly muttered grasping her head.

"Danger again?" Lyn asked quickly, her hand moving to her sword.

"Maybe… over there… someone is under attack." Ninian said, pointing the way.

"Are you sure?" Eliwood asked.

"Maybe it's Athos!" Hector declared happily.

Squinting his eyes, Will could barely make out a figure in the sand, surrounded by bandits. Matthew, who had popped up, seemed unable to see much better than he. "A lone man… crowd of bandits… that's about all I can see. Deserts suck." Matthew pouted.

"We must help him!" Guy suddenly shouted. "No fight can be fair if the odds are stacked in one's favor!"

"Hang on, I'm coming with you!" Lyn said, the two darting away through the sand.

Will sighed. "Hector, chase after them!"

Hector nodded. "Hold up you two!"

"Where do they get all that energy?" Nils asked, panting. "Unbelievable."

"What of the rest of us, Will?" Eliwood asked.

"We'll have to back them up." Will began, placing a finger to his forehead thoughtfully. Sands, dangerous new territory. So far has presented trouble for horses. Best not tire them out. Have Cavaliers stay and protect caravan. Magic users, on the other hand, are much better here. Enchanted clothes unhindered by harsh environment. Add in a few more front line fighters, and… he glance3d up to see Eliwood grinning. "What?"

"I don't think I've seen you do that often." Eliwood said. "Lyn often told me of it."

"Yes well, this situation is more complicated than first thought, but easily solved with a bit of forethought." Will explained. "Anyway, we need our magic users en masse this time. Priscilla's horse will be hindered, so she'll stay behind. Our Cavaliers will also remain, in the event of a sandstorm or bandit reinforcements. The rest of us will back up those three. Nilsa, you'll hang here while Ninian goes with us. That okay?"

"Yeah, heat's not fun for me." Nils nodded, before trotting over to the others.

"So our front will be Myself, You, Lyndis, Guy, Hector…" Eliwood began.

"Along with Dorcas, Bartre, Oswin, Legault, Dart, Heath, Fiora and Florina." Will continued. "The Pegasi and Wyvern will still be able to fly easily, and they can relay any messages to the team left behind."

"So Matthew, Raven, Rebecca and Wil are also to stay behind?" Ninian asked.

"Yes. This way the second group can have a nice range of different fighters. Our back-line will have Erk, Serra, Lucius and Canas. You, Hector and I will be their guard." Will concluded. "Judging by his demeanor, this man is powerful enough to manage well, so defeating these bandits shouldn't take too long."

"Got it." Eliwood said firmly. "Let's move!"

"Oh, look at this kindly soul." A rather effeminate hugely muscled man giggled. "He's waiting all by himself to give us his treasures, Jasmine!"

Jasmine, another equally effeminate hugely muscled man with a moustache, giggled as well. "Oh, Paul, I do believe you're right! Such generosity!"

The man remained composed. "I have spent many days searching to find this. I've worked far too hard to hand it over to common thugs."

Paul gasped. "So rude! And to think we were going to let you live… We're fragile creatures, you know! You can't trifle with our emotions! You're a bad man! He's so bad, Jasmine!"

"Oh, Paul." Jasmine replied, placing a hand on his cheek. "I know. I really do. My heart, it's breaking!"

"What?" Paul cried in surprise. "You too, Jasmine?"

"And you as well, Paul?"

"We must convince him to reconsider!"

The man held up his hand. "I've no wish to hurt you." He said. "But I warn you, should you attack…"

The two raised their axes in unison. "Die!" They shouted, their voices becoming low and hoarse.

"Fimbulvetr." His hand glowed, before a blast of ice shot forth. The ground erupted into a sudden burst of icy fury, remarkable for the desert, as the two were engulfed in its wake. Moments later, two icy statues stood where his opponents had. With a snap, they shattered into pieces.

"Well…" Guy said slowly, as the man turned to greet them with a pleasant smile. "We were ten steps too late."

Lyn could only nod in response.

"Hello there." The man said pleasantly to Lyn and Guy.

"Er… hi." Lyn replied.

"Lovely weather, isn't it?"

"It is?" Guy asked in surprise.

"Pardon, but there's a spot of confusion here. By your leave." With a swish of his rather magnificent cape. The man began chanting spells and directing his hands toward the other bandits in the area.

"Uh… you're excused?" Guy said at a loss.

"Actually, this is quite fascinating." Canas said confidentially to Will as they made their way to where the strange man stood. "The Nabata desert is a paradise for practitioners. Stories tell of the many magical artifacts lost to these sands. Of course, now's no time to be looking."

"What kind of rumors?" Will asked curiously, in spite of himself.

"Oh well, just as an example, the Aureola you now possess was thought lost to the sands. Because this was the last place Athos was heard of to be." Canas said sagely. "Of course, most of these rumors are just that, but can you imagine when the day comes that a rumor turns out true? A magic user may stumble upon the find of a lifetime!"

"I see." Will replied. "I'm sorry, but that doesn't sound all that great a life to me."

"Well, you've never been too interested in research." Canas sighed. "I suppose it's something only I would be interested in, come to think of it."

"Respectable in its own way, though." Will chuckled.

"Indeed."

Meanwhile, Hector had run into something a little unexpected. There was a large muscled man with strange tribal tattoos standing in front of him, barring his path to Lyn and the strange man. "Who uh… who're you?"

"Hawkeye. Defender of this desert." The man named Hawkeye replied.

"Are you with those bandits?"

"No, I will drive them away. Guests need fight no longer." His raised his axe, before turning and smashing it into a bandit who had been approaching, knocking him a clean ten feet away with the blow.

"What the heck is going on?" Hector muttered confusedly.

The bandits were never a match for the two strange men, so with Eliwood's Elite backing them, any remaining bandits after the first few minutes were quickly dispatched. It was rather embarrassing, when Will thought about it. He had taken into account so many contingencies and possible things to go wrong, that the weakness of the bandits almost disappointed him. The fact that no one received a scratch was the only reason he reminded himself that the battle wasn't important.

"You've been a great help to me." The man said, bowing politely to Lyn and Guy. "Thank you."

"Doesn't really feel like we did much of anything, honestly…" Guy said sadly.

"That's not true." The man said happily. "I was lucky my Elfire tome worked, but the strain magic can put on the tomes can render them useless, you know? If that had happened and I was alone… I shudder to think. But what has brought your little band to this wasteland?"

"We were told to come here." Will said. "To meet… a 'living legend,' of sorts."

"Living Legend?" The man paused. Then, he burst out in laughter. "I see! Well said!"

"Wait, you know of who I speak?" Will spluttered, taken aback. So much for being careful.

"Yes, I suppose I do." The man said, continuing to laugh. "It appears our destination is the same. Oh, Hawkeye!"

It was at that moment he noticed the tattooed warrior. "Pent." He said, nodding. "You found it?"

"That I did." Pent said satisfactorily. "As I thought, it's spectacular."

Hawkeye nodded. "It's getting dark. Let's go back."

"Yes, let's make haste." Pent agreed. "The desert nights are treacherous."

"But watch out for-" Hawkeye began, turning to the group. "Hey!"

"Eh?" Hector said in confusion. "The sand just—"

In an instant, he had vanished. Not a moment later, both Eliwood and Ninian had vanished as well, swallowed by the endless sands.

"I thought we were well clear of it!" Pent lamented, as he and Hawkeye vanished as well.

"Stay close, Will!" Lyn said, placing herself at his back. "Even if-"

Her words vanished into the night air, as they vanished beneath the sands as well.

"Lyn, Will!" Florina shouted, about to dive in.

"Florina stop!" Fiora commanded, stopping her sister just in time. "You'd only be swallowed as well!"

"But-" Florina wanted to argue, even if she knew her sister was right. The most important people to her had just vanished and she wasn't supposed to help them? What did she think they were going to do instead?

"We… have to report back." The voice of Heath made itself heard. Of their band, only the three air riders remained above the sands. "If no one carries word, the rest will come after us."

"Then do that!" Florina barked. "And I'll-"

"You'll do nothing!" Fiora commanded again. "We may have lost our commanders, but I will not lose my sister as well!"

Florina relented. When her sister got like this, there was no arguing with her. On top of that, she knew she wasn't thinking clearly. She just wanted… regretfully, she turned her pegasus around, following her sister and Heath back through the desert sky.

"And that's what happened." Fiora reported sadly. Next to her, both heath and Florina stood, silent

"Wait, and you just let them all sink?" Raven barked. "How could you-"

"Raven, stop!" Priscilla said.

"But Lucius-"

"No, it was the wisest course of action." Marcus said sadly. "Though I wish to run to his side this instant, we must evaluate the situation before acting. Thank you for returning to us, you three. I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm not proud of it." Heath admitted softly.

"Hang in there." Matthew said, giving the Wyvern rider a grin. "We'll figure this out."

"Oh my." A strange voice sounded behind the group. "Could you be Merlinus?"

Merlinus looked up in surprise to see a beautiful woman with blonde hair. "Lady Louise! Could my mind be playing tricks on me in my old age?"

"Oh come now." Louise said, giggling. "I'm sure you'd think of many other women before me, would you not."

"I am ashamed to admit it." Merlinus said with a bow. "But what brings you to this desert, milady?"

"I am traveling with my Lord Pent." She explained. "Lord Athos suddenly felt a strange… premonition, so I took it upon myself to investigate. I am surprised to find such a large group."

"Would that we were all here." Merlinus lamented. "A good portion of us sunk beneath the sands, with your Lord Pent and a man named Hawkeye."

"I see. That is a most unfortunate turn." Louise said sadly, placing a hand on her cheek. "I believe there's nothing we can do for them, then. They will simply have to find their way back to us."

"Back to us?" Marcus cried in surprise. "Is that possible?"

"Stranger things have happened in this world." Louise said with a smile. "My Lord Pent did not say goodbye this morning, so I have every faith he will return. Perhaps his dinner will be too cold by then, but that's his own fault for falling into a foolish situation."

Harsh… Heath winced.

"In the meantime, allow me to be your escort." She continued with a curtsy. "I believe Lord Athos will be interested in meeting you."

"So… he is alive." Rath said softly. "Good."

"That does make our journey worthwhile." Merlinus agreed. "We shall gratefully accept your invitation, Lady Lousie. Please lead the way."

Will… Lyn… please be safe. Florina prayed, looking back where the two had vanished.

Will groaned softly. The landing could have been a lot softer. It didn't help that Lyn was on top of him. Oh god, Lyn was on top of him. "Lyn! Are you okay?"

Lyn, seemingly disoriented, managed to stand. "Nothing's broken, I think." She stretched her body experimentally. "You?"

"I'm sore all over." He admitted. "I'm nowhere near as tough as you."

"Where are the others?" Lyn asked in concern.

"I… I don't know." Will admitted.

"There's walls all around us." Lyn said, as their vision began to clear. "No sign of the others. What's the plan?"

"How many Vulneraries do you have?" Will asked.

"Three." Lyn said calmly.

"Me as well." Will said. "Guess that means exploring isn't out of the question. Ordinarily I would say leave it to those with healers, but we don't know who got split up and how. In this case, it's going to be better to risk it and fight."

"Can we break these walls?" Lyn asked, approaching the nearest one.

"I'm not sure." Will replied. "With magic, however, I'm betting I can chip away at it enough for your sword to do the rest. That way we won't risk the Mani Katti."

"The Mani Katti never dulls or rusts." Lyn reiterated. "Did you forget?"

"Not really." Will said. "But if the walls get it all dirty it'll be a pain to clean later."

"So considerate." Lyn rolled her eyes. "Fine, your plan makes sense to me. Let's do it."

Will pulled out the Divine and Shine spell tomes. "This may take a while. I'm not as strong as Erk."

"Says the man who can use swords, tomes, and is a tactician of great renown."

"Okay, fine. Be that way." Will shrugged.

Lyn stuck out her tongue playfully. It was nice to be together like this.

Suddenly, Will shuddered. Lyn rushed over to him quickly. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm… fine." Will said through gritted teeth. "It's not… my condition… it's…" He looked up at Lyn. "I've felt this once before."

"Where?"

"The Dread Isle."

"Wait, you mean…"

"Yes. The Magic Seal is here." Will said, looking at the nearest wall. "My magic's completely blocked."

Author endnote: I'm sorry this took so long. I did mention why up there, but another part of it has been some battles with myself about who I am, who I want to be, and how I'm supposed to get there. Between all that, this chapter still ended up shorter than I intended. I just couldn't find it in me to write a battle section for this chapter, so in the end I just decided that, Like the in-game chapter, Pent and Hawkeye would wreck the entire force pretty much with no help.

Hopefully this makes for an interesting cliffhanger. The team is divided, while Will and Lyn are truly alone for the first time since their journey began so long ago. What does this mean for her confession? Are her and Will a better match than he and Florina? We'll just have to see how things playout next time! Once more, thank you all so much for reading!