Chapter Five

Grann Colony...

Years soon after the refugees of Yune's army arrived in the desert centuries ago, young King Pelleas of Daein had died. After their loss in Sienne, the young King had led his troops to safety in Grann at Stefan's urging. With his kingdom turned to stone and the Disciples of Order quickly resurging as Ashera raised more soldiers to cut off their escape, there had been no hope of ever returning to Daein.

In Grann, he had been hard at work helping his people make a new life in the colony. He had been busy, but he had been healthy. No one in the city knew what had caused his sudden collapse. Perhaps it had been an after effect of a blood pact destroyed too hastily at the tower, or perhaps it had been another lingering curse by a vengeful enemy, maybe Izuka.

It didn't matter. Pelleas did not make it past his prime, and he was mourned for very deeply.

For years after that, the Queen Mother of Daein Almedha had been unreachable in her grief. Many times had others had needed to stop her from attempting to take her own life. For a long time it seemed as though there was no remedy to the heartbreak caused from her son's death.

Slowly though, she had recovered.

Her mind was still fragile and she was very sensitive, liable to sudden fits of anger and depression, but she was no longer deep into the abyss of despair she had fallen into.

Instead, as if to somehow fill the irreplaceable void Pelleas had left, she had taken a strange interest in someone.

She never got too close and the interactions were few. However she was always near him, just on the periphery of vision. The former queen was afraid to make contact, as though she were afraid that if she did, she would lose him too.

Micaiah had noticed this, and no doubt had Almedha's subject of interest done so already as well. There was little that escaped his watch after all. Whatever he thought of it was a mystery, but he made no move to approach her either.

The morning after the incident with the stone, Micaiah, Muarim and Volug gathered around the table in the same building they had met in the day prior. In two other rooms in the same edifice, Soren and Amy were still asleep, recuperating from their journey.

Micaiah fingered Almedha's sending stone in her hand, feeling the gentle magic its smooth surface radiated. She couldn't believe it was the very same stone from yesterday, which had emitted such a violent aura.

"We cannot return the rock to her," Muarim was saying. "If her actions were caused by its influence, she is not safe with it. She was being manipulated through it somehow."

"The stone is a medium for communication," said Micaiah. "King Kurthnaga once told me the stones could carry someone's thoughts to a distance far enough to reach a specific loved one."

"If it is true that only people who are close to Almedha can use the stone to reach her, it pains me to think of who it was on the other side."

Micaiah nodded. "In Goldoa, King Kurth is her last living blood relative. For a time, he used to be able to communicate with her until the Order placed those interference barriers around Begnion. Now the sending stone is useless unless the users are inside Begnion. Nasir is the only one who can regularly reach her now. "

"All this points to the fact that the Order must have had some hand in this attack," Muarim didn't look happy. He deduced the probable situation quickly. "But why Almedha? How is it they know about her? Something has happened in which someone she knew has been forced to send a curse to her using the stone, or the Order has gotten a hold of one and found a way to use it themselves."

"Those are bleak, but logical assumptions," Micaiah replied sadly. "Although, I don't believe that Nasir or Kurthnaga could ever betray us like this, no matter the circumstance."

"Brainwashing the beast tribe was successful, but who says the dragons really are much more resistant?" Muarim pointed out. "King Kurthnaga is strong, but everyone has a breaking point."

They were quiet for a moment, considering the implications of that.

"It's impossible to know about Kurthnaga, and Nasir isn't due back for another couple of months. It's too risky for Almedha to use the stone to communicate with him and make sure he's alright," said Muarim.

Volug was as silent as ever, listening to the conversation thoughtfully. But now he called the group's attention by gesturing past Micaiah, behind her spot on the table.

"How could you doubt them?"

Micaiah and Muarim turned to see the owner of the affronted rebuke in the doorway, looking forlorn despite the biting force of her words. Micaiah immediately stood up and headed to her. "Lady Almedha, are you feeling well enough to be up and around?"

She ignored Micaiah's question, brushing past her to the table to address the others. "Nasir was one of my father's oldest retainers, he is strong. He would sooner die than be captured by Begnion scum! As for my brother, he would never allow such a thing!"

She reached for the stone left forgotten on the table, but Volug quickly grabbed it from her grasp and moved away from her reach.

"Give me the stone! I will talk with Nasir right now!"

"Using it could be unsafe," Micaiah tried to reason. "What happened yesterday may have been the cause of a curse sent through it."

"Nothing can be sent through it but words and ideas. I know better than any of you on how it works! Give me the stone!" She moved to intercept Volug around the table briskly.

"My Queen...!" Micaiah worried.

"Give it to me, you irksome lupine!" she shouted at him. The unshifted wolf leaped over the table just as Almedha dived at him, and for a second they all thought she was about to flip the furniture. But Volug jumped from the table, and she was soon in pursuit around it. She chased him across the room, commencing a strange game of cat and mouse as the others watched helplessly. Or in this case - dragon and wolf.

"Give her the stone," a new voice interrupted them, just as Muarim was about to jump in to try and restore order.

Looking just slightly healthier but no more less tired than yesterday, Soren stood in the doorway, looking exasperated.

"Soren!"

"And if something happens?" Micaiah asked.

"Judging by yesterday, the type of berserk fury induced by the stone was intended to make the receiving laguz transform. A wild dragon would wreak great havoc to its surroundings, and most likely would have happened yesterday had Almedha not lost this ability. If anything does happen when she touches it, she can be contained. Right now, it's important that we verify that Nasir is fine, and she is the only one who can do so."

His presence had somehow visibly affected Almedha, who had quieted. Volug exchanged a look with Micaiah.

"Alright," she assented after a moment.

The wolf handed Almedha the stone and the former queen quickly snatched it back into her hands, cradling it protectively as if it could be taken away from her at any moment again.

She turned her back to them and began murmuring to the stone quietly, closing her eyes and holding it close to her lips.

They waited for a response, becoming more and more worried as a minute stretched. Finally, Almedha turned back to them slowly.

"He is not...responding."

"Maybe he can't do so right now?" Micaiah asked hopefully. "He could be somewhere with people and not respond because it would look strange? Or maybe he didn't notice?"

"One does not need to be seen speaking to the stone, a simple touch of your fingertips will project your thoughts, and holding it only enhances the connection," Almedha answered. "As long as the stone is on his person, he will know I have tried to contact him."

"I-I see."

"Well," Muarim began. "It doesn't seem like-"

The stone began to pulse in Almedha's hands and the others tensed for a moment, awaiting a sudden change in her behaviour. But Almedha only closed her eyes again, the stone in her hands aglow with blue.

When she reopened them, the others confirmed their growing relief.

"He is in Gaddos to the north, well and unharmed. I have told him of the medallion's arrival. He says he will return sometime in the following month."

"Oh, what great news," Micaiah breathed. "Give him our regards." She almost laughed, she had been so worried!

"If it wasn't from Nasir's end, the attack must have come come from Goldoa, assuming that Kurthnaga still resides there." Soren was already moving on.

"What do you mean?" Muarim frowned.

"Lethe said that little news travels from that country, but there is a rumor that the king is unwell. As we have little information, we must consider the possibility that Kurthnaga may be-"

"No!"

Almedha was on the verge of losing her composure again. "My brother..! Impossible!" She was shaking her head. "I can feel it, he is alive and unaffected by the Order. Even without the stone, our connection exists!"

Soren only regarded her coolly. It was obvious what he thought, but he said nothing.

"Nevertheless," Muarim said. "It's too dangerous to leave the stone in your care, Almedha. With your heightened sensitivity, you would be the most susceptible if another curse is sent through it."

"You will still be able to use it whenever you wish," Micaiah hurried to add. "It would just be better if we were there to make sure nothing happened."

Almedha was retreating backwards towards a wall, her grasp on the stone was tight. "The stone belongs with me. I will not give it to you," she said curtly.

"Please, Lady Almedha," Micaiah pleaded. "Do not force us to take it from you."

"I refuse...!"

Volug was ready by Micaiah's side in case Almedha became aggressive, but even he spoke a few words of persuasion to the agitated queen in the Old Tongue, to which she responded with a glare.

And she tensed when Soren decided to approach her too. He had been supporting himself on the doorway wall during the conversation, as he was not fully recovered from the journey's strain. A night's sleep was all too little to completely ease his fatigue, but now he moved forward, although on obviously unsteady feet.

He came slowly, with his hands spread in a soothing gesture so as to not spook her. "Lady Almedha, it would be-" He was only a few feet away when he stumbled, and the queen unexpectedly lunged forward, catching him by his shoulders.

He was taken aback for a second as their eyes met, but quickly recovered his footing. Almedha released him and he took a step back."If you would entrust me with the stone, I promise no harm will come to it." He ignored the small mishap, continuing with what he had wanted to say. "It will only be temporary, and you may use it whenever you wish to speak with Nasir. This is for your safety and that of everyone else. Once we find what is wrong, and if there is a way to block it, it will be returned back to your permanent care."

There was no reaction from the woman as they locked eyes for a moment, one pair of crimson eyes wavering under the weight of the other's. Then she broke the contact and gazed at the stone, fingering it longingly.

Without a word, she placed the stone in his outstretched hand, surprising everyone else in the room.

Soren's fingers closed over the stone, but he momentarily started when he felt soft fingertips brush away a loose strand of hair over his forehead. He looked up to briefly meet Almedha's pained eyes again before she quickly brushed past him and moved out the door.

And then for just a second, he was unable to hide that he looked even more astonished than the room's other occupants.

xxx

Amy yawned as she stretched, wincing as she felt the soreness in her limbs. It hadn't gone away with the long rest.

She realized she was in Micaiah's room, and realized she must have fallen asleep during the meeting yesterday and been carried here. Immediately, she felt bad. Where had Micaiah slept?

Out the window, she looked down at the ravine the building bordered. There was gold and orange reflected in the canyon walls, and she knew it was sunset. She let out a soft sigh as she took in the sunny beauty.

She was home.

In that moment, someone knocked very softly on the bedroom door.

She knew that knock. There was no one else in Grann who could knock as softly as that!

She wanted to open the door and let her joy overflow. She wanted to hug her friend and tell him how much she had missed him. However, another part of her wondered if she couldn't just pretend to be asleep and postpone the reunion. She didn't want him to see her shame. She didn't want him to see how she'd been forced to return without accomplishing any of the dreams she had once talked to him about so vividly.

Her hesitation stretched and the knocking soon stopped. Suddenly, an anxious feeling overtook her and made her rush at the door as she changed her mind. She feared she had waited too long and he was gone.

Wehn she opened the door she was met with his retreating back some meters away, moving away in disappointment.

"Kedil!"

The cat laguz turned, an awkward grin lighting his face. His eyes went down to the floor and a hand went up to scratch his head absentmindedly as he shifted his feet . "Amy! I-I didn't wake you, did I?"

He was tackled with a hug. "Oh Kedil! I've missed you!"

"Yeah, I have too," he laughed. "Hey, look! You grew a little bit!"

"Really? You've got new wrinkles yourself!" she joked.

"Come outside, everyone's waiting to see you!" He reached for her hand excitedly, but immediately her fears returned. Kedil frowned as she slipped her hand away. "What's wrong, Amy?"

She could remember, how one and a half decades prior she had talked so passionately about the world outside the colony. At least, the world that had existed. Once, she had been lovingly raised to believe she was a normal beorc, far away from the hate, loneliness and violence that normally plagued her true kind. If such a life had been possible her, why couldn't it be for the rest of them? She longed to return to that world. She had thought that if she could show the people of the desert that some part of the goodness of their old world still existed, they'd regain their lost hope and act.

She had been told her dream was futile, but she hadn't listened to any of them. She'd embarked on her own journey, and seen for herself the true nature of the world outside now.

She realized now how naive she had been, thinking it could have been so easy. She had acted brazenly then, and admitting she had been wrong made her ashamed.

But then she thought back, and realized she had witnessed enough to know that good did exist.

The innkeeper whom she had worked for two years had been kind to her. He had believed her to be an orphan from Telgam. He had taken her in, given her shelter and work and inadvertently, a place to hide.

The boy she'd met too. She had seen the potential in his aspiring eyes, the spark of chaos and unpredictability in his actions. She had seen how despite the horrid stories he no doubt must have grown up hearing about her kind, he was indifferent after knowing about what she was. He didn't care. She was a person to him, not some sort of monstrous and sinful abomination to the Goddess's creations.

But despite her obvious disappointment, was there any way to convince her comrades in the desert that there truly was a shred of hope outside?

"Come on," Kedil brought her to the present. He squeezed her hand encouragingly. "Everyone's missed you. They're anxious to see you're still in one piece after such a long time out there, so let's go meet them, okay?"

After a moment, she let a smile spread over her face and returned the squeeze. She would keep her head up.

She would show them her journey hadn't been in vain.

"Alright. Let's not keep them waiting."

~x~

"You're doing it again," the former knight chided gently, stirring the pot over the kitchen hearth.

The wind mage by the window ignored him, watching the sun set outside while resting his head in his arms on the windowsill. A book lay forgotten on the table beside him.

"You've been doing it a lot lately," Oscar continued. He added some spices they had bought in town to the broth he was making. "You'll begin to stare off into space like that."

He wasn't answered, so he wondered if Soren maybe was so deep in thought he just hadn't heard him. He carried on with his task, putting the finishing touches on the meal and occasionally glancing back at the boy with a worried frown.

"Woow! It smells so great!" The new voice interrupted the silence. Mia walked through the door, searching for the source of the delicious scent. "Oh, Oscar, I'm starving!"

Oscar chuckled lightly. "Tell the others to come in. Dinner's ready."

"Won't Boyd be delighted to hear that! He and Ike have been whacking at each other for hours. It's not fair," she huffed. "I want to practice with the boss too! At this rate, both of them will be too tired to spar with me."

"What about Rhys? I haven't seen him all day."

"He and Titania went off to town for a job. Shinon and Gatrie are off in the woods doing who knows what too, so I've got no one to play with." At this moment she took notice of Soren by the window.

"Hey," she sat next to him on the bench. He didn't respond in the first few seconds so she poked him in the ribs. He yelped and turned to glare at her.

"It's been ages since I sparred with you," she said. "Practice with me after dinner. I have to get my resistance up!"

"It will be dark outside soon, Mia."

"So? It's actually less of a challenge because I'll be able to see your magic easier, but I still want to have a go at it."

He sighed.

"Come on, Soren. Please? Pretty please?"

"Fine."

"Yes! Okay, I'm going to get everyone together for dinner now so brighten up! You've been looking so down in the dumps lately, but there's nothing else like Oscar's home cooking to cheer you up!" She used her fingers to turn the corners of Soren's mouth up into something resembling a smile. He was too slow to whack her hands away and she quickly left the room, her infectious laughter following after her.

Oscar set a bowl of steaming broth in front of the peeved mage, resisting the urge to laugh and instead setting a hand on Soren's shoulder. There had once been a time when the boy's unpleasant nature and harsh remarks kept almost all the other members of Greil's Mercenaries from approaching him, but Oscar had spent enough years with him - including the entirety of the Crimean War - to allow the young tactician to intimidate him anymore.

"If there's something bothering you Soren, you can tell us," the green haired paladin smiled warmly. They could hear Mist and Rolf's enthusiastic voices approaching outside the room, drawn to the food's aroma.

"We're your family, after all."

~xxx~