Disclaimers # 1: Star Ocean names, characters, and all of its related articles are the rightful properties of Square-Enix. I don't own any more of Star Ocean but a copy of the game. If there's something I can claim ownership here, it's my OC.
Disclaimers # 2: This is a fanfiction based on another fanfiction titled Two Soldiers: Fire and Ice authored by Artemis' Bow. Sometimes, our plots crossed at some points, therefore, you might want to (and probably, have to) read her fic as well to get a better grasp of my story (I highly recommend it). Her excellent piece of work forms the basis of this fic, along with her support and approval. If you like this fic, then part of the credit shall goes to her.
Author's Note (Please Read): Actually, I don't have anything to say here but a humble wish to you all who read this story: please review. This is my first fic, and I need to know what aspect I should improve to make this a good, likeable piece of writing to you. Once again, readers, please be kind enough to leave reviews.
And as always, please read and enjoy. Happy reading
The Third Soldier: Another Heart
Chapter 4: The Tender, Fierce Heart—Part One
Castle Aquaria, audience chamber.
Aquaria XXVII was in her throne as always, along with her faithful magistrate, Laselle, beside her. Before her a moment ago had been a party from Arias: the Chain Legion commander, the Shield Legion head doctor, and the Shield Legion commander's aide, bringing information on Arias' latest situation.
The information had been delivered, and the queen had worded her decisions in regard to the Arias matter, which clearly indicated that the meeting was over. The other companions had long retreated themselves as the queen dismissed them, but the Chain Legion commander remained still, her head down.
The queen, slightly surprised with the commander's insistence, asked, her voice gentle.
"Lady Yvikka, do you still have something to say?"
Yvikka, though realizing that she had gotten the queen's attention, didn't—or rather, couldn't—speak. Her speech was halted in her throat. Her heart was torn between the extremes of her loyalty to her queen, and her selfish concern for her dear superior. She was only a legion commander, neither a Crimson Blade, nor a magistrate, not even someone who had the position to talk back at the face of the queen's order. Moreover, her queen, Aquaria XXVII was considered as the Holy Mother of the time. Disobeying her order could be considered treason at best, and even blasphemy at worst.
"… Pardon my insolence, my queen, but I…" The commander finally managed. Her head sank as she struggled to get the one and the last word out, the one word which carried both her concern for Clair and what that might be her damnation.
"… I object…"
"Who do you think you are, dare to object the queen's order?" Laselle, the queen's magistrate shot out almost immediately as the objection was clearly stated. He was about to speak again, but the queen waved her hand in front of him.
"Silence, Laselle," said the queen. Her voice was strong, but it went gentle again as she spoke to the daring woman in front of her.
"Say your reason."
The queen's word, though gently voiced, felt like another burden fell to the commander's already-laden shoulders. It crashed on her, sending her head and shoulders even lower.
There might be no better place for it…
Arias… might mean a lot to Lady Clair, and so does Lady Clair to her soldiers there, but…
Since when did a war-threatened place become the best place to treat an ill person?
If war is to happen there, Lady Clair…
This one thing had plagued her since they left Arias. The probabilities were clear, but she couldn't decide herself. She was unsure. Unsure herself whether her voiced objection, be it accepted or not, would be for everyone's good.
Get on with it, Yvikka, silence won't solve a thing!
With that in mind, she finally voiced her reason, hoping that it would bring her the much needed answer.
"I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty, but I… I can't… I can't agree with the decision of keeping Lady Clair in Arias. I fully realize that Arias… might be the best place to begin with her recovery, and her soldiers there… might want her to be there with them as much as I do, but Arias… Arias is also not the safest place to be. Our enemies are right at its gate, and if they attacked—"
Her sentence was stopped as she saw from the corner of her eyes, a glimpse of movement from her queen. She could see that the queen brought herself up from the throne, and, to the commander's horror, stepped closer at her. Yvikka didn't dare to look up as she saw the queen's gown so close to her. The queen was close, closer than ever, standing over her.
Yvikka shut her eyes tight, cursing at herself.
This is it… I'll be damned…
Instead of receiving the damnation she'd expected, she felt a soft hand caressed her cheek, and then to her chin, lifting her face up. The queen's voice came to her ears.
"Open your eyes, Lady Yvikka."
Be it anyone else, the dark haired might just shake herself off and bolted out as far away as possible, but this was her queen, one of the few people whose command she had no defense against.
Slowly, the commander opened her eyes, only to be taken aback upon finding that her eyes were actually at an equal level with the queen's. Worries were apparent on them, and it pained the dark haired. The queen's hand was holding her face. It was only a gentle touch, but it bore strength strong enough to make her unable to turn away. Her mind blanked at her queen's concerned look. She wanted to say something, but nothing came up her mind. Her lips shut.
"I understand your feeling," was the queen's words after a moment of silence.
"I myself wanted to have Lady Clair to be administered here, for I believe that 'here' is the safest place possible. However, I believe that you realize the sensitivity of this matter—we can't let this be known to others. It is almost impossible to have Lady Clair be administered here without attracting much attention. Even if it is possible… we might have to resort to keeping her in a far, solitary place so as to avoid other's attention, with only few people attend her. I personally don't like that. In Arias, many people there care to her, and I believe that it is better for her to be among the people who care to her…" The queen paused, looked deeper at the jet-black orbs before her, and went on.
"I know this might be a burden to you, but please… take care of Arias, Lady Clair… and Lady Nel as well."
The last, pleading sentence of her queen's broke the commander, washed all of her disagreements away.
"Your Majesty!" Her answer spilled rapidly out of her throat, her head on the floor, "I… I humbly beg for your forgiveness…"
She was grateful. Truly grateful, not because that she was not damned or sentenced, but more because that the queen was willing to explain the cause of her decision, which turned out to be something which she had never expected. The commander then dared herself to look again at her queen's face, voicing her decision.
"I shall protect Arias… its citizens… Lady Clair, and Lady Nel…"
The queen gave her soldier a faint smile upon hearing the decision. She then stood up again, and walked solemnly to her throne. From there, she dismissed the commander once again, which was met by an utter compliance from the commander. The queen watched as the woman retreated to the large door leading to the main corridor, opened it, and finally closed it from the other side.
"Laselle."
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Her name…Yrsenlaf… that name doesn't sound unfamiliar to me," the queen then turned to her magistrate beside her, "Could you please look for any information about her background and families? If my memory serves me right, it could be that Yrsenlaf lineage might have been among the servants of the royalty."
"At once, Your Majesty."
---
Yvikka eté Yrsenlaf, the Chain Legion commander, had just come out of the audience chamber, eyes still downcast.
It was just one day after it had begun, and it was hard, very hard on her.
At the start of the day, she had seen her esteemed commander—Clair—in a condition almost unbearable to see. In the day's briefing, she had had to put up with the dismaying news and the disheartened soldiers, which almost took her patience. Nary before going to Aquios, she had learned the painful truth about Clair's condition, which nearly broke her into pieces. And just now, she had to see worries apparent in the queen's serene face, which made her feel like a convicted criminal. Guilt crashed down hard on her.
I had thought that the queen would heed little attention to her soldiers… but I was wrong after all…
In the meeting, the news about the probable attack on Aquarian territory by the Glyphian anti-alliance party was something less to worry about, much less to talk about, partly because the queen had expected that such thing would happen. The news about her Crimson Blades in Arias, however, aside from the fact that it was both unexpected and ill-timed, was the queen's main concern. In fact, the discussion about the two commanders had been the most part of the meeting. The queen had asked the commander and her companions many things about the being of Nel and Clair, and it had been quite often that they had to restate the information. It was apparent that the queen was really worried about them.
Upon learning Clair's condition, the queen had offered two of the castle's—which could be as well, Aquaria's—best doctors to attend the grieving commander. Surely, the offer soothed some of the uncertainty and ill-feelings in the dark haired commander's heart, and she had agreed to that, but she had also been a bit livid at the decision of keeping Clair in Arias.
Her anger, however, didn't last long. The queen's words to her at the audience chamber just before had washed it away.
I'm sorry, my queen, for thinking such an ill-thought…
But that was only a part of the guilt which was burdening her shoulders. Her mind wandered back to the time when she and Clair had been discussing the other part of the relief order, which had arrived quite late in the day of her arrival in Arias…
(Flashback)
"I'm not going anywhere. That's my decision."
"But, Lady Clair…"
Clair Lasbard, the commanding officer in Arias, looked up at her dark-haired subordinate. The unyielding look of her pale brown eyes bore strength that brooks no argument.
"I don't care what Laselle will say, but I'm not leaving my soldiers here," Clair spoke with a tone which was somewhat foreign to the other commander before her, "There's still much to do, besides, you haven't had the grasp of the situation here. There's no way I would leave my soldiers to someone who don't have the whole picture of the sit—"
The silver haired commander stopped her voice short, apparently realized that she was being somewhat harsher than her usual. Yvikka was also struck speechless by her superior's words, and moreover, by the foreign, atypical sentiment behind the voice that carried the words. Clair always worried about everyone who was under her command, the dark haired knew, but the runologist had become uncharacteristically stern at the mentioning of the newly arrived order—an order that Clair was to be relieved from her commander position in Arias, and Yvikka was to take her place. Surely, it meant that Clair would have to return to Aquios, or go to anywhere else but to Arias to take the much needed rest she deserved, but it was only for Clair, and no one else.
No matter how hard the dark haired woman thought about it, she couldn't find a word of rebuttal. To be blatantly honest with herself, she was glad that now she could actually be with Clair and Nel after all the times of worrying about the two commanders being in the heat of the last war. However, she would be even more contented if she could see the people she treasured as she did Clair and Nel to be in a place far from the image of war and death. Now that Clair had a chance to go home, she was more than willing to urge the silver haired to do just that, but Clair's last words were true enough, and undisputable.
While she was lost in thought, Clair silently moved closer to her, and rested her gentle hands on the other's shoulders.
"Look, Yvikka…" The runologist's voice gentle; the tone of her usual self, "I'm sorry… I don't mean to be harsh. It's not that I don't trust you, or that you're incompetent. I highly value your abilities, and I have no doubt about it, and, to be honest, I'm glad that it's you who Laselle sent here as the relief. I don't mind leaving my soldiers to you, but I have to be sure that you know your surroundings well."
"I understand, Lady Clair. I apologize."
The silver haired runologist let out a soft sigh, and smiled, "It's not your fault. I mean, really, Laselle needs to learn to be a soldier sometimes. How could he give such order in such a hasty manner?"
"I, too, have to learn," the other commander spoke, "I still have a way to go if I am to take your place here, Lady Clair."
"You will take my place here, eventually," answered the silver haired commander.
"Really?"
Clair chuckled at Yvikka's response, "Do you think I want to stay here forever? Of course I don't. I will just postpone the fulfillment of this order. Once I told you everything you need to know and learn here, I'll leave."
Yvikka sighed at her superior's words. She usually trusted everything Clair said, but this time she was unsure. She had known Clair to be someone who is all-comforting, but she was also aware that in doing so, it is quite often that one has to contain his or her own feelings. With Clair, however, she didn't know, but her reaction to the order, though her said reason was understandable, had been so out of the character that the dark haired commander had known during their time working together. There was something behind the beautiful pale face that Yvikka couldn't see, much less comprehend, and it made her wonder.
Does she say that only to comfort me, also? To make me feel better?
But… have I ever found her words to be untrue? I don't think I have.
… I haven't really seen her for quite some time, anyway, and the war… it has changed many people as well…
On top of that… she is right about me…
Eventually, the dark haired commander chose to believe.
(End of flashback)
She rubbed her already messy hair at the remembrance. The guilt stung her heart again. The same old guilt that had plagued her ever since the war had started, since Nel and Clair had been in the frontline, and had grown even worse in the past few days.
Yvikka the good-for-nothing! She scolded herself.
Had you been a more able person, you would've taken her position sooner, she would have been home, and things might be different!
Even when you're close to them, you're still good for nothing! There's nothing you can do for them! Nothing you can do to help them!
Nothing…
… nothing…
… nothing again…
Her balance wavered at the punishing thought. Her head pounded with sudden pain. Quickly, she leaned her body against the nearest wall, knowing that her knees might fail her sooner or later. She was about to give up, but a voice broke through her pain, and then her mind, stopping the thought of giving up by jolting herself back to reality.
"Lady Yvikka, are you all right?"
The pained commander turned to see the owner of the voice. It was Ersa—Clair's aide. Along with her presence came the images of the other soldiers of Clair's, the ones whom she had been entrusted with, the ones who relied on her, as well as the ones she herself had promised to take care of.
What am I thinking? Giving up?
What will become of Arias if I give up?
What will become of Lady Clair and Lady Nel if I give up?
What will they say if I give up?
I can't give up now. I still have many things to do.
Having found her resolve again, the dark haired commander pushed herself upright, and gave the other woman a forced smile.
"… I'm fine, Ersa. Just a little tired, I guess. Where's Miss Aline?"
Ersa sighed at the commander's response. It was the second time that day she saw the dark haired woman so lost in thought.
"… Aline went ahead to meet the high priestess to give her the queen's orders. When everything's ready, we shall meet in the chapel's entrance."
"I see… let's go there, then."
The aide complied with no more question, but actually, she was still wondering about the commander. As she followed her down the stairs, she finally tried to ask.
"Pardon me, Lady Yvikka, but—"
"Please…" Yvikka cut in and glanced over at the aide. Her expression was a slight hint of displeasure, which gave Ersa a really bad feeling, but it soon disappeared as the commander continued.
"Please… leave out that 'lady'. It's not like we haven't known each other for a while."
Ersa smiled at the remark. Though she and Yvikka had been together since they were still in the military training, and then again in the Shield Legion garrison, she had acted quite distantly to the dark haired commander upon their reunion. Aside from the respect her dark haired friend had earned now that she was a legion commander, she respected Yvikka because the other woman was also her senior. Now her friend wanted her to act normally, and it made her glad.
"I had wanted to do that, but I can't help it. I am very much used to it ever since our days in the Shield Legion. After all, you are now a legion commander, as well as my senior, but, I will try… Yvikka."
The commander turned at the aide, a broad smile on her face. Too many people addressed her as 'lady' or 'commander'. Even her friends, except Clair, called her that because most of them were either her subordinates, or common folk who knew her first as a legion commander, and it made them feel distant to her. Usually she never bother to worry about it, but now, the burden over her was so heavy that it made her feel the need to close the distance—the need to be recognized not as someone of authority, but more as a person with all of her own flaws and weaknesses.
And being called by her name, without a title, gave her the feeling of that closeness.
"That sounds better, Ersa. Now, is there something you want to ask me?"
"Yes, I, uh… If I may know, what happened?"
Yvikka's brows furrowed, "Pardon me? When?"
"In the audience chamber just a moment ago."
"Oh, that?" The commander did not answer to the question right away. She diverted her jet black eyes from the other woman's, staring down at the marble stairs they were walking on, and then looked back into the other's eyes.
"I… voiced my objection," was her answer.
Ersa jerked with surprise at the answer. Even she knew that, except the Crimson Blades and some other high-ranking officials such as the magistrate, no other people had the privilege to talk back to the queen's decisions, unless the queen had said otherwise beforehand. She remembered in their training days, that this woman had argued quite often with their instructors and seniors, but she never thought Yvikka to be so daring in front of the queen.
"Really?" Ersa managed to find her voice again, though barely recovered from shock, "What did Her Majesty say about that, then?"
"Her Majesty…" Yvikka began, "… also cares about Lady Clair as much as we do. I believe you know that this matter is sensitive. If Lady Clair's treatment is to be administered here, or in any other place, she will have to be kept hidden from attention. That would be much more like an exile… Because of that, Her Majesty believes that it will be better if she stays in Arias, where, as Her Majesty also believes, there are a lot more people to care for her…"
"Her Majesty really said that?"
"Truly, and I have no other choice but to repay Her Majesty's trust in the face of that."
Ersa sighed with relief. Inside her heart, she admitted that she also disagreed with the queen's decision to keep her commander in Arias, but she didn't have the courage to speak out. The aide then looked at her dark haired friend with awe, grateful that her friend was able to speak it out in her place.
"Thank you."
"Pardon me?"
Ersa smiled at the response, and answered.
"Never mind."
Yvikka sighed in response. She smiled back at her friend, and returned the thanks, remembering how the other woman had helped her through the day.
"Thank you to you, too."
"For what?"
"Um… Never mind?"
Ersa grumbled in a slight annoyance, her face twisted into such a look that would normally make the dark haired commander laugh.
But sadly, Yvikka could not give any more than a smile in the face of the aide's expression.
Not long after, the two women were in front of the castle's chapel entrance, waiting for their companion. The Shield Legion head doctor, Aline, found them a short time after, along with the high priestess and one of her colleagues—the doctors assigned by the queen. It turned out that they were ready to go, with all of their things already loaded into one of the royal wagons waiting in the castle's front yard. They took their leave almost immediately. The sun had passed its peak when the party left the gate of Aquios.
---
It was nearly the middle of the night, but Yvikka could not sleep despite the fact that she had spent most of the day in the saddle. They had arrived back in Arias only just after the dinner bell had rung. The castle doctors, along with Aline, went immediately to see Clair in her room, and had stayed there ever since.
She was with Ersa, waiting patiently and silently in front of the door to Clair's room.
A creak of the opened door broke the silence. Behind the door was the high priestess, who gestured the two women to come inside.
"How is she?" Yvikka asked almost immediately as she got in the room.
"It is indeed, catatonia," answered the high priestess, "I see some recently healed wounds all over her body. From your reports, Lady Yvikka, you said that she was attacked by fiends, true?"
"That is right, Your Eminence."
The answer was met with a furrowed brow from the high priestess, "That is strange. When I first looked at your reports, and then the scars in Lady Clair's body, I had thought that the cause of Lady Clair's catatonic stupor would be physical trauma, but now I see that the wounds were minor," the priestess paused, her hand going to the part of Clair's head where she'd found a scar, caressing it gently, "Even the head trauma, which is believed to have the highest probability of inciting a catatonic state, was no more than a gash in the skin, and is unlikely to be the cause. That is, to the best of my knowledge."
The priestess then looked again at the dark-haired woman, "Would you happen to know if there's anything that happened the day before… a kind of experience which might have affected Lady Clair emotionally, or psychologically? If there is, it might well be the cause."
Yvikka and Ersa looked at each other at the doctor's question. A few moments of silence came and went before Yvikka's voice finally came.
"Even if there is, I don't know the details, Your Eminence. When we found her the day before, she was already… 'blank', but she managed to say something before she went completely unresponsive."
"What is it, if I may know?"
Yvikka didn't answer right away. The memory of the moments Clair had spoken to her in her arms was a source of great pain to her. With a heaving of her shoulders, the commander managed to answer.
"It's about Lady Nel… Lady Nel… being alive, or maybe… dead."
The dark haired commander then went on, telling the doctors of the events that had happened the day before.
The elder doctor, the high priestess, couldn't hide the shock the news of Nel's probable demise caused her. After a short moment of silence, the doctor spoke again.
"It is believed that such emotional events, such as rejection and the death of a loved one or a close friend, can cause a great depression, which eventually leads to catatonia. The chance of her recovery, if that is the case, is slim, because we are not dealing with mere physical injury, but I promise that we will do our best to bring her back."
---
Arias, a few days later…
The town was still in the process of rebuilding itself, as always. However, the rebuilding effort had shifted priorities. Walls and gates were fortified; new watchtowers were erected, as well as some defensive structures—even some of the newly fixed houses and barns were modified to be used as makeshift defensive structures. The Arias townsfolk had also been informed about the possibility of the rogue Glyphian's attack on Arias. The townsfolk responded coolly to the news. In the war, Arias had been the target of many Airyglyph attacks, and its people had been used to it for quite a time.
Clair Lasbard was still being attended in her room. Only a few people knew about the woman's real condition. Nevertheless, everyone knew that she was ill. The castle doctors practically never left the room where Clair was. They would take turns attending Clair, laboring with both their bodies and minds to find the cure for the silver haired woman's spirit—something which had yet to be found.
Nel Zelpher was still assumed missing. The search effort for her was hampered by the escalating tension at the border. Hence, little search effort had been made, and none of the attempts had returned with good news.
Yvikka, the Chain Legion commander, now the acting commander of Arias, had worked hard redirecting the town's rebuilding and defense organization. The dark haired worked, or rather, labored, herself like no one else. In the daytime, she would be seen briefing the soldiers, watching and inspecting the rebuilding, and even taking the field patrol duty almost every day. At night, she would fill her idle moments with studying Clair's logbooks and reports. It was quite often the soldiers on the night shift saw the light in her room lit up for the whole night.
Few occasions of note happened during those days. Patrols, however, had some encounters with some unknown group in the vicinity of Aire hills. Upon being sighted, the group fled toward the Kirlsa hills, a Glyphian territory. It was surmised later that the group was probably some recon party sent by the rogue Glyphian militia. Though the encounters were harmless, they nevertheless, added to the growing tension in Arias.
At one time late in the day, however…
---
Yvikka had just returned from attending to some errands with her legion in Peterny. As she dismounted from her steed, Sisera, her aide, along with Ersa and several other soldiers ran up to her. From the looks on their faces, the dark haired woman could tell that something that could only be far from good had just happened.
"Has something happened during my leave?" Asked the commander as her soldiers got to her.
"It's…" Ersa's voice came between pants, "… It's Lady Nel…!"
The commander went tense almost immediately at the aide's words. Her hands clutched Ersa's shoulders without her even realizing it. She asked again, hoping that things were not as bad as she had imagined.
"Did you find her?"
The aide shook her head, and then glanced at Sisera, who took that as her cue to take over.
"A patrol group caught a Glyphian on his way to Arias. He claims to be a messenger from Airyglyph, and he has a message for the Arias commander… for you."
"What is the message?"
"He said that…" Sisera faltered, but managed, "He said that they have captured Lady Nel, and demand that Lady Clair… or the commander of Arias… is to come to the Kirlsa Training Facility for..."
"For what?" The commander rushed, rather impatient by now.
"Well… for a 'negotiation'. That is what he said. He also said that we have one day to comply with the demand, otherwise, they will have Lady Nel executed…"
The dark haired commander gritted her teeth. Her fists clenched in an effort to contain her anger. For a moment, she just wanted to get back on her steed and bolt out to the training facility. Aside from looking for Nel, she would also be glad to give every Glyphian she found there the hardest beating she could think of. Her composure took over, however, which cleared her mind for a more tactical line of thinking.
"Did that messenger bring any proof of Lady Nel?"
Sisera shook her head, sighed, "No, he didn't. I asked, but he said that Lady Nel will be there, and we have to see her by ourselves. Nevertheless, this 'message' has spread panic among the soldiers despite the fact that there is no proof that they have truly captured Lady Nel."
"He 'said' all that?" Asked the commander.
"Er… yes…"
"In front of you all, out loud so that everyone can hear?" The commander asked again, ensuring.
"… yes…" The aide answered lowly. Realization of the true intention of the Glyphian 'messenger' came to her as her commander pointed it out.
Yvikka bowed her head. She clenched her jaws tightly in an effort to repress the burning anger within her.
Leaving no room for bargain, eh?
Some dirty tactics… Even if they lie, they've succeeded in spreading panic here.
But… where and when did they learn this…?
Having buried the anger within her, the commander brought her head up again. The last matter could wait, for she had more important things to think of—to deal with the panic and calm the soldiers.
"This is a lie," the commander spoke, her voice strong, "It's just too obvious; this must be a trap. If they don't give us any proof that they have captured Lady Nel, we shall not comply. We won't comply with nonsense such as this!"
"But, Yvikka…" Ersa lifted her voice, a touch of fear in it now, "Tynave and Farleen… they have already gone there…"
The commander was thunderstruck upon hearing the last sentence.
By Apris… HOW COULD THEY BE SO STUPID!
This time, her fingers tore through the leather glove and scraped the skin of her palm as she clenched her fists again. The anger she'd buried before had almost erupted back to the surface, but she held it back with a massive effort. She then remembered from the previous reports she'd read, that Tynave and Farleen had once been captured by the Glyphians, and Nel had come to their rescue. The commander closed her eyes and sighed.
I can understand if they want to return the debt, but…
"When… and how did they leave here?" Yvikka finally managed after a moment of thought, her voice trembling with restrained anger.
"They left several hours ago, on foot. They took the gate to the Aire hills," Ersa answered.
"The Aire hills… on foot. Let's see…"
The dark haired commander took out a map she always brought with her. She then kneeled and laid the map on the ground. As it was dusk already, she took out her glowstone and lighted it above the map. The other soldiers around her followed suit. All of them kneeled on the ground and looked at the map.
"From Aire hills… there are two routes to get to the training facility," the commander spoke in the tone she used for briefing the soldiers, "One is the wide path across the mining town of Kirlsa and Granah hills, and the other… I haven't seen it yet myself, but according to Lady Clair's log, there is a narrow path leading from Aire hills directly to Granah hills."
"I know that route," sounded a female soldier, "We once used that route to rescue the Apris followers destined to be executed in the facility, back at the beginning of the war. It is a long, narrow, and rough path. Though it is a longer path compared to the other one, it is far safer in terms of not meeting any Glyphian patrols."
"Is it still passable these days?" Asked the commander.
"It is," the soldier answered, "We still have it patrolled regularly, and the Glyphians seem to be oblivious to it."
"Any way we can catch up with Tynave and Farleen using this path?"
The soldier shrugged, "Whatever route they've taken, they must be near the facility by now. There's no way we can catch up with them before they reach the facility, even on a steed."
"Then I'll look for them in the facility and bring them back here before anything else happens," Yvikka concluded. As she put the map away while bringing herself back to her feet, she spoke again, "I need volunteers to come with me to Kirlsa Training Facility."
"Wait, commander!"
"What is it, Sisera?" Yvikka snapped, turning at her aide.
The brunette soldier flinched at having her commander's tense stare directed at her, but she braced herself, and managed, "Commander… you… you've just returned from a journey. I don't think it would be wise if you go. Please just take some rest, and let us soldiers handle it."
The commander looked at her aide in the eyes. She was then reminded of the last time her aide had tried to stop her from overworking herself—the day when they had gone to patrol together the last time. As her jet-black orbs met her aide's amber, she saw it again, the light of worries, not at all unlike the light she had seen in those eyes that day.
"Sisera…" The commander spoke softly, "I know you're concerned, but I am now the commander here… It is my responsibility to see the well-being of my soldiers. After all, they wanted the commander of this town to come there, so I'll come."
Sisera was speechless in the face of the commander's words. Unlike the last time they had been discussing similar matter, this time, the commander had a strong reason to go, and it was undisputable. However, she had also found a reason to come along.
"Then let me come along with you," the brunette pleaded, "As your aide here, I have the responsibility to be by your side and ensure your well-being as well. Besides, I've been to the facility before, and I, at least, know that place, whereas you don't."
Yvikka went silent at her aide's persistence. The dark haired woman then glanced over at Ersa, for she realized that the commanding position would fall on her if she let Sisera come along. Apparently, the other woman understood the message conveyed by the jet black orbs directed at her.
"It's fine, Yvikka. I can handle the situation here," the woman voiced her answer to the unspoken question.
The commander nodded thanks to her friend in response, and then looked at her soldier before her, "Fine, you can come."
"I'll come too," the female soldier who'd talked with her before spoke up, "I know Kirlsa and its surrounding areas well, including the training facility itself. I believe I can be of help."
The commander looked at the soldier. Her outfit indicated that she was one of the Secret Legion operatives. Her voice and the way she talked bore signs that she was well tempered in war.
"What's your name, soldier?"
"Chloe," the soldier answered, saluting, "Chloe Rheims, Secret Legion, first infiltration unit."
"Very well, Chloe, you're in. Now, I need one more—"
The commander's voice was cut short as the sight of many raised hands and the sound of many voices voicing the willingness to come along came to her. Not long after, a party of four mounted soldiers left Arias. Under the slowly darkening red sky of sunset, they galloped through Aire Hills, and eventually went down the secret path to the Granah hills.
