Disclaimers # 1: Star Ocean names, characters, and all of its related articles are not mine. They are the rightful properties of Square-Enix's. The only things I can claim ownership here are my OCs.

Disclaimers # 2: This fanfiction is based on another fanfiction titled Two Soldiers: Fire and Ice authored by Artemis' Bow, so don't be confused if you find that the plots of mine and Artemis' story cross at some points. If you are new to this story, I highly recommend you to read Artemis' Two Soldiers as well if you want to get a better grasp to this story. A very special thanks to Artemis' Bow, for her approval and support have made this fic possible. If you like this story, part of the credit shall goes to her.

Author's Note: For those who've been waiting for this chapter to come out, I'd like to express my deepest apologies for being too long. Many things came and went, preventing me from finishing this chapter sooner. While I'm on the topic, I also want to let you know that I'm going to have a big school project which is going to take my whole effort and energy for a whole month starting January. Because of that case, it is very likely that the next update will take time around February (yes, it's going to be another long wait again… TT). Anyway, just because the update is lengthy, it doesn't mean that I've given up on this. This story won't end before I say so.

For those who've reviewed this story, I'd also like to express my deepest gratitude. I'm still open to reviews and critics (I want them, actually), so readers, please review this story.

Last but not least… Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and happy reading.

The Third Soldier: Another Heart

Chapter 7

In the Light of Dawn, the Unheard Promise

Sisera watched the break of the new day rather spiritlessly. Her amber eyes were dull and bloodshot. Her long brunette hair was a mess, matted and caked with blood, mud, and dirt from the day before. Tracks of dried tears, as well as blood and dirt were apparent on her face. She shifted from her position, feeling a light sting of pain from the wounds she'd sustained in the battle the day before. A healer had attended her wounds, so she didn't worry about it. In fact, she had her mind very much occupied with other things.

The brunette sighed, looking at the scars of the battle in front of her. There were several burned structures, among them houses, barns and watchtowers. In all honesty, it was not the structures that she was thinking about, but more importantly—life. Reports on the battle damage had found her earlier in the morning, telling her how many lives had been lost the day before, and how many others were struggling in the treatment chamber right now. The latter was what that had made the Chain Legion aide uneasy.

"Captain Sisera."

The aide turned at the voice, which was just starting to sound familiar in her ears. There, she saw Ersa, the Shield Legion commander's aide, a look of concern was in her eyes.

"Captain Sisera…" Ersa stalled, knowing the hardship which the other aide was trying to deal with, and managed softly, "Do you want me to do the briefing for this morning? You don't look too well."

"No, thank you," she replied, turning her gaze away from the other soldier, "I'm well enough… We'll do it… together."

Ersa sighed at the answer. The tremor behind the voice that carried the answer was so apparent that even she knew that the young captain before her was deeply troubled.

"You don't have to if you don't feel like it. I can understand that."

Sisera went silent at Ersa's words. She just stood there, trying to muster all that remains of her confidence and strength in an attempt to look all right, but failing. The harder she tried, the more painful it became. The battle the day before was not her first engagement in her soldiering days, but she was not a hardened war veteran. Young as she was, it was hard, if not unacceptable to lose her commander, the one whom she, as well as the rest of the legion, relied on.

Slim shoulders started to shake, and Ersa saw it. She stepped closer to the young captain, putting a hand on her one shoulder.

"You should take a rest, Sisera," Ersa said, intentionally dropping the 'captain' in order to be more intimate, as she knew the other aide might need some support, "It's fine… I can handle things here…"

Sisera still didn't answer, and Ersa had no intention of demanding her to. The older aide had had the taste of how it feels to lose a commander. Ersa recalled the time she had seen Clair Lasbard for the first time after the commander returned from Kirlsa. She had almost lost it and had been badly in need of support at that time. The Chain Legion aide before her was now in a similar situation, and she knew she had to help the other aide. Deciding that Sisera wouldn't want to look at her, Ersa stepped around to the front of the troubled young woman. For a moment, she just stood there, thinking of what kind of comfort she could give to the woman before her. Hesitantly, the older soldier did something her commander always did when speaking to distressed soldiers: she rested both hands on the other woman's shoulders, massaging them gently while trying to look into her eyes. Sisera bowed her head deeply, not allowing the contact. She didn't want to let the woman before her see her being weak. In times of crisis, she'd been strong, because Yvikka's stable, anchoring presence had been there with her. But now, she was alone.

"Look here, Sisera…" The veteran said softly, "It is fine to be weak or distressed. Everyone here knows how this feels. Losing Lady Nel, Lady Clair, and now… Lady Yvikka, is a severe blow for us all, for you… I can understand, but don't bottle your feelings up. If you feel that you're distressed, get over it. Release it and don't hold back. If you want to be alone in doing so, I'll gladly give you the time and space to do so. If you need someone…"

Ersa stalled again. Comforting a family member, or a friend, was one thing, but comforting a person who was nearly a total stranger was another matter entirely. She remembered that during the war, Nel and Clair's fame had been quite an encouragement for the soldiers, but sometimes, fame alone hadn't been enough. Every time they'd been discouraged, Nel and Clair had been there for them, encouraging the captains in the briefings, and sometimes, talking personally to the soldiers, no matter who they were. This was one aspect of leadership which she had seen many, many times from Clair and Nel, and sometimes Yvikka, yet, she personally had never done it before. However, she decided that now was the time to do it.

"… If you ever need someone to talk to… or anything… you can talk to me," Ersa managed, finally managing to state her willingness to be someone's comforter.

"… Really…?" The young captain answered the offer in a voice which was barely a whisper.

"Truly."

"… You… you won't laugh at me… for being…weak…?" Sisera whimpered, turning childish all of a sudden.

"I won't, I swear."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Though Sisera didn't say a word, Ersa felt the other woman's hands going around her, wrapping her in an almost desperate embrace. She returned the embrace, cradling the younger woman close to her. Tremors racked the slim body she was holding, followed by faint sobs. As if she were a child, Sisera rested her head on the older woman's breast, rubbing her face against the battle-torn uniform the other woman was still wearing, wetting it with tears.

"Just cry if you want to," Ersa whispered, "It's okay, I'm here."

Ersa felt the embrace tighten, grunting faintly as Sisera unwittingly pressed against one of her recently healed wounds. The pain mattered little for her right now. All she cared about was holding the lost soldier before her. The thought of her dark haired friend came to the veteran's mind, and she found herself pained at it as well.

Eventually, they were together in tears, trying to take courage in the few good things that they had, and shared in that moment.

---

Castle Aquios, conference room.

The news of the attack on Arias had reached the castle, and an emergency meeting was being held to discuss the steps to be taken. Though it was an emergency meeting whose decision could affect the whole kingdom, the meeting itself was small in scale. None but the queen, Aquaria XXVII, the magistrate, Laselle, two other magistrates of the lower echelon, and Chloe, who happened to be the messenger from Arias, attended the meeting.

"… In summary, our forces have succeeded in defending Arias with most of the attackers either killed or captured. Few of them managed to escape, but if the information regarding the rogues' strength we received from Count Woltar is true, we can confidently say that the escapees are not a threat anymore."

The room went silent as Chloe finished reporting the news she had brought. The queen was both contented and worried at the news. Contented, for she knew that Arias was still there, but she was also worried about the casualties of the battle. Before she could voice her worries, however, Laselle spoke up.

"Lady Chloe, is there any indication that Airyglyph is actually behind the attack?"

"No, or at least, we are not sure yet. The raiders were Glyphians, and some of them wore Glyphian military attributes. However, judging from their insignia, their units were haphazard and mixed up, so I'd say that they are the Glyphian deserters Count Woltar had mentioned. Moreover, their strategy was not a well-planned one and the equipment they were using was mainly makeshift ones that were barely fit for real battle. Therefore, Airyglyph may not have been behind the attack."

"'I'd say', you say? So you're assuming?" Laselle griped, "Lady Chloe, I believe that even you understand the complexity and the sensitivity of this matter. It is important that we respond immediately to such act, but we cannot base our action on a mere assumption. We need information. You have prisoners, right? Why weren't they interrogated before you came so we would have more than—"

Chloe was a veteran, but even she could not stand Laselle's edgy attitude anymore. It hit her last nerve, and her emotions went partially out of control. With a slam against the wooden table, the Secret Legion soldier cut in.

"With all due respect, my honored magistrate! Why don't you go and see our condition for yourself! Our soldiers have been at their lowest ebb since Lady Nel is gone and Lady Clair goes ill! And just yesterday, their morale was knocked down even lower because Lady Yvikka was mortally wounded in battle and is now dying! The highest ranked officers in command of Arias now are no more than captains, and they are now striving to keep the soldiers together! We have our hands full there!"

The soldier's words silenced the room once more. Even Laselle seemed to be at a loss of word in the face of that. Chloe sat back in her chair feeling slight remorse for yelling at the magistrate, but a larger part of her told her that the magistrate deserved it, negating the intention to apologize. Seeing that no one seemed to have the will to talk, the queen spoke up.

"Lady Chloe, what is Arias' condition now, actually?"

"The casualties… are minor compared to what we had ever had in the last war, as well as the battle damage to the town itself. But… the 'value' of those casualties is by no means low. That Lady Yvikka is wounded… it affects our morale greatly. Though we still have enough manpower, without a leader, our soldiers cannot function properly as an effective, combat-ready force. If we were to be attacked again now, Arias is more than likely to fall."

"I see. Very well."

The queen then bowed her head, deep in thought. Her servants around her had their eyes locked on her, waiting for her decision. After a time, which felt like eternity to most people in the room, the queen finally made her decision, which for some was startling.

"Arias is safe and there is no need to argue about it any more. For now, I want a message to be sent to King Airyglyph right away. Tell him that we have their deserters here, and demand that these criminals, for their impudent actions in our territory, be judged according to Aquarian law," the queen turned to Laselle, then voiced another direct order, "Laselle, prepare the Royal Guards. I want them to move the prisoners from Arias to Aquios. Also… prepare the royal convoy as well. I'll be going along to Arias."

Everyone gaped as the queen finished speaking. The last part of the decision was something that no one had ever thought about. Completely ignoring her servants' surprised reactions, the queen turned to the messenger from Arias.

"Lady Chloe, I believe that Arias needs many doctors and medicines right now. I'll see if I can bring some of them from here. For the time being, could you please list anything else that Arias needs? I'm going to prepare that as well."

Chloe, for her part, was still very much thunderstruck at the though of the queen coming to Arias, but she quickly recover herself as she saw the queen talking to her, and complied with the request with utter gratitude.

---

Aquaria XXVII looked at the list of needs Chloe had just written with a frown. She had expected that the town would need more than just the regular supplies, doctors, and medicines, but the list she was holding remained just that.

"Lady Chloe, are you really sure that this is all that Arias needs?"

"We haven't had the chance to do a proper checking of our condition… my apologies," was Chloe's answer.

The queen looked deeply at the exhausted soldier before her. It was apparent that the soldier had more to say, and she wanted to hear it. However, the queen also realized that the gap between their positions was a hindrance to that. Unless she ordered, the soldier might just keep it to herself. She pushed the thought aside, understanding that it wasn't a wise thing to force something out of someone by authority. Instead, she expressed the rest of her worries to the soldier.

"How are Lady Clair and Lady Yvikka?"

"Lady Clair…" Chloe stammered, as she didn't know how to accurately describe the Shield Legion commander's condition, but managed, "… is fine. The battle didn't touch her. But, Lady Yvikka… she is very much hanging between life and death. We're thinking of bringing her here, but the doctor said that she is too weak to be moved, and the journey is definitely risky."

"I see. I imagine that my going there will be of some help. Very well then, Lady Chloe, I think you need some rest. You may stay here for the day and return to Arias tomorrow."

"My gratitude, my queen, but I can't rest yet," was the immediate answer, "I shall return to Arias right away. I have many things to do there."

The queen became silent at the answer. The clear eyes she looked into clearly expressing the soldier's determination. She knew that, even if she ordered her to rest, the soldier might just ignore it. With a small, knowing smile, she dismissed the soldier, letting her to do whatever she saw fit.

After the soldier left, the queen's magistrate, Laselle, approached the queen, and spoke up an objection.

"Pardon me, my queen. If I may object… I don't think that it is wise for you to go to a place such as Arias. It is still too dangerous there."

"If so, what is the wisest thing for me to do, then?" Answered the queen, returning the question.

"With all due respect, I suggest that Your Majesty shall stay here as there is nothing for you to do in Arias. Just leave the work to the royal servants. I'll ensure that everything will go the way Your Majesty desires it."

"And what if 'the way I desire it' is that I go there to see it myself?"

Laselle was struck to silence by his queen's answer. The queen's persistence truly brooked no argument. Before he could object any further, the queen spoke again.

"My dear magistrate, I think you really have to learn how to 'feel'. Try to understand how our soldiers in Arias feel about all this. Losing their commanders is not just a matter of a break in the chain of command. More importantly… a commander is the one whom the soldiers take heart from, the one they relied onto to take them through the hardships, the one they believe in… and even probably, love. Lady Clair, Lady Nel, and Lady Yvikka have earned such trust from the soldiers, and if they were taken away from them, the soldiers would lose the ones whom they trust, and with that, their morale, and that is what is happening in Arias now. If we want our soldiers back, we have to give them more than just provisions and reinforcements. We have to give them encouragement, and that is exactly what I'm going there to do."

"But… Your Majesty doesn't have to do it in person. Your Majesty can just leave it to someone else…"

The queen smiled at her magistrate, and then voiced an indisputable argument.

"Laselle, do you remember the 'Servant's Oath', the promise which our servants and soldiers pledge on the day of their admittance to the royal service?"

"I do remember, Your Majesty."

"To who is the oath pledged? For whom do our soldiers fight?"

"The oath is pledged to the Kingdom of Aquaria, as well as to Your Majesty. Our soldiers vow to protect both the kingdom, and Your Majesty."

"Exactly," said the queen, "And now that our servants are troubled and need encouragement, what would be more encouraging for them than to have the one person they vowed to protect and fight for come and see them?"

This time, Laselle was truly speechless. He tried to refute her argument, but couldn't find the words to do so. Eventually, he gave in to his queen's persistence. Rather than arguing more about it, he decided to directly inspect the preparation of the royal convoy.

During the inspection, the magistrate repeatedly stressed to the royal guards that the queen's safety was their top priority. Laselle did that so often that the royal guard captains were almost sick of it by the time they marched for Arias.

---

It was dark.

And then, light came.

Dark and light mingled into one, creating a blur of shapes.

Colors came slowly after, and the blur of shapes became slightly clearer.

It became clearer…

… and clearer…

Little by little, as the dark eyes fluttered open slowly, focus came.

Finally, the dark eyes found themselves staring into what that they knew to be a 'ceiling'. It was a rather strange, foreign ceiling.

Where… am I…?

Memories came slowly back as, piece-by-piece, Yvikka's awareness fell into place. The first thing to come was the recollection of who she was, and then, the last thing she saw before she sank into the darkness.

Sisera… air dragon…

Memory after memory flashed into her mind. She remembered Arias, the battle, the image of the air dragon coming at her, her last briefing, and then stopped at one, precious person.

I'm… in the middle of a battle…the manor's…

The… the manor…! Lady Clair!

She jerked at the thought of her silver haired superior, impulsively trying to bring herself upright, but failing. Yvikka let out a restrained cry as pain ripped through her entire body. Arms immediately wrapped around her, followed by a voice calling her name.

"Lady Yvikka!"

The dark haired woman turned slowly to face her caller, finding a face that was heavily laden with worries, and then, a broad smile.

"Lady Yvikka… Oh, thank Apris… you're awake…"

Dark eyes widened in response. The face before her wasn't that of a stranger. She tried to remember, but her mind was still too foggy. The other person, for her part, saw the confusion in the dark eyes, and answered the unspoken question.

"It's me, Aline, Aline Fréndreice, Shield Legion head doctor. Don't you remember?"

The Chain Legion commander tried to speak in response, but she couldn't get her voice out. Her throat felt totally dry, and a faint taste of blood was still in her mouth. This problem was obvious to the doctor, who soon got a cup of water for the wounded soldier, then helped her to get the water down her parched throat.

"Drink, Lady Yvikka. This should help."

It took some time for her to actually drink the whole cup of water, since her throat felt sore as water went through it. Now that the uncomfortable feelings in her throat and mouth had gone, she tried to speak again, however, before she could have the chance to do just that, Aline rose to her feet.

"I… I'm going to get the high priestess," said the doctor, "She wanted to know first if you were awake… Please wait for us here, and don't move your body too much, okay?"

The thought of holding the doctor back came to Yvikka's mind, for she wanted to ask many things, but to act on the thought was difficult. She'd gotten her voice back, but her chest and throat were pained by the attempt of speaking. She tried to move her hand in a gesture to stop the doctor from leaving, but that alone was so difficult that the doctor had already gone by the time her hand was truly raised. Having failed in her attempts to ask her questions, the commander laid back on the bed, loosening her tensed muscles and taking a long, deep, slightly painful breath.

After some time, Yvikka heard the door creak opened. Expecting to see the doctor and the high priestess, she turned her still-dreamy gaze to the door only to find that her assumption was wrong. Instead of the ones she'd expected, she found another person whom she quickly recognize as her aide—Sisera.

"Yvikka… commander…" were the words that came out of her aide's lips. Her commander's figure didn't look as strong as it usually did, but the sight of the awake and mostly aware jet-black orbs directed at her amber ones was enough to bring new strength to her dying spirit. Mostly driven by her emotions, she paced closer to her dark-eyed commander, and then kneeled beside the bed. A faint trickle of tears spilled from her amber eyes without her even realizing it, and that caught the other woman's attention, as she rarely saw her aide cry.

"… What… ?"

"I heard that… you were awake, so I come… and… and… I'm so glad to see… that you truly are awake, Yvikka…" The aide answered between sobs. She then took her commander's hand, and kissed it gingerly—the most intimate gesture she knew her commander would allow, and spoke, "I was afraid… so afraid that… that you'd never wake up."

Yvikka smiled faintly at her aide. She then recalled that the last time she saw her in the battle, and asked.

"Sisera… Are we… are we still… in Arias?"

"We are, commander," the aide answered with a smile, "Arias is still standing, and it is all thanks to you."

"You were wounded… the last time… I saw you… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," was the prompt answer, "I'm okay… You don't need to worry about me."

"How's… Lady Clair?" The dark haired woman finally managed the one question she had struggled to get out, hoping for a good answer.

Sisera didn't answer immediately. She wanted to be frank in answering it, and she knew that the typical 'she's fine' answer didn't quite match the reality. Eventually, after carefully wording it in her mind, she gave her answer.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really know how Lady Clair is doing right now. But one thing is sure, the battle didn't affect her, so…"

"I see…"

Dark eyes saddened at the answer. The aide saw it, and was pained by it. She then decided to tell her commander one thing she hoped would lighten her spirit.

"The queen was here just yesterday. She saw to Lady Clair, and… she did something to her with the high priestess. Knowing the queen, I believe that whatever she had done to Lady Clair, it must be for the better."

Yvikka's eyes widened, surprised with the news, "Her… Her Majesty came… here?"

The door creaked opened again before Sisera could tell the rest of her story. Behind the door were Aline and the high priestess, expressions of relief on their faces as they saw and heard the dark haired commander speak to the aide kneeling beside her bed. The brunette soldier, apparently knowing whatever purpose the healers had there, rose to her feet and backed away, giving the healers space to see to the wounded woman in the bed.

"How do you feel, Lady Yvikka?" The high priestess asked.

"I… don't feel… very well," Yvikka answered.

The priestess smiled, bending her body over the battered form in the bed, gently placing a hand on Yvikka's throat, since she knew from the other's voice that it troubled her. A surge of weak healing spell followed shortly after.

"Of course you don't," said the priestess, still smiling, "You got in here practically in pieces. I asked your aide what happened to you, and she said that you were run over by an air dragon. It's no wonder, then. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to do some checking over your body. I know that this may be irritating, but I have to make sure that everything is right where it should be."

Yvikka laughed silently at the doctor's choice of words, and nodded an approval. As the approval was given, the priestess reached for Yvikka's left arm and shoulder. She then applied pressure to some parts of the arm and shoulder, which was met by its owner's painful expression, and sometimes, cries. After some time, the healer turned to the wounded woman and asked.

"Can you feel your left arm?"

"Yes… I can…AH!"

A loud exclamation found its way to Yvikka's lips as the doctor pressed a particular spot in her broken shoulder. The priestess, for her part, smiled at the reaction, and spoke.

"It's good, then. I'm positive that you can use your left hand again. It's quite a miracle, in fact, remembering that it was almost separated from your body back then," the priestess then turned her attention to the other parts of Yvikka's body, checking them with a touch, press, or runology. Another contented smile came to her face as she finished attending the wounds.

"Your wounds were grave, yes, but now that you're awake, I'm sure that the threat to your life is no more. I also see that there is no permanent damage, so I'm confident that you will be able to fully recover without much trouble… that is, considering that you take the rest needed." The priestess then took a seat near Yvikka's bed, gently placing a hand on the commander's forehead. "Rest, Lady Yvikka. I'll be attending you here, so, if you need anything…"

"Your Eminence…" Yvikka cut in, "It's… not that I don't appreciate your generosity, but… shouldn't you be… attending Lady Clair?"

The priestess turned at her, giving a gentle look before answering, "My colleague is attending her at the moment, so there's nothing to worry about. Please, Lady Yvikka… your body and mind need some rest, so you shouldn't worry about anything. Everything is fine, okay?"

Yvikka sighed. Even she knew well enough that she was not in a place to worry about anything, but still, she couldn't help it, especially when Clair and Nel were involved.

"Lady Clair… how is she? I… I heard that Her Majesty…" The dark haired woman asked again.

"Lady Clair is fine," the priestess answered gently, apparently aware of Yvikka's concern, "Physically speaking, her condition has improved slightly, thanks to Her Majesty's effort. But still…"

There was a slight pause before the doctor finally managed, "If things keep on like this… it won't do any good…"

A moment of silence came at the doctor's statement, and went only when the room's door was opened once again. It was Ersa—Clair's aide; tears of joy were on her eyes as she saw her dark haired friend back again.

---

Arias, three days later…

"…and that ends our briefing session. You're dismissed."

Sisera sighed in relief as she finally managed to get the dismissal out. As a captain, briefing soldiers was not at all foreign, but briefing fellow captains of various branches of Aquarian military was somewhat new to her, and it made her nervous. After the captains had left the room, she fell into her chair with another sigh, and then turned to see the woman who had accompanied her in all the briefings in the days of the commander's absence.

"Thank you, Ersa… I would never have been able to do all this had you not helped me…"

"You're welcome, you did well yourself," Ersa beamed.

"Indeed."

The familiar voice made the aides turned their gazes, meeting a figure standing just near the room's entrance.

"Yvikka!"

The dark haired commander smiled at her subordinates' gaping expressions at her presence. She was about to meet them, but before she could even take a step, the two women had rallied to her.

"Yvik… er, I mean, commander… why are you here? You should be resting," Sisera shot out almost immediately as she got to her commander.

"Well, I kind of tired of staying in the bed and doing nothing for so long," Yvikka answered, smiling.

"Are you really sure that you're all right?" Ersa asked.

"I really am fine," was the firm answer.

And now you want to work yourself sick again, commander? Apris… why can't you at least rest until you fully recover?

Just as she thought about it, Sisera found her commander's attention was turned on her, looking at her with a broad grin as if there's something funny on the face the commander was looking at.

"I—Is there something in my face?" The brunette stammered.

Yvikka didn't answer. Instead, she turned at Ersa again, and spoke the rest of her answer to Ersa's previous question.

"… But I'm not going to fully take the lead right away. Aside from the fact that the doctor won't allow me to do so, I believe that this lady over here won't agree with that, either," said Yvikka, throwing a teasing glance at Sisera, and went on again, "I'll be doing deskwork, while the field duties will be yours to attend to, if you don't mind."

While Ersa answered to the commander's suggestion with an approval, Sisera was still dumbstruck at how her commander could so easily read her. The dark haired woman saw her lost aide. Smiling, she snapped her back to reality with a question.

"What's with the frown, Sisera? Do you not like me taking on small duties? Should I take on bigger ones as well?"

The brunette aide, having returned to reality, smiled timidly at the question. In all honesty, the image of the commander standing up and working was something she had always taken heart from, but she was also worried about it, since she knew the commander's tendency to overwork herself. However, looking at her commander lying in bed all day long wasn't something pleasant, either. Eventually, with a shy glance and smile at the dark haired woman before her, she managed to answer.

"No, commander, please don't work any harder than that. I'm just glad… that you're back at all."

"Very well, then," the commander answered with an even wider smile. She then took the hands of her subordinates, joining them and clasping them tightly in her hands, "Thank you… Ersa, Sisera… for all your hard work during these hard times. I don't know what would have become of Arias had both of you not been here."

The aides returned Yvikka's sincere gratitude with smiles. A brief moment of silence came and went before the commander spoke again.

"… I'll be in my room, as usual. Please bring me all the reports that I've missed during my absence, including the battle damage report and the latest supply status."

"Yes, ma'am," the two aides answered in a unison.

---

Having the Chain Legion commander back, the soldiers stationed in Arias once again found their leader. Though the scars of the recent skirmish were still raw, Arias was well underway on the path to its recovery.

Though the rebuilding of the town progressed at a heartening pace, the search efforts for Nel Zelpher didn't go well, and Clair Lasbard's condition didn't improve. Search parties always returned with nothing, not even a piece of information on Nel's whereabouts, not even rumors. Eventually, the soldiers came to the point where they were almost fully convinced that the Secret Legion leader was dead, and it pained the dark haired commander, for Nel was her only hope to help Clair. If Nel died, she couldn't think of any other thing in the world that might be able to save the silver haired woman. As the soldiers had no more will to continue the search, the commander finally put a stop to it, though only grudgingly.

One night, frustrated by her own decision to stop the search efforts for Nel, Yvikka went to Clair's room. The high priestess met her at the door as she came to it. After a brief exchange of greetings, they settled beside Clair, conversing with each other. With a heave of her chest, the commander started the talk.

"How is Lady Clair, Your Eminence?"

"… There's little that we can do about her condition," the priestess answered, tiredly shaking her head, "She's still conscious… but her condition is worsening with every passing moment," the priestess then lifted her face, meeting the dark haired woman eye to eye, "… She's dying, Lady Yvikka…"

Yvikka clenched her jaw shut in an effort to hold back the pain in her heart, which threatened to crush her at the mention of Clair dying. After a brief silence, she eventually managed to find her voice again.

"… I… have ceased the search efforts for Lady Nel. I have sent a messenger to Aquios about it… and I believe… that the official announcement of her death will soon follow…"

It was the priestess' turn to be silent. Even she was aware enough that Nel might be the one who would be able to reach Clair in her catatonic state. The two soldiers were famous not only for their deeds and rank, but also for the friendship between them, and the priestess honestly thought that Clair may be closer, if not more intimate, with Nel than to her father, Adray.

"… That is unfortunate," the priestess finally managed through the silence, "Has Sir Adray been informed of this?"

The commander shook her head, "Sir Adray is on a mission. Efforts to contact him have been made ever since Lady Clair fell ill, but it seems that the messengers just can't find him."

"I see…"

The doctor still wanted to stay and talk, but all too soon, a call for aid found her. She answered the call, leaving Yvikka with Clair in the room.

Yvikka, for her part, wanted nothing more than to be alone with Clair so that she could talk to the silver haired woman about her feelings, about how she felt so much for her. Granted, she was now alone with Clair, but she couldn't really talk to her if Clair was not even aware of her surroundings.

But… will there be any other time for me to speak?

Deciding that it was now or never, the dark haired woman finally decided to speak. She then turned to look directly at Clair's face, just as she would when she spoke to people, her hand slipping into Clair's, clasping it tightly.

"Lady Clair…"

"I'm sorry… that I have not been able to find Lady Nel. I have to cease the search effort, for our soldiers feel that it is pointless to keep looking for her. They… they believe… that she is already dead…" She paused, and continued, "But don't you worry, Lady Clair. I'll keep looking, even if I am the only one who's willing to look for her. Something happened to Lady Nel, I know, and I know that you're sad because of that. I don't want you to be sad like this for the rest of your life, and that's why… I'll keep looking, because I believe… that you'll be happy in her presence… won't you, Lady Clair?"

Her speech came to halt again. In all honesty, she, too, had lost much of her will to continue the search. The thought of Nel's death slowly breached the defenses of her heart and mind with every empty-handed returning search party, and she was at the point of nearly believing that the Secret Legion leader was truly dead.

All of a sudden, her defenses broke, all her feelings for the silver haired woman went out of control in the knowing that the days to come might well be Clair's last moments. Tears came trickling down her cheeks before she could even stop them. Her hand clasped Clair's hand even more tightly. Her voice came in a tormented whisper.

"Apris… Lady Clair… live…! I can't… I can't let you stay like this… I can't let you die… You're… everything to me, Clair… You're my commander, my strength, my anchor… and…"

The last words were already on the tip of her tongue, but it was truly difficult for Yvikka to actually say them out of respect for her silver haired superior, realizing that her heart might belong to another, someone like Nel. But still, she managed to get it out.

"I'm sorry, Lady Clair… for I might be impolite, or disrespectful, but I want you to know… that I love you. I truly love you, from the bottom of my very heart. Even if… even if you do love someone else… even if you do have your heart set on Lady Nel… I will always love you. I…promise you…"

Speaking softly, the dark haired woman whispered an unheard promise. A promise unknown to the one whom she committed herself to.

A promise known only to her and the night.