Chapter 43 – All Together Again

Pilika was hugging Jowy tightly around the waist. After a moment, he reciprocated by placing his arms around the back of her head.

"Jowy," Nanami murmured, and Flik could see tears forming in her eyes.

Jowy looked up from his embrace, eyes focusing on the group confronting him. Carefully he unwound Pilika's arms from around him and walked across the field to meet his friends. "Riou, Nanami…I'm glad to see that you're both well." He spared only a glance for Flik, a simple acknowledgement of his presence. "Lady Teresa, I had hoped to speak with you sooner and under more amicable circumstances."

"You would've done better to have requested the meeting before attacking my city," Lady Teresa answered frostily.

Jowy shrugged his indifference. "Riou, I do not wish to fight you. All I want is to speak with you a bit."

Riou's voice was tight as he asked, "Jowy, why are you working with Highland? Did you really kill Lady Anabelle?"

Sighing, Jowy replied, "Riou, let me give you some advice. Stop this useless struggling, relinquish leadership of the New State Army, and run away. Take Nanami and Pilika and go far away from here."

Riou didn't answer, his mouth clenched shut. Nanami pleaded, "Jowy, why don't you join us? You could ask for forgiveness and come back."

"No," Jowy interrupted. "This war is all but over. In fact, it has been over since the Hilltop Conference. On that day, I saw that the Jowston Alliance was finished. They could do nothing but argue over petty political points. And what now? Do you think you can accomplish anything except to prolong everyone's suffering? Your army cannot defeat Luca Blight."

"So you're saying that we should hand everything over to him?" Flik asked, feeling his anger rising.

Jowy gave him a sharp glance. "I don't intend to let Luca Blight have his way."

"Then please help us," Nanami begged. "I don't want us to fight!"

"We won't have any reason to fight, not if you run away. Riou-"

"No," Riou said. "All of the people around me have sworn to fight by my side until this land is free. How can I abandon my promises just to save myself?"

Jowy shook his head sharply. "It's not you, Riou. It's the Rune. Can't you feel it? My Rune guided me here. It told me that you would come this way. It's the Runes' will that wants us to fight, not our own." Now his tone turned pleading. "Please, Riou, I don't want to fight you, but if you stay with the New State Army, it will happen." Pilika started sniffling, and Nanami looked imploringly at her brother.

Riou's eyes narrowed. "It's my will, Jowy, not the Rune's. I'm not going to let Jowston fall to the people who burned Toto and Ryube, who slaughtered the Unicorn Brigade. I don't want to fight you either, but if we must-"

Pilika's sobbing grew in volume, but it wasn't loud enough to mask the sound of people crashing through the undergrowth from behind Flik. He turned in the saddle and saw distant forms moving among the trees. "Riou, we have to go!"

Jowy sadly stepped aside. "You should start running, Riou. I don't want to see you caught here."

"No!" Nanami shouted. "Jowy, why are you doing this? Why are you taking orders from Luca Blight? Why?"

Riou grabbed the reins to Nanami's horse. "We have to go, Nanami."

"Jowy, please," Nanami sobbed. "I hate this! We're all together again. I don't want to leave him behind." Jowy handed Pilika up to Millie, and then the whole group was underway. Flik kept Nightstar to the rear, his sword drawn, ready to fight off any pursuers. Luckily, no one followed them.

Half an hour later, the path suddenly broke out of the forest, intersecting with the main road away from Greenhill. Flik glanced nervously up and down the highway, but it was clear. "So far, so good. Now we need to get to Dunan Castle."

Teresa sighed. "Someday, I will return."

They followed the road to the south, turning east when it came to another intersection. With the evening deepening, and mindful of Fitcher's instructions, they returned to the inn where they'd spent the night before arriving at Greenhill.

Fitcher was waiting for them, and anxiously bustled them through the back entrance, saying he'd already paid for the lodging. Once they were in a private dining room he relaxed a little. "Things are very confused in the city right now, but I'm glad to see that you got out safely."

Teresa looked overwhelmed by the events of the day. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"Nothing," Fitcher answered. "At least, nothing until tomorrow. Shu has given me very detailed instructions, but all you have to do is head for Two River City." He turned his attention to Flik and Riou, pulling out a pair of bundles. "He also gave me instructions regarding you two." He tossed the bundles onto the table. "These are your normal clothes. Starting tomorrow, you are to travel openly, declaring who you are."

Flik looked at the bundles dubiously. He thought he could see a little bit of blessed blue peeking out from one of the packages. "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely. Shu's instructions were very clear on this point."

Nanami perked up. "Do you have my old clothing?"

"Sorry, what you see on the table is all that I have. I guess he didn't think you were important enough." Fitcher held out his hands, palms up.

"Fine," Nanami pouted, "I'm going to bed." She stood up, took Pilika's hand forcefully, and started to walk from the room.

Flik watched her as she slunk off. She appeared to be still upset at the meeting with Jowy. He wondered how Riou was taking it, but, as usual, his face betrayed little. Riou was speaking to Fitcher. "What about you? Are you returning with us?"

Laughing nervously, Fitcher answered, "Oh no, I can't go quite yet. Lord Shu's working me like a kobold. There're a couple more things I've got to take care of, but I should be along pretty quickly."

As unobtrusively as he could, Flik got up from his chair and walked to the door. In her haste to leave the room, Nanami had left it open. He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

The hour was late and most of the inn was dark and locked up for the night. He found Nanami and Pilika sitting at the top of the stairs to the second floor. Moonlight from a hall window revealed that her cheeks were wet. She looked up at Flik when he started up the stairs.

"You all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

He knew she was not. "You want to talk about Jowy?"

Nanami stared at him for a full minute before speaking. "They're going to fight each other," she whispered. "I know it. I saw how my brother looked when he said he wouldn't run. What'll I do if one or both of them end up hurt or dead? I can't stop thinking about it." She started crying again.

He took another hesitant step, unsure of what he could do. He didn't know if he was going to place his hand on her shoulder, or put an arm around her, or hug her. He never got the chance. On the third step, he was aware of someone else entering the room. He glanced back and saw the vague outline of Riou.

"Nanami, what's the matter?"

She got to her feet, flew down the stairs, and hugged her brother, crying on his shoulder. But she stopped as soon as the others arrived. Millie asked, "Are you okay?"

Nanami stepped back from Riou. "I'm okay. It's been a long day and I guess I'm a little emotional. That's all."

There was nothing further to discuss, so they retired to their rooms. The following morning, Flik dressed himself in his familiar clothes. He spared one last look at his Falenan attire, thinking about what he ought to do with the stuff. Burning the garments came to mind. In the end he left them in the room. Anyone who truly desired to inflict that kind of humiliation on himself was welcome to the clothes.

Riou had also changed back into his normal attire. Nanami was in her short green dress. The party sat down for a quick breakfast. While eating, Flik kept a careful eye on Nanami. She seemed happy enough this morning, even talking cheerfully to Meg, but he wondered how much was genuine. Another person he was worried about was Teresa, who appeared to be preoccupied by something, and not eating much of her food. He sighed. He'd be glad when the return trip was over.

As they departed, Flik found that a crowd of more than fifty people, men and women, had gathered outside the inn. Many in the group had bows and other makeshift weapons in hand. When Riou and Teresa came into view, they gave a hearty cheer.

"Lady Teresa, please allow us to serve under you!" one of the men shouted.

Teresa looked shocked. "What is the meaning of this?"

A woman walked out of the crowd. Flik recognized her immediately. It was Emilia, the librarian. "I heard that you had decided to work with the New State Army, so I've packed my things and decided to go with you. It seems a lot of other people had similar ideas. The news is spreading very quickly."

Thoughtfully, Teresa said, "I see. Was this a part of your plan too, Lord Riou?"

Riou smiled modestly. "I suspect Shu is thinking ahead for us. Why don't you accept them?"

She looked at the crowd one more time, then announced, "All those who wish to liberate Greenhill and Jowston, come with me and Lord Riou. We are going to Dunan Castle!"

It went much like that throughout the day as they traveled south. As Emilia had intimated, word of Lady Teresa's actions had spread out into the countryside. With each mile that they rode, more and more people swarmed in from the surrounding farms, often in small groups of five or six at a time. They also came to see Riou and, Flik couldn't help blushing, they'd even heard rumors about the "Blue Thunder" who rode at Riou's side. Now if only they could get the nickname right.

Late in the day, the winds shifted out of the south and the weather became hot again. A vast haze settled over the southern horizon. Cresting a hill, Flik managed to catch a glimpse of the Lana River and Two River City. He looked back over his shoulder. He could see the crowds following Teresa, spreading out and along the road, throwing up their own plume of dust.

A disturbance rippled through the rear of Teresa's followers. Flik squinted his eyes, then opened them in alarm. A force of Highland cavalry had caught up with them. He could just begin to make out the screams of panic. He heeled Nightstar back down the hill, riding towards Teresa's position.

Looking at the men wavering around him, he shouted, "Forward, forward, protect your leader! Protect Lady Teresa!"

Men heard him speak and moved with him, his voice lending them courage to make up for their lack of discipline. Flik found Teresa and Riou in the middle of the column, the others with them. The volunteers, unprepared for the sudden attack, were milling around her.

Teresa was pale when Flik rode up. "What should we do? I don't want to be the cause of any more disasters."

Riou looked calmly at her. "Don't worry. You won't be. You have allies who will fight for you." He turned to Flik. "What do you think?"

"There's a hill a little ways back. It'll do for now, but what I really need is to be able to see how large the Highland force is."

"Lady Teresa, please lead your people to the hill and steady them there," Riou ordered. Then he shouted in Luc's direction, "Luc, use your rune to get the dust out of the air. We need to see the enemy!"

Wind gusted at Flik's back, driving past him and parting the cloud of dust like a curtain being drawn back. He could see the enemy, a force of Highland cavalry that numbered more than a hundred, maybe even two hundred. "This is not going to be easy," he said to Riou.

They joined Teresa at the crown of the hill. With her were several hundred men, and some women, who had answered her call. They were armed with a mixture of short bows and homemade spears. Flik tired his best to set the people of Greenhill into something resembling a line, but the confusion caused by the attack made it difficult. The Highlanders were still scattering the rear of the column, running down small groups as they tried to flee.

Aghast, Teresa shouted, "We need to go down there and help them."

Flik shook his head, though he wanted to attack as well. "We can't. We have neither the training nor the weapons to adequately attack the Highland cavalry."

"I'm not going to stand by and watch my people get slaughtered!" Teresa argued.

Both of them turned to Riou to see what he would say, but he was looking back in the direction of Two River City. "I believe we have help on the way."

Checking the road towards the city, Flik saw that Riou was correct. Units of kobolds were streaming out of the city, jogging towards the fighting. The Highland cavalry was also aware of the new arrivals, and broke off the engagement, rapidly falling back to the north.

With the threat receding, Teresa led her men back down the hill. Flik and the others followed. Though the skirmish had not lasted very long, most on the Greenhill side had been untrained townsmen. There were many wounded, judging by what Flik could see and hear.

"Quickly!" Teresa ordered. "We need to gather those that are hurt and get them treated."

"I will see to it," Riou answered. "We have to get everyone moving as soon as possible, before Highland returns with reinforcements." He held up his right hand and a great dome of light spread out over their heads. Once again, Flik could feel the power of the Bright Shield Rune. He also saw the grass alongside the road shrivel and turn brown, life pulled from the land to heal the wounded.

When the dome of light dissipated, Teresa was left staring in wide-eyed shock. "You really do have Genkaku's Rune!"

Riou was busy regarding the withered field. "I do," he answered quietly. Then the crowds were around both of them, joyous people thanking Riou and Teresa for coming down to save them. Riou put on a confident face to receive the thanks. After a moment, so did Teresa, but Flik could tell that neither was entirely comfortable.

The kobolds began to arrive ten minutes later, joining in the celebration. Among the kobolds, one stood out in terms of both size and dignity. Taller than many humans, he was wearing a long green and brown greatcoat, white gloves, and black boots. His head and jaw were long, narrow, and covered with brown fur. At the back of his head, his short ears were upright.

Flik had never seen this kobold before, but knew of him by reputation. He was General Ridley Wizen, leader of the Two River kobolds and commander of all the Two River forces. He was considered a fearsome fighter, fully capable of besting humans in single combat. Only the very slight jowls on his cheeks betrayed the fact that he was getting past his prime in kobold years.

"Greetings, Sir Flik, Lady Teresa, and Lord Riou," he said in a deep voice with a hint of a growl.

"Thank you for your timely rescue," Riou replied.

"Greenhill thanks you too," Teresa added.

"A messenger from Lord Shu suggested that I should be on the lookout for exactly this kind of situation," Ridley answered. "It is my honor to be of service." He gestured back towards the city. "You will find that Lord Shu has also prepared boats to transport you and your people back to Dunan Castle."

With the kobolds escorting them, Teresa and her followers finally made it to Two River City. Evening was well underway by then, so they spent that night camped on the kobold training grounds, generously fed by the kobolds themselves. In the morning, Lord Makai, plenipotentiary of the city, arrived and consulted briefly with Teresa and Riou. When those formalities were finished, they began the process of embarking.

It was only after they were had sailed some distance down the Lana River and Dunan Lake was in sight that Flik finally began to relax. He flopped back first onto the deck and lay there, staring up at the sky. Later, Riou walked over and sat next to him. Flik pulled himself up into a sitting position.

There was an awkward silence, then Riou said, "I wanted to thank you for helping me on this mission."

Flik shrugged. "I told you I'd stand with you until the end of this, and that's what I'll do."

Riou smiled, then laughed. "Yeah, but if you had known you'd have to wear that hideous pink robe, would you have been as eager?"

Laughing, Flik answered, "I don't think I would've believed you. I've never done anything quite so unusual as that." Though dining with Kimberly ranked up there.

Riou suddenly turned serious. "I thought I knew what I was getting into when I said I'd lead, but the more that I see, the less confident I feel."

"What do you mean?" Flik asked warily.

"I've become the bearer of everyone's hopes. They look at me and they see a happy future. I wish I could catch a glimpse of that future too. All I can do is look ahead and prepare for the battles that I see."

Flik closed his eyes, could hear Odessa's voice in those words. He put his hand on Riou's shoulder. "You're not the first to have those concerns. All I can tell you is that you're not alone in this struggle. You have friends and allies to help you with the burden."

Then Nanami and Pilika came over, interrupting the conversation. The others joined the little group, even Luc, though he sat at the edge and didn't say much. Wakaba had questions about Dunan Castle and joining the fight. So did Meg. The discussion became cheerful and turned to reminiscing about how much fun was had in Greenhill. Riou smiled and laughed with the rest of them, and only because of his earlier words could Flik see the mask he was wearing.

Viktor was waiting for them when the galley came up to the docks at Dunan Castle. As Flik stepped onto the wood, Viktor embraced him in a great bear hug.

"You made it back! No permanent scarring, I hope."

Flik shook his head, struggling out of the hold. "Let me go and I'll tell you all about it." He was already mentally editing the story.

Viktor walked over and shook Riou's hand. "Welcome back, great leader. Lord Shu wishes to speak to you in the great hall. Ah, and this must be Lady Teresa. Welcome to Dunan Castle."

"Thank you," Teresa answered in a distracted tone.

Viktor led them back through the corridors of Dunan Castle up to the second floor meeting room. Shu and Apple were waiting for them.

"Congratulations, Lord Riou," Shu said. "You have succeeded under most difficult circumstances." Riou nodded and Shu turned his attention to Teresa. "Welcome to Dunan Castle, Lady Teresa. I would like to discuss how you might best work with the New State Army."

Teresa appeared very wan. "Thank you, but I'd like some time to myself. There are so many things I need to think about, and friends that I must mourn."

Shu clasped his hands behind his back. "I see. Well, before you retire, I want you to speak with at least one other person." He raised his voice. "You may enter now."

Teresa turned towards the entrance, her mouth opening slightly in amazement. Flik was shocked as well, for the two people entering the room were Fitcher and Shin. "Lady Teresa," Shin said.

Teresa looked as though she wanted to hug her bodyguard, but she didn't. "Shin! I thought you were…gone."

"It took some doing, but we were able to escape during the confusion," Fitcher replied. "You just have to know the paths through the woods."

Now Teresa appeared to be on the verge of tears. "I'm glad that you made it."

"I'm impressed," Flik declared. "That's quite the accomplishment, Fitcher."

Fitcher nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually had a little help. In fact, the person who helped me seems to know you very well."

Flik didn't even have any time to begin to register the warning in those words when Nina, still wearing her academy outfit, burst into the room, running directly at him. "Sir Flik, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me who you were? Couldn't you trust me?"

Fitcher smiled remorsefully. "I'm sorry, Flik. I didn't realize you hadn't told her your real name."

Fortunately, Nina didn't chose that moment to hug Flik, but contented herself with grabbing his arms. "You were worried about me, right, and you didn't want me to get in trouble if you got caught? That's so romantic!"

Viktor didn't say anything, but his smile and raised eyebrows seemed to say, "So, who's the girl, Flik? You were going to tell me about this, right?"

"I won't be any trouble for you," Nina went on. "But I have to be by your side. Since that day we met, I've known it was destiny that we'd always be together. Oh, and that reminds me, I want to make dinner for you. Hurry, let's go!" She started to drag him from the room.

With a straight face, Shu said, "I believe this meeting is finished. Riou, why don't you take it easy for the rest of the day? We'll have more to discuss in the morning." He looked at Flik, a faint smile on his lips. "That includes you, too, Flik. Do try and get some sleep tonight."

Flik might've responded with some cutting retort, but Nina had pulled him from the room by that time.