Chapter 3) A Brush in the Teeth

Kris POV

With Galder liberated, we head our way into the mountains nearby, which have too many damn names for me to even begin remembering. I hated them. They were cold, and the paths were uneven. I took to riding with Caeda to avoid having to walk over rocks. Marth would pick the hardest path, the idiot.

However, it might all be worth it. Rumors drifting back hint that Aurelis is on the verge of collapse, and if we don't get there soon, then we will fight this war with no allies. Even I'm not that stupid.

"Ugh, I'm sore…" I whined, whimpering a little even as I helped Caeda brush down her pegasus. I rode the thing too, so it was only fair. "Why am I tired? I just sat like luggage!"

"You use a lot of muscles to ensure that you stay on," Caeda helpfully explained. She smiled prettily. "You're actually doing a lot of work, riding."

"Is that why you've got thighs that can crush a man's head?"

"S-surely I can't do that!"

"Okay, snap a neck. I've seen that done."

"You have not!" Her eyes went wide, and she glanced tentatively at her legs. "I can break a neck with my thighs?"

"Yeah, so be careful with Marth, yeah?"

"Be careful with…?" She sounded confused for a split second before turning bright-bright red. "Kris!" She threw a towel at me. "You're horrible!"

"Guilty~!" I laughed as her face went redder. "Gods, you're easy."

"You know; with the way you two are acting, and the similar hair colors, one might think you're siblings." Cain walked over, smiling slightly as he tied his horse nearby. "Ah, I apologize for interrupting," he continued lightly, eyes dancing. "You're set up near a patch of grass that is apparently absolutely delicious, since my horse refused his feed for it."

"Your horse eats too much anyway," I teased instantly. I tossed Caeda the brush I'd been using and faced him. "What do you know about siblings anyway?"

"Plenty. Abel and me are siblings.

"Wait, you and Abel are brothers?" I had never heard that. "Since when?!"

"Since… oh, since I was four or five." He grinned as Caeda and I gave him a weird look. "Not by blood, but in basically everything else. My parents died to sickness when I was young, and Abel's folks took me in when my uncles and aunts stole my inheritance from me." He said the words so lightly that I actually glanced at Caeda to make sure I heard correctly. Her wide eye stare at me told me the answer was a resounding 'yes'. "There's nothing official about the adoption, but here I am."

"You… said inheritance?" Caeda asked slowly. She hesitated a bit. "I was not aware you were… are? Of noble blood."

"That's because I don't make a big deal about it, and I prefer my title of being a knight." He shrugged. "As I said, my uncles and aunts stole my inheritance from me, and when given the choice after King Cornelius jailed them all for it, I chose to give it to my cousin and stay with Abel and his folks. So, he's a duke, and I got a loving family. I think I won that trade."

"Duke?"

"Well, he… was at least." A flash of pain washed over his face. "Depends on whether he survived or not."

"Oh, right, I'm… um…" She squirmed, clearly trying to think of something to say. Failing that, she looked to me. "Um…"

"Gotta say that armor fits you more than fancy silks and perfumes anyway," I pointed out lightly. Cain and Caeda both smiled. "Though, a fancy duke? I bet I stole from him."

"I actually recall him complaining about that," Cain laughed. The pain still lingered, but it slowly faded away for a very real smile. "Something about a diamond necklace and ruby tiara?"

"Oh, yeah, that was totally me. When we see him again, you should tell him that the diamonds were fake." 'When'. The word flew out of my mouth before I could stop it, with all its hopeful implications.

But even as Cain stared, startled, his resulting smile was the warmest I'd seen. "Yes, I shall." He laughed a little again, and I felt my face go red. "I shall indeed."

"W-well, this has been nice and heartwarming, and all that lame shit, but was there a reason you walked over besides your horse, or was it to tease Caeda and me?" I spoke way too fast, and Caeda was giving me a curious, and amused, look. "Not that you can't, or anything, but… um…"

"Oh, right." Cain nodded and his smile faded. "Kris, Prince Marth wanted to send multiple groups out to scout, and you and I were assigned together."

"Seriously?!" I groaned and Caeda laughed. "Damn it! He knows I hate this terrain! Why am I assigned scouting duty anyway?"

"Oh, yes, whyever does he assign the former thief to scout."

"I stole in the city, not the middle of freaking stupid nowhere!" I gave Caeda a hurt look as she kept on laughing. "Caeda! Seduce Marth and make him forget about that!"

"I will not!" she yelped. She sulked as I snickered. "Oh, go on! Otherwise, you'll take forever and I'll fret."

I pouted and complained a little more, but before long, Cain and I were out scouting the main path up ahead. And I hated ever since heartbeat of it.

"So, over here, we have trees," I declared dramatically, gesturing grandly. "While, over here, we more trees, with the occasional shrub, and up above, we have leaves, rocks, and gathering thunderclouds." I gave Cain an annoyed look. "What, exactly, are we supposed to be scouting for?"

"Bandits," he answered instantly, giving me a droll look. "Did you forget already? There are many bandits here. That's why Sir Jeigan didn't want us to come here."

"Like I remember any of that when my ass has been hurting from riding a pegasus. I don't see how you knight folks handle fighting on a horse."

"Well, it takes a lot of practice."

"I hope you all get a good paycheck, because damn if I can think of an amount that I'd be willing to fight on those things for."

"Technically, we're all being paid nothing." He laughed as I groaned. "You, I think, are being paid less than that because you didn't have an agreed upon pay before all of this."

"I'm going to rob the castle again."

"Isn't that how you got involved in this?"

"No, that was my stupid conscience deciding to be lame and resurrect itself and-" I cut myself off as something caught my ear. "Off the road."

"Where?"

"Don't care. Off the road, now. I think someone's coming." I snagged him by the arm and pulled him through the bushes, ignoring the thorns that clung to my clothes and scratched my skin.

Cain grunted and awkwardly tried his best to remain hidden when our… my… chosen hiding place was better suited for a small girl like me who wore no armor, not a guy over a head taller and at least twice as wide without the heavy, clanky armor. He ended up having to hang over me, which I didn't mind. Much.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he accidentally rested his hand on mine. I couldn't see his face, but I could hear his chainmail clink. "I-"

"Just hold still," I hissed. It was honestly more… something… with him squirming behind and above me. "Seriously, just hold still."

"Why couldn't we have hidden in a tree?"

"Can you climb in that armor?"

"Armor is very flexible, actually."

"Whatever. Quiet." Now, I was certain I heard someone coming down the path. "Runner."

"You sure? I can't hear-"

"Who's the former thief here?" I waited for a response, but there was none. "That's what I thought. Quiet."

Cain finally listened to me, and before long, the source of the noise finally appeared on the path. It was two people, a scruffy man wearing cheap clothing, and a pretty woman dressed like a cleric. They held hands tightly, and the woman looked at him with equal parts of adoring and concern, while the man looked around suspiciously, but always took the time to help her over exposed roots. After one too many trips, though, they ended up pausing, conveniently near where Cain and I were.

"Lena, come on, just a bit more," the man urged. He gave the girl an encouraging smile. "We need to get out of the teeth, and we need to do it yesterday."

"Julian, I… I'm sorry," the woman whispered. She leaned into his side a bit, clearly unsteady on her feet. "I keep being a bother, and… well, I left my Mend staff. I really need to get it back." She pulled a weird looking staff from her cloak. "Here, I can Warp you?"

"Uh-uh, honey, no can do." The man shook his head. "I didn't betray my boys back there just for you to zap me out of here alone. Forget the staff for now; when you're safe, I'll nick it back for you." He flashed a cocky little grin before become serious again. "But right now, we need to run. So, tick, tock, now move that frock!"

"I… but…" She sighed. "Oh, goodness, you are stubborn."

"Says the cleric who gave sermons to a bandit leader."

As the two bickered, Cain and I glanced at each other and nodded. Then, slowly, we crept out of the bushes, moving slowly to not set them off. The man glanced around, but each time, we froze and waited for him to look away again. He was looking for ambushers, not people trying to not scare them, and that provided a good blindspot. So, we made it out of the bushes, relatively intact, without being noticed and only then did we address the two.

"Excuse me," Cain called. Both of them froze and the man quickly tugged the girl behind him, hand hovering over the sword on his belt. "Easy, I'm no bandit." Cain brought his hands up. "I think I'm a little too armored."

"Plus, don't most bandit groups not have pretty girls with them?" I added, leaning around Cain and smiling. "Hiya. Is one of you a Lena, by chance?" I already knew the answer, of course, but it wasn't like they knew we'd been eavesdropping. "The people in Galder were worried."

"Oh, yes, I am," the girl whispered. She smiled sweetly and tugged the man's sleeve. "Julien, I think... they're all right."

"Yeah, we're fine. We only attack people who hit us first, or are with Medeus." I grinned. "Wanna come with us? Our camp isn't far away, and we've got food!"

"You're encouraging to come with us for food?" Cain deadpanned. He looked distinctly amused. "Not safety. Not warmth. Food."

"Spoken like someone who's never gone hungry," I instantly retorted. I stuck my tongue out to make the words a little more teasing, even if it was also likely true. Hunger sucked. "So." I turned my attention back to the two. "Want some?"

It was a good thing that Gordin and Norne did some extra hunting, because Lena and Julian clearly hadn't had a good meal in a long while. Lena might've been more mannerly about devouring her food compared to Julian, but she easily ate twice as much as he did. As they ate, they chatted about what was going on, namely that Lena had been captured, and that Julian had fallen in with the bandits, but he couldn't abide slavery and freed Lena to run. They'd heard our army was near, so it wasn't entirely luck that they'd happened to be so close; we were on one of the very few paths that an army could safely travel through the mountains.

This is where we hit a little bit of friction in the army. Mostly, Julian, being a former bandit, wasn't looked kindly upon by some of the army, and protested when Marth offered recruitment.

"My lord, I do not wish to be rude," Gordin began. I knew tempers were starting to fray on all sides, while Lena and Julian watched impassively. "But are we really going to bring a thief?"

"I'm going to point out that I am a thief, and we have Castor and Davros, both of which worked with pirates," I retorted dryly. Gordin squirmed a bit. "So…"

"So, if he truly has had a change of heart, he deserves the chance to prove it," Marth stated firmly, with just a bit of anger. There weren't many in the tent, just Lena, Julian, Gordin, Marth, and me, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. He looked as if he was in some fancy throne room, not a badly patched tent. "Thus, unless he has broken some sort of law, I will hear no more protests over this." Gordin nodded, and bowed his head, thoroughly cowed. "Thank you." Marth turned and smiled at Julian and Lena. "Welcome to our army, Julian. Let me know if any make you uncomfortable." Julian just nodded, now looking a little dumbfounded. "Sister Lena, what will you do?"

"Well, I can't do much healing without my Mend Staff," Lena began. She smiled sweetly, lighting up the whole room. "However, I can do what I am able. I am a cleric, after all. I cannot sit idly by while others are hurt."

"Then, for now, stick with Wrys. He's our curate. We'll buy you a staff later."

"Well, the bandits here have my staff. Julian promised to retrieve it for me."

"We might want to wait until we're on a different path or something first, though," Julian answered. He slowly looked serious. "Because the others know you guys are here too, and you guys are definitely rich."

"I've heard that banditry has become worse in the past couple of years," Marth murmured. He looked curious, and concerned. "Do you mind if I ask why you think that is?"

"Well, in my case?" Julian shrugged. "My home city got destroyed by soldiers. Don't know who, and don't care. I'd been a thief prior, mind. Never really had enough. But when the city was gone, and all the nobles were dead or fled, you don't get a lot of options. It's starve with your morals, or live with crime. Most people choose to live when death is staring them right in the face. It takes a brave soul to hold onto their morals and dignity at that sort of time."

"...Yes, it does." Pain flicked over Marth's face, and I knew he was thinking of Frey. We had no idea what happened. How long had he lived before dying? Had he cursed himself and his weak fellows? Had he simply prayed for us, as he did before we left him behind? "It does indeed." Marth looked down briefly before forcing a smile. "So, ah…" He tried to come up with a topic, but he stopped as he turned to the entrance of the tent. I frowned as I heard some commotion, and noticed some shadows. "What is going-?"

"Prince Marth!" Ogma slid inside, nearly tangling in the tent flap. "We're under attack," he explained, voice somewhere between frantic and calm. The rest of us blinked slowly. "So, you need to move and…" He sighed suddenly. "Gods. Damn. It."

Before anyone could react, a couple of arrows flew right for Marth, but Ogma cut the arrows down before they could hit. His wince, however, told me he might've pulled something, not a big surprise considering the damn awkward angle he'd been at when he'd sliced. However, he gave us all a 'really' look and all but threw Marth and me out of the tent, and into the chaos of the battle. Right then, the threatened storm rumbled and broke, drenching the whole field in conveniently inconvenient rain. The bandits apparently had been trying to set our stuff on fire, so it was helpful that they couldn't, but now we were dealing with muck, slippery terrain, and damn poor vision. I couldn't use my fire spells at all, and I was damned scared to shoot off a thunder spell, because everything was so damn wet.

Lightning flashed in the sky, and branches cracked and tumbled down. The wind whipped about, making splinters fly and nearly bent the trees in two. One particularly old one, half rotted already, fell, and damn near took out both Draug and Norne both. The bandits almost finished the job, but Marth and Julian came to their rescue, long enough for Draug to push himself, and the tree, up long enough for Norne to wiggle out. The horses were useless because of the muck and chaos, as was Caeda's pegasus, meaning we had to defend the panicking things that could literally trample all of us to death, and nearly did kill Gordin before Jagan got them in hand. I nearly lost my head, literally, because I slipped in some mud, while I was too close to a bandit to try and kill them. Thankfully, Cain blocked it with his shield, while Castor got an eye shot. Davros, Barst, Bord, and Cord, all people I barely paid any attention to, actually took advantage of the limited visibility to distract and confuse the bandits, but it was pretty damn clear that if we didn't do something, we were all going to die.

My conscience wouldn't let anyone but me take that risk. Gods, I hated it.

"Clear a path, everyone!" I yelled as I jumped back to the edge of the camp, where I could get a view of most of the bandits, or what I hoped were bandits. To my great surprise, all my people actually listened, and I vowed to buy them all a round or ten the next time we were at a tavern. "Now…" I focused and called on all the arcane energy around me, drawing it from the ground and air, from the storm clouds above. As I did, I closed my eyes, and thought of Grandpa and his lessons for the first time in what felt like forever. He hadn't known much about magic, but he'd studied up, just to help me. "Ground and focus. Ground and focus." The power whipped around me, crackling with intensity and sheer glee. It was ready. It wanted to be used. "And… now!"

I released the spell, a gigantic bolt of thunder magic, ripped straight from the clouds. It shrieked as it left my hands, bouncing from raindrop to raindrop, puddle to puddle. It shredded through the bandits in its path, striking and electrocuting the whole group in front of me, and spreading far wider than I anticipated and I spared a thought hoping that none of mine were near, as there was no pulling this.

As their shrieks of pain echoed into deafening silence, I collapsed, curling into myself as my arms spasmed. My gloves were scorched, and the skin underneath was blistered and bloody from the intensity. I… overdid it a little.

"Kris!" Someone picked me up out of the mud. "Kris, can you hear me?" The person shifted me carefully and I whimpered, curling into whoever it was as my muscles spasmed more. "Sister Lena, if you can?"

"She channeled more magic than her body is physically capable of to pull that off." A gentle voice lilted over my head. "Water, ice, and rest are the best things for her. She got us an opening, but she took herself out of the battle."

"Of course she did. But, she'll be fine?"

"So long as we all survive this, yes. Let Julian and I take-"

"Don't need… to be protected…" I rasped. Slowly, I uncurled, whimpering as everything continued to spasm. "I can… I know how to hide…" Slowly, I focused on the others, and realized Abel was the one holding me, while Lena peered at me worriedly. "I can… handle it." Using Abel's shoulder as I crutch, I pushed myself up, and nearly fell. "Ah…"

"Easy," Abel whispered, catching me easily. Thunder rumbled overhead, a quiet warning that the rain blinding everything was just going to get worse. "Easy, you bought us a lot of time with that. This isn't a situation where we're compromising anything."

"No, seriously, I…" I cut off again as pain started registering and I realized I was crying. This was why I had chosen to be a thief instead of being a mercenary or something. I hated pain. "I… don't want to be a burden again."

"You're not a burden, and if anyone says you are, let me know. I'll set them straight."

I might've replied, protested more because I had my pride damn it, but a distinct 'clang' caught my attention instead, and both Abel and I twisted towards it. There, not far away, barely within sight actually, Ogma fought with a swordsman wearing a long scarlet coat, buttoned tightly, with longer hair than I'd seen on a man before. But the battle was… wrong. It wasn't often I saw Ogma on the defensive. Actually, I didn't think I'd ever seen him on the defensive. But he was now, and I knew why. His opponent was someone fast and skilled, with enough strength to make use of both. This was someone that Ogma needed to fight at his full strength in order to have a chance, but Ogma was injured. He couldn't fight at his full strength.

Gritting my teeth, I tried to bring up my hand to cast a spell, any sort of spell, but my vision blurred and greyed from pain as every muscle in my body screamed, and spasmed, protesting the use of more magic. Abel held me up and shifted so that he was protecting both Lena and me. The few bandits left weren't doing anything, just watching. I got the distinct impression that they were just waiting for this swordsman to cut Ogma down, and then they'd fall in on us again, if the rain didn't batter us first.

"That's Navarre," Lena whispered. She took my arms gently and, not even looking, she stripped off my gloves and started rubbing some sort of balm into my injuries. The rain washed most of it off, but a distinct feeling of numbness that nearly made me breakdown in relief. "He helped me, once. Why is he with bandits? He's a good person."

"So is Julian," I pointed out, mostly because… well… "I used to be a thief too."

"I wish times were better." She flinched suddenly, and I froze when I realized why. The scarlet swordsman, Navarre, managed to get a hit right where Ogma injured himself, and Ogma lost his footing enough for him to slip and fall in the mud. Navarre looked almost disappointed and everything slowed as he swung his sword up with a very clear purpose: killing Ogma.

"Don't you dare!" But before anyone could blink, just as Navarre swung down, Caeda, of all people, threw herself in between. Navarre's eyes widened and he stopped his attack mid-swing, nicking her neck. "I will not allow you to kill him," Caeda continued cooly. She planted her feet and spread out her arms in a very clear declaration: 'I am his shield, and you will have to go through me to get to him'. "Especially in such an unfair fight."

"Stand aside, girl," Navarre growled. He stepped back and brought his weapon first to his side, and then brought it up in front of him. "This is our business, not yours."

"Ogma is my retainer, my knight, and my bodyguard. It is absolutely my business." She glared back, with a majesty that just… was both so her, and yet so wrong, considering she looked like a drowned kitten with all the rain. "So, I will not move. You will either lay down your weapon, or use it on me now." Her eyes blazed with determination. "No, I've one better. You will either lend your weapon to our cause or strike me down." She met his gaze, dignified fierceness versus calm stoicism. "What will it be, Navarre?"

Everything seemed to freeze as Navarre simply stared, weapon at the ready. Hell, it even felt like the rain and wind held in place, wondering just what he would do. But then, slowly, he brought his sword down to his side, and laughed a little, stoic mask cracking for a look of incredulousness. "So, you offer your life in exchange for my services? Consider yourself the higher bidder, then."

"You have got to be shitting me!" The shout shocked most of us, and that was when I, at least, remembered we still had bandits about. The loudmouth was, based on the relatively good clothing, the leader. "Navarre, you traitor…!" the bandit boss bellowed as he lunged, axe raised high to attack him. But it was cut short as Navarre easily turned and just… cut through him in a single stroke, so nonchalant that I thought I'd missed something in the rain. The boss hit the ground with a gurgle, his axe tumbling from his hands. "...Why…?" He tried to reach for the axe with shaking hands. "Why would…?"

"I guess I changed my mind," Navarre answered lightly. He slung the blood off his sword and sheathed it. "Besides, mercenaries always go to the highest bidder." He shook his head and glared at the remaining bandits. "Well?"

The rest of the bandits all ran, and just as abruptly as it started, the battle ended. I wondered again if I'd missed something, especially as Marth just… happily started chatting with Navarre, like he hadn't just nearly killed Ogma. I might be a thief, but that just seemed… I didn't try to kill any of the group, just rob them blind! But I knew I could really protest. For one thing, I was barely conscious.

I'd just have to keep an on him. Mercenaries could be bought, and he'd made it clear he went to the 'highest bidder', and our enemies were rich. 'Life' wasn't worth shit, especially in this day and age.

Records on Cain:

An eighteen year old knight of Altea, the sole survivor of the forces that marched out with Gra

A kind, if sometimes reckless, young man, who bears heavy scars, physically and mentally, from the fall of Altea.

Fights with swords and lances, specializing in the former

Trains incessantly, but makes time to check in on all of his comrades every day

Records on Jagan:

A fifty-five year old paladin of Altea, an old retainer of the royal family.

Calm and stoic, who takes training the next generation seriously.

Fights with swords and lances, specializing highly in the latter.

Looking at him, you'd never notice that he's been hurting from Altea's fall, unless you happened to catch him looking longingly at the horizon, towards Altea

Records on Frey:

A twenty-four year old knight of Altea, who sacrificed himself to buy us the time to escape.

Kind, compassionate, and self-sacrificing, his only and last wish was for Prince Marth to be happy.

The other knights talk of him fondly, when they can bring themselves to talk to him at all, showing that he was well-liked among the force.

Author's Notes: This is perhaps the most dramatic of Caeda's recruitments. The line of 'traitor' and 'i changed my mind' come from the OVA, as is Caeda shielding Ogma. The ambush idea came from the manga adaptation. (Fun fact, in both the OVA and Manga, Lena does Warp Julian away, but she's eventually freed again by Navarre.) There's nothing in any of the games, OVA, or Manga that suggests that Cain and Abel are related (by adoption or otherwise), or even that Cain is from a noble family, I just added that in for fun.

Next Chapter - Interlude - Exhaustion