Chapter 6) Lefcandith Gauntlet

Kris POV

Aurelis is free, but as everyone likes reminding us, there's way more to be done. Thus, the Archaean League, as some stupid bard decided to call us and had the gall to be popular and set it to a catchy tune, marches off from Aurelis, heading for Archanea. Of course, thanks to everything, there's only one path at this point, the Lefcandith Valley. I asked Jagan why it was the only way to go, and Jagan mentioned how the path was treacherous even before Medeus showed up. Considering this is how Nyna and Diana made it to Aurelis, though, I have to wonder how they managed. The two are incredibly tight-lipped about it, and no amount of prodding gets a reaction.

So now, we're stuck with countless fortresses, and even more soldiers, all led by Princess Minerva of Macedon. We're screwed, basically. We just have to work on unscrewing ourselves. Lame.

"Why are we going out again?" I whined as I walked down the path with Abel. The trees swayed in the breeze, and I noticed how the more we got into the mountains, the more trees we encountered. "This is just so that Marth and Caeda can go on a date."

"It's not just for that," Abel chided. Probably because I had to walk, he had dismounted and led his horse by the rein next to him. The horse seemed to not mind it, much. "We have to rest." He paused, tilting his head curiously. "Wait, they're going on a date?"

"They say they're just shopping, but it's totally a date. Marth is going to give her his present during it." Admittedly, that was on my suggestion before leaving to scout, but it was still happening. "So, if we hear a loud squeal, it's her. He bought her some beautiful diamond earrings."

"Diamond?" Abel's eyes danced. "In Altea, that's a very romantic thing to buy someone."

"I know; I helped him buy it." I grinned. "There was this vendor who didn't realize he had actual diamonds, and thought them quartz or something and priced accordingly. I helped him haggle."

"You can tell the difference?"

"I'm a thief. If there's anything I know well, it's how to identify shinies, and how to get the best damn bargain I can get."

"And not get caught."

"Well, that's a given. Altea prisons aren't very fun. There was lots of guard brutality, especially if you're a girl." I gave him a look as he squirmed. "You didn't know?"

"I… heard rumors, but I never looked into it directly. It always seemed like something others in actual authority should look into." He sighed, drooping slightly. "But they never did, did they?"

"A lot of the ones in authority benefited from it, so of course no one did." I thought a bit about Grandfather. He… had been one of those who had tried to look into it, but his illness took him too soon. "The ones that did gave up, died, or… other stuff. Altea shone rather nicely, but only when you ignored the muck it stood on."

"I'm sorry." Abel fell silent for a long moment. "Did you always live on the street?"

"...No, I had a grandfather." I looked to the ground as we continued walking, missing him terribly. "He wasn't mine by blood. He found me on the street and took me in." I thought back to then, to that first memory. Well, it wasn't the 'very' first, if I had to be honest. There was a vague memory of… my mom, or at least, I thought she was my mom. She had blue hair like me, and blue eyes. I remembered her kind smile more, though, and the gentle lilt of a lullaby. That memory of her was hazy and dreamy, like I didn't even really see her, but like had 'made her up'. But the next memory of her was of her broken corpse, curled up and frozen in the mud and blood. Her hands, in that memory, were stuck in a holding position because I'd only wriggled out of her arms after her body started to stiffen. Then I'd sat there in the rain, wondering why people had attacked us, had attacked her, staring at a ruined, burnt building that might've been my house.

Then, the rain had stopped falling on me, and I'd looked up to see a man wearing simple yet nice clothes holding a coat over me like an umbrella. He'd smiled kindly and held out his free hand. I'd taken it instinctually, and that… that was how Grandfather adopted me. He'd even gone back and buried my mom, after he'd gotten me out of the rain and into some clean clothes and a warm bed. I never asked how he'd found me. He'd promised to tell me a bit more when I was older. He'd tried to tell me as he was dying of sickness, but I'd refused to hear it. I hadn't wanted to admit he was dying. Then, on his deathbed, he was really too weak to tell me anything. I'd told him that I loved him, and he'd told me that I was the best thing that had ever happened to him and that he'd loved me too.

Those had been his last words. I wondered if he'd still love me now, after spending some time as a thief. I thought… he would, though. That was just how he'd been. No matter what I'd done, he had been there with a smile and a hug, and an explanation for why what I did was wrong and why I shouldn't do it again.

"Kris, are you listening?" Abel's voice jerked me out of my moping, and I looked up at him curiously, noticing his exasperated look. "There's someone over there," he explained, pointing to where we could see the top of a pink-haired person's head through some brush. "Shall we?"

"Yeah, sure, we can do that," I replied, more wondering why a person would be out here. However, as we approached, and I caught the white and gold armor that none of ours wore and the pegasus, I had a damn good idea. I brought my hand up instantly, ready to blast the girl with magic, but I paused. The girl wasn't even looking at us. She was fussing over her pegasus, movements almost frantic as her pegasus flinched away from her.

It was very, very clear what was going on. She was trying to tend to her pegasus. So, she would be an easy shot, an easy capture, and an easy kill. But, I knew… I knew Marth wouldn't want me to attack, not like this. Knowing that, I brought my hand down. It was naive. This girl would likely only cause trouble. But I couldn't… bring myself to attack, knowing that Marth wouldn't want it.

This was beyond lame.

"Miss, do you need assistance?" Abel called. The girl stiffened and whirled, before looking at us curiously. "This isn't a very safe place to be."

"Oh, I can handle myself in a fight," the girl replied lightly. She smiled pleasantly, but I saw one of her hands drift to where she had a spear hooked onto her saddle. "And I'm fine. I'm just fussing."

"Forgive me, but your pegasus seems to be in pain." Abel brought up his hands to show he was unarmed. His own lance was on the saddle too, and he nodded to it. "Might I help? I hate seeing anyone in pain."

"Well…" She hesitated a bit more, before glancing at me. I, after all, still had my tome. "I…" She continued staring at me and I stared back, doing my best to silently say 'if I wanted you dead, you would be already'. She seemed to understand as she turned back to Abel with a small smile. "Thank you. He won't let me look under his wing."

"He's probably trying to be all strong for you. Horses have their pride, and I see little reason for pegasi to be much different." Abel stepped a little closer and stopped when the pegasus tensed. "Easy, easy. I'm just going to help your owner. She's awfully worried."

I watched the two of them slowly coax the pegasus into lifting its wing so that they could tend to the injury underneath, before turning away and 'watching' the path. If any of our allies caught us, I had little doubts we'd be tried as traitors. If any of hers caught us, it would turn into a fight. But, surprisingly, it was all quiet and peaceful. No one came looking for the girl, and no one tried to ambush us using her as bait.

"Yippee! We did it!" the girl cheered after a moment. I glanced back and saw a fresh bandage right under the pegasus's wing, around the joint. "Thank you so much!" She bowed to us. "That would've been much harder on my own."

"I'm glad I could assist," Abel replied with a soft smile. The girl simply smiled back. "I probably don't need to say this, but take it easy until that wound fully heals."

"I know, but thank you." She straightened, and took the reins of her pegasus. "Hey, what's your names?"

"I'm Abel, and that's Kris." He gestured to me, and I waved slightly, noticing he made no mention of how we were Alteans. She had probably guessed anyway, but like us, ignored it. "You are?"

"My name is Est." She smiled brightly. "It's nice to meet you!" She mounted up and her smile saddened slightly. "I hope we can meet as peacefully next time. You're both super nice."With those oh-so-cheerful words, she flew off, going slowly but surely to ease the burden on her pegasus.

Abel and I watched her leave, and when she was out of sight, I whispered, "I have a feeling she might've been a scout."

"Yeah, maybe," he agreed. He glanced at me, though, with a curious expression on his face. "You get the feeling that maybe she's not scouting for Dolhr?"

"...I don't know." But he was right. I did have that sort of feeling. "But, even if she isn't, she has to be for Macedon, who's…"

"Right, but…" He sighed and shrugged. "Well, I just get the feeling it won't bite us in the ass as much as it probably should."

"Well, let's hope you're right, because if not…" I shrugged, feeling like I didn't need to finish the sentence. "Let's head back and tell the others to move quickly. If scouts are around, soldiers can't be far."

"Sounds good."

I sighed heavily, glaring at the red gem in my hands as Cain expertly guided the horse down the path. As usual, I was riding with him, and as usual, we kept quiet. Most days, it was because I'd decided to nap or something, but today, I was studying some weird gem a villager had given Marth, back at the market. I'd taken it to try and guess how much it was worth, but it quickly became apparent that I didn't know what this gem was at all. That frustrated me more than a little bit, especially since I'd just bragged to Abel about how that was something I was good at.

"No ideas?" Cain asked softly, smiling slightly. He laughed a little when I glowered. "Do you want to try and throw a spell at it?"

"As tempting as the idea is, no, I'd rather not, simply because there's an even-odd chance this thing might explode," I retorted. Sighing, I tucked it into my pocket, and then leaned against him again. His armor was awkward and cold, even after bunches of time in the sunlight, but it was a pillow I was slowly getting used to. "I guess when we next stop, I'll show it to Wendell. If it's a gem I don't know, I'm going to assume it's magic."

"I thought it a garnet or ruby."

"Those gems don't normally look like there's fire within." That was the main reason why I wondered if this thing might explode if destroyed. "Why did the villager give it to Marth again?"

"The man told Prince Marth that it gave him the creeps, and-"

"This is why we also have a stupid Devil Axe or whatever the hell it is." I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Our silly prince is silly. The axe isn't even worth anything."

"It seems rather strong."

"It's strong because it was made with dark magic that has an even-odd chance of turning on the owner, unless they're quite lucky. Who among us is lucky?"

"Well, all of us." He gave me a curious look. "I mean; we're not dead. We survived escaping Altea's fall, and we're fighting a war against a creature of legend. Yet, we're still alive. It's either fate or luck. I prefer luck."

"Really?" Confused, I frowned up at him. "Most people seem to like the former."

"The former implies that the gods intended me to outlive my comrades." His eyes darkened in pain. "That I live only because the gods have some use for me, and had none for my friends."

"Cain…" I had no idea what to say. I debated telling him to ride for Abel, and dismounting. I knew shit about comforting people. But Abel was a distance away, and if I'd dismounted, I'd have to find someone to ride with, and it would likely be someone I didn't know well. Caeda, the only other person I ride with, already had a passenger: Lena. I was a little stuck.

"But if it's just luck, then it's… not anyone's fault. I just happened to be a little luckier." His voice cracked and he bowed his head. "So, I prefer luck."

"...But then who do you turn your anger to?" I thought about the days after Grandfather died. I'd been angry at everything. Hell, I was still angry about it.

"Our enemies." His eyes hardened. "The people who killed my friends, and who want to kill the rest of them."

"Is that why you charge so...?" The only word I had was 'recklessly', but I only real knew that because I'd caught Jagan scolding Cain a couple of times. By my eyes, all the cavaliers were reckless, since their entire job was to charge ahead. But I didn't like it. I didn't like him being so reckless, especially. "You're alive."

"...Yes?" The pain in his eyes disappeared for confusion. "Yes, I am? That's what prompted this little conversation? Mostly."

"You're alive. You're going to keep living." I glowered at him. "Okay? That's a promise."

"...Sure?" He just looked more confusion. "Where did we get this jump of conversation?"

"I'll let you figure that one out." I huffed, and leaned into him again, not really sure where I was going with this. I'd just wanted that promise. "Marth will cry, if you die. He still cries over Frey."

"So, the promise is for Prince Marth?"

"Well, I suppose me too. Who else would I ride with when Caeda's busy?" I frowned as I heard him chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"You're ridiculous."

"That is so rude." I straightened to glower, but then I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to face it. It took me only a moment to catch the glint of sunlight off of armor, but once I did, I wondered just how I hadn't noticed whoever it was sooner. They wore bright red armor, the same shade of their hair, and they were literally on a bright green wyvern. "...Cain." I pointed, and felt him stiffen almost immediately afterwards. "Who is closest?"

"Duke Hardin." He clicked his tongue and urged his horse into a teeth rattling trot. I clung to him, twisting to keep my eyes on the weird wyvern knight. Whoever they were, they just seemed to be watching us from the air. I didn't even see a weapon.

Cain tapped my shoulder, and I glanced back to see we were even with Hardin, who looked confused. I didn't blame him really; there was a formation to this riding, after all. I didn't really get it, but it apparently had something to do with how easily they could fall into combat formations.

"What is it?" Hardin prompted. His voice was quiet, and a little clipped. I almost took offense, before I remembered that we were literally riding through enemy territory. He'd have to be an idiot to not be tense. "I trust there is an issue?"

"Does a wyvern knight qualify?" I deadpanned, unable to help it. I could understand why he was terse, but hell if I liked it. "There's one there." I pointed again, finding them on the first try. They had barely moved, and I wondered how their wyvern could handle flapping in one place that long. Then again, maybe this wasn't as long as I thought. "See?"

"...Princess Minerva." He sighed heavily, and looked resigned. "Sir Cain, Kris, please assist me in getting everyone prepared for battle. If she's here, then there must be troops waiting."

Cain murmured something, likely an agreement, but I just turned my attention back to this Princess Minerva. It was obvious, now, why she was here. She was surveying our troops, and likely making plans to slaughter us all. However, to me, she seemed… rather sad. She sat there, unmoving, just watching us pass, with a posture that just screamed how tired she was. It was actually a bit difficult to look at her, all alone in the skies, and believe her to be a real threat.

believe her a threat…

I growled to myself and turned away, mentally cursing at my own naivety as I clung to Cain to keep on the stupid horse. I, of all people, knew just how dangerous sad and tired people could become. You had a lot of people on the streets who were like that. Pretty boy's idealism was starting to infect my thoughts.

Damn, that was lame.

Wyvern riders sucked. They hit hard, and they hit fast. Thankfully, like most soldiers, they were very weak to magic, and weak to arrows through their wings. Aiming, though, proved difficult when you had soldiers all over the place trying to run you down.

"This is madness," I growled, wiping some sweat off my face. My hand came back bloody. "Am I bleeding from my head, or am I just splattered? I'm so numb that I can't tell."

"You might have a few scratches, but I think most of it is from that wyvern we killed," Marth replied. He and I were standing back to back in the middle of this mess, leaning heavily against each other as our legs struggled to bear our weight. Based on the sun, we'd been fighting for a mark or two, but it felt like twenty years. "Why do wyverns bleed so much?"

"Well, they're kinda large, silly." I glanced back, and grimaced at how coated in blood he was. His hair and clothes looked more red than blue. "I told you to not slit its belly."

"I didn't exactly have a variety of choices." He sighed heavily. "...Let's move to the right."

"Is that 'my' right or yours? We're facing different directions."

"Mine." He stepped to the side, and I followed him quickly. Two heartbeats later, a wyvern corpse fell and splattered, coating us further. "I'm very done with this."

"The infirmary must be even more of a mess." I looked at the corpse, and thought of the Macedonian soldiers we left behind at Aurelis castle, under guard. I never did learn about what happened to that soldier I'd saved; I'd been too scared. "Do we treat horses in the infirmary?"

"We have more specialized ones for that." Marth hummed a little in thought. "Well, that may be for more everyday things. Why?"

"I'm just trying to imagine how crowded the infirmary might be." There was a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye, and a giant gust of wind nearly took me off my feet. I actually had to stumble back and turn, bringing my hand up to shield my eyes from the bits of dirt kicked up.

When my vision cleared, I saw the source of the wind: Minerva.

I almost conjured up a spell, but Marth raised his hand to stop me, and shook his head. I gave him an incredulous look in reply, but he pointed to her, and it took me a moment to realize what he was getting at. While she did have an axe, a really expensive looking one, it was hooked on her waist, not in her hands at all. Her arms were crossed, showing she had no intentions of reaching for it. A quick glance showed there were none near; the closest were the trio of pegasus knights flying over head. Whatever she was here for, it didn't appear to be for a fight.

"I am Princess Minerva of Macedon, Captain of the Whitewings," she declared, voice soft, yet commanding. She stood in her saddle, perfectly balanced and poised despite literally standing on a large flying creature. "You are Prince Marth, yes? Where are Princess Nyna and Duke Hardin?"

"...Princess Nyna is in the infirmary tent," Marth answered slowly. He stepped forward, bloody blade in hand. I hung back, clutching my worn tome. "Duke Hardin is elsewhere, securing the villages. I'm afraid you must make do with me."

"It makes sense that the Coyote is there, though a shame about Princess Nyna. I didn't get to meet her last time, just her bodyguard." There was a slight smile on her face. "How are they?"

"Last I checked, they were well." Marth tilted his head curiously. "You know them?"

"There was a bit of trouble with deserters kidnapping some village girls. We formed a temporary truce to save them, while keeping very careful and cautious." The smile faded. "You're younger than I expected, but then again, my memory tells me you're sixteen."

"I am. I believe you are not much older than me, though, Princess Minerva. Two?"

"Three, actually. Though, perhaps the months make it two and a half." The slight smile returned. "I've been wanting to meet you. I heard you provided care for the soldiers you captured. You have my thanks. Many fight because they are afraid, or feel that this is the only option."

"Why would it be?" Marth looked up at her with sad eyes. "Why join with Dolhr?"

"...Our allies left us alone to fight." The smile fell again. "There are other reasons, of course, but that one became the catalyst for everything that was to come. We had to choose to fight and die alone, or surrender and live. But talking of bygone decisions is not why I am here. I simply wished to see and speak to you prior to departing."

"...Departing?"

"Yes, I and mine are leaving. I cannot stomach these tactics. He sends my soldiers into a grinder in the hopes that you might fall with them." She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Those who wish to leave will come with me. I fear you must deal with the rest as you see fit."

"Wait, but won't that get you in trouble?" Marth stepped forward again, and held out his hand. "Perhaps you can simply come with us?"

"...You offer…?" She looked briefly surprised before she started laughing. It did wonders to soften her demeanor and face, and I was reminded a bit of Elice. "You are such a curious person, Prince Marth." She shook her head, but this time, the smile did not fade. "I cannot join you at this time. There are… extenuating circumstances. But I will remember."

There was another bit of movement, and I turned to look at it, just in case it was an ambush, and because I was two for two on movement and weird shit. This time, though, it was… very weird. There was a hooded person, their stiff movements hinting they were elderly. I glanced back at Marth, hesitated, and then went over to the person.

"What are you doing out here in this mess?" I whispered, wrapping an arm around whoever it was. "Come on. Let's at least get you to the side."

"Ah, thank you…" they whispered. They looked up and smiled. "My name is Bantu. You are?"

"It's Kris, old man." I guessed he was male, based on the voice and face. He could correct me if I was wrong. "Just lean on me."

"Thank you." He did just that, and the two of us hobbled over towards the side of the battle. I'd hoped to run into someone with a horse, but we didn't. This area of the field was devoid of any allies, and so, I kept hobbling, trying to remember where the closest village was.

A sound, though, caught my attention, and I looked up, curious. I then froze as cavaliers wearing Macedonian armor slowly approached. I took a step back automatically, but found that my back was to some mountains. I was pinned, with this old man depending on me. This was lame.

"Well, we're in trouble," I whispered, letting go of the old man. I brought up my tome, and grimaced. Unless I got lucky, I'd only get one shot before they were on me. "I'll buy you some time. Just head up, and you'll run into some others."

"I suppose I would just be in your way," the old man sighed. He made some sort of noise, and pointed towards my pack."What is that in your pocket?"

"What are you…?" I reached in and pulled out the gem. "You mean this? It's nothing. How did you even know-?"

"Ah, I thought so." He took the gem from me with a small smile. "Perfect, I thought it lost."

"Old man, I'm glad you got your worthless gem back." Sarcasm dripped from my words as the cavaliers approached. A few were grinning. "But we're kinda in a situation here if you didn't notice and-"

"And I need to thank you for getting me to safety." His smile widened. "Stay right here."

"What are you…?" I yelped as the man suddenly burst forward, running far faster than I would've thought, considering earlier. "Hey, wait! Get back here!" I took a step forward, reaching out. Then, there was a flash of light, and suddenly, there was no hooded man anymore. Instead, there was a fucking dragon. I stared in shock, awe, and horror as the dragon roared, the sound ripping through the air, echoing off the mountains. The sound of cracking made me glance up briefly, and I saw landslides had resulted from the roar.

By the time I looked back, the dragon was fighting. No, it wasn't a fight. It was a slaughter. Giant, vicious claws ripped through armor like it was nothing but paper. Sharp, jagged teeth crunched through wyverns like they were apples. The giant bulk shrugged off any sort of attack and simply crushed those stupid enough to get close. Then, most horrifying, the dragon roared again, triggering another batch of landslides, and breathed out fire. The smell of smoke and ash rippled through the air, but there wasn't even the smell of cooked meat. Those the dragon killed had burned too quickly to smell of anything but ash.

Somehow, through all of that, the sound of wings caught my ear, and I looked up to see Minerva and three pegasus knights flying away, one of which had pink hair, like Est. That pink-haired one actually waved, so I really thought it might be her. But they just… disappeared, and I returned my attention to the old man turned dragon, tearing his way through the enemy army.

This was, officially, the weirdest. Day. Ever.

"You have my deepest thanks, Prince Marth, for the food and care you have given me," Bantu murmured, bowing deeply. After he'd finished killing everything, he'd been exhausted, and so, we'd taken care of him. It seemed like the smartest decision. "I am truly grateful."

"I should be thanking you for saving us," Marth replied, laughing softly. It was just him, me, and Bantu in this little study. I kept quiet, and in the corner of the room, exhausted, but not wanting Marth to talk to this guy alone. "I'm surprised that the gem is your… what did you call it?"

"My dragonstone, specifically a 'firestone'." Bantu brought it out of his robes, and held it up. "I am a fire manakete, and so, I use a firestone. You can tell what sort of dragon one is, thanks to the stones. Most of those you'll find with Medeus, though, are Earth dragons."

"Is that so?" Marth looked curious now, and I saw him check the urge to pace. He was standing too, giving Bantu the only chair in the room. "But why do you appear…?"

"Human? Well, it's much easier to move around among humans if you look like them." Bantu laughed softly. "We started turning mad, long ago, and sealed our powers into stones so that we did not go feral. The path you know as Anri's Way is littered with dragons who refused, and now, they are little more than beasts. Medeus was the only one of the Earth Dragons to angry to Naga's proposal."

"Really?" Marth looked surprised. "But now he's…"

"Ah, yes, Medeus has changed." Bantu sighed, closing his eyes. "He was a prince of the Earth Dragons, a proud scholar during our Golden Age. But there was a shift in the world, and slowly, we began degenerating. We would be nearly overcome with destructive urges, and felt the need to rampage. Naga proposed we become manaketes. Most of the Earth Dragons refused, seeing humans as merely insects, and so, we had a great war. The Earth Dragons fell, sealed beneath Dragon's Table, and Medeus was entrusted to looking after the seal."

"And he founded the Dolhr empire."

"Eventually, yes. But, in the meantime, he remained. He remained, and he watched. Humans were not so forgiving of the damage we had inflicted, both with our urges and with our war. To them, our saving them came too late. Slowly, they persecuted us, enslaved us. Medeus grew to detest humanity, and that hatred became a poison, as he did not meet the humans who fought to free manaketes, and who provided safe havens. He saw only the darkest of them, and that darkness corrupted him as well. I imagine being the sole survivor of his people did not help matters." He shook his head. "Well, you know the story from there. He eventually brought most of the manaketes together, founded the empire, and launched a brutal assault on humans. He ruled for five years, and then Duke Cartas founded the resistance. Thus began the War of Liberation."

"Now he does so again." Marth clenched his fists, but there was sadness in his eyes. "Why did it come to this?"

"Dragons have long memories, and our age works against us many times. Trust an old man on that." Bantu laughed a bit. "Regardless, I do have a question. I do not suppose you've seen a young girl with green hair named Tiki?"

"I… do not think so, no." Marth glanced at me, and I shook my head. "I'll ask around, of course."

"I see." Bantu drooped a bit. "Oh, where did she go? She must be worried."

"Who is she?"

"Tiki is… my charge, I suppose you could say. She is the daughter of Naga, the last of the Divine Dragons who can transform." He sighed, and didn't seem to notice Marth and I exchange alarmed looks. It seemed like a proper response to hearing the daughter of a god was just walking about. "We were wandering to let her see the world, but I heard you had returned, Prince Marth, and so, we were making our way here to lend our support. Tiki's powers are very great. She would be quite helpful to you, and the rumors of your personality made me hope you could be helpful to her."

"I'd be delighted to meet her, and I promise, we'll keep an eye out." Marth smiled, and I tried to relax. "But it seemed to me that you are quite helpful yourself?"

"Oh, you flatter an old man. I may be a fire dragon, but it name alone. My age has weakened me considerably." He laughed a bit, once again not noticing the alarmed looks Marth and I shared. If he was weak, then what did that mean about Medeus? Yes, you heard the legends and all, but it didn't seem real until a weak dragon showed up. "Ah, I am tired…"

"O-of course!" Marth stepped forward and helped Bantu up. "Here, there should be a knight outside. They'll take you to a room. Thank you so much for taking to me." There was a bit more of polite nonsense, but it wasn't long before Marth and I were alone, with a heavy silence threatening to choke us.

"So, I think I made a mention of us being the definition of crazy," I noted lightly, trying to break the silence. The heaviness only seemed to grow, though. "Freaking hell, we're in trouble."

"I suppose we should make retrieving the Falchion a priority after liberating Archanea," Marth whispered. He sat down heavily in Bantu's vacated chair, and started to tremble. "That was weak."

"Yeah."

"That was weak. Medeus and any other dragons we fight will be stronger."

"I can check if there are other dragonslaying weapons. Surely, there has to be some, right?"

"Right." He sighed heavily, covering his face in his hands. "I wonder if this is what Anri felt?"

"Anri just wanted to save Artemis, according to the stories. I'd say this is more of what Cartas felt." I stepped over and nudged his shoulder. "Come on, pretty boy. Go for one of your dramatic speeches."

"They're not… dramatic…" He laughed weakly and looked up at the ceiling. "...I will win. I will take up what my father started. I will avenge him, and I will bring light to this world."

"See? Dramatic." I laughed and he rolled his eyes. "Come on. Let's go see Caeda. I want more to laugh at, and seeing you try to flirt does wonders."

"I do not flirt!" He went beet-red, and I laughed again. "You're horrible."

"Yes, yes, come on." I took his arm and dragged him out of the room. "To Caeda!"

Notes on Julian:

A 19 year old thief, and former bandit

A fast and observant man who often takes a deadpan approach to danger, as well as saying dorky things to make people laugh as an 'Ally of Justice'.

Has a crush on Lena, though he denies it fiercely

Apparently the 'older brother' of our other thief, Ricard

Notes on Lena:

An 18 year old cleric

A Macedonian, as proven by the trademark red hair, who speaks and moves with the refinement of a noble. Her accent, however, is primarily Grustian.

A kindly healer, with a… interesting older brother. However, she is passionate about her duties, and strong-willed, meaning she's also really stubborn

Pretty certain she has a crush on Julian, but seems to try and ignore it. For some reason.

Notes on Navarre:

A 20(?) year old Myrmidon (no one seems to know how old he actually is, even himself)

A mysterious swordsman who lets few, if any, past his walls. Stoic and calm at all times, whether he's resting, or killing. Though Athena's oddness does make him give 'what the hell' looks.

Seems to have a thing against fighting or killing women, but it's also clear from his limited interactions that it's for no chauvinistic reason. He's also soft on children.

He's rivals with Ogma, and the only time he's happy seems to be when the two are sparring.

Author's notes: The idea of Abel meeting Est here comes from the manga, as is Minerva and Marth actually having a bit of a conversation here. Bantu is the first playable manakete of the game (and series) and the only playable male manakete (there are others of draconic descent, but Bantu is the only playable male of the manakete class thus far in the series; the only other playable male who can transform into a dragon via dragonstone is a male!Corrin, I believe.). Have a bit more Kris backstory too, an expansion to the previous bit. Wyvern riders, in FE1/11, were actually a promoted class, specifically promoted from the pegasus knights.

I'm fairly certain Medeus's backstory only shows up in supplementary resources, but I'm bringing it in.

Next Chapter - Coastal Skirmish