Chapter 7) Coastal Skirmish

Diana POV

Our little army has made it to Archanean soil, surprisingly enough, and it feels very strange. At Marth's insistence, everyone is recuperating and enjoying themselves in Port Warren. Always a popular and rich town, it had used its extensive coin to keep itself self from Medy's forces, but the high taxes were straining even the most wealthy of merchants, so our arrival has been met with much fanfare.

Of course, I highly doubt this fun will last. Port Warren was important, defensively and economically, and there are forts nearby. We'll be fighting for a ship before long, literally.

"Oh, this is delightful!" Nyna laughed, clinging to my arm as we wandered the Port Warren market. She had always wanted to visit, apparently, and so, we had donned some simple clothes and gone out, though she was hooded just as before. She was pretending to be just a simple healer with the army, and I was her mercenary friend. It wasn't quite a lie, and thus, it was easier for her to remember. "Are those fish?"

"Yes, they're fresh fish, straight from the ocean," I replied, laughing, and not just because her eyes were sparkling. Thanks to the healers, while I still had a few bandages, most of my injuries had faded to simple scars, meaning that I was almost back to full health finally. It was an amazing feeling. "You've seen fresh fish before."

"But not out in the market like that!" She pointed to a cluster of stands. "What are they selling? It smells amazing!"

"Looks like some sort of cooked meat. Pork, maybe?"

"They sell cooked meat?"

"Yeah, people buy more food when hungry, and what better way to make someone hungry by enticing them with smells!" I laughed again and tugged her away from the clusters of food. "Come along. You've already bought up your allowance."

"I can't believe you gave me one!" She huffed, pouting at me. "I had to do arithmetic. I hate that."

"Math saves lives, missy." I scowled back, but grinned quickly. I happened to like math a lot, but I loved that she was finally relaxing. She had been tense all of yesterday. "Are you complaining about your purchases?"

"No, I just wish I had bought more." She had purchased gifts for when she reunited with Midia, Jeorge, and Astram, as well as some others from the palace. She knew a lot of them were likely dead, but she'd still bought them presents as a gesture of hope. "I need to get you a bunch of gifts."

"Now why waste your money like that?"

"Because I am your friend, and I should spoil you as you spoil me, of course." She sulked and I snickered. "There's also your payment. You are a mercenary, after all. I shan't accept excuses."

"I'm your bodyguard."

"Bodyguards have salaries too, silly." She giggled. "Though, I certainly won't mind if we continue this arrangement even after the war ends."

"Same, truthfully. I'd probably fret that you're wearing the wrong shade of blue." I laughed as she rolled her eyes. We'd had an argument over that just the other day. "But listen to you! Talking about when the war ends!"

"We'll make it end, of course. I, of all people, must hold onto that faith." She sighed, drooping a little. "Many fight in my name for that. Many die."

"I know." I nudged her side and pulled her into a hug. "I'm just teasing."

"As always." She childishly stuck her tongue out at me and I laughed. "Oh, what are those?"

"Sound like wind chimes." I pointed to where a merchant had a bunch on display. "See? Over there."

As Nyna squealed in delight, though, a flicker of movement and my own instincts made me pause and subtly glance behind my shoulder. I saw nothing suspicious out of hand, but I drew Nyna a little closer to me as we continued to walk through the market. She continued to chatter on happily, but I kept a closer eye on our surroundings and noticed a cloaked figure was 'conveniently' always a few steps behind us. There were many cloaked people, of course, but this one wore red underneath, a very distinctive color and not one you'd find a lot. So, I began subtly leading Nyna away from the market, and down to a secluded area not far from where our group was staying. Nyna noticed by then that something was wrong and easily played along, loosening her grip on me so that I could move a little faster.

As soon as we were there, and as soon as I had confirmed our little stalker had followed us there, I drew blade and whirled. They ducked immediately, but I hooked my leg around theirs and pulled it out from under them. Their hand shot out to grab my shirt, pulling me down with them. They then tried to twist me under, but I got my legs around them and brought my sword up as I pinned them down, settling the point in the ground so that I could put all my weight in decapitating them.

I paused, however, when I noticed something. Our stalker had long blonde hair, tied in a ponytail, and wore a stupid striped red scarf that I recognized in a heartbeat because it always drove me damned insane.

"You still have very poor sense in fashion, Jeorge," I said lightly, glowering down at him. He simply grinned in reply. "I'm going to burn this scarf."

"I like it," Jeorge laughed. The sound made me relax slightly. I only really knew him from afar, had only a handful of conversations with him that were light and nonsensical, but I knew him as Astram's best friend, and someone Charles liked a lot. That laughter, in the distance, had always meant something kind. "But you always complain about the scarf, first thing. All three conversations we've had, and you've skipped the greetings to complain."

"At least get it in a better shade of red."

"No way, this is special." He grinned, and gave me a rather appreciative look as he reached up and messed with a bit of hair that had fallen over my shoulders. "You're a sight for sore eyes though, Diana."

"Is this you trying to flirt? Again?"

"Not exactly, since I really am glad to see someone I know." His grin widened. "You're the one pinning me to the ground. Not that I'm complaining."

"I'm sure. Even with the sword at your neck?"

"Oh, you won't do anything yet. I'm safe."

"Perfectly."

"Jeorge?" Nyna finally peered over my shoulder, and Jeorge casually waved at her when he saw her. "Jeorge, what are you doing here?" she asked, eyes wide. She looked too shocked to cry. "I mean…"

"I'm under a very lovely lady, Nyna," Jeorge instantly replied. She scowled, and I started snickering, unable to help it. "What does it look like?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." She sighed heavily and crouched down next to him. "Oh, be serious."

"Serious me is boring." Jeorge shrugged, still unbothered by everything. "It's simple. I saw you two, thought I recognized you, and followed to try and get a view of your faces."

"You could have just approached."

"No, the subtle way was a better confirmation," I explained. I already knew his game, and I knew it for one clear reason; Charles had always praised Jeorge for being clever and crafty. "If we weren't who he thought we were, then we wouldn't have noticed him trailing. He was just subtle enough to not cause attention, while being obvious enough to make sure it caught my eye."

"You think quite highly of me," Jeorge replied. He grinned. "I'm not that smart."

"No, you're smarter, and don't even try. Charles loved praising you."

"Well, now I'm certain to blush." He sighed, though. "Okay, I give. Yes, I played you to see if I was right. Happy?"

"I suppose." I smiled slightly. "We'd heard you escaped. How?"

"Oh, they're not even half as bright as they are strong." He lifted a hand and waved their imaginary images off. "I escaped while they weren't paying attention."

"Where?"

"They had me tied up on a ship, and I used a nail to loosen my bindings before jumping overboard and swimming." He laughed as I groaned. "I swam to here, and worked on collecting information and recuperating. I heard you and Princess Nyna had escaped, and I was planning on reaching you. Then I heard of Prince Marth, and figured you'd be here before long."

"Thus why you were even out looking at people. Everyone and their dead knows we're here."

"Yep, and that includes the Grust soldiers in the forts." Jeorge's eyes became serious. "I'm sure the local mercenaries have already located Prince Marth to tell him. We'd best catch up."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Are you two going to always have serious conversations while she's pinning you, Jeorge?" Nyna deadpanned. She looked completely exasperated at both of us, and I smiled slightly at the sight. She did need more friends. "She's straddling you and everything."

"I have very little to complain about, except for the rock trying to stab me in the back and the sword at my neck," Jeorge retorted. He grinned and she sighed. "Come now. You know the rumors."

"You spread most of those rumors so that people don't take you seriously, but I do admit to hearing some tales from Midia..." She sighed. "Oh, come along. I at least get to see you two bantering like I hoped. It's been as entertaining and exasperating as I thought it would."

"Aw, but that means I have to get up."

"If you want her to pin you again, you may court my best friend properly, Jeorge."

I ended up letting Jeorge up after that because I was too busy laughing my ass off at his look of mock horror, and her look of half-playful sternness. Things were going to be a lot more interesting. I could already tell that.

When we returned, Prince Marth and the others were already on their way to battle, warned by two mercenaries I recognized: Caesar and Radd. Jeorge happily, yet politely, introduced himself, and I swore Gordin and Norne had stars in their eyes when he did. Since tactics had already been decided, Jeorge was assigned to assist me in guarding the infirmary, which suited him fine since that's where Nyna was.

"Quite a few here for our motley crew," Jeorge noted lightly as he shot down another armored knight trying to clang his way towards us while I took out a mage that had darted too close. Jeorge was known far and wide as the best sniper on the continent. Part of that was people just trying to bring fame to his house, but all rumors had a basis. Jeorge's greatest asset in fighting wasn't his strength or speed. It was his ability to calculate everything. How much the wind for push an arrow, how much gravity would pull it down. How much a shield or armor would deflect. Even when and how people moved. He could predict it all with terrifying ease, and he used it to effortlessly kill his targets, even the more heavily armored. "You're staring."

"Your headband is crooked," I replied easily. I wiped my hands on my shorts and reached up to fix it. It had been Nyna's silly little gift to him, and she'd been embarrassed by it, but Jeorge had put it on proudly. "There. Better. Though I'm not sure how it's avoided getting bloody."

"Sniper. Distance. Unlike you, miss swords lady." He smiled. "Thanks for fixing it. I could tell something was off because sweat was getting into my eyes."

"I figured when you took longer than normal." Still, I smiled slightly. That had been the reason for Nyna to buy Jeorge a headband in the first place. "But yes, there's quite a few." But, thankfully, not a lot actually got through to us. "Damn, I'm out of practice…" I was already exhausted, more so than I should've been. "I've barely fought or killed anyone yet."

"Well, I heard you nearly died." He frowned, giving me a worried look. "Should you get checked? Your injuries aren't quite healed, right?"

"No, but they won't kill me unless something really goes wrong, which is better than the ones in the infirmary right now." I winced as a particularly pained scream filtered through the closed tent flap. "They ran out of numbing herbs."

"We should buy out the market next chance we get. Then maybe we'll have enough for a battle." Jeorge sighed and reached back to undo his ponytail. "I need a better hair tie. This keeps slipping."

"So you say, but I'm sure you're just waiting for the dramatic hair falling out of a ponytail thing."

"I've had that a few times. It's not dramatic and it just reminds me why I keep it tied back in the first place." He redid his ponytail and looked around. "Looks like they've abandoned guarding the ones shouting orders." He pointed to one such soldier, all the more noticeable because he wore blue armor in contrast to the red armor the rest were wearing. "...Who is the pegasus knight among our group again?"

"Princess Caeda. Why?" He pointed up, and I noticed Princess Caeda had fallen back for some reason. "...She's not carrying a wounded, and she doesn't look like she's bleeding enough to fall back to here."

"So, what is she doing out of formation?"

"No clue." I watched as Princess Caeda eyed the field critically. "But I think she has a plan."

I was soon proven right, but I had no idea what was going through her head as she suddenly swooped down to the soldier giving orders. "Good day, sir!" she greeted cheerfully. She held up her hands as the soldier yelped and tried to stab her. "Peace, I mean no harm. My name is Caeda; I hail from Talys." She smiled gently, and while she remained unarmed, I noticed she didn't dismount. "I'd love to talk."

"W-what are you talking about?!" the knight yelped, for obvious reasons. He looked at her like she'd hit her head really hard. I tried to see if there was a head injury, but I was a little too far back to see much. I could barely hear them through all the fighting. "This is a battlefield!"

"That does not mean we should discard simple civility." Her smile warmed. "Might I asked your name, good sir?"

"M-my name? That's.." He glanced around, looking a little lost. "It's Roger. Why?"

"What a lovely name." Princess Caeda giggled, and it sounded a little… flirtatious, yet absolutely innocent. "Forgive me, Roger. You looked so sweet and kind that I simply had to strike up a conversation."

"I… okay?" Poor Roger looked more and more confused. Jeorge and I simply glanced at each other in amused shock. "But what conversation? Topic, I mean."

"Hmm… let me think." Princess Caeda paused a bit, frowning a bit, before smiling. "Well, tell me, do you believe in love?" She laughed a bit as Roger choked on a yelp. "Oh, goodness, listen to me. That's a horrible conversation topic. Though, I'm sure someone as kind as you has a sweetheart."

"What?!" Roger's face started turning red. "N-no, I'm quite… unattached at the moment."

"Truly? That's quite a surprise." Princess Caeda opened her mouth to say something more, but flinched at a particularly loud war scream. It was faked. I'd seen her hold her calm even when someone bellowed in her ear. "Goodness, this is a rough battle. The poor children…"

"Children?"

"The women and children who are left behind, of course. Each soldier here has a family, friends, that are left behind to cry. I joined the League to put a stop to this but…" Princess Caeda sniffed, and by this point, I had to struggle not to laugh. This was so damn hilarious, and no enemies near meant I got to watch. "Oh, doesn't it just break your heart?"

"Aye, Miss Caeda, it does." Roger's expression fell and he reached over to pat her shoulder. "There, there. I too wish for this needless war to end soon."

"Really?" Princess Caeda glanced up shyly. "Might you consider fighting alongside us to end it?"

"What?" Roger's face blanked before he shook his head. "Heavens… I couldn't betray my country. I'm sorry."

"No, no, it was a simply whimsical question." Princess Caeda put on a brave smile. "You must have a family counting on you."

"No, not really." Roger shrugged. "My parents are dead, and most of my friends have also fallen to this madness. Still, Grust is my home."

"Yes, of course. I'm so sorry to bother you." Princess Caeda nudged her pegasus and had it step back. "Thank you for talking with me, Roger. You're every bit the man I thought you were."

"Wait, you're leaving!?"

"Well, yes? I must." Princess Caeda glanced around nervously, though there were still no enemies near. Not even an archer. "I mean… what if your comrades thought you were conspiring with me? I couldn't bear to put you in danger. No, I must leave, and quickly…"

"...You're very kind, Miss Caeda." Roger paused. "Dare I say… you're quite unlike anyone I've ever met…" He paused once more and sighed. "Aw, what the hell? Fine, fine, I'll go with you."

"Truly?" Princess Caeda's eyes lit up. "Oh, wonderful! Here, get on my pegasus. I'll take you to Marth. We're trying to escape to the docks, you see, because we're afraid of dragging the civilians further into the mess…"

"I've got a path." Roger awkwardly climbed on behind her. "Can your pegasus hold me with my armor?"

"He's quite strong. Hold on!" Princess Caeda took off then, easily, and likely secured us the fastest route out of here because she'd flirted with an enemy soldier.

"Caeda is officially the most terrifying person in the army," I deadpanned, unable to help it as I watched her leave. Jeorge simply laughed, with genuine admiration in his eyes. "Holy shit. I'm glad that girl is on our side. Can you imagine?" But, still, even if it was really conniving, and even if there was no way I could pull the same thing off, it did… give me a little hope that maybe, just maybe, I could keep that promise to Nyna, and get Camus to come to our side.

"Well, Medeus would get a lot more followers," Jeorge replied. He snickered. "Maybe even myself."

"Like hell. Astram and Charles always talked about how you're loyal to Nyna, and don't suffer fools and tyrants. Something about you calling out a high ranked lord?"

"You'll have to be more specific. I did that a lot, and then hid behind my 'heir to Menedy' shield." He shook his head and brought up his bow again, eyes narrowed. "With that, we'll be on a ship before long."

"Yep." I shifted to better my stance as I saw a few more enemies approach. They looked confused, since the one who had been shouting orders… had flown off with a pretty enemy. That made them perfect for Jeorge and me to pick off. "We'll clear these guys out, and then we'll start getting everyone ready."

"Sounds good." He smirked, and his eyes glinted coldly. "Let's do this."

As predicted, we got on the ship very quickly, and we set off. Within a mark, people were seasick. Poor Kris and Nyna seemed to be the worst off, though many of the Aurelisi like Wolf were almost as bad.

I sprinkled some scented oil throughout Nyna's room to hide the smell of vomit, since she'd lost the battle with her stomach twice, and moved to check that she was asleep. I brought the blankets up to cover her better and set her mug of ginger tea on the nearby shelf, within easy reach. Then I picked up her stained clothes and stepped outside the room, pausing a bit as I noticed the smell of stale air, among other things. This wasn't the best ship, but it had been ready the quickest, and it was entirely seaworthy, and so we were off. For now, we were simply heading out to sea, but we'd land at another port and continue our trek through Archanea from there.

"Oh, Dame Diana!" Sister Lena walked up, carrying a basket full of clothes. The haphazard way they were placed, and the signs of stains, hinted they were dirty. "Here, put that in with this," she suggested, holding the basket out. I hesitated a moment before doing so. "I'm on break, so I figured I'd wash some clothes. Princess Nyna's require a certain soap, right? So do the rest of these. They're too delicate."

"They are," I replied, smiling slightly. I fell in step next to her as she walked down the hall. "I'm impressed. Not many realize that."

"Well, I'm a noble myself, technically." She laughed a little as I stared. "It's not so unusual for those of nobility to serve in the church."

"I suppose not." It just… made me curious. "Your accent is Grustian, but your hair color is more typical for Macedonia."

"My family is part of a high ranked Macedonian family, but my mother was always part of the church. She was assigned as the Court Bishop for Grust, and so, I moved in with her. When she died, I lived with my maternal grandfather, who worked as a healer in a nearby village instead of returning to my father." She laughed a bit. "I actually worked alongside General Camus then. I would tend injuries and he'd help them repair houses and wells, or went bandit hunting for them, all on his own."

"Is this why you snapped at him?"

"Oh, yes. He was the one who taught me that justice required self-sacrifice, but there was wonder if doing the right thing. I couldn't understand how he, of all people, would just… let all this happen." Her cheer faltered slightly. "I hope I can apologize. I realize now that he hadn't just been 'letting'. He'd been protecting Princess Nyna." She hesitated and stepped a little closer so that she could talk more quietly. "I guessed then that they were… involved, or at least they had feelings. Are they?"

I hesitated a bit, but then I nodded slowly. Healers tended to be good secret keepers in my experience. "Yes, but keep it quiet."

"Of course. I was just worried." She sighed. "War is horrific. I hope it ends soon."

"As do most of us." I smiled slightly. "So, you were in Grust. How did you end up in Archanea to steal from the treasury?"

"Oh, well…" She coughed, and actually turned red. "Well, when Michalis took the throne, I was called back to the estate to serve as a bishop under Princess Minerva. Of course, it seemed as if the true reason was for me to marry Michalis."

"...Were you forced?"

"No, but I was 'asked'." She put a lot of sarcasm in that last word. "He hoped to forge an alliance with my family through it, and monopolize my supposed wisdom. I, in a sudden burst of defiance, refused bluntly and fled. From there, well…" She shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I went to Archanea to tend to the injured and met Rickard."

"I see." I laughed a bit and her sheepishness only grew. "Well, that's strong willed of you."

"Yes, though I fear my family, especially my brother, had to bear the brunt of Michalis's anger over it." She sighed a bit, but then made a little noise of surprise. "Oh, we're at the split." That we were. She'd be heading right to head up to the deck, while I'd… either turn left to go to the wash basin or back to Nyna's room. "It was lovely talking to you, Dame Diana." She skipped ahead a bit, before pausing. "Actually, the talk of marriages and running away reminded me…" She turned to face me with a curious look. "You remind me of someone I only knew at the Grustian Court, someone my mother had wanted to train to succeed her."

"Oh?" I stilled, tensing. I had a very bad feeling suddenly. "How so?"

"Similar face and eyes, mainly. Her name was Kresimira." I tried not to flinch at the name. "She was forcibly married to a nobleman by her parents, and fled during the reception, disappearing into the night. No one has seen her since. It's been… goodness, it's been seven years since then. It was the year after my mother died." Sister Lena smiled slightly. "She was a kind girl, comforting me when I was mourning my mother." That was her? I couldn't believe she was the same girl. "I suppose that's another way you remind me of her."

"Kindness isn't uncommon, and my looks are pretty typical for a Grustian." I kept my voice light, even, though I wanted to scream. 'Kresimira'. I hadn't heard that name in eight years. I thought I'd never hear it again. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's certainly not your fault." Her smile widened. "I was just thinking… if she had survived, would she have been like you?"

"Hopefully not. I'm a rather horrible person."

"I don't think so. But, then again, you are entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine." She laughed a bit. "I'll get to washing these. Do you have enough medicine for Princess Nyna?"

"Yeah, but I should get some more damp clothes." I stepped down the other hallway, waving over my shoulder. It was a convenient excuse. "See you later, Sister Lena."

If she replied, I didn't really hear her through the roaring in my ears. I'd have to be careful around her. I wasn't that girl anymore. I wasn't. I was Diana, the mercenary, the bodyguard. I wasn't that girl, even if I had her memories…

I shook my head roughly, and glowered at the floorboards as I made my way towards the basin of water set up on the end of the hall here, specifically so that we could have wet rags and the like. When I reached there, I snatched a few with a little more force than necessary, and wrung them out as if I were wringing the necks of my birth parents. My hands shook, and I felt ill.

"So, what did the rags do to insult you?" A voice made me tense, and I almost dropped my hand to my sword before I realized I knew the voice. I turned and confirmed that it was Jeorge, who was carrying a few rags himself. "You were glaring something fierce," he continued lightly, smiling teasingly. "So?"

"Nothing," I replied. I was proud of how even my voice was. "I was just thinking."

"Of people you want dead?"

"Maybe, though I do not see how that is any business of yours." I pointed to the rags he was carrying. "You on cleaning duty?"

"I distracted Wolf until he fell asleep through talks of archery, and offered Duke Hardin to rewet the rags for him." He shrugged. "I was heading back when I caught sight of you, with a thunderstorm in your eyes based on the glare."

"I see." I shrugged, not willing to elaborate. "Well, did you have anything to say to me?"

"Aw, I need an excuse?" He flashed a grin, but then it faded. "Well, surprisingly, I do indeed. I was curious if you knew about most of the Wolf Pack being poisoned prior to the palace falling." He said the words lightly, but they hit me with all the shock of ice water on a winter's day. "The look says 'no'."

"What poison?" My voice was tiny, and my stomach rolled again, this time for similar yet different reasons. Tonight was just not my night. "What are you talking about?"

"Just that. Poison. Most of the Wolf Pack mercenaries had been badly poisoned by a slow acting poison, and one that didn't really have an antidote. Low doses, the body can take care of on its own, but the amount they had…"

"That's…" My mind whirled, trying to think through it all. Who would do that? Why? It had been a losing battle, so I couldn't imagine it being to get out of a contract. Spies? Infiltrators? "But I'm alright."

"Yep, it seems so." He shrugged. "Wonder why."

"Yes, why…?" It hit me quickly, though. "The wine. The alcohol. I rarely drink. I don't have a head for it."

"That does make sense." His sharp eyes, though, made it clear that he'd already figured that out. That told me there was another reason for this line of conversation, and not just because he wanted to see if I'd known. "So-"

"Stop." I glared at him, barely checking the urge to punch him. "You're bringing this up to see if my resolve falters, or if I'll turn on Nyna. And I can guaran-fucking-tee you that won't happen. Nyna is my best friend and, more to the point, she has earned my loyalty. I don't give that lightly." I leaned forward, so that I was right in his face, and he watched me closely, but impassively. "So, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to test me, Jeorge, and I swear that if you do so again, you'll find the business end of my sword right up your ass."

"That does sound painful." His expression softened slightly, with a slight smile. There was also a bit of relief in his eyes. "Well, I can't guarantee it won't happen again. It's in my nature to tease and test people, sadly. But it won't be so…" He paused, clearly trying to think of a word. "I will not tread upon that scar again. I believe that is a safer thing to promise."

"Fine, I'll take it." I sighed, and slowly relaxed. "I do appreciate knowing, though. It gives me a bit more context for why Charles was so stupid back then in standing his ground." If he was going to be dead no matter what, he'd want to go out fighting. Most of them would make that choice. "However, I'm still mad."

"I'm sorry." His expression softened further. "With everything as it is…"

"I know. You were seeing if I was worthy of the job."

"Less that and checking that you're still the person I remember." He shook his head. "I don't know you well. I know you more through Astram, and Charles. But the person that I did meet… is exactly the type of person Princess Nyna needs." He smiled slightly. "It's been a long two years."

"...Yeah, I guess it has." I had to admit it made sense. He had, basically, spent two years gathering information, and likely was keenly aware of how many people had changed. "Next market we're at, though, I'm getting you a better scarf, gods damn it."

"Nope!" He grinned, all traces of seriousness gone. "I like this one!"

"Ugh, it looks horrible with your outfit!" I reached up to take it, but he danced out of reach. "Why do you even like it so much?"

"Perhaps I'll tell you, one day." His grin widened, his eyes dancing. "But not today!"

"Ugh…" I rolled my eyes, and he laughed. "Fine. I'll get you a better outfit. Prepare."

"To go on a date? My dear, you didn't need to go through such trouble to-"

I felt perfectly justified in throwing a wet towel in his face. I really did.

Notes on Merric:

A 16 year old mage, wielder of the Excalibur spell

Prince Marth's childhood friend, who had left Altea prior to its fall to study in Khadein.

A very amicable, and polite person, who takes delight in discussing various scholarly topics. He tries to befriend Kris in particular, since she's a good friend of Prince Marth as well, but she avoids him.

Very humble as well, frequently stating that Excalibur chose him only through luck. He talks often of someone named Arlen, a fellow student of his, and a Luthier, who apparently lives on the continent across the western seas.

Notes on Matthis:

A 21 year old cavalier, brother of Sister Lena

After Sister Lena left Macedonia, Sir Matthis was left to bear the brunt of King Micky's anger for the humiliation. As a result, he is rather timid around royals.

He's not very skilled, mostly because he joined the army unwillingly. His other recourse was to risk execution. Of course, his natural laziness doesn't help matters.

Despite all this, and despite having all the reasons in the world to be mad at her, he is devoted to his little sister, wanting her happiness above all else.

Author's Note: And now we have Jeorge, your pre-promote archer/sniper, and the first of his own little archetype ('simple travelers' who turn out to be high ranked nobles or, at least, plot related. Others in the archetype include Lewyn from FE4, Elphin from FE6, Ninian and Nils from FE7, and Joshua from FE8). He's recruited in Chapter 9 in FE1/11, and… well, chapter 9 in Book One of FE3, but since FE3 removed chapters, it's actually a future chapter. So, I moved his recruitment to here instead, since I'm removing FE11's chapter 9 due to the complete and total oddness of it and how removed it feels from the rest of the chapters. We also have Roger, who seriously has one of the most hilarious recruitments ever, and Caeda is the damn best. He actually doesn't show up in FE3 at all, but he's a char in FE1/11 and he's added into FE12.

Lena's backstory is, like most chars in FE1/11, revealed only through supplementary material. Luthier is a character from FE2, who makes a brief cameo in the FE3 manga. Also, have Diana's birth name.

Next Chapter - Interlude, Seas