Chapter 13) Oasis of Magic

Diana POV

Khadein was less a country, and more of a city with expanses of desert to keep invaders away. Founded by Gotoh, the White Sage, it's been a sanctuary for magic users for decades, perhaps even centuries. However, shortly after Altea's fall, Nefy took over and made himself king of the desert. Many have tried to oust him, but the mages of Khadein are strong. Thunder and fire… ice and insects… one by one, the knights fall.

And now here we were, because there was a chance Falchion was here. Gods, we're idiots.

I hated the desert. It was too hot in the day, and too cold at night. It was too sandy. Every step was a workout that I didn't want. Clothes stuck to the skin, and taking them off brought no relief as the sun continued to beat down and burn. The infirmary was filled with people dealing with heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and bad sunburns.

"Our water supplies are low," I murmured, wincing as I carried another bucket of water towards the infirmary. They had run out, again. "How are the mounts doing?"

"Thankfully, we've not lost any," Astram said. He was carrying bundles of cloth, to set up some sort of cover and provide more shade near the infirmary. "Near miss with Palla's pegasus. Thankfully, Abel had been checking on his own horse."

"Why wasn't Palla near again?"

"She was fetching water for her pegasus." He glanced at me. "You alright?"

"Yes?" I gave him a confused look. "If you're worried about the bucket, I'm just walking carefully to not slosh."

"Of course." He got a conflicted look on his face. "You've… ah… also been avoiding Jeorge."

"Did Midia tell you to check on me?" I groaned, rolling my eyes, when he nodded. "She's such a mother hen, and that's from a mother hen!"

"She's a fretter, yes." He smiled slightly. "But she's also worried about… something about bad habits?"

"Nyna and I have been doing quite well on that front." Mostly, though, it was because I'd taken up a lot of chores. I just couldn't sit still. "I appreciate her worry, but I want to point out that Jeorge is avoiding me too." Though the reminder made me feel… conflicted. I wasn't sure if it was because he was really thinking, or if he'd decided I was too much trouble. I thought, and hoped, it was the former. I worried it was the latter. And I kept all my worries to myself out of fear of being seen as an idiot.

"That's true. He's been so silent, and not nearly as teasing." Astram smiled at me, and freed up a hand to ruffle my hair. "Well, so long as you're alright, I won't push."

"I think so. Certainly nothing that's interfering with my duties." I smiled as we came up on the infirmary. "Maria, I'm back!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Maria rushed out of the infirmary, smiling brightly. "Thank you very much, Diana~!" she said, darting around the bucket to give me a hug. She was careful to not jostle me. "Astram, Julian is here to help you set up."

"You mean he's here to try and impress Sister Lena," Astram corrected. He grinned as Maria laughed. "Alright. Let's get a little shade around here."

"Thank you!" Maria headed back for the entrance and pulled it back to make it easier for me to come in. "In, in!"

"Yes, yes," I laughed, carefully walking inside and setting the bucket in it's 'spot', a safe distance from anything that could knock things over. Then I groaned, leaning back to stretch. "Ugh, god, why are we in the damn desert?"

"Language!" Maria frowned as she came over and gave me a towel. "Language!"

"Darn desert." I sighed, but I gave her another hug before toweling the sweat off. My clothes felt permanently stuck to my skin, as did my hair. "Is there a hair tie?"

"Here!" She pulled one out of her pocket. "Nyna said you'd need one."

"She knows me well." I draped the towel over my arm and drew my hair into a simple ponytail. I wrinkled my nose as I registered the smell of sweat. Everyone was so bad off that you almost became inured, but sometimes, you just caught a nose-full. "Need anything from me?"

"Another hug?"

"You're incorrigible." Still, I did give her another hug before nudging her back off to her duties. Then I headed over to the dirty clothes pile to drop off the towel, and headed over to Lena, who was healing up some blisters that had formed on poor Gordin's legs. Gordin, thankfully, was asleep during it.

I noticed her hair was sticking to her neck, and quietly asked Maria for a second hair tie. She produced one with ease, making me wonder if she hoarded them, and then I returned to Lena, tapping her on the shoulder to let her know I was there. She nodded in quiet acknowledgement, and I worked on braiding her hair to help her get a little cooler. I also noticed that she, and Maria, would probably want to change clothes soon; the sweat had made their dresses a little on the translucent side.

"Thank you for that," Lena murmured, setting her staff in her lap. I finished up the braid and stepped back, letting her stand. "Maria and I need to change clothes. Do you mind standing in here with Nyna?"

"Of course not," I replied, smiling. "You guys might want to reconsider the white. You're more than welcome to borrow my clothes."

"Oh, good, because Nyna snagged some of yours already for her and me." She laughed softly; I laughed outright. "But Maria is so small."

"She can wear someone's shirt. Given how bloody hot everything is, no one is going to begrudge her." I shrugged while she got a thoughtful look. "Seriously, if we have guys and gals running around without their shirts, I think we can deal with a little kid wearing someone's shirt like a dress. Why not ask Minerva?

"That's true." She laughed. "Alright. We'll be back shortly."

"Take your time." I waved them off and did a quick check on everyone, changing out cool water cloths, and reassuring those who whimpered from pain.

Only when I was done with that did I head over to Nyna, who was tending to another badly burned person, though not one I recognized. I rested my hands on her shoulders and squeezed reassuringly as I noticed her hands shaking slightly. She was exhausted. All of the healers were.

When she finished healing the soldier up, she leaned back in her chair with a sigh and looked up at me. "I swear you cast some spell on my hair," she told me very seriously. "The bun has stayed up despite all evidence to the contrary."

"Never estimate the power of a hairpin," I teased with a smile. She laughed in reply. "So, you stole my clothes."

"Borrowed. I was tired of the dress clinging to my legs and making me trip."

"It's fine. This heat is horrible." I patted her shoulders. "But we are within sight of Khadein, or so I'm told. There was a hazy city in the distance, but I'm not convinced it's not a mirage."

"Oh, good. We can replenish our healing supplies." She frowned suddenly. "Hey, Diana, do you mind if I ask a favor?"

"What is it? Do I need to muzzle Boah?"

"No, no, and I'm doing rather well on that front thanks to Caeda and Minerva." She laughed, frown disappearing. "Minerva told me that if he brings up marriage one more time, I should just throw him."

"She would." I grinned, relaxing. We both knew Boah was just trying to plan for the future, but gods, Nyna was just so drained. I was glad she was bonding with Minerva and Caeda. "Now, that favor?"

"Oh, right." She sighed, smile fading. "I'm worried about Linde. Gharnef is said to be here, and…"

"You want me to keep an eye on her, then?" I nodded, understanding completely. Gharnef was a powerful enemy and one rumored to be unable to die. "As soon as Lena and Maria get back, I'll handle that, then."

"Thanks, Diana." She smiled again, this time in relief. "Thanks."

Nyna and I tended to the patients a while longer before Lena and Maria returned, Lena in my clothes, and Maria skipping happily in an oversized shirt. I checked that there wasn't anything they needed and went to find Linde, expecting her to be with Merric or Wendell like usual.

But she wasn't. They didn't know where she was. A quick search turned up nothing. A long one turned up even less. And it wasn't until I asked the people on watch that I discovered just why that was. Linde… had left camp 'for a quick walk', and hadn't returned.

Whose bright idea was it to not watch the girl who lost her father traumatically? Oh, dear gods.

I requested permission to leave camp, under the guise of being worried Linde had been overcome by the heat while outside walking. Prince Marth had approved, of course, and suggested more people, but I refused, pointing out that a battle could break out at any moment. Besides, I had a good guess where she'd gone, and there was no way I'd sneak more than one person in. I wasn't even sure I could sneak in and almost recruited Julian or Kris. I only didn't because I'd heard Hardin mention that Kris and Julian were needed for some of their strategies.

It was still nerve-wracking, getting into Khadein. Thankfully, they didn't really watch the entrance all that well, clearly depending on their outer forces to keep them safe. And inside… well, there wasn't anyone. Dust and sand blew through empty streets, and as I snuck through the alleyways, I caught sight of empty buildings. I even hid in a couple, to avoid being spotted, and saw them stripped bare. People who'd managed escape before Gharnef closed the city off.

I winced as I heard the sounds of distant fighting, feeling guilty for not guarding the infirmary as I normally did. But I hunted for Linde anyway, very certain that if I did not find her soon, no one would ever find her, not even her corpse.

The sound of an explosion, close by, cut through my thoughts. And then I was gone. I rushed through the streets, not bothering to hide as I hunted for the source of that sound. No smoke to tip me off, but the sounds of a fight did help me figure out how to orient myself. But as I ran, panic flooded me because I could only think of one reason why there would be a fight.

I slipped on sand and crashed into a wall. I ignored it. I passed startled mages, who shrieked at me. I ignored them. My lungs burned. I ignored it. My legs screamed. I ignored it. The sun beat down on my head and back. I ignored it. The heat suffocated me. I ignored it. My ankle throbbed as I made a particularly sharp turn. I ignored it.

At one point, I abandoned the road and just swung in through windows and kicked down crumbling walls just to shorten the distance. Glass cut my face. I ignored it. The stone scraped my palms. I ignored it. I just kept running until I could hear a trembling voice shouting something defiantly, and a low, echoing, otherworldly laugh threatened to swallow it whole.

It was loudest at a cathedral looking building, and I jumped inside through an open window, a piece of glass going straight through my hand. I ignored it. Instead, I took quick stock of what was going on. Shattered windows and glass all over the place. Wooden splinters from destroyed pews. Some old guy in desperate need of better clothes and some sort of exfoliation for his skin based on how grey-purple it was, laughing on a pedestal with purple flames wrapping around him. Linde, bruised and battered, clutching Aura tightly as she glared up at the old man, her hair out of the normal ponytail and dress in need of serious repairs.

I threw my sword at the man, knowing it wasn't going to serve as anything but a distraction, and lunged for Linde, snatching her up and dragging her out the door. Another explosion made the ground shake and my ears ring, and I twisted, making sure I took the brunt of whatever it was. Searing pain whipped across my back, and I glanced back, morbidly curious. The smoke and purple flames hinted that the old man had thrown the spell at the sword on instinct, and I'd… just caught the edge of it.

Then there was nothing more to think, because the explosion had destabilized something and the building started to crumble, so I just kept a tight grip on Linde and ran as hard as I could.

"S-stop!" Linde gasped out. I ignored her, looking for some place to hide. "Stop! I need to… Gharnef is still…!"

"Quiet!" I snapped back. I stumbled and wondered why, before I realized it was just my legs starting to give out. Too much running in too short of a time, and the pain I was in didn't help matters. "You'll give… here!" I ran into a side-building, with the door opening to an alley way instead of the main street, and tossed her in before closing the door behind us. I leaned against it briefly, struggling to breath, and noticing the blood dripping down.

"What are you doing here?!" Linde's shrieking made me straighten and I turned to face her. She glared at me with all the intensity she'd been glaring at that old man. "Gharnef was right there!" she yelled. "I could've killed him! With Aura!"

"It looked like you were about to die to me." I kept my voice calm, mostly because I recognized what was going on. She was lashing. She had vengeance in front of her, and it had been snatched away. "So, a thank you might be needed."

"I had it under control!"

"So, glowering on the floor is under control? That's news to me." I couldn't help but let a little sarcasm through anyway. "Linde, what were you thinking?"

"I wanted to kill Gharnef! For my dad! For everyone he's killed!" She stamped her foot, still clinging to Aura. "I almost had him!"

"Again, didn't look that way to me, and worse, you left without telling anyone. I'm only here because Nyna thought to have someone look after you." I shrugged, and winced, pain rippling through me. The healers were going to kill me. "But, Linde, your dad was strong, right?"

"Yes, he was the best! That's why…!"

"So, if he couldn't kill Nefy, in all his strength and experience, what made you think you could?" I waited for an answer, but Linde actually didn't reply right away. Instead, she got a rather lost look on her face. "He had Aura. He had power. He had skill. And he fell."

"That's… that's just because he was protecting me!" Her voice went high and cracked. "If he hadn't been protecting me… if I hadn't been there…!"

"He still would've died. Because Nefy is a fucking cheating bastard, or so I'm told. The only difference is that you wouldn't have had to see it." I brought a hand up to try and wave off the harshness of the words, but winced as I realized something. "Oh, wow, no wonder I'm dizzy."

"…Why are you bleeding?!" Linde's eyes widened, and I could almost laugh at how long it took her to realize. "Oh gods, you're bleeding a lot!"

"I picked up a couple of injuries along the way." I sighed and looked around the room before settling in a chair and pulling out my pack. "Thank the gods for Lena and her insisting on a medical kit. I'm assuming you don't have one."

"…N-no…" Linde paled as she stared at the injuries. "U-um…"

"Do you mind if I bandage myself up first? You look bad, but I've got-"

"Oh, gods, I'm sorry!" She dropped Aura and covered her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears, and she went even paler. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Linde?" I stared, startled. I didn't expect… "Linde?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm-!"

"Linde!" I made myself get up and I hugged her tightly, tugging her down slightly so that I could rest her head against my shoulder. She was trembling. "Deep breaths. I'll count with you."

"I'm-!"

"You're fine. You'll be fine. Concentrate on your breathing. Okay? One… two… three…" I slowly counted to ten, repeatedly, and after a moment, Linde managed to sync her breathing to it. There were hitches and hiccups, but after a moment, it evened out. Only then did I let go, and I studied her face. "Hey."

"H-hi…" Her voice still shook, and her eyes wavered. "I'm…"

"Linde, can you help me?"

"Y-yes!" Her eyes focused again. "Um… what do I need to do?"

"Main thing is getting the worst of this bandaged up, like my hand, and possibly my back." I sat back down in the chair and took off my shirt. "I caught part of his attack."

"It's… oh gods…" Her hands trembled as she rested her hand on my shoulder. "I… I think it took away some skin? Or a lot of skin? Though, I'd think you'd be in more pain, so maybe it's just some sort of gash, but that spell is so weird… F-father didn't feel any pain in his last moment, but…"

"Then I really need to get bandaged up." I pointed to the pack. "There's some elixirs in there, among other things. Let's get that on me."

"R-right…!" Linde proceeded to do that, and in the mostly silence, treated my back. I handled tending to the rest of my injuries, mostly to save on time. I was worried about my hand, but Linde was alive. If I hadn't taken those risks, she'd be dead. So, I considered it even, though I knew I'd get lectures in camp. Hopefully, next time, I could save someone without getting horribly injured.

We spent that time in silence, broken by the occasional apology from her and the occasional reassurance from me. After we got me bandaged, with Linde using most of an Elixir for just my back and me using the rest for my hand, I switched to tending to her injures, though it took a bit to convince her to take my chair. As I cleaned off the dust, I noted her injuries weren't as bad as they could've been were mostly bruises with the occasional scrape. She'd done a good job dodging. It seemed like she'd run out of stamina, and that was why she'd simply glared as Nefy prepared the last bloow.

"We're going to want to hide out here a little while, just in case Nefy is looking for us," I told her as I tied off the last bandage. "Hopefully, though, the others will take Khadein soon. I think Nefy will want to leave after bringing a cathedral on his head."

"Will you be okay?" Linde asked. Her voice sounded small and she curled into herself a little. "I mean…"

"Elixirs are expensive and time consuming to make, but they're well worth it. I'll need to see a healer before the end of the day, but baring something unexpected, I'll be good." I smiled, and looked around before sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Almost instantly, Linde did the same. "So. Why did you come out here?"

"I… I wanted revenge…" She looked down at her lap, fingers twisting into the fabric. "I thought… I don't know… I could do it. He mocked Father before he killed him. Mocked Aura's might. I…"

"You wanted to prove him wrong."

"Yes…" She glanced up at me tentatively. "Though, there was… another reason too…"

"And that was?"

"…I wanted… to prove myself… worthy… of being here…" Her voice got softer and softer, and I had to strain to hear it. "Because… I'm rather… redundant…"

"Oh?"

"Yes…" She looked down again. "I mean… I'm powerful, yes, but given everyone's lack of magical resistance, being extra powerful isn't much." She drooped. "Merric is skilled. He knows way more magic theory than I do, and he knows just where to hit. And then Kris is just plain awesome." She sighed gustily. "Magic and swords? And that Thoron spell was super cool! She's like… a magic knight from the stories! And here I am. With a powerful magic thing and that's it."

"…That's…" I couldn't help it. I started laughing. "Oh, dear Gods…"

"Why are you laughing?!" She bristled, annoyed. "It's… it's not-!"

"I think you and Kris just need to sit down and talk. She only took up swords because she felt like she was falling behind you and Merric. I think." I smiled as she simply stared. "But why were you worried about that?"

"W-well, I have to…" But even as she tried to defend herself, her voice cracked and tears filled her eyes. "I…"

"Yes?"

"…I thought… if I wasn't useful… I'd be left behind… somewhere 'safe'… like when…" She hiccupped and the threatened tears fell. "Like when… Father died…"

"You were scared of being abandoned." I sighed and held out my arm to her. "Come here." I smiled again when she stared, again, this time because she just couldn't quite… process this. "Come here, you silly. You can cry."

"B-but there's a f-fight…" Her voice cracked again, thick with tears as she cried harder. "War… and… and…"

"I cried over a boy days ago and I wasn't teased. I think you crying over losing your family, and out of fear of being alone again. Especially the latter. I'm scared of being alone too."

"R-really?"

"Really, really." I smiled and waited. There was a split-second more of staring before Linde threw herself at me, taking the offered hug and sobbing. I winced as she accidentally jostled my injury, but wrapped my arms around her. I patted her back and stroked her hair, shifting to be a little more comfortable. "Okay, so the story I used to leave was that I worried you'd been overcome by the heat. We'll say that you got lost, crept too close to Khadein, and then got caught. Nice and simple."

"But it's a lie…"

"And you may tell who you wish the truth, but this will be the 'official' version, okay? It'll make sure you don't get into as much trouble." I moved her slightly, so that I could hold her more securely, and rested my cheek against her hair. "So, for now, just keep on crying, Linde. It's okay. No need to wall it up anymore."

She took up my offer and cried and cried and cried. I held her through it, whispering reassuring words. My back stung from my injury, but I didn't move or tell her to stop. It was clearly something she needed, but hadn't known how to ask for. I could be there for her, though. I certainly didn't mind.

Linde did eventually stop crying, though not before her face was blotchy red, and her nose ran. She made a face as I used a handkerchief in the pack to clean her face, but she didn't protest. Afterwards, the two of us cleaned up the area, checked our injuries, and carefully left the building, sticking to the shadows. Unfortunately, though, it quickly became clear that most of Khadein's fighting force was right at the gates, which meant a couple of things. One, our forces were close. Two, there was no way we were getting out without a lot of luck and even more trouble.

"So, we might just want to just hang out here," I murmured, ducking into an alley. Linde followed my lead faithfully, clutching Aura to her chest. "Any ideas of what you'd like to do?"

"Besides hide?" Linde asked with a little nervous laugh. I wondered how she'd even gotten in, and had a horrible feeling that Nefy might've just let her in, just to kill her. "I'm not sure. I mean… maybe free hostages?"

"Hmm?"

"You hear the rumors, you know? About Gharnef keeping hostages?" She shrugged, ducking her head. "So, maybe look for them?"

"Maybe we…" I trailed off as I realized something. Nefy might, might, have… "Jubelo and Yuliya."

"Huh?"

"They're two children I heard Nefy took."

"Why do you call him 'Nefy' anyway?"

"Same reason I call Medy, 'Medy'. I see no point in using their names." I smiled slightly. "So, shall we hunt?"

"Yes!" She winced as the sound bounced back. "Oh, that was loud…"

"As good of a reason as any to get moving then." I took her arm and tugged her deeper into the alley. "I wonder where all the people are."

"Assuming they're not fighting, they might be below?" She followed me closely, wincing as her dress caught on some loose nails and ripped. "Father studied here, so he told me about it."

"Did he tell you how to get there?"

"Nooooo…?" She drew the word out, clearly thinking. "Oh, wait, maybe. He mentioned using it to hide from church things, so maybe close?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, but that's…"

"Let's make our way towards, but hope for another." I flashed her a smile over my shoulder. "Come on."

The two of us made our slow way back to the cathedral area, hiding carefully when we noticed a couple of people wandering about. After a moment, I decided to actually follow those people, and got lucky. We saw them open a door hidden in the ground and descend. After a long moment of waiting, we followed, though it was difficult to open the stupid thing. It was heavy. Then, very carefully, we descended, closing the door behind us.

I almost immediately regretted it, since the area was pitch black and the staircase on a sharp decline. So, it was slow going, with a couple of near slips that made my heart pound. Linde nearly fell into me at one point, but she caught herself on the wall before she did. Both of us breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the bottom, but not for long. It was still dark, and we had no way to know where to go. So, we just walked, slowly and carefully, keeping a hand on the right wall.

We caught murmurings after a moment, and I paused, wondering if we should continue on. But since there seemed to be no other way to go, I continued leading the way. Linde grabbed the back of my shirt to keep from getting lost, and I felt her tense more and more as the murmuring grew louder and louder. Until we stepped into a room with a surprising amount of light, given that we had seen not even a glower before, and filled to the walls with people. They all looked at us, and no small few produced tomes. These were the mages of Khadein, the ones Gharnef did not control. And… they were probably going to kill us.

"Easy, easy!" I called, bringing my hands up. Linde stepped out from behind me and did the same. "My name is Diana. I'm with Princess Nyna and Prince Marth."

"And I'm Linde, daughter of Pontifex Miloah," Linde added. There was some murmuring and shifting at her name. "If any doubt that, then look to the tome I hold: Aura."

"…Well, it's powerful enough for it, I suppose." One young man stepped out of the crowd, pushing his hair back. I actually recognized the tome he carried, but that was because it was Thoron, the same tome Kris had. "And I recognize the name Linde," he continued, eyes narrowed. "Can't say I've heard of any 'Diana', though."

"Well, I introduced myself to be polite, not to have you recognize me," I pointed out dryly. Linde giggled. "You are?"

"Arlen, a student of Master Wendell."

"Oh, Wendell. He's in the army with Merric." I frowned as I noticed his eyes narrowed. "So, here's the thing. Friendly army near, hopefully you guys are all free soon. Linde and I, here, are curious about something."

"If it's Gharnef, he already left. Cited boredom."

"Or he was embarrassed from blasting the cathedral on his own head," Linde grumbled. This time I giggled, but I quickly hid it. "Anyway, good to know, but not what we're looking for." She smiled sweetly. "We were wondering if Gharnef had hostages, and thought we'd try to look into it."

"I don't think he's got any living hostages," Arlen replied. He sounded indifferent, but I had to hide my wince. "He's killed a bunch and used their corpses for it. But, if you'd like…" He pointed to a wall, and someone else pushed against it, revealing a secret door. "That leads to where he would throw bodies. Maybe someone is alive."

"Thank you, so much, for your help." Linde kept smiling sweetly, but her voice got quite dry. "Diana?"

"Yes, let's go check it out," I replied lightly. I bowed, and waved. "Pleasure talking to you."

Linde and I quickly made our way through the crowd of people, just not even paying attention before darting down the hallway. When we did, though, and we were safely out of sight, we both shared a 'ugh, I wanted to punch him' look. Though, we did have to be fair; he likely didn't know children were among them. Or maybe he had and just didn't care anymore. We had no idea.

So, we walked. And walked. And walked. The light disappeared quickly, making me wonder if there was some sort of enchantment to hide the light, as a safety precaution. I didn't know if magic could do that, but this was Khadein, where magic was studied. If someone told me there was a huge lake underneath filled with only magic, I'd believe it.

After a moment, though, the smell of death started to creep in, and it wasn't long after that we saw why. Blood made the floor slick, and crusted along the walls. And when we opened a door, the first one we'd found, we were treated with a bunch of corpses in various states of decay, perfectly visible thanks to this place having torches.

"So, if I have to choose which of our enemies is worse, I think I'm going with Nefy," I commented lightly. I rubbed Linde's back when I noticed how green she was. "Okay. Let's see if there's any alive."

"U-um…" Linde hesitated and tugged my sleeve. "I can… sense someone's magic, I think," she murmured. She pointed down the way with a shaking hand. "Somewhere over there? I don't think its Gharnef. It's weak, and not as… scary."

"Would a dead mage give it off?"

"Not that I know of?" She sighed, looking down. And then she turned her gaze up, because 'down' was covered in blood and someone's hand. "I was just getting the lesson from Father when… everything happened."

"Well, it's a better lead than anything." I took her hand and walked forward. She whimpered as we stepped in a large puddle of blood. "I will clean and fix your dress when we get back. Don't let anyone else touch it, okay?"

"Okay…" She sighed. "I got this from Father shortly before everything too. It had been for my birthday."

"Then definitely don't let anyone but me handle it. I'll get it back to normal." I glanced over my shoulder and smiled. It let me ignore how I couldn't quite avoid stepping on corpses. "So long as it's not a glove, I can mend it!"

"You can't mend gloves?"

"I'm horrible at it. I know; it's strange."

"It's funny." She even laughed softly before gasping and pointing to a door. "There! In there!"

"Alright…" We stopped at the door and I tried to open it. Locked, of course. And, worse, it looked like a lock that you couldn't quite bang open easily, so I looked at Linde. "Can you blow the lock off? I also can't pick locks."

"Mmm… I can try to catch it with a glancing blow of Aura?" She smiled sheepishly. "I… only brought it."

"So, we might just want to go with the 'bang until open strategy'."

"Yes, unfortunately. Or… hmm…" She got close to the door and knocked. "Hey, whoever is in there, if you can, back away from the door!" There was the sound of something scrambling. Maybe even two somethings. "Okay…" She breathed in deeply and stepped back, and down the hall a bit. "Diana, I am actually going to try that glancing blow. I just realized how I can make it work."

"Okay…?" I hesitated before shrugging and running to duck behind her. "How?"

"Aura works through wrapping rings around the target and then filling that pillar with magic. So…" She frowned and concentrated. Her hand glowed and small lights flickered just in front of the door, slowly becoming rings. "If I… make the rings smaller… and make one form above and below…" Sweat dripped down her neck. I rested my hands on her shoulders reassuringly. "Maybe?"

There was a quick flash of light, the sound of something rushing, and the smell of something burning. And when it cleared, the lock was… still there, as was the door. But before Linde could look disappointed, I went to check the door and noticed something.

"It's already splintered," I informed her. She smiled then, delighted, before crouching down, sighing in relief. "So, not quite what you hoped, but not a complete failure."

"It's a barely passing," she joked, lifting her head again. She was very pale, and more sweat trickled down her face. "Ugh, I'm never doing it again, though."

"Don't say that. The gods will decide to make a liar of you." I took a step back, and then twisted, kicking the door. It buckled a bit more, and I smiled, glad that I wouldn't have to try and ram it with my shoulder. I was injured enough. "One more?" Another kick, and a little bit more of a break. "Two more?" More or less the same thing. "…Three?"

It took five kicked before the door finally broke enough for me to get inside, and even then, it was mostly the frame had given up, which suited me fine. It took less to climb inside, and allowed more light in, which was… either good or bad. Bad for me, since it meant I could see just how bad off the two children in here were, thoroughly malnourished and looking almost delirious, but it was probably good for them. They could see I wasn't Nefy.

"Prince Jubelo? Princess Yuliya?" I called softly. One, the little boy, Prince Jubelo, whimpered, while the girl glared. "Hey, I'm…" I took a step towards them and both flinched. So, instead I stepped back and crouched down, holding out my hand. "My name is Diana. I'm with the Archanean army."

"W-why would you be here?" Princess Yuliya snapped. She tried to look tough, but her face was gaunt, and her voice crackled. "You're… you…" She coughed, and the boy patted her back with a far too thin hand. "A-ah…"

"M-miss, can you move more into the light?" Prince Jubelo asked. He looked exhausted, too tired to think. "We can't…"

"Of course," I agreed, shifting to the side a bit. Linde peeked in briefly before turning away, hopefully standing guard. "Better?"

"Mhm…" He fell silent, and so did his twin sister. I simply sat there, and waited. And waited. And waited.

Eventually, it was Princess Yuliya who broke the silence. "You…" she began. She looked confused. "You look like Rosie… Rosalind."

The name hit me like a brick, but at the same time, I couldn't help but be smile. "Of House Cavard?" I asked. My smile grew as she nodded. "Then she's… my sister. I'm the one who ran away."

"Oh… yeah, she… mentioned something like… that…"

"And I realized I never properly answered your question. While we are in Khadein due to the whim of the army, I am looking for you two specifically because Camus told me you'd been kidnapped."

"C-camus?!" Her face lit up. "I-Is Camus with you?"

"No, I'm afraid not…" I felt so bad at how fast her face fell. "Not yet, at least. I hope he will be."

"O-oh…" Princess Yuliya glanced at her brother, hesitant. But Prince Jubelo continued looking at me and, surprisingly, he started crawling towards me. "J-Jubelo!"

"It's fine," he whispered. His voice was scratchy too, but his smile was kind as he took my outstretched hand. He felt so fragile that I was sure he'd break. "I can tell… she's not lying…" He looked back and held out his hand to her. "Come on… We're… we're safe…"

"Yes, you are," I reassured. Princess Yuliya's expression crumbled and she crawled over too, snatching Prince Jubelo's hand before half crawling into my lap. "I will get you out of here. You're safe. You're finally safe." And I would tell them the words as many times as they needed. Because that was what I could do.

Let someone try to take them from me. I'd split them in two.

It took very careful work to get Jubelo and Yuliya out of that room, and even then, it took more work to carry them both. They were far, far, too weak to walk, and Linde frightened them, so that meant I mostly had to tend to them while she led and guarded us. Thankfully, by the time we found a way out, without going backwards through the corpse infested hallway, our army firmly had Khadein freed and so, I could just get them to the healers as soon as possible, while Linde reported for me. Of course, there was the complication of the two panicking when I was out of sight, but I didn't mind lingering, and Lena didn't mind indulging them. Especially since I was injured as well, and it actually did them some good to see me being treated too, though Nyna scolded me the whole while.

"Goodness, I didn't expect to end up with roommates," I laughed, covering the two with a blanket. They were fast asleep in the room I'd claimed for myself, and I kept close, worried that they'd wake up while I wasn't near. "Now, let's see…" A knock on the door made me pause and turn, confused. "Come in?"

"Sorry to bother, Dame Diana." Prince Marth stepped inside, smiling softly. "I just wanted to check in on them," he explained, looking to Jubelo and Yuliya. "I heard from Nyna that…"

"Near death, but they'll recover, in time." I sat on the edge of the cot, and fixed the blanket on them. They mumbled and whimpered in their sleep, but quickly calmed. They didn't have the energy for anything else. "How is everything? I had to miss the wrap up War Council meeting."

"Fine, mostly. We didn't find Falchion, but we got a lead on how to defeat Gharnef." He hesitated before smiling. "Linde privately told Princess Nyna, Duke Hardin, and me the real reason why she disappeared. We have opted to give her a minor punishment, since everything worked out. How is your back?"

"Bad, and will scar, but I'll heal fine. I only took a glancing blow and I've a high resistance to magic." I shuddered as I thought of what might've happened if I'd taken a direct hit. I might, might, have survived a hit, but without a healer near, I have been dead soon after. "I have been informed that I'm not allowed to go on any more rescue missions. I have a bad habit of getting hurt."

"Duke Hardin has threatened to teach you proper defenses." He laughed and I smiled. "Alright, I won't trouble you further."

"It's no trouble, Prince Marth. But I'm sure Princess Caeda would appreciate your attentions more."

"Why does everyone…?!" His face went red, and I had to bite back my laugh. "Regardless, thank you!" With that rather squeaky goodbye, he more or less fled. And nearly bumped into a rather confused Minerva. "Sorry!"

"It's fine?" Minerva reassured. But he disappeared before she could ask more, so she shrugged and walked inside. "I hope I'm not bothering?"

"Not at all," I dismissed, smiling. "You here to check in on them too?"

"Partially. They… they're Maria's age…" Her eyes were dark and I knew she had thousands of 'what ifs' running through her head. 'What if' Maria had been taken by Nefy instead. "Maria, by the way, is looking forward to new friends. We're doing our best to warn her about overwhelming them, but you know how she is."

"She's a sweetheart. I'm sure she'll realize it soon."

"I hope so." She hesitated before pulling out two little dolls, a stuffed bear and a stuffed cat. "I thought they might like these. I found them in the market."

"I'm sure they'll love it." I took them from her and very carefully tucked them under the blankets with the twins. As I did, I heard her snicker, and turned, curious. "What is it?"

"I'm just thinking that you went from taking care of one princess to two more." She covered her mouth to muffle her laughter, and once I realized how true her words were, I couldn't help but laugh too. "Mother and murder. You can't escape."

"Well, we'll take steps with them to wean them off dependency a lot faster than Nyna and me. I'm sure they'll be better once they realize the rest of you only look scary."

"Oh, I think Gharnef will find us quite scary once we get this Starlight spell and blast him with it." She crossed her arms, and grinned viciously. "That will be glorious." The grin soon softened, though, as Jubelo mumbled in his sleep and curled more into Yuliya's side. "When they're a little more steady, I'll have Palla and Catria take them flying. They're good with kids, and pegasi are protective."

"That sounds like a good way to distract them too." I could already imagine it. Maria would probably fly with Minerva too, just as extra reassurance. "Let's get them there."

"As fast as the healers allow." Minvera and I both shuddered at the thought of making the healers angry. "Anyway, I mostly just wanted to give them those. You staying in here?"

"Just while they sleep. I don't want them waking up without someone here, just in case."

"Probably good for now." She glanced at the door and smiled. "You've got another guest."

"Diana!" Linde poked her head in right on cue, holding a tray with three plates on it. "I brought food!" she declared, grinning proudly. Minerva laughed and scooted around her, likely to go have dinner with Maria. "Princess Nyna is on her way, as is Lena. Lena's got food for the two of them, but it'll keep, so there's no need to wake them. And Midia asked if she could come by for breakfast in the morning."

"Yes, that sounds fine," I replied, standing to clear a table. "So, have you been assigned as messenger?"

"Partially. Duke Hardin gave me some choices, and I decided to help you and Princess Nyna with your day to day things, especially since you're going to have your hands full with these two." She smiled warmly. "I mean; I have to do other stuff too, but yeah. Is that okay?"

"That sounds just perfect."

"Oh, good!" She set the tray down and jumped back. "Okay, I'll let Midia know, and then go make sure Princess Nyna and Lena didn't get waylaid."

"Alright." I laughed as she rushed off, and set the table, while keeping an eye on Jubelo and Yuliya. But they remained fast asleep, even after Nyna and Lena showed up and the three of us settled in for an enjoyable dinner.

The next few days were going to be absolutely insane. But, honestly, you couldn't pay me to have it any other way.

Notes on Maria:

The youngest child of the Macedonian Royal Family, and the only one who is magically inclined

According to Lena, she's got a lot of potential as a healer, but her youth works against her. However, her cheerfulness soothes even the grumpiest of the injured, and that alone is worth quite a bit.

Used as a hostage, but still loves her brother and sister dearly and has a bright smile for everyone.

Notes on Minerva:

The middle child of the Macedonian Royal Family, who lead the armies for her brother, until her conscience won out over her honor.

A powerful combatant, who fights with both her axe and her wyvern. Brutal, but not painfully so, and always ready to repay everyone for saving Maria.

Looked up to her brother, but is determined to remain the course. Perhaps this has always been foretold, though, since she specializes in axes over her brother's lances, and axes have an advantage over lances.

Author's note: Jubelo and Yuliya (or Yubello and Yumina, and I honestly can't remember if I used the Japanese names prior; if so, sorry) are characters from FE3/12 and don't appear at all in FE1/11. They're the prince and princess of Grust, twins, who were taken hostage by Gharnef. It's stated in supplementary materials that Gharnef kept them in a 'dark room' in Khadein and frequently threatened to kill them. In-game-canon, Wendell is the one who saves them, and they're near death. I've… altered this slightly for future reasons. They'll still be close to Wendell, though. And speaking of characters from FE12, Arlen is another one, Merric's rival; his signature spell is, indeed, the Thoron spell.

Technically speaking, there's a scene with Gotoh, but that's not something Diana would see. It'll be referenced in the next chapter. The idea of Linde confronting Gharnef comes from the manga adaptation (and in said manga, Merric is the one who gets hurt protecting her). Gharnef does show up in this chapter, and is invincible due to Imhullu being a cheat device, I mean powerful spell that blocks all attacks. You're best bet is to send a pegasus knight (or Lena if you got lucky on her speed) to serve as a tank due to Gharnef being not that strong, but incredibly fast, and no one having resistance.

Also technically speaking, Elixirs don't exist in Shadow Dragon, but they are available in New Mystery, through the 'Everyone's Conditions' thing, so I'm also adding them here (fun fact – Elixirs weren't introduced in the Fire Emblem series until FE6 apparently).

Next Chapter – Interlude, To Altea