Chapter 15x) Prisoner of Helena

Diana POV

Altea is free. Though we cannot linger too long, we do take our rest where we are able. Teams are sent to different locations, smaller squads that can move faster, to strike down the lingering remains of Dolhr. Those who remain behind take it easy, tending to injuries and helping the nearby villages rebuild, and join in on their festivities.

I have to keep an eye on all the royals to make sure they keep up appearances, though. They can speak of 'modest royalty' all they want, but the people want a show. They want a visible sign of the power their prince-king has, especially after spending so long under the rule of a dragon who loathed them. It took so long to convince Prince Marth of this. Thankfully, Nyna just told him to give up because I can out-stubborn anyone and anything, even a god, when it came to fashion. I do try and keep them simple, though. Too fancy will make them seem frivolous, after all.

"Minerva, don't take them so high! They were ill earlier today!" For a moment, I wasn't sure if she'd heard my shout, but Minerva waved and then gestured for Palla and Catria to fly a bit lower while she maintained her height. "Thank you!"

I really shouldn't have done that, but I couldn't help but fret. Thanks to the free time today, and beautiful weather, Minerva had asked Yuliya and Jubelo if they wanted to fly. They'd been hesitant, but Maria happily convinced them, and begged to go along too. So now, Maria rode with Minerva, Yuliya rode with Palla, and Jubelo rode with Catria high above my head. And I stood below, fussing and fretting, even as I smiled at how much the three children were laughing. They deserved this little bit of happiness. They more than deserved it.

"You fret over our clothes, you fret over Princess Nyna's health, and you fret over the twins." Hardin walked up then with a smile and a laugh, shaking his head. "Is there ever a time where you're not fretting, Diana?" he chided. His clothes implied he'd just returned from his morning ride; we weren't far from the stables. "Besides when you're sleeping, I mean."

"Are you kidding? I have nightmares over that outfit Caeda tried to wear to the village," I grumbled. Luckily, Caeda didn't mind my fussing and happily change clothes when I insisted. "I'd fret less if you royals were better at keeping up your appearances. And don't go on about 'more important things to worry about'. It reassures people to see their nobles dressed properly, and they need all the reassurances they can get."

"It is also reassuring to see that their nobles aren't spending their gold recklessly."

"And have they gotten that impression with the clothes I've picked out for you?" I waited, smugly, and he brought his hands up in defeat. "You're not winning that argument. Fashion is important, and I'm just as good at that as I am at killing."

"A shame that Medeus isn't committing fashion crimes. We'd just send you to him and he'd be crying for mercy within a heartbeat."

"Well, he could be. I haven't seen him." I paused, thinking. "Nefy, however, does need new robes, and he seriously need to treat his skin better. It was this ugly grey-purple. I wonder why he'd do that to himself. Imhullu's power isn't worth looking like that." I grinned when I noticed Hardin desperately trying to stifle his laughter, and failing miserably. "How was the ride, by the way?"

"Soothing. It's not as lovely as the Lea, but it's similar enough to comfort my homesick spirit. Not even Wolf complained."

"Now that is a high compliment." Laughter brought my attention above again, and I winced when I noticed how fast Catria made a turn. I had no doubts Jubelo was enjoying himself, but he'd been the sicker of the two this morning. "Ah…"

"Relax a little. I'm certain Princess Minerva is keeping a close eye, especially since you gave her that warning." He smiled slightly. "You flew, once, now that I'm remembering."

"Yeah, when Minerva pretended she didn't recognize you, and you proved yourself to be the best liar ever so that we could save some civilians." A thought occurred to me then, and I returned my attention to him. "Did I ever properly thank you for finding us and giving us shelter, by the way? I remember panicking over Nyna fainting, but I can't remember that."

"Mmm… I can't either, but at the same time, I never needed the gratitude." His smile grew. "However, Wolf never groused about it, so maybe you did."

"Or Sedgar told him to be nicer to the traumatized girls."

"That wouldn't work. Wolf is very skilled at conveniently ignored Sedgar's sage advice."

"Oh, then maybe I did." I glanced up again, smiling at the laughter once more. "I'm surprised, though. That I remembered, I mean. I was such a brat. I refused all the maids who could've helped and kept tossing well-meant gifts into the corner." I made a face as I remembered the dresses. "Well, to be fair, those dresses would've looked hideous on Nyna, but I could've at least hung them up or something."

"I always figured it was just a way you could bleed out your frustration with everything, and it was hilarious watching you complain about the colors."

"Until you were the victim." I smiled wryly and he laughed, conceding the point. "Both Nyna and I also did you a huge discourtesy by keeping ourselves so walled off when you were only trying to help. I'm sorry for that."

"You were adapting and trying to heal."

"And doing poorly."

"Unfortunately, in cases like that, it's the people hurting who must realize their methods aren't working. Trying to convince them otherwise will only make them cling all the harder because it seems like it's working."

"You've experience in that. I'm guessing from your most loyal four."

"At least you two weren't convinced self-harm was reasonable." He watched the three fliers, smiling. "Hmm, if they can handle this, perhaps they might want to try riding. Are they going to continue to come with us?"

"It's still technically in debates, but I think they're going to continue staying with us for a little longer." I wasn't sure how to feel about that. It would be better for them to get away from the battles, but leaving them among strangers didn't feel like a way to actually help them heal. "Prince Marth is sending some messengers into Grust to see if they'll be willing to stand down. We've gotten a lot of victories."

"Do you think the King of Grust will surrender?"

"No, he won't care enough to. But maybe his generals will in his stead." I didn't have high hopes for that either. I had no idea if word of Yuliya and Jubelo's safety had reached them, or if it would. I honestly wasn't sure if the messages would reach them. It would be nice, but far too easy. "But that's neither here nor there. You had wanted to talk to me about something."

"Ah, yes." Hardin glanced around the area, checking that we were alone, and a bad feeling crawled up my spine. "I wanted to continue a conversation we had a long while ago."

"Something tells me this isn't 'Diana, get your damn guard up'."

"No, but you do need better practice at that." He kept his expression stoic. "You mentioned that Princess Nyna was in love with someone. I wish to guess who it is."

"Really?"

"Yes." His expression softened when I narrowed my eyes. "Now, if I'm wrong, you don't have to tell me. But I'm curious if I'm correct."

"Mmm… okay, if you're right, I'll let you know." I tensed anyway. I didn't like this much, but he had been a trusted ally, a friend, for a long while. If I was going to trust anyone in this world, it was going to be him because of everything he'd done for both Nyna and me. "So, what's your guess?"

"Camus." He smiled slightly when I winced. "Aha, so I did figure it out."

"What gave it away?"

"Princess Nyna pays closer attention as soon as anything with Grust and the Sable Order comes up. It's subtle, but it's happened enough times that you can't help but notice a pattern. And you, Diana, never called him by title or nickname, showing that he had to be at least a friend to you."

"I see." I tensed further and I fixed him with a hard stare. "What are you going to do with the information, if I may ask?"

"Nothing, really. I'm more worried as to what you and Princess Nyna plan." His eyes darkened with worry. "He is the enemy."

"Nyna will do what she feels she must. I, however…" I bit my lip and sighed. "I, however, am her bodyguard and best friend. I'm Camus's friend. I'm going to do my best to kick some sense into him and drag him out of the war."

"Please don't get horribly hurt, again."

"Well, no promises. But, hey, I actually have a few advantages on him!" I grinned when he gave me a skeptical look. "It's nothing 'tactical', so don't even try to figure it from that perspective. You will fail."

"If you're banking on friendship…"

"Nope." At the least, it wasn't entirely that. "But are you okay?"

"Hmm?"

"You." I pointed at him for emphasis and, after a moment, he smiled. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, it hurts. No matter how old you get, or whatever is going on, knowing that your feelings are not returned hurts." He shrugged, though, and smiled. "However, it is much better to know, in my opinion. Regardless of anything else, I do hope she'll be happy. I hope all of us will, once this war ends. I'll be okay."

"You're kind, Hardin. I hope you'll be happy too." I looked up again, mostly to end the conversation, and panicked when I noticed Yuliya leaning over the side. "Yuliya, sit properly! Make it easier on Palla, just in case!"

Hardin laughed and laughed as I began my frantic worrying. I didn't think he was as 'okay' as he tried to portray, but he would be eventually. No matter what, he was Nyna's ally and Prince Marth's friend. His smile said he was proud of those roles, happy about them. Once his heart healed a little, he'd be even happier about them.

It would just take a little bit of time, but he was okay with that. So, I made sure to smile reassuringly at him, a silent 'Let me know if you need anything', before I returned to watching the fliers worriedly. That, at least, was something I could do.

"I am rather surprised you were assigned to a different 'group' than Princess Nyna," Lena observed. Her light tone and calm expression belied the fact that she was sewing up a soldier's torso. Thankfully, this one was already unconscious, and we were in the middle of 'waves'. The infirmary was quiet. "Or, rather, that you were assigned to a group at all. You are her bodyguard, after all."

"Midia is handling any 'bodyguard' things for the moment," I explained, shrugging. I folded up blankets in the corner of the infirmary and then wiped some blood off of some scalpels. Lena was the only healer for this operation, so I tended to the mending and cleaning for her. "But please don't remind me that I'm not there. I'm fretting terribly. Nyna has no idea how to put on her makeup properly."

"You don't need to try and make me laugh, you know." Still, she did smile and giggle. "I am not so tired for that yet."

"I am being completely truthful." I was also worried Xane was shapeshifting while I was away to pull pranks. He'd shown off his abilities to Prince Marth, and had earned the wary trust of others while behaving. But I wasn't there to help with damage control, and to ensure he kept on behaving. "To answer your question, though, normally I wouldn't. But this is a good chance to check whether or not Yuliya and Jubelo can spend a few days away from me. I thought learning that would be more important than what Nyna would require." I shot her a large grin. "Do you dislike my company so? I know I'm not Julian or anything, but still."

"Oh, you!" She made a face at me, which did nothing to hide her blush. "It's not that at all. I was simply curious. So, you're making sure they don't grow absolutely dependent on you."

"Precisely." Though I did fret, not only for them, but for Nyna as well. However, I had faith that they would be fine. "Nyna was going to spend most of her time with Caeda and Minerva anyway while we're here at Helena Castle, and she promised me that she won't do anything dangerous while I am away."

"And there's no political motivations involved?"

"Oh, if we're going with political reasons, then having someone associated heavily with Nyna for this is absolutely necessary." I finished cleaning the scalpels and began checking on the sleeping wounded for Lena. "It's why Roshea made sure to be here, as well as Catria and Ogma. Prince Marth is leading us here, and the four of us in particularly are strongly associated with his most stalwart allies. We're a visible representation of the alliance that is currently destroying a key supply point for Dolhr and Grust. It's good for disrupting their morale."

"I knew there was a political reason." Lena laughed and tied off her thread. She washed the injury again and dried it off before bandaging the soldier up. "I knew there was something."

"Of course." I frowned as I came upon one soldier, a young one that likely lied about their age when they signed up. Their bandages were already soaked. "Lena, let's switch. This one's has bled through."

"Thank you." She tossed me the roll of bandages she was using as we passed by each other. "Oh, goodness, what happened here?"

Knowing she was merely thinking aloud, I didn't even give a smartass answer to that. I just focused on bandaging the unconscious soldier, before going to check in on the other patients, just in case. I'd just finished when someone entered, and I whirled, hand dropping to my sword. I expected either an enemy or the next wave of wounded, something to shatter the calm air. I got, strangely, a confused Julian.

"Are things so boring outside that you've come in to flirt?" I asked dryly, relaxing. "You never come in here during a battle, unless you're injured. Are you?"

"No, I'm not, and no, I'm not…" Julian began. His face reddened, hinting he was going to protest the comment about flirting, but he threw his hands up, knowing that he wasn't a good enough liar to play off that. "Anyway, you don't seem busy."

"Well, Lena is." I glanced over and saw her stitching up the injuries of that soldier I'd directed her towards. Her tense posture, steady hands, and dark eyes told me she was entirely focused on her task. "But no, I'm not. Why?"

"Supposedly, there's a prisoner, and knowing Prince Marth, he'll want someone to check that out. I, however, don't want to go alone. That seems very idiotic, especially since this whole thing has been going fairly well with minimal problems, but not so minimal that we're expecting bad things."

"So, you want me to go with you?"

"I know, it's weird, but we have no idea about this prisoner. Could be an old man. Could be a soldier. Could be a child." Julian shrugged. "You've a fairly good record with prisoners and keeping them calm and under control?"

"I wouldn't quite say that…?" At the same time, though, I did follow his logic. Somewhat. Maybe. "Oh, whatever. Get a guard, and I'll let Lena know when she's not quite as distracted."

It took a while to catch Lena's attention, but when I did, I waited for Julian to return with a guard. He came back with two, to my surprise, but I didn't ask as I followed him through the outskirts of the battle and into actual castle. It was surprisingly easy, but just when I was about to ask, I noticed the few enemies we did encounter just weren't paying attention. Their eyes were on a man with red hair and a monocle, of all things, who didn't look too happy to be there. Julian and I killed them easily, but not that man. Perhaps more importantly, he didn't do a thing to help his supposed 'comrades'.

"Well, you're an unusual enemy," I commented. The man said nothing, but he studied us closely. "Julian, chances that he's the prisoner you mentioned?"

"Pretty high, considering this is the way to the dungeons," Julian answered. He double-checked that the enemies were dead, before nodding at the still silent man. "Name is Julian. This is Diana. We're with Altea. You are?"

"…Etzel," the man replied slowly. He tucked his tome under his arm, but still watched us closely. "You were looking for a prisoner?"

"We have a policy to free prisoners of the enemy," I explained. Julian checked the area, so I focused on talking. "Particularly since these prisoners can be anyone from old men to young children."

"I see. Rather kind of you."

"Kind to some. Pragmatic to others." I shrugged. "So, what's your story? You don't seem to want a fight?"

"No, but I can't simply leave." Etzel sighed, closing his eyes. "The general stole a very precious thing to me, a ring, and I will not leave without it."

"You're fighting for a ring?" That wasn't the oddest reason I've ever heard, but it was up there. "Well, what does it look like?" I pointed to Julian, who winked and grinned. "He's good at snatching things."

"Hey, hey, let's not give him the wrong impression!" Julian instantly retorted. I almost rolled my eyes, but his grin grew. "I'm absolutely amazing at snatching and stealing, thank you very much."

"My mistake," I replied, barely checking the urge to laugh. I noted the tome again and the narrow space of the hallway, and nodded "So, Sir Etzel, would you like to pretend to fight long enough for Julian to recover your ring?"

"Shouldn't take long. He's all distracted anyway thanks to the battle." Julian winked. "I'm off!"

"Wait, he hasn't agreed yet!" Of course, my words fell on deaf ears. Julian had disappeared down the hall long before I knew it. "You know; I had intended to wait for your answer. I promise."

"It's fine," Etzel reassured. He let the tome fall into his hands again. "I was going to agree. It seems like I have a better chance with you. How good are you at dodging?"

"Fairly decent, and I've a higher than normal resistance to magic." I smiled slightly and brought my blade up. "I didn't make the offer without considering things."

"Clever."

"Lucky, really." I ducked under the spell he slung, and noticed he had a noticeably different style to fighting than Linde, Merric, and Kris. Kris's focused on sharp and quick movements, befitting a former thief. Linde and Merric used grander gestures, but slower and stood their ground.

Etzel, on the other hand, was constant movement. It was almost like a dance. All the movements were fluid, flowing easily from one to the next. It wasn't a fast casting by any means, but the way he moved made me think he boasted more defensive capabilities than them. Maybe. It was different. I knew that much. And it made me curious.

"So, mind if I ask what the deal is with the ring?" I asked, pretending to dart close for a strike before pulling back. Honestly, the two of us probably could've just sat and waited, but it was better to pretend, just in case. If we had, then I knew, without a doubt, a whole squadron would've appeared. Because luck. "It's obviously very precious."

"It's all I have left of my wife, now," he explained. "She was killed when Gra betrayed Altea. We were fighting, and I dropped my guard." His eyes faltered and the spell went way wide. It cracked the stone of the wall. "She protected me, but because of the spell, her body crumbled to ash. I salvaged her wedding ring."

"I'm sorry." I knew nothing else to say. "Well, Julian will get it back for you. He's guarantee results in a convenient human."

"I'm pleased to hear that." He threw another spell and I jumped over it. "So, when this is over, you'll continue fighting?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Someone has to." I shrugged and lunged forward, pretending to go for his legs. I aimed for the spot by his foot, though, and jumped back just before I chipped my sword on the stone. "Might as well be us. It's not like Medy and Nefy are going to leave us alone."

"…Who and who?" He lost his calm briefly to give me the most incredulous look I've ever seen. "Who?"

"Look, I don't call them by their names. I just don't. I give them cutesy names instead. They're more adorable that way."

"Why would you want to make them adorable?"

"Why not? It seems everyone making them all doom and gloom isn't doing much but making them miserable." I shrugged, holding up sword up in a 'guard' position. "Regardless, they won't leave us alone, so we fight back. We've been doing rather well, all things considered. Maybe we'll win."

"I can't tell if that's hopelessly idealistic or refreshingly hopeful."

"Neither. It's simply the truth as I see it."

"I'm baaaack~!" Julian hopped over, and both Etzel and I jumped. I looked around, wondering where the hell he came from, before thinking to actually look up. Sure enough, there was a ceiling title moved to the side. "This was the only ring he hand," Julian explained, holding up a beautiful sapphire ring. He politely ignored how Etzel and I were recovering from heart attacks. "This it?"

"Ah, yes!" Etzel confirmed. He took the ring from Julian and cradled it, smiling softly. His eyes filled with tears as he bowed. "Thank you. Truly."

"It's fine. I'm glad we found it." Julian squirmed, clearly uncomfortable. "So… uh…"

"Don't mind him, Etzel. Unless you're a pretty cleric named Lena, he's horrible with gratitude," I teased. Julian glowered, and Etzel straightened with a watery laugh. "So, with the ring, you can leave, yes?"

"Yes, I can." Etzel nodded and carefully tucked the ring into his pocket. "I need to find a chain for it. They broke my previous one."

"Do you have a destination?" I studied him when he shook his head. "Well, do you want to come with us? Magic is always helpful, you're clearly skilled, and you can see whether my words will be true for you, with your own eyes."

"Mm… I've no taste for war…" Etzel closed his eyes, clearly contemplating it. "However, I do have a fierce hunger for ending it. Might I speak with your leader before making a decision?"

"Certainly." I looked to Julius. "Can you escort him once we're out of here? I'd like to get back to the infirmary, and it's not like I know where Prince Marth is."

"Yeah, no worries," Julius reassured. He patted Etzel on the back and grinned. "Follow me. We'll go on the edges."

I followed the two closely until we were outside, at which point I returned to helping Lena. A good thing too, since she'd gotten hit with the next wave of wounded and needed all the help she could get. I wondered how many would make it out of this, but shook my head and kept on working, following Lena's instructions as best as I could. It didn't matter, really. I just would do what I could.

Prince Marth, as expected, welcomed Etzel with open arms and, with Castle Helena freed, we returned to Castle Altea with a large supply of supplies and gold as our prizes. Yuliya and Jubelo welcomed me back with bright smiles and huge hugs. They actually had the energy to tackle me, which made me laugh, but I noticed how they clung. They managed, but they still preferred having me near. After putting them to bed for the night, I decided to check in on how they'd been, worried, and found myself in the 'sewing study' with Linde. And feeling personally attacked at just how bad she sewed.

"Yeah, they had a panic attack not long after you were out of sight," Linde freely admitted, attempting to mend a shirt at the same time. She winced as she pricked her fingers, though, and whimpered. "Ugh, how do you sew!? This is so hard!"

"Well, for one thing, it helps to pay attention to where your thumbs are," I pointed out. Finally having enough, I took the needle, thread, and shirt from her, and proceeded to mend it myself. "You're using the wrong kind of stitch for this too. It's too fragile for how much wear and tear it has to endure."

"…There's different stitches?"

"I have no qualms teaching you, for the record." I settled back in my chair, relaxing as I stitched. "But yes, there are. Backstitch, chain stitch, buttonhole stitch, catch stitch, darning stitch…"

"Ugh…" Linde sighed. "Maybe I should just stick to laundry. I'm not too bad at that." She paused. "I think."

"You're no worse than most of the people in the army. I'll show you a few tricks."

"Is there anything household that you can't do?"

"I'm not the best of cooks, and gods above, don't give me a glove to mend. I can never manage it. And that's just what's on the top of my head." I finished the shirt with ease and stole her basket to continue with her mending. "But they had a panic attack?"

"They did, but we managed to get them to calm down." Linde shrugged and got the first aid kit to mend her fingers. "Wendell says it was probably important, since now they know that while they prefer you, and feel safest with you, they can make it without you. Which… wait, hold on, that sounds…"

"It sounds as if we're doing well in making sure they are not dependent on me." I couldn't deny feeling a little sad about it. I liked taking care of them and, more selfishly, I liked being needed. But it was a good thing that they not become dependent. Nyna and I were still having some troubles. "That's all. It's good."

"I could've worded it better."

"No, because that's exactly what it is." I smiled reassuringly at her, finishing up another shirt and picking some pants out of the basket. "I'm like their security blanket. If I'm there, they prefer it. But they know they don't need the blanket to keep warm and safe. There are others they can rely on. So, when we camp and go to battle, they can go to a much safer place, and know that things will be okay."

"True. Though, Wendell did mention that he's not sure how they'll do if someone not associated with our army is near. Or someone associated with you. They calmed down far faster with Princess Nyna and me, than with, say, Norne." She hummed a little in thought, kicking her legs a little. "Though, they get along great with Bantu. He's amazing with kids."

"He's a centuries old dragon with a kind streak. I'd be surprised if he wasn't."

"Oh, true. I always forget he's a dragon. He's still recovering from his injuries at Archanea, so I've never seen him transform." Linde pouted suddenly. "Hey, wait, you're mending all those tears while talking?"

"I have much more experience with this than you." I, after all, had been taught embroidery since I was very small. "It's second nature to me, like swinging a sword."

"Argh, I'm going to get better so that I can do that too!"

"As I mentioned, I have no qualms with teaching you." I looked up again and smiled. "However, I do think I'm taking over the mending for you tonight."

"Fine, fine. You just got back, so you don't have chores, so I'll go see if anyone else needs help." She hopped to her feet, bouncing on her toes, and smiled. "Glad to have you back, Diana. How is your back doing?"

"It's mostly healed by now, thankfully." At the least, the wound Imhullu left had scabbed over. "By the end of the week, it'll hopefully be healed enough that we won't have to worry about it."

"Good." Her smile softened with relief, and I made sure to smile back. I knew she felt guilty over all the injuries I'd picked up, but I considered them a fair trade for not only her life, but Yuliya and Jubelo's as well. "See you in the morning!"

"Sleep well!" She skipped out, humming a song off-key under her breath. I watched her leave with a smile before focusing entirely on the mending. It was soothing, and I wondered if I should try to actually make a dress. I hadn't done that in a long while, so it would have to be something very simple, and we might not have the cloth to spare. Maybe something for after the war.

At some point during my half-planning, I became aware of someone watching me. I pretended not to notice, in case it was an enemy, but whoever it was didn't move. They just continued to watch, so I finished mending a seam on some pants and tied off my thread before looking up to try and figure out who was watching. The answer was fairly easy to figure out, though. It was Jeorge, and he leaned casually in the doorway, simply smiling.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't want to disturb you," he whispered, nodding. "Seems you made it back without injuries."

"I did. Nyna was very proud of me," I replied. I set the pants in the 'done' pile, and twisted in my chair to face him. "Did you need something mending? That scarf, perhaps?"

"You are not stealing my scarf." He rolled his eyes, and I smiled slightly. "I told you during the battle that I wanted to continue that talk."

"You did." I kept eye contact, though I did want to look away. "Should I see about getting some tea? I'd offer wine, but we both know how low my tolerance is."

"It's deplorable, but no, this won't be long." His smile fell for a serious look, and I tried to not stiffen. "I wanted to apologize."

"For the flirting?" My heart keened. I had guessed something like this. "Well, that's-"

"For pushing. I'm not apologizing for the flirting. I'm quite serious about it, truthfully." He crossed his arms, completely focused on me. I managed to keep perfectly calm, but my heart was pounding. "But I did move fast, and push, and those were for the wrong reasons. Archanea's fall made it quite clear how fragile things are. When I saw you again, I felt as if I had to rush, had to push, because it was a miracle I had a second chance to get to know you, and maybe confess."

"…That's…"

"But that wasn't fair to you. There's a thousand and one things to worry about, and I added more selfishly." He took a step forward, and when I nodded, he knelt in front of me, and took my hand. "And that wasn't fair to you. So I am sorry for that. But I am not sorry for my feelings. I've been interested in you for quite a long while." Gently, he lifted my hand and kissed it. "So, I'll wait. I'll wait for your answer, Diana, however long you want or need. You go at your own pace. I love you, and I will wait for you. That's my response to your question."

I had no response, but thankfully, he didn't seem to expect one. Instead, he squeezed my hand reassuringly and left, smiling with gentle warmth. I watched him leave, stunned and touched, confused and giddy. I wasn't sure what sort of reply I'd been expecting, but apparently, it hadn't been that one. I had to sit down, and try to think through the whirling thoughts. But it quickly became very clear that I wasn't going to make it, so instead, I snatched up that basket of mending and moved to Midia's room to talk it over with her while I worked.

I couldn't deny how happy I was, though, which was probably answer enough. But he'd taken the time to think things through, and I… I would do the same. Because if nothing else, I respected him. So, I needed to give my answer the same respect he had given me.

Notes on Horace:

A landed knight of Archanea, and an old friend of Jeorge, Midia, and Nyna. He was forced to betray Archanea prior to its fall in order to save his people.

A heavily armored knight with a specialty in lances and axes, he serves often as part of the vanguard to guard the less-armored soldiers.

Quiet, yet dutiful, he finds it hard to socialize with people given what he did, but is determined to live as per Nyna's orders.

Notes on Beck:

A ballistician who enjoys a good battle. Gives his loyalty to Marth after being defeated.

As ballistae are situational weapons at best, he tends to be deployed as cover or to destroy castle doors.

Good friends with Jake, likely because they're the only ballisticians.

Notes on Astram:

Mercenary of Archanea and lover of Midia, he's equally known for his loyalty and his hotheaded passion.

A skilled mercenary, however he is out of practice due to limited fighting and having little desire to fight with Jeorge missing, Midia captured, and Charles dead. He's getting back into the swing of things, though.

Best friend of Charles of the Wolf Pack mercenaries, and the reason why they were there during Archanea's fall. He feels no small amount of guilt for this.

Author's note: And here's the only recruitable dark mage/sorcerer in the game, Etzel. His wife shares a name with a villain from FE7, Ursula, which is rather amusing. Also have two heart to hearts?

Next chapter – Interlude, Altea