Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

-0-

07x. Haven

-By Your Side-

Ever since she was a young girl, Louise had always known that, if she could not be true to her own heart, then she would amount to little more than a statue, an ever-smiling objet d'art with no purpose aside from being that whom others would do unto, never to be the one to affect others in turn. Her instinctive dislike of such a fate was cultivated by her dear, idealistic parents, who were noble in name but considered eccentrics by Etrurian society--particularly once she grew of an age to be shown at events. What society saw after that time was a girl without the retiring nature appropriate to a noblewoman, a girl who smiled brightly without reservation, asked impolite questions merely to satisfy her own curiosity, and proudly bared hands hardened by calluses from her vulgar play. However, the words of disdain by noblewomen with daughters of comparable age were mostly stymied due to two factors: her relation, however distant, to Etrurian and Bernese royalty, as well as the fact that one could hardly expect better from country nobles. In this way she had been cultivated into becoming a most odd noblewoman, one who knew she was set apart from society as a whole but with no real reason to change, not when her dear parents were so proud of her. And when the time came for her to consider marriage, what else could she do but show her true heart, even as she knew it would be the opposite of everything that was considered right about being a lady?

Nearly ten years after that fateful day, she smiled as she clipped off a stem full of bright lavender flowers. As the morning sun began to rise above the horizon, she walked from her personal garden through the kitchen gardens and into the kitchen proper, where the maids on cooking duty were busy preparing breakfast for Erk and his friends before they came inside from their morning practice. Fresh bread, tiny jars of several varieties of jam, and a teapot and two cups, along with all the regular dining implements, had already been arranged by her earlier on a breakfast tray; at the corner of the tray stood a small vase, made of the same porcelain as the rest of the delicate china, looked out of place until she placed the lavender sprig inside. With a small sound of delight, she picked up the tray and left the kitchen, her footsteps soft as she walked along the hallway, through the foyer and into the west wing, before finally arriving in front of her husband's office door. Adjusting her hold of the tray with one hand, she knocked twice on the door with the other. "Lord Pent, breakfast!" she announced, before simply letting herself in. The only time she knew she was absolutely not to disturb him was when he was in his private study, not because it would upset him--he was very even-tempered--but because it did hurt to be ignored when he was deep in his research, no matter if she knew he hardly meant to do it on purpose.

He was sitting behind his desk and going through the various correspondences and reports that had piled up while he was absorbed in his latest round of studies when she entered, looking up as she approached his desk. "Good morning, Louise," he said with that smile that always lightened her heart to see it. Shyly, feeling as though she was but a blushing maiden all over again, she returned his smile.

"Good morning, Lord Pent. You look very well-rested today. I trust you slept well?" There was something else she wanted to add, something to tease him with, but instead she decided it would be best to hold onto the thought for now and went about pouring the tea, a curious lavender blend she had received from Baroness Donner, before placing a cup in front of him.

"Yes, I did," he replied, taking a sip of tea. He then blinked, studying the breakfast tray arrangement with some amusement before taking another sip. "So that explains today's flower. Will you sit with me for a while?"

Her smile widened, and she began to pour a second cup for herself. For some time there was silence as he cleared the area before him of his paperwork as she set up their breakfast before taking a seat across from him. Finally, as they began to eat, Louise asked in a casual voice, "May I ask what the concentric values theory is, dear?"

"It's a chart for establishing the relationship between the three great animistic elements," he answered promptly. It took him another minute to meet her laughing gaze with a sheepish look. "I was talking in my sleep again, wasn't I?"

Louise only giggled behind her hand. As a woman with considerable quirks, it wouldn't have done for her to marry someone who had none of his own and therefore lacked the means to understand hers. Perhaps it was due to her husband's drive in his research, locked up within his study with no one with whom he could share his ideas, but the result ended up being that he would frequently talk in his sleep in the days after he left his study. She never minded; after days where it was all she could do to keep busy so as to not think about the fact that they were living in the same house but were more or less separated, it was a relief just to listen to his voice and know that he was with her again.

Her husband looked somewhat chagrined when she looked at him again, but instead of continuing the current topic he picked up one of the envelopes in which his correspondence had arrived. "Some of these invitations are already past their dates. I trust you've already taken care of them?"

"Yes. I've visited with most of them and sent apologies to the rest."

"I see. But this one from Countess Caerleon is yours, isn't it?"

"Nella was interested in seeing the both of us, but it was for the best that I went alone," Louise stated, unwilling to explain further.

Her husband normally possessed an astute eye for detecting her mood and responding in kind, but he was preoccupied with his breakfast as he asked, "Why is that?"

She pursed her lips, her appetite waning. "It seems she is having a bit of trouble with her daughter. The girl apparently is listless and troubled by matters unknown to even her personal attendant, so Nella needed someone to confide to and perhaps provide insight and advice."

"Hm. What advice did you give?"

"I said nothing at all." It was a nervous habit of Louise's to fold her hands in her lap and twist her fingers around each other; in the right place, she could channel such tension where it was hidden and keep speaking with a clear voice and an untroubled face. She did it now as she pieced her thoughts together before continuing. "Because I felt it was not the place for a childless woman to give advice to a mother."

He looked up at her then, his expression difficult for even her to read. "Louise..." was all he could say, his voice clouded with concern, before she shook her head.

"We've already discussed that enough over the years, Lord Pent. Shall we leave that topic in the hands of the blessed saint?"

Sometimes she felt it was a shame that she had grown to understand her husband's feelings so well, a result of her taking seriously the romantic notion that his stormy blue eyes were the mirror to his innermost thoughts. In reality, such study only revealed how expressive he allowed himself to be with her; rather, three years of courtship following their betrothal and nearly six years of marriage had given her the experience necessary to see the uncharacteristic indecision that lingered in his narrowed eyes, and her heart felt heavy when he nodded once. "As you wish," he said, his tone unnaturally neutral, before he returned his attention to his breakfast. The loss of her appetite gave Louise little else to do but to grip her hands even more tightly than before.

There was nothing to be said that hadn't already been said by either them or society. An heir was vital, and even people as eccentric as themselves were not so far removed from the way the world worked to deny that. And after five years...

A cough from the other side of the desk distracted her from her thoughts. "Lord Pent?"

"I would like to ask your opinion on a request I received." She tilted her head, a gesture of interest; his expression was normal once again. "Lyndis asked me yesterday if I knew a way for her to become stronger. I had a suggestion in mind, but I was curious as to what you would say."

"Well..." Her throat suddenly dry, Louise took a sip of her now cold tea. "In which way does she wish to gain this strength?"

"By fighting, it seems."

Louise said nothing for a long moment as she thought, and when she came to a conclusion she had to struggle to keep her own expression mild. "Lord Pent, you can't mean to have her become the Reglay arena fighter, do you?"

"I do," he said evenly. "Do you disagree?"

"I...think it is a very sad thing if she would agree so readily to that," she answered, careful in her words. However, it seemed that her husband was capable of understanding her true thoughts, because he only nodded.

"Our feelings are the same, of course. But I detected a certain desperation from her that worries me more. It seems that she is set on her course, whatever that is, and it would be best if she were adequately prepared." He finished his own cup of tea, and Louise stood and poured another cup for him. "That, I feel, would be best."

She nodded once. "As you say." As her husband had finished his breakfast, Louise moved to collect the dishes and place them on the tray, leaving the teapot as she usually did. She was about to pick up the tray when he reached over and held one of her hands in his. Not surprised, she merely lifted her gaze to his, curling her lips into a smile at his earnest expression.

"Louise, what do you intend to do today?" he asked as he rubbed slow circles onto the back of her hand with his thumb.

She grinned, pushing some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I've no appointments, so I was planning to do some gardening until lunchtime, and then archery in the afternoon like always. Why?"

"I thought we could have lunch together. Perhaps out by your garden? I'm curious to see if your roses turned out better than they did last year."

"That's unkind, dear," she said in an exaggerated huff. "And of course I can't agree to that. I'll be filthy, so we'd have to have lunch only after I clean up, and you have plenty of work to do to bother with that and--would you please stop laughing?"

He did laugh then, a rich sound that washed away all her worries. "Right, of course," he said, before kissing the back of her hand, "I'll see you then."

Louise looked at her husband, his playful smile, his affectionate gaze, the firm but gentle grip in which he held her hand, and wondered dimly how any trouble could affect her more than temporarily so long as he was by her side.

-Two Knights-

In the back of his mind, Kent had noted a presence behind him but idly brushed it aside as he studied the game board in front of him. After a few moments, he picked up his remaining pegasus knight and placed it within attacking distance from Erk's lord. "Check," he stated.

Frowning, Erk seemed indecisive about which move he would play next. Kent, who knew his position was too strong, waited patiently; ever since he had seen through Erk's sacrificial armor knight and put his own archer into play, the game had been his to lose. Ever since the first week of their stay, they would play at least one game every couple of days after Kent's morning training, occasionally drawing Sain, whose style of play was unpredictable at best; Wil, who cheerfully played even though he had never won a game; and Lord Pent, whom Kent could not win against. But for the most part, the games were between himself and Erk, a novice player with great knowledge of book rules but the inability to break away from them. As the ability to play was critical for a knight in order to form proper analysis of real-life situations, Kent had learned to play ever since he was young and considered himself to be fairly skilled.

The presence behind him was beginning to bother him now that it was no longer his turn, and he turned his head. Florina stood at the entrance to the parlor room, her hands drawn up to her mouth in a way that could only be described as 'mouse-like.' "Florina," Kent started, unsure if it was best he said anything at all, "would you like to sit down?"

"She can play next. I forfeit," Erk announced, rising from his seat before offering his hand, which Kent shook. "Good game, as usual."

"Yes." When Erk left the room, Kent gestured to the now empty chair across the table. "Would you like to play?"

She lowered her head. "I-is it really okay?"

"Yes, of course," he answered as he began to replace the pieces onto the game board. There was only the sound of the clock ticking away; at the fifteenth tick, Florina walked over to the empty seat and gathered the white pieces for her side. He noticed that she knew each piece's proper place: working her way inward, she placed a pegasus knight, cavalier and bishop on either side of the lord and lady on the first row, and on the second row there stood an archer on either end of a row of armor knights. He had heard there were other variations that placed swordmasters, wyvern riders or magic users, or even replaced other units for them, but in this day and age the board they had now was the most popular in use.

"You already know how to play, correct?" he asked as a matter of formality. Regardless, she nodded. "You can have white."

With a soft sound of assent, she began. After a few moves, he realized that she was playing a classic Bern defense, so named because it used armor knights and cavaliers chiefly in a tight defense as if they were high cliffs, while her pegasus knights were to be played as her main attack pieces with her bishops in support. He looked at his own strategy, the Etrurian defense, which mobilized cavaliers and bishops as attackers with armor knights as support and protection, and wondered if they were going to reenact one of the many Bern-Etruria wars. "You play very well," he couldn't help but comment, amazed by her efficiency in establishing her line; it was as if she had played enough games to have a favorite mode of attack. "It's rare these days to see the Bern defense used."

Her eyes flickered up to meet his, and then she quickly shook her head. "I...is that what it's called?" she murmured, moving one of her archers to support the front of her defense.

"You did not know that?" he said, so surprised he had to pause and study the board. "It seems you've been going by the book, though."

She said nothing for several ticks, then shook her head more slowly than the last time. "Book? Um...no, I've never looked at a book for this game..."

Finally he moved an armor knight forward, though the idea that Florina might be a prodigy was a sobering thought that made him want to analyze every move even more carefully. "May I ask who taught you how to play?"

"My eldest sister," she answered promptly, her tone cheerful and light. "We used to play when we were younger, especially during the winter."

"Why then, if I may ask?"

Immediately Kent could tell that he had said the wrong thing, as Florina seemed to shrink into herself, her shoulders hunched. "Um...so...so we could forget how, um, hungry we were."

Mentally flinching, he lowered his head in apology. "Forgive me for my impertinence. I should not have asked."

"Well, um...you couldn't have known. I-I don't mind answering...since we're comrades." She smiled in a very tentative fashion. "My other sister...she said that most people don't care about Ilians, so, um, I never expected anyone to really ask about that."

It was the most she had ever said to him, and hearing her soft voice as she tried to explain herself made him feel a certain sense of empathy for her. "I see," he replied. "If you would not mind, I would not be opposed to hearing more."

"O-okay." There was silence within the parlor room, save for the tall, stately clock as it sounded out each second. "What would you like to know?"

"You spoke of having sisters. Do you have other family members?"

"Um...well, I used to. It was..." He watched her face, never mind that she was hiding most of it behind her long hair. "My father died before I could remember him. Fiora...she said that he caught something because, um, a pegasus knight brought back a sickness and it spread, so...they put all the sick people in quarantine, and most of them died sick. And then, our mother grew weak, especially after Fiora left for training, and when the famine happened she...she, um..." Florina's voice sounded faraway, as if she were relating a story that had nothing to do with herself. "She starved to death."

There was nothing Kent could say.

She shook her head. "Afterwards, Farina would...well, sometimes she'd steal rations from other people, even though everyone was suffering. But she said that it was okay because we had to survive. And then Fiora came back, and she decided to stay and take care of us, just like before when Mother was alive, and she'd get into lots of fights with Farina because of the stealing. Even after the famine they'd always fight, until last year Farina left for good. And I don't know if I'll see her again because she's a pegasus knight. But, um..." She glanced up at him and offered a small smile. "I really love my sisters, so I'm really trying to think that everything will be okay."

Her voice was strong, hopeful, and Kent could only agree with her. "I pray that it will be so."

"I, um..." He could see the beginnings of a smile on her face before she covered her mouth with a small hand. "I'm sorry...I talked a lot..."

"I didn't mind," he said, quick to reassure her. "You should feel free to talk when you like."

A small giggle escaped from behind her hand. "That's...that's what Wil said. But, um..." She looked away from him, her face flushed red. "I think...maybe it's easier to talk to you..."

"Why is that?"

"Um, you...you're like Fiora, kind of. So it's easier."

He could only give her a confused look. "Considering what you've just said regarding your...eldest sister, I believe, I would think that it would be difficult at best to compare someone like myself to someone of such obviously exemplary character."

Florina smiled directly at him, a first. "She says things like that, too. She...if you met her, I think you'd see."

"Very well. I'll look forward to that day." Gesturing to the board, he returned her smile. "I believe it's your move."

"O-okay," she said, her usual shyness reasserting itself. However, Kent could detect a certain amount of ease from her as they continued their game in silence.

-The Perfect Support-

"Master Wil, you needn't feel obligated to help me..."

Wil laughed, then immediately wished he hadn't when his grip on the large, heavy sculpture began to loosen. "Don't worry, don't worry! Um, where should I put this?"

"Um, there," the maid--he thought her name was Claire, but since he wasn't sure that was really her name he just wasn't going to call her that--said, pointing to a pillar beside one of the staircases in the foyer. Gathering up his strength, Wil hefted the statue onto the pillar. His arms and lower back felt sore, but it was a good soreness, the kind that really made him feel as if he'd done something useful. And he was sure he did, because that poor maid was struggling with such a heavy statue. It wouldn't do not to help such a cute lady!

Huh? Wil thought, genuinely confused. I must be hanging around Sain too much. If only Lyndis was around more...

"Master Wil?"

"It's just Wil," he corrected, suddenly nervous. He'd never thought that one day anyone would be putting titles next to his name. It just...sounded weird, was all. "What is it? Do you need me to move anything else?"

"I, uh, no." She bowed her head. "You've been so helpful to all of us for the last two weeks. Even though you're a guest, still..."

"No, no, it's really nothing! It's just..." Embarrassed, he looked around him, where wealth surrounded him from the statues and pillars to the marble floor and gold-accented staircases. Even the maid was a symbol of wealth, and all of it made him feel really uncomfortable. Even when he was wandering around trying to make lots of money to send home, he'd never imagined that wealth could be so...wealthy. "Well, I mean, there's not too much to do, and even though there's lots of you working, it just doesn't seem right to just sit around and assume that you'll do everything."

The maid laughed quietly behind her hands. "That is our job. But, you said you were bored?"

"Well, I mean, I don't mean that as an insult, I just like to be useful."

"Ah." She was smiling at him, which made him feel a bit better. "You're an archer, correct? There's an archery range out past the gardens."

"Really?" Excitedly, he went to the archery range after picking up his bow and quiver from his room. When he reached it, he could only stare in surprise at the long row of targets. "Wow, that's big," he mumbled. "Are all ranges like this one?" Back in the village he'd once called home, there wasn't anything like this. He used to shoot at trees with makeshift targets--usually wood carvings, which was really stupid because hey, wood on wood?--until he was good enough to hunt, and after that he used to go hunting with Dan.

He frowned at the name, his good cheer washed away by a wave of bitterness. Thinking about his once-best friend's name always did that after Dan decided to give up on their big journey.

"My! I didn't expect to see anyone here! Hello!"

Wil turned to look behind him, his eyes widening when he saw who was coming up from the path. "L-Lady Louise?"

"Please, call me Louise," she said in a bright tone, smiling as she tugged at the end of the loose braid that hung over her shoulder. Her clothes were not the really elaborate and shiny dresses he sometimes glimpsed before she left to go visit some noble or another, but rather a simpler, form-fitting outfit that most young women who were not Lyndis wore. Except--and this made him feel really bad, all things considering--Louise looked really good in them. He could understand why Sain angsted in verse now.

"O-okay," he said, determined not to sound weird about things. Instead, he pointed at the bow she had slung over her shoulder and asked, "So, you're an archer too, Louise?"

She nodded, looking really happy that he'd mentioned it. That made him feel better and he smiled back. "It's so nice to find another archer. It's rare for me to find more people like us!"

"Really?" Thinking about this, he slowly began to nod. "I guess there aren't many nobles who're into archery, huh?"

"No, unfortunately," she said, a wistful expression on her face for a moment before she perked up. "But now there's you. Why don't we shoot together? I'd like to see how our styles differ."

"That sounds like fun," he replied honestly. Reaching for his quiver, he paused when a thought occurred to him. "Is this a contest, or are we just shooting for fun?" If it were a contest, he didn't know whether he should try his hardest or not since he had no idea what her skill level was. He figured it'd be kind of tacky to act merciless, especially because she was so nice in letting him and his friends stay with her.

"Well, I'd like to be more leisurely..." Nocking an arrow, she aimed for the first target in the row. "I don't practice merely for fun, you see, but it's sometimes the only time during the day when I can truly relax."

That's what she says, but her face... Wil thought, surprised at the sudden change in her. There was this fierce determination that hardened her face as she glared forward. Suddenly, the arrow flew, and his amazement grew when it seemed to appear just as suddenly right in the center of the red. "Wow, you're really good," he remarked, sorry that he'd doubted her skill earlier. "Have you been practicing long? Oh, you don't have to take your arrow out. It's fine."

She stopped and turned to look at him, her expression doubtful. "Are you sure? Won't it get in your way?"

"No," he cheerfully announced. "I haven't done this in a while, and anyway, sometimes I'm really good and sometimes I probably won't even hit the target!" They laughed, and as he nocked his arrow he continued with, "I'm really just kind of average, you know?" Letting the arrow fly, he smirked when he saw his arrow also sink into the red part, though it wasn't as perfect a shot as hers.

"But it also seems that you're much better than you believe yourself to be," Louise said, smiling. "I believe it says a lot about you that you're even an archer in the first place!"

"Huh...that I don't like getting too close to the battle?"

"Perhaps, but I meant that there was something essential in yourself." She brushed long golden strands of hair from her face, which impressed something upon him; she looked really beautiful and young, but her voice reminded him of the old, kindly storekeeper who would always tell stories to him and Dan whenever they would come in for supplies. He wondered what happened to the old man; when Wil and Dan left, he remembered that the storekeeper wasn't looking too good.

He shook his head to clear his mind of the sudden memory; it was weird to think of the past when he still hadn't achieved what he'd set out for all those years ago. "Oh yeah? Like our personality dictates what we become?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Huh. What're we, then?"

"We're..." There was a small smile on her face, almost like she was shy, as she looked up at him. "We're meant to be the perfect support."

"Hm. Well...I get that archers are always like support units, 'cause it's not safe otherwise, but, uh..." He shrugged, feeling kind of like he was missing something really obvious. "What's it mean to be the perfect support?"

Louise smiled at him, and it reminded him of how he'd seen her smile at Erk, that really motherly way. "I think it means that we should take care of our companions. Not just in combat, although that is a given, but also during the more relaxed times as well. It may mean making sure everyone is in good cheer, or doing as we're told, or even disobeying an order if we find that it would hurt our friends if we obeyed. We're not necessarily meant to be leaders, because our methods might be too subtle for others to pick up on." Drawing an arrow from her quiver, she held it up horizontally. "An arrow isn't quite as flashy as magic, don't you think?"

He laughed at this. "Or a sword." She giggled in response, lowering the hand holding the arrow to cover her mouth.

"You already understand, don't you? You must be trying very hard to help your group whenever possible."

Wil looked towards the first target, his smile still on his face. "You think so?" he asked, feeling sheepish. "I don't know. I kind of feel like I owe it to everyone. I'd been traveling alone for years before I met Lyn and the others, and being with them makes me want to keep everyone together so we can all keep traveling." He laughed, as if it would wipe his words away. "It's really selfish, but I...now that we don't have to be afraid of our lives or anything, I'm having a lot of fun. Ever since I met up with all of them, I've been having fun. So I don't want to stop."

Her giggle was louder than the last. "You're really a nice boy, aren't you? I'm sure everyone appreciates what you do for them."

I hope so, he thought, feeling both embarrassed and a little happy. 'Cause this now is a lot better than being alone.

-What the Maid Overheard From Down the Hall-

"I wish you would stop harassing the maids. It's shameful and does us all a dishonor in turn by being acquainted with you."

"Ah! I'm truly wounded by your callous words! This is mere conversation--a subtle understanding that passes between a man and a woman! Not that you would know...for a knight who follows the tradition of chivalry, your education is strangely lacking."

"I would hardly call that subtle."

"...That was an unusually harsh tone, even from you. Ah, I see your worries clearly, you needn't say a thing--it's women troubles!"

"It is about Lady Lyndis."

"Eh? You?"

"...What?"

"Hm...ah, no, nothing. I was mistaken. Where is our lovely lady liege, anyway?"

"She is currently resting. She will be leaving for Aquleia tonight with Lord Pent, and will participate in the arena again for the next two days."

"She's working quite hard, isn't she? I've but caught only the briefest of glimpses of her as of late, though she seems the same as usual...wouldn't you say so?"

"...I am not so sure."

"Hmm...there's quite the story behind this, isn't there?"

"This may be nothing more than my imagination, you understand. However, I believe that Sacae will burden her unduly."

"Why's that?"

"Do you never remember any of the promises you make?"

"Hn...it's that unpleasant business, then. Well, we must do our part to aid Lady Lyndis and ease the burden of the sadly departed Lady Madelyn. Or, do you have a specific worry?"

"I...wonder. I have no particular memory to relate, only a feeling that creeps over me when I observe her at swordplay as of late. It must be nothing."

"Are you sure? You're an eternal pessimist, to be sure, but more often than not your premonitions are at least partially founded."

"...No, I believe I was mistaken."

"If you say so. When will we leave, do you know?"

"Less than a fortnight, I believe."

"Ah, that's not enough time to enjoy the pleasures of fair Etruria. Say, why don't we visit Aquleia ourselves, you and I? Ah, and we'll invite Wil--he has potential, I can tell! The three of us can go to one of the taverns on the square and--"

"No."

"Ahh...as always, you are quite the spoilsport."

-A Cheering Crowd-

The crowd cheered. A fierce wind carried it all the way down the rows and into her ears.

Blood sprayed through the air as Lyn sliced through the side of her opponent's neck, coating everything in front of him with a fine mist of crimson.

The crowd cheered in response, just like they did every time she landed a killing blow. They hadn't when she'd started nearly a month ago. Then, they had heckled her, berated her for stepping inside the arena, insulted her for being a woman. And then she began to win, and win, and win.

The clash of metal against metal was like thunder before Lyn pushed off from the foot farthest from the collision of iron and steel, then darted forward and tore open her opponent's belly in a single swipe of her blade. A primal, wounded cry escaped from his mouth as he tried to hold the wound closed, never mind that his entrails were leaking through the places he couldn't keep closed.

The crowd cheered as she watched a man die. All the battles she fought in the arena blurred together, so many ways to kill burned into her mind, and she never turned away from what she could do, what she had done, what she kept on doing. She knew she didn't have the right to turn around. She didn't have the right to be squeamish. If she was going to exact revenge and crush the Taliver beneath her sword, then she had to see just what her sword could do in her hands. It felt disgusting that there were people who enjoyed the death sport, that to them she was nothing more than a performer and they would cheer just as readily if she were to die in the arena, but she could see no other way to grasp the strength she so desperately craved.

As her opponent collapsed without a sound, she flicked her wrist and heard the wind howl as her blade cut through the air and sent blood splattering onto the dirt. It was rare for her to keep her opponent alive. Ever since that horrible time after her tribe was slaughtered, when it was all she could do to struggle alone on the unforgiving plains, she had learned that it was better to kill than be killed.

The crowd cheered. It sounded like death.

-to be continued-

I didn't think I'd get this done in time. Although I had more stories I wanted to write, these cover the pertinent areas well enough.

Writing the Pent/Louise story kind of made me wish I had written a story about them in the vein of SUtOT, except that it would be unapologetically a romance with high society drama. Heh, that might've been interesting. Let's see...canon-wise, Louise laments to their inability to have children in her B support with Guy, though of course that's reversed in the Pent/Louise A support. In FE6, the Klein/Dieck support goes more indepth regarding arena/pitfighters.

In FE6, the Lance/Lot B support has them playing a game that might be a chess analogue, although it has too many unique pieces (unless it has no lord/lady). Since they're also calling out letter-number places, they're either playing it mentally or playing Battleship, I don't know.

Wil's backstory with Dan can be found in the Wil/Dart and Wil/Rebecca supports.

And that's it. See you next chapter!