No Longer Alone


Guess who got a broken keyboard and a crashed hard drive just as they wanted to get back to writing after a short hiatus?

Go on. Guess.

Also, this story is officially my most reviewed story as of me writing this, beating out the second by 12 reviews, when both are at 30 chapters. Yay me, I guess.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


"Oh, they're back!" The smile on Amelia's face widened as she gazed out to the edge of the camp where the weary soldiers were returning, congregating into formation for a quick debriefing.

"Looks like it." Neimi nodded as she folded her arms, staring out at the men. "They took a bit longer than expected, though. I was starting to get a bit worried…"

"Oh? Did Colm go with them?"

"Actually, no." Neimi scratched the back of his head. "He was complaining about sitting it out for a while, but in the end he came around. He should be at his tent now."

"Mm." Out of the corner of her eye, Amelia noticed that the soldiers were breaking up, the knights among them. And then she was hobbling forward, trying to find Franz, to ask him how the fight went, if he needed any help with anything, or well, if he wanted to just take some time off and chat.

Ah, there he was! Cutting her way past several of the soldiers, she saw Franz leaning slightly over Neige, inspecting what appeared to be a long cut across the horse's flank. And next to him was… Ewan?

Hm. She hadn't noticed the two of them getting close to each other, but then again she hadn't really been keeping a particularly close eye on them, after all…

Even as she neared, Ewan broke off the conversation with a shrug, turning away and striding purposefully towards the centre of the camp.

"Hey, Franz." She smiled. "I see you made it back in one piece."

As Franz glanced up at her, she thought she could catch the vestiges of a thoughtful, pensive expression on his face before it was replaced by his familiar, easy smile. "Yeah. The army wasn't as large as we'd feared, but they had a few new monsters we hadn't seen before." He sighed and shook his head. "At this rate, who knows what kind of monstrosities we'll be seeing before the war's end."

Amelia lowered her gaze to the ground. Contemplating shadowy monsters was something she was understandably reluctant to do too much of, and after a moment she shook herself both figuratively and literally. "By the way, what were you and Ewan talking about just now?" She asked, casting about for some other topic of conversation.

"Hm? Oh, you – er, noticed?" Something about the way Franz responded, some catch in his voice, made her look up, arching an eyebrow. "It wasn't anything important, really."

"Okay, then telling me about it shouldn't be a big deal, right?" She smirked at him.

The knight swallowed. It was obvious that whatever it had been, he didn't feel like talking about it. "Look, I'll tell you… some other time, okay? Not now."

Amelia frowned at that, but some part of her mind advised her not to push, that he would tell her when he was good and ready, so she nodded and shrugged and let it pass.

"Anyway, you should get some rest. You need to get that leg healed as soon as possible." Franz looked over at her.

"Oh, and you'll be just fine, huh?" She raised an eyebrow. "If anything, you're in even worse shape than I am. I'm pretty sure that wound wasn't there when you set out."

Franz's smile was tired. "I'll be fine. I just need to go talk to Natasha for a while and then I'll be going to sleep myself. Missing one dinner isn't going to kill me…" His voice trailed off as he walked away.

"Hey, what's wrong? You've got a funny look on your face." Neimi was there again, an inquisitive smile.

"Hm? No, it's not me. It's Franz. He seemed kind of… tired. Distracted."

"Well, maybe the fight wore him out?" Neimi shrugged.

"No, I've seen him when he's tired after a tough battle. It's different. Like… something's weighing him down." Amelia folded her arms. "Like… hmm. I get the feeling he's worried about something."

"Well, you sure seem to know him well." Neimi grinned and elbowed her friend. "Maybe you should go talk to him."

"Nah. When I talked to him earlier, he gave me the impression he wanted to be alone." To collect his thoughts. Still, she couldn't help feeling that there was something she could – and should – do about it. "… I'll go talk to him later." She finally concluded.

With that tiny sense of satisfaction, the both of them turned and headed back towards the centre of the camp.


Franz ambled around the perimeter of the camp, barely aware of his surroundings. Prince Ephraim had informed them that they intended to set out for the capital early the next day – and he meant early, but until then, the soldiers were left to their own devices.

Which was a good thing, really, since he needed time to think. To reflect… about what Ewan had told him.

Kicking a stray stone out of his path, Franz sighed, letting his mind drift back to the beginning of the conversation.

"Oh? About what?" Franz questioned as he silently guided Neige to slow down. After a moment's hesitation, he dismounted – talking to someone on foot while he himself was on horseback could be considered rude, not to mention uncomfortable, due to the craning of necks that had to ensue.

"Well…" The mage glanced away for a moment. "It's about Amelia."

"Oh." Franz frowned. He knew that the mage had become friends with the lancer, but he couldn't honestly see a point of discussion between the two of them – at least not over her…

Well, whatever it was, Ewan was having some difficulty bringing the topic up – but it didn't seem like embarrassment, exactly. More like… like he was worried. About what, Franz didn't have the faintest idea.

"Franz, do you like Amelia?" Ewan fairly blurted out the question as he turned to stare directly at Franz, his eyes set in a peculiar way that Franz couldn't read.

Well, that was rather unexpected. Caught off-guard by the suddenness and bluntness of the question, Franz hesitated for a long moment before replying. "Uh, well… I – she's…um…" No, this wasn't getting him anywhere. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself and collect his thoughts, Franz began speaking again. "Yes, I suppose I do. She's a great friend, she usually has a cheerful disposition, and she's easy to talk to. Lately she's also been improving in –"

"No, no, no." Ewan was shaking his head. "That's not what I'm talking about. Franz, do you like Amelia?"

Well, there was no way to doubt the meaning of that. Franz hesitated a moment before sighing and nodding. "Yes, I suppose I do. Why are you asking me this, Ewan?"

The young mage now bore a frown on his face. "Franz… look, let's be honest here. You've known Amelia a lot longer than I have. I don't want to make any assumptions here, but… Well, I'm her friend, too. I don't want to see her get hurt."

Franz did his best to keep his expression neutral. "And what," he said, unable to keep the edge from his voice. "Makes you think I would hurt her?"

"No, it's not like that at all."

"Well, maybe you'd better hurry up and start telling me what it IS like, then!" Franz realized he'd subconsciously raised his voice so that others around him could hear and he managed to force it back down with some effort.

"I – look, Franz. I know you enjoy spending a lot of time with Amelia, and based on your own admittance, you see her as something more than a friend," Ewan paused. "Frankly, that's a good thing, because she's in love with you too."

Later when asked to describe it, Ewan told him that he had 'pulled short in his walk and gone a rather unnatural colour', but at that moment he was only aware that he felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"Uh, Franz? You still with me?" The pupil gave him a quizzical look. And he was, really. He just had to get used to the idea of Amelia bring attracted to him. It honestly wasn't something he'd ever thought about…

"Are… are you sure about this?" He finally managed.

"Well, I don't know for sure, but it's a pretty good guess." Ewan sighed. "It certainly looks like it, if nothing else."

Well, it wasn't the one hundred percent confirmation Franz wanted right now, but he supposed it was better than nothing. "Back to the question, then. What is this about? What makes you think I'd hurt her?"

"No, look, I'm not saying you'd do it on purpose, but, well…" Ewan paused again, a deep frown etched over his face. "Franz, I – my sister's a dancer. Lots of guys end up interested in her because of… well, because of how she looks. They don't care about her as a person, about what she likes, how much she knows, her past… everything." Ewan's face was set now, his frown angry. "I hate them."

"And you think I'm like that?" Franz said tightly, doing his best to restrain himself from reaching over and lifting Ewan off the ground. "You think I only care about Amelia because she's pretty? How dare you-"

"No, look, listen to me first, okay? I know you don't see Amelia as just a pretty face, that wasn't my point. I was talking about the depth of your relationship with Amelia. Franz, I'm serious here – Do you see your future with her in it?"

"What do you care?"

"I'm her friend, Franz. I don't want to see her get hurt."

"So is Neimi, and she didn't come to me asking me questions about how I see Amelia. Ewan, I barely know you. If you're pals with Amelia, then great. No one ever said she was antisocial. But don't think that it gives you the right to start interrogating me about my relationship with her. Ever."

And before Ewan could say anything else in response, Franz had already remounted Neige and steered her away from the young mage.

That had been unpleasant enough, Franz reflected sourly, but not half as much as Ewan catching up with him again just as they'd completed their several-hour trek back to camp. The gist of it had been that Ewan was trying to offer an apology, which Franz had by that point cooled down enough to accept. The unpleasantness had come in from the fact that the way Ewan acted betrayed the fact that he still had something he wasn't telling the knight. What, exactly, Franz had no idea. Which simply led to him puzzling over it, coming up with nothing, and generally being annoyed at Ewan's recalcitrance.

The fact that Amelia liked him as more than a friend might have been uplifting thought at first, except there wasn't a conceivable way where he could broach the subject without it being ridiculously awkward. None that he could see, anyway, and that made it all the more confusing.

"Franz?" The gentle voice barely registered in his mind, but when it finally did, he turned to face Natasha sitting down on a bench and staring at him, a soft smile on her lips and a questioning look in her eyes.

"Natasha." He inclined his head in a show of respect. "I trust you're doing well."

The cleric nodded, although Franz could clearly see the strain in her eyes as plainly as the smears of mud and blood across her robes. "I'm fine. I just wanted to say thank you for the satchel you made for me. It proved really useful during that last battle. It's…" She paused, searching for the right words. "Ingenious, really." She finally finished.

"Well, I'm glad you like it." Franz smiled. "It's… really the only thing I'm good at."

Natasha frowned. "Franz, you sell yourself short far too often, you know that?"

"Huh?" The knight blinked. "How so? I mean, I… I'm not that good a soldier, after all. I don't have many talents beyond, well, being good with my hands." He gestured towards the satchel. "That's the only thing I can do that no one else I know can."

The cleric laughed – a melodious, infection chuckle from her throat – and shook her head. "Well, perhaps you just haven't realized it, then, Franz." She quirked her head to the side as she stood. "But you have something else going for you. Not unique – or at least, I certainly hope not. But it's something you possess, and it is your strength as well."

"What? I…" Franz trailed off as he tried to think of what it was that Natasha was talking about. Nothing came up. "I'm afraid you've lost me." He finally said.

She nodded once. "You have a compassionate heart, Franz. One that tries not to cause undue harm to anyone, one that would reach out to comfort a single frightened soldier from the enemy ranks. One that seeks to protect and shield others from harm. That is your strength." She paused, evidently seeing the confusion and doubt he was feeling. "It's okay if you don't understand quite yet… but don't ever forget it, Franz." And with that, she turned and slowly began to walk away.


"You're up early today." Amelia heard Ross say as she ducked out of her tent. She shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep. I was just too… I dunno. Tense. Anxious."

The axefighter nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I mean, we're really going to do it, aren't we? We're going to assault the capital of Grado."

"Yeah, we are." Amelia sighed and stretched, working the stiffness from her limbs. "Good thing my leg's all healed up already."

It had been several days since the battles in the Za'Albul Marshes. The Frelian army had made good headway into Grado, and they were now less than half a day's march from the very heart of the Grado Empire, a prospect that Amelia found both comforting and unsettling. Comforting because it meant that the war would finally, finally, be over. Unsettling because, after all, it was the most heavily fortified structure in the entirety of the continent.

Still, if anyone could pull it off, Commander Ephraim could, right? He'd already done his fair share of seemingly impossible feats. What was one more to him, right?

That quasi-comforting thought firmly in mind, she settled herself down near the centre of the camp, silently watching the guards on duty. It was strange, really, how they'd met almost no resistance whatsoever in their approach to the capital. They'd spotted several advance warning units, and had even managed to capture a couple of them, but enough had escaped to ensure that Emperor Vigarde would know of their arrival.

As more and more soldiers began emerging from their tents ahead of the reveille, Amelia reflected that the jitters were probably affecting everybody. Most of them were ordinary men and women, after all. It was only natural that they-

Her train of thought was broken as she saw Franz walking towards the perimeter of the camp, silent as a ghost. As she continued watching her back, she let loose a frustrated sigh. Franz had been rather subdued and reticent ever since coming back from the battle with the fiends the other day. As best as she could figure, it had something to do with Ewan… but what exactly, she didn't have the faintest clue.

And then there was the question of whether or not there was a chance of them… well, deepening their relationship? Going one step further? She hadn't the clue what to call it, and it annoyed her. She was fairly certain that she liked Franz and according to others, he liked her as well. But even if she felt secure enough to ask him about it, his current moodiness would make bringing that issue up a… sensitive one, at best.

All too soon, the morning exercises and meal were over and done with, the army reassembled, and ready to march. As the order was given and the predawn silence gave way to the methodical tramp of boots, Amelia silently prayed that the future would bring better tidings.


It had been several long and trying days, to put it mildly. In addition to the current situation with Amelia which he still hadn't the faintest idea how to resolve, there was also the snarl-up in relations with Ewan, and last but not least, he was no closer to figuring out Natasha's cryptic (well, it seemed that way to him) message.

That he had a kind heart was something most people he knew had observed over the years – but it wasn't something unique. Fair enough, she'd said so herself. But she still seemed insistent on claiming that it was his 'strength' – again, whatever that meant.

And lastly, for whatever reason, Amelia seemed to have less time to spend with him, although he had to concede that being in a funk like he was did not make him the most amiable of partners.

Understandably, he hadn't been in the best of moods the past few days.

"Franz?" The voice was soft, hesitant, and as he turned he saw Neimi walking beside Neige.

"Neimi." Dismounting, he smiled softly towards her. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, no, well, not me, exactly…" She trailed off. "Franz, is something troubling you?"

He sighed. No reason to lie to her. "Yes. Several things, infact. Why do you ask?"

"It's just… Amelia didn't want me to tell you this, but she's been worried about you. You've been kind of…" She paused. "I dunno, distant."

"I've had a lot on my mind lately." He replied. It was the truth, but it was also vague enough that he could hope Neimi would get the hint and end the questioning.

Obviously she didn't.

"Care to tell me about it?"

"Not really, no." Franz shook his head. "I… I want to deal with this on my own."

"But still, Amelia's feeling kind of down about all this. And you can't tell me that you've been at your perkiest either."

"I…" Franz sighed and closed his eyes. "Maybe you're right. Once this fight is over, I'll go talk to her. For now though, I need – we need to concentrate on the fight."

Franz was surprised by Neimi's reaction – she beamed. A smile that she was obviously trying – and failing – to wipe away remain firmly etched on her face. "Great. I mean, good – I, uh… Well, it's motivation for you to get out of the battle in one piece, huh?"

"As if I didn't have enough of that already." However, any response that might have forthcoming by the pink-haired girl was erased as the gates of the Grado Capital – ringed and barred with iron – came into view.

It was time.


Chapter End


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