No Longer Alone


Sorry about taking so long to give you guys a relatively short chapter. I guess you could say life got in the way.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


"You should go on a journey."

Amelia glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Where did that come from? And I was under the impression that I was on one right now."

Ewan sighed, scratched at his head. "You know what I mean. A fun journey. You just go to soak in the sights, learn more about the people, visit places, that sort of thing."

"You sound like you've had that sort of experience already."

"Uh huh. Master Saleh brought me out for one of his trips before – collecting herbs, toughening your body, learning the lore and cultures of the various nations. It was one of the best experiences I ever had in my life. Sis said that I wouldn't shut up for weeks after I came back."

A smirk crossed her features. "And that's different from the way you normally are… how?"

"Hmph. Cheap shot."

With the scouts still searching for the whereabouts of Prince Lyon, the army had yet to break camp even after spending another day by the riverside. King Ephraim was becoming increasingly distraught; after all, every moment they were unable to pick up the trail meant that it grew colder. There had been some preliminary discussion about heading onward to Rausten first to pick up the last Sacred Stone, but that didn't appear to be becoming reality anytime soon.

At least it was apparent that they'd be moving soon, even if nobody knew where, and so most of them had already packed their kit, ready to set out as soon as the call to march sounded. Meanwhile, though, there wasn't much of anything for the soldiers to do but sit around and talk with each other.

"Anyway," Ewan continued, "Like I was saying, you should go on a journey."

She shook her head. "I don't… I'm not really a 'journeying' person, Ewan."

"Sure you are!" The mage flashed a grin at her. "You're curious, you're resourceful, you're pretty tough, and you like to try new things. You'd love it!"

"'Love' it, huh…" Amelia pursed her lips.

"Definitely." Ewan gazed off into the horizon, his eyes distant as he sifted through the memories of the time he'd spent travelling with his master. "There're so many beautiful things out there, there's – I don't have the words to describe them. Lush forests, still wet with morning dew that reflect the sun into a million sparkling lights," Ewan closed his eyes, a smile of contentment on his face. "Flowers fields, spreading out as far as the eye can see, filling the land with a blaze of glorious colours. Market towns, the controlled chaos of hundreds of people shopping, eating, relaxing, living their lives. The cold stark grandeur of the mountain peaks…" His voice trailed off into a brief silence. "There're so many wonderful things out there in the world, Amelia. When you see them, when you get to experience them for your own… you'll feel glad just to be alive."

Amelia stared at the redhead, eyebrow raised. Was this the same Ewan with the infectious grin who pranced through life without the slightest bit of gravity or care? He looked like a completely different person.

"That's… pretty eloquent for you, Ewan." She finally ventured. "I've never heard you speak like that before."

"Heh." The mage rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and suddenly he was the Ewan she knew so well again. "Guess I am pretty passionate about it all."

"I guess I can understand that. Hearing you speak like that kinda makes me want to go off on a journey myself."

"Well, why don't you? Nothing's stopping you, after all."

"Nothing's stopping me, huh." Amelia repeated softly. "I don't know. I always thought that after the war, I'd want to settle down again. Take it easy."

"Always thought?" Ewan questioned as he kicked at a pebble by his foot. "You make it sound like you've changed your mind a bit."

"Not really. I just never really had any thoughts about doing anything else." Amelia sighed softly. "I'm not sure what I want anymore, really. Everything's so… unclear."

"Well, it's not like you have to make a decision now. Sleep on it. Talk to Franz or Neimi or whoever it is you might want to hook up with after the fighting ends. I mean, whatever it is you do, you're not going to do it alone."

"And I guess that if I were to say I'd go on that journey, I'd have you tagging along?"

"Well, you'd always have a use for someone as street-smart and savvy as me, after all." Ewan grinned.

She replied with a chuckle and leaned back, using her arms to prop herself up as she gazed at the sky. After several more quiet moments she spoke up again.

"You know, Ewan?'

"Huh?"

"I like talking with you. You always have so much drive and energy, it always makes me feel more energized myself. You're always cheerful and upbeat." She paused. "I guess what I'm saying is… I'm glad you're here with me. I'm glad you're my friend."

"Heh. Well," Ewan said. "You might want to make sure Franz doesn't hear you say that. He might get the wrong idea, you know?"

She let out a short laugh. "Franz isn't the jealous type, Ewan, And besides, it's not like I don't like talking to him too. It's just that both of you – the way you are – it's different."

"Different how?"

"Well… I already told you that I think you're energetic and carefree," Amelia cocked her head to one side. "Franz is different. More serious. He's… well, he's like a knight in shining armour. When I'm with him… I feel safe. Comfortable. Like I can confide in him and…" Amelia shrugged. "And he'll be there for me no matter what." She concluded

Ewan nodded. "Sounds nice. Still, I wonder…"

"Wonder what?'

The mage shrugged and glanced away. "How he feels when he's with you. I mean, I don't think he'd get the same vibe that you do from him, after all."

Amelia clucked her tongue once. "No, I guess not. I'm pretty sure he's happy being with me, though." She shook her head and chuckled softly. "Sounds kinda narcissistic when I say it out loud, doesn't it?"

"Not if it's true." Ewan shifted in his seat and patted her hand. "I mean, anyone can see it. It's not like you two ever really tried to hide your relationship or anything."

"Yeah, I guess." She hung her head, a wistful smile on her face.

"Hey, Amelia?"

"Hm?"

"As long as we're on the subject, where is Franz?"

"I'm not sure. He told me that General Seth wanted to talk to him about something."

"Huh. Wonder what that's about."


The two blades flashed silver in the sunlight as master and student faced each other.

Breathing heavily, Franz shifted his weight, trying to give himself a more stable footing as General Seth moved onto the offensive yet again.

Quickly, he swung his sword up to meet the general's attack – and in the process ending up falling for his feint. Frantically Franz weaved to the side, evading the blow at the last possible moment.

Once again they were facing each other. Franz thought he saw his mentor giving a slight nod of approval – but then again that might have simply been him shifting his stance. Drawing in another breath, Franz took the initiative this time, lunging at Seth with a series of three swift sword strikes.

They were quickly deflected by the General, of course, but Franz knew that Seth would be trying to unbalance him, and so he was able to brace himself properly to counter the blow.

His newfound strength helped, too.

With a battle cry, he shoved forward hard, sending General Seth staggering backwards for a brief moment. Almost instantly, he had collected himself again and stood once more in a battle – ready stance. Stepping back, Franz imitated the gesture, but after a brief moment Seth shook his head with a small smile and lowered his sword. Letting out a breath of released tension, Franz followed suit.

"Good job, Franz. You've improved tremendously." The Silver Knight's smile was warm. "To think that my protégé could hold his own against me for a minute and a half! Time does indeed fly."

"It wasn't me, General," he said. "I just used the Knight's Crest I was given, remember? It's the power boost, that's all."

"So you say. And yet you've also told me that you split the strength of the Crest with Dame Amelia, which means less individual power than normal was bestowed onto you. Not to mention I've used one myself quite a while back, so if anything you're just placing yourself on even ground with me."

Franz didn't respond.

"Franz, let me speak candidly for a moment," Seth sighed and settled himself down on a log that passed for a bench. "You need to learn to get past your belief that nothing you do is of any real worth. It is unbecoming for a knight to hold himself in such low regard."

"I thought you told me that knights were supposed to be humble, and not proud?"

Seth nodded. "I did. But 'humility' is not a refusal to accept praise or thinking low about yourself. It means to have an accurate estimate of your skills and abilities." He shook his head. "And frankly, seeing you beset by self-doubt is rather jarring."

"Jarring?" Franz raised an eyebrow. "You mean in comparison to Forde?"

"…No," he said after a pause. "Franz, when I was your age, there was one knight I looked up to above all others. His prowess in combat was unsurpassed, and his devotion to Renais was absolute. Us squires learnt the meaning of chivalry by watching him serve the king."

He frowned. "I'm sorry, sir, but what –"

"Ten years ago," Seth continued smoothly on as if Franz had not said a thing. "We received word that a famed assassin was hiding within Renais' borders. The knight tracked him down and brought him to justice, but at great cost. He was mortally wounded in the process, and died shortly after."

"General, why are you telling me –" Franz broke off mid-sentence as part of what his mentor just said registered in his mind. "Ten years ago?" Suddenly he felt very much like he had to sit down. "But that's – that can't be…"

"It is." Seth's voice was solemn. "He was the greatest knight in the history of Renais. Your father."

Franz closed his eyes and sat silently for a long while. Finally, he shook his head and spoke up. "General… Why this? Why now?" There was a snort that might have been the beginning of a chuckle. "I grew up hearing tales of what a great knight my father was. But I don't remember him well at all."

Seth remained silent.

"He was always away on some mission or other. Whenever I felt lonely, Forde would always talk to me about our father's exploits. About how he was serving the nation, and how we had to be proud of him. Hearing stories about what a great knight he was was what made me want to join the knights myself."

"You probably have no idea how much you resemble him." Seth spoke up. "Your stance in battle, your love for Renais, your love of life… He was my mentor," his smile widened. "And it is truly an honour to see the skills he imparted in me developing in you in turn." There was a significant pause. "Franz, I want to tell you something, and I say this upon my word of honour as a knight and as a person."

"Yes?"

"You will grow to become a knight that surpasses not only me, but Sir Forde, Sir Kyle, and your father as well, if only you continue down this path that you are on. This, I give to you as an unshakable promise."


"Hey, Franz." Amelia greeted him with a tiny wave as she saw him walking towards their little group. He smiled back in return, although Amelia could sense that he was thinking deeply about something. "Is something the matter?"

"No… not really. I was just given a lot to think about all of a sudden."

"Yeah," she smiled. "I know what you mean."

"Hey," Ewan spoke up. "You were with the General, right? One of them, anyway. Do they know where we're supposed to be going yet?"

"Sorry, no. There's no trace of Lyon. Although from what I heard, if they can't find him by the next morning we're striking out for Rausten. Everyone agrees we can't afford to waste any more time."

"Hm." The mage rubbed the back of his head. "Guess that makes sense. At least we'll get to do something. All the tension's driving me crazy."

"I'm guessing your parents had a wonderful time raising a hyperactive kid like you." Franz said offhandedly as he settled himself down on a nearby seat.

"Nah. Don't have 'em." Ewan shrugged. The casual manner in which he revealed this information caused both of the soldiers to look up. Amelia knew Ewan was close to his sister, but he'd never mentioned his parents before. "They died before I could get around to remembering them."

"Then it was Tethys who took care of you?" They'd had little chance to interact ever since their first meeting, but she knew that Ewan would usually go to meet his sister during the evenings – sometimes to talk, and sometimes just to sit in contemplative silence at each other's side.

"Uh huh," Ewan grinned with pride for his sister. "She learned dancing and fortune telling in order to get enough money to take care of me. When I was still a kid she'd always save the biggest portions on the plate for me, she'd give me the newest pieces of whatever it was we found that we could use, and she never once complained. I wouldn't be where I was today without her."

"I guess it's the same with me and Forde." Franz said. "Well, my dad…" he trailed off for a moment before he shook his head and continued. "We had enough money that we never really had to worry about where out next meal was going to come from – especially after Forde was accepted as a knight. But he still had to raise me by himself."

"Me too. After my mother got taken, I… I had nowhere to go. No one to turn to. I remember being brought to the centre of the village, with the headman asking everyone there who was willing to take on the burden of another girl – another mouth to feed." Amelia closed her eyes, and a smile of memory played across her face. "Then the blacksmith stepped forward. I still remember what he said – the way he said it. 'She's not a burden. She will never be a burden.' And then he took me to his house and from that day on he raised me as his own daughter."

"Listen to us," Ewan broke the ensuing silence with a short laugh. "All of us losing parents like its going out of style or something…" His voice trailed away. "You know, it's been a while since I really thought about what Sis had to put up with to raise me."

Franz was silent as he gazed at the ground.

On some silent consensus the three of them stood and turned to leave. As he began to walk off, she caught Franz's eye and he gave her a brief smile before walking off.

Alone for now, Amelia headed for the edge of the camp where she simply stood, silently, enjoying the breeze.


Franz saw Forde crouching down near the campfire, apparently tightening some of the straps on his armour. Just as his older brother finished the job and stood with an air of evident satisfaction, Franz reached over to embrace him.

He could feel his brother stiffen in shock, but given that he hadn't twisted out of the younger knight's grip and punched him in the neck he supposed that all things considered it was a rather positive reaction.

Finally, he broke the hug and stepped away. His brother cocked his head to one side. "And what do I owe that rather spontaneous display of affection to?"

"Nothing really. Just… thanks." Franz shrugged awkwardly. "Thanks for being my brother."

A snort. "You're welcome." He hesitated for a moment. "Is there anything else?"

Franz had to stifle another laugh. His brother could read him like an open book. "Forde… what was our father like?"

Forde looked away. "Looks like Seth finally talked to you about it, huh." Turning, he began to walk towards the fire, as Franz trotted behind him.

Finally, after settling himself down, Forde gazed up at the sky and began to speak.

(X)

"So let me get this straight." Amelia mumbled as she tried to rub sleep stuff out of her eyes while simultaneously buckling her armour. "We decide to head for Rausten via the fastest route, and then the scouts come back and report that they saw the Demon King going down that path anyway?"

"That's the long and short of it." Neimi shrugged.

It was the next day – technically. It was still pitch black outside, and there were several people holding up torches, letting the groggy soldiers see what they were doing and getting the army moving in the chaotic mess that somehow always turned out organized and efficient in the end.

"Someone up there's got a strange sense of humour, then." Amelia concluded as she started for the infantry regiments. She took two steps before remembering that she was now a member of the mounted forces and did and abrupt about-face.

"See you later, Amelia!" Neimi called as she ran off, quickly being lost to the gloom – although Amelia thought she caught sight of Colm following behind her.

"Amelia!" Franz appeared out of the darkness, grasping the reins of both their horses, who followed him obediently. "Here, I got Fort ready for you."

"Thanks," she gave him a grateful look as she clambered atop her steed, a distant part of her mind registering that it felt a lot less uncomfortable than the first time she'd tried it. Beside her, Franz quickly mounted Sophia as well.

"So…" She ventured. "We're heading through Mount Nerelas, right?"

"Uh huh." The expression on Franz's face soured. "From what I hear, it's just shy of actually being considered an active volcano."

"A volcano?" Amelia raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"You've never heard of –" Franz was cut off by the shrill blast of a horn, signifying that the army was about to move out. He turned back to her. "We'll continue this later, okay?"

"Yeah," Amelia tugged on Fort's reins, feeling him respond in turn. "Later."


Chapter End


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