Whoops, I said I'd post once a day but then forgot I was going to be without internet all day yesterday. Sorry. Anyway, in case you were wondering, the "joke" that started this all was something along the lines of, "Who even hired Zagi?" "...Estelle. Yeah, totally Estelle. She was the mastermind behind everything." And then it spiralled out of control.

Chapter Two: A Reluctant Promise

"What the hell is this?" Yuri hadn't even reached for his sword yet.

"Lady Estellise wants you silenced, and I take my orders from her."

Yuri slowly shook his head as Flynn paced toward him. "This isn't funny. I really do think there's something wrong with Estelle."

"There is nothing wrong with her," Flynn said.

"Are you kidding?! You should have seen her. She's gone nuts!"

Flynn slashed his sword at Yuri, who whipped his out just in time. "How dare you insult Lady Estellise?!"

Yuri gritted his teeth as he pushed back against Flynn's sword. "What are you doing? Don't you dare tell me that whatever's gotten to Estelle has gotten to you, too."

"Nothing has gotten to me," Flynn said, and Yuri barely blocked another blow. "I take my orders from Lady Estellise, and if she wants you dead, I will finish that for her."

"You can't be serious!" Yuri enjoyed sparring with Flynn, or having friendly battles like their fight at Aurnion last week. There was nothing friendly about this, though. Yuri kept having to move backward, and it was all he could do to keep Flynn from inflicting a serious injury.

With an angry grunt, Yuri pushed back against Flynn. His sword grazed Flynn's arm enough to cut the fabric but nothing else. "Hey!" he shouted. "Knock it off! I don't want to fight you."

"Well, then," Flynn said breathlessly, "I guess you'll have to lie down and let me finish you."

"Like hell!" Yuri barked, going on the offensive. He'd been holding back this whole time, but the way Flynn glared at him told him one important thing: Flynn really was serious. He really was trying to kill Yuri. If he didn't fight back and give it his all, he could very well end up dead on the floor of Flynn's office.

"Ha! Finally giving me a real fight, are you?" Flynn rose his voice over the clank of steel. They carefully circled each other, carefully minding the boxes strewn across the floor.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Yuri shouted. "This isn't you, Flynn." Flynn's sword slashed his shoulder, which was preferable to his neck as it nearly had been. Yuri ignored the stinging and kept up the pace.

"Guess that shows you've never really known me," Flynn said.

"Of course I do." He tried to force Flynn against the wall with a series of successive blows. "Better than anyone."

Flynn snorted and pushed back, knocking Yuri's sword arm away with his left hand. Yuri swore and stepped to the side at the last second, but not before the top of Flynn's sword grazed his stomach and left a long slash curving around his side.

"If you think that," Flynn said, "I'm insulted. You honestly thought I was naïve enough to follow Alexei without knowing what he was doing?"

"Shut up!" Yuri punctuated his anger with a blow that sunk into Flynn's left shoulder, leaving a deep gash. Flynn grimaced for a second, but didn't let it slow him down. "You wouldn't work for Alexei," Yuri said. "I've known you since we were kids. You believe in justice!" His sword slashed Flynn's face, leaving a bloody mark on his cheek. "In defending those weaker than you!"

"And where did that get me?" A swift strike forced Yuri to step back. He tripped over a box and fell on his ass with a grunt. "All those self-righteous beliefs ever brought me was pain."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Yuri scrambled away on his butt. "Where is this coming from?! Pain? What pain?"

"But Lady Estellise showed me a better path." Flynn stepped around the box and paced toward Yuri, his face disturbingly emotionless. "I trust her. As long as I follow her orders, I'll never suffer again. She is my truest friend."

Yuri managed to get to his feet. On his way up he grabbed a handful of papers from one of the boxes and flung them in Flynn's face. This distracted Flynn for only a few seconds, but it was enough time for Yuri to come around beside him and smash the flat of his blade against Flynn's back. It could easily have been a fatal blow, but he couldn't bring himself to do that.

"Stop spouting this bullshit!"

Flynn staggered forward but caught himself before falling. He spun around and their swords clanked as Yuri parried his blow. "We've been friends since before I can remember!" Yuri said. "Have you forgotten that?"

"You were never my friend!"

The furious gleam in Flynn's eyes honestly scared Yuri. It wasn't that when he looked in his eyes he didn't see Flynn… it was that he did. This was Flynn, and that was more disturbing than anything else. "Of course I am! Always have been!"

"Stop lying to me. I know the truth now, thanks to Lady Estellise. You abandoned me when you left the Knights."

"What?! That wasn't about you at all. I told you that!" How much longer could they keep this up? Yuri was starting to feel light-headed from the blood loss. Flynn couldn't be faring much better, since he was covered in cuts and slashes. "Would you just cut this out, you idiot?!"

"What's wrong?" Flynn asked, landing another slash on Yuri's arm. "Afraid you'll actually have to live up to your promise in Nordopolica?"

Yuri didn't even have to pause to know exactly what Flynn was talking about.

"If I did, would you just kill me as well?"

"If you go and become a villain, you won't be giving me much choice."

When he'd said that, the thought that Flynn really would go the way of Ragou and Cumore had seemed laughably impossible. It wasn't so funny now. He'd made his choice to take down those who would abuse their power, but what if that person was Flynn?

"How long?" Yuri demanded. "How long were you knowingly taking orders from Alexei… from Estelle?"

"Always."

"But you liberated Mantaic!" Yuri insisted. "You're not a villain, Flynn!"

"Yeah," Flynn said, swinging his sword and forcing Yuri to step around the desk. "Lady Estellise needed apatheia to unlock Zaude, so we let him try to find Phaeroh in an attempt to take his. When it became clear that wasn't working, I was ordered to step in so he would stop wasting Knight resources."

"What the hell?!" Yuri ducked below the desk. "You knew all those people were getting killed, and you just let it happen?"

"Lady Estellise said it was necessary."

"That's not you, Flynn." He crawled around the desk as quickly as he could. "You always cared about everyone."

"That kind of thinking brings suffering."

Yuri sprung up on the other side of the desk. "Stop!" he shouted. "You're my best friend!"

"You are an obstacle."

"Are you really saying you did everything willingly? That you helped Alexei, knowing he planned to raise Zaude?"

"Raising Zaude was Lady Estellise's goal. I merely followed her instructions."

"People died."

"They don't matter."

Yuri stared at him. It was all horribly, awfully sinking in. Estelle had been manipulating them all along. Flynn was… Yuri didn't know what Flynn was, but Estelle had clearly gotten to him. Flynn had knowingly let people die and get hurt and he didn't even care. He had more power now than he ever had before; if he was allowed to remain unchecked as the commandant, who knew how many more people would suffer thanks to him blindly following Estelle's orders?

Flynn came at him again, and Yuri realized what he had to do. This really wasn't Flynn anymore. Well, it was, and that was the horrible part. This was Flynn now, but as far as he could tell the Flynn he'd grown up with had been killed by Estelle ages ago, leaving this emotionless monster who'd been playing him all along.

And Yuri was going to have to take him down.

He fought Flynn with renewed vigour. He knew what he had to do now, and he was going to do it fast before he lost his nerve. In the thick of the fight he didn't have time to really sit and think about this, but maybe that was for the best. If he stopped and contemplated that fact that Estelle was a villain and Flynn her dangerous puppet, he might have a mental breakdown.

Flynn backed away from Yuri, but he was slowing down. He was losing blood faster than Yuri and panting for breath. Yuri's sword smashed into his and knocked it aside, and then Yuri rammed his fist into Flynn's stomach. Flynn stumbled backward and his foot caught on a box. He toppled onto his back, his sword falling from his grip.

This was it. No hesitation. It's not really Flynn, Yuri told himself. If it ever was, it hasn't been for a long time. End this.

"I won't let you hurt any more people," Yuri said. His voice was as hard and cold as a block of ice, but that was because if he let any emotion at all into it he'd end up screaming in rage and pain. "I won't let you sully Flynn's memory anymore."

His grip tightened on his sword as he stood over Flynn. He'd stab him straight through the heart and end this quickly. There was no need to make him suffer. Every inch of him shook, including his breath as he drew in a great gulp of air.

He brought his sword down. In that second, he met Flynn's pained eyes. They looked simultaneously scared, confused, and… thankful. As if some part of the old Flynn had managed to break through and give him silent gratitude for ending it all.

It wasn't much, but it was enough that Yuri's trajectory changed at the last millisecond. The blade sunk through Flynn's chest until it hit the floor, sliding through his ribs and lung but missing his heart. Yuri stood frozen, his hand still locked on the hilt as Flynn gasped for breath.

The moment might have lasted five hours as far as Yuri knew. It ended when Flynn wheezed and coughed, blood splattering on his chin as a steadily widening stain blossomed on his chest.

Yuri released the grip on his sword and staggered backward, unable to tear his eyes off Flynn. All he could hear above his own pounding heart was Flynn gasping for air and coughing blood. It was done. Flynn wouldn't last much longer. He wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. Yuri had done the right thing, because the Flynn he'd been interacting with in the past few months wasn't Flynn. It was the right thing to do, he desperately told himself over and over.

He couldn't stand here and watch Flynn drown in his own blood. He should stay, he knew. He didn't want to make Flynn die alone and in in agony on the floor, but if he stayed in this room with the smell of blood clogging his nostrils any longer he was going to faint.

Yuri ran for the door. He didn't know where he was going; he just knew he had to escape.

Sodia made her way down the hall toward Flynn's office, a stack of papers in hand. She felt guilty bringing them, knowing he already had enough work cut out for him, but this had to be done. She knew he'd be upset with her for not bringing it to him right away. She turned a corner, and crashed into someone running the other way.

The man knocked her to the ground, the papers flying everywhere. "Oof!" she said as she hit the ground. "Excuse you," she grumbled in annoyance, but the person didn't even pause before continuing down the hall. She got to her knees and watched him go, and frowned as she recognized his back. "Yuri Lowell?" What in the world was he up to now?

Sodia gathered her papers and got to her feet, muttering darkly to herself about hooligans being allowed in the castle. She hadn't gotten a good look at him, but she'd caught a glimpse of wild eyes and she hoped he hadn't gotten the Commandant drawn into some reckless scheme of his.

She quickened her pace, eager to reach Flynn and ask him what his friend was up to now. She reached his office, knocked once, and then opened the door. "Sir, I brought-" she cut off with a gasp. The papers she dropped hadn't even drifted to the floor by the time she reached Flynn's side.

"Commandant!" she screamed, her shaking hands hovering over him, unsure what to do. All knights were trained in basic first aid, but this was far beyond her knowledge. A sword pinned him to the floor, blood pooling under his back. His breaths came quick and rattling, interrupted by blood bubbling up between his lips. At least it meant he was still alive, but for how much longer?

The only person who could save him was Lady Estellise and her healing magic, and Sodia was sprinting out the door by the time she completed that thought. As she ran, images of the horrific scene came back to her. With sick dread she realized she recognized the hilt of the sword that was piercing him. She remembered Yuri's frazzled appearance and easily put two and two together. Yuri was not a good person, and she had always suspected he'd get the commandant into trouble, but she'd never doubted that he did legitimately care about him, even if the relationship was destructive. She'd always feared he would accidentally get Flynn killed, never this!

She ran into Lady Estellise before reaching her room. "Lady Estellise!" she said, stopping her in the hallway. Estellise had been walking quickly toward Flynn's office, and Sodia wondered if she already knew something had happened. "You must come quickly! Commandant Flynn is-" her voice cracked as he she pictured the scene again. "He's horribly wounded."

Estellise gasped. "Oh no, what happened?!"

"There's no time to explain. Come with me." They took off running. Sodia ran harder than she ever had in her life, but it still felt too slow. All she could think of as she ran was that pool of blood under Flynn getting wider and wider.

Tears built up in her eyes as she ran, terrified that he would be gone by the time she got back. What if she's lost her chance to talk to him one last time by going to get Estellise when it was already too late? What if he had last words he wanted to give her, but she wasn't there for them? There were so many things she still wanted to tell Flynn. How she felt, what he meant to her, and even… even what she'd done at Zaude. She'd pushed that aside for weeks, telling herself there would be better times to bring it up, and it had always seemed like they had so much time to get to it. If Flynn died and she never told him the truth, she'd have to live with that guilt for the rest of her life.

They reached his office and she slammed the door open. As she saw his bloodied body, she realized that her guilt from Zaude had disappeared. She no longer felt awful for attempting to kill Yuri; she felt awful that she'd failed the job.

"Flynn!" Estellise yelled, running to him. She dropped to her knees, not even caring that she stained her white skirt. "Sodia, you need to help me," she said breathlessly.

Sodia stood over Flynn, hands shaking. "What can I do?"

"You need to pull the sword out. I can't heal the wound with it in there."

"Tell me when to pull." She grabbed the hilt, which wiggled slightly. Flynn coughed up more blood, and a chill ran down Sodia's spine. It was ok, she told herself. The fact that his face contorted in agony meant he was still alive.

Golden light glowed around Estelle, casting shimmering shadows on Flynn's pallid face. "Pull it out now," Estellise said.

Sodia yanked the sword out and then let it fell to the floor with a thud. Flynn coughed and gasped, trying to get air but unable to even breathe with a hole in his lung.

"Revitalize," Estellise said, and bright light engulfed Flynn. It was so bright Sodia had to squint and look away, but when she turned her head back, the hole in Flynn's chest had closed, leaving a bloodstained red mark.

"Is… is he alright?" she asked, barely daring to hope.

Estellise reached out her gentle hand and rested them on the side of Flynn's neck. She slowly nodded and said, "Yes. He'll live."

Sodia let out the most relieved sigh, and slumped to her knees. "Thank heavens." Flynn's eyes were closed and he seemed to have passed out. His breaths were ragged and slow, but he was taking them. Sodia reached out and tenderly held his hand, taking comfort in the fluttering heartbeat. It was weak, but it told her he was still with them.

"But… what happened?" Estellise asked, looking to the sword with confusion. "That's Yuri's sword."

"I encountered Yuri Lowell running out of the castle," Sodia said, raising her eyes from Flynn. "He appeared to have been in a fight."

Estellise hung her head. "I… I don't believe it. He attacked me, too."

Sodia reminded herself that the princess looked roughed up as well. "What happened?"

"Yuri came to my room to talk to me," Estellise said, looking down at her bloodied knees. "I… I don't even want to say it. He's Yuri. I just don't know what came over him."

"Did he harm you?" Sodia asked.

Estellise took a long time to speak, obviously feeling terrible for condemning a close friend. "He… he tried to force himself on me," Estellise said, staring at Flynn so she wouldn't have to meet Sodia's eyes. "I don't know what came over him. I can only assume he's been dealing with feelings for me for quite a while and… and decided that since our journey was over he might as well act on them." She pulled her hands up and rubbed tears from her eyes.

Sodia's glare narrowed and her fury with Yuri Lowell soared even higher than she had previously thought possible. She'd known he was bad news the moment she met him. Flynn and Lady Estellise were too trusting for their own good. They couldn't recognize a villainous thug when they saw one. "Were you harmed, Lady Estellise?"

She tearfully shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I fought him off." With an unconvincing smile she added, "I'm stronger than he thought, I guess. He ran out and I didn't follow him. I didn't know what to do. He must have gone to Flynn."

"Do you think he told Flynn what happened?" Sodia asked, trying to piece it together.

"I don't know," Estellise said. "Maybe."

"Perhaps he thought he could complain to his old buddy about women not putting out," Sodia said bitterly. "Commandant Flynn would hardly let that slide." Maybe he had tried to arrest Yuri when he found out what had happened, and Yuri had resisted arrest.

"That could be," Estellise said. She took a deep breath and stood up. "Flynn's going to recover, but I've done all I can with magic. It will take some time for him to recover the lost blood, and for his lung to reach full functionality again. He needs to go to the infirmary."

"Right," Sodia said, getting up as well. "You stay here with him. I'll arrange for a stretcher to be brought."

"Thank you for coming to get me, Sodia," Estellise said. She glanced down at Flynn and said, "I don't even want to imagine what might have happened if you hadn't found him when you did."

A chill ran through her once again. Sodia didn't want to imagine that either. She left the room, bitterly wishing she'd finished the job at Zaude before her suspicions about Yuri could be proven correct.

Rita sat at the desk in the room she was using at the castle. Karol and Judith were staying with Yuri in the lower quarter and Raven had already gone to Dahngrest to deal with Altosk, but Rita had a report to finish writing. Since Estelle was staying in the castle, Rita decided to stay here as well, just so Estelle wouldn't be lonely.

She had almost finished a page describing precisely how Brave Vesperia No. 1 worked when frantic knocking came to her door.

"Rita?" came Estelle's voice. "R-Rita are you in? I need to talk to you."

There was fear and pain in her voice that Rita hadn't heard since she'd been kidnapped by Alexei. For a second Rita was frozen in shock, and then leapt up. "Yes!" she called, running to the door. "Come in, I'm here!"

The door burst open and Estelle collapsed into Rita. Since Estelle was a few inches taller, this was a difficult arrangement for Rita. "E-Estelle, what happened?" Rita said, staggering backward as Estelle sobbed into her shoulder. Rita straddled the line between comforting and burning up with anger. Whoever had made Estelle cry had better run, because Rita was going to incinerate them.

Rita pulled Estelle off her just long enough to close the door and lead her to the bed. They sat side by side on the edge of the bed, with Estelle clinging to Rita so tightly she almost couldn't breathe.

"It's ok," Rita said, awkwardly rubbing her shoulder. She was inexperienced with this sort of thing, since blastia never broke down into tears. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"It – it's – it's Yuri," Estelle sobbed.

"Yuri? Is he ok?" She wouldn't put it past Yuri to get himself into trouble again. If that asshole was making Estelle worry about him, she was going to punch him.

Estelle nodded and pulled her face up enough to rub her tears on the back of her hand. She sniffled and said, "He came to my room. He told me that he's had feelings for me for a while and now that the journey was done he thought it was time to act on them."

Rita nodded slowly. She could buy that Yuri had feelings for Estelle. She'd always assumed they were purely platonic, but romantic feelings from him weren't totally implausible. So then, was Estelle upset because she'd had to break Yuri's heart?

"I told him I didn't feel the same way about him," she said. "I told him I loved him but that he was like a brother to me."

"That was probably the right thing to say." Rita only hoped that this was the right thing to say. Estelle was first real friend she'd ever had, so her experience with the proper response to boy trouble was limited.

Estelle shook her head. "But Rita, he… he wouldn't take no for an answer. He grabbed me and tried to kiss me."

"He what?" Suddenly the situation's plausibility crumbled. Yuri did that? But Rita saw the rip on Estelle's shirt and how heavily Estelle was crying, so clearly something horrible had happened.

"I fought him off," Estelle said. Her shoulders shook and Rita squeezed them tighter. "I – I was so scared, Rita. I know Yuri can be scary when he's facing bad guys, but for the first time, I was scared of him."

"That bastard," Rita seethed. "How could he?"

"That's not even the worst part," Estelle said.

Rita's stomach churned. How could it possibly get worse?

"After he left my room, he – he went to Flynn's office and…" She buried her face in the crook of Rita's neck. "I don't know what happened, but he and Flynn got into a huge fight. If I hadn't arrived in time to heal him, he – Flynn would have…" She broke off with a sob. "He's so badly hurt, Rita."

"But Flynn is Yuri's best friend," Rita said. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Estelle said, shaking her head against Rita's neck. "I guess," she sniffled, "I guess we never really knew him as much as we thought we did."

Rita shook nearly as much as Estelle, but hers was born of anger. It was like the fury and betrayal of finding out Raven's true identity, only ten times worse because at least she'd always suspected Raven was a creep. Once she got to know him, it had never even crossed her mind that Yuri wasn't a good person at heart.

"Where is he now?" she asked.

"He ran away," Estelle said. "Sodia's got the knights out looking for him."

"They'd better find him," Rita said. "And when they do, I'm gonna tear him to shreds. That bastard's got a world of hurt coming!" The thought that Yuri had done such horrible things was so difficult to process, Rita didn't even want to deal with it. She smothered the confusion and betrayal under fury.

"No, Rita," Estelle said. "I don't want you to hurt him. I couldn't bear to see Yuri hurt."

"How can you say that?! After what he did to you?!"

"Because he's Yuri."

Rita sighed heavily. Estelle was always so trusting. Well, fine, if Estelle wasn't going to get pissed off at Yuri, then Rita would just have to get mad for her.

Estelle took a few deep breaths and finally pulled back from Rita. "Thank you, Rita. I… I think I'm ok now."

"Yeah, of course," Rita said. "If you need anything to feel better, just let me know."

"I'm going to go to the infirmary to check on Flynn. I'm worried about him, but I just really needed to talk to you."

"I understand," Rita said. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it's ok," Estelle said, getting up. "I know you have work to do."

"Well… alright. Let me know if I can do anything."

"I will. Thanks Rita."

After Estelle was gone, Rita went back to her desk. She stared at her page of notes, and then slammed her fist on her desk. What the hell was Yuri thinking?

Yuri wasn't sure how he reached the Comet. He'd done most of the run in a panicked haze. Luckily, his legs knew the way and he crashed through the door of the room Judith and Karol were sharing.

Judith's hand was already on her spear by the time she realized it was him. "Yuri?"

Repede looked up and growled lightly with concern.

"Hey, Yuri," Karol said, looking up from the game of checkers he and Judith were playing. "What's… Yuri?"

Yuri stood in the doorway, panting for breath with wild eyes and covered in still-bleeding wounds.

Judith dropped a game piece and jumped up. "Karol, get the apple gels."

"R-right," Karol said, hopping up and going to his bag.

Judith rested her hand on Yuri's arm, carefully avoiding the wounds, and closed the door with her other hand. "Yuri? What happened?"

You killed Flynn. That was the only thing he could think of. He didn't actually know if Flynn was dead; there was a chance a healer had reached him before he bled out. Yuri didn't know what he was hoping for. You killed him he was your best friend and you killed him he's dead he's dead Flynn is gone because you stabbed him and he died in agony Flynn is gone because you fucking killed him you piece of shit you killed -

"Yuri?" Judith asked, her brow deepening with concern.

"Yuri, you should sit down," Karol said, holding a handful of apple gels. "I'm going to go get Estelle."

"No!" Yuri shouted, finally snapping out of the stream of horror in his mind. "Don't."

Karol froze and stared at Yuri's panicked face in surprise. He and Judith exchanged concerned looks, and then Judith said, "Sit down. We need to stop the bleeding."

With gentle hands, she guided him to the bed. Yuri collapsed on it, his muscles giving out. He sat on the edge, staring at the floor and still taking deep breaths. Repede trotted over and sat by his feet, offering silent comfort. His head spun and he was only half aware of where he was, and it was a constant battle to keep from throwing up. He wasn't sure how much of that was blood loss and how much was the foundations of his world getting ripped apart.

"Here, Yuri." Karol stood nervously before him and held out a couple of gels. "Eat these."

Yuri wordlessly swallowed them. His wounds tingled and closed, but he was so numb with shock he barely noticed.

"I need to take your shirt off to get to your wounds," Judith said, returning from the washroom. He hadn't even noticed her leave.

Yuri nodded mutely. It was weird that the bed was shaking this much. Oh, wait, that was him. Judith reached around his waist and undid the sash, and then slid the vest off his shoulders. She pulled up his shirt and he raised his arms to let her pull it off his head, and he was distantly aware that it was chilly. He could barely feel anything, though.

"You need to calm down," Judith said, rubbing a damp cloth over his wounds to mop up the blood. The gels had barely closed them and the touch of the cloth stung, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

How could he calm down after what he'd done to Flynn? After what he'd learned about Estelle? Just thinking about it made him want to throw up. He was dimly aware that the pain from his injuries had dulled and that Judith was now wrapping bandages around the deeper cuts the gels couldn't fully close. He was lucky to have such good friends… that is, if he could trust them. He'd thought Flynn and Estelle were his best friends, after all. If he couldn't even trust them, could he trust anybody?

"Tell us what happened," Karol said, hovering uncertainly behind Judith. "You're scaring me, Yuri."

"It's… Estelle… she…" He struggled to get words out between his rapid breaths. No matter how hard he breathed he couldn't get enough air in his lungs. It didn't help that he didn't want to say this. Telling Judith and Karol what had happened would make it all so horribly real. Besides that, what if he told them only for them to attack him , too? What if they were also in on it? What if the entire group had been in on it from the start and spent the whole time laughing at him behind his back?

Judith grabbed the blanket from the bed and draped it around his shoulders. She knelt in front of him and gently rested her hands on his shoulders. "Yuri… whatever it is, you can tell us. We're your friends. We want to help you."

He raised his head enough to meet her eyes. He was half-terrified of what he would see, but Judy's stare was as calm and friendly as it had ever been. She couldn't be in on it, he told himself. She'd only joined up with them in Ghasfarost, and even then she'd been following her own goals for a while. He could trust her.

"Estelle betrayed us," he forced out.

"N-no way!" Karol said.

"Karol," Judith said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, "let Yuri speak."

Yuri swallowed a deep gulp of air as Judith rubbed his shoulders. "I found these letters in Alexei's office. They were all from her. He… he was taking orders from her the whole fucking time."

Karol shook his head in shock. "No way… Estelle would never do something like that."

"I confronted her about it," Yuri said. "She admitted the whole thing. She told me she'd been manipulating us, and then she attacked me. I swear I'm telling the truth." His shaking gradually went away and his breathing slowed down, but he still felt numb inside.

"We believe you," Judith said. She frowned deeply and added, "It's hard to believe such a thing of Estelle, but it's even harder to believe you would make something like that up."

"Is that how you got injured?" Karol asked. "Did Estelle do that?"

"No," Yuri said. "After I ran from Estelle, I went to Flynn. But Flynn… he…" he's dead and you killed him. He shook his head to get that thought out of his mind. "He's taking orders from her too. I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure she's done something to him. He attacked me, and I… I…" killed him he's dead I killed him I killed Flynn he's dead dead dead –

"You struck him down," Judith finished for him.

Yuri's whole body tensed. "I stabbed him," he said hollowly. "I couldn't see any other way out. He admitted to letting innocents die and knowingly working for Alexei. I had no choice!" His voice cracked as he shouted the last bit. "I stabbed him in the chest and then I ran away." Because you're a fucking coward who couldn't face what you've done even though you fucking killed your best friend.

Judith and Karol exchanged uncertain looks, and then Judith leaned forward and pulled him against her chest in a tight hug. She rubbed his back as he stared in surprise over her shoulder.

"It's going to be ok, Yuri," Judith said softly. "I have every confidence that you wouldn't have done what you did if Flynn had given you any other choice."

"I don't think he was Flynn," Yuri said, sitting motionless and letting her hug him. It had been a long time since he let somebody hug him like this, and he had to admit that it felt nice. "Estelle did something to him. I can only guess it happened during those years they were together at the castle. She's got him wrapped around her finger."

"Hey, um, guys?" Karol said, glancing at the window. "I know this might not be a good time to bring it up, but I really don't think we should stay here very much longer."

"Why?" Judith asked, looking over.

"Well, chances are Estelle didn't want Yuri telling us what was going on, and Yuri just attacked the commandant. I'm sure Estelle's got the knights looking for him already, and it's not hard to guess he'd come here."

"That's right," Judith said, pulling away from the hug. "We should leave town."

"Let's go to Dahngrest," Karol said. "It's outside the empire's reach, and maybe Raven can help us."

"What do you think, Yuri?" Judith asked.

He nodded dully. "Yeah. Sure."

"I'll get our things," Judith said. "Karol, go next door and get Yuri's things."

"Right," Karol said on his way out the door.

Judith went around the room, throwing all their belongings into bags. Luckily they didn't have much. Karol came back a few minutes later and Yuri finally forced himself to get to his feet. He slipped his shirt on and grabbed his bag from Karol, and then the group left the inn.

They walked silently through the lower quarter. Yuri didn't feel like talking while Judith and Karol didn't want to disturb him. They were all dealing with the shock of Estelle's betrayal, and the only one who didn't seem fazed by the revelation was Repede. Yuri looked down at the dog as they left the city and headed to Ba'ul and the Fiertia sitting in the field outside. Had Repede always known, or at least suspected, Estelle's true nature? Repede was far from a friendly, people-loving dog but he'd remained hostile toward Estelle for ages. Perhaps he could tell, instinctively in a way he couldn't quite express to Yuri, that something about her wasn't right.

They loaded up onto the Fiertia and without a word Yuri headed for his bunk below decks. He collapsed onto the bed without even changing clothes or taking his boots off. Repede curled up next to him as Yuri stared up at the wooden planks above the bunk.

It was unreal, he thought as the boat swayed with Ba'ul's take-off. Estelle had betrayed them. In fact, she'd been betraying them all along. Then there was Flynn. Was it really possible that Flynn had been under Estelle's thrall this entire time? He remembered saying goodbye to Flynn as he left the Knights three years ago, and wondered if that really was the last time he'd seen the real Flynn.

Horrified thoughts and devastated feelings swirled together until he drifted into a restless sleep.