"…And then we finish Nergal," Jasmine finished softly. She gently trailed her fingers across the roughly-sketched map of the Dragon's Gate (courtesy of Jaffar). Her gaze became distant.
Hector grunted in response. "About time, if you ask me." He glanced at the other two lords, but, like Jasmine, they both seemed to be in a trance. Eliwood had his hands clasped together, hunched over so that his elbows rested on his thighs and his chin rested on his hands. His eyebrows were furrowed deeply in thought. Lyn was silent as well. Her eyes were closed, her head lowered. Hector opened his mouth to say something – "why are you all so darn quiet? We should be celebrating!" – but changed his mind, clamping his mouth shut. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest, leaned back in his chair, and considered everything they had been through up to that very second. A sudden silence fell through the tent, as each individual became immersed in his or her thoughts.
Lyn, as she thought of her grandfather and of Sacae. Eliwood, as he thought of his late father and of Ninian. Jasmine, as she thought about how much she'd grown as a person. Hector, as he thought of his brother.
It was the sound of somebody clearing his throat from outside the tent that snapped everybody out of their trances. They jumped up, glancing about as if they'd just heard an explosion.
"Milords?" It was Marcus's voice outside the tent.
"Marcus? Please, come in," Eliwood called out, clearing his throat. He straightened up. Marcus came in a second later. Although he looked as good in shape as ever, Eliwood could tell that the day had taken a toll on his trusted Paladin. Even Marcus would be exhausted after a day like this. Fighting through two armies – the leaders of which were morphs – was not an easy task. And then spending the rest of the day preparing for tomorrow's battle…it was a surprise that everyone wasn't falling asleep right where they stood. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, milord. However, this is something amiss…"
Eliwood frowned. "What's that?"
Marcus smiled slightly. "I think the army is missing the company of their lords and tactician."
Eliwood raised his eyebrows in surprise, and then he laughed. Hector and Lyn exchanged smiles. It was unlike Marcus to ask them to take a load off; he was usually all for working hard. His concern for them was really rather touching.
"Well, if that's the case, I suppose we should join them before they start a riot," Eliwod joked.
Hector laughed. "Good idea. We don't want them burning down our tent!"
"I just hope we're not too late," joked Lyn, smiling.
"Only one way to find out," laughed Jasmine, and gestured towards the tent flap.
Hector grinned, marching out of the tent first. He clapped Marcus on the shoulder as he passed him. Lyn smiled at him and touched his arm as she passed, murmuring a quiet "thank you". Jasmine passed him with a nod and a smile. Eliwood was the last to exit, smiling as he pulled Marcus along with him.
"Thank you for doing that, Marcus."
"Anytime, milord. Don't forget that resting from time to time is a good thing to do." He smiled warmly, making his eyes crinkle.
"I should say the same to you."
Marcus chuckled. "Touché, milord. Touché." He bowed and made a move as if to leave, but Eliwood stopped him.
"Wait, Marcus." Marcus turned back around, eyebrows raised in expectation.
"Yes, milord?"
Eliwood grasped his arm and smiled warmly. "Thank you...for everything. You are more than just my most trusted soldier. You're one of my closest friends."
Something flickered in Marcus's eyes – it was too quick for Eliwood to decipher exactly what it was – but he quickly regained his composure. "It is my utmost honor and privilege, milord Eliwood." He bowed deeply. When he straightened up, he placed his hand on Eliwood's shoulder. He smiled softly. "I believe your father would be very proud of you."
"...Thank you," he whispered. "I hope that's true."
"I'm certain it is. I know I certainly am proud of you." Eliwood felt something swell in his chest, and he realized it was pride and joy in himself to know that he had made Marcus proud. "You've become a fine gentleman, Lord Eliwood, and I know Pherae will flourish under your kind and strong leadership."
Eliwood smiled. "Thank you, Marcus. You have always been by my side, both on and off the battlefield, teaching me, mentoring me...thank you, thank you, my friend."
"Thank you, Lord Eliwood." He smiled and nodded towards the others. "Go on, now, enjoy time with your friends. I've kept you long enough."
Eliwood laughed. "Alright, alright, I'm going. You enjoy yourself now, too, you hear?"
Marcus chuckled, nodding. "Yes, milord."
They parted ways, and when Eliwood returned to Jasmine, Lyn, and Hector, he wasn't surprised to see that Lyn and Hector were in another one of their arguments. He sighed, plopping down on the grass beside Jasmine.
"Come now, you two, won't you stop arguing, just this once?"
"Don't count on it," Jasmine chimed in before either Lyn or Hector could respond. "You should know as well as I do, Eliwood." She grinned at Lyn and Hector. "It's nearly impossible to stop those two once they get started."
Lyn huffed, pursing her lips. Hector scowled. "You shouldn't be talking," he retorted. "You and Raven probably argue as much, if not more, than us!"
"That's because Raven's such a jackass," she mumbled, sighing in irritation. Hector raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Lyn shot him a 'why would you say that?' look.
"I'm sure Raven didn't really mean what he said," Lyn said, trying to lighten up Jasmine's mood. "He was just angry, so he spoke without really thinking."
"Oh, no, he meant what he said," Jasmine replied bitterly. "He's just so damn stupid and stubborn to realize that he's the one who's wrong, not me." Lyn didn't know how to respond, so she said nothing.
It was then that Hector realized what the two women were talking about. Without saying anything, he stood up. Eliwood frowned up at him.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"For a walk," Hector replied, grunting and stretching his limbs. "Sitting down for hours has gotten me all stiff. I need to walk around."
"That actually sounds like a good idea," laughed Eliwood, placing a hand against his back and grimacing as he stretched it.
"I...actually kinda wanted to go out on my own," Hector said, as Eliwood began to get up. His best friend paused, looking at Hector with his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Oh." He paused and cleared his throat. "Alright. I understand." He smiled. "Enjoy your walk."
"Don't have too much fun without me," he winked, grinning.
"It's the only time we can have fun," Lyn teased, her eyes twinkling. Hector scowled at her.
"We'll see how you feel about that after he leaves," Jasmine snickered softly. Lyn turned to her, eyebrows raised. Hector also raised his eyebrows, but there was an amused smirk upon his lips.
"What does that mean?" Lyn huffed, her cheeks tinging pink. Jasmine merely grinned in response.
"Glad I get to stay out of this argument," Hector chortled, waving as he began to walk off. Eliwood had to admit that it was a rather smart move on Hector's part.
"Don't go too far!" Jasmine shouted after him. Hector waved her off in response. "Or else Lyn will miss you too much," she added, in a lower voice, snickering into her sleeve. Lyn gasped, her face turning redder.
"J-Jasmine! What is with you?!"
"Just trying to help out," she giggled, shrugging. Lyn narrowed her eyes at her.
"Trying to help out how, exactly?"
"More like who," she grinned mischievously. Eliwood chuckled as he watched them banter. At least Jasmine was back to herself (though she was acting a little more devilish than usual). Shaking his head, he smiled as he turned to watch Nils play his song.
When Nils played his flute, he got lost in his music, just like whenever Ninian had danced she would get lost within the rhythm of the music and rhythm of her feet.
She was lost to the world, as she was always was whenever she danced. Her bare feet skimmed through the grass, moving with such fluidity and grace that she appeared to be floating her way through the grass. She moved her limbs with such ease and poise that it seemed as easy and natural as breathing (perhaps to her it was but certainly not to him!).
She stopped when the song came to an end, and she slowly opened her eyes. She blushed hard when the army erupted into cheers and claps for her, and he smiled to himself.
"...wood? Did you hear me?"
Eliwood blinked out his reverie. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I asked if you had any ideas about what we could all – as an army – do together," Lyn said. "That's what Hector and I'd been arguing about just now, actually. I thought it'd be a good idea for everyone to come together and enjoy their last full night together."
"That certainly sounds like a good idea, but I'm not sure just what we could do..." He smiled softly, looking back toward Nils. "If Ninian was here with us, she would dance for everybody, trying to get them to feel more eased...her dancing truly was so calming..." He trailed off, his smile saddening. Jasmine and Lyn glanced at each other.
"...Since she's not here with us," Lyn said slowly, standing up, "maybe we could dance in her place."
Eliwood turned to her, eyebrows knotting. "What?"
Lyn smiled. "Let's dance, Eliwood."
His eyebrows jutted up. "I-I'm not so sure, Lyndis." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It seems a little strange to do it without Ninian..."
"I think she would want us to do this," Lyn smiled softly.
"You think so?"
"Yes. She would want us to have fun. She would want you to be happy." She gently placed a hand on his arm. "C'mon, let's dance. For her."
Eliwood stared at her for a good moment. Then he smiled, taking her hand. "Alright," he said softly. "Let's dance."
Lyn grinned.
~ - ~ - ~ - x - ~ - ~ - ~
Raven knew it'd been a while. He knew he should've returned by now. He knew that Jasmine must've been furious with him. He knew that Lucius and Priscilla must've been worried sick about him.
But it made him want to head back even less. He didn't want to deal with any of it.
Besides, he was still upset with Jasmine's decision. He wasn't nearly as furious as he'd been when she'd first announced it, so many hours ago, but he still disagreed with it. So he knew that if he headed back to camp he might just end up in another argument with her.
Jasmine had earlier announced who would be participating in battle tomorrow. Although there had been some protest from a few (Bartre had luckily been calmed down by Karla, Sain had been shushed by Kent, and Geitz had gotten slapped on back of his head by Dart), most people had been generally respectful of the tactician's decision. After relying on her for such a long time, and trusting her tactics, very few had doubted her choice.
Raven had been among the very few.
He had also been amongst the extreme few who'd let his opinion known. And it hadn't been a simple "'Ey, that ain't fair!" or an aghast "But, winter flower!" that he'd quipped up.
He had initially meant for the discussion between him and Jasmine to be private. But since she'd been so damn stubborn, he'd lost his temper and had ended up stomping away in fury. So he was pretty sure that the entire army knew about his opinion.
Priscilla and Lucius had tried to convince him that Jasmine was doing what she felt was the best for the army as a whole, and that it was also the best for him to stay behind as she had said. But he'd shrugged them off without a second thought. They didn't understand the way he felt. It wasn't about the glory of being in the last battle – no, it was about ensuring the safety of his sister and Jasmine.
He'd always watched out for the two of them (though, admittedly, it seemed that it was Jasmine he got out of trouble more often than not). So why not this time? Harken was indeed a strong soldier, and he had years of experience against Raven, but he didn't watch after the others like Raven did. It was Raven who would keep Jasmine and Priscilla safe, not Harken.
When he'd expressed these feelings toward Jasmine, she'd simply replied that Harken was a capable man and that he would keep himself and the others around him safe.
Quit worrying about me, she'd said. Quit worrying about Priscilla. She is capable of defending herself, and I'm capable of avoiding danger. Trust in other people; believe that they will keep us safe.
That was the point at which Raven had angrily stomped off. The fact of the matter was, he knew every soldier in the army was capable of defending not only him or herself, but the others around them; everybody was conscious of everybody else's safety. However, he did not believe that Jasmine was capable of avoiding danger, and he did not believe that anybody could substitute the protection he offered.
It was the crunch of footsteps heading in his direction that took Raven out of his reverie. Immediately he twirled around, a hand on the hilt of his sword, eyes narrowing, shoulders hunching.
"Raven?" It was a deep voice, one he recognized, but certainly not one he'd been expecting. Raising an eyebrow, he relaxed slightly, but his hand stayed on the hilt of his sword. "It's me, Hector. I don't want you jumping out of the bushes and attacking me or anything…"
"What makes you think I'd do that?" Raven asked, finding the irony of the situation rather amusing. What he would've done to do such a thing so many months ago…
Hector's response was between a snort and a laugh, almost as if he understood the irony as well. "I think we both know the answer to that."
Raven's eyebrows furrowed, and he became tense once more. What did that mean?
"Oh, c'mon, Raven. Don't you think it's about time we talked about this?"
"Talk about what?" Raven asked calmly, turning to see Hector stop yards away from him. Hector leaned back against a tree, his hands relaxed by his sides, instead of being folded across his chest, which would've been more natural for his position. It was a sign of peace; a sign that he meant no harm. Raven's eyes narrowed.
Hector raised an eyebrow. "Do we really have to go through all of this?" Raven said nothing. "Listen, I didn't come here to start any problems." Raven raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Actually, I came here to resolve them." He paused, waiting for Raven to respond.
Raven sighed. "Resolve what problems?"
"Resolve some unspoken problems between us. Y'know, the entire 'I want to kill you' deal. Oh, don't look so surprised," he said to Raven's shocked expression. "Surely you must've realized that Matthew gave me all the information about you."
Raven suddenly felt like a complete idiot. He hadn't bothered assessing the situation that had taken place between him and the Ostian spy that night he had tried sneaking into Lord Uther's room. Of course Hector knew about Raven's background if Matthew knew. "So you knew this entire time?"
"Yup." A hint of a smile played upon his lips.
"…Then why haven't you said anything until now?" Raven asked, frowning. Lord Hector of Ostia was not one to keep his mouth shut.
"I was waiting for you to bring it up, actually."
Raven blinked at him, and then he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "And just what did you expect me to say? 'Lord Hector, although I initially joined this army with the intention to kill you as revenge for the destruction of my home, you don't need to worry now because I gave up my quest for vengeance'?"
Hector shrugged. "Something of the sort."
"That's ridiculous," Raven huffed. "What kind of an idiot do you suppose me to be?"
"I was hoping you would be an honest one."
Raven raised his eyebrows. Then he became silent as he looked away from Hector. At this point, his secret identity wasn't really a secret anymore...what harm could it do to finally tell the truth? Perhaps he could finish this once and for all. He looked back at Hector. "I was worried that, if I spoke the truth, I could jeopardize Priscilla and Lucius's safety. I thought that we might get thrown out of the army on the grounds of conspiracy."
"...Really?" Hector asked, raising an eyebrow. Raven frowned at him.
"What? It's true."
"It's just, that, well...do I really seem like the kind of guy who would do that to you?"
"Yes."
Hector scowled. "I am not! If you came up to me, and you told me the truth, I would've been understanding! I wouldn't have kicked you out! In fact," he straightened up, "I might've even offered to help rebuild Cornwell for you."
Raven's eyes widened. "...What?" his voice was but a murmur.
Hector nodded. "I could help rebuild Cornwell, Raven. I'll be Marquess soon enough"–His eyes flickered somewhat uneasily–"and I'll have the ability to make it happen." He paused. "It wasn't right what Ostia did. I know that. And I want to fix the mistake we've made."
Raven was silent, putting a hand to his forehead as he tried to take it all in. Rebuild Cornwell? Bring back the glory of his former home? Was it truly possible?
...Possible, perhaps, but was it what he wanted? Would bringing it back truly make him...happy?
His answer easily would've been 'yes' so many years ago, but now...now he was a changed man. Killing Hector or Uther would not bring back his parents, and bringing back Cornwell would not bring back the glory of his home. Cornwell was and always would remain a part of him, but he had moved on. It was now nothing more than a pile of ash.
"...That won't be necessary," Raven said, turning his gaze to Hector. "Thank you, however. It...it means a lot to me that you would make such a generous offer."
Hector nodded. "Just thought it was the right thing to do." He didn't pry Raven about his reasoning behind his choice, and Raven was grateful for it. Hector may have been brash and arrogant (in Raven's opinion), but at least he wasn't nosy. "But y'know...I've also been waiting for you to do the right thing too." Raven frowned in confusion. "When are you going to go and apologize to my tactician, huh? We've all grown tired waiting."
Raven's face darkened considerably. "It's none of your business."
"It damn well is!" Hector growled. "She won't be able to rest easy until you apologize, and if she doesn't get enough sleep, then she won't perform well tomorrow. And if she isn't performing her best tomorrow, then the army won't be able to perform their best either, and then Nergal will win and the dragons will come back! All because you didn't get your lazy, stubborn ass up and go apologize to her!"
"Did you think of that story ahead of time, or did you make it up as you go along?"
"I improvised," Hector shrugged. "But that's not the point!"
"Well I suppose the dragons will have to come back, then," huffed Raven, folding his arms across his chest stubbornly, "because I'm not going to apologize to her until she decides to include me in tomorrow's battle."
"How old are you? Five?" Raven glared at him. "You need to quit whining and slap some sense into yourself! Or do I need to slap it into you myself?" He arched an eyebrow.
"That won't be necessary," Raven replied coolly, "since I have my wits about me and I know that I need to be in tomorrow's battle!"
"By God, you're as stubborn as me!" He clamped a hand on Raven's shoulder hard. Raven grimaced. "You need to respect Jas's decision. She's the tactician, and what she says goes."
Stubborn as always, Raven shook his head. He shrugged off Hector's hand. "She's making a mistake," he hissed.
"No, you're making a mistake." Raven silenced, raising his eyebrows. "Jas knows what's best for this army. She knows everybody – not the way that you and I know everybody – she knows them. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their quirks. She knows it all. And I trust her expertise. I'm more than certain that the rest of the army also has faith and trust in her…if they didn't, why else would they bother listening to her advice?" He paused here, looking Raven dead in the eye. "Don't you trust her?"
"This isn't about trust," Raven hissed angrily.
"Isn't it?" Hector raised his eyebrows. "If you believe in Jas, if you trust that she's making the right choice, then you wouldn't question it."
Raven growled in frustration, kicking up dirt. Damn him for making sense. "I trust her," he mumbled, running his fingers through his hair. He took a step back, looking down at the ground to sigh. "And I know that every soldier here is capable of protecting her. It's just…" He trailed off.
"It's just that she's not within your reach." Hector smiled understandingly. "I kinda know how you feel." He scratched the back of his neck, chuckling softly. Raven raised his eyebrows. "And, well, after that incident at the Water Temple I bet you're a lot more worried about Jas's safety than ever before. But listen to me." He placed a hand on Raven's shoulder again, more gently this time. Surprisingly, Raven didn't shrug it off.
"You have every reason to be worried. I understand that. But worrying won't solve anything. You're just going to have trust that we will take care of her. You're going to have to believe that she is capable of herself." He paused. "Raven, you're going to have to let go of your fears and simply trust us."
Raven became silent. It wasn't as easy as it sounded to do what Hector had asked of him. So many images of what could possibly happen in tomorrow's battle flickered through his mind. Priscilla, lying in a pool of blood from her fallen steed, her ankles twisted. Jasmine, eyes wide as an ax swung toward her head...
Trust us.
But then there was Serra, healing Priscilla's wounds. There was Hector, slicing through the axe-man's hand as Lyn simultaneously stabbed him from behind.
Raven himself had relied on these soldiers, and he knew of their strength and courage. He knew that they had what it took to keep Jasmine and Priscilla safe, defeat the Black Fang, and stop Nergal once and for all. He knew they were capable of all of this. He simply had to let go of his fears and place his trust – and the lives of his loved ones – in their hands.
"…Alright," he said softly, taking a deep breath of defeat. "Alright."
Hector grinned widely. "Good man!" He released his grip on Raven's shoulder only to slap back down on it. Raven grimaced. "Now hurry up and go apologize to the girl already! Go on now!" He shoved him away, grinning like a proud father.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Raven grumbled, rubbing his shoulder. He began to walk off, but then he paused, glancing back at the Ostian Lord. "...Y'know, you're not too bad, Hector of Ostia."
Hector's grin widened. "You're not too bad yourself, Raven of Cornwell."
Raven smirked at him before making his way back toward camp.
~ - ~ - ~ - x - ~ - ~ - ~
Laughter and joy radiated through the camp. People danced and twirled their around each other in sync with Nils' music, which had livened up considerably. After Lyn and Eliwood had begun to dance, a rather inebriated Bartre had dragged Karla with him to join the lords. Others had soon joined in afterword – Legault and Nino, Pent and Louise, Rebecca and Wil, Sain and Priscilla, Lucius and Serra (despite the blonde's protests) – so that by now the group of circling dancers had become quite large.
Jasmine watched them with a smile on her face. Although Lyn and Eliwood had invited her to join them, she had politely declined. She figured that it would've been difficult and perhaps a tad awkward for Eliwood to continuously switch between the two ladies as they danced. It would've been easier to dance with one partner, but...she wasn't quite sure who to ask. Sain and Legault had already joined in, Hector wasn't there, and she felt too embarrassed to ask anybody else.
"Aren't you going to join in?"
Jasmine glanced up in surprise. Matthew was standing before her, gesturing toward the others. She raised her eyebrows. She and Matthew have barely spoken since that time in Ostia when he'd been upset with her about her treatment toward Jaffar. She felt like snapping something at him, but, given the circumstances (he hadn't said anything in regards to it and, well, it was the night before the final battle...) she decided to converse as she normally would.
"I don't really dance. At all." She paused. "Why aren't you dancing with them? You're nimble on your feet, aren't you?"
He shrugged. "Doesn't mean I dance much. Besides, I need a partner to do that, and I don't see anyone around here that seems interested…" He made a big deal of glancing about, even going on his tiptoes to pretend that he was searching far and wide. He sighed and shook his head. "Nope. Nobody."
"How about Serra?" Jasmine teased. Matthew made a face but quickly composed himself.
"I wouldn't wanna take her away from Lucius; that'd be just rude!"
Jasmine laughed. "Good point."
"Hey…" He turned towards her slowly. "How about you and I dance?" He acted as if the idea had just come to him.
"Not after the way you just looked past me without a second thought."
"Oh, c'mon! I really didn't see you!"
"You were talking to me a second just before!"
"You didn't seem interested then."
"And now I do?"
"Yup!" he grinned. Jasmine rolled her eyes, mumbling "like that makes sense" underneath her breath. "So," he extended his hand out to her, "what d'you say?"
She stared at his hand for a moment before slowly looking up into his eyes. He was looking down at her expectantly, eyebrows raised in a 'why don't you hurry up?' way. But in his eyes she saw genuine sincerity. So she rolled her eyes and took his hand. "Fine."
"Now that's the spirit!" he grinned, pulling her up. "Let's see just how bad of a dancer you really are!" They headed toward the crowd.
She couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, great. You'll never let me live this down, will you?"
He grinned, stopping to fully face her. "Probably not." He placed a hand against her waist as she placed her free hand on his shoulder. "Ready?"
She grimaced. "Ready as I'll ever be."
He grinned. "Alright then." She almost expected him to suddenly break out in some ridiculously quick dance move that she wouldn't be able to keep up with, but, surprisingly, he took a simply step to the left. Hastily she followed him, and he took a slow step to the right. Then back. Then forward. Then left. Then right. It didn't take Jasmine long to get used to the pattern, and Matthew slowly started speeding it up and incorporating new elements.
"So," Jasmine said after a moment,watching her feet so she wouldn't trip up. She spoke slowly and with great caution. Matthew assumed it was because she was focused on the dancing. "…Jaffar doesn't seem to be harmed, from what I could see." She took a quick peek at his expression. It was then that Matthew realized that she'd been speaking cautiously because she wanted to talk about the subject delicately. He knew it was coming up soon. In fact, the entire reason he'd asked her to dance was for them to be on good terms again.
"…I almost did it," he said, his voice betraying no emotions. Jasmine raised her eyebrows but said nothing. "But then…then I saw her." His voice became thick now. "She told me not to do it."
"…She really was a smart woman, wasn't she?" She smiled softly. He smiled back, his eyes flickering.
"Yeah. She was great."
A moment of silence passed between them.
Matthew cleared his throat. "So, is this the best you got?" he asked, referring to Jasmine's dancing. "Just what kind of a tactician are you?"
"Oh, shut up," she mumbled. "What does being a tactician have to do with dancing?"
"Well, for one, dancing requires some tactic skills. You see the pattern we're dancing in, right? That counts as tactics."
"I guess…" She sounded unconvinced.
"And you have to be ready for the unexpected."
Her eyes widened. "Don't you dare–"
He grinned slyly at her. "Just think of it as part of your tactical training."
"Matth-EUW!"
Needless to say, Jasmine was grateful that Matthew's version of 'tactical training' had not been taught at her school.
~ - ~ - ~ - x - ~ - ~ - ~
"I can't believe this," Fiora sighed disapprovingly, shaking her head. "We should be preparing for tomorrow's battle, not prancing about like fools!"
"They look like they're having fun..." Florina said softly, smiling as she watched them dance.
"But we should be focusing on our making sure we're ready for tomorrow, don't you think?"
Farina rolled her eyes. "We've been preparing all day, Sis! I think everybody deserves time to have some fun."
"Then why don't you go join them?" Fiora retorted.
"Because I wanted to spend quality time with my sisters!" she huffed, her face flushing slightly. "Is that such a crime?"
"I think it's only because you haven't been asked to dance," Fiora muttered. Farina gaped at her.
"T-that's not true!"
"Is too. If you want to go dance so badly, why don't you go ask somebody yourself?"
"I told you that I don't care about that nonsense!"
"Every lass wants to be asked to dance, even ye, Farina."
The three sisters turned to see Dart standing before them, grinning. Farina scowled, her face flushing.
"Shut up, Dart," she growled. "What do you know?"
Dart shrugged. "I know enough. And as much as I'd love to prove it to ye, I actually came 'ere to ask Florina if she wanted to dance." He smiled sheepishly at the youngest sister, scratching the back of his bandana. "...You wanna dance, Florina?"
"Charming," muttered Farina. Dart sent her a glare.
Florina, however, appeared to find it charming indeed. Her face turned a bright shade of red and her eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth to speak but she could not form the words to her answer.
Fiora turned sharply toward Dart, her eyes narrowed. "Florina's going to have to politely decline your offer."
Farina, Dart, and Florina all stared at her in surprise. Florina's mouth was open in shock, Farina narrowed her eyes, and Dart smirked slightly.
"I think the lass can speak for 'erself, Fiora," Dart replied smoothly.
Fiora shook her head. "Clearly she wants to decline, but she just doesn't want to hurt your feelings. So I'll just speak on her behalf."
"Fiora!" Farina said, aghast. "I can't believe you!"
Fiora frowned. "What?"
"You can't just do that!" she said, the anger making her voice rise. "You can't control our lives like that!"
Fiora's eyes were wide in shock. "Excuse me?! I don't control your lives!"
"You do so, and you know it!" Farina shouted, standing up. Florina also stood up, a hand outstretched towards each of her sisters, as if to stop them from attacking each other. Dart cleared his throat awkwardly, taking a few steps back. This was not a matter for him to get involved in.
"Fiora," Florina said, surprisingly calmly, "as much as I appreciate you looking out for me, this is not your decision to make."
"What-what do you mean?" Her eyes widened even more. This was so unlike Florina...
She sighed, turning fully toward her. "This is my life," she said softly, looking her in the eye. "I know you've always been looking out for me – and Farina – and I appreciate it. I really, truly do. But...I'm an adult now, and it's about time I start making my own decisions."
"I...I just want you to be happy, Florina," she whispered. Florina smiled, gently placing her hands upon her shoulders.
"I am happy, Sis." She glanced towards Dart, who had gone quite some distance away. "He makes me happy."
Fiora was quiet for some time, her eyes searching through Florina's. Then she slowly nodded. "...Alright." She smiled softly. "Alright." She shook her head. "I'm so sorry to the both of you." Farina said nothing, though her expression softened. "I just...I just wants best for you." She shrugged sheepihsly. "That's all."
"I know," Florina whispered. "I know."
Fiora smiled, gently tucking a lock of Florina's hair behind her ear. "It's just...so hard to believe that you've become a grown woman. You've always been my baby sister."
"And I always will be," Florina smiled, taking her hand. "No matter how old I get, I'll always be your baby sister."
Fiora's eyes glistened, and she embraced her youngest sister. Florina returned her embrace tightly, and she laughed in surprise when Farina joined in.
"Go on now," Fiora said, once they all released each other. She wiped the tears away from the corner of her eyes. Then fluffed Florina's hair, smiling genuinely. "He's waiting."
"Yeah," grinned Farina, "go and get your man!"
Florina laughed and blushed. Smiling, she waved her sisters goodbye as she made her way toward Dart. Fiora and Farina smiled after her.
"...She really is growing up, isn't she?" Fiora murmured, smiling softly as she watched the two, hand-in-hand, enter the crowd of dancers.
"Yeah," smiled Farina. "Hard to believe, huh? Our shy little Florina...growing up."
Fiora smiled, turning to face Farina. "I think she's not the only one who's grown up."
Farina turned to her, raising her eyebrows. "You complimenting me, Sis?"
"Guess I am." Laughing, she ruffled Farina's hair. Farina swatted her away, scowling.
"Well," she muttered, running her fingers through her hair to fix it, "Guess you're not so bad yourself." She nudged her, smiling affectionately. Fiora nudged her back gently, smiling. "Now," Farina said, lifting her head heavenward, "where's our fairytale ending?"
"I think our princes got lost," joked Fiora.
"Oh, no, not yours," Farina said, a grin forming on her lips as she nodded toward a figure heading their way. It was Heath, and he wore a determined look on his face.
Fiora's eyes widened. "You don't think–"
Farina grinned wider. "Oh, but I do."
"No way," Fiora muttered, though she didn't keep her eyes off Heath. He was getting close.
"Yes way," snickered Farina. Heath stopped before them now, smiling.
"Good evening," he greeted.
"She says yes," Farina said, shoving Fiora toward him. Fiora, surprised, lost her balance and stumbled into Heath. He laughed as he caught her.
"F-Farina!" Fiora shrieked, twirling around to glare at her. Her face was a bright red. "What was that for?!"
"I knew you'd make up some excuse to avoid dancing with him, since we both know you're terrible at it"– Fiora glared at her – "so I just decided to help out."
"You've got yourself a considerate sister," Heath chortled before Fiora could retort. Farina's grin widened.
"He's a keeper, Sis!"
"Farina!"
Farina snickered. "Hurry up, Heath, take her away already!"
"With pleasure," Heath grinned, gently taking Fiora's hand and pulling her away before she could have a chance to react. Farina snickered as she watched them walk off. She really was a great sister, wasn't she?
"But where's my knight in shining armor at...?" she muttered, suddenly feeling lonely as she realized that both of her sisters had found their prince charmings. It was her turn, gosh darnit!
"I'm not sure if my armor's so shiny anymore, but I suppose I could try polishing it up."
Raisning her eyebrows, she twirled around to find Kent smiling sheepishly at her. She raised her eyebrows, folding her arms across her chest.
"What took you so long?"
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You were waiting for me?"
She blushed slightly, looking the other way. "...Maybe."
"Sorry to have kept you waiting," he said, scratching the back of his head. "It took Sain quite a while to convince me to join in..." Farina didn't respond. Kent took a few steps forth, offering her his arm. "But perhaps I could make it up to you?"
Farina stared at him, and slowly she took the arm he held out toward her. Then she smirked, making eye contact with him.
"We'll see."
~ - ~ - ~ - x - ~ - ~ - ~
"Are you sure you're not up for another round, General?" Isadora laughed, trying to convince Marcus to stay for another dance. Marcus chuckled, shaking his head.
"This is about all the dancing I can take for one night. Thank you for the privilege, however, Isadora. I have enjoyed myself very much." Despite the fact that he was her superior, he bowed to her, out of common courtesy after a dance. Isadora bowed as well.
"It's been my honor."
He chortled. "You enjoy yourself now. Just don't stay up too late."
"Yes, sir," she smiled. Marcus walked off to his tent to get his sleep. Isadora smiled to herself, quite proud of the fact that she'd managed to convince her General to dance. He had been surprised at first and had declined, but after some persuasion, she had managed to convince him to stay a dance with her. It had been nice to see him loosening up for once.
She realized that Harken had not been within the dancing crowd, however. She was actually somewhat grateful for it. After some thought, she had realized that she no longer felt about Harken the way she once had. The betrayal, the lies...it had been too much for her. He had already broken her heart once; she would not allow him a second chance. Besides, she felt as if her heart had belonged to someone else now...
Hmm. Where was he, by the way?
She took steps back to observe the crowd, hoping to see a glimpse of him. She chuckled to herself whenever she found odd pairs dancing. Nino was currently dancing with a very happy-looking Merlinus (although now Canas was asking for a chance to dance with the girl), Nils was actually being pulled in by Rebecca (so currently there was no music), Serra was chattering away to a grimacing Erk as they danced (how she managed to convince the boy to dance was beyond Isadora), Lucius was dancing with Priscilla (did he keep glancing back at Serra, though?), and Sain was dancing with Jasmine.
But where was he?
"Why isn't the Dame Knight dancing with the others?"
Smiling to herself, she turned to face Legualt. "I could ask the same to you, Master Legault," she teased.
"I came over here in hopes of getting a lovely lady to dance with me."
She put a finger to her chin, pretending to think. "I wonder who that lucky lady could be."
"Well, actually, Dame Knight…" He bowed, extending his hand toward her. "I was hoping it would be you."
"Hmm…it is much you are asking of me, sir," she teased, as she often did around him. It was easy for her to feel herself around Legault. Much unlike Harken. She had always felt a little constricted around him, always worried she would say the wrong thing or act the wrong way…but it wasn't like that with Legault.
Legault sighed softly, straightening up. "I knew it was far-fetched for an old fool like me to have the honor to dance with such a lovely dame as yourself…" The smile slipped off Isadora's face. "Sorry for wasting your time." He made a move to leave.
"W-wait!" Isadora called out. He paused, glancing back at her over his shoulder. There was a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. Darn. She'd fallen for his trap. Of course Legault wouldn't act that way if he had seriously thought that he was being rejected. "I…suppose I could dance with you." She cleared her throat, attempting to maintain some of her dignity. "Just this once."
"My many thanks, milady." He bowed again. She extended her hand out toward him, and he took it and placed a gentle kiss on it. Her face flushed. "Shall we?" He smiled his most charming smile, gesturing toward the crowd. Isadora tried to keep herself composed, lifting her chin. She could still feel her face burning.
"O-of course," she murmured, and she stumbled her way towards the others, all the while Legault hid a smile.
~ - ~ - ~ - x - ~ - ~ - ~
"Insolent children," Vaida growled, folding her arms across her chest as she looked disdainfully at the dancing group before her. She heard an all-too familiar "Gwa ha haha!" of a laugh behind her. Her lips curling in disdain, she turned to see the walking teapot clamping his way toward her, a ridiculously huge grin on his red – why was it red? – face.
"Will it hurt you to smile from time to time and enjoy the little things in life, woman?" Wallace stopped beside her, still grinning that damned grin.
"And will it hurt you to ever wipe that sweat off your shiny bald head?" she retorted bitingly. "And why is your face so damn red? You look like a tomato!"
"It's because I was out dancing with milady Lyndis," he grinned, despite her insult. "It's a little hard to keep up with her, I must say." He chortled.
"For an old fool like you, maybe," Vaida sneered. "I'm sure anybody else can keep up with her."
He snorted. "Milady Lyndis is one of the most agile people I've ever met! Why, you're but a snail when compared to her!"
"A snail?!" she snarled. "I'm not that slow!"
"Then prove it!"
"And just how do you propose I go about doing that?"
He grinned widely, and, without speaking, extended his hand out toward her. She raised her eyebrows in shock. He couldn't possibly be...?
"You've got to be kidding me," she deadpanned. She stared disdainfully down at his hand.
"So you're going to admit that you're not nearly as agile as milady Lyndis?"
"Never!" she hissed.
"Then prove it!" he said again. There was a bit more devilishness to his grin.
She glared at him with the utmost hatred she could muster. Then she growled and grabbed his hand. "Fine, dammit, I'll dance with you! But just one dance! You hear me? One! Just to prove that you're wrong!"
"One dance?" he snorted. "You don't do just 'one dance' with Wallace!"
"Don't make me change my mind," she snarled.
"Aw, fine. We'll have at least one dance." He winked at her.
"Oh, god," she grumbled, as they made their way towards the crowd. "I just know I'm gonna regret this."
"The only thing you're gonna regret," he grinned, "is that you didn't dance with me sooner."
And by the end of the night, Vaida realized that the crazy old Caelin knight had been right all along.
~ - ~ - ~ - x - ~ - ~ - ~
"Would you mind if I stole Lyn for a dance?"
Lyn and Wil paused in their dancing and turned to face Hector. Lyn's eyebrows rose in surprise and her mouth formed a perfect little 'o'. Wil grinned.
"No, not at all!" He turned toward Lyn (who was still staring at Hector as if he'd grown two heads). "It's been fun dancing with you, Lyn! I hope we have a chance to do it again sometime soon!"
Lyn, regaining her composure, smiled at him. "I'd love to, Wil. Thank you."
"See you!" He grinned and waved goodbye as he went off in search for another dance partner. Lyn slowly turned back toward Hector. She was eying him unsurely.
Hector sighed and extended his hand out toward her. "Well, we don't have all night."
Lyn was still too shocked to glare at him. "You want to dance with me?" she said incredulously.
Hector huffed indignantly. "Yeah, I asked, didn't I?! Why should that be so surprising?!"
Lyn raised an eyebrow. "Because you're Hector, that's why."
He sighed again and rolled his eyes. "Are you going to dance with me or not?"
"Alright, alright!" She took the hand he held out toward her. "Charming, aren't you?" she grumbled.
"I like to think so," Hector grinned, placing a hand upon the small of her waist as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Lyn rolled her eyes at him as they began to ballroom dance their way around the others. Hector was surprisingly good; he moved through the grass with a practiced fluidity.
"You can dance?" Lyn said incredulously. She wasn't sure if she should've been more surprised that he asked her to dance or by the fact that he was actually good at it.
Hector scowled. "Again, why does this come as a surprise?"
She laughed. "Oh, don't act so sweet and innocent!" She rolled her eyes at the eyebrow he raised questioningly at her. "C'mon, Hector! You're not exactly the typical image of a noble gentleman."
"And you're not exactly the typical image of a noble lady," he retorted, twirling her around and pulling her back to him. "Yet you somehow manage to dance better than any other noble I've danced with."
Lyn arched an eyebrow high at him, completely ignoring the compliment. "And just how many other ladies have you danced with?"
"A lot." She bristled visibly, and he arched an eyebrow high, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Why does it matter?"
Lyn's cheeks reddened and she looked away. "It doesn't! I just…felt bad for them! That's all!" She paused, glancing back at him. "…Just how many is a lot?" She tried to act nonchalant, but she knew her voice and expression gave her away.
Hector laughed. "You never came off as the jealous type."
She flushed red. "I-I'm not jealous!" she said loudly. Losing concentration of the dance, she stumbled over her feet and fell against Hector's chest.
"Sure seems like it," he chuckled throatily. Lyn felt her face turn hotter, and hastily she pulled away from him. "It's kinda cute, though."
"…Shut up," she grumbled out of embarrassment, ducking her head. He laughed softly, gently pulling her back to him.
"That's all you have to say?" he teased, swaying slowly with her. "I think I might like this embarrassed Lyn."
"Too bad you won't see much more of her."
"I'm not too sure about that." He grinned.
"…What do you mean?" she asked slowly. He grinned wider, pulling her in closer. He leaned down to whisper in her ear,
"Let's just say I plan on seeing you very, very often." His voice was softer than Lyn had ever heard it.
She flushed a deep scarlet. She pulled away from him, and then cursed herself for doing so; he could clearly see her blush now.
"Just shut up and dance," she muttered. He chortled.
"Yes, milady."
Lyn didn't respond, but as they danced, she knew she was planning to see a lot more of Hector in the future too.
~ - ~ - ~ - x - ~ - ~ - ~
Raven weaved his way through the crowd, trying not to bump into anybody. Although he certainly hadn't been expecting the army to be in a full-out dance party when he'd returned, it had barely even surprised him. He knew that his comrades tended to do strange things.
It was difficult finding Jasmine through this mess, though. He realized that she might not even be dancing; she might've been sleeping or strategizing instead. Just as he was about to head toward her tent, he heard her distinct laughter from closeby. Turning around, he headed toward the direction in which he'd heard the laugh, and a moment later he saw the bouncing of brown curls. Jasmine was spinning around, and when she came to a stop, Legault had to grab her so she didn't fall over. She laughed as he grinned and said something, no doubt about her balancing skills (or lack thereof).
Raven simply watched them for a moment, smiling to himself. She seemed like she was having so much, dancing and laughing and chatting away. Her cheeks were flushed slightly, her eyes sparkled, and the smile never left her lips.
It was then that Raven realized that he should've been making her laugh like that. Feeling a twinge of jealousy toward Legault, he straightened himself up and headed toward the two. He tapped Legault on the shoulder, and he glanced over his shoulder to look at him. Legault's eyebrows rose in surprise, and when Jasmine caught sight of Raven, her expression darkened considerably.
"Raven," Legault greeted, coming to a halt. Jasmine tightened her grip on Legault's hand, leaning in closer to him when he tried to pull away. Legault glanced back at her in surprise, but her eyes were focused on Raven's. "What can I do for you?" He squeezed Jasmine's shoulder reassuringly.
"I was wondering if I could steal your dance partner from you."
"I don't know," Legault sighed, placing a finger to his chin. "You'll have to ask her." When he glanced back at Jasmine, Raven realized just how close the two were. Why, their heads were practically touching! He almost had an urge to pull them apart from each other, but he knew that would not help getting back on Jasmine's good side.
"Well, that depends," she said tersely, lifting her chin. Her jaw was tight. "Will you say that my dance moves are all wrong?"
He could practically hear her thinking, Just like you thought my strategy for tomorrow was all wrong?
"No," he said softly, "of course not." He paused, smiling slightly. "But I might tease you about them." Jasmine did not smile back.
"…Oh, c'mon," Legault said after a long moment of silence. "Cut the guy some slack and just give him a chance. He's trying, y'know."
Jasmine sent a glare in Legault's direction. "Stay out of this, Legault."
"Well, I am in the middle of it. Literally."
Jasmine rolled her eyes and drew apart from him (finally!). "Happy?"
"Not exactly." He winked.
"I'll never understand you."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Raven cleared his throat. The two looked back at him, and Jasmine sighed when he gave her his best puppy dog eyes. "Fine, let's just get this over with."
Raven smiled widely, stepping toward her and extending his hand. Jasmine took it but refused to meet his eyes.
"You two have fun," Legault cooed after them, waving. "Take good care of my Scar-buddy! If you don't, I'll have your head!"
"I'll have your head for standing so close to her," Raven muttered underneath his breath. Jasmine raised her eyebrows at him.
"What'd you say?"
Raven didn't respond immediately, pulling her in so close and so suddenly that she let out a gasp of surprise. "I said," he whispered, leaning down toward her ear, "that I didn't like how close you were to Legault."
Jasmine pulled away from him, her eyebrows furrowed. "For God's sake, Raven, we were dancing! Of course we'd be close to each other!"
"I mean after you stopped," he said impatiently. He twirled her around before pulling her back towards him, but this time he didn't pull her as close, knowing she would get irritated if he did. "You were practically entwined with him!"
"Wow," she muttered angrily. She stopped abruptly, pulling away from him. "You're acting like a complete pig today."
"...I'm sorry," he sighed, putting a hand to his eyes and shaking his head. She was right. What was wrong with him?! "I'm sorry. It's just...so much has been going on today, and I...I don't know what's wrong with me." He smiled bitterly. Jasmine said nothing. "I'm just worried about you, alright? I know, I know," he said before she could respond, "I know I don't need to be worried. I trust that they'll take care of you tomorrow, and I know you'll take care of yourself...but I can't help but worry, Jasmine."
"Stop worrying," she murmured, softening considerably. She stepped toward him. "Believe in me, Raven, and I promise that I will return to you."
"...You promise?" he whispered, running a finger across her cheek. He suddenly felt like a child, begging for reassurance.
"I promise."
He embraced her, and she returned the embrace, squeezing him tight. "Come back to me," he whispered, squeezing her tighter. "Come back to me tomorrow."
"I will," she vowed. "You wait and see, Raven. You wait and see."
The final battle against Nergal. A battle to stop the dragons from returning. A battle to save humanity.
That battle was finally here.
"So," Hector said to his army, standing before them all, "this is it, everybody. This is it."
"We wanted to thank you all," Eliwood said, looking from face to face, thinking of how many battles and bloodshed each of them had seen, "for sticking through with us on this long journey. It is because of every single person in this army that we've made it so far. We couldn't have done it without you."
"Although we'll all take different paths after this," Lyn spoke, "there will always be an unbreakable bond between us all. You are my comrades – each and every single one of you – and you shall always be my comrades." She smiled. "My family."
"It has been my greatest honor and pleasure working with you all," Jasmine smiled. "You are all incredible people, who are capable of just so much. You are each significant. Always remember that."
"It's been a fun ride, guys," Hector grinned, shouldering Armads. "Thanks for giving us the honor of being there with us."
"Thank you," the four of them said simultaneously, and they all bowed. The army clapped and cheered for them, multiple comrades shouting "thank you" right back at them. The four of them straightened up and grinned at one another. Then they took steps forth, in the direction of the Dragon's Gate, and hastily their comrades-in-arms assembled themselves. The cheering and clapping continued as those who would not be joining in battle wished each other the best.
"Here we go," Lyn smiled.
"Are you guys ready for this?" Eliwood grinned.
Hector snorted. "Is that even a question?"
Jasmine laughed. Her eyes sparkled as she looked from one lord to the next. "Let's do this."
Grinning at one another, they headed off into the unknown, certain that victory awaited them.