6/9/14

Been watching E3, Microsoft was alright, Unity looked cool, Project Spark has a lot goin for it. Sunset Overdrive looked funny. Missed EA but it didn't seem like there was much. And latest Farcry 4's trailer shows another interesting and insane villain.

But the most important part for me, Nintendo, is tomorrow, as such I'll be uploading another chapter tomorrow as my own celebration and to make up for being late with this one.

Just Embrace It

Now bolstered with the strength of the Royal Knights represented by Kieran, Marcia, Makalov, Astrid, Danved and Calill the Mercenaries continued their march along with the Laguz Alliance towards Castle Crimea, completely unknown to them Apostle Sanaki made an appearance before the Begnion Central Army, accusing the Senators of ousting her and taking control of Begnion. Following Sanaki and Valtome's claims the army split in half.

The Royal Knights also bring with them a new sense of unity and camaraderie as new groups form and more smiles are abound despite the ill times. Initially Heather wasn't sure how to take Kieran's antics, he was apparently really close to Nephenee due to the time they spent imprisoned and his first act was to kiss her hand, something Nephenee took with a smile and a laugh. Of course Kieran did the same to Heather, she thought of yelling at him briefly before noticing no one thought anything about it. As Kieran proceeded to face his 'eternal rival' Oscar and attempt to light a fire beneath the calm man who honestly enjoyed his attempts at provocation, Heather realized much like with Gatrie that despite his behavior, Kieran was not a bad guy.

Looking away from the loud and dramatic red knight, Heather's eyes landed on Nephenee who was speaking with another Halberd by the name of Danved. It seemed like Nephenee was trying to make conversation but the man did not know her, which confused Nephenee.

"Danved is most certainly not Devdan, though it is an honor to meet you my lady."

"I…suppose it's good to meet you too, Danved."

"I hope we grow close as a combat and friendly unit!" With that the Halberd bowed and left leaving Nephenee with a confused expression.

"Odd fella."

Nephenee practically jumped as Heather appeared behind her, normally it wasn't such a bad shock but there were things on her mind right now that weren't giving her a chance to rest.

"H-Heather…hey."

The rogue looked at Nephenee's face as the Halberd turned away and went silent.

"Neph…"

Heather tried to think of as many different ways to continue with or point, or even start presenting one but nothing viable came to mind. "I…gotta go…talk to you later."

Nephenee looked back as Heather walked away, looking rather crestfallen.

"Sorry…"

"Hey, Nephenee."

The Halberd recognized the voice as Ilyana and smiled "Hey there, are you alright with all this marchin?"

"Of course…I actually wanted to ask you something. Something rather important."

Nephenee tilted her head "What is it?"

Ilyana: Are you…conflicted right now?

Nephenee: Conflicted? Where'd you get an idea like that?

Ilyana: You're face…even now…you don't look directly at me.

Nephenee: It's nothin to worry about Ilyana, promise.

Ilyana: If you want to talk about something, anything…over a meal…I'd truly love to listen.

As the sage turned and walked away Nephenee thought to herself about whether she should take the girl up on her offer.

Castle Crimea

There was an uncertainty as the Alliance encamped near the Crimean Castle do to the presence of the Begnion army. However, the Holy Guard was also among them and the army seemed to be in high spirits and had no interest in conflicting with the Alliance.

"I'm really curious as to what this could be about." Heather stated watching as Elincia, Ike, Skrimir, Ranulf, Caineghis and the herons entered the Castle.

"Hide me!" Marcia yelled ducking behind Heather's jacket "Hey! What are you doin?"

"MARCIA!"

The pair turned in unison as a tall woman with a fierce expression approached them "You! Stand aside!"

"Sorry lady, I don't stand aside for anyone!"

"Do you know who I am? Stand down!"

"Do you know who I AM? I don't take orders I do as I please!"

"My issue is not with you, move!"

"If you're trying to get to my friend, it is my issue."

The two women were now in each other's faces, solid and unbreakable glares and intense focus between their eyes. Marcia swore she saw a spark.

Then, the strangest thing happened; the taller woman smiled "Well…you certainly have the most backbone I've ever seen. I am Tanith, Deputy Commander of the Begnion Holy Guard."

Heather stepped back and put her hands on her hips "My name's Heather…no fancy title here but plenty of guts."

"I can see that. It is impressive."

Heather looked to Marcia then to Tanith "So…what'd she do?"

"Heather!"

Tanith approached Marcia and sighed "It is good to see you again, Marcia."

The Falco Knight looked to her former commander questioningly and in shock "Uh…what?"

"LISTEN!"

Marcia inadvertently stood at attention as Tanith sighed again, shaking her head before speaking "Ever since you left the Holy Guard…again…I've been thinking of a punishment for you…however, in light of what has been happening in Begnion it seems your foresight was, as they say, right on the money. I apologize for hounding you."

After a swift bow, Tanith turned and entered the castle "It was good to meet you, Heather."

The rogue turned to Marcia who was still in shock "Tanith eh? I like her. So…what was that about?"

Marcia shook herself "Long story."

Heather gestured around "I'm free for listening."

Later that day

The leaders have determined to join together, Crimean Forces, the Begnion forces loyal to the Apostle and the Laguz Alliance now became the Apostle's Army and had their mission: take back Begnion from the corrupt Senators trying to control it.

The renowned General Zelgius left for Begnion on his own to save the imprisoned Chancellor Sephiran, because of this the the first big move by the conjoined leaders was to give Ike the ultimate commanding position over the army. Though against it at first Ike had to agree with the superior's logic and was once again granted Ragnell by Sanaki to use in the upcoming battles.

As the leaders continued preparing for the upcoming charge into Begnion, Nephenee found herself sitting at a table with Ilyana, the latter wore a large smile as she looked at the food before her.

"I really am interested in what may be troubling you Nephenee. I've not seen someone look so confused or conflicted since…"

Deciding against spilling everything, Ilyana just shrugged "Well, just talk when you fell comfortable."

The Halberd nodded and thanked Ilyana before thinking to herself and with what she wanted to say "I think…I mean…I don't know…but…there is…someone…I…"

Groaning the Halberd began rubbing the sides of her head, almost knocking her helmet off.

"Someone. All of this is because of one other person?"

As Nephenee remained silent the sage continued "Have you spoken with Mia about anything? You two are best friends, I'm sure she can help you."

"It's a really touchy subject."

Ilyana raised an eyebrow "How so?"

Nephenee looked up to see Heather, Marcia and Mia at another table laughing at a story the Falco Knight was telling.

During a brief lapse Heather spotted the Halberd and made a small wave at her.

Nephenee found herself smiling and waving back before turning to Ilyana who was watching her.

"It all makes sense now." The sage spoke softly.

"W-what does?"

"I know I offered my help but I really do think you need your best friend for this. If you don't mind me saying…people only need to look twice to realize that something is eating away at you…huh…déjà vu."

"Are you sure, Ilyana?"

The sage nodded with a smile "I'm sure. You and Mia are as close as close can be, you should know that better than anyone."

Nephenee realized Ilyana was right, and wondered why she never considered it before.

"I hid in that hay bale all through training, she was so angry but she didn't find me."

Heather shook her head "Honestly, I can kinda see why she gives you a hard time."

Mia giggled "Indeed…but it's also easy to see why she cares about you in her own way."

Marcia thought about Tanith and smiled "Yeah…I guess…I can't lie, I've seen her fly and fight, she is leagues ahead of me…but somewhere inside, I want to be like her."

Heather crossed her arms "She seems super tough…and she's going to be fighting with us now…good to know."

"Sigrun as well, and she'll show us why she's leader of the Holy Guard." Marcia added.

"Mia." The three turned to see Nephenee.

"Hey Neph! Here to join us, Marcia was just sharing some of her old misadventures."

"Funny stuff." Heather added to which Nephenee shook her head "I'd love to…but I…kinda want to talk in private about something important."

Mia's demeanor changed and she nodded "Sure. Right now?"

"W-when you're done. Thanks Mia."

"Don't mention it."

As Nephenee walked away Mia turned back and though about what the Halberd might want to say. Heather followed the Halberd's retreating form and thought the same thing.

"You two are such great friends."

Heather turned back to Marcia and Mia with the swordmaster smiling "Yeah…it's great that despite what we do, we find enjoyment with each other."

Marcia looked at the rogue questioningly "Don't you have a best friend?"

Heather laughed at that "I don't think I do…besides, I don't know if you know this but I steal for a living and I have a pretty short temper where men are involved."

Mia nodded "So I've heard. Though Nephenee talks about you quite a bit."

Now it was Heather's turn to look at her companion oddly "She does?"

Mia smiled and continued "Yeah, you two get along really well from what I can see. It's great to see how relaxed Nephenee can be nowadays."

Marcia agreed with the swordmaster "You two just have the look of longtime friends, I'm sure anyone can see it."

Heather gave an absent minded yeah, thinking about how happy, talkative and expressive Nephenee got when she reunited with Marcia and Calill. She spoke so much more and smiled so much more it made Heather wonder if, despite what Marcia and Mia were saying that the way Nephenee acted around her was anything special.

Later that day…

"So Neph, what's up?"

The Halberd removed her helmet and sat down next to Mia. She remembered the last thing Ilyana told her "I know Mia, she's a great friend, really caring…and you have the honor of being her best friend as you are to her…just trust her."

"I…I think I'm…"

Nephenee turned to see Mia's smile, "Go on, Neph. I'll help you, whatever it is."

"I…think I have…feelins for someone…"

The swordmaster's smile grew even wider as she embraced her best friend "Aw, Neph! That's so nice! You found someone! That's great!"

Nephenee blushed "Thanks…I'm just…not sure is all."

Mia tilted her head "Not sure about your feelings for them? Why?"

Nephenee rocked back and forth slightly, clenching her fists and trying to think of what she could say. What could explain her problems to Mia the best possibly way?

The Halberd's mouth moved but no sound came out, she looked down and shook her head "I can't…"

Mia put an arm around her shoulder and brought her friend in "Neph. It's alright."

Nephenee shook her head "I don't…I don't know why I feel like this…"

As the Halberd closed her eyes, Mia looked at her sadly "Neph…what could this be about…"

"H-how'd you know that you liked Soren?"

Mia blushed at that "W-what? I thought this was about you."

Nephenee nodded "I just…want to know…see if that is what I'm feelin right now…if it really is what I think it is…"

Mia scratched her head "Well…uh, he's always been a tough one to get close to…I just made it my mission to befriend him. He didn't really care much for me in the beginning but…there was a time during the Mad King's war when he went out of his way to help me out of a jam…he told me to forget about it, but I couldn't. I returned the favor and before I knew it…I liked fighting alongside him…and continued to do so when I permanently joined the Mercenaries."

Nephenee continued to nod "You just…felt some sort of…attraction?"

Mia smiled "You could say that…it went from fighting with him to just talking with him…I wanted to learn more about him…and while he doesn't share a lot about himself, I talk about my life to him and every once in a while…he just…says the best and wisest things. He admitted that he admires my dedication to training my blade work and becoming strong despite the world saying a woman couldn't get this far…a lot of things came out of a small attraction that I felt when I was around him…"

"You think about him a lot?"

As Nephenee sat back up and looked at her friend Mia nodded "Quite a bit, yeah…I want to know about his past…there is a reason he doesn't talk about it and I want him to be comfortable enough around me to share it, I'll wait as long as I have to…what about you?"

Nephenee thought for a moment "Well…I do like being with he-"

Shaking her head she continued "-this person…every time they complement me it feels…great…and unique. When you tell me that I'm…attractive or pretty or somethin…I like it but when they do it…I feel so warm…"

Mia smiled as Nephenee spoke more about this mystery person "They watch out for me in battle…always askin if I'm alright…askin bout my life, my family…just…learnin about me and being so respectful…the time we spend together…I'm always so happy…"

"Then you have your answer, from what you've said it's pretty obvious that you want to spend more time with this person…I don't want to pry but I really want to know who got my best friend's attention. If it's a mercenary or someone…at least tell me when you met him."

Nephenee froze at the last word that came from Mia "Him."

"Mia…"

"Yeah?"

"…what could…what could I do or say that would make you…hate me…"

Mia gasped in utter shock "What!? Hate you!? You're my best friend, I'd never hate you! Why would you think that?"

Nephenee smiled, an involuntary tear leaving one of her eyes "I'm so glad I know you."

Calming down, Mia nodded before hearing "She."

Looking up the swordmaster raised an eyebrow "What?"

"She…"

"She?"

"This person…is a she…"

Apostle's Army Camp

"Change of plans! It seems the Daein army is at it again! I'm taking my best forces to Oribes Bridge to fend them off, as for the main army, find a way around the bridge and wait at the Daein Border, once we push them back we'll see if they won't stand aside and let us pass, Begnion is our primary target! Move out!"

At Ike's word the army broke apart, the Hero signaled his Mercenaries over and had Soren put some plans into place for taking the bridge back.

"Are you coming along?" Marcia asked to which the golden haired rogue thought briefly.

"Anything I can do to help, I will."

"Great! So, you wanna ride with me?"

The rogue looked to Marcia's Pegasus that whinnied "Trust me; it isn't as bad as you think."

Heather recalled riding the hawks to the Supply Camp, a time that felt so long ago. Despite her reservations she was certain it wouldn't be that bad "Sure, why not."

Now high in the sky, Marcia pointed ahead "That's Oribes Bridge."

"That old connecting structure between Crimea and Daein? I never really understood why it's still there and in such poor condition."

The Falco Knight thought about the Mad King's War "We actually fought here before, against one of Ashnard's Four Riders named Petrine. That was some battle alright; the enemy had pit traps everywhere."

Heather raised an eyebrow "Pit traps? Talk about ancient warfare…you don't think the Daein army is willing to do that again, do you?"

"I'm in the air."

The pair found themselves laughing at that statement as another Pegasus flew in close.

"Marcia. Good to see you."

"Sigrun! I missed you back at the castle. You're always so busy."

The woman nodded with a smile "Of course, I am the commander of the Holy Guards."

Heather remained silent as Marcia and Sigrun talked "Wow, do they only allow the most beautiful women join the Holy Guards?"

"I'm sorry for my rudeness, my name is Sigrun, and you are?"

Marcia elbowed Heather who jumped "Oh, right. My name's Heather, I'm from Ohma."

The other woman continued to smile "Ohma, such nice folks come from those parts, Nephenee and Brom among them. They're so caring with the animals; I'd trust my Pegasus to them any day."

Sigrun snapped her fingers and looked to Heather again "Now I remember you! Tanith was talking to me about someone she met who didn't back down an inch despite her presence. That was you, wasn't it Heather?"

The rogue laughed "To be fair, I didn't know much of Tanith's reputation to get scared. She was just another beautiful angry face."

Sigrun agreed to the statement while Marcia raised an eyebrow "That's put a way I've never heard before, she's terrifying! Even when she's being nice! No, especially when she's being nice!"

Sigrun laughed "Well, Marcia, I'd like to tell you she meant every word. You and I know Tanith better than any other knight in the Holy Guard so believe me when I say she does appreciate you…in her own way."

As Marcia smiled at that the order came from below that they were closing in on Oribes Bridge "Better get down there, nice talking to you Marcia and very nice meeting you, Heather."

With a wink the Commander of the Holy Guards returned to the army below.

As Heather looked down after her Marcia elbowed her again "What's with you? Gawking at her like that."

"I was gawking?"

"Yeah, like you'd never seen a woman riding on a Pegasus before."

Heather chuckled as Marcia guided her Pegasus down "Not exactly my reason for…gawking…"

"Then what was it? Entranced by her beauty?"

The rogue continued to laugh "Yeah, basically."

Marcia looked back at her for a moment before smiling "You're a unique one, that's for sure."

Oribes Bridge

"Bring it on you-DAMN IT!" Boyd yelled as he fell into a pit while the mercenaries charged past him.

Oscar brought his horse around and helped the warrior up "The same thing happened the last time we were here."

Boyd groaned "Don't remind me."

The bridge battle started once the Mercenaries determined that Daein had no intention of retreating. Tibarn even appeared with Leanne and a few Bird Tribe warriors to help out. Though massive the Hawk King dodged the ballistae bolts and destroyed the weapons with ease, allowing the Mercenaries to charge forward uninterrupted except for the occasional pitfall.

"Watch it!" Heather stated quickly, pushing Nephenee aside "Almost fell into a pit there."

Heather looked up to see Nephenee with a strange expression "Neph?"

The Halberd took off in silence bringing confusion to Heather's face, turning she spotted Sigrun, Tanith and Marcia drop down from the skies and impale several guards as Gatrie and Ilyana fought off a pair of Generals.

While Gatrie was handling the frontal combat well there were several sages seeking to get a shot in one him. Seeing this, Heather charged forward followed by Lethe who stated "I'm getting there first!"

Smirking the rogue spun a knife and tossed it, just as Lethe clawed into one of the sages, the knife struck the other.

As Heather retrieved her weapon she turned to the orange cat "I think that's a tie."

"I'll not settle for a tie."

"Same here."

Despite their intense determination the Daein army was fought off and pushed back allowing the mercenaries through. Ike led the group to where the rest of the Apostle's army lay in wait. According to Sanaki, messengers were sent to King Pelleas asking for passage through Daein to Begnion but no word was coming back.

The rising sun found the Apostle's army beginning their march through Daein, despite their reservations they had to reach Begnion as soon as possible.

Heather found herself in yet another foul mood, Nephenee was practically avoiding her and the rogue had no idea why.

She thought about their last encounters, nothing seemed out of sorts. It was all friendly conversation except for the incident in Gallia.

As Heather came to a stop, she thought about it, what would have happened if they weren't interrupted.

Shaking her head she sighed "All I know is after her meeting with Mia she just…became distant…wait…Mia! That's it! Maybe she can help!"

The rogue found her way to the Swordmaster almost immediately, "Mia."

With a smile and a wave she greeted the rogue before asking "How have you been, today?"

"Terrible."

Mia tilted her head "Really?"

"I just…I haven't been able to…speak with Nephenee for quite a while now. I feel like she's avoiding me and I don't know why…I thought maybe you'd know something."

Mia went silent and tapped her chin "I think this is all starting to make sense now."

"I at least want to know if she's like this because I did something, if it's some other personal matter or-"

Mia shook her head "No, she's fine. She's just…figuring things out, about herself. Don't worry too much I'm sure she'll open back up when she's ready."

Heather sighed in relief as Mia stated "You really care about her don't you?"

The rogue caught Mia's expression and nodded "Of course…she's important to me."

The swordmaster put an arm around Heather and brought her in "I'm so glad Nephenee has someone like you in her corner. I'm sure she is as well. Everything will be fine."

Daein Mountain Road

Almost as if Mia's statement was meant to be broken, the advance army was ambushed by the Daein army under the command of Micaiah once again. Countless boulders were rolled onto the Crimean forces and oil slick came down on the Holy Guards that attempted to flee with the Apostle.

Despite their meager numbers in comparison the Daein army was capable of ripping through far more of the Begnion and Crimean armies than the Alliance would have liked.

The mercenaries rushed to the front and arrived just in time to stop Micaiah from bringing down the Holy Guards. Though Tibarn nearly killed Sothe in his attempt to make a point, the Daein army was still reluctant to pull back and it seemed they would continue to hound the allies as they crossed Daein.

Apostle's Army Camp

Nephenee sat, her back against a tree looking up at the night sky. The leaders decided they needed to stamp out Daein or risk constant attacks from behind as they moved forward into Begnion.

As she hummed the heron's galdr to herself she thought of how out of control the war seemed to be getting.

She found her humming joined by someone else and turned to see the Heron Princess Leanne.

"H-hello there…what can I help you with, Princess."

"Leanne. Is. Fine."

"Alrighty, Leanne, are you sure you should be out this late, you need rest and-"

"Conflict…inside you."

The heron sat down next to Nephenee and took one of the Halberd's hands in her own "Simple conflict…"

Nephenee shook her head "Ain't much simple about it…I just…"

"Love is…love."

The Halberd felt herself grow warm "H-how do I know it really is love?"

"I know. I feel it."

The pair stood with Leanne smiling at Nephenee who couldn't help but smile back "Thank you…Leanne."

Nodding the Heron Princess walked away leaving Nephenee feeling lighter and much more content. Sighing she sat back down and continued humming.