Memoirs of the Holy War

by Naryfiel Lilith

It was a war that spanned across two generations. It was a war that tore Jugdral to pieces. It was a war between those who only did what they thought was right. It was a war manipulated by those who had suffered too much. It was a war filled with tragic mistakes and crippling hope. It was a war immortalized by the survivors, and this is their tale. (FE4 Novelization)

15. Chapter 8) Disturbance in Agustria

Chapter 8) Disturbance in Agustria

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The weeks following the wedding were peaceful. There were no disasters, no accidents. Life settled into a gentle rhythm, a song I held dear in my heart. But sadly, those peaceful days ended in the blink of an eye. King Imuka, the wise and peaceful king of Agustria, died suddenly, with no hints of ill health, and after a mere month of mourning, his only son, Chagall, took the throne. A man known for being his father's opposite in every way, few looked favorably on his coronation, even before… everything occurred.

The year is 758, Gran Calendar. Who would've expected such a small incident, what would normally be a footnote in history, would lead to everything shattering?

---

I truly was far too used to the sound of weapons clacking while I studied. It was almost to the point I thought something was wrong if I didn't hear it in between turning the pages. Though, there wasn't much 'clacking' today. After all, Chulainn's students today were Shannan and Dew, and he was always much slower and less hands-on with them.

"There, that's the way," he encouraged, adjusting Dew's grip on the sword again. Dew had a habit of keeping his grip too loose on the hilt, like he was ready to drop it and run at any moment. "It's not going to do you much good if it flips back and hits you."

"I don't know. It might startle the other guy enough for me to run," Dew joked with a grin. He always managed to find some way to downplay potential danger to himself. "They certainly won't expect it!"

"Yes, they'll be quite surprised at their victim deciding to maim themselves and save them the trouble." Unfortunately, his teacher was Chulainn, who refused to play along with the jokes. "We should find you a lighter blade to practice with. Or switch you to daggers."

"It's fine."

"It's not. You need to be comfortable." This sounded like something to bring up to Sigurd, then. He'd gladly commision something for Dew. "Shannan, have you finished the dance? You stopped moving."

"No, but the last part doesn't flow right," Shannan complained, joining Chulainn and Dew. Whenever Chulainn needed to focus on one of the others, he usually opted to practice one of the 'dances' Ayra taught him. They looked like slower paced drills to me, but I supposed there was something more elegant to them than the soldiers sparring. "Hey, can you watch and tell me what's wrong?"

"Give me a moment to get Dew settled, and I will," Chulainn promised. Shannan immediately smiled. "Dew, do the drill again from the beginning. You need to keep your grip."

So the lesson continued, slow and steady. I continued reading through my books, another gift from Prince Kurth. This one focused on how medicines have changed over the years, and it was utterly fascinating. For example, I'd known the srelia blossom had long since replaced the zaris root for treating anaphylaxis, since the zaris root's unique property of suppressing all forms of healing was dangerous, but I didn't know the zaris root itself had replaced an older remedy. I never would've guessed esorbe leaves were ever used for medicines, given how poisonous they were, but then again, it did kill less quickly than anaphylaxis usually did. If I thought of it that way, it could be considered little different from fevers. Still, it was terribly fascinating.

"Ah, so you're still out here!" Deirdre's cheerful voice knocked me out of my musings and, strangely, was accompanied by the smell of fresh cookies. At least, it was strange until I looked up and saw she was carrying a plate full of them as she walked over. "I thought you might have headed in by now and checked your workshop first," she continued, stopping next to me. "It feels late."

"They asked for a longer lesson today," I explained, marking my place and closing my book. Then I nodded to the plate. "Cookies?"

"I thought I'd make some for the diligent students?" She giggled, smiling shyly. "Well, truthfully, I just wanted to bake, and they felt like a good excuse. Do you think they'll mind?"

"I somehow doubt they will." In fact, given how the two were looking about curiously, I'd say they already caught the smell. "Boys, Deirdre brought cookies if you want some." I had to bite back laughter when Dew didn't even hesitate to bolt over to the bench, his eyes glittering greedily at the thought of sweets. Shannan lingered back, glancing up worriedly at Chulainn, but Chulainn smiled faintly and nudged him forward. Shannan needed no more encouragement after that and ran over to join us. He didn't even spare a greeting, and instead jumped up and swiped a cookie directly from the plate. "It seems they're taking a break."

"Given the hour, we need to be wrapping up anyway," Chulainn replied, following after Shannan. As soon as he was close, he scooped Shannan up and dropped him on the bench next to me. "Sit before you stuff your face like a chipmunk. It's only polite."

"Why should manners be involved when there's good food to eat?" Dew asked, eyes wide with 'innocence'. Chulainn shook his head, and promptly picked him up to plop on the bench next to Shannan. "Hey!"

"The food is fresh and is not going to disappear. You can take the time to be nice."

"And I can always make you more," Deirdre added with a gentle smile. She set the plate down between the two and laughed when both immediately began gobbling the cookies like they hadn't had a meal in three days. "Maybe I should've anyway."

"Why did you want to bake cookies in the first place?" I asked, shifting a little to give the boys room. I wondered how they could taste anything with how they were all-but-inhaling the treats. I hoped they didn't choke or, worse, develop pneumonitis. Ellen only just recovered from her bout, and was now settled in Velthomer with Gabriel. "It seems random to me."

"Oh, well..." Deirdre fidgeted with her hands, her smile fading. "I wanted to forget my worries for a little while. Sigurd has been frowning ever since we heard of King Imuka's death." …I had been trying to forget that event myself. After all, both he and I worried about it for the same reason; it reminded us of King Batu. "Then, of course, Alec has been running around a lot recently. I'm not certain he's slept since we've heard, and he's always busy when I try to check in. He even left on some sort of trip a few days ago! Naoise and Arden don't think much of it and he's supposedly due back soon, but..."

"What's this? I've made my lady worried! Perish the thought!" As if he were an actor waiting for a cue, Sir Alec appeared with all the bombastic flair of a theater play, startling most of the others. Chulainn helped the boys not fall off the bench, and I steadied Deirdre when she jumped and nearly fell herself. I briefly marveled about the convenient timing, and decided he must've been waiting in ambush. "Such a grave thing indeed to mar so pretty a face with a frown," he continued, still being melodramatic. Chulainn closed his eyes in mild irritation, and I knew my own expression flattened from exasperation. Deirdre, Shannan, and Dew, however, laughed once they recovered from their shock. "There we go! Smiles are so much better!" Did I need to examine his head again? "With all that said, I did actually come here with a purpose. I returned only a few moments ago and I need to give a report to both Lord Sigurd and Lady Alicia." ...Why would he need to report to me? The only thing I could think of was...

"Is that so?" Deirdre asked, blinking a few times from surprise. But then she smiled. "Well then, I'll take charge of the boys here."

"That would be..."

"Wait, hold on," Dew piped up then, looking remarkably serious given he had cookie crumbs stuck to his face. Without thinking, I reached over and wiped them off. "Thank you. Anyway, for all of Alec's weirdness-" Sir Alec immediately squawked a protest at that. "He's serious when it comes to duty. So, if he's asking for both Alicia and Sigurd, then it's double-serious." There... truthfully, there was no way to refute the logic, not without lying. "Wouldn't that mean you actually need Deirdre too, Alec? Since she's the lady of the castle? I've heard that's important."

"It..." Sir Alec began, possibly to try and think of some way to lie. But, after a moment, he dropped the pretense. "No, you are correct. Truthfully, I must tell all three, and it would be easiest to tell them at the same time. However, I remain uneasy about those assassins. We still do not know how they snuck in." This was true, despite extensive investigations. Our... prisoner was not forthcoming, so all we had were guesses. The favored two were 'took advantage of how people frequently came and went from the castle' and 'secret passage we don't know about'. "Out of the two, Lady Deirdre is much more formidable an escort." That was a strange way of saying 'Deirdre actually fights, unlike Alicia'. Now, granted, Chulainn would come with me, but that would give him three people to protect rather than the two Deirdre would theoretically have.

"Shannan and I will stay together, and we'll head straight for an adult." Dew elbowed Shannan, his bright grin a stark contrast with Shannan's dark frown. "We can practice sneaking! I know better tricks than Ayra. Come on!"

"Startled Naoise for me, will you? He has the most delightful reactions."

"And he's with Finn now anyway, so it'll be extra fun!" Dew hopped off the bench and snagged Shannan's hand to tug him along. "Let's go! We'll drop off the plate while we're at it." With absolutely no hesitations, he snatched the now-empty-plate with his free hand and raced off, dragging a worried Shannan behind him. Dew did not look back; Shannan refused to look away until they rounded the corner.

As soon as they were far enough away, I whispered, "did you find something with the warehouses, Sir Alec?"

"It's partly that, and partly another thing I must report," Sir Alec answered, just as quietly. While he kept the easy smile fixed to his face, his tone was serious. "And it is the latter you three need to hear. If Prince Quan were at the castle, I'd drag him in as well." But he wasn't. He and Ethlyn left to visit Chalphy a few days ago with Altena, leaving with Lady Edain and Sir Midir since they had to return to Yngvi. They had wanted to take Finn with them, but Finn opted to stay so he could keep up with his lessons. "Might we head off?"

"Of course." I stood up and dusted my skirts. Deirdre looked at me uneasily, so I made sure to keep my calm to reassure her. "But I did have one question first." I gave him the most exasperated look I could muster. "How long were you hiding and waiting for the most dramatic moment to arrive?"

"My dear lady, I would never-!"

"He's been in the shadows for a damn hour," Chulainn revealed easily, his own voice dry. Sir Alec gaped at him, and I sighed at my theory being true. Deirdre, thankfully, laughed at the ridiculousness. "Part of why I agreed to the longer lesson was to see how long it would take him."

"Wait, you were purposely keeping me waiting?" Sir Alec asked, scandalized at the thought. I tried to think of why he thought Chulainn would act otherwise. "Is this your revenge for the invitations to drink?"

"I need to clean up here before we leave. Help, will you?"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I don't see a point in answering. People find their own answers in silence and I don't care if you deduce the wrong one."

"Perhaps, but it… would be reassuring to know, Chulainn," Deirdre mumbled, awkwardly intervening. Even her smile teetered uneasily on her face. "So…"

"...No, it's not revenge, and since he continued hiding, I concluded he was waiting so he didn't scare the boys," Chulainn answered softly. Sir Alec looked a little nonplussed at being so easily found out, but Deirdre smiled in relief. "Anyway, Alec, come on. You're helping."

"I can-"

"It'll be quicker with us two, since we already know where everything should go." Chulainn reached over and dragged Sir Alec behind him. "Be right back."

Chulainn's words proved true. Between him and Sir Alec, the yards were cleaned in what felt like a handful of blinks and we left, walking down the halls at a brisk pace. I saw the uneasy looks others gave us as we passed. They knew something was wrong. The four of us would not be grouped together if all was 'right', and certainly we would not walk so quietly. But none of us could break the pall of silence hovering over us. It shrouded us the entire way and did not break until Sir Alec knocked on Sigurd's door.

The office was unchanged from when I left a few hours ago. He hadn't even finished the tea I'd made earlier, though I went ahead and made a fresh pot for him. It gave me something to do and, besides, I needed to make some for Deirdre and Sir Alec. Chulainn, as usual, refused a cup. I still hadn't figured out a recipe to mimic the pleorula tea, though Ayra and Shannan had greatly enjoyed being my taste-testers. Sadly, something told me my research would have to wait after today.

"Well now, I was hoping to have an unexpected yet delightful tea with my wife and dear friend, but if you're here first thing, Alec, instead of pretending to flirt with maids, it must be quite serious," Sigurd noted dryly as we all got settled. Chulainn closed the door behind us to keep guard for any potential eavesdroppers and Deirdre moved to Sigurd's side. Sir Alec stopped right in front of the desk and clasped his hands behind his back in an 'attention' stance. "You must have learned something quite interesting from Laurence."

"Before he reports, may I ask who this Laurence is?" Deirdre requested quietly, attempting to clasp her hands in front of her. Sigurd ruined it by catching one of her hands to kiss. "Dear, we're being serious."

"I am always serious with you." He grinned cheekily, and she did her best to scowl, despite the blush creeping up her face. "But Laurence is a baron who was convicted of slave trafficking around five, six years ago." The grin faded, replaced by a dark scowl. "He kept his life and title solely because he provided key information. Instead, he was confined to his estates for the rest of his life, with a skeleton staff for his needs and guards to ensure he never leaves."

"Most might have balked at the punishment anyway, but Baron Laurence welcomed it," Sir Alec added, smirking faintly. "The man was terrified out of his wits of everything by the trial and, for the record, still is." Part of me felt bad about that, yet at the same time, it felt fitting. His victims had no doubt been just as scared, after all. "He isn't allowed many visitors, and welcomes even less, but since he had that old connection, my lord asked if I could have a simple talk and see if he was involved in our lovely warehouses."

"Since you are taking your time, I am assuming he does not," Sigurd concluded, nodding to himself. Finished with the teas at last, I debated bringing the pots to everyone, but settled on mugs instead. It would be easier for everyone while they talked at the desk. "Did he babble anything interesting?"

"Not initially." Sir Alec took a mug from me, smiling in thanks. "When I first tried to explain why I was there, he immediately fell into a panic and babbled about 'the Beast'."

"The... beast?" Deirdre repeated, frowning. She shook her head when I offered her a mug, so I set it on Sigurd's desk. Sigurd accepted his mug, but set it down next to Deirdre's without drinking. "What are you talking about?"

"It's part of the incident that cracked that slave trafficking case right open," Sir Alec explained, sipping his tea. With my self-appointed task completed, I stole some extra paper from Sigurd's desk and sat down on one of the chairs by the table to take notes for my letter to Dietrich. Chulainn decided to move next to me, leaning against the arm of my chair. "My lady, has anyone told you about the underground arenas which plagued Grannvale back then?"

"Yes, Sigurd told me about them." Her eyes went cold and while she kept the smile, it had a distinctly icy edge to it now. "What a despicable practice..."

"It was a known problem for several years, but it was near impossible to find evidence. Every time there was a potential break, it would lead to nothing but empty buildings and mass graves. Until, one day, a noble who was very well known for his punctuality missed an important meeting. Since it was so unusual for the man, it was brought to the authorities' attention immediately, and their investigations showed he and many other conveniently missing nobles all took a 'brief trip' to the Velthomer region, one they apparently did not return from." Ah, I knew what this was about now. I didn't know the full details, since Arvis refused to tell me, but he'd been near beside himself over it. It had taken me a couple of days to calm him down during that particular visit. "Skipping over the not as exciting parts of the story, they were eventually tracked down to a large, nondescript building that was officially listed as a 'warehouse' owned by one of the missing nobles." Oh, then it was no wonder they immediately wondered if there was a connection to our current case. "By then, it was filled with the terribly decayed bodies of our tragically missing nobles. Along with many others."

"I suppose it would be too much to hope that they were participating in the arenas?"

"Sadly, none of them appeared to have been fighting. Documentation found at the scene confirmed they were sponsors, traffickers, and avid members of the audience with quite the betting pool."

"...Disgusting..."

"Calmer reaction than what my lord had when he heard! Took us a few weeks to repair the walls." Sir Alec grinned, trying to lighten the air, and Sigurd rolled his eyes at the attempt. Deirdre, however, remained icily disgusted. "But nearly everyone in the building was dead. Only Laurence was alive, gibbering and weeping in fear under the floorboards. When questioned, all he could bleat out was 'the beast killed everyone.'"

"So, he was the only survivor."

"Surprisingly, no." Sir Alec sipped more of his tea, and I wondered if I should pour him another cup. "He was the only one found alive at the scene, yes, but a few days after the initial raid, investigators were informed of another survivor. A young girl who had been dropped off at a nearby church. She didn't remember much, save for blood and battles, but Laurence identified her as one of the 'gladiators'. We do not know why she was not killed with the others, but we believe our Beast carried her to safety. Unfortunately, the priest working at the time didn't get a good description. He'd assumed it was a tired soul dropping off a family member they could no longer care for."

"So, we do not know who they were?"

"Our best guess even now is that they were another of the gladiators, one who snapped and murdered everyone for their freedom. Laurence remains unhelpful, declaring they were a 'beast' and nothing more." Sir Alec hesitated for a moment, hiding it by drinking more of his tea. "I… well, this part isn't official, but truthfully, no one looked very hard for them. They'd be tried for multiple murders if they were found, after all."

"Even though they killed criminals?"

"The law is supposed to protect everyone and give rights to everyone," I whispered, barely even thinking about it. Arvis and I had this talk a few times, after all. He didn't like the idea of protecting 'evil people', but I thought it made perfect sense. "It's like my healing. Everyone means 'everyone', including those you hate."

"The second you try to make exceptions is the second you give people a very good reason to try and make their enemies fit those exceptions," Sigurd agreed, smiling faintly. He then grabbed the wrong mug and sipped it. Almost immediately, he frowned. "Wait, this tastes different. Did you not make me my tea?"

"That is Deirdre's mug, Sigurd."

"Ah. Sorry, beloved." He set down the mug and reclaimed his. "Anyway, Prince Kurth believes the same, and he was the one who taught me why it was important. No matter how much you want a particular person to suffer, a society run on your worst impulses will only bring pain."

"Mmm… I can understand that, but I fear people will use it as a means of avoiding consequences, especially if they know the law well," Deirdre mused, tapping her cheek. I could only think of how my father had, supposedly, utilized the law many times to do exactly that. "What do you do then?"

"You improve the law so less wriggles through the cracks," Sigurd answered without hesitation. He took her free hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly. "Prince Kurth once told me that 'good' and 'evil' are too relative to make judgements. The only way to ensure the 'good' are protected is by protecting everyone. So, the law must be equal to all, and it must constantly change to take into account new scenarios and situations."

"So, even if one slips through, they can ensure it never happens again. I do like that." She smiled, but it still looked uncomfortable. "But that doesn't help present victims. Should there not be leniency for circumstances? Would this… oh, I hate to use 'Beast', but it's the only term we have for them, isn't it?" She sighed, shaking her head. "Regardless, even if they were tried for the murders of so many monsters, could it not be ruled 'self-defense'?"

"By definition, 'self-defense' is retaliation to an 'immediate' threat and does not usually take into account things like past abuses. So, it would probably be tried under 'manslaughter'."

"Well, that's silly. Even if the threat wasn't immediate, their lives were still in danger."

"That's a fair point. We can research it more later." Sigurd smiled. "We're a bit off-topic."

"Oh!" Deirdre blushed faintly, and quickly snatched up her mug to try and hide it. "S-sorry, Alec..."

"No, it's fine, my lady," Sir Alec reassured, biting back a laugh. Despite the reassurance, he did pointedly set down his now empty mug. He'd been drinking it the entire time we'd chatted, after all. "Still, I did remember something while you all had your riveting discussion. Some of the children found among the dead were Isaachian, so their authorities took over parts of the follow-up investigations. Maybe Ayra has additional information." That would be convenient. "Regardless, to finish the report, it is my belief Baron Laurence has nothing to do with the current situation. However, once he calmed down enough for me to properly explain, he gladly provided the names of some nobles who had been interested in the past, but never actually dirtied their hands." And, of course, none could ever question them further. Inquiries were not a crime, after all.

Shaking my head, I turned to Chulainn to ask him his opinion on all of this, but the words died in my throat when I realized how tense he was. No, it was worse than 'tense'. 'Rigid' may be more accurate, as if he had suddenly turned into a statue. Without thinking about it, I gently touched his hand to try and draw his attention, and he immediately jerked back, snatching his hand out of reach. He and I stared at each other for a long moment, my eyes questioning and his own wide with shame as he realized what happened. He then broke eye contact with me, shifting subtly so the chair was between him and me, and this told me all I needed to know. This topic was uncomfortable. He would not explain why. So…

"Sir Alec, give me the names later, will you?" I requested, turning back to the others. The three had been discussing something or other, but focused on me. I hoped none noticed Chulainn's discomfort. "Was there anything else Dietrich needed to know?"

"No, the names are the priority," Sir Alec answered easily. He turned his attention back to Sigurd then, his expression becoming surprisingly grim. "That was the first part of my report. The second deals with the other matter you tasked me with."

"Ah, yes, I asked you to report any rumors you heard about King Imuka's death," Sigurd whispered. Though he tried to appear relaxed, he and I traded wary looks. "What did you hear?"

"There are some rumors of a Grannvale assassin being responsible, but there's an equal number of rumors saying now-King Chagall killed his father for the throne." So, it was unfocused? That was different than with Verdane. Perhaps this was not related after all? It would be nice if that was the case, yet I couldn't help but fret. "But that wasn't what held my attention. It was people's reactions. While the people mourn the loss of their beloved and wise king, the lords seem to not give a damn about who killed King Imuka or why. Only that it happened."

"...And now, they are no longer chained." Sigurd set down his mug and leaned back in his chair, resting a hand against his temple. "Eldigan already warned we should be wary of his fellows, to say nothing of Ellidiot's attempt at an attack. Is there talk of war?"

"Yes." The word was heavy. "It remains only whispers, for now, but they are there nonetheless and I fear they grow louder, not softer, with each telling."

"Who is the suspected target? Grannvale?"

"No." Sir Alec's gaze grew hard, and I slowly realized this was the reason why he asked to report to me. The names for Dietrich could have waited, but this? This couldn't. "It's Verdane." And here we were, conveniently located between all three countries. There was little chance of us escaping the fighting, if this was true.

"Right, Agustria is locked in by mountains. They'll need a better base if they want to attack Grannvale, and Verdane is still recovering." He sighed, closing his eyes. Deirdre rested a soothing hand on his back, and he spared a smile for her. "I'll send a warning to Jamke. Hopefully, this is all nonsense. If it's not…" Then it would be war again for us all.

There was… no way to reply to that. So, with the barest of farewells, Chulainn and I left the office, with Sir Alec close behind. He immediately left to collapse in his bed, and I headed for my workshop, worried for the coming days. Chulainn kept pace with me, as he always did, and so we walked slowly and in silence. It was only when we were at the end of the hall, well away from the others, that Chulainn broke it.

"...Thank you…" he mumbled, his gaze fixed to the ground. Yet he made a point to touch my hand with hesitant gentleness, and I found myself feeling lighter at the gesture. "I'm sorry."

"There is no need to apologize," I replied, smiling at him. He still refused to look at me, so I hoped he heard the sincerity in my words. "Are you all right now? Shall we take a walk?"

"Don't you have a letter to write?"

"My pen and paper aren't going to fly away. I think." I made a show of thinking, and a smile cracked onto his face. "Regardless, sending an urgent message will only draw attention and the whole point of me sending him the letters is to place them under suspicion. So, it can wait a while and, in fact, should."

"...Then a walk... through the gardens… would be nice."

"It does sound lovely, doesn't it?"

We spent the walk in silence, simply taking the time to relax. A few times, Chulainn tried to say something, but each time, he closed his mouth and shook his head. I pretended to not notice and I think he was grateful for it. At the least, he was smiling faintly by the time we made it to my workshop, and I was glad for it.

---

It was surprising how quickly something became part of your life. For eighteen years, I never so much as exchanged looks with Prince Kurth, but now, he and I exchanged letters regularly. By this point, the awkward hesitations in both of our replies had dissipated, and I found it almost as easy to write to him as I did Arvis. This didn't mean I was any closer to figuring out how I felt about him, but that was fine. He didn't expect it. In fact, he understood how complicated my thoughts and feelings were, and he accepted them without complaint. Maybe that was why someone like Father Eirik respected him. They took a similar mindset when it came to their choices and consequences.

With all that said, I needed to figure out some way to tell him he didn't need to send me gifts with every letter. With the sole exception of the message he sent by falcon, each one had at least some sort of small trinket. This time, however, was truly ridiculous. There were four packages.

"In some ways, he's worse than Arvis," I muttered, smiling despite myself. No matter how annoyed I was, I was… glad to see them. He always put the utmost thought in each of his gifts, and never did any of them feel like a 'bribe'. I think it helped I'd gotten better at receiving presents. "Goodness, why so many this time?"

"There's only one way to find out," Chulainn pointed out, from his typical spot of 'leaning against the wall'. He always did this when we were in my workshop together; one of these days, I'd convince him to sit. "You don't have lessons today, do you?"

"I do, but they're much later in the afternoon." Lord Oifey and Shannan were in the markets with Sigurd, checking commerce and whatnot, while Finn was learning from Sir Naoise about horses. Dew had originally planned on coming here for additional reading and writing lessons, despite being skilled enough now to read most books and write legibly, but he'd pulled yet another prank and the fallout was apparently so messy that he was being forced to clean it up himself under Sir Arden's supervision. "So I still have time." Besides, he was right. There really was only one way to find out why there were so many.

Without further ado, I unwrapped one of the packages. Oh, certainly, I could've just opened the letter first, but I wanted to see what they were. Upon seeing the contents, though, I wondered if I should've done otherwise. Inside were two large jars, filled with some sort of marmalade, and a handwritten card, and it wasn't until I picked up the card I realized just what these were. They… they were jars of pleorula tea, with instructions on how to make it. I stared at it for a long moment, not trusting my eyes, and then excitement spiked through and I quickly opened another of the packages. This one had several sachets of carefully dried, crimson flowers and another handwritten card proudly declaring the best way to brew 'krinina blossom tea'. The third and fourth packages, meanwhile, held similar treasures, each with directions written on cards. This was… he really…

"Chulainn!" I exclaimed, whirling to face him. He was staring at me like I'd gone insane. To be fair, he did just watch me tear into the packages like a child. I was usually much neater about opening them. "Let me make you some tea!"

"Tea?" he repeated, still staring. "Alicia, we had this conversation before?"

"Yes, but..." I held up the jar of pleorula, and I had the pleasure of seeing Chulainn going slack-jawed in shock. He recognized it instantly. "I asked Prince Kurth if he could keep an eye out among the merchants who have set up shop near the armies?"

"I don't know who is more ridiculous in this scenario."

"I would think both of us, but that is neither here nor there." I smiled that 'bright smile', the 'beaming' one Chulainn described. "Please?"

"I... you..." He sighed gustily and threw up his hands. "I yield."

"Thank you!" Oh, I hadn't been this giddy in a long while. Had I ever?

I couldn't remember and couldn't care less. There was tea to make, after all, and while I waited for the water to boil, I found myself humming while I worked for the first time since I was little. Humming hadn't exactly been encouraged in the church; no matter how quiet you were, it echoed harshly thanks to the acoustics. I had to learn quickly how to work quietly, but right now, I couldn't help it. It wasn't even a proper song, merely a string of notes, but they heightened my already cheerful mood. They also reminded me of a question I still needed to ask.

"Say, Chulainn?" I began, glancing at him over my shoulder. He still looked exasperated by all of this. "When you carried me back in the night those assassins attacked..." I had to trail off, grimacing. Everything about that day still settled poorly on my heart.

"Last I heard, they were still in custody, were they not?" Chulainn asked, even though he knew the answer. Yes, they were still a prisoner and they continued being uncooperative. "Has Sigurd given up on getting them to avoid the usual?"

"I wouldn't know. Deirdre took over after the wedding and she refuses to say a word to either Sigurd or me about it." I still remembered the day she told Sigurd she'd handle it for him. It had been during our usual morning meeting and both he and I had stared in shock. But she'd met our gazes with such steely resolve that Sigurd yielded without protest. "You can ask her if you're curious. She might tell you." But the fact that she refused to say anything to us implied the answer anyway.

"Not that curious. I'm more surprised they kept me away from it."

"Would you have assisted if they asked?"

"It's not what I was hired for, so no. But it's nice to not be put into an awkward position." He shrugged, unbothered. "I much prefer being with you."

"So, I am preferable to torture. This is good to know."

"Well, if you want to take it like that…" He smiled faintly, a boyish smile, and I smiled back, relaxing once again. "Regardless, why bring that night up?"

"Hmm? Ah, yes, did you sing?"

"Huh?"

"Did you sing that night? I swore I heard a song as I drifted off." I waited for a reply, but Chulainn remained silent. "If you don't want to answer..."

"I..." He glanced away, and it took me a second to realize the tips of his ears were red. Was… was he embarrassed? He was embarrassed! "Maybe."

"It was very lovely." It was terrible of me, but I couldn't help but tease him. "It was quite soothing as well. I had very good dreams that night."

"With how exhausted you were, you should've been too tired to dream."

"Yet I still had peaceful dreams." I smiled innocently; he scowled. "What were the songs?"

"..." He scowled at me a little longer before sighing and looking away again. "Just... some lullabies I vaguely remember. That's all."

"Oh?" I had to admit; I was tempted to ask more. But I knew by now he very rarely wanted to speak of his past, and this was pushing it. So, it was better to keep focused on the present. "Well, thank you. That's the first time anyone has sung me a lullaby."

"Surely someone did when you were a child."

"Perhaps Cigyun did in Velthomer, but I don't remember it. My mother gave me away when I was a year old, after all, and Father Eirik wasn't the type to sing." I think I may have had a heart attack if he'd tried. "And I wouldn't have wanted Arvis to try. Singing is not included in my brother's many talents."

"Ah." He was silent for a long moment. "It was just a whim. There's no need to thank me for it."

"But I greatly enjoyed it, so should I not thank you?" I flashed him a smile, but before I could think of continuing, I noticed the water had started boiling and focused entirely on finishing up the tea. As soon as I was certain everything was mixed properly, triple-checking the card to see if I missed a step, I hurried over and held out the mug to him. "Here!" Ah, I was far too excited about this. I knew I was. But this felt like the first time I was finally able to give back to him and I was so glad for it. "I did my best to follow the instructions, but tell me if I need to make adjustments."

"You are..." He sighed heavily, but dutifully took the mug from me to taste the tea. He froze as soon as he did, his eyes widening slightly. "This..."

"Did I do it wrong?" Ah, I must've misread something. I should…

"No, no, it's..." He hesitated before smiling a smile I hadn't seen him wear before. It was very soft, and terribly gentle. "I was surprised how well it matched those vague memories. That's all."

"I see." If it got him to smile like that, I'd make it every day for him. "I'm glad, then." Now feeling a little awkward, for some reason, I turned away to make my own cup and sit down to read Prince Kurth's letter.

"Thank you." Chulainn's words were quiet; I barely heard them. "Truly."

"It... isn't much. But you are welcome."

We settled into a mostly comfortable silence then, though I felt almost too big for my own skin. I couldn't figure out why, though, and thus, opted to ignore it. I had other things to think about, after all. There was a new tea to try and a letter to read, and upon tasting the tea, I decided Ayra and Shannan were being nice about my attempts to recreate the taste. I hadn't been even close. But now that I knew for myself, I could think of a few fruits which were similar. The texture and sweetness would be harder to replicate as a tea mix without drowning everything in sugar, but it would be a fun challenge. I could get Ayra and Shannan more involved as well, if they were willing. Besides, I had to wonder if this sort of tea would work better for some of my medicines. Hmm… that would be an interesting bit of research. But that would be for later. For now, I should focus on my letter.

'I hope the packages made it to you safely. I'd been keeping an eye out since you requested it and finally stumbled upon a merchant specializing in teas among the many who loiter near the camp. He gave me the darkest look when I first approached and asked him about Isaachian teas. In retrospect, asking so bluntly about the tea from a country I'm fighting was discourteous at best.'

I had to pause then, fighting off the urge to squirm. I hadn't... considered it either. I had just wanted...

'He then asked, in that particular tone of someone politely fighting the urge to strangle another, why I wanted to know. Still terribly oblivious, I explained you had written to me about it, wanting Princess Ayra and Prince Shannan to have a bit of home while they were so terribly far away. To my complete surprise, the second I mentioned your name, his demeanor brightened considerably. Later, I learned why. This merchant was actually born in Isaach, and had come near to see how his home was doing. He and I chatted while he wrote the instructions for you, and thus I learned everyone in Sigurd's army, including you, was held in high regard by the Isaachians for healing and protecting their prince and princess. Rather comforting to hear, truthfully.

It is my hope Mariccle will surrender, or at least tell me why he feels war was the only way. Yet as the days pass and the battles stretch on, I fear this hope will not be answered. Worse still, we are reaching the turning point in the war, where Grannvale's advantages become all too clear. We have more people, more Holy Weapons, and the majority of the fighting is in the desert, where our mages reign supreme."

I closed my eyes at the sentence, uncomfortable at the knowledge. Yet, at the same time, this was something most already knew. Even Ayra never spoke of the war as if it was something Isaach would win. The end result… had always been inevitable.

'I will continue trying to open a dialogue with him. I remember what you told me, and I am convinced there is more to this than meets the eye. I may not succeed, but I do not wish the truth to be buried by convenient lies. I want to learn, because until I do, there will be no way to rebuild the shattered trust between our nations.

Even in a best case scenario, though, where Mariccle surrenders and reveals all to me, he'd have to cede the throne. I do not think any diplomat would expect otherwise. But, with just a little more knowledge, I'm certain we can argue for Prine Shannan to still receive it when he comes of age, and simply have a regent until that day arrives. It's not so different from what we have with Verdane currently, after all.'

Oh, that's what he meant by 'comforting', then. If this was going to happen, then Shannan's regent would have to be a Grannvalian lord. I doubted the court would accept anything less. But if the Isaachians already held Sigurd in high regard, then he or someone he trusted could serve the role with minimal fuss. I didn't think Ayra or Shannan would mind.

'Please don't mention anything to Sigurd yet. I have no idea how long this war will last, after all, nor do I know if my preferred scenario would be accepted. This is, of course, to say nothing of the rumors reaching us.

Try to be careful, will you? The recent disturbances in Agustria have made many of us nervous, and I fear you all will be drawn into it, and not just because Sigurd inherited Hiordis's penchant for trouble. If Nordion gets involved, Sigurd will not be far behind. He would never leave Eldigan to face danger alone.'

There was a little more, mostly easy small talk, and despite the grim reminder of the threat hanging over our heads, I was smiling as I finished the letter. I was… I was so glad he remembered the hints I'd given him, and I was relieved to hear he would not give up on finding common ground with Mariccle. Of course, given what I'd overheard, I wasn't sure if he would. The trust between our nations was more than 'shattered', and I had a feeling he knew it. But he'd try anyway, because it was what he believed was right.

"You're smiling." Chulainn's gentle observation roused me from my thoughts, and I looked up as he moved to my side. "Was it a happy letter?" he asked.

"I am not certain if one could call it 'happy', but it was not 'sad' either," I answered, returning to my tea. I should've made myself more; this was quite good. "He told me how he managed to secure the teas for me, and a little of how the war is faring."

"Good for Grannvale, and poor for Isaach."

"Well, yes." I did not like it, but it was firmly outside my control. I could only dread the eventual news of the war's end. "Still, he continues to hope for a peaceful resolution, and he told me his half-plan for the future. He wants Shannan to inherit, you see. It'll be hard to argue with so little known, but…"

"That's surprising."

"Is it?" I thought it made sense, but then again, I... was biased. I wanted to think well of him, after all. "I suppose it could be. Most in Grannvale likely want Isaach razed for the supposed atrocities."

"Some do, some don't, but what I find surprising isn't that he wants Shannan to rule. That fits the man."

"Is that your guess based on the gossip?"

"Partly. Bryon and Ring are also his closest friends, advisors, and confidants and I can take a guess on how those two are, considering who they raised." He set his empty mug on the table, and my smile grew when I saw it. I was so glad he liked it. "I find it surprising he told you."

"Oh?"

"You'd think something like that would be kept a guarded secret. People could use his sympathy as a means to undermine him." Was that so? I had to admit I knew little about things like this, but it made some sense. I knew from Arvis's own struggles that the most ridiculous of things could be used as justifications for everything. "But not only did he tell you, he spoke of it openly. He must value your insight."

"Surely not. We barely talked about it, and I shared some tidbits I'd picked up. That's all." Even as I dismissed it, I couldn't deny I felt a little happy at the thought. I liked being helpful. "I'm surprised he listened."

"He trusts you, then. Usually nobles don't listen to anyone they don't trust."

"Ah, so that's why Arvis rarely listens to anyone." I didn't mean to say the words aloud, but Chulainn ducked his head to hide his smile, his equivalent of laughter, so I couldn't quite regret it. "Regardless, I see your cup is empty. Shall I make you more?"

"I'll do it, if the water is already hot." He even snagged my own mug before I could stop him. "You've a letter to reply to, yes?"

"I... well, you are right..." Yet the whole reason why I was so excited about the teas was so I could make them for him. Him making some for me defeated the purpose, but that was near impossible to explain. It was frustrating, more so because I could not articulate why it was frustrating.

But since I could not find my words, I could only let it be. Instead, I found pen and paper and set about writing my reply, starting with my deepest thanks for him indulging my silly request and an apology as I too hadn't considered how others might view it. From there, I wrote about whatever I wished, as had become my norm when it came to writing Prince Kurth. It was much easier to write when I stopped thinking about it. He didn't mind how rambling and random the words were. Given how he usually replied to each part, it was clear he read them with all sincerity. Perhaps he even smiled when he did. I hoped he did. My mother died for him, so he should smile all the smiles she never got to smile. Would tea make him smile? I could make him...

The thought froze me. I... could make him tea. In fact, I wanted to make him some. It was so strange. There were so many I made teas for now. Before, it was only my brothers and Azelle's dearest friends, but now I had so many mixes. It was not my standards that changed; I still only wanted to make them for those who were dear to me. I just had more I held close to my heart and... and I think Prince Kurth was becoming one of them. It didn't feel like an obligation or some means of thanking him. I genuinely wanted to make it, simply because I could.

But there was a slight problem. I knew even less about his likes and dislikes than I had Lex and Tailtiu. So, I would need some assistance in the matter. I considered Father Eirik briefly before dismissing the thought. I didn't want to even think about that man anymore than I had to, much less write him a letter. Duke Byron had written to me once, and I could use that as an excuse to reply, but given what I'd heard, it could be months before I got a response. Would it be strange if I wrote Duke Ring, then? He was Prince Kurth's close friend, after all, so he should know. Yet I had only spoken to him once and there was no guarantee he'd assist me. Then again, I could bribe him with the 'reports' Shannan, Ayra, and Lex had given me about Lady Edain and Sir Midir. He'd seemed interested in the subject when we talked.

I'd ask Sigurd if he thought Duke Ring would be offended. Then I'd make my plan. For now, I had a letter to finish.

---

My morning meetings with Sigurd had a slight change after the wedding. A few days after they returned from their honeymoon, Deirdre shyly asked if she could join us, wishing for peace, quiet, and advice while she worked on her duties as the lady of the castle. Sigurd and I didn't mind, of course. These meetings were mostly about the castle, the town, and its denizens anyway. It would be stranger to keep her away.

"Hmm... good, we're still under our budget for the month," she noted absently, scribbling something down. I still didn't know all of her duties, but managing the finances for the castle was apparently one of them. Maybe I should ask Arvis more about ruling so I could help her more. "I think. Alicia, I never did get a budget for you."

"If you're asking for the infirmaries and medicines, your husband declared I didn't have one," I explained, going through my own lists. There had been a number of colds recently, and not only did I deplete my cold medicines, but I had given a good number of townsfolk soothing teas since many remembered the previous 'plague' all too well. This meant I had to redo my inventory. "Now where did..." Before I had even finished asking where a paper was, Chulainn appeared at my side with the paper I needed. "Thank you. Did I drop it?"

"I think it went fluttering away when Sigurd accidentally broke that pen and you immediately went to make sure he wasn't hurt." Deirdre looked up from the table she and I worked at to pout at Sigurd, who worked at his desk. He seemingly ignored it, but his slight, sheepish smile showed he'd heard her. "I can't believe you broke a pen. It was brand new!"

"Given how he had so many extras, I imagine this was not the first time."

"I suppose." She rubbed at her eyes and leaned back in her chair to stretch. Chulainn, meanwhile, went back to the door, as quiet as ever. That was how these mornings usually went now. He would be the silent guard by the door, while Deirdre and I would sit and work at the chairs and table, and Sigurd worked at his desk. The only deviance would be when I got up to make everyone tea in the corner. "Ah, I'm distracting myself. You don't have a budget for your infirmaries, Alicia?"

"So Sigurd told me when I joined."

"Chalphy's policy is to ensure healers have everything they need to perform their duties, since it involves people's lives," Sigurd explained, setting down his own papers. For some reason, he was grinning. "Thus, no budget. We can't anticipate what they will need, and we don't want them to stress about it. Father actually wrote me about it recently."

"He did?" Deirdre asked, frowning. "When? Why?"

"He requested an expense report for the campaign and wedding, and when he saw the numbers, he demanded to know if I had forgotten to tell Alicia about our policy to not have healers worry about expenses." He chuckled, amused at the memory. "Fastest I've ever gotten a reply from him."

"Was it that low?"

"Lower than he expected to be certain." Was it? I may have gotten used to having 'no budget', but that was partly because I had to keep from thinking of how much I was spending. "Luckily, he was placated by the explanation that Alicia insists on making her own medicines and would forage for her own supplies until we learned to buy ahead of her."

"Speaking of which, we should plant a medicinal garden." Deirdre turned her beaming smile my way. "I think it'll be fun, and it'll help with those harder to get ingredients. Even if there isn't a budget, we should still be cost-efficient, yes?"

"Of course. That gives me more money to spoil you."

"Sigurd!" As usual, she turned red to the roots of her hair at the teasing. "A-at least spoil some of the others!"

"Like?"

"Alicia!" She pointed right at me. I returned to my lists, making notes of what was lower than I'd like. "Spoil her!"

"I would if she'd let me." Sigurd sulked. "But noooo, any time I try to get a hint about what she might want, it's all 'No, I do not need anything'. We should get her a library of medical texts, though."

"Oh, we should!" The worst part was I knew they were completely serious about that. "And... wait, what other things do you like, Alicia? Teas, of course. Books. Apples." Deirdre frowned, looking almost sullen. "I can't think of any particularly happy reaction to random gifts either. You accept them all with a smile."

"See? It's so hard!"

"Since when do you run from a challenge, my love?"

"Hmm... when you put it like that..."

"Deirdre, Sigurd, I act content about my life because I am content with my life," I sighed, hoping the words could curb this sudden enthusiasm. I had a feeling it was a foolish wish, but I made the attempt anyway. "My joys are seeing everyone's smiles and hearing their chatter. You can't exactly buy that."

"Well, no..." Deirdre admitted reluctantly. Sigurd made a face, likely hoping I'd let something slip. "But surely there's some sort of item or treat? Material items are not everything, but they're a nice way to hold onto memories."

"Mmm... no, I fear I am a rather practical sort." I tried to think of physical items I may have wanted as a child, but came up blank. I had a feeling Father Eirik would've found me easier to deal with if he could've bribed my happiness, but what I had wanted, genuine affection, was beyond that socially-challenged jerk. "Arvis bemoans it as well."

"Maybe I should write to commiserate." All at once, though, Deirdre clapped her hands together. "Oh! Pictures!"

"Pardon?"

"We could commission sketches of everyone!" She grinned, eyes shining in triumph. I could only stare in shock. "Since you so enjoy those everyday moments, we can immortalize them with art!"

"That would be extraordinarily expensive."

"We'll use the money you don't use for your infirmaries!"

"Don't waste money like that." This was ridiculous. "Spend it on the children."

"That's a great idea! We need to spoil them more too!" Deirdre laughed, full and bright. Sigurd, the traitor, had his head in his arms on his desk, desperately muffling his own laughter. "This will be so much fun!"

"Deirdre!" I almost said more. I did. But I noticed Chulainn tense and step away from the door and I knew that meant… "Do we have a guest?"

"We're about to," Chulainn answered. On the surface, he was as calm as ever, but I had a sneaking suspicion… it was hard to say why, but I was almost certain he was uneasy. "And they're moving fast." If they were running here, at this hour, then it could only mean one thing: trouble.

We moved quickly. Sigurd sat up and neatened his desk. Deirdre assisted him and remained at his side. I moved out of the center of the room to linger on the edges, ready to react however I needed to. Chulainn, meanwhile, remained near the door, still listening, and eventually stepped to the side, not even bothering to open the door as he usually did with guests. In two seconds, it became clear why; Lord Oifey burst through without even pretending to knock.

"Lord Sigurd!" Worse, he'd barely taken a step inside before calling out breathlessly, an unknown person at his heels. "I… whoa!" In his haste, he nearly fell when he stopped, but Chulainn steadied him and I fetched him and his companion some water. "Messenger from Nordion," he gasped out, gesturing to the other. "It's…"

"Take a moment to breathe, Oifey," Sigurd urged, perfectly relaxed in his chair. You would have never known he'd been half-sprawled on his desk muffling laughter not one minute ago. "And sit down before you collapse." Lord Oifey looked ready to protest, but Deirdre came over to gently usher him into my vacated chair and rested a hand on his shoulder to keep him there. Lord Oifey accepted his fate after that, and greedily gulped the water I handed him. "As for you… you're Eve, yes?"

"Yes, Lord Sigurd," the messenger answered, bowing slightly. Though outwardly they appeared fine, I noticed they were a touch pale with bags forming under their eyes and swayed very slightly despite their attempts to stand straight in attention. Their hands shook when they took the glass of water from me, and they winced whenever they shifted their weight, like they had pulled something. "I am honored you remember me, and surprised you did not confuse me for my brothers."

"You three may be triplets, but you're really not hard to tell apart." Sigurd smiled, friendly and warm, but he gave me a worried look. He'd seen what I had. This man was at his limit, even if he tried to feign otherwise. "If I recall correctly, you got engaged recently."

"Did my lord truly tell you that?" Sir Eve shook their head, and then closed their eyes to ward off dizziness. Deirdre frowned worriedly, but stayed near Lord Oifey to make sure he rested and regained his breath. "It wasn't so grand an affair."

"Eldigan takes great delight in his Cross Knights finding happiness. But this makes me more curious why you are all the way here and not with your fiance." Sigurd let his smile fade. "It must be important. You look like you've ridden through several nights."

"That is accurate, my lord. I fear I will need to borrow a horse to return, as I worry for the health of my own."

"I'll have one of ours check them over. But what has happened?" He held up a hand when Eve made to speak. "Keep it short. Alicia looks ready to order you to the infirmary."

"I am not that bad off!" Eve glanced nervously at me, and I met his eyes with a serene smile. "B-but I know better than to argue with a healer. The message is in two parts. The first is that King Chagall imprisoned our lord Eldigan." …Imprisoned?

"Did he now?" Sigurd's voice noticeably cooled. "On what charges?"

"Oath-breaking, my lord." They said the words hesitantly, and Deirdre and I shared a confused look. If such a thing was a crime worthy of arrest, half of Grannvale's nobility would be behind bars. "It's just an excuse because my lord wanted to-"

"It's Eldigan. I know it's baseless." Sigurd smiled, but for once, there was nothing comforting to it. The smile only emphasized how hard his gaze became, and how dark his expression was. "But using that allows Chagall to order the other lords to attack Nordion. Is it under siege?"

"Duchess Grahnye and Lady Lachesis received word of Heirhein's soldiers approaching, and sent me to you for assistance. That is the second part of my message." For some reason, they smiled faintly. "Speaking of which, Lady Lachesis insisted I add this to it. 'Please go through proper procedures and do not simply rush in and get yourself in all kinds of political trouble.'"

"..." Sigurd immediately made a face, all anger disappearing in an instant. "Why must she know me well?"

"Lord Sigurd, forgive me, but I do believe anyone who has ever heard of you would know your reaction to this." They bowed, and nearly fell over. Chulainn slipped over to steady them. "Thank you. Where was… ah, yes, Duchess Grahnye said they will send a second message when they fear they are reaching a breaking point, but Nordion's walls are strong. They should hold out until you arrive, with permission."

"But it will be difficult." Sigurd frowned. "The Cross Knights are usually on training exercises in Sylvale around this time of year, yes?"

"Yes, and we are attempting to send a messenger, but since one must travel through either Agusti or Anphony to reach Sylvale Fortress…"

"And forcing their way through would only add weight to Chagall's lies." Sigurd sighed, but nodded. "Very well. Oifey? Do you have your breath back?" Lord Oifey jumped to his feet in answer, his expression grimmer than I'd ever seen. "Take Eve to a room to rest and then send our fastest messengers to both Jamke and King Azmur at once."

"My lord, I truly must-!"

"Allow me to add a healer's orders to it," I added, keeping my voice even and firm. My mind whirled at what it heard, though. Lord Eldigan imprisoned? Nordion was, or would be, under siege? Just what was happening? "If you attempt to ride in your state, you're likely to fall and break your neck." Sir Eve hesitated, thinking about arguing, but bowed their head in surrender. "I'll send some tea for you later."

Though visibly reluctant, Sir Eve let Lord Oifey lead them out of the room without protest. Chulainn closed the door behind them, and silence reigned as we tried to comprehend what just happened. This was certainly not what any of us expected today, or any other day. It felt as sudden as the attack on Yngvi and only confusion settled in its wake. Just what was going on with the world?

"So, what is 'oath-breaking'?" Deirdre finally asked, finding something in the mess to focus on. It was as good of a starting point as any to start sifting through everything. "Or, rather, why would Eldigan be imprisoned for it? What of the other lords? Would they?"

"It wouldn't affect the other lords as this is a crime specific for House Nordion alone," Sigurd answered softly. He leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. He looked so tired suddenly. "Have you wondered why Nordion is the one with Hodr Major blood, despite Agusti being the royal family?"

"I… hadn't, no." Deirdre tapped her cheek. "I'll admit all the politics involving Holy Blood still makes my head spin. Like how Quan is the Prince of Leonster, but does not rule the Munster District."

"Everything about that peninsula is complicated, and like most things complicated and wrong there, it ties directly to the Tragedy of the Gae Bolg and its bloody aftermath." What was this 'tragedy'? Deirdre and I exchanged a confused look, and I glanced at Chulainn to see if he had an answer. He shook his head with a slight, apologetic smile, telling me he didn't. "But we'll stick with the short version. Prior to everything, Njorun ruled the north from Munster. After the sudden deaths of both her and her brother within a few years of each other, their unified kingdom split into the District and Thracia. Her line subsequently moved to Leonster, as a means of escaping the sorrow. Munster, however, didn't appreciate no longer being the 'most important city' and declared itself its own independent kingdom. Numerous battles and diplomatic miracles later, you had the Munster District, which consists of four allied kingdoms. Leonster became the protectors of the Munster District thanks to this alliance." And this was the short version? It was enough to make my head hurt, and I had too many questions I wasn't certain I actually wanted answers to. "In that sense, Leonster is similar to Nordion. The reason for how Nordion became Agustria's protector, though, is much different."

"Oh?"

"Yes, for one thing, it was a rather peaceful transition. Mostly." Sigurd fell silent, thinking of how best to explain. "You know Agustria was founded by Hodr, the Black Knight, yes? He was actually the first Crusader to father a child, his heir being born six months after the final battles. This was how the Crusaders learned their blessings, their Holy Blood, would pass on to their children. However, his firstborn was actually a Minor, so they thought it would always be a lesser blessing, until Baldr's firstborn was born with Major Holy Blood."

"It sounds like they didn't know what was going on."

"Does anyone know what goes on with the divine? We still don't know why some inherit Major and others, Minor. Then there are descendents who don't inherit anything." He shrugged. "Regardless, it wasn't until Hodr's fourth child, Klotho, was born that Jugdral got its second Hodr Major. By then, there was much discussion on succession."

"Firstborn versus Major?"

"Yes. Now, in Grannvale, it's always the Major. Thankfully, most firstborns are the Majors, but the royal family actually had a situation a couple decades ago where the eldest was Naga Minor and the youngest inherited the Major. The eldest tried to seize the throne in a coup, was quickly defeated, and banished to Tahra far to the south, where the family remains in exile."

"But…" Deirdre fussed with her hair, frowning. "That did not happen in Agustria."

"No, but there was certainly a lot of tension from the possibility, and based on what Eldigan told me, the royal family was equal parts irritated and troubled since they all loved each other dearly yet they were practically being forced on opposite sides of the growing conflict. To make matters worse, Princess Klotho fell in love with the Lord of Nordion at the time. Eventually, the tensions grew too much and she eloped with her paramour, damn the consequences."

"I can't imagine anyone was happy about it."

"Well, I doubt the court was, but apparently, the only issue the royal family themselves had about it was they didn't get to see the wedding. As I said, they were very close-knit." Yet now look at everything. "Now, I'll fully admit I don't remember the tale from here, so I'll skip to the end as it's the most important part anyway. Nordion was allowed to keep both the Major Blood and Mystletainn, but in exchange, the house swore its eternal loyalty to the royal house of Agusti. They would never raise their blades against them, and would serve as Agustria's protectors forevermore. That is the 'oath' Chagall accuses Eldigan of breaking and it is, in fact, punishable by both imprisonment and execution. It's the equivalent of treason."

"I see." Deirdre's frown deepened. "So, wouldn't this mean Chagall imprisoned his heir? I remember hearing he doesn't have siblings or children, and your tale means Eldigan is closely related. It's only been about a century or so since the Holy War ended, after all."

"Technically, since Eldigan's coronation oaths required him to forswear any claim to the throne, in addition to taking up that ancestral oath, Ares is Chagall's heir and will remain as such until Chagall fathers a child."

"Not Lachesis?"

"Ares is the Hodr Major. If he can't inherit for whatever reason, the line of succession becomes much more muddled. Agustria has a high death rate among their nobility because of all the infighting. Hodr Minors are actually rare because many of them end up dying without heirs." Sigurd paused then, smiling a little sheepishly. "So, it may end up that Lachesis is Ares's heir, but there will have to be extensive investigations first. But that's neither here nor there." He stood and cleared his desk before rolling out a map. "Come over here, you three. Or... two, since I doubt Chulainn will move from the door." Deirdre managed a laugh and helped Sigurd pin the map open on the desk. I hesitated, glancing at Chulainn worriedly, but he smiled and nodded. Sigurd was right; he had no intention of moving. "You're more than welcome to join us, Chulainn."

"If you're simply showing them Agustria, I already know enough from previous jobs," Chulainn refused, shaking his head. He seemed... amused by something, but I didn't know what. "Anything else, I can hear."

"Very well, but if you've insight, please tell me," Sigurd urged, smiling at him. Chulainn ducked his head to hide his slight smile. Yes, he was definitely amused; I wished I knew why. "Now then... here is Agustria. We're right here in the very bottom corner." Sigurd pulled out a small box filled with metal tokens and used a blue one to mark Evans on the map. "And up here is Nordion." A second token, this one colored green, marked Nordion's location. "And way over here..." He set a red token down on a castle in the middle of the country. "Is Agusti."

"Strange, the castles seem concentrated in the south," Deirdre noted, running her fingers over the map. I frowned when I realized she had a point. Nordion and three others shared the lands south of Agusti, whereas there were only two north of it. I suppose one could argue 'three' due to the Bragi Tower across the strait, but as far as I knew, no one ruled from there. "Why?"

"The lands north of Agusti are ruled by the royal family. Madino to the far north is their vacation home, while Sylvale Fortress is the traditional training grounds for both Agustria's Royal Knights and Nordion's Cross Knights."

"They share it?"

"Yes, since technically speaking, those lands only became part of Agustria through marriage."

"Technically?"

"Sylvale's chieftain was not defeated by Hodr in combat, but by his wife, Gwyneth. As such, they were her lands, not his, and they only became 'his' through their marriage. So, she added a clause to its inheritance that it was to be shared by 'all of her children'. In modern day, that means Nordion and Agusti share it."

"And right now, the bulk of Nordion's main force is there, conveniently separated by Agusti itself," I whispered, tracing the roads. "Where is Sylvale?"

"Here," Sigurd explained, setting down another green token. He then placed a red token on the nearest castle. "And that is Anphony."

"So, I am assuming blue tokens are 'us', green tokens are 'allies', and red tokens are 'enemies'..." I couldn't help but be a little playful once I realized the trend. "Oh dear, should I be worried?"

"Hey, you only have red hair. If one's colors reflected allegiances so easily, I would be much more worried about your brothers." He grinned and I muffled a laugh. "No, the colors are simply to help visualize the map. Red and blue are strikingly different, and Chalphy's flag is blue. Green is for allies because of our elite knights, the Grunritter."

"Why is your house color blue, but your knights are green?" I remembered Arvis once complaining about it, since all the other elite knight brigades had easy logic behind their colors. Velthomer's Roten Ritter were red, of course, for Fjalar's fire. Belhalla's Weissritter wore shining white armor for Saint Heim's light. The Grau Ritter of Dozel were gray, same as their flag and Soteria's shields. Yngvi's Beige Ritter was named for the color of their bows. Similarly, Friege's Gelb Ritter was named for their thunder magic. Yet Chalphy's knights did not wear blue like their flag, or even the purple and blacks associated with Neit. They wore some shade of green.

"Life. Our house is blessed by Neit of Death and the Dead, but death is simply another part of life. The Crusader Baldr thus chose his house colors to reflect the dichotomy. Blue for life-giving waters, and green for the flourishing lands. Thus we are the life to balance Neit's death." He smiled, soft and a touch proud. "That's the tale passed to me, at least. Who knows what the actual reason was?"

"I see." It rather fit, truthfully. Sigurd himself was one who always shone and always hoped, no matter what happened. "Ah, we have gotten off-track. I'm sorry, Deirdre."

"No, no, that was rather interesting to learn!" Deirdre reassured, quickly waving her hands in front of her to 'wipe away' the apology. "Ah, but to return to the original subject, I was wondering why you marked Anphony as red, Sigurd. Sir Eve said only Heirhein was attacking, yes? Where is that on the map anyway?"

"That would be here," Sigurd answered, fetching another red token. He placed this one on a castle nestled amongst cliffs to the north and east of Nordion. "As for Anphony… well, it's possible they won't get involved, but if they do, I doubt it'll be to help."

"Oh?"

"Macbeth, Anphony's lord, is a lazy and greedy man, far too focused on immediate pleasures. Eldigan investigated him for corruption a few years ago and upon realizing Macbeth was working with bandits to raid his own people, he immediately brought it to King Imuka's attention. Thus, Macbeth was charged with several crimes and fines, and now endures a constant stream of officials who ensure Macbeth did not 'succumb to bad habits'. Or he did until King Imuka died."

"No imprisonment?"

"For a man as greedy as Macbeth, the fines hurt more than imprisonment ever could. And believe me when I say King Imuka made sure to levy every single one he could think of. Some were terribly creative, actually." Sigurd returned his attention to the map, expression grim. "All of that, however, means that he won't lift a finger to help Nordion now. With that said, there's no guarantee he'll attack. He's probably too busy throwing a party to celebrate King Imuka's death and will think joining the assault on Nordion is too costly an effort."

"So, you mark him as an enemy, but that does not make him Heirhein's ally either."

"Precisely, my dear. In all likelihood, Heirhein marches alone."

"But it still marches." Deirdre pressed her hand to her mouth while she thought. "Why would they?"

"Their relations had been steadily declining ever since House Nordion became the Hodr Major house, but they crumpled after Ellidiot became obsessed with Lachesis. She refused him in no uncertain terms, of course. I was there when it happened, because the idiot thought asking to court her so soon after Xanthe's death was a good idea." Given context and my limited knowledge, my guess was that 'Xanthe' was Lachesis's mother. "I made the small mistake of telling Androcles about it."

"Dear, that's two names I don't know."

"Ah, sorry. Xanthe was Lachesis's mother, and Eldigan's stepmother. Androcles was their father." So, I had been right, then. Wait, but this had been four or five years ago, and Lachesis had only just turned sixteen. "Anyway, I brought it to his attention because I thought it creepy since Lachesis was still a child, but I didn't want to cause a scene at a funeral."

"Please tell me someone else did."

"Androcles did, because the second I informed him what I'd overheard, he went on a warpath that Lachesis still delights in, and Eldigan groans about. The end result was, essentially, Androcles making it very clear he would not suffer any attempts to force Lachesis into courting or marriage, especially while she was underage, and he may or may not have insulted Heirhein's honor while he was at it."

"And now, they lay siege on Nordion." She frowned. "It seems so... petty. Would they really do that?"

"Yes." The word was heavy, and made heavier by how quickly, and bluntly, he answered. "I'm certain they have other excuses, of course. There are many who think Eldigan arrogant because he's awkward with small talk, and Boldor is no exception. He's probably laughing about the idea of making Eldigan weep from fear, in addition to finally having revenge for previous insults."

"I am assuming this Boldor is the father of…" Deirdre made a face. "Ellidiot cannot be his actual name, can it?"

"It's Elliot, technically, but… well, he's obsessed with Lachesis, like I said. Despite her refusals, he continued attempting to woo and defeat her. One of these attempts actually managed to terrify her and, unfortunately for him, Quan happened to be nearby when he did." How old was Elliot anyway? Please tell me he was at least of a similar age. This was hard enough to stomach.

"Visiting, I take it?"

"Yes, Eldigan had invited Quan and me to their Midsummer's Ball, and Quan went to find Lachesis as soon as he heard Ellidiot had arrived, since he knew how uncomfortable he made her. Hence him being near enough to see Lachesis's terror and he immediately went on the offensive to protect her. Damn near killed him, truthfully." How did this man somehow anger both Sigurd and Quan and remain alive? "Eldigan had to talk him out of it." Ah, that was how.

"Why?"

"Because it would lead to civil war, and Eldigan desperately wanted to avoid that. And, more importantly in this scenario, so did Lachesis. That's why neither of them had crushed Ellidiot's skull yet. They'd win a war, yes, but the people would suffer and neither could bear that." So, instead, Lachesis endured the attentions of an obsessive man since she was a child. "To finish the story, it took Eldigan and Lachesis a while to calm Quan down, long enough for Ellidiot to regain his wits and escape, but Quan finally yielded and immediately came up with the nickname to make himself feel better. Lachesis adored it, and we've never used his proper name since."

"Why did no one simply arrange an accident?" She scowled, and I could only marvel at how easily she suggested it. "Lead him off into the woods to get lost or something. There's cliffs as well. Wouldn't it be easy?"

"You and Quan are not allowed to plot together." Sigurd, meanwhile, took it in stride. "Regardless, to bring this back to the original point, Boldor is Ellidiot's father."

"You didn't answer me."

"Ellidiot does have a little sense and all that sense is devoted to ensuring he's never conveniently alone, especially when he knows any of us are near. Or so Quan complains." So, he considered it. No wonder Sigurd claimed the two should never plot. "And Boldor would still somehow make it Nordion's fault likely." How? "Neither here nor there. The point is that while I'm certain Ellidiot leads the assault, Boldor fully endorses it."

"What a delightful pair." She pinched the bridge of her nose, like she was warding off a headache, before tapping the last of the southern castles. "What about this one?"

"Mackily… well…" He struggled for words, but pulled a yellow token from his box and placed it on the castle. "For now, they'll remain neutral. That's their lord's way. He'll watch and wait and not do a damn thing one way or the other until and unless he knows exactly where the wind blows."

"So, he won't help, but he won't attack either."

"Clement will go on the offensive if and only if he believes there's a direct threat to him or his territory. He's a very shrewd man, quiet, and not particularly ambitious. At times, it lets him be the voice of reason. At others, he simply appears indecisive."

"I see." Deirdre frowned more, shaking her head. "Forgive me, but given what you've told me, Agustria doesn't sound very united." No, it very much did not. "How did Imuka rule them? How is Chagall supposed to do so?"

"All very good questions. While we're asking those questions, we can add 'why would you even think to attack your strongest duchy and main protector of your lands?' to the list."

"May I ask a fourth?" I hesitantly began, realizing a potentially glaring flaw to Chagall's entire scheme. Of course, I wasn't certain I even had the right to ask this, but both Deirdre and Sigurd looked at me curiously, so I pressed on. "Lord Eldigan is the Hodr Major of our generation, with all the strength that entails. How is a prison holding him?"

"If we're speaking only of his strength and only the prison, it's honestly not," Sigurd admitted easily. Despite that, though, his expression remained grim and even pained. "Hell, Quan and I can break out of prisons with relative ease and our strength boost is considerably less."

"Do I want to know how you know this?"

"We accidentally locked ourselves in Leonster's dungeons one time. That was fun to explain." How did one 'accidentally' do that? "But Eldigan…" He winced. "He… he's very anxious, you see. Overthinks a lot, and can freeze if overwhelmed. Right now, he's…" Sigurd closed his eyes, his words wavering in pain. Deirdre immediately moved to his side and half-hugged him. "Right now, he's probably cursing himself, terrified out of his mind and panicking over what will happen to his people and loved ones. He would also be very, very aware that attempting an escape with the crime of 'oath-breaking' hanging over his head will only make things worse."

"So, the prison does nothing. What imprisons him is his own fears and sense of duty." In other words, Chagall was very lucky. If Eldigan were anyone else, he'd no doubt be dead.

"Sadly, yes." He took a deep breath and shifted to brush a thankful kiss over Deirdre's hair. She blushed and smiled up at him. "Ah, I want to rush to his aid at once, but Lachesis is right. Charging into another country when I am supposed to serve as Verdane's watcher would only cause more problems than it solves."

"I doubt permission will take long. Chagall's ambitions are more dangerous than Verdane, and he might have been anticipating this request."

"Oh?"

"Prince Kurth told me they've heard about Agustria's troubles even on the Isaachian front, so I do not doubt they've reached Belhalla." I had to smile teasingly at him. "And, to paraphrase him, 'if Nordion gets involved in trouble, Sigurd will not be far behind.'"

"Well, nice to see you two are getting along." I… suppose we were, huh? It was a strange feeling, but I think... I think I was happy about it. "I shall hope and pray you are correct, Alicia. If anything happened to Nordion… to Grahnye, Lachesis, or Ares… Eldigan would never recover from the pain."

"I fear as a healer, I must disagree. I believe all pain can be healed." I made sure to smile as serenely as I knew how. Now, more than ever, was the time to be the calm and reliable healer. "One may bear scars, but they can still recover, so long as they are willing to try. It takes a lot of courage, of course, but people are more courageous than you'd think."

"Ha, when you say that, I can easily believe it." Sigurd nodded. "Still, I shouldn't rely on that. How can I call myself a knight if I didn't at least try to protect everyone with my own hands first?" He might have continued, but Deirdre started giggling for some reason. "What is it, my love?"

"Oh, I was just thinking of how much I adore both of you," Deirdre explained, smiling brightly. Sigurd stared at her, entranced by her smile once again, while I shook my head and moved away to gather my notes again. Since we would be marching to war again, and I had no doubts we would with or without permission, it was all the more important for me to check my inventory. "But it won't just be you two saving everyone! All of us are here, and I'm going to do what I can to help!"

"Hmm? What do you…?" Sigurd began, his eyes widening. I caught Chulainn's eye as I picked up my papers, to silently tell him we were leaving. "Deirdre, you're staying here."

"Eh?" Her smile crackled and crumbled at the words. "What? No, I'm leaving with you."

"Absolutely not. It's far too dangerous."

"That doesn't…!" She glared at him suddenly, and he took a step back. "You liar!"

"Th-that's an unreasonable thing to call me, isn't it?"

"You're breaking a promise, so what else is there to call you? You promised to stay with me no matter what!"

"That… this isn't the same thing!"

"It is! Well, I don't care anyway. I'm coming with you, no matter what!"

"And I'm telling you that you need to stay here!"

Their argument continued, but shock closed my ears to the rest of their words. My various notes slipped from my hands as I stared at the scene. I hadn't expected this. I couldn't. They had never said so much as two negative words towards each other, yet now, they were arguing. I tried to think of why, and it was only when I saw the very real fear in both their eyes that I understood. This was… this was about Deirdre's past. This was about her heritage. So, my first reaction was to try and calm them down lest they let something slip. But, at the same time, simply talking around it would only cause more problems. You didn't treat a wound by hiding it and hoping it'll heal on its own. You risked infection if you tried. So, I was certain they needed to speak openly about this and soon.

Yet Chulainn… Chulainn was here. He was as silent as ever, still standing guard, but he was here. I knew he could keep quiet, knew he already suspected Deirdre had a secret, but…

"Are you not going to intervene?" Chulainn's voice in my ear nearly made me jump, and I whirled to see him standing next to me. When had he gotten close? "Seems strange to me you haven't," he continued, picking up my papers. "Did this startle you?"

"It… did," I mumbled, trying to think of how to answer. My attention drifted back to the arguing couple, darted to the door, and focused back on him. "I…"

"..." He stared through me, as he usually did, before his eyes widened slightly. I immediately turned back to Deirdre and Sigurd, wondering if one of them had… "I'll… keep guard outside."

"Pardon?"

"I'll keep guard outside. Where I can't hear." He stepped back, still holding my papers. "Whatever this is, it deals with the thing you don't want people knowing about her. The reason why that man appeared and talked to you before the wedding."

"I… yes, it does." There was no point in hiding it. "So…"

"I'll be outside."

"Thank you." I gave him the best smile I could. "Thank you so much."

He left without another word, only a hint of a smile, and took my papers with him. As soon as the door clicked shut, I headed over to the arguing couple and gently tugged them both over to the chairs and table. The movement startled them into silence, and in silence they remained as I busied myself making tea for them. It was only when I returned with their pots and cups that the silence broke.

"Where did Chulainn go?" Sigurd asked, looking around. Deirdre, meanwhile, had her head down and her fists clenched tightly in her lap. "Did something happen?"

"He stepped out," I explained, pouring the tea for them. Once done, I poured myself a cup from Deirdre's pot and sat down in the vacant chair next to hers. "Deirdre, here..." I nudged her into taking her own cup. She did so reluctantly, and looked up just enough to show how miserable she felt. "Anyway, he stepped out to be considerate." I couldn't help but smile softly, just relieved and touched he'd do that without a fuss. Deirdre and Sigurd both became thoughtful for some reason and they even exchanged a secretive smile. Then both remembered they'd just been arguing and looked away awkwardly. "What?"

"It's nothing. Or, at least, it's nothing for now." I wasn't certain I believed that, but I would let it go. There were more important things to focus on. "I should apologize for making him uncomfortable."

"It wasn't discomfort." I hoped. "He simply realized this was a private affair and gave space." I blew on my tea to cool it down. "Now, speaking of which, I didn't make tea to simply calm you down. I may not know a lot about relationships, but this clearly needs to be discussed. Now." Both of them winced. "So, I shall take a guess and you can tell me if I'm right or not. The core of the argument lies in Deirdre's heritage and everything associated with it." Both winced again. "So, who wants to go first?"

"I feel like I'm five and having to explain to my mother why I got lectured by my tutor again." Sigurd made a face; I simply fixed him with a calm stare. "I…"

"...May I begin?" Deirdre requested softly, looking down once more. She cradled her tea in her lap, but made no move to drink it yet. "Please?" Sigurd hesitated, but nodded, fussing with his own mug. "When you said I couldn't go, I was… scared. I think that's the word I want. Fear, unease… both immediately warred in my mind. I fear if we're separated, I'll never see you again, Sigurd." She smiled helplessly, a smile born from how ridiculous she felt. "Perhaps it is irrational, but…" But she had spent her whole life thinking she was a harbinger of calamity. She had spent her whole life afraid. It was so much harder to be brave when you were separated from those who gave you courage. "I know it's selfish, but please…" She looked up hesitantly. "Besides, I can fight. I'm not bad at it."

"Deirdre, I'm reasonably certain you could kill me with a single spell. Easily," Sigurd answered without hesitation, with a faint smile. She immediately made a face at the idea of hurting him. "But you don't ride."

"Er… no, I don't? I find horses terrifying personally." She frowned in thought before gasping. "Oh! Of course, speed! You'll be traveling very quickly to reinforce them."

"Yes, so all who leave with me will have to ride. But I'll admit there was more to the refusal." Sigurd sighed, and actually gulped his tea. I went ahead and poured him more. "Part of it… no, all of it is selfish, but for different reasons. War is bloody and dangerous. I'd rather you were nowhere near, where you can be safe."

"That is…"

"Safety does not always bring happiness, Sigurd," I gently reminded, giving him back his mug. I did my best to smile, but I feared it was rueful. "I know that lesson well." Sigurd winced, and I felt terrible for reminding him of that point. But it needed to be said. "Few enjoy being left behind when their loved ones go into danger as well. We saw that clearly here in Verdane."

"That is true," Sigurd conceded, with his own rueful smile. "I did admit it was selfish." That was fair. "The other is… well, you are right in my own fears. With so little known, I fear one of Sandima's allies will take advantage of the chaos and harm you, Deirdre. I fear someone will discover your heritage. I do not care, but..." But others would and the second anyone learned of her heritage, Deirdre would be murdered. It wouldn't matter if she was the wife of a beloved lord, she'd die just the same. If she were lucky, it would be quick, but most Loptyrians' executions were made into grand spectacles.

"I understand, but I feel safer when I'm with you and Alicia, Sigurd," Deirdre replied, managing her own smile. It was brighter than Sigurd's, and truer than mine, but still a dull imitation of her 'normal'. "We already know Evans can be breached, thanks to those assassins. There is nothing that says it will remain safe when you leave. So, if I am to be in danger no matter what, then I wish to be in danger with you. I feel like together we can overcome anything."

"Deirdre…" Sigurd grimaced, and he tried to hide it by drinking his tea. "That is… I understand, but I do mean it when I say those who leave with me must ride."

"And I will no doubt be a liability on a horse." She drooped at her own words. "So…"

"So, she can travel with me in the second wave," I suggested without thinking, finishing off my own cup. Both frowned at me in confusion. "What? I'm assuming there's a second wave. Will you not have infantry following?"

"Well, perhaps?" Sigurd replied, sounding less than certain. He was still staring, but Deirdre's expression lit up when she realized what I'd said. "But what did you mean 'with you'?"

"Sigurd, are you truly expecting I'd remain behind?" I set down my mug, and leaned back against the couch to cross my arms. Inanely, I thought of how Chulainn always stood similarly. "I am your chief healer, remember?"

"Well, yes, and I was thinking you'd stay in Evans as we did originally to-"

"Yet when you took Genoa, I moved there. In fact, you sent for me so I could tend to our wounded as soon as possible. Why would I remain behind when Nordion is already an allied castle and I can therefore set up immediately?" He opened his mouth to protest, and I smiled with every bit of sweetness I could muster. "You will not stop me, Sigurd. I am your equal in the army, remember?"

"...Yeah, I'm not winning this argument."

"No, you are not." Ah, I felt too smug about this. "Now, in the event Nordion falls, we can revisit this conversation, but only then."

"Fine, fine, just… fine. I yield." He set down his mug to throw up his hands and Deirdre and I shared a triumphant grin. "But try to keep safe, for my own sanity. Please."

"I'm not the one who is riding directly into danger, my love," Deirdre pointed out cheekily. She softened quickly. "We'll take extra steps to ensure my foot is covered too, and I promise to go nowhere alone. I'm not in a hurry to learn just how they plan to use me to bring back Loptuous, or how people will react to my mark." Any other time, I'd suggest the same method I used, but I worried many would think it suspicious now. "I could switch to boots instead of sandals, for instance."

"That would probably better suit Agustria's weather anyway," Sigurd replied, relaxing a little at last. "It's both cooler and dryer compared to here."

"Interesting. I now fear Ethlyn will seize the excuse to subject everyone to fittings."

"Not too late to stay behind."

"Absolutely not." She playfully pouted at him. "I love you enough to endure such things." Hilariously, Sigurd turned bright red at the words and had to look away to try and hide it. "Also, what are we going to do with the children? I've little doubts Oifey and Finn will leave with everyone, in your wave if not ours, but what of Dew and Shannan? Altena?"

"Dew is old enough to make his own decision, so we'll leave it to him. As for Shannan…" He grimaced. "My instinct is to have him remain here, but as you pointed out, those assassins make it all too clear it will be dangerous. So, perhaps he'll tag along as part of a 'third wave', one consisting mostly of supplies. We'll discuss it with Ayra." Ideally, by the time such a wave arrived, either we would be in Nordion proper or have a secured camp nearby. "Quan and Ethlyn will decide what they want to do with Altena, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had her come in that same theoretical wave. For the same reason."

"I suppose there's not enough time to send her safely back to Leonster, is there?"

"Not before we all march out, at least, and knowing Quan, he'll need a plan set and in motion before leaving, if only for his own peace of mind."

"I see." Deirdre looked disgruntled, no doubt worried over having a baby traveling with soldiers. Sigurd didn't appear any more comfortable by the thought, and I couldn't say I felt at ease with it either. But there was nothing I could do, so instead, I stood up and brushed off my skirts. "Alicia?"

"You two are calm again, and you discussed the main issue, so you have no need of me for now," I explained, smiling at them both. They returned it with their own sheepish ones. "As such, I must return to my infirmary and workshop."

"Of course you immediately go to work," Sigurd sighed, shaking his head in 'exasperation'. His kind smile belied the attempt. "Thank you."

"I did nothing." All I did was make them sit down. "Ah, but do you two need more tea before I leave?"

Both did want more, so I fixed them another pot each and left. When I stepped out and closed the door behind me, Chulainn was waiting across the hall. "All well?" he asked, handing me back my papers. I smiled in return, letting it serve as my answer, and he relaxed. "Good. Though, later, I should tell Deirdre she needs to plot with Quan anyway. They'll be good back-up plans if nothing else."

"I had a feeling her suggestions would impress you," I teased, walking down the hall. He fell in step with me easily. "Well, we'll see what happens. We'll leave in the second wave."

"Hard to call them 'waves' when we don't know how many we'll have." That was a very fair point, but I didn't know other terminology. "So… hmm?" He looked up frowning, and tugged me a little closer to him. "Another runner." Oh dear, did we have another harried messenger?

The answer was 'not quite'. The runner this time was Quan, and only Quan. "Ah, Alicia! Chulainn!" he greeted breathlessly, barely sliding to a stop in front of us. It took me a very long second to remember he and Ethlyn had, in fact, been due back today, though everyone thought it would be late afternoon or evening before they returned. "I… sorry…" He used his sleeve to try and wipe the sweat of his face, smearing dust across his cheek. He was still dusty from the road, and even wore his cloak. "Arden… he told us an urgent messenger arrived from Nordion. He didn't know more." Ah, so that was why. He must've bolted here as soon as he learned. "What is…?"

"I fear Lord Eldigan has been imprisoned and Nordion is in danger," I whispered, deciding it was better to give him the summary. He immediately blanched. "Sigurd and Deirdre are starting their discussions within." I pointed to Sigurd's office for emphasis. "I must return to the infirmary, so I cannot make you tea, but please drink some water."

"Right, I will. Thank you." With a strained, uneasy smile, he strode to the office, barely even knocking before entering.

When the door clicked shut again, I resumed my walking, thinking of everything I would need. It was not only my inventory I needed to check, but I needed to find my notes on just how much of each medicine was used during the Verdane Campaign. I had a feeling I'd once again be cursing myself for making too little before long, but I could at least give myself a better starting point.

War had come again. I wished it had stayed away.

---

The general cheer of Evans evaporated in the wake of the news. Those within the castle fretted over Nordion and its people. Those without feared the war creeping close once again. I pulled four all-nighters to catch up on the medicines I needed, and only didn't pull a fifth because someone (Chulainn) informed Ayra of my lack of sleep and no amount of reassurance could placate her worried fussing.

"Did she really threaten to stand guard by your bed?" Sigurd laughed when I told him the next day. We were having our normal morning meeting, and I was making the usual tea. Deirdre didn't join us, for once. She was meeting with Esen about how Evans would manage in our absence. "That'll teach you to stay up late!"

"We needed more medicine!" I protested, scowling at Chulainn. He remained perfectly silent by the door, yet I swore there was a smugness about him. He'd never admit it, but I knew he'd been the one to tell Ayra. "The bruise balms are the worst. Every time I think I've made enough for the day, I find twenty more in need of them."

"Maybe I need to block off the training yards after practice. You need your rest."

"I assure you I am perfectly fine and healthy." What a strange feeling it was to be so fussed over. I was glad they cared, but I did not like how they were interfering with my work. "I can outlast even Arvis, you know." I could outlast him even when he took stimulants. That's how I found them, actually.

"While impressive, I'm scared how you know that."

"Do you truly think he put off work while visiting me?" Besides, I did have practice at this. I'd been staying up late and waking early to study and work since I was a child. So long as I planned appropriately, and hadn't endured a social event, it was no trouble at all. "I do have Holy Blood. That gives all of us stamina. This should not be surprising."

"There's stamina and there's what you do. How are you even functional staying up four nights in a row? I'm barely coherent after three and I'm a Major." He held up a hand to stop me from answering. "No, I don't actually want to know. I fear the answer even."

"It's nothing, truly. Certainly, it's nothing illegal like those stimulant drugs. At worst, I drink some energy boosting tea." The recipe was actually Father Eirik's, as he worked very long hours himself. "I've made you some in the past."

"Oh, is that the mix with the ginseng, ginger, and a couple of other herbs? The one Quan drank straight, while you mixed it with something else for Ethlyn and me? That was actually very nice and..." He paused. "Wait, you're distracting me!" I was reassuring him. There was a difference. "The point wasn't to get an answer. The point was to remind you that Chulainn always stays up with you!"

"I remind him he can go rest any time he wants to." I handed him his tea, his personal mix like usual, and turned to frown at Chulainn again. This time, he smiled back at me, boyish and unrepentant. "Besides, he's even less affected than me."

"You're both insane." Sigurd shook his head and happily sipped his tea. "Anyway, I forbid you from pulling all-nighters, Alicia."

"I ignore orders which interfere with my ability to do my job."

"Don't you have helpers who can make medicines for you?"

"Dew is already assigned to me full time, Shannan has spent more time in my workshop than his own room, and both Finn and Oifey give me all their free hours. The medicine-making has replaced their usual lessons." Ethlyn, meanwhile, was handling the more logistical side of healing, such as transport and making first-aid kits for the soldiers. She had barely seen Altena these last few days with everything she did, and Altena's crib was in her room. "My inventory was sufficient for peaceful times, but now we are going to war and that means I need at least triple my usual numbers." For some, I needed even more than that. "This is not even going into the lessons I believe the soldiers will need, such as securing tourniquets."

"Quan and I can handle those, at least. Quan insisted I learn when we were younger." Yes, I supposed he would know well. If they were willing, that certainly was a worry off my mind. "As for the rest..." He sighed. "I know you have a lot of work. I simply wish you would remember your own health. Just because you can go so many nights with minimal sleep doesn't mean you should. I know that lesson well." For some reason, he turned his attention to Chulainn. "That goes for you as well, mister. Don't think I'm unaware of your late night patrols." Chulainn's eyes actually widened, a sharp break from his usual stoicism. "Honestly, if you're going to stay up late, shouldn't you be doing something fun? I know Arden and Naoise genuinely want to go out drinking with you. Alec may have secondary motives, but they don't."

"That is not my idea of fun, Sigurd," Chulainn replied slowly. I found myself frowning at him and he shook his head. "The patrols were for my peace of mind. I dislike how easily the assassins slipped in, and I dislike how close they got to your workshop before I realized what had happened."

"I'm not complaining, so much as I'm trying to encourage you to take breaks and have fun," Sigurd chided, smiling gently. It occurred to me this sounded very similar to something I heard a while ago. "What do you think is fun anyway?" That only confirmed it; it reminded me of the conversation I'd had with Mistress Yesui. Yet Chulainn didn't seem to have an answer to the question, any more than I did. So, I...

"Have you not seen him play with the animals, Sigurd?" I found myself teasing, despite having no right to give any answer for him. Chulainn certainly looked surprised, but Sigurd seemed intrigued. "You should see them when we go foraging. Every time I look away for a second, he's found some sort of... what even was that cat, last time? I still can't believe it didn't bite you."

"It was a lynx, and she was very friendly," Chulainn immediately protested, shaking his head. His slight smile, though, screamed how much he appreciated my response. "She was simply curious about the two picking flowers so close to where her kittens were napping."

"Chulainn, she was growling up a storm until you somehow calmed her. I wouldn't call that 'curiosity'."

"She didn't immediately attack us. Just growling curiosity." He glanced at the door then and stepped away. "Someone is here. I don't think it's urgent, not moving quick enough. But there is more noise than usual for the hour."

"Is that so?" Sigurd asked, sipping his tea. "And knowing you, you're not making it up to try and get out of the conversation." No, but it was convenient and I knew Chulainn was very thankful for that exact reason. "Well, go ahead and let them in. As much as I would love to hear about you charming animals, if someone is approaching at this hour, it is usually important, even when it's not urgent. In fact, it's probably Quan, wanting to discuss the plan more. He said he'd be by first thing." Chulainn nodded and opened the door to wave the person inside before they even had a chance to knock. But the visitor wasn't Quan. No, this visitor was a surprise to us all. "Jamke?!"

"Well met, Sigurd," King Jamke greeted, smiling wearily. He still wore his cloak, showing he'd come straight here from the courtyard, though the damp spots on his collar hinted he'd done his best to wash the worst of the travel-dirt off first. "I apologize for the sudden arrival. I thought I sent a messenger, but discovered I still had the blasted letter in my pocket while I was getting ready this morning."

"No, no, it's fine." Sigurd stood to greet him, and I immediately went about making King Jamke some tea. I... had to remind myself to be perfectly calm, though. I... it was horrible, but I still hadn't forgiven him for the fire in Marpha. I'd been very glad to have so few interactions with him since the war with Verdane ended. "I'm surprised to be certain, but it's fine. Is all well?"

"Verdane is fine, but I'm not certain we'd call the situation 'well'." King Jamke's expression darkened. "Not long after I received your message about Nordion, a messenger bird bearing the royal seal of Agusti arrived. It wasn't a formal declaration of war, but it was a very fancy letter demanding our surrender, so it was just as good as one." Chagall had not even laid siege to Nordion, much less conquered it, and was already trying to force Verdane into submission?

"He sent...?" Sigurd's eyes widened, just as startled as I was. "How stupid can this man be? Ugh... I'm beginning to see why Eldigan never wanted to talk with him."

"Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how Imuka raised a man this idiotic. He's no king; he's a child playing at ruling and war." King Jamke shook his head. "But since he made his intentions clear, I must do the same. You march to Nordion's aid, yes?"

"I am waiting for permission from King Azmur, but-"

"We both know you're going. You're just pretending to behave." King Jamke managed a slight smile; Sigurd could only shrug in response. "So, you will march to their aid. I shall go with you, along with my own soldiers. If Chagall intends to fight Verdane, then I shall show him how foolish he truly is. I came with volunteers, and with my advisors' full permission." He did what now? "Besides, in a way, this will protect Grannvale, so I hope it'll add weight to my words of reconciliation." He opened his mouth to say more, but then glanced at Chulainn awkwardly. At first, I thought it was because he only just now noticed him. But then I realized he had likely another reason entirely.

So, when I finished King Jamke's tea, I brought it over to the table and turned to Chulainn. "I'm sorry, but would you mind stepping outside for a moment?" I asked him. King Jamke jumped at my bluntness, but Chulainn nodded and stepped out without another word, closing the door behind him. "King Jamke, I have tea ready for you. Would you like a cup?"

"I... yes, I would," King Jamke answered, staring at the door. It took him a couple of blinks to actually move to the table. "That was far easier than I thought it would be."

"Everyone has secrets. Chulainn respects that." I moved out of the way and clasped my hands in front of me. "Besides, Sigurd and I noticed the similarities to what happened with your father. It would be surprising if you didn't."

"And here I'd hoped I was being sensitive." King Jamke sighed heavily and poured himself a cup. "Truthfully, that is another reason why I wish to join. I can't help wondering if Sandima's allies tried to hook their claws into King Imuka, and killed him when they failed." This then led to the obvious question; were they manipulating Chagall or was he simply being arrogant? "Sandima killed Father once he started asking questions, after all."

"Has anyone made the connection yet or suspected dark magic?"

"Thankfully, no." He sipped the tea, smiling at the taste. It was nice to see I still remembered how to make Zaya's tea properly. "Most consider him an amoral, but typical, advisor, while the mysterious illnesses and attacks are being treated as the work of mad spirits." Would the truth ever be known, one day? I had no idea. Would it even be accepted as 'truth' if it was? "So, I know my declaration, but I wish to ask in light of the selfish reasons. Might I join you?"

"I would be honored and relieved to have you, Jamke," Sigurd reassured, smiling brightly. He unrolled the map of Agustria again and beckoned King Jamke over to look. "More than relieved, truthfully. I will leave with any cavalry we have, while Alicia and Deirdre will follow with our infantry. The more guards there, the better."

"I see," King Jamke murmured, still sipping on his tea as he frowned over the map. "To ask the obvious question, what are the chances of us utilizing Return or Warp to get us there sooner?"

"Nonexistent." Sigurd grimaced. "How did Ethlyn explain it... Return works by utilizing some ritual to attune the staff to a specific location and said ritual has to be done in the location. So, once we're in Nordion, she can change her Return staff's destination to Nordion, but right now, all it will do is send someone back here to Evans."

"And Warp? I know Edain has it, and I doubt she'd mind lending it."

"Warp does allow freer teleportation, but is limited by the user's knowledge. Either they must be warped to a destination within sight or a destination the user knows well. It also requires a great deal of skill to use, lest the target either gets lost between space or is teleported to some place completely and utterly random. Or each of their body parts is teleported to different locations. Ethlyn may have been pulling my leg with that last one, mind." Sigurd glanced at me and I simply smiled serenely. After all, I not only had read it was possible, but Father Eirik supposedly witnessed such an event. "Maybe not. The point I was trying to make there is that the only people here with the skill to use Warp are Deirdre and Alicia. Neither of them have ever been to Nordion, and no one is willing to risk them trying simply off a description."

"I'm guessing Edain is also not an option?"

"She's never been to Nordion either."

"Ah, well, there goes that half-idea." He shrugged. "No matter. Nordion is... this castle closest to us, yes? Shouldn't be a hard journey. It trades fairly frequently with Verdane, so the roads are kept clear. So…" A knock on the door cut through the air, and the door opened to reveal Quan. "Well met, Prince Quan. You don't seem surprised to see me."

"Chulainn warned me before I knocked," Quan explained, striding in. He looked… tired. Ethlyn had told me Quan hadn't slept, choosing instead to make and discard plans upon plans for saving Nordion. I'd make some sort of tea for him later. "If you don't mind me skipping pleasantries…"

"I think I'll use this as my excuse to slip away," I murmured, already heading for the door. Quan paused for a very long second before smiling sheepishly at me. "Since King Jamke has brought soldiers, I must prepare for their initial checks." I wanted their baselines as soon as possible, to nip any potential health concerns in the bud. "King Jamke, please come by my workshop later for your own checkup."

"I didn't mean to chase you away, Alicia."

"I have work to do, and I will be of little help with your planning." I did, however, frown at him. "I must insist you rest soon, Quan."

"I'm not sure the one who somehow stayed up for four nights is the one to be lecturing." Quan made sure his voice was as dry as possible, and King Jamke openly gaped. "Yes, she just pulled that off. No, I don't know how she's not passed out."

"How many people have been told?" I may just get a headache from this. "Regardless, according to Ethlyn, you haven't had a proper night's sleep in a week, so I do believe I can still lecture."

"They weren't all nighters."

"Quan, are you saying Ethlyn lied to me?" I widened my eyes in 'shock', and Quan immediately looked panicked. Sigurd, meanwhile, choked on a laugh and King Jamke sighed and shook his head. "Goodness, I should ask her more about it."

"And how can I bribe you to not do that?"

"What else? Get some rest. I can confine you to the infirmary if need be."

"And don't forget, Quan, she has the authority to do so," Sigurd pointed out cheerfully. Quan groaned and threw up his hands in surrender. "Anyway, before I forget yet again, Alicia, did you write to Dietrich?"

"I did the day after we learned about Nordion," I reassured. After all, it would be infinitely harder for us to assist him until things were settled in Agustria.

"Thank you. I'm saddened we can't help, but this takes priority." Besides, we couldn't discount the possibility these warehouses extended into Agustria. "I hope he wasn't too annoyed."

"Did I not show you his reply? He expected something like this would happen as soon as the rumors hit Belhalla." He also jokingly asked us to investigate how 'someone so criminally stupid survived until adulthood', but I had a feeling that was better read than said. "I'll bring it to you later."

"Oh, please tell me it'll make me laugh."

"I think so."

"Then I'll be looking forward to it."

Muffling my own laugh, I left the room and closed the door behind me. As usual when he waited outside, Chulainn stood against the far wall and fell in step with me easily as I walked down the hall. At first, he kept silent and left me to my thoughts, knowing I had a lot to mentally organize. But, once we were some distance away from the office, he suddenly broke the silence.

"You're not fond of him, are you?" he asked out of the blue. I frowned at him slightly in confusion. "Jamke, I mean. You're not fond of him."

"Pardon?" I replied, startled. How had he...? "What makes you say that?"

"How calm you were."

"Chulainn, most would say I am always calm." I may have gotten used to showing my emotions more, but I had my habits. Besides, I liked being calm.

"Yes, but it was a different calm. Usually, your calm is natural, like a still lake. It's soft and pretty to look at." ...I had the strangest feeling in my chest at the observation, tight yet fluttering, and did not know why. "But with him, it was like the lake had frozen over. Still pretty, but you were actively crafting the mask as you moved and talked to ensure everything perfectly conveyed serenity. It's a subtle difference, but noticeable to those who know you." I didn't know how to reply, so I looked away. "That's all."

"Still..." I struggled to think of a reply, and then we turned a corner and I was very thoroughly distracted. "Lex? Dew?" Both were standing there, with the strangest smirks on their faces. "Ah, hello? Did something good happen?"

"A potentially hilarious thing did, yes," Lex confirmed, his grin growing with the words. Since I didn't know what reaction he expected, I could only tilt my head in confusion. "However, I'm not saying anything until I'm more certain."

"Very well?" I replied, still confused. I looked at Dew, wondering if he'd be more forthcoming, but he only whistled for some strange reason. "Regardless, what has you two out and about? If you're wondering about the commotion, King Jamke has arrived with soldiers."

"Yeah, Arden and Naoise are helping them settle in. Dew said you'd need help for their initial health checks." Lex shrugged. "I happened to be free and figured I'd find you and try to help. You know, so we can get you to bed on time."

"I am perfectly fine, thank you very much." I frowned up at Chulainn, who smiled back boyishly. "I know you're the one who told her."

"She wasn't the only one who was worried," Chulainn said, still devoid of any remorse. "It was only brought up because Shannan thought you were skipping meals."

"But I wasn't," I protested, turning to face him properly. Lex and Dew went back to their strange smirking, for some reason. "I know better than to go so long without eating."

"I'm not sure your snacks qualify as meals."

"There were more than enough. Besides, you know I made sure to eat breakfast." I always ate with Deirdre, Ethlyn, and Ayra, after all.

"Which was probably your only true meal of the day. But regardless of what you think, Shannan was fretting, and it dealt with you, so of course Ayra investigated."

"So you told her I wasn't sleeping."

"It may have come up."

"It absolutely did, because how else would she have known?" It was only when I heard Dew snicker that I realized how childish I was being. "Ah, that is neither here nor there. At the moment, I need to prepare for those check-ups. For starters, I need to borrow a room as I'd rather not use my workshop or infirmary for this." I could check on a single person in my workshop, but there would presumably be many. As such, it was better to have a designated room.

"Maybe set up a schedule as well?" Lex suggested, helping me move the subject along. Yet he still smirked, and Dew kept snickering. Just what had gotten into them? "That'll be a better use of your time."

"You're probably right." Even as I agreed, I found myself frowning at old memories. "Will they come, though? In my experience, people would just leave me to wait."

"Even after you requested to check them?"

"Yes? They'd have me wait even after requesting me themselves. I never minded back then, since I could always read, but there's so much to..." Finally, Lex's smirk disappeared, this time for cold anger. "Lex?"

"...Nothing I can do about now, but damn, I wish I could punch them." He grumbled some curses under his breath, and I could only stare in confusion. The confusion only spiked when Dew popped to my side and frowned up at me worriedly. I missed something. I very much missed something. "Right, right, present. We're in the present. Yes, they'll come. I'll drag them myself."

"So, for now, we should get everything ready, yeah?" Dew suggested, smiling warmly at me. He awkwardly took my hand and tugged me along. "Come on! Let's go!" And I followed without a word because it was probably the first time he'd taken my hand since we met and I was startled by the show of affection.

Lex was not forced to drag any soldiers to their appointments. It was still so strange being around people who respected my time.

---

Preparations continued apace, and my inventory slowly approached 'acceptable for war' levels. Deirdre opted to buy as much as possible from nearby apothecaries, and sent for additional supplies from Chalphy, and Sigurd made good on his promise to close off the training yards outside of set hours. I still had to pull a few more all-nighters, but I was sneaky enough to avoid Ayra's fussing. I may or may not have also bought Chulainn's silence with the promise to only do them three at a time, at most.

"With these numbers, we may have enough to safely march out," I murmured to myself, walking down the halls. Chulainn walked beside me, knowing me well enough by now that I needed no reply. I was simply doing my best to organize my thoughts before my usual meeting with Sigurd. As the days passed, they became shorter and shorter as more things needed to be done. Today, it would probably be a brief talk where I interrupted his planning with Deirdre and Quan. I had no doubts all three had been hard at work since before dawn. "I'd prefer more, but if we had to..." All at once, Chulainn wrapped an arm around me and pulled me towards him. Before I could ask, someone rounded the corner, someone I didn't expect to see at all. "Azelle?"

"Huh? Sister!" Despite his clear exhaustion, Azelle greeted me with a smile. He must have been up well before dawn, given the hour and how he showed no signs of the road. In fact, the only hint he had not been here all this time was his damp hair from a quick wash. "Perfect timing! I can't remember the way to Sigurd's office," he laughed. He then paused, looking up at Chulainn, who still had his arm around me. "Umm..."

"While I am glad to see you, little brother, I do wonder why you're here." I tilted my head back to smile at Chulainn. "Chulainn, this is my little brother, Azelle. I've told you about him, yes? Even if I haven't bragged, I know Lex has." Chulainn smiled slightly and released me. "Azelle, this is Chulainn. I've written to you and Arvis about him."

"Ah, yes!" Azelle blinked a few times before focusing on me. "And... um... as for why I'm here..." Azelle pulled a letter from his pocket, the wax seal proudly showing the royal crest of Belhalla. "King Azmur has given permission."

"You're his messenger then?"

"Indeed." He smiled proudly. "I was with Arvis when the two discussed the matter, so I requested the honor. I'd planned on coming here anyway, since Sigurd has no magic users. Thankfully, King Azmur indulged me. Arvis was a little upset, though."

"I would think him proud that King Azmur trusts you to deliver his words." I reached up and ruffled Azelle's hair; he preened at the praise. "Then again, I suppose his fretful self can't help but worry. We're both heading into danger again, after all."

"You'll be coming with us then, Alicia?"

"Do you truly think you all are going very far without a healer?" I shrugged. "Of course I'm coming along."

"W-well, I'll keep you safe! I've made strides in my lessons, and I brought a few more tomes for variety." Azelle fiddled with his sleeves nervously. "Aida wouldn't let me take some of the higher ranked tomes, like Meteor, but..."

"Ah, that should be reported to Sigurd, along with the message." I stepped away and pointed down the hall. "I was just heading to my usual meeting. Why don't you come with me?"

Azelle happily tagged along, and shared some news from Velthomer with me as we walked. Truthfully, I smiled and nodded at most of it, not… quite caring. It was nice to hear everyone was well, but it was in a mildly awkward, distant sort of way. I was, however, very glad to hear Gabriel and Ellen were settling in well in Velthomer, and that Arvis had hired private tutors for them. I hoped they remembered to run around and play while they studied. After everything they went through, they deserved to just be children. I thought about asking, but decided against it. I could write Arvis a letter later. Wait, no, I'd write Aida a letter. She'd be better able to gauge what was 'too little play' for a child compared to Arvis. As it was, I did my best to listen to Azelle's tales until we eventually made it to Sigurd's office and entered after a quiet knock. Inside, Sigurd, Deirdre, and Quan were gathered at Sigurd's desk, discussing something, and all three looked up as we walked in.

"Ah, Alicia, there you are!" Sigurd greeted, smiling tiredly. For all his talk about making sure we all rested, he'd been getting as little sleep as both Quan and me. "You're later than expected. Did something…" He trailed off when he saw Azelle trail in after me. "Azelle? Well met!" He waved Azelle over, and tried to do the same with Chulainn, out of courtesy. Chulainn, as per usual, ignored him to keep watch by the closed door. "We didn't expect you."

"No, I suppose not, but here," Azelle said, skipping the formalities. Instead, he immediately handed the letter to Sigurd. I studied the trio at the desk and decided to go ahead and make my energy-boosting tea for them. I already had all the ingredients; I kept the station stocked even if I usually made everyone's personal mixes. "I am here as King Azmur's messenger and, with the duty discharge, offer my services to your cause, Sigurd."

"So, His Majesty has given permission at last." Sigurd sighed with relief, popping open the letter with ease and reading through. "I see; he worries the rumors of Chagall killing his father are true and hopes Eldigan will be able to help bridge the faltering peace..." He paused and rolled his eyes. Deirdre tried to lean in close to read the letter over his shoulder. "Yes, I do so enjoy being called out in a letter."

"Uh..."

"It's nothing. He simply joked about how I'd ride to rescue Eldigan and Lachesis with or without his permission, so he might as well sanction it." He let the letter fall to the table, while the rest of us muffling laughter. Still, despite the teasing, it was a testament to how much King Azmur trusted Sigurd. "And we will gladly welcome your aid, Azelle. With so few resisting magic, your skills are only a boon."

"Indeed, and if I recall correctly, you're quite the skilled rider," Quan noted with a smile. His calculating eyes, however, sharpened the smile from something warm to something closer to a 'warning'. "Even if you don't fight on horseback, you can still join the initial wave. We'll need all the dramatics we can get, and few things are more dramatic than a giant fireball. Particularly if it's falling from the heavens."

"I don't actually have a Meteor tome, you know," Azelle pointed out immediately. Message delivered, he resumed fussing with his sleeves. "Aida said the Roten Ritter needs all they have for some sort of plan. Didn't ask because I didn't want to know. I'm assuming with the Isaachian Campaign." He smiled, forcing away the awkwardness of the words. "But I should be able to amplify my Elfire to create a pseudo-meteor. It'll just require a little of my blood."

"A little of your what?" Quan's expression immediately blanked. Sigurd looked similarly confused, while Deirdre looked intrigued. "Did I mishear?"

"No? It's just blood." Azelle shrugged, but his eyes glittered in barely constrained excitement. Oh dear, the scholar within had awakened. "See, when they say those with Fjalar's blessing have fire and magic in their blood, it's not hyperbole or bardic invention. We can use our blood as a catalyst for fire magic. That's how our Final Strike works."

"Oh, of course!" Deirdre gasped, clapping her hands together. All attention shifted to her sparkling eyes. "That explains it! I'd been trying to figure out how you all do it. The others explained that those of magical Holy Bloods can conjure and control their respective elements, but mere cantrips wouldn't explain the sheer power described for a Final Strike. That seems like a proper spell and all proper spells must have a catalyst. For most, that is the special ink used to write tomes, combined with a verbal component to command the spirits. But if your blood is the catalyst, then..."

"Then the Final Strike is simply the ignition of a massive catalyst by our great magical might and fueled by the unparalleled power of our lifeforce," Azelle finished, terribly chipper. Both Quan and Sigurd looked a little unnerved, but I could only sigh and smile. Scholars will be scholars. "However, we can do it on a smaller scale as well. If someone gets splattered with our blood, we can instantly cast a proper fire spell to sear them instead of the usual snap our fingers to ignite their clothes."

"I see! How interesting..." She became very thoughtful. It seemed the scholar in her was also having fun. "What about the other bloods? Can they do something similar?"

"No, and this was actually tested a couple decades ago. The main theory for why is because Fjalar's blessing focuses primarily on magic and is tied to blood, so it had the side effect of making our blood a catalyst. This does mean that if we're not paying attention to our injuries, we can accidentally burn ourselves alive even without a Final Strike."

"So much from a simple suggestion," Quan noted dryly, startling the two out of their academic reverie. He, meanwhile, looked almost exasperated. "I wonder why the magical Holy Bloods get so many extras." ...Oh dear. That had to be the worst thing to say if we were trying to keep things on track. This was the focus of much of Azelle's personal research.

"Honestly, I think it only seems that way because we're more inclined to research it," Azelle countered, already warming to the subject. "Truthfully, that's how we know so much about Fjalar's blessing. Fjalar herself devoted many hours to researching and testing her newfound abilities, and when the pressures of ruling cut into her ability to do proper research, her daughter took over. In fact, it was her daughter who discovered the differences between Major and Minor bloods." He shrugged, barely keeping himself from bouncing on his feet. "Personally, I theorize the martial Holy Bloods have just as many booms, but they're more subtle than exploding blood. Take Nal's descendents, for instance. Everyone knows about their ability to withstand damage, but few know most of them have an increased pain tolerance."

"They can't feel pain?"

"No, no, pain tolerance is different from pain threshold. Pain threshold is something related to the brain and you can experience a lot of problems because you don't feel it." Indeed, pain was one way the body recognized danger. "Pain tolerance is your ability to endure pain and, admittedly, this is something that can be trained. But those of Nal's blood have high tolerances without the training. Probably because even if you're able to withstand the damage, it's not going to be helpful if you're unconscious from the pain." Azelle started speaking a little more quickly now, gesturing with his words. I shared an amused glance with Chulainn, while Quan and Sigurd stared and Deirdre listened with rapt attention. "You've something similar with Hodr's blood, actually. They must have some sort of increased resilience since they do not tear their own muscles or shatter their bones when performing their legendary feats of strength."

"That… is actually a fair point." Quan exchanged a look with Sigurd. "Both of us have fallen from great heights which should've broken a bone, but hadn't."

"Right? And to loop around to the original point, even some of the magical Holy Bloods have subtle boons. Take Thrud's line, for instance. Ignoring how difficult thunder magic is to control, which is 'very', their skill with it is so great they can actually kill a person with a touch."

"Wait, how?"

"Lightning straight through a person!" Azelle was far too chipper about this, but I knew it was only the scholar in him. Though he was starting to get too excited and was flinging sparks. Chulainn took one look at them and immediately moved to my side to lessen the chance of accidentally being set on fire. "Like how toddlers of Fjalar's blood can throw fire with their tantrums. But with lightning and thunder magic. And all of that is ignoring how those with Holy Blood are capable of bleeding more than most. Even more incredibly, despite the injuries they endure, they somehow do not suffer from nearly as many infections as those without Holy Blood and-!"

"Azelle," I gently interrupted, a little reluctant. After all, I found it adorable how excited he could get about research. "You're off-topic." But this was a serious meeting, not a scholarly debate, and the sparks could become quite dangerous with so much paper about. Besides, I was almost done with the tea.

"Oh… er… right…" Azelle mumbled, coughing to try and hide his embarrassment. It didn't work; his face had turned bright red. "A-anyway, the point I wanted to make is that I can amplify my Elfire into a pseudo-Meteor spell with a bit of my blood. I don't have the full pattern of Meteor memorized, or I could just draw it out with my blood, but amplification is simple. It's the equivalent of many mages casting in tandem, but just me."

"I trust this will not use a lot of blood?" I'd rather he did not bleed himself half to death for a single spell.

"Depends on the size, but it shouldn't be much. A little goes a long way with us. That's why the Final Strike is so destructive."

"Then we'll perform a small scale version in safe conditions to get an idea of how it'll work," Sigurd decided, sitting down to scribble something. He then made a point to smile at Azelle. "That will be much later, though. You have to be exhausted, so we'll discuss it when you're better rested." Azelle made to protest, no doubt to insist he was fine, but Sigurd shook his head. "Besides, it's been too long since you were last in Evans! You've been very missed, and I'm sure many wish to give their greetings." His smile became apologetic as he turned towards me. "But I digress. Alicia, you've been quiet. Was there anything to report?"

"No, I came to inform you that my inventory is barely acceptable for a march," I explained, bringing the tea over. Both Quan and Sigurd lit up at my words, while Deirdre was much more interested in the tea. "I'd prefer to have more, so I will continue stocking, but given our battles in Verdane, I believe we've enough for at least the initial battles in Nordion."

"Is that so?" Sigurd nodded. "Well, you shall have the time. There were certain preparations which couldn't be done until we had official permission, so it will be a while yet, unfortunately." While I didn't like the delay, I did appreciate the extra time. "But thank you. I know you've been overworking yourself to fill the gap."

"I've not been overworking? This was my normal during the Verdane Campaign." Actually, I think it was a little less. I almost voiced the thought, but Sigurd's wide eyes told me that would be a rather bad idea. "If anything, I've been quite lazy since staying in Evans."

"You need to be lazier. How did you not collapse?"

"How do you manage to fight as long as you do?" Deirdre gently countered, muffling a laugh. Sigurd made a face, but she simply muffled another laugh. "Still, I agree, Alicia, that you should take more breaks, and we have the perfect opportunity. It's been months since you've seen your brother, after all." This... was fair and now that my inventory was 'acceptable' I did not need to spend all my waking hours making medicines. "So, you can both help each other take a break, yes? Though Azelle, if there's time later, I would love to discuss more about how Fjalar's blood serves as a catalyst and other boons of Holy Blood?" She smiled shyly and Azelle lit up at the thought. "But I digress. Alicia, this tea is different from the usual. What is it?"

"Oh, this is my energy-boosting tea," I explained, smiling at her. I had to muffle a laugh when Quan immediately poured himself a cup. "Sigurd will need it mixed with something as it's quite spicy."

"I'll probably need to do the same." She watched as Quan downed his cup in a single gulp. "Oh, he likes it straight? Then I definitely need to mix it. How do you not breathe fire after some of these teas, Quan?"

That led to a round of laughter and the echoes followed Azelle, Chulainn, and me out the door. But once the door shut behind us, there was only an awkward silence neither Azelle nor I knew quite how to break. Chulainn wouldn't. He'd be silent forever if we'd let him. But, finally, Azelle spoke and freed us from the awkwardness.

"Um... we were introduced, but I never gave proper greetings," he murmured, turning to bow at Chulainn. Chulainn blinked a few times, quietly surprised. "As Alicia said, I'm Azelle, her little brother. Thank you for protecting my sister. It's been a great relief to know she's safe." While he spoke very formally, he squirmed in a way that made me frown. "And... uh... I'm sorry, but there's a list of questions Arvis wanted answered, so..."

"Our lord brother can ask those questions himself later," I sighed, a little irritated by the thought. This was the second time he tried this. "Honestly, I cannot believe he tried to use you for this." It was no wonder he'd been squirming. He could barely ask questions of people he knew well!

"I imagine your older brother is simply concerned by the unknown mercenary who spends so much time with his sister," Chulainn noted, not bothered in the slightest. For some reason, this only made my irritation grow. "Most would be."

"But I have already told him I am perfectly happy with you. What else should matter?" I may have said more, but Azelle got the most peculiar look on his face then. "What is it, Azelle?"

"Er... nothing?" he replied, in a slow manner which implied the opposite. Chulainn, for some reason, looked both confused and amused at the same time. "Just... list? I have it in my pocket." He wrote a literal list?

"Burn it," I answered without hesitation. Azelle only stared in response. "Ah, we can use it as fuel for tea, actually. Would you like a cup, Azelle?"

"I... yes?"

"Then let's head to my workshop."

Without another word, I walked briskly down the hall, doing my level best to calm my irritation. Chulainn managed to keep up with me easily, though poor Azelle had to jog to not be left behind. I knew I should've slowed down to be polite, but it was near impossible in my irritation. I had to find a distraction immediately because it felt like ice was creeping under my skin. If he was so insistent these questions needed to be asked, he could come himself to ask them instead of relying on proxies! Honestly, what was I to do with him?

The worst part of the chilly irritation bubbling in me was that when I arrived at my workshop, I didn't even notice Ayra was also there. I'd walked right past her without seeing her, and only realized she was in the room at all when she spoke.

"So, I was just swinging by to check in," Ayra began slowly, glancing between the three of us. Azelle smiled awkwardly at her, and Chulainn barely nodded before following me inside and taking his usual spot on the wall. I'd stopped in the middle of my workshop, torn between my continued irritation and my mortification for being so rude. "But… ah… when did you get here, Azelle? Is it why Alicia is all frozen?"

"Azelle is here because he served as King Azmur's messenger and remains to assist," I explained, turning to face her. I made sure I was polite and poised as a proper healer should be. It was hard with the ice in my veins, but it served no purpose to be angry at anyone here for it. "We're about to have some tea, actually. Would you like some? I still have krinina blossoms."

"Oh, well..." She mentally debated for a moment before nodding. "Sure, that sounds lovely, actually." So she said, but she immediately poked Azelle's arm. "So, did something happen on the road or did something else make her angry?"

"Ayra, can you clear the table for me?"

"Right, yes, on it."

Ayra and Azelle cleared the table and sat down quietly, and I bustled about to make the tea. While I was setting up the pot, I silently held out my hand to Azelle. After a moment, he reluctantly pulled the list out of his pocket and gave it to me. I felt a little better after ripping it up to fuel the fire, but only a little. I would definitely be writing him about this. This sort of nonsense was too much to indulge.

"What was that?" Ayra asked curiously, breaking the awkward silence. Azelle only sighed, while Chulainn ducked his head to hide a smile. "Bad? Is that why she's mad?" She was very fixated on learning this. I wondered why.

"Arvis gave me a list of questions he wanted Chulainn to answer," Azelle answered tiredly. Ayra immediately started laughing. "Glad you think it's funny. Alicia very much didn't."

"If I treat it as a joke, I'm not as inclined to hunt him down and hit him over the head for confusing 'protectiveness' with 'control'." Ayra said the words far too blithely given the context. "What does it matter? Chulainn does his job well. I would've thought the rumors about her, Sigurd, and Deirdre would give him enough to worry about anyway."

"Don't remind me..."

"You would think they would calm down after the wedding," I sighed, busying myself with the tea. As always, it was soothing. I felt better already. "Oh, Azelle, I don't have your mix. Would chamomile be alright?"

"Give him some krinina blossom tea, Alicia," Ayra suggested instead. I paused, more than a little surprise. I'd been making it only for her, as a means of stretching out my limited surprise. "I'd love to share a bit of my home." Still, if she asked, how could I refuse? "You'll like it, I think, Azelle. It tastes similar to the teas you always made."

"Oh, so it's a tea from Isaach?" Azelle asked, his tired discomfort gone in an instance. "Weird, how did we get some? We're really far away."

"Alicia wrote Prince Kurth, and he indulged her." Ayra said the words without a grimace, which was better than her expression when I first told her. I couldn't lie, after all. "Neither here nor there, for now. So, have you greeted anyone else?"

"No, I honestly just got here."

"I beat Lex, then?" She grinned, strangely delighted by the thought, and Azelle made a face. "Sorry, sorry. He'll be glad to see you, though. I think it took him weeks before he stopped looking for you in the library."

"W-well, we did live together for two years. Oh, and thank you for telling me he was hurt. He never would've said anything, so I would've only heard rumors."

"I figured as much." Her grin faded to a sheepish smile. "I did think he was exaggerating about Tailtiu's response, but he actually underestimated it. How did she write twenty letters in two days?"

"She'll write something, send it, and then think of something else she wanted to say, and send it too." Though Azelle rolled his eyes, he smiled warmly. I remembered him writing me about how much he liked and admired Tailtiu's cheerful and sporadic energy, even if it also tired him out very quickly. "She also jumps between thoughts and subjects like lightning through the clouds. Why she never manages to finish any research despite having some brilliant ideas." He gasped then, snapping his fingers and accidentally sending a spark of flame into the air. "Right, I just remembered. Um…"

"Yes?"

"Well… uh…" He played with his hands as he struggled to find his words. "Would you let me study Astra, Ayra?"

"You want to what now?"

"Just observe you while you use it? I-I understand if you'd rather not, but when I heard about it, I was really curious and… um…" He looked away, mortified yet determined. "I was curious about how it worked. Is it a different application of magic? Some magic that is not magic as we know it? Another blessing from Holy Blood?"

"It's a gift from one of the fairies."

"Well, yes, that's what you said. But even if it was a gift, it's still mortals who wield it. So, I believe there is a 'mortal' explanation behind it." He looked back at Ayra, somehow both shy yet unyielding as he met her calm gaze. "Everything in our world can be explained. Holy Blood, magic… everything. We may not know the answer now, but we will. We just have to keep learning and discovering."

"And that right there makes it damn obvious you and Alicia are related." Ayra grinned and Azelle sulked. "She's always studying, always learning, because just because she doesn't know a cure to something doesn't mean the cure doesn't exist. You're both terribly intelligent and have a hunger for more."

"Well, it's not like I'm good for much, so why not learn?" He shrugged. "But discovering new things about the world… it's fun. It's exciting. And in my eyes, it makes the world even more wondrous. But um…" He ducked his head, all steel forgotten. "I'll understand if you'd rather I didn't. I know it's important to you."

"Hmm…" She thought about it for a long moment before nodding. "No, I don't think I'll mind. Not if it's you." She leaned back in her chair, linked her hands together, and stretched her arms out in front of her. "You don't want to learn as some way of telling me the fairies do not exist. You only seek to learn how I am able to do it. That does not take away from my beliefs. It adds to it. Besides…" She smiled. "We do have some historical proof. Od never wielded Astra or Luna, but his twin daughters did. So, we know something happened. But you do not seek to decipher what the 'something' is. You only want to study the result of it."

"Yes…" He hesitantly looked up again and smiled faintly. "You see similar things everywhere. Take Alec, for instance. He claims it's just simple awareness, but some of the things he's been able to avoid… it feels like there's something more than just 'awareness'. Sometimes, it seems like he's somehow nullifying the ability."

"I will note I could not draw on Astra's strength when he and Lex baited me." She scowled at the memory, but quickly shook it off. "Now, granted, I was in poor physical condition and poorer mental, but I didn't have issues using Astra before."

"See? Yet it's not like magic itself doesn't work on him because if it did, Alicia couldn't heal him with her staves."

"Interesting…" She nodded a few times to herself. "Well, you can observe. I'm not sure what you'll discover, but I doubt it's magic. I don't have magic."

"Oh, that's not true! Everyone has at least a little magic. Now, some have so little they might as well have none, but everyone does! That's why everyone is capable of learning tomes and staves, even if they're not good at it. Take Ethlyn, for instance. Or, heck, Lachesis. Neither have a lot of magic, but both are able to use staves." Azelle's eyes started shining. "So…"

"Ah, this is what Lex meant when he said you could talk for days if you had the right topic." Ayra laughed brightly and Azelle blushed. "Still, this is interesting and certainly more than I learned. Magic is probably as common in Isaach as it is in Verdane. Perhaps a touch more, since some from Silesse will move to Isaach, but it's still the barest minimum. My lessons barely mentioned it at all."

"Then I'll start at the beginning and you can tell me if you already know something or not!"

Azelle began to explain, in detail, the basics of magic and magical theory to Ayra, with Ayra doing her best to follow along and ask questions along the way. While they talked, I finished up the tea and brought it over to sit, listen, and enjoy their company. Chulainn kindly brought me one of my books to read while I listened, and lingered behind my chair in silence. I didn't know if he was drawn by their liveliness or if he had an interest in the subject too, but I was glad he was close and not watching from a distance as he usually did, so I didn't ask.

Regardless, once we marched, it may be a long while before we could return here to Evans and indulge ourselves. I should enjoy these moments while I could.

---

In the days following King Azmur's official permission, a frenzied air swallowed Evans. With no more restraints, the only thing preventing us from marching was our own limitations. Every day, more of the plan was set, more defenses were built, more of… everything was done. All the while, we feared the coming of another messenger, one from Nordion declaring their walls could no longer hold, and fretted over just how few cavalry we had for that critical 'first wave'. Yes, Quan and Sigurd would lead the charge and they said those with Holy Blood were armies unto themselves, but it felt foolish to simply rely on that. A single person could not bear such weight forever, no matter how strong, and this would be the worst time for any to crumple. But thankfully for our collective peace of mind, help arrived from a most unexpected source.

"Ring sent some of the Beige Ritter back to help us?" Sigurd asked, his pen falling from his hand in shock. I couldn't blame him. What had started as a 'normal morning meeting' between Sigurd and me had turned into something quite unexpected. It said something that the source of this information was the least surprising part of it all. "Truly?"

"Indeed," Lady Edain confirmed, with a pretty smile and mischievous giggle. She and Sir Midir had arrived an hour or so after dawn, alongside a full half of the Beige Ritter. "Father says that since you came to Yngvi's aid, he would be remiss to not lend his own now. This is to say nothing of how Eldigan defended Evans, and thus Grannvale and Yngvi, from Ellidiot's attempt at an invasion. Poor as it was, if it had actually reached Yngvi, our people would not have been able to recover."

"I… but I was… just doing as I always do…" Sigurd had a strange look on his face. "Are things in Isaach…?"

"I can't speak much about that. You know how Father is. But I do know that since most of the fighting is in the desert, cavalry isn't as helpful as they normally are. Sand bogs down the horses considerably if they're not properly trained for the conditions."

"Ah, so I imagine we have a few who are particularly chafing at feeling useless in the fighting, so this will allow them to regain their confidence and, in the meantime, I get very skilled soldiers." Sigurd glanced out the window, where we could see a young man with long blonde hair directing the soldiers in the courtyard. I returned to what I'd been doing: making tea. Chulainn, as always, remained next to the door, silent as a statue. Quan was resting, for once, and Deirdre had been checking some of the castle's defenses with Sir Arden. "Why is Andrey here?"

"He wanted to check on me. He'd wanted to stay behind specifically to help me, after all." Lady Edain grimaced. "He... he needed time away from Father."

"So, they're still arguing. Sad, but unsurprising." He was silent for a long moment, watching as Lord Andrey finished whatever he was doing and disappeared inside the castle. I decided to look for Sir Midir in the mess, and found him chatting in the corner with Sir Alec and Sir Naoise. "It's gotten worse, hasn't it?"

"It has." She sighed, bowing her head. "They haven't shared a meal together in a year, and given what happened in Yngvi, I'm… well…" Silence fell then, a particular sort of quiet that came from resigned sadness more than anything. No one knew what to say; both Sigurd and Lady Edain appeared to have given up any hope of reconciliation between the father and son. "Oh, but if you mean what is he doing here in particular, he's here to escort me." The forced cheer in her voice when she finally broke the long silence only confirmed it. "He said it was only proper, since I'm staying to assist."

"You what now." Sigurd stared blankly at her. Finished with the tea, I came over to silently set it on his desk. "Edain..."

"No protesting! I've made up my mind." Lady Edain beamed; Sigurd groaned. "Lady Alicia and Ethlyn will need all the help they can get. I've heard about the all-nighters poor Lady Alicia has pulled." 'Poor Lady Alicia' was still right here, and was not bothered. I was tempted to say so, but I noticed Chulainn glance at the door, hinting we were about to receive a visitor. If it was who I suspected, then either he was walking fast or the moment of uneasy silence had been longer than I thought. "Besides, I owe you."

"You owe me nothing, Edain. We're friends."

"Then let me help my friend." She grinned and Sigurd actually let his head fall to his desk, right next to the tea I set down. She tricked him rather easily. "Besides, I do have my own reasons."

"Hmm?"

"Well..." A knock on the door interrupted them and it opened to reveal Lord Andrey. For some reason, he carried a large cloth-covered object. "Oh, Andrey! Are you done in the courtyard?"

"Obviously," Lord Andrey replied, sounding both tired and annoyed. He tried to step in the room, but Chulainn lifted an arm to block him. "Who dares...!"

"Chulainn, it's fine," Sigurd reassured, lifting his head and smiling softly. After a moment, Chulainn nodded and dropped his arm to let Lord Andrey through. "Hello to you too, Andrey."

"I... yes, hello, Sigurd." He eyed Chulainn suspiciously as he set the object down. The cloth slipped slightly and gave a small peek of a golden bow. "Who is this? Not one of your knights, I know."

"Chulainn is a mercenary I hired, and one who has my absolute trust for many reasons." Though Sigurd said the words gently, there was a firm finality to them as well. He would tolerate no more discussion on the matter. "What you set down... is that Yewfelle?" Ah, if that was the case, no wonder it was gold. Yewfelle, the Shining Bow gifted to Ullr by Laima of Fate... according to the tales, it fired arrows of pure light which never missed its target. Supposedly, these arrows were so strong Ullr regularly would kill three or more soldiers with a single arrow. "Ring didn't take it with him?"

"No, he vowed to not wield it until Brigid was found, remember?" Lady Edain quietly said, smiling sadly at the bow. It took me a long time to remember who 'Brigid' was: Lady Edain's elder twin, and the Ullr Major of our generation. "He couldn't even bear to look at it after we lost her on that ship in Northern Agustria."

"Ah, yes, that's right," Sigurd murmured, trying to hide his own sad smile by sipping his tea. It didn't work, of course, but he tried. "What was it again? You were visiting Bragi Tower and pirates struck?"

"Indeed, and she was separated from us. So, I brought Yewfelle along in case I run into her." She forced a smile; Lord Andrey rolled his eyes. "I could be that lucky. I'm Ullr minor, after all. So, that's the selfish reason. We're too close to where we lost her for me to resist."

"I... oh, very well. I can't refuse you."

"I know~!" Lady Edain giggled and Sigurd shook his head. "So, I'll let Deirdre know and get settled into my rooms. And Andrey?" She turned to her brother and gave him a huge hug. Lord Andrey froze, startled, but awkwardly patted her back. "Send me a letter when you've arrived back at the front, will you? So I know you're safe?" Lord Andrey nodded, looking almost sullen. "Thank you! I'll see you later, then!"

With that, Lady Edain left, and Chulainn glanced at Lord Andrey before leaving with her. I thought to follow, but when I noticed how stiff Lord Andrey appeared, I decided to go ahead and make him some tea. While I did, I studied him more closely. He was pale, held himself like he was ready for a fight, and his expression was set in a slight scowl. Was this his normal or had it become such from the battlefield? It was hard to say, but I knew a few herbs that could help him relax a little. It wouldn't take long to brew.

"Sigurd," Lord Andrey called curtly once his sister left. Sigurd only smiled, not offended in the slightest by the rude tone. "I... should thank you. You protected Yngvi and saved my sister, at great personal risk."

"You're much too formal, Andrey," Sigurd chided, still smiling. "We've known each other since you were a baby." He stood up slowly from his desk and stepped around so he could speak with him without a 'divide'. "You used to hide behind me all the time, remember?"

"Sadly, yes." Lord Andrey did not look amused by the reminder, and scowled when Sigurd chuckled. "I'm no longer the scared little boy, you know."

"Of course. But you should know you have nothing to prove to me." He said the words gently, but Lord Andrey noticeably stiffened. "Then again, I suppose your arguments with Ring put you on edge with most everyone. Are you aware you've been glaring all this time?"

"..." Lord Andrey looked away, at the ground. "He's ridiculous and a fool. Even what happened here in Yngvi could've been mitigated if he'd let me stay and help Edain like I wanted, instead of demanding I accompany him for inglorious honor. Why shouldn't I call him out on it? It's his fault we lost Brigid."

"I can't answer any of that, Andrey. Even if I come up with arguments, they won't change how you feel." Sigurd smiled. "But you can relax around me. I'm not exactly going to tattle on you."

"No, you never have. Hell, you used to cover for me." Lord Andrey sighed and noticeably relaxed. So, he was holding a lot of anger inside. That wasn't good. I should add... ah, I had the herb I wanted. I knew it was a good idea to keep this area fully stocked. "And I will admit to being irritable about the current circumstances. I can't say I'm happy about my sister going off to more danger, but I know you'll keep her safe and she's stubborn." He was silent for a long moment. "Do you think you'll really be able to find Brigid? It's been so long."

"I'll tell you the same thing I did when she first disappeared. Ullr's blessing has always been luck." Sigurd's smile was both warm and gentle now. "Anyone else, I'd be skeptical. I can admit to that. But I've seen Ullr Luck pull too many crazy things for me to simply dismiss the possibility."

"Just Ullr's luck? Baldr's blessing may be lesser in comparison, but you've proved far too lucky yourself many times." Lord Andrey shook his head. "Still remember that flood. Hadn't seen Edain panic so much since we lost Brigid."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad. I was just a little rattled."

"And most would've drowned. Some did. Idiot."

"Ah, been a while since you called me that." Sigurd laughed softly, and he glanced at me, knowing full well why I'd remained. "Anyway, you want some tea? Alicia's tea is the best I've had."

"Hmm?" Lord Andrey blinked slowly, and turned slightly so he could see me. "Um... how long have you been here, miss?"

"The entire time. Alicia and I meet in the mornings, so she was here even before Edain arrived. She was just quiet since she didn't have anything to contribute to the conversation."

"Oh, this is the Red Rose Healer. Edain nearly chattered my ear off about you." Lord Andrey hesitated. "I really shouldn't stay long."

"Alicia's been making the tea since Edain left and the water is still warm from when she finished mine, so I imagine it's almost done?"

"Actually, I am done," I corrected, finishing up. I set the pot and a mug down on the table and turned to smile at them both. "It needs to steep a little longer, of course, but I need not linger for that."

"Ah, that's..." Lord Andrey stammered, staring. He then ducked his head. "Then, I suppose I should have a cup then. It would be rude to refuse." I suppose I really should've asked first, but... "Why did you make a second pot?"

"I made Sigurd his usual, the mix I made for him." To my delight, he rarely drank a different kind. Even when he did, it was only at my recommendation, like with the energy-boosting tea. "But I made a different mix for you, something to relax and address some potential health issues you have from holding in so much stress."

"Pardon?"

"Alicia's teas are all medicinal, Andrey," Sigurd laughed, moving his own tea to the table. He smiled at me in thanks; I nodded and stepped away, heading for the door. "She started making it because she noticed how tense you were. So sit down and relax for a moment, will you? You know how poorly an overstrung bow does."

I lingered just long enough to see Lord Andrey sit down before leaving. Chulainn, of course, had been waiting for me and closed the door behind me. "Edain decided she should host a tea," he informed me quietly. I could only smile and shake my head. Of course she would. "She neglected to inform me of the location, but I'd guess Deirdre's solar since I doubt her own rooms will be ready fast enough for her."

"Regardless of where, I'd best attend lest she hunt me down," I replied, muffling a laugh. In truth, I didn't mind. While I did need to do check-ups for all the new soldiers, that could be done tomorrow. "Will you join us?"

"I will stand guard outside."

"Are you certain? Knowing Lady Edain, it may take a while."

"I don't mind." He smiled faintly, but warmly. "You've been working feverishly for days. It's good for you to take a break."

"It's not me I'm worried about."

"It never is. That's why others have to do it for you."

"...Those words should be said to you." Without thinking about it, I reached up and brushed my hand over his cheek. He stilled, but didn't jerk back. "You're always at my side, always doing your job, so I can't help but worry about you."

"..." He looked down and away, and accidentally bumped into my still raised hand. Part of me thought I should bring it down, but the rest of me didn't want to. "It's not... just the job."

"Hmm?"

"I like watching you. Watching you work, watching you teach... it's no chore."

"Oh." I had... no idea how to reply to that. But the words made me strangely happy, so I smiled. "But if you're outside, you can't watch. Are you certain you're fine just waiting?"

"Yes, I am." He met my eyes again and smiled a little. "Someone needs to warn Ayra if she meanders close."

"That's assuming Lady Edain has not already hunted her down." I retracted my hand to muffle my laugh. "Well, if you are certain, then I will not press. But do tell me if there's something you want to do. I don't want you to get bored of me, after all."

"I highly doubt that'll ever happen."

"Still…"

"Fine, fine. I'll let you know." What a relief… "And probably drop you off with someone so you don't fall into trouble."

"You make me sound like an unruly child."

"No, you're worse. You're a stubborn idealist without one whit of self-preservation." Though he smiled boyishly at my scowl, he soon glanced to the side as something caught his attention. When I turned, I found Ethlyn standing near, staring at us while Altena tried to wriggle out of her arms and eat her hair. "Is something wrong? You've been standing there for a while."

"No, nothing!" Ethlyn blurted, shifting Altena to brace her against her shoulder. Altena immediately pouted at no longer having easy access to her mother's hair. "It's nothing. I promise." Chulainn's expression flattened into the irritable stoicism I was used to, and I found myself frowning skeptically. "I'm just a little tired." While I could believe the excuse, something told me that wasn't the case. "Ah, but I was heading this way to look for you, Alicia. I passed Edain and Deirdre, and I think they're hosting a tea party in Deirdre's rooms."

"Seems you guessed correctly, Chulainn," I noted, deciding to let the matter drop for now. I hoped she'd tell me the truth eventually. "Shall we make our way there?"

"It does sound heavenly." She smiled brightly. "So, yes, let's go!"

We took our time making our way to Deirdre's rooms, mostly to give Deirdre and Edain time to prepare. With that said, there wasn't much we could do to delay, so when Ethlyn and I walked in, they were still arranging the table and chairs, and whatever else there was. This, surprisingly, included many platefuls of sweets. Where had they come from? I didn't think there was enough time to make so many.

"Chulainn didn't have to refuse so bluntly," Ethlyn grumbled as we waited just inside the solar. Altena was quiet in her arms, for once, looking about curiously. Considering this was the room with the most sunlight in the entire castle, I imagine she had a lot to look at. "I asked if he wanted to hold Altena, since she stared at him so much, but with the way he refused, you'd think I asked him to eat her." He hadn't been that vehement. He'd just refused and all but pushed us into the room so he could close the door and end the conversation.

"He was panicking, Ethlyn," I gently told her, shaking my head. It had been a slight difference, yes, but noticeable. Honest and blunt as he may be, he was rarely so brusque unless he was panicked or flustered. "That's all."

"Was he? He looked as stoic as always. But you know him best." I... I wouldn't say that. I was just... with him more than most. "Still, I don't think he had anything to worry about. He's always so gentle with Shannan and Dew."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't feel awkward."

"I suppose. He hides just as much behind his calm as you do." She smiled sweetly at me. "So, do you want to hold Altena?"

"Why would I deny you the pleasure? You've spent so little time with her recently."

"Another artful dodge." She snickered and I looked away awkwardly. She... she wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean I had to admit it. "Speaking of artful dodges, we should've tracked down Ayra for this. Do we have time?"

"Let's have some mercy on Ayra." Besides, I think today was the first day Azelle would observe her training for his studies. I didn't want to interrupt.

"That's no fun, though." She grinned wickedly, and I shook my head. "Oh, fine. I'll use this to guilt her into the next one. Edain, Deirdre, are you two done yet? We can help, you know, if you tell us what to do."

"No, you two busy bees must rest," Lady Edain refused with a laugh. "Besides, we're just about done, so come here and sit." She waved us over, and Deirdre took Altena from Ethlyn so she could sit down and get settled. "I suppose I really should've waited a day or so before throwing a tea party, but I didn't want to. You all have been working hard and deserve a treat as soon as possible."

"You sound like a grandmother, Edain," Ethlyn teased, taking Altena back. Deirdre then sat across from her, and next to me. "But we have been working a lot recently. So much so that I can't even think of good gossip."

"Well, that's a shame. I could share what I've heard..." Lady Edain poured the tea for us and sat down across from me. "But I don't think they'll be very fun. Yngvi has only recently recovered enough to see merchants trickle in, and they bring all the best gossip."

"Darn, so what shall we talk about first?"

"I did have a question you three might be able to answer, so perhaps that?" Deirdre began slowly, her smile hesitant. But at our encouraging smiles, she continued. "While I was out working with Esen, I heard someone call me the 'Silver Izelle Maiden'." Oh. Oh, dear. She heard that finally. "I prefer it to the 'Maiden of the Spirit Forest' I used to hear in Marpha, but it still confused me. Izelle is a flower from Velthomer, yes?"

"It is, and I brought you silver ones as a gift when I returned from visiting my brothers," I confirmed, sipping my tea. I had absolutely no idea how to explain the title to Deirdre, but I could at least answer this. "They're the rarest of the izelle flowers."

"Oh, yes, you dried and framed them. I have it hanging on the wall." She did, next to the dried blue izelle flowers I'd ordered. She'd blushed so red when they arrived, but insisted on keeping them together. Sigurd indulged her, even as he wondered just why I kept teasing his wife about blue and silver flowers.

"That's a lovely gift, considering what izelles represent," Ethlyn added, with a smile so bright you almost couldn't see the discomfort. Given she and Lady Edain both gossiped frequently, they probably knew the rumors surrounding Sigurd, Deirdre, and me all too well. "They represent 'hope', 'miracles', and 'rebirth'." Well, wasn't I lucky? I'd only gotten them for Deirdre to tease her. "The story for why is a favorite of mine, truthfully."

"Yes, I remember reading you it so many times I had it memorized when we were younger," Lady Edain teased, her own smile serene. Her very slight apologetic look to me was the only hint that I was right. She too knew the reason why. Perhaps we should just tell Deirdre, but this was supposed to be fun, so all of us quietly decided against it. "But we can go with the short version for now."

"Probably for the best." Ethlyn giggled. "So, Deirdre, one thing to remember is that the Holy War was… bad. Cities were broken, rivers were dammed by the dead, and the streets were flooded with blood. It was brutal and bloody and it took everything the Crusaders had to win against Loptuous. Or… was it Loptyr?" She frowned, looking at Lady Edain. While she did, Deirdre shot me a strained smile and I gave her a reassuring one in return. "Edain, help me remember!"

"The god was dubbed 'Loptous', while their church and empire were Loptr." Lady Edain sipped her tea to quiet a laugh. "There are some records that call their god 'Loptr' or 'Loptyr', though. Mistranslations from old ciphers, if I remember Andrey's rants correctly. You know how he is about code-breaking."

"Yes, yes, and it makes everything so confusing, but I can complain about that another time. The point I was trying to make was just how ravaged Jugdral was by it. The Velthomer region in particular was absolutely devastated, poisoned and corrupted as it was by dark magic. Though Fjalar worked tirelessly to rebuild and rejuvenate the land, there was a distinct fear nothing would ever grow again, and it was a fear which grew with every passing month." Altena started squirming, bored now, but Ethlyn held her hands and 'danced' with her in her lap to get her to settle down again. "Even Fjalar, known for her stubborn determination, was on the edge of giving up."

"Think of it as Alicia giving up on a patient." Why was I being drawn into the account now? The worst part was how Deirdre immediately nodded in understanding. "However, just as she was about to admit defeat, her husband, Magni, gave her a single, blue izelle." Blue izelles bloomed much later in the year, and thrived even in the coldest of weather. In truth, they were why the region was known for its 'year-round' flowers. As such, they were the perfect flower for this tale. "Now, Deirdre, what's unique about izelle flowers is that for some reason, they only grow in Velthomer. They simply do not grow anywhere outside of Velthomer's lands unless you transplant some of the soil. And, even then, they'll still die quickly." As such, few researched the flower for medicinal benefits. Though I suppose this was not a thought most would have while drinking tea.

"However, in this story, that trait proved key. It only grows in Velthomer soil, the very soil Fjalar was ready to give up on. He had found it while on patrol, one of a small patch blooming, and had picked it to show her that her efforts had borne fruit. As the months passed, more and more izelles blossomed." Thus, we had the initial 'Festival of Flowers'. "With a few years, the entire region was filled with flowers once again. And that's why the izelle flower represents hope."

"What a lovely tale…" Deirdre breathed, smiling. Sadly, though, the smile soon dimmed to a frown of confusion. "But why would they call me that, though?" It seemed the story didn't distract her enough.

"Er… well…" Ethlyn stammered, glancing awkwardly at me. I could only close my eyes and sip my tea. I ignored gossip for many reasons, and this annoyance was one of them. "H-how do any of us gain epithets? Maybe they call you that because in their eyes, it's a miracle Sigurd married such a beautiful lady!"

"Ethlyn!" Though it was the most unbelievable of explanations, Deirdre blushed a deep red at it, so it clearly worked. "You're teasing me."

"A little. But it's mostly true. I really never thought I'd ever see Sigurd married. Not to mention how happy he is." Ethlyn beamed at her. "He's practically a changed man! I couldn't be more grateful to you for bringing him that happiness." Yet if Deirdre blushed any redder, she might just faint, so Ethlyn shifted the subject. "But now that he's married, we simply must focus on Edain and Midir." She spoke lightly, her words dancing on hidden laughter, but poor Lady Edain nearly spat out her tea in surprise. "What? We should!"

"I'm quite curious, truthfully." Deirdre clapped her hands together in delight, pleased by both the topic and no longer being the focus on teasing. Meanwhile, Lady Edain's face was rapidly resembling an apple with how red it was, and threatened to rival Deirdre's own blush. "I remember Shannan delivering the most adorable of reports to Alicia."

"R-reports?!" Lady Edain blurted, now red to the roots of her hair. Ethlyn leaned back in her chair to laugh, while Deirdre covered her mouth sheepishly. After a moment, Altena started laughing too, happy at whatever made her mother happy. "What do you mean reports?!"

"Ayra was teaching Shannan how to be sneaky, and spies must make reports," I answered calmly, sipping my tea. It was a very nice blend; I should ask what it was later. "I took the role."

"Wait, she was using him to spy on us?!"

"You're only just now figuring this out?" I couldn't help but smile. "They were rather interesting. I'm thinking of bribing Duke Ring with them."

"Don't you d... wait, what do you mean 'bribe'?" Lady Edain frowned, focusing on the potential change in subject. "What do you need from my father that you can't get from me?"

"Information."

"There are other ways to bribe him for that."

"True, but this will be much funnier," Ethlyn joked, barely calming her laughter enough to speak. Lady Edain scowled at her. "However, in the interest of being fair, I must also ask about what information you want enough to bribe him for."

"Hmm... ah..." I hesitated, but there was nothing to hide. It was just… a little awkward. "Truthfully, I have... been considering making Prince Kurth some tea," I whispered, fussing with the handle of my teacup. The other three focused completely on me. Altena tried to take advantage to squirm off her mother's lap, but Ethlyn held her firmly. "However, I don't know what he likes."

"Oh, so you're bribing him for that." Ethlyn smiled. "He'd be happy to tell you even without bribery, you know. Ring, I mean."

"Sigurd said the same, but..."

"But it still would be hilarious, so you should definitely tell him anyway." Ethlyn's smile turned to a smirk and Lady Edain scowled at her once again. "If you don't want her to do so, then provide your own compensation! He's the only one you lose your cool about, after all, and it's funny every time!"

"Personally, I think it would be much more fun teasing Deirdre about newlywed life," Lady Edain replied with far more dignity than necessary. Still, it sparked more laughter from Ethlyn, and I had to muffle my own when Deirdre started blushing. "Oh my, does it suit you, Deirdre?"

"W-we are not discussing this!" Deirdre protested, her blush darkening. Her eyes widened when both Ethlyn and Lady Edain smirked at her. "This is not an appropriate tea topic!"

"Of course it is! Where else are we going to gossip about scandalous things?"

"That is..."

"If this is going to be the discussion, I fear I will have to leave since I will not be able to contribute nor do I have an interest in the answer," I informed them, more to save Deirdre than anything. Deirdre shot me a grateful look, while Ethlyn pouted and Lady Edain seemed surprised. "What is it? Is it so surprising I don't wish to know how good or poor Sigurd is in bed?"

"When you put it that way, no, it's not," Lady Edain sighed, making a face now. "So, instead, I suppose we can talk about crushes and infatuations?"

"I fear I still cannot contribute, and it will quickly turn into Ethlyn and Deirdre gushing about their husbands, while you shyly mention your knight."

"He's not... I mean..." She shook her head. Meanwhile, Deirdre and Ethlyn both got the oddest look on their faces. "So, you've never had a crush, Alicia?"

"No, I have not." I thought about how to continue, and remembered something from before the attack on Yngvi. Perhaps this was improper, but… "I can, however, share some tales of lovesick fools who were so terribly sorrowful over their 'pink angel' marrying her brother's best friend."

"Oh, now this I have to hear!" Lady Edain immediately burst into laughter and Ethlyn stared at me incredulously, catching my implications immediately. Altena promptly used the distraction to wriggle out of her mother's lap and onto the table, but Deirdre quickly picked her up and set her on her own lap to keep her from hurting herself. "Please, do tell!"

So our teatime gossip focused primarily on some of the more ridiculous injuries Lady Edain, Ethlyn, and I had to treat. While Deirdre couldn't speak of her own experiences, she did share some fun tales of her own silly injuries, and those she witnessed in the past. All in all, it was a surprisingly fun afternoon, considering we would be marching to war again soon. I hoped… I hoped we'd have one again, once Nordion was safe.

---

Azelle

Class: Mage

Skills: Pursuit

Holy Blood: Fjalar Minor

Age when joining the army: Eighteen

The younger brother of Duke Arvis of Velthomer, he was born after his father's unfortunate suicide and was primarily raised by his brother and his mother, Sif. Naturally quiet as a child, his shyness and anxiety only worsened due to inheriting his father's tainted legacy and enduring the court's distaste of both his illegitimacy and being the son of a commoner maid. This has led to an abysmal self-esteem, despite his numerous talents.

His Mark is located on his left hand, appearing as a double-stemmed flower wrapping around his wrist and resting on the top of his hand. Due to inheriting the blessings of Salamander of Flames, he is very proficient and powerful with magic, particularly fire magic. Unlike his sister, he has the ability to conjure flames at will and he is always researching the limits of his abilities.

Because of his quiet nature, and living in his brother's shadow, most are unaware he is an avid researcher, inheriting the same keen intellect as his siblings. He is able to rattle off magical theory with ease, and he delights in nothing more than learning a new thing about the world. However, only his closest friends, Lex and Tailtiu, are aware of this, despite their earnest efforts to get him to publish his theories.

---

Author's notes: And here we are at Game-Chapter 2! Or, rather, the very opening of it, before your actual 'first turn' of the chapter. This chapter is a tad notorious for just how damn quickly you have to move to get all the bonuses, meaning your cavalry units are getting all the exp and your infantry... not so much. Hinted to this via the idea of 'waves'. (Technically, Azelle would remain back as an infantry, but this let me pull in more magical theory and Holy Blood shenanigans. Oh, and as for the point about Thunder magic, while in this game, all the anima magics are equal save for weight, later Fire Emblems typically have thunder magic be less accurate, but have higher critical rates compared to the other two. And yes, there is a play on how 'Nihil' was also called 'Awareness'.)

An explanation is never given in game for why Jamke continues fighting alongside Sigurd and follows him into another country entirely. So, I made up something, based on how the opening script of the game states Chagall's ordered an invasion of Verdane, despite Chagall's true goal being Grannvale. As for the staves, the Return staff is a C ranked staff which sends a unit to the 'Home Castle', while the Warp staff is B ranked in FE4 and warps a unit to any allied/captured castle. FE4 has a thing where all weapon levels are set by class and Holy Blood, so Ethlyn's staff rank is locked at 'C'. Edain and Deirdre, meanwhile, have a staff rank of B, and Alicia's is the same since she and Edain share a class (if we're thinking in gameplay mechanics, at least). Meaning technically, the Return staff would never send a unit to Nordion (which is always an allied castle and never 'Home'), but that's neither here nor there.

The backstory for how Nordion ended up with Mystletainn and the Major blood is canon, as is Nordion's oath of eternal loyalty. I also added in the explanation for why there's only three Cross Knights defending Lachesis. The argument Deirdre and Sigurd have is based on their in-game conversation (though Deirdre calling Sigurd a 'liar' comes from the Oosawa manga). Similarly, Ethlyn telling Deirdre Sigurd is 'so happy he's a changed man' comes from their in-game conversation, though there's another part to it as well which was moved to the next chapter.

In-game, Andrei is only seen as an arrogant asshole. That's a tad boring, though, especially since canon materials do note he was once a very sweet, easily frightened little boy. Thought I'd meld the two. I also brought in Grannvale's various knight brigades, each of which is named for a color. Chalphy's is indeed named for the color green, so I also threw in an explanation for that for… fun, I guess