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)

17. Interlude - Nordion

Interlude – Nordion

---

Many died during the Siege of Nordion. There were multiple funerals every day after the victory, filled with songs that I could hear even in the castle. That was how Agustrian funerals were, apparently, a chorus of songs both sad and hopeful. I still didn't like them. No, I hated funerals and I hated them all the more when they were for children. After all, the majority of the dead had not been of age. There was nothing that could be done; they were the oldest of those who could fight. But it was still terribly bitter.

Some wish to march on Heirhein immediately for the atrocity. Lady Grahnye, however, holds them back. 'We must wait and see what their response is to our allies', she declares, firmly and without hesitation. She holds fast to the hope they can somehow avoid a civil war, and not doom the country she loves as her own. Sigurd yields to her in the matter, as he wishes to focus their efforts on Chagall and Agusty to bring Lord Eldigan home all the sooner. Yet the worry of just what Boldor will do in the wake of so many deaths, including his own son and heir, shrouds even our cheer with unease.

I do as I always do and focus on my duties. Tragically, I'm the most experienced healer Nordion has for the moment, after all.

---

A few days after the siege ended, the third wave arrived with much needed supplies and extra soldiers to fully shore up Nordion's defenses. Surprisingly, I happened to have a free moment when I heard, so I joined the welcoming crowd, lingering back in the shadows with Chulainn to people-watch. Nearly everyone had come out to greet the newcomers, but the replies they received were quick, since the newly arrived were eager to begin assisting however they could. Some were even a little too eager.

"Arden, please, you should at least set your things down in a room first," Sigurd laughed in the middle of the crowd, gently urging Sir Arden to rest. He'd wanted to immediately take over guard duty, not even taking the time to wash the travel dirt off. "It's a long journey."

"We rested early yesterday, so we could begin immediately today," Sir Arden protested, shaking his head. He already had all of his armor on. I still had no idea how he moved in it; it just looked heavy. "The ones at the gates look exhausted, worse than me. You know my best qualities are-"

"You're strong and you're tough, and I wish dearly for you to rest before guarding. I know you were keeping an eye out for ambushes the entire journey." Sigurd made a show of looking around before 'whispering'. "Besides, we need time to convince the current ones to take a break. You know how youths are."

"My lord, you're still like that."

"Hey now, I've been good. Mostly." Sigurd laughed off Sir Arden's frown. "I actually do not hold the record for 'most reckless thing done' this time! That goes to Alicia." Oh, they would never let this die, just like the whole 'running into a burning building' thing.

"So, you only hold 'second place'? Perhaps Lady Deirdre is a good influence on you."

"Actually, I may be third. There's a debate on whether or not Chulainn took second. What else could you call fighting immediately after being run through?"

"He did what?!"

"Oh dear, it seems you've gained some infamy," I teased, looking up at Chulainn with a smile. He merely shrugged in return. "Well, that's where they are, so where are the rest?"I turned my attention back to the crowd, noting who all was here. Sir Alec and Sir Naoise had joined Sigurd in trying to get Sir Arden to take a break, Sir Midir and Lex were moving supplies off the carts, Oifey was cataloging the new items alongside Deirdre... Dew had been running a message to the gates, so he was no doubt on his way down to the courtyard, and Ayra was out patrolling with King Jamke, so she would see everyone later. "Now if I know Shannan, we should be hearing him right about..."

"Quan, Ethlyn, there you are!" As expected, Shannan's chipper voice soon rose over the crowd and Chulainn helpfully pointed out where he was rushing for Quan and Ethlyn, a happily gurgling Altena cradled securely in his arms. "I thought you two would want to see Altena right away," he explained, beaming up at the two. At the sight of her parents, Altena immediately tried squirming to reach them. "Whoa, easy, easy." Yet with surprising skill, Shannan managed to keep her from falling. "I think she knew she'd see you today. She's been extra energetic."

"And yet she looks so safe and happy with you," Quan teased, taking Altena from him. Ethlyn immediately started cooing and making faces at Altena as he braced her against his shoulder. I knew she wanted nothing more than to hold her herself, but the wound on her shoulder blade meant she had to wait. "Thank you, Shannan. It was a relief to know someone was keeping an eye on her."

"W-well, I had to ask for help a lot..." Still, Shannan beamed, a pleased blush on his face. "I figured out a trick to get her to settle for naps, at least."

"Oh, did you?"

"Yeah, she really likes the lullabies Dad would sing me!"

Content with confirming Shannan's safe arrival, I turned to head back into the castle and its quiet halls. Strangely, it took Chulainn a second to follow me, like I'd surprised him.

"Thought you would've headed out," he said, confirming I had, indeed, surprised him. That didn't happen often. "You're not going to greet Shannan?"

"I can do so later," I replied, not thinking much of it. In fact, later would be preferable since there would be less people. "Besides, with the crowd gathered out there, I doubt he'd notice my presence or absence."

"You sure about that?" He looked behind us, a sudden, faint smirk gracing his face. "Because I'm not."

"Pardon?" I frowned. "What do you-?"

"Alicia!" The answer came in the form of Shannan all-but-tackling me with a hug. I might have fallen if not for Chulainn supporting my back. "There you are!" he chirped, grinning at me. I gave Chulainn as dirty of a look as I could before smiling down at him. "That's almost everyone!"

"'Almost'?" I repeated, reaching down to ruffle his hair. It was a little damp from sweat; had he truly run after me? How had he even noticed with the crowd? "What do you mean?"

"Well, I can't find Finn." He said the words casually, but my hand stilled on his head. "I saw and asked about everyone else, but no one told me about Finn." His smile faltered and I had a feeling I knew why he'd run. "Where is he? Is he okay? Is he...?"

"He's on bed rest. He was badly hurt, but he'll be fine." He knew I would know, and knew I would be honest. I would not hold back simply because he was a child. "Would you like to see him?"

"Can I?"

"I don't see why not." I smiled as gently as I could and he relaxed. "Ah, but before I forget, it is good to see you, Shannan."

"Oh, yes!" His smile returned, bright and cheerful. "Good to see you too, Alicia! Aaaand...!" He let go of me to tackle Chulainn's legs. Chulainn's eyes widened in pure shock. "Good to see you, Chulainn! I've missed you!"

"...You have been missed," Chulainn mumbled, awkwardly patting Shannan's head. Shannan beamed at him and he softened. "Come on. Let's get you to Finn."

Shannan took my hand as we resumed our walk down the halls. While most of the injured rested in the infirmaries, Finn did not. No, because he would have the longest recovery by far, he was settled into a guest room for convenience and comfort. Lady Grahnye insisted, especially when she learned how Finn ended up so injured. Thus, Finn's room was a comforting array of soft blues, with bright sunlight streaming in and a lovely view of the expansive gardens even from the bed. Said bed was piled with warm blankets and plush pillows, though given how Lady Lachesis kept frowning over the pillows, you'd think they were hard as rocks.

"Lachesis, I'm fine," Finn tried to reassure her, his words slurring on the edges. It wasn't a surprise. He had to take many medicines, including some very potent painkillers, since he'd required multiple surgeries to repair everything. "They're just right. I promise."

"But..." Lady Lachesis tried to protest. She... I wouldn't say she looked 'a wreck', since I was mildly certain she could be covered in filth and still look terribly beautiful, but she definitely looked like she hadn't slept or brushed her hair in days. "Sorry, I just feel like I should be doing more for you." She forced herself to smile. "I mean; that's what should happen, right? The rescued princess rewards the dashing knight?"

"I could argue, but something tells me you'll continue to insist." Finn closed his eyes for a moment, swaying a little. "If I promise to think of something once my head isn't as foggy, will you stop fussing over the pillows?"

"Deal." She was silent for a moment. "But they are all right?"

"Yes, they are." He opened his eyes to look for some sort of distraction, and his gaze quickly fell on Shannan and me in the doorway. Chulainn was hiding behind the door. "Oh, Alicia! And Shannan! Did the third wave arrive?"

"Yes, they arrived a few minutes ago," I explained, urging Shannan forward. He shyly and hesitantly crept towards Finn's bed, frowning worriedly. "I'm pleased to see you're awake. Any nausea today?"

"No, the new pain medication was much easier for my stomach," Finn reassured, smiling sleepily. He held out his hand to Shannan, and Shannan immediately seized it to squeeze. "I'm not dizzy either."

"Good, good..." I was so glad I had that book from Edda. The pain medication recipe came from it; I should thank Prince Kurth in my next letter. "I'll work out what ingredient made you ill so you know to avoid it in the future."

"On top of your other duties?"

"Keeping track of what medicines do not work for patients is part of my duties, and it is a very important part at that." I smiled calmly, and Finn took that as a sign to surrender. He even brought up his free hand. "Besides, it may have only made you nauseous this time, but what if the next time causes you to vomit outright?"

"That would... not be fun." He made a face before tilting his head. "Is Chulainn not with you? He usually is."

"Chulainn is being shy." I smiled at him over my shoulder, and Chulainn rolled his eyes before stepping out from behind the door. "See?" In truth, I knew he'd been checking the corridors for any signs of another's approach. Finn was an easy target, and it was well known that Lady Lachesis spent many hours here. If anyone wanted revenge for Elliot, then... "Ah, Lady Lachesis, here." Wanting to distract myself from such thoughts, I nudged Lady Lachesis to her chair and finger-combed her hair back to braid. I didn't have a hair tie, but it would at least stay out of her face and look a little neater. "You've some tangles. When did you last brush it?" Lady Lachesis was silent for a long moment, rapidly trying to remember and failing. "That's too long, especially for those with thinner hair like you. Come by my room later and I'll brush it properly."

"All right..." she mumbled, her face turning red. I doubted she'd even thought about how messy her hair looked until right then. "Um..." But soon, the blush faded, her eyes fixed to the bandages peeking out from under Finn's nightshirt. "Hey, Chulainn? How... how is your injury?" She tilted her head back a little, just enough to look at him. Meanwhile, Shannan's eyes widened and he rapidly paled. No one had mentioned Chulainn's own injury to him, then. "You had a similar..."

"They may have been similar, but mine was nowhere as vicious," Chulainn dismissed, even waving a hand. He hesitated before walking over to Shannan and resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I'm perfectly fine." I wouldn't say he was 'perfectly fine', since he was still healing from being run through, but it was healing nicely and he was correct in that Finn's had been far more extensive. Elliot had wanted to cause as much damage as possible, the sadist. "Alicia would not let me walk around otherwise."

"Oh, so it wasn't..." She breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good..." But now an uneasy silence lingered, with no one quite sure how to change the topic.

"Say, Shannan, how was your trip over?" Finn finally asked, the words slurring a little more. But he was still easy to understand, so we all pretended otherwise. "We were riding so fast that I didn't get to see anything. Yours was slower, though, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, it was, since we had all the carts of supplies," Shannan answered, blinking a few times to get his bearings again. But when he did, he smiled. "It was actually really fun, like when we all returned to Evans after the war ended."

Shannan babbled about the journey, not focusing on any one thing about it and sometimes changing the subject in the middle of a sentence. I was sure it was hard for Finn to follow, but he nodded along and asked questions when able. Lady Lachesis soon joined in with her own stories, sharing fond memories of her many journeys to and from Evans. I focused on finishing the braid and, when I did, I glanced at Chulainn and nodded to the door. He took the hint and patted Shannan's shoulder before leading the way out, closing the door behind us. Of course, not two seconds later, we saw Oifey and Dew coming down the hall, but it was fine. They could knock.

"Shannan is regaling Finn with stories of his journey and Lady Lachesis is sharing some fond memories," I informed them, pointing to the door. Both of them smiled sheepishly; I had a feeling they knew exactly where Shannan would be, and why he'd come straight here. "I'm sure they'd delight in you listening."

"We... we also brought some cards to play a few hands," Oifey mumbled, pulling a deck from his pocket. Dew attempted to hide whatever he had behind his back. "If Finn is up for it, of course."

"Just watch him as closely as you did Shannan when he was ill, please. I'll leave the rest to your best judgment." I smiled warmly and they both perked up at the news. The last two times they'd thought about cards, I'd warned them against it because of how poorly Finn was feeling. "Lady Lachesis could use the distraction, I'm sure."

"We figured."

"Meanwhile, Dew, are you planning on reading that book aloud for Finn when he's too tired to play?" Chulainn suddenly asked, a faint smile on his face. Dew instantly blushed and looked away. "What book is it? You have your hand covering part of the title."

"Why do you have good sight? It's like Shannan's, but worse," Dew grumbled, still blushing. Still, he dutifully brought out the book, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw the title: 'The Tale of Diarmuid'. "Found this in the library. Think Finn said something about liking this."

"That's a famous tale in Leonster. Even I've heard bits and pieces of it." It was also Finn's favorite, but I'd keep quiet about that for now. "Think I've heard someone attempt to sing it in a tavern, actually. They were dragged away before they finished the first chapter, mind."

"Wait, why would someone try to sing this?"

"They were drunk, of course."

"I'm never drinking. People keep doing weird things when they drink."

Oifey choked on a laugh then, probably because of how blase Dew said it, and ended up coughing up a storm. I immediately started fussing, while Chulainn helped him keep steady and Dew couldn't decide if he wanted to apologize or laugh. But soon, the coughing fit subsided and the boys took that as a sign to actually head in. Chulainn and I waved farewell to them, and headed down the hall, away from the guest rooms and into the family wing. After all, that was where Lady Grahnye was.

Like Finn, Lady Grahnye was on bedrest for health reasons. She would leave for the funerals, at her insistence and against medical advice, but otherwise, she would remain abed, working on whatever she could while technically following healer's orders. Because she continued to put such stress on herself, I made a habit of checking on her every day, to make sure she had not caused her already fragile health to deteriorate further.

"Oh, good morning, Lady Alicia." Still, despite the habit and my nosiness, she always greeted me with a smile. "You just missed Deirdre," she told me, holding up a paper. She had a number of them scattered across her blanket. In fact, there were so many that one could mistake them for another blanket. At least she was in bed this time. Yesterday, she tried to sneak to her desk. "She gave me a list of what supplies arrived. It's quite a bit."

"You don't think Sigurd would spare anything for a place so dear to him, do you?" I asked, stepping inside and heading to the corner where her tea supplies were. Chulainn shut the door behind me, keeping watch outside as he usually did. "Perhaps you might take a day off once this settles."

"My, my, back to the scolding." She smiled, taking it in stride. I shook my head and started brewing her some tea. "Still, I do thank you for letting me get away with bending your advice."

"Your health is your own, as are your choices. If you refuse my advice, I should abide by it." Though, I did have to say; it was much harder to follow that personal vow when I was close to the person in question. Ideals and promises were so easy to hold when you were alone, yet I would not trade these friendships for anything. "However, if your condition worsens, I fear I will have to more strongly insist."

"Fair enough." She looked down to the papers scattered across her lap and sighed, leaning back against her headboard and pillows. She looked so tired suddenly. "How much worse is my heart?"

"I wouldn't say it is by much. Your daily life should not change, nor do I believe it has taken years off your life."

"But it is worse."

"Yes." There were no doubts about it; I even compared her most recent checkups to the one I did back in Evans to be certain. "If you would like, we can perform a surgery to help, but at the moment, I believe the risks still outweigh the benefits." But if her condition deteriorated much further, that... that would no longer be the case.

"Ha... so, I'm at that stage. I'd better be more careful. I want to see Ares grown, after all." She looked to the crib at her bedside, where Ares slept peacefully. "Thank the gods he didn't get this." She smiled sweetly, all the love in the world shining in her face. "And thank the gods he made it through all this. He's my everything." She was silent for a moment before looking at me again. "How are your rooms, Lady Alicia?"

"They're perfect. I have plenty of room for all my books and medicine making supplies." Lady Grahnye had originally offered to let me set up in Thanasis's own workshop, but it felt wrong. His wife and daughter were still going through his things, after all. So, when I refused, she had graciously given me a guest room with an attached side room for me to work. "I even have a desk. I'm being quite spoiled."

"If you call this 'spoiled', I need to lecture Sigurd on giving you more things."

"Please don't. He's bad about it already."

"Hmm…" She didn't look like she believed me, and I despaired about having another conversation like this. Thankfully for me, a knock on the door cut her off, and Chulainn opened it slightly to peer in. "Yes?"

"You've a visitor," he explained, careful to not let said visitor see so much of a smidge inside. He always did this for Lady Grahnye. "What do you want to do?"

"You can send them in," Lady Grahnye replied, leaning forward so she was sitting with perfect posture. After all, since Chulainn didn't give a name, this was not someone she was close enough to trust with her failing health. "Thank you as always."

"It's nothing." As usual, he shrugged it off and opened the door wider so a young girl with the typical gold hair and eyes associated with Agustria could step inside.

"Why, Eulalia, hello!" Lady Grahnye greeted the visitor with a smile, and after a moment, I realized I knew the name. She was Thanasis's daughter, and she had assisted Azelle with his efforts during the siege since she was one of the few Agustrians born with a talent for magic. In her case, it was wind magic and, according to Azelle, she knew a few unusual tricks he was eager to study. Supposedly, she'd learned from a passing bard while she badgered him for songs. She liked singing; she sang for her father's funeral. "What brings you here?"

"It is partially to check on you, Lady Grahnye," Eulalia whispered, bobbing a curtsey. Her sweet smile did not hide her exhaustion, or how swollen her eyes were. When she straightened, she wobbled and the bag hooked over her shoulder nearly fell off. "Father was always so worried for your health. I fear some of that worry infected me."

"I am as well as can be, given my condition is chronic," she answered, careful to not actually give a straight answer. Her smile grew more gentle, yet sadder. "You said 'partially'. May I ask what the other parts are?"

"Ah, truthfully, I was looking for Lady Alicia." She was what now? "The guards at the gates said she would likely be with you at this hour, and if she was, then a blonde man who... er..." Her face colored; outside, Chulainn ducked his head in quiet amusement. "Who stood like a wolf who has sighted prey..." Of course they did. "A-anyway, they said he'd be standing guard outside the door if she was here."

"I need to have a talk with the guards about manners." Lady Grahnye sighed, and shook her head. "But I can address that later. You were looking for Lady Alicia?"

"Yes! Um…" Eulalia glanced hesitantly at Lady Grahnye, but at her nod, came around the bed to speak to me directly. "Here, my lady…" She pulled a well-worn notebook from her bag and handed it to me. A quick look proved it was filled with scrawling script and very intricate drawings and diagrams. "These are my father's notes." ...Oh, so these were Thanasis's... "Father usually had them stored in his library, but he'd taken them out because he'd wanted to speak with you. Said something about how it was rare for healers to confer with others from outside their home"

"It is, since most stay in one area for all their lives," I whispered without thinking. So, in my hands, was decades worth of experience, a treasure beyond any measure of value. "I've developed a fascination for the differences, truthfully. Even the various regions of Grannvale have their differences." I... I had tried not to think about it, reminding myself that it wasn't unusual for me to read and learn on my own. But I… I had been looking forward to learning from someone again, like I had with Mistress Yesui. "Are you certain you wish me to have these?"

"Most definitely. He'd been interested in you since Lord Eldigan asked him what medical books he'd recommend. Lord Sigurd requested some on your behalf." Yes, he had. They were at the top of my pile currently, bookmarked with everything that might be of use. "Mother said I should give them to you right away, so we didn't forget."

"I see." They... they were mourning. They should be mourning. Yet here they both were, giving me some so terribly priceless, because... "I will make a copy."

"Pardon?"

"I will make a copy, so you can have the original back." I clutched the notebook to my chest and gave her the best smile I could. "But thank you for this gift. Truly."

"O-oh, no, it's not..." Eulalia blushed and looked away for some reason. "Um... keep it for as long as you need. I'd... better return home now, though."

"Of course. Have a safe trip back."

"Thank you. A-and I will check on you again, Lady Grahnye!" With those words, she bolted out the door so quickly I wondered if I had offended her. I mean… before Chulainn shut the door, I saw she'd tripped over his feet since she was in such a hurry!

However, as soon as the door clicked shut, Lady Grahnye started laughing. "I see you've made another conquest," she joked, not bothering to muffle her laughter at all. I tilted my head in confusion, not quite sure what she meant. "Oh, have you not noticed? You're quite the beauty, Lady Alicia. I've caught many turning their heads to stare as you pass."

"That... pardon?" It wasn't the most eloquent of replies, but I didn't know what else to say. "You must be mistaken," I eventually managed to mumble. "If they are staring, I doubt it has anything to do with that."

"If that is what you choose to believe." The way she said it made me frown. It was like she thought me silly for thinking such. "Still, don't be surprised if you see anonymous love letters soon. They're part of the knightly courting Agustria is so fond of."

"They're part of what?"

"Goodness, did Sigurd not think to warn you?" She frowned then. "That's another thing to lecture him for, then. It's something you really should've been warned about."

The entire rest of my visit, Lady Grahnye informed me of the intricacies of 'knightly courting' or, as it was also called, 'courtly love', which sounded absolutely absurd. I genuinely thought Lady Grahnye had been joking until I received no less than twenty anonymous poems of varying qualities the next morning. I think the siege drove them all mad.

---

It was rather amusing how little things could change. Even all the way in Nordion, Sigurd and I continued to have our morning meetings, sometimes with Deirdre and sometimes without if she was busy. The only true difference was we held them in his rooms instead of an office. Lady Grahnye had offered to let him use Lord Eldigan's office, but Sigurd refused. It felt wrong, like he was dead and not merely imprisoned. Besides, Sigurd's rooms were more than large enough, especially since there were three, and rather comfortable. Like Quan's, they were located in the 'family wing' of the castle, but unlike Quan's, his was more personalized with small trinkets and whatnot on the shelves. I gathered they were things he collected when he stayed here for a year.

"So, most of the injured were Nordion's defenders," Sigurd murmured, looking over my lists of the injured and the dead at his table. In the meantime, I prepared his normal tea in the corner. Chulainn waited by the door as always. It was a shame Deirdre wasn't with us, but she'd run off excitedly to somewhere after breakfast. "Out of ours, the only one with any long-term recovery is Finn." He flipped through his papers, nodding to himself. "How is Dimitra doing? I haven't seen her since Rafail's funeral."

"She is resting at last, and mourning properly," I answered, remembering how drained she'd looked last I'd seen her. Quan had heard correctly; Dimitra had looked to Rafail as a father, since she had lost her own when she was too young to remember. "We spoke briefly after the funeral, and she asked if we might speak once she's had some time to recover."

"Sounds like you've collected another student." He grinned and I shook my head and handed him his tea. "Maybe you should start a school one of these days."

"I highly doubt so many would wish to learn from me." With that said, there was a joy to teaching. If she did want to learn from me, I'd be honored. "But I suppose we could bargain. If you can stay out of trouble for longer than a year, I'll think about it."

"Hey, I can manage a year! Usually." He leaned back his chair to sip his tea. "That might be a fun project to invest in, even if you decide against teaching. I should talk to Deirdre about it. She was saying something similar a few days ago, so we could combine the ideas." He glanced at the lists still in his hand and set them down to focus solely on drinking the tea. "Regardless, these numbers are far better than expected, but still leave us with holes. With things calming, we should see about getting a messenger to Sylvale. It might amount to nothing, but we can still try."

"Do we have any messenger birds?"

"Not here in Nordion. It takes a lot to train them, after all." Should I ask Arvis if we could borrow one? I didn't know it would even work, but perhaps I should try. In this case, it was better to ask and be refused. "This is all such a mess."

"Have spies been sent out?"

"Agustria unfortunately doesn't have much in the way of subterfuge. The closest they have are scouts, and none could be spared during the siege." Perhaps it was because I lived in Grannvale, but that seemed not only shortsighted but incomprehensible. "Even assassinations are pulled off by sneakier knights." He shrugged, noticing where my thoughts turned. "This isn't Grannvale. Agustria values strength above all else. Specifically, it values open strength. The strength and courageous arrogance to stand on the front lines with your soldiers, to be the first person on the field and the last one to leave, to cut down your enemies no matter what tricks and traps are pulled…" He set his empty cup down. "Subterfuge and sabotage are considered tools of the weak."

"If they believe that, then they must think Grannvale is a nation of weaklings." I frowned, however, and crossed my arms. "However, I do remember treating poisoned injuries."

"Poison is no different from fire. A means to make your weapons deadlier is only smart. Now, if they had poisoned the water supply…" This was either cognitive dissonance or blatant hypocrisy. I should research which one later. "Regardless of the 'why', the result is the same. There's no spy network here in Nordion."

"Ah, so that's why all you've done is send Alec out for rumors," Chulainn noted suddenly, startling Sigurd and me. It was rare he spoke unprompted during the morning meetings; he'd often remained quiet even when Sigurd tried to get him to join in. "I'd been wondering. You don't even have a starting point for him to hunt yet."

"Sadly, you're correct," Sigurd replied, recovering quickly. He even smiled. I decided to pour Sigurd some more tea, and silently asked if Chulainn would want some. As expected, he shook his head. I'd make him pleorula tea later. "And since Alec is my personal knight, he can't go far, so what information he does get is biased."

"All rumors are biased. But, in this case, you're saying it's very positive towards Eldigan, very negative towards Chagall, and has little in the way of new information because the siege meant very few were coming or leaving."

"Yes, that." Sigurd looked thoughtful then. "Chulainn, do you have experience with this sort of thing?"

"That…" A slightly uncomfortable look crossed his face then. That told me everything in a second; he didn't want to actually answer. So…

"He told me once that mercenaries have to listen to gossip to survive," I answered for him, passing Sigurd back his tea. Sigurd raised a brow, a silent question in his eyes, but when I shook my head, he nodded. I was answering because Chulainn didn't want to, and so he would not press further. "From my understanding, he was very skilled."

"Indeed, I'm quite lucky he chose to compete that day," Sigurd replied, sipping his tea once more. Chulainn frowned at both of us, and tilted his head in clear confusion. "What? I think it was quite lucky indeed. I may not have been able to employ you otherwise. I have very little experience with mercenaries, truthfully."

"I figured that when no one suggested hiring mercenaries to fill in the gaps in your forces before coming out here," Chulainn retorted, still looking confused. But when I smiled, he relaxed. Ah, he was wondering why Sigurd dropped it so quickly. "Also, someone is heading this way outside. Thought they might be passing, but their steps are slowing."

"Oh?" Sigurd leaned back in his chair. "Well, go ahead and let them in."

"All right." Chulainn waited for a second, in case he was wrong and the potential visitor did not stop, and then opened the door slightly to see who it was. Once he confirmed their identity, he opened it fully, revealing a very startled King Jamke.

"How in the hells do you do that?" he demanded, even as he stepped inside. Sigurd barely bit back a laugh, and only really managed it by drinking his tea. "I just got here!"

"Practice," Chulainn answered with a shrug, bluntly honest as always. He studied him for a moment and then turned his attention to me. "I'll be outside, Alicia." And he closed the door behind him, leaving a very befuddled King Jamke, a worried Sigurd, and an amused me to stare at the door.

"He figures that if you are here, King Jamke, it must be to discuss something private," I explained, muffling a laugh. I had to admit; it was hilarious seeing that look on his face. "Should I leave as well?"

"Ah, no, it's… I actually wanted to hear your views on this as well," King Jamke refused, still staring at the door. Then he shook his head and joined us by the table. "I don't suppose there's been any more rumors about the current situation in Agustria and how it compares to Verdane's?"

"Nothing yet, which could be a good or bad thing," Sigurd replied, setting his cup down once more. He glanced at the door worriedly before shrugging. "Either there's no one, or they are more subtle than Sandima."

"Honestly, I think an explosion would've been more subtle." Then what did that say about his father? "I suppose the siege would've reduced information flow as well."

"Yes, we were actually just discussing that." Sigurd stood and stretched before leaning against the table. "I asked Alec to focus on rumors of anyone new joining the court, but unfortunately, it seems like Chagall threw out almost all of his father's advisors, so most are new."

"Is he an idiot?" King Jamke pinched the bridge of his nose like he was warding a headache. "That's so many people with valuable experience. Who does that?"

"Arvis did, but I think even you have heard of Victor of Velthomer, King Jamke," I answered without thinking. His slight wince told me he very much had. "But from what I understand, King Imuka was nothing like my father. Unless there was underlying corruption, then you're right. There is no reason for it. None of Chagall's actions make sense with the information we have." This reminded me of my worries on the road, and right now… this was actually a good opportunity to bring it up. "Prince Kurth is also concerned with the current situation because of the lack of information." I wish I had my letter as proof. Sigurd wouldn't need it, but King Jamke might. "This is the third country which has 'suddenly' turned against Grannvale, after all."

"That is true," Sigurd slowly agreed, frowning. "Isaach, Verdane, and now Agustria… did Grannvale provoke or did someone else? We already know Sandima took advantage of the fraying relations."

"Indeed, and I think we can all agree there is something more to the conflict with Isaach." I had to speak carefully; Ayra had never told me any of this, after all. But the dark looks on both Sigurd and King Jamke's faces told me they had their own suspicions. "Prince Kurth wondered if there was something hiding in the shadows, even as he acknowledged it could have simply been Grannvale being… well, Grannvale."

"And then there is what my father said at the end," King Jamke whispered, closing his eyes. The action did nothing to hide the pain hiding in his voice. "According to him, Sandima plotted to rebuild the Loptyrian Empire of old. Though, how the hell would they? Surely no one is dumb enough to try being an emperor barely a century since the last one died, alongside his very hated empire."

"It's hard to say," I replied, though I glanced at Sigurd. Sigurd's own expression was grim, thinking of what Deirdre had warned. The cult wanted to use her to somehow bring back their god. Would it be some sort of sacrifice? How would a god interact with the world anyway? I didn't know and, at the moment, I didn't care. I wanted this conversation away from these waters. "And since it is hard to say, it's better to worry about our current problems than their vague mentions of rebuilding their empire."

"Such as the sudden assaults."

"Yes, but I also can't help but worry about how these events are perceived."

"Hmm?"

"Chulainn keeps telling me how dangerous gossip is, and I… well, I experienced that first hand in the battle." I hated that epithet. I truly, truly hated that epithet. I hated my ignorance more. "I will be the first to admit I don't pay attention, so correct me if I'm wrong, but based on what bits I've heard anyway, Isaach's reputation is in tatters and Verdane's is worn thin. I do not know if Agustria's overall will implode, but Chagall's certainly will."

"Meanwhile, Grannvale keeps being the innocent victim and glorious victor." King Jamke's expression darkened further, now with quiet anger and frustration. "Is that a coincidence? It's probably not difficult to turn the people of other countries against Grannvale, but three times in so short a time? Why would they even want to?"

"We're still in the realm of pure speculation, but perhaps they simply hate Grannvale more? The Empire may have encompassed all of Jugdral, but Grannvale was the center, their home and heart, and was named in honor of Grann, which the first Emperor Gair tried to erase." I shrugged. "It's not like Grannvale is unscathed from the wars. Wars are expensive, no?"

"Yes, they are very expensive and they devour supplies and people. Reparations can help, but it can't repair and replenish everything. And that's assuming the aggressor country even has enough left in their treasuries to afford full reparations. Verdane is going to be paying Grannvale for at least a decade." King Jamke rested his fist against his chin and nodded a few times to himself. "Yes, I can see that. If we assume a 'revenge' angle, then the wars make perfect sense. Grannvale is too strong to attack directly, thanks to all of your Crusader descendents, so they rely on the other countries to bleed it out and, as a bonus, those countries are destroyed and destabilized in the aftermath."

"...If all of this even has a chance of being true, it might be good to warn Prince Kurth," Sigurd murmured then, grimacing. I feared I agreed. While we had already quietly warned Arvis, it might be better to err on the side of paranoia and strengthen our protections. I dared not think of the havoc they could inflict if they targeted King Azmur directly. "What do you think, King Jamke? I can assure you Prince Kurth will not pursue any of Loptuous's cult."

"Mmm… no, I know you're right," King Jamke replied reluctantly. I had a feeling his logic and fear warred with his sense and belief. "His views on the Hunts are well known. He and Father actually had an argument about it, once. Father said it was not good to be so soft on enemies; Prince Kurth gently countered that perhaps they would not be enemies if someone bothered to hold out their hand first." He was silent, crossing his arms to think. "Is there a way we can inform him subtly?"

"Well…" Sigurd glanced at me, an apologetic smile on his face. I shrugged, already anticipating the request. "Alicia writes him regularly. We could sneak a coded message in one of the letters."

"It'll need to be one not easily cracked."

"Right, right…" Sigurd rapped his knuckles on the table as he thought. "There is a code I know well, and in fact learned from Prince Kurth. It's dubbed the 'Rose Code'." There was a code called the what? "It was used during the time of the Crusaders, so not many know it now. Truthfully, Prince Kurth is one of the few who does, and that's because he studies history in his free time. The only question would be how to give him a hint without giving the whole thing away."

"I can simply tell him it's 'what I hate being called'," I sighed, not quite believing there was actually a code like that. But, then again, weirder things happened. "He already knows how little I like the epithet. I imagine you were thinking something similar when you proposed the code to start with." Sigurd became sheepish. I could only sigh again. "I may make my feelings known here, but I doubt any around him will know."

"Not unless they read his letters and, even then, they'd have to be aware of the code," King Jamke murmured, frowning in thought. After a moment, he shrugged. "Well, it's the best plan we'll have short of talking to him directly. How much should we tell, though? We need to keep to our original story as much as possible, lest we jeopardize Verdane's fragile standing."

"I think Sandima can be inserted neatly. We already know dark magic can poison, and many confuse poisons with illness." I gave him a knowing look and he winced, but nodded. The 'plague' in Evans would haunt him for a long time. "As for the rest, you two can discuss yourself. I think if I linger any longer, it will look suspicious."

"Right, since this is supposed to be our usual 'morning meeting'," Sigurd agreed, already heading over to the desk for paper. They'd no doubt go through several versions of the message. "With that said, Alicia, let me teach you the code later. It will be useful if he needs to tell you something confidential." I thought he was severely overestimating just what Prince Kurth would share with me, but I nodded anyway. "Also, can I have more tea?"

The simple request, spoken with the same seriousness as the rest of the conversation, lightened the air immensely, with King Jamke laughing outright and I ducking my head to hide a smile. It didn't take me long to make him a new pot, and when I left, the two were already discussing what to tell and what to omit, with Sigurd making notes. When I shut the door behind me, Chulainn was waiting across the hall, his attention on the corridors until the door clicked shut.

"Is all well?" he asked quietly, staring through me like usual. I debated how to reply before nodding. For now, everything was fine. We just wanted to be more prepared and hope it was enough. "Then where to? You're forbidden from the infirmaries today, right?"

"I am… oh, no, Ethlyn and Edain did say something about that yesterday, didn't they?" I murmured, trying to remember the conversation. I'd been writing the casualty list and hadn't paid them much attention. "Why were they upset again?"

"You pulled a double-all-nighter. Again."

"I was perfectly fine, though, and it had been needed. We had been dangerously low on many key medicines."

"Medicines that they could also make."

"They had other duties." It seemed a little much to forbid me from the infirmary, but perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. After the conversation, I really wanted to see Deirdre. I wanted to reassure myself she was safe, even if I knew logically she was. "But since things have calmed, I can afford to play along. Let's see if we can find Deirdre."

It honestly didn't take long to find Deirdre, certainly not as long as I expected. The first maid we passed knew exactly where she was: Azelle's room. It turned out the reason why she'd been so excited this morning was because she and Azelle had agreed to meet to discuss and debate his personal research, and they were still at it when Chulainn and I made it to his room. In fact, they were so engrossed with their talk that neither noticed my knock on the door or Chulainn opening it.

"This really is fascinating," Deirdre was murmuring, her eyes shining as she poured over some of Azelle's notes. The two were seated at a table by the window, and Azelle was rapidly scribbling down something. Deirdre must've made an interesting connection he wanted to look into later. "So, those with Holy Blood heal faster than those without. But what's this about Bragi?"

"They heal fast even in comparison with others of Holy Blood," Azelle explained, finished with his scribbling. He then hunted for a paper in the pile and pulled it out for her. "Father Claud, the current Bragi Major, has the ability, and some theorize it's related to their instinctual knowledge of healing and staves. Specifically, they pull in ambient magic and passively convert it to healing."

"Something like that would generate heat, wouldn't it? Even healing staves warm when being used."

"The theory also proposes they do not notice any excess energy since a resistance to magic is part of the blessing, alongside a minor boost to magic and luck." Azelle's eyes were sparkling. Though it was rude to continue lingering in the doorway as we were, I didn't want to interrupt. I enjoyed watching them have fun, and I actually caught Chulainn's hand to keep him from knocking and disturbing them. "However, after reading some historical texts, I don't think the ability is tied to the original blessing, but is instead something which augmented it later."

"Like Ayra's Astra?"

"Yes, exactly!" He hunted through his notes and produced a different paper. I was reminded of how Arvis also had his papers everywhere, but he still found things. The two were far too similar, but it was cute, so I wouldn't point it out. "So, Bragi was married twice, first to Laverna and then to Ceres. He had one child with each of them, and only his elder son, the Major whose mother was Laverna, showed the ability. His younger son, mothered by Ceres, did not. Unfortunately, though, he himself only had one child, a daughter who ran away from the nobility and, frankly, disappeared from history. If anyone knows where she went, they did not write it down."

"I see. No wonder you were so curious about Ayra's Astra. I wonder if there's other incidents like this." She hummed a little in thought, looking over the diagram. "Azelle, may I ask how you even thought about this?"

"Hmm? Oh, it started when I heard someone comment on how powerful Arvis was, even in comparison to other Fjalar Majors. We already know children inherit traits and features from their parents, so it's really just an extrapolation from there. Of course, this required me learning a lot about the different blessings and, really, some of these things are just fascinating."

"I'll say. I'm still curious about why Fjalar's blood can be used as a catalyst, but no other magic-based Holy Blood can. Is it due to the strength of the blessing? Salamander of Flames blessed the line with only magic, unlike the other bloods which grant greater magic, yes?"

"That's right. Naga and Bragi both boost magic, but it's weaker compared to Fjalar's specialization. So, that's actually my current theory, but gathering evidence is hard." He sighed gustily, and Deirdre made a sympathetic noise. "So-"

Chulainn, darn him, knocked on the doorway with his free hand then, quietly announcing our presence. Both of them jumped at the sound, and I almost turned to frown at him. But…

"Oh, sister!" Azelle greeted me with such cheer that I couldn't even pretend to be annoyed. "Sorry, I didn't see you," he continued, rushing over to drag me inside. Chulainn lingered by the door, far too smug as he shut the door behind us. "Is everything well?"

"Everything is fine," I reassured, relaxing finally. Deirdre was here, safe and sound, and her eyes glittered with unbridled glee. "I see Deirdre has finally taken my suggestion to talk about magical theory with you. Are you enjoying yourselves?"

"Greatly! Or, well..." He blushed, smile turning shy. "I am?"

"I am too!" Deirdre reassured quickly, laughing with delight. "I rarely got to chat with anyone about magical theory before!"

"Goodness, with a smile that wide, Sigurd might be jealous," I teased, already moving to where Azelle kept his tea making supplies. Ah, this was exactly what I needed. "Should I warn him?"

"What? No. Nothing could ever take away my love and admiration for him. But magic is fun." Her expression lit up. "Oh, oh! Azelle, we had that question about healing magic earlier! I bet Alicia knows!"

"I specialize more in medicines than healing magic. The magic I inherited from being a Fjalar Minor simply gives me an advantage."

"You still have the skill to use staves. You shouldn't talk yourself down so much." She sulked at me, and I shook my head and started making them some tea. "But anyway, I still think you'll know the answer."

"Well, what was it? Perhaps I will prove you right."

To my surprise, I did actually know the answer to their question, since it was about how staves converted magic to fulfill their purpose. This led them into an excited frenzy of notes and debate, and when I handed them their tea, they both insisted I sit down and listen in, even though they had to know I couldn't contribute. Still, I indulged them, because how could I not, and that is how we spent our morning. By late afternoon, Sigurd and King Jamke had their message coded, and I folded it into my letter to send to Prince Kurth the next day.

Hopefully, we were all being paranoid. But it was better we try to be prepared, just in case.

---

I think it said something to the resilience of people that the markets and town squares returned to their normals so soon after battle. It probably also said something to greed or the desire to drown one's sorrows with materialistic items. It depended on just how cynical one wanted to be. Whatever the reason, Nordion's markets were full of cheer as we all wandered this way and that through the various stalls. We attracted many stares, and I was certain it was because of how large of a group we were. After all, it was Deirdre, Lady Lachesis, Ayra, Ethlyn, Lady Edain, and me. Why all of us? I didn't remember the official reason, but the entire thing was a ploy to get Lady Lachesis out of the castle and relax, for once. Truthfully, that's why Deirdre asked me to tag along. 'Even Alicia is coming' was, apparently, a very good way to get anyone to go along with breaks.

Lady Grahnye wasn't with us, though. Deirdre had invited her, of course, but Lady Grahnye refused. She felt she would need to keep up appearances even when out and about to 'have fun', and she needed her rest. So, instead, she was taking a full day off, as I had been recommending since the siege ended. We promised to bring her back gifts.

Chulainn also wasn't with us. He was given (forced to take) the day off. Why? Well, Deirdre had to trick Ayra into coming along somehow, and being here as my 'guard' was enough to make her overcome her usual distaste for shopping. He'd looked so nonplussed when Deirdre gleefully informed him, and I wondered what he was doing today. Maybe he was finally having a drink with the knights; I knew their requests had not abated even after we moved to Nordion.

"Alicia, Alicia!" But that didn't matter for the moment, not with Ethlyn cheerily calling my name loud enough to be heard across the workshop. "Over here! I want to see how this looks on you!" she insisted, holding up a dress of various pale blues and whites. Next to her, Lady Lachesis stared almost moodily at the floor. "You and Lachesis can match!"

"Ethlyn, you shouldn't force things on her," I chided, even as I came over. We were at the workshop of Nordion's most popular tailor, as Ethlyn insisted everyone should get new clothes better suited to Agustria's weather, and were looking at various designs she had already made to get better ideas on what to commission. "She might not want to match with me of all people."

"Well, if she doesn't, I will. I'd love to wear things as elegant as you!" She giggled, delighted, and Lady Lachesis looked up with a little frown. "Finally paying attention? I was about to force you into something green."

"I hate wearing green," Lady Lachesis retorted, sulking. Ethlyn only grinned, full of impish mischief. "It makes me look wilted. You know this."

"If you don't pay attention, you're going to get pranked~" Ethlyn half-sang, not the least bit contrite. She held up the dress to me, softening. "Oh, this would be so pretty on you, Alicia."

"It... would, but wouldn't it be better with a sash?" Lady Lachesis leaned forward a little, frowning. I resigned myself to being a doll for the next few minutes. "And maybe a little darker? She looks ethereal in lighter colors, which isn't bad, but I'm not sure it's a look she'd prefer on a daily basis."

"Fair, fair. That's better saved for big events and balls." Ethlyn sighed gustily. "Oh, it would be so much fun to have everyone for the Midsummer Ball, won't it? We missed this year's because it was too close to the wedding, but let's plan to all attend next year's! It'll be fun!"

"I..."

"It'll be fine, Lachesis!" Ethlyn beamed and, slowly, Lady Lachesis smiled back. "We'll fix this mess Chagall made, and next summer, we'll have so much fun at the ball we'll forget all about this."

"I... yes, all right." Lady Lachesis turned to me, a slight grin on her face now. "And I'm claiming a dance with you, Alicia! I missed my chance at the wedding, so this time for sure!"

"Oh, me too, me too!"

"You two should not be in such a hurry to have your feet mangled," I sighed, shaking my head. Yet with both of them smiling so brightly, I only had one answer. "But very well. I shall save you both a dance."

They both squealed loud enough to hurt my ears, and then both dove back into designs, the two of them chattering happily about the length of sleeves and how full or slim a skirt should be. Shaking my head, I looked around to see Lady Edain had coordinated with the tailor to corner Ayra into getting measurements at last, and Deirdre giggled as she watched. When she caught my eye, however, she immediately darted for my side, and I took her hand before exiting and heading next door. After all, the most prolific cloth merchant in Nordion wisely set up shop next to the tailor, and I needed to find cloth for a project Lady Grahnye requested.

"You're getting materials to make Ares a blanket, yes?" Deirdre asked once we'd made it through polite greetings and we were left to shop in peace. She leaned on my back so she could peer over my shoulder while I mentally debated between a few different types of cloth. They were all known for their light weight and ability to retain warmth, so it was a matter of texture and color. I wanted it to be soft; Ares deserved gentle things. "Have you decided on a design?"

"According to Lady Grahnye, he remains as obsessed with roses as ever, so I'll embroider some for him," I answered, still debating. I couldn't decide if it should be a red blanket or simply have red roses. "It feels weird, given what people call me, but Lady Grahnye thought it delightful when I said it." Truthfully, I'd meant for it to be a joke, but she'd been so enamored with the idea that I decided to go with it.

"He just has an eye for good things and good people." She giggled and wrapped her arms around me for a hug. "You know; I like that shade of red. It's not as 'stab your eyes' as the other."

"Yes, it is a good shade for a blanket." I set the other bolts down and held it up to scrutinize. "The fabric isn't as soft as I'd like, however, so let's ask the owner if there's something softer that dyes similarly."

"Yes, that sounds good."

It didn't take long to catch the owner's attention; I had a feeling he had been keeping an eye on us in order to gauge whether we would need assistance. A short conversation later, I was able to find the exact sort of cloth I wanted in the shade Deirdre liked, and I bought more than enough to make a blanket, just in case I made a mistake. After arranging for the items to be delivered to the castle, the two of us headed outside to rejoin the others. Unfortunately, we learned from the tailor they'd since left, so we meandered through the market trying to find them. It soon became clear they'd broken into their own little groups; Lady Lachesis and Ayra were by the blacksmith, but Ethlyn and Lady Edain were not in sight.

"You should get a dagger," Ayra was saying, pointing to some shiny looking daggers displayed in the window. I guessed they were there to entice customers? "They're easy to hide, and used for both healing and killing people." Did she have to say it like that? It was true, yes, but... "You can rely on your bare hands, sure, but it's annoying digging blood and matter out from under your nails."

"It is, but how would you know?" Lady Lachesis asked, startled. Meanwhile, Deirdre and I glanced at each other in confusion. "I thought it would take forever to get Ellidiot's skull fragments out." Oh, this was a delightful conversation.

"I have nails." She held up her hand for emphasis. "And I've scratched the hell of out people before when I was ambushed without a proper weapon. It's not my fault assassins thought a little princess couldn't gouge their eyes out." She shrugged, unbothered. "But it was such a pain cleaning up. I keep a dagger on hand for that reason, so I can teach you a few tricks."

"Hmm... that does sound tempting." She tapped her cheek. "Let me think about it a little more. It'll be useful, but most of my personal funds have gone towards rebuilding the town." She paused and suddenly sighed gustily. "Wait a second! This isn't why I suggested coming here. I heard your sword broke during the siege, and Eldie likes this blacksmith. He came here for his personal blades before inheriting Mystletainn."

Deirdre tugged my sleeve then, and the two of us nodded and walked past them, not wanting to disturb their conversation. I thought about heading to the apothecary to pick up supplies while we were out, but Deirdre suddenly gasped and pointed at what had to be the best thing I could ever find in a market: books. There was an entire store devoted solely to books. We immediately headed inside, and split up based our own interests. I didn't actually look for medicinal books; I had Thanasis's notes to read through still. However, I did find a book on the history of medicine in Agustria, and I actually found a book on magical theory for Azelle. This sparked the idea of snagging some books for others, and so I hunted around for anything that caught my eye. For Lex, I grabbed a story about a sword sealed in a stone, and picked up a few children's books for Dew and Shannan. I also snagged a book for Arvis, a book detailing various laws and policies in Agustria. Truly, the sheer variety was amazing; did someone decide to sell their personal library?

"Alicia, Alicia!" Deirdre's excited voice caught my ear, and I turned to see her holding two copies of the same book. "Let's read this together!" she blurted, pushing one into my hands. I blinked a few times in confusion and studied the cover. It appeared to be a romance novel, and, thus, not the sort of thing I would usually read. "It'll be fun!" Yet when she looked so excited at the thought, I could only sigh, smile, and nod in agreement. "Yay! I'll go buy them now!" She took the book back, made it two steps, and then turned back. "Give me your books too."

"Deirdre, I can pay for these myself!" I immediately protested. She sulked, but I shook my head. "No, no, some of these are gifts!"

"Then let me buy at least the ones you got for yourself!"

"And how many are you already buying? Surely, that story wasn't the only one which caught your eye."

"Er…" She blushed. "We may need to stop by a carpenter and commission a shelf, actually."

"If you're buying that many, you are definitely not buying mine."

The two of us debated for a little while, but she did eventually concede since she was already buying me a gift. The owner, a kindly old woman who unfortunately never gave us her name, laughed brightly at all our purchases and provided us baskets to carry them all. So, with baskets in hand, we left to rejoin the others. Of course, by this point, the market was very busy, so it was a task easier said than done. In fact, it was easier to stay in one place and let someone else find us since both Deirdre and I had distinctive hair colors in the crowd.

"Oh, there you two are." Not seconds after Deirdre and I agreed the best solution would be to wait, Ayra pushed through the crowd and proved us right. "Was wondering where you two disappeared to," she noted, waving us over to a slightly clearer area near a fountain. Lady Lachesis, Ethlyn, and Lady Edain were chatting happily nearby, laughing over something Ethlyn had purchased. From what little I could see, I thought it was ribbons for Altena. "Hey, Alicia, while we're out, you should figure out what you'll give Prince Kurth in return for the daggers."...She was right, but my good cheer faltered at the reminder. "Any ideas?"

"...None," I mumbled, reluctant to admit it. But it was the only answer I had. "I don't even know where to begin thinking. I know nothing of his likes or dislikes."

"I think you know more than you believe." Did I? I couldn't think of a single thing. "But I understand. It can be nerve wracking coming up with a gift." Yet I was able to pick out the books just fine!

"What's this about a gift?" Deirdre asked, voice gentle and curious. She moved her basket to her other hand so she could more easily wrap her arm around mine, an anchor while my thoughts whirled. "And it's for Prince Kurth?"

"He gave me some daggers, and Ayra told me of a belief in Isaach about how it's bad luck, so you should give something in return," I explained, feeling a little silly. It wasn't even something I believed; I just… we should avoid any chance of bad luck, yes? "Then it becomes transactional."

"Oh, there's a similar belief in Verdane." This somehow made me feel both better and sillier. "I think you're overthinking it, Alicia. He'll adore anything you give him." Her smile was sweet, but I was unconvinced. "But you are the practical sort, so lean into that. What sort of things would he need?"

"That is a good question." What sort of things would he need? I doubted he needed medicines with all the healers they had, and even if he did, I'd make them for him easily, not simply as a 'repayment'. There were teas, but I was still waiting for Duke Ring to reply. I imagine he'd have an endless need for pens, but that felt a little too impersonal. I didn't even consider anything that would help with battle; he'd know what he'd need better than I ever could. "I could make him something?" But what would I sew? It wasn't like I had his measurements for a shirt or cape.

"Make him a blanket," Ayra suggested, smiling faintly. It was hard to say if she was bitter or amused, but her smile was soft, at least. "Most people underestimate how cold the desert and Isaach get. You're already making one for little Ares, so..." This was true, and it was the sort of thing I'd prefer giving. Part of me worried, though, since… "Should we head back to the cloth store?"

"Surely he has blankets for the cold by now," I mumbled, still feeling awkward. I couldn't even explain why I felt so worried and awkward. I just… did. "Wouldn't it be redundant?"

"He may have blankets, but he doesn't have a blanket made by you. There's a difference." Was there? "A handmade gift, given with sincerity, is all the warmer for it." This sounded like nonsense, but I couldn't refute it. It occurred to me then I had as little experience giving gifts as I did receiving them. "So, to the cloth store?"

"Yes, let's go!" Deirdre encouraged, tugging on my arm. Her smile was warm and sweet. I fear my answering one was more wan. "We should…"

Something caught my eye then, a whisper in the corner. I could not tell you what or how, only that it did. For all I knew, it was a burning in my blood which made me turn. As I did, the colors and faces of the crowd faded to pale, sickly gray, except for one. A heavily cloaked man hiding a short distance away, the shadows masking most of his appearance. But I could see his eyes, the malice barely restrained within, and I did not like the gleams in them as he stared right at us. The gleam when his eyes flicked over Ayra implied 'nuisance'. The gleam when his eyes scrutinized me was the same as someone inspecting a tool to be used.

The gleam when he focused on Deirdre was that of a treasure to be claimed. And it made me so uneasy that I pulled Deirdre behind me without thinking, blocking her from his sight. His eyes narrowed in annoyed arrogance, and I thought he actually tried to make his way towards us. But then Ayra stepped between, reaching for the dagger on my belt just in case, and the man stopped. He stopped, scoffed, and turned away, vanishing into the crowd which somehow surged back to life.

"Alicia? Ayra?" Deirdre's voice called me back to the present, but I did not answer right away. I couldn't. It had barely been seconds, yet my pulse was thundering in my ears. If Ayra wasn't also tense, I would've assumed I'd imagined it all. "What is it?" she asked softly, stepping closer. She looked around worriedly, but Ayra stayed firmly between us and where the man had been. "What's wrong?"

"There was a suspicious person, who reminded me of a slaver I caught a few years ago," Ayra finally whispered. She placed her hands on our backs and nudged us down the path, but not towards the cloth store. She, instead, pushed us to where Ethlyn, Lady Edain, and Lady Lachesis were still chatting. "Let's regroup with the others before heading to the store. Safety in numbers."

"Very well." Deirdre frowned, but chose against asking further. I, meanwhile, focused all my efforts on regaining my usual calm. It was just a random encounter with a random stranger. I doubted I would ever see him again, especially since I so rarely left the castle. "Report it when we return. Slavers are the last thing Nordion needs right now. I'd rather we were being paranoid than complacent."

"Of course."

We rejoined the others then, pretending nothing had happened. I think Lady Edain noticed something was wrong anyway, since she kept a worried eye on us three, but she didn't ask. Instead, she made sure our conversation remained on light topics, and when Deirdre cheerfully revealed the reason why we were heading back to the cloth store, Ethlyn and Lady Lachesis actually squealed in delight and insisted on helping me. So, the rest of the trip was spent picking materials for Prince Kurth's blanket, with everyone helping me with materials and colors. I could… I could only hope he liked it half as much as everyone claimed.

---

"Careful, the path is rough here," Sigurd called back, moving some branches aside. I was still trying to figure out how I ended up in this situation. "My, this brings back memories."

"Sigurd, if we become lost in the woods again, I fear Quan just might hurt us," I sighed, dutifully following. Deirdre, meanwhile, was so happy about this that she had taken to randomly giggling, and Chulainn decided we hiked too slowly and was actually walking the branches above our heads. How were they even strong enough to bear his weight? "Chulainn, if you fall, I will be mad."

"This reminds me; Grahnye still wants to know how you managed to scale the wall so easily, Chulainn." Sigurd looked up at the branches with a grin. "And I want to learn how you got up into the branches so quickly."

"Chulainn, please don't teach him."

"Aw, come on!"

"Honestly, you're as bad as Arvis sometimes, Sigurd."

This sort of back and forth had been going on for the past few hours. Why? Well, Sigurd decided that with everything calming and settling into an uneasy watch, he should fulfill the promise of taking Deirdre, Chulainn, and me for a walk. I agreed without thinking, expecting this to be a simple walk through the gardens or somewhere near town. It was neither of these things. Instead, it was a very, very long hike. At least Deirdre was chipper; she'd even packed a picnic basket for us.

"You seemed happy by the letter you received this morning." As if she knew my thoughts had turned to her, Deirdre came level with me, holding the picnic basket with both hands behind her back for a moment. She quickly swung it to her right hand, so it would not be between us. "Was it from those children you helped?" she asked, smiling warmly. "What were their names? Gabriel and Elly?"

"Her name is 'Ellen', and no, the two have not written me personally yet," I replied, smiling softly at the thought of them. I did receive a letter from Aida recently, reassuring me that she was keeping an eye on both and ensuring they were taking adequate time to rest and play in between their studies. She hinted I may be getting a letter from them soon, and I hoped she was right. I wanted to praise them as soon as possible. "No, I actually received my reply from Lord Ring at last." He apologized for the delay in the letter, wishing to confirm what sort of teas Prince Kurth liked before responding.

"Oh, that's where you asked about things to make a tea mix for Prince Kurth, isn't it?" She outright beamed. "Good, good! I know you've been wanting to make it for a while now."

"Yes, so I can get started when we return." At this rate, I could send it with the blanket, and I think I would send him a tin of my energy-boost tea. Maybe it would be helpful. "I had hoped to start today, but your husband seems to have other plans."

"I wonder where we're heading. Sigurd wouldn't tell me." She pouted a little and turned her attention ahead. "Sigurd? Where are we-?"

"Chulainn, I heard from Naoise you finally went out drinking with them!" Sigurd laughed then, looking up and up at Chulainn in the branches. The timing was certainly not coincidental; he was refusing to say anything and turning the conversation away because he was a poor liar. Deirdre and I exchanged an exasperated look. I should've interrogated him before we left. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"They immediately turned it into a drinking contest with the entire tavern," Chulainn deadpanned, tone giving the answer. No, he very much did not enjoy himself. "Don't know why. Naoise is a lightweight, Alec has less of a tolerance than you'd expect for his job, and Arden spouts nonsense when drunk."

"Oh, gods, what did he go rambling about this time?"

"The Power of Pursuit." What in the world was that? "I think. It was in the middle of rambling about how unfair it was that Alec and Naoise teased him for being slow, and how if he were faster, he'd be unstoppable and all the ladies would love him. Then he shouted something about the 'Power of Pursuit', and promptly fell face first into a table and passed out. Midir and I had to recruit help to carry him back to the castle. We handled Naoise and Alec well enough."

"So, you outdrank everyone but Midir. Not a surprise." Sigurd chuckled, shaking his head. I, meanwhile, could only sigh, remembering just how many hangover remedies had been used the next morning. How did I keep underestimating how many of those I needed? It had been most of my stock! "I'm not sure Midir can get drunk. I've seen him drink an entire tavern out of its wares, and be stone cold sober." Now why would he do that? Had it been a dare or not realizing how much he was drinking? "Did he or you win the drinking contest?"

"Both, by mutual agreement." He hopped to a slightly lower branch so he could see us better. This meant I saw the slight, boyish smile he gave me. "I'm not risking a healer's lecture for drinking too much, and Midir was even more reluctant than me. To say nothing of our coin."

"It's tradition in Agustria for the losers to pay for the victors' drinks!"

"Unless it's also tradition for healers to not lecture the victors, I stand by our decision." Chulainn shook his head. "Though, Midir did pay for mine as an apology for not warning me in advance of the potential chaos. He wanted a calm drinking companion for once."

"So, if he invited you, you might go out again."

"Perhaps." It was all he said, but Sigurd looked delighted by the admission. "The rest of that day off, I showed Shannan some of the animals."

"I heard about that!" Deirdre gasped, giggling at the memory. Shannan had been so excited to tell her all about it when we returned; I remember getting hung up on 'why did Chulainn let you play with wild animals?'. Could he not have at least kept to more domesticated animals? There were plenty of cats and dogs around. "Ah, but this reminds me. I've checked the training yards a few times, but never seem to catch your lessons, Chulainn. Do you not teach them in the mornings?"

"I have not taught them since we left Evans," Chulainn explained, glancing to the side. Had something caught his eye? "Alicia refused to let me while I was injured."

"Ah, so that's what happened." Deirdre nodded a few times. "That makes sense. So, the boys have only had Alicia's lessons since we've arrived?"

"Actually, no."

"Hmm?"

"Oifey, Dew, and Shannan wanted to wait until Finn could stay awake for more than a couple of hours, so they don't get too ahead of him," I explained, muffling a laugh. I still thought it was terribly sweet. "As such, the only lessons I've been giving lately are for Lachesis. She wants to 'catch up', and learn more about staves. I think Dew has been teaching her some tricks, though, in their spare time."

"That would explain why I've seen them in the training yards together," Sigurd noted, pushing some branches out of the way for us again. There were many which hung low here. "Anyway, Chulainn, is something wrong up there? I noticed you react."

"I wouldn't say 'wrong'," Chulainn answered, turning more fully to whatever he saw. By my eyes, it was nothing but shadows and leaves. "But I thought I saw the ocean through the leaves."

"Aw, you've ruined the surprise!" Sigurd laughed, though, and both Deirdre and I stared. "Yes, we're heading to the beach. Nordion is up on some cliffs, but there's an easy path down once we're through the woods."

"Oh, so it's like Isaach," I murmured without thinking. Both Deirdre and Sigurd made a confused noise. "Ayra told me about it. Isaach has very steep cliffs along its coastlines. Only in Ganeishire, to the north, can one walk down to the water."

"Is that so?" Sigurd asked, curious now. After a moment, he grinned. "I'd love to see it myself."

"Well, I've already promised Ayra I'd visit her when she returns." I shrugged. "Why don't you come along?"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Why would I?"

"Oh, we'll all go together then!" Deirdre declared, giggling at the thought. "That will be so much fun! Though, I suppose it'll be a while before we can, huh?"

"Sadly, yes, but it will be a thing to look forward to," Sigurd said with an easy smile. I had to admit; even I was warming to the idea. "You have to make these sorts of plans for the future when you know trials still lie ahead. They make it easier to hold onto your hope."

"And if you know there's a reward, then you're willing to work that much harder. I know the trick; I used it for my lessons all the time." She smiled sadly, before turning her attention up. "All right, I've had enough worrying over whether or not you'll fall and break something, Chulainn. Get down here and walk with us. And don't go claiming you're fine. You fought while you were run through, so I'm not trusting that phrase from you ever again."

Chulainn sighed in quiet annoyance, but did climb down if only to keep her from yelling. He fell in step with me, helping me over some branches while Deirdre skipped ahead to try and wrangle more information about our destination from Sigurd. He was remarkably tightlipped, changing the subject whenever she broached the topic. It was actually fascinating to watch the battle of wills, and I wondered when and how Deirdre would prevail since Sigurd could rarely refuse her anything. Alas, it was not meant to be. The nearby bushes suddenly rustled, and all of us tensed, wary of the noise. After a moment, two foxes, of all things, crept out from the foliage, their ears twitching at every tiny sound. Now, if we were a group of sane people, we would back away slowly and leave the two alone. However, since we were not and we had a Chulainn… well…

"Huh, don't usually see foxes at this hour," he murmured, kneeling next to them to scratch them behind the ears. As per usual with wild animals, they immediately warmed to him, yipping and nosing him curiously. "Did we wake you, sweet ones?"

"Are their tails wagging?" Deirdre asked softly, slowly creeping closer. Chulainn waved her forward and she crouched nearby, watching them with sparkling eyes. "I thought only dogs wagged their tails!"

"Quite a few different animals will wag their tails when excited. You can come a little closer, but be careful. They're still a little sleepy."

"So cute~!"

That was how Chulainn and Deirdre ended up petting wild foxes in the middle of the woods. For most, it would be an incomprehensible sight, but sadly, I'd become very used to it thanks to Chulainn. Instead, I kept a safe distance, as I usually did, and Sigurd waited with me, showing some modicum of sanity. As we watched the two, I sighed in exasperation, but Sigurd smiled indulgently at them, unable to dislike anything that made his wife smile. At least, that was what I thought.

"So, this is what you meant by 'playing with the animals'," he murmured, revealing his focus was actually on Chulainn, not Deirdre. I made a noise in confusion. "You told me about it, when I was trying to ask Chulainn about what he liked." Ah, yes, I did vaguely remember this. "I've been worried, you know. He's skilled in battle, dutiful to a fault, but it's like he doesn't know how to act outside of a job. Yet right now…" Right now, Chulainn had a slight smile on his face, clearly enjoying himself as he chatted with Deirdre about the foxes. "Well, I'm glad he knows how to relax somewhat. I hope he'll become more comfortable with us, in time."

"I think he's already very comfortable," I reassured him, smiling softly. I was still exasperated by them, but when I looked at it as Sigurd did, I couldn't help but be happy too. "Speaking from experience, it can be strange, realizing you have a place, a home, when you never had one before. But it's just a matter of settling in and becoming used to a new 'normal'."

"Until then, I'll do what I can to support him." He became thoughtful suddenly. "I should make sure he knows he's home here. I'd rather not make the same mistake I did with you." I opened my mouth to tell him he didn't make a mistake, but he shook his head. "It was a mistake, one I did not realize even after learning how much you hid. How much grief did you endure, thinking you would be left behind?"

"I was expecting it, so it wasn't…" I trailed off, seeing the look on his face. No words would convince him otherwise. Even if it was something I expected, he still considered it a mistake to let me think it. "You remain as ridiculous as ever."

"I am who I am, for better and for worse."

"Well, that's all right. I rather like you as you are."

"I don't think I have ever been complimented so highly."

"You are still ridiculous, though." An impish thought wormed into my skull. "Perhaps I should embroider it on one of your shirts."

"I honestly cannot decide if you're being serious or not." To be fair, I wasn't certain either. "Now, do I need to hide my shirts or give you one for the prank? I can't decide."

"It wouldn't matter. I'd ask Quan for assistance."

"Oh, knowing him, he'd give you all of my shirts."

"That would be no fun. It should be unexpected, and it won't be unexpected if it's all of them."

"You're actively planning this." Well, I was now. Whether I acted upon the plan was another matter. "So, distraction, distraction…"

"Distract all you want. I'm good at multitasking."

"I'm in trouble."

Despite the joke, our discussion soon turned quickly to other topics, focused primarily on how everyone was healing and rebuilding. Though some stories of everyone's antics did slip through, from how Sir Alec had flirted with half the maids in the castle to how Dew and Quan collaborated on the latest prank. Eventually, however, Chulainn and Deirdre remembered there were other things to do today besides pet foxes, and rejoined us so we could continue on our way. It, thankfully, didn't take us long to leave the woods and Sigurd once again took the lead to show us the well-worn path down to the beach. The sand was hard to walk on, constantly shifting under my feet, and I had to hold onto Chulainn's arm to feel stable. It was better when we were closer to the water. Not only was the sand more compact and solid, but the sight of the waves took my breath away. I'd seen it in the distance when we were in Verdane, of course, but this was the first time I'd actually been on a beach and truly heard the crashing of the waves.

"So, this is the ocean..." Deirdre breathed, staring with wonder. Did I look the same? I felt it. "I'd never seen it from so close before. Marpha isn't far from the coast, yes, but I never dared…" Considering the amount of trouble she had just reaching Marpha, it was no surprise she never explored further. "It's like it's alive..." Hesitantly, she tried to get a little closer only to yelp as the water lapped over her feet. "Whoa!"

"If that's enough to startle you, you should stay on the beach," Chulainn chided, taking the basket from her. Sigurd, meanwhile, had already taken off his boots and was rolling up his pants. "The ocean is a harsh mistress, breathtaking and terrifying in equal measure."

"I just didn't expect it to be so cold!" She sulked at him, and I shook my head and went into the basket for the blanket she'd packed. "What makes it come in and out?"

"The stories I heard say the tides are due to Selena of the Moon, truthfully. She sings as she guides the moon across the skies."

"And the waters dance to the song?"

"Yes."

"That's different from the stories I've heard," Sigurd commented, standing up to brush the sand off his pants. Why was sand so clingy? "In Grannvale, they say the tides are due to Forseti of Wind, and how the wind interacts with the water." Was there truly a story like that about the gods? I never paid attention to the sermons. "Though, if I recall correctly, Forseti of Wind is also closely associated with music."

"Then perhaps that story was co-opted by the church from an old tale which somehow survived the cultural purge the Loptyrian Empire inflicted on Grann," I murmured, not really thinking about it. I wouldn't know much, but I did remember hearing Father Eirik grumble about it. It added weight to the idea of 'revenge' for Loptuous's followers. The first Emperor Gair had wanted to erase Grann from existence, and 'only' conquered the other countries. Grannvale being named in tribute was a clear testament to the failure, even if there were minimal records prior to his ascension. "But that's severely off-topic, isn't it?"

"It is." The look Sigurd shot me told me he came to the same conclusion, but he forced himself to smile. "We're at the beach, after all! We should enjoy ourselves."

"I do hope you posted word for how long we'll be gone."

"Oh, I told Quan I was taking you three here. Unfortunately, both of us can't leave or he would've come along with Ethlyn." Sigurd looked out over the waves, smiling softly. "Every time we visited, Eldigan would insist we come here to relax. I wanted to make sure it hadn't been touched by the fighting."

"You'll come back with him soon." I smiled reassuringly. "You and Quan both will."

"That's right," Deirdre agreed, coming over to take his hand. She offered me the other one, but I shook my head and set about spreading the blanket. I was content with seeing the ocean; I had no intention of entering it and I knew that's what she was going to do. "So, come on!" Respecting my decision, Deirdre instead used her free hand to snag Chulainn and drag him into the water with her and Sigurd. Chulainn's wide eyes proved he had not expected that in the slightest, and I barely bit back my laugh since it was rare to see him so surprised.

As one could expect, not three seconds after they waded in, Sigurd let go of Deirdre's hand to splash both her and Chulainn. Deirdre stared, dumbfounded, but Chulainn instantly retaliated, a slightly incredulous look on his face like he could not believe he did that. Deirdre looked between them for a moment before she hesitantly splashed back, uncertain if this was what she was supposed to do, and, soon, the three of them were having a little 'splash war' amidst the waves. Sigurd and Deirdre laughed brightly, and Chulainn eventually had that boyish smile on his face I so adored seeing. I remained seated on the blanket, watching them with a smile and barely able to muffle my laughter at how much fun they were having.

They were bedraggled messes by the time they returned to the shore, but that was fine. Sigurd made sure we brought towels and I helped them dry off. It took nearly an hour of brushing to fix Deirdre's hair, though. It truly did tangle easily.

---

The second I cleared Chulainn for lessons, the boys eagerly jumped at the opportunity. Even Finn looked lively about it, though he was nowhere near recovered enough to leave bed, much less train. Truthfully, I had expected Oifey, Shannan, and Dew to wait until he recovered, but training was more personal compared to my lessons. Whatever the reason, the three begged and thus, my mornings were spent in Nordion's training yards, just as they were in Evans.

But while that would explain my mornings in the training yards, it did not explain my current afternoon. That, hilariously, was Lady Lachesis's fault. A few days ago, Lady Lachesis had absently told some of the squires here that she wanted to learn from Chulainn herself, but couldn't yet because of her duties. They, in a logic born only from great and sincere admiration, immediately came to the conclusion Chulainn must be the 'Best Instructor Ever' if he'd caught her attention. So, they badgered him for lessons and Chulainn was just as weak to their earnestness as he was to the boys'. So, here we were, in the training yards. Chulainn was exasperated; I was deeply amused. But since I couldn't let it show, lest the squires assumed I was laughing at them instead of the situation, I busied myself with reading through letters. In addition to the more 'normal' ones, one of Arvis's messenger birds had dropped off a few for Azelle and me earlier, and my brother was not happy to hear of the siege or, to be more precise, my actions during said siege.

'I cannot believe you were reckless enough to run onto a battlefield! Oh, the rumors embellish the act as glorious and divine, but you're supposed to be the one with sense!' What I couldn't believe was that rumors had already hit Belhalla and Velthomer about my stupidity. Did they have nothing better to speak of? 'Thankfully, your guard is as competent as you say. No, don't frown. It's the job of an older brother to be skeptical of anyone charged with protecting their younger siblings.'

"I can still be annoyed," I muttered to myself, frowning as I remembered the list. Honestly, the memory alone was enough to irritate me. "If you're so curious, come visit." I would love to introduce him to everyone.

'Things have been hectic since your departure, but it's under control. The court screams like children throwing tantrums, but it's all noise with little substance. In the meantime, I have been working with King Azmur closely to ensure everything runs smoothly in Prince Kurth's absence. We are sorely feeling the lack of an heir at the moment. I fear the gossip mongers have been bringing up Mother again.'

"Of course they are." A different sort of irritation threaded through me then, this time because of what usually accompanied those rumors. 'What if Cigyun and Prince Kurth had a child?' "They're always so eager to make it all the more tragic, because that makes it an even better show for them to greedily enjoy." Just how stupid did everyone think Prince Kurth and Cigyun were? My father would've killed him for being in the same room as her. That was how my mother died. He had been visiting and my father had returned early, so my mother intervened and was burned alive. Arvis remembered the smell clearly even now. "I hate gossips." They never cared about anything but a good story.

'Do not be angry on my account. They know better than to say anything around me; Dietrich was the one who warned me actually. But I feared someone might be brave, and foolish, enough to ask you about the matter and did not want you blindsided. I know how upset it makes you.' Of course he knew my reaction. I had once snapped as a child about it, so incensed they thought so poorly of Cigyun and Prince Kurth. 'To shift to lighter matters and keep you from brooding, I'm certain you're wondering about the gift enclosed.'

It took me a moment to even remember the letter had come with a gift: a simple necklace with a dark blue gem. I held it up to the light curiously, watching as the light bounced off the gem. Even I could tell this was an expensive piece, despite the simplicity.

'I know you prefer practical gifts, but you deserve pretty things too, sister. Still, I knew you would feel uncomfortable with an elaborate piece, so I ensured it appeared simple. The gem is a blue hisre, believed to give good fortune and blessings. No, don't frown. You will have to forgive your older brother for fretting when you ran onto a battlefield. Unless you want me to send a guard of my own, humor me a little with this.'

Well, I certainly didn't want him to send a guard. Velthomer's defenses were stretched thin enough with the war and guarding Belhalla, after all. And truthfully, I didn't want another guard when I had Chulainn. So, I suppose I would simply have to do as he said. Though, I did wonder about how much this cost. Velthomer may be wealthy, but that was no excuse to be wasteful.

'Once you've come to the conclusion to humor me, I'm certain your thoughts will turn to costs.' Why did he have to know me so well? 'Fret not. It is usually very expensive, but I acquired this as part of a trade with Thracia.' ...Thracia? 'I won't go into the full details, as this letter is already too long, but they required extra supplies and food, so I negotiated this along with some mercenaries to help me with my work. Please keep this secret. I know how most view Thracia, but none can deny their skill. With our forces scattered and our neighbors deciding to be distinctly not neighborly, I need all the help I can get.'

He had a point there, and I knew his hidden motive. Thracia was a nation of mercenaries, infamous for selling their lances and blood to the highest bidder. It was far smarter to win them to his side, quickly, than run the risk of them being hired by enemies. Besides, if they were busy helping him, then in theory, they would have less resources to fight Leonster and the Munster District. I didn't see a downside to this, save for rumors. Honestly, what struck me as strange was what Arvis said he used as payment. Food and supplies... was Thracia caught in a famine? I'd heard their mountains were not fertile, but were their stories so low that food served as adequate payment? That... that hurt my head and heart to think about. I wondered if there was some way to look into this more, in a way that would not anger those around me. Ignoring Quan's own trauma, I doubted anyone here thought highly of Thracia.

'Ah, but I doubt I have to worry about such things with you. You've never cared about politics or gossip. Your focus, even as a little girl, has always been on the people in front of you, and whether they required help.'

Well, what else could I do? I was a healer. I left the wars to the warriors and the politics to the politicians. My duty was to heal those in front of me, and it was my dearest wish to save everyone, despite knowing how impossible of a dream it is. But it did mean Arvis was more willing to confide in me, precisely because I did not look at things the same way most would. Honestly, I had a feeling he wanted the reassurance that he wasn't mistaken for doing this. He believed it was right and would continue with it no matter what, but even when you did what you thought was correct, you wanted to know those around you understood. In many ways, he was still the awkward teenager I first met.

Shaking my head, I set the letter to the side to respond later and picked up Aida's letter. I was still surprised she'd sent me one, but it was a short and simple letter. She wrote again about Gabriel and Ellen, a little about how Saias was now obsessed with medical books, and she ended it with a request, one written with such nonchalance that I was certain it was the whole reason she wrote me the letter to start with. 'Can you tell Arvis to rest? You are the only one he listens to.'

"Of course he's still overworking," I sighed, shaking my head. I swear; one had to trick him into taking breaks. "I suppose I can try to guilt him into it." Since I was here, I wouldn't be able to enforce anything, but it would hopefully be better than nothing. "Oh, he must be low on his tea mix by now. I should make him another tin." I could send another for 'good sleep', just to help emphasize my words. It would have to be enough, for now.

"Oh, this is where you are." Ayra's voice caught my ear then and I looked up to see her approach, her eyes fixed on the yard where Chulainn continued to teach a gaggle of eager squires. "How did that happen?" she asked, trying and failing to bite back laughter. Chulainn's eyes flicked over to us, his exasperation plain to see. "Did they ambush him?"

"They did, and their sincerity meant he couldn't figure out how to refuse," I confirmed, folding my letters. After a moment, I decided to slip on the necklace. I may not be fond of impractical things, but the necklace was beautiful, and it was a gift from Arvis. I might as well wear it. "So, here we are."

"I see." She watched them for a moment, before sitting down on the bench beside me. "Maybe I should ask for lessons."

"I doubt he'd agree; he'd know it was a ploy for a spar."

"Damn." She made a face and I muffled a laugh. "Anyway, what were you reading? Love letters?"

"Oh, goodness, no." I burned most of them. Far too many utilized that cursed epithet of mine. "It's a letter from my brother, and another from his best friend. She wants me to get him to take a break."

"Ah, and relying on the sensible sibling to guilt the workaholic? Neira used to do that all the time with Marricle, though she had an advantage of being the benevolent older sister." She laughed merrily at the thought, but my attention was caught on something else. 'Neira'. Yes, that was right; she had a sister. Yet when she had mentioned her family on the road, she had not...

"Say, Ayra?" I waited for her to look at me. "Before, when you told me of Artemisia, you didn't say she would take Neira with her to Agustria." At the time, I hadn't thought anything about it. She so rarely mentioned her sister that I sometimes forgot she had one. "May I ask why?" Ayra's answer was a studying silence, not unlike Chulainn's. "You do not have to, of course."

"Hmm... yes, that's how you are. You never ask anything out of malice. It is always out of concern or curiosity. That's why..." She trailed off, leaving her thoughts unspoken. Instead, she shook her head and focused on something else. "Do you know what 'agoraphobia' is, Alicia?"

"It's an intense, overwhelming fear of situations where escape would be difficult or help may not be available if things go wrong. Some might also describe it as an intense fear of places outside of their havens, usually their homes." Others dubbed it a 'fear of open spaces'. "In severe cases, the person is unable to leave their house, even in an emergency."

"You rattled that off quickly." She actually looked impressed by it. I could only shrug because it was simply part of my lessons. One of the patients I'd treated with Father Eirik had suffered from it; it was the only house call he ever did. "Regardless, my sister, Neira, suffered from it. Some days were so bad she would panic if she left her room." I suppose even Holy Blood did not prevent your mind from becoming ill. "Artemisia would've gladly taken Neira with us on that dreamed trip to Agustria, but she never made it a 'promise'. She feared Neira would feel pressured or overwhelmed by it if it was spoken so openly. Instead, it was something they discussed in private, whenever she visited Isaach Castle." She smiled sadly. "Artemisia was one of the few people Neira felt safe enough around to venture outside. It became so much harder for her to leave when they died." Strangely, she bit back a laugh. "Ah, sorry, I was remembering..."

"You need not apologize for that."

"No, I suppose I don't." She closed her eyes. "I was just remembering... one of the last times Setanta and his family visited Isaach Castle, Neira was having a particularly bad day. She couldn't even make it out of her bed without a panic attack, so she locked herself in her room and only accepted a handful of visitors. But Setanta and I found a litter of kittens in the garden and we wanted to show them to her. So, he decided we'd sneak them into her room."

"He decided to do what now?"

"'She needs to see something adorable to remember the world isn't all bad', he said. But since she was too scared to come out for the adorable thing, he'd bring it to her. That was his logic." She laughed softly at the memory, his eyes distant. "He was always like that. Suggesting ridiculous things with a straight face and earnest tone... I was a brat, but he was the prankster."

"How did he even sneak them in? A bundle of kittens would surely make noise."

"He climbed up onto the roof with them, and then climbed down to her window." This... this only raised more questions! "I distracted the servants while he did it so none of them thought to look up."

"...Did she like the surprise kittens?"

"She loved them. She spoiled them and their mother relentlessly and they even had special beds in her room. She was heartbroken to leave them behind when she married, but she saw them off to good homes."

"She couldn't remain in Isaach Castle?"

"No, because she married the lord of Ribault, she had to move. Tiamat's claws, that journey had been rough. I genuinely wondered if we'd have to sedate her. Marricle ended up blindfolding her, because that somehow helped. I have no idea how; you'd think it would have made it worse. Even then, she nearly broke my hand with how tightly she held it." She smiled at the memory; I imagine she and Marricle both had done everything they could to help Neira through it. "But she was willing to endure it for him, you know. Her husband, I mean. She loved him that much, and he had always been so, so patient with her. He…" Her voice cracked suddenly, and I remembered what she'd told Quan. This man, whose name was 'given to the fairies' and thus would never be spoken again, whose body had been left for the carrion to rot without a grave... he had been someone she once loved and trusted. He had been her family. Then he attacked Dahna, without warning or apparent reason, and her life fell apart. I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain of that betrayal.

"Ayra." So, I called her name gently, catching her attention and grounding her back in the present. "You don't need to force yourself to answer."

"I… right…" She tried to take a deep breath, but it was shaky. "Sorry, it's all… it's all a mess. Doesn't help that she died suddenly. An assassin poisoned her food. Terrible, right? She died in the one place she thought she'd be safe." She was silent for a moment, watching Chulainn teach the squires. "You know... I actually have another nephew."

"I'm guessing he's Neira's son?"

"Yes, her pride and joy. His name is Galzus, and he's... he would have turned twelve this year. He was always a little distant, shy and not willing to speak, and terribly awkward. Found it so much easier to write letters. He'd send us one each week to tell us how he was, how his father was..." She sighed and rested her hands behind her on the bench so she could lean back. "But I don't know... with everything that happened, I don't know where he is. Honestly, he's probably dead."

"Do you say that because you believe it or because you fear hoping for nothing again?"

"Ha… both." She smiled bitterly. "In truth, I can't think of it. I'll break down, and I don't want to yet."

"You know no one here would judge you for it."

"Yes, but it's… it's still going. Everything is still…" She struggled to try and explain her feelings, but I thought I saw the thread. She wanted to break down when it was 'over' and she knew exactly what she was crying for. Right now, everything still twisted and turned in her head and heart, and it was impossible to make sense of it. "I'll cry later. For him, for Marricle, for Isaach, for everyone…"

"All I ask is that you do not force the tears back if they come anyway. Tears are nothing to be ashamed about." I hesitated before continuing. "Do you want me to ask Prince Kurth if he's heard anything?"

"I… no." She shook her head. "Not yet, at least. If Galzus is somehow alive, I don't want Grannvale to know about him."

"I think I understand." When you considered what happened to her father, it actually made perfect sense.

"Thank you." She breathed out slowly, shoulders sagging, and she suddenly leaned over to rest her head on my shoulder. "I'm tired."

"You should sleep."

"Too tired to go to my room."

"Then sleep here. I won't mind."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Thank you..."

She dozed off quickly, and I returned to reading through my letters. Chulainn glanced at us from time to time as he taught the squires, but I smiled and waved off his worries. Later, I'd make her some tea to help her sleep, but for now, she could take an afternoon nap. It wasn't as if I was heading anywhere until Chulainn was done. It was fun, watching him.

---

Every morning before I checked on Finn, I mixed up his medicines for the next day. Very few of the medicines he needed were ones I kept on hand, for a variety of reasons, and they worked best when fresh. So, I would make them before, and then adjust based on the examination itself. That was the pattern my days fell into, and today was no different.

"Just how badly was Finn injured?" Chulainn usually would silently watch me in the doorway while I worked in my little side-room-turned-workshop, but occasionally, like today, he spoke. "It seems like everyone else who was injured in the siege has either healed or moved on to the next stage of their healing," he continued. "Including that Kyros kid with shattered bones and Tabitha who almost lost an eye. If you're keeping him abed still, it had to have been worse than I thought."

"Finn was more critically injured than any of us thought," I murmured, carefully watching my measurements. I was always cautious, but with these, I had to be borderline paranoid. "None of us realized the full extent until that first surgery." I still remembered the horror and terror I'd felt. I still remember Lady Edain's wide-eyed shock. "He's as stubborn as his lord and his teacher. It's a miracle he didn't drop dead even after I stabilized him."

"Why am I getting a barb?" He smiled faintly, showing he wasn't hurt by it. It faded quickly, though, when he looked at the medicines on my table. "Is that why he gets special medicines?"

"Yes." And I had to watch these closely. They were very potent, and potentially very dangerous. "At least he does not need usriane petals for the blood loss anymore." Usriane petals, when mixed with other medicines, were very good for encouraging the body to replenish lost blood. However, even a single petal was toxic, so any medicine had to be paired with the antidote. Both put the body through tremendous stress and, as such, it was never to be used except in the most dire of circumstances. Finn was the second patient I'd ever given them to, and the first without Father Eirik's direction. "But he still requires the rest, unfortunately."

"I see." He studied them closely. "That only explains one of the missing two." Of course he knew the number. He saw me do this every day.

"The other will depend on this next checkup."

"All right." His attention focused on my face. "He'll be fine."

"Yes, he will." It was only after I replied that I realized it hadn't been a question. "Why...?"

"You've a dark look on your face." He reached out and brushed my hair behind my ear. For some reason, the warmth lingered. "But he'll be fine, even if he does need that other medicine."

"...Yes, I know." I smiled at him, and he smiled back faintly. "I just wish he wasn't in so much pain." But Chulainn was right; he would be fine. It was simply taking a little longer than I hoped. "Ah, while you're here, can you pass me the green vial there?"

Chulainn passed me the requested vial and stepped back to let me work. As soon as I was done, we left my room to head towards Finn's. My rooms were actually a good distance away from most of the others' in the guest rooms, for some reason, so it was a bit of a walk to get there. On the way, however, we discovered we were not the only ones up and about, despite the early hour. Lex, Ayra, and King Jamke were chatting near one of the windows, but they waved when we came near.

"Well, this seems like an odd trio," I greeted, studying the three. All of them were sweaty and carried weapons, like they'd just come from the training yards, and had elated grins on their faces. Knowing how Lex and Ayra both could be and seeing King Jamke had a quiver half-filled with arrows… "Please tell me you did not practice dodging arrows with live ammunition."

"No, but that's a great idea!" Lex laughed, his grin widening. When I frowned, however, his grin dropped and he immediately took a step back. Ayra's own grin faltered into something a little more awkward. "Er... I mean greatly terrible. Yes, that."

"Lex."

"I promise we would never do anything that reckless?"

"I would hope so."

"Wow, I've never seen you go docile so quickly," King Jamke noted dryly, smiling a little in amusement. Lex groaned, while Ayra bit back a laugh. Chulainn, next to me still, ducked his head to hide his slight smile. "Especially when you enjoy pulling tails."

"You say that because you haven't seen Alicia's wrath, Jamke," Ayra protested, shaking her head. "Trust me. Once you see her frozen, you want to avoid it."

"Ice is bad. Noted." King Jamke shook his head. I tried to figure out if I should be offended, but a sick feeling settled in my stomach instead. "Regardless, no, I just happened to be practicing at the same time these two were sparring. Azelle was with us, but he rushed off babbling something about notes."

"Ah, he must've made a connection with his research and left to write it down before he lost the thought," I murmured, forcing a smile at the thought. It was easier when I thought of how excited he had to have been. "I'm certain he did not give any explanation or farewells, so I beg forgiveness for his enthusiasm."

"Yeah, I was explaining it to him when we saw you," Lex added, relaxing now. I wasn't certain what to think about people being afraid to anger me. It reminded me of what they said of my father. Ah, Father Eirik was right… "Er… Alicia?" He frowned at me suddenly, leaning down to better meet my eyes. "Um… Ayra and I just prefer you smiling at us. That's all." Ayra and King Jamke looked at him in confusion at the seemingly random words. "And, I mean, it's a stupid idea to purposely irk the one who keeps your insides where they're supposed to be. And…" But I… I realized what he was doing immediately.

"Aw, I have the most adorable little brothers." I reached up to ruffle his hair, and smiled with all the gratitude I could muster. He had known where my thoughts had turned, and wanted to stop them before they spiraled too far. It made me wonder if he had practice with Azelle. "Ah, but before I forget, none of you are hurt, are you? Sometimes, you and Ayra get far into your sparring."

"I think we're fine, but I should still have bruise balm if we're mistaken. I'll get more from you later." He smiled back in relief. King Jamke and Ayra still looked confused. Chulainn tilted his head curiously, and I wondered what he pieced together. "King Jamke, what about you? I noticed you were taking your time aiming, longer than most would."

"That's just how I practice," King Jamke explained, shaking his head. He and Ayra exchanged a look and shrug, mutually deciding to not ask further. "Truthfully, while I'm strong and fast, I wouldn't necessarily call myself the most 'skilled'. I'm skilled enough to get the job done, but my advantages lie in how my bow has a higher draw weight than most would expect given my build and how quickly I can draw. I can often fire off three arrows in the time it takes for most to shoot one, but that sort of strategy has its drawbacks, most pertinently a lack of accuracy. Since that's my weakness, my practice focuses on single, critical shots."

"Well, I am lucky you choose to practice such shots, since that is what saved me from Sandima," I said lightly, not even certain why I was saying it. But when I did, I realized I had never actually thanked him for it. But saying gratitude outright, so randomly and after so long, would be awkward. "Ah, but I am keeping you from your baths, aren't I?"

"Polite way of saying we smell."

"Fret not; you smell better than a gut wound."

"Wow, that's a low standard. Makes me wonder what the higher end would be."

"Probably herself, since she always smells nice," Ayra joked, smiling. I only tilted my head since this was not the first time I'd heard this. "Speaking of which, Lachesis might badger you about what perfume you use later. I heard her and Ethlyn talking about it."

"I don't wear perfume?" I replied, shaking my head. Yes, Sigurd and Quan have bought me some, but I've never used them. "I'm not even certain how to put it on."

"Something about inside of your wrists and your neck, I think? Neira liked that sort of thing more than me." Ayra tapped her cheek. "Well, now I'm curious why you smell good. It's faint flowers all the time. Always feels like I'm in a sunlit garden."

"I work a lot with herbs due to my job?"

"I would think it has more to do with the shampoo and soaps you make for yourself," Chulainn chimed in, looking very amused suddenly. I had no idea why. King Jamke and Lex looked just as amused, though. "You also put some sort of sachet in your clothes."

"A healer has to look neat, and take care of her appearance," I explained, shrugging. If I did not look like I could take care of myself, then how would others expect I could take care of them? "But I do use some flowers for them, so maybe you're correct." I never thought about it before; the herbs and flowers used were picked for their benefits, not for how they smelled. "Ah, this is neither here nor there, is it? I need to check on Finn."

"I doubt Finn would mind you enjoying a conversation, and these three clearly don't mind standing around smelling like sweat."

"Wow, that's two mentions of how badly we must smell," Lex laughed, amused. King Jamke and Ayra made faces at that. "Hmm… wait, but this is a good opportunity to demand a spar for the insult."

"No," Chulainn replied, blunt as always. He even shook his head. "Such things only matter to those who care about honor and reputations."

"Damn." Lex still grinned, though. "Well, whatever. Hey, can we tag along? We're heading in the same direction anyway. Why is your room so far away from the rest of ours, Alicia?"

"Lady Grahnye gave her one of the larger guest rooms so she had a place for her workshop, and those were located closer to the family wing. No one else made special requests, so you are in the more typical guest rooms."

"Ah, honored guest versus regular. Makes sense." Well, I was glad it did to someone. "Wait, how did you know?"

"I asked, of course."

"Since when do you have conversations with people unprompted?"

"I was learning the layout of the castle." Chulainn subtly nudged me forward to try and get out of the conversation. I could only muffle a laugh and play along. "Keep up if you're tagging along."

"Hey, no running away!"

There wasn't any actual running. Though I was eager to check on Finn, there wasn't any rush to it. So, the five of us walked down the halls at a steady pace and I soon realized I must have spent more time making medicines than I thought. Usually when I went to Finn's room, no one was in the halls, but up ahead, there was yet another group. Sigurd, Quan, and Lady Grahnye were standing in front of one of the windows lining the hall, with Lady Grahnye holding Ares in her arms. Quan and Lady Grahnye were chatting about something cheerful, based on their smiles, and Sigurd was playing some sort of game with Ares, laughing softly as Ares stared up at him with a bright smile of his own. My plan had been to simply slip past, but Quan happened to catch sight of us and brought his hand up to wave, hinting we were about to be caught in another conversation…

But then Ayra stiffened and Chulainn yanked me back. Not two seconds later, the sound of shattered glass filled the air, the shards flying through the air and almost masking the arrow which broke the window. They didn't hide the second arrow which followed, and… and…

It all happened in a couple of blinks. Chulainn held me tightly against him as he moved us away from the windows, Lex following closely to use himself as a shield if need be. King Jamke and Ayra remained near, their eyes fixed outside. On the other side of the broken window, Sigurd and Quan had pulled Lady Grahnye and Ares away from the windows, both bleeding from the shards as they tried to shield her.

Lady Grahnye screamed. She screamed and screamed, and who could blame her? The flying shards had not hidden or impeded that second arrow as it thudded into Ares's chest.

"Don't. Move." King Jamke's voice was hard and harsh in my ear. I hadn't even realized I'd gotten my feet under me until he said something. "Damn, I didn't see where the arrow came from," he growled, eyes scanning the surroundings. The trees outside swayed in the wind, ignorant and uncaring of the chaos within the walls. "Ayra? Chulainn? Did you? You two reacted first."

"Got a general area, but not enough," Ayra answered, her voice tight with quiet anger. She already had one hand on her sword, gripping the hilt so tightly her knuckles whitened. "Too much of a risk of them getting away if I try. Chulainn? You have more luck?" Chulainn only shook his head and held onto me more firmly. "Tiamat, rend them to pieces! They were aiming for the boy!"

"You sure? I mean; the glass…"

"That second arrow was too quick. For it to have hit when it did, they fired the second they fired the first. The first was only a distraction, to startle us. The second was the true attack, and none of them moved suddenly before or after. If Ares wasn't the target, then this archer is terrible."

Shock closed my ears then, the full weight of what happened hitting me in an instant. If Ayra was right, someone purposely shot Ares. If they purposely shot him, then they intended to kill. Even if neither of these statements were correct, the fact remained that Ares had been shot. Ares was near death. Ares could already be dead.

They were three windows away. Ares, Lady Grahnye, Quan, Sigurd… they were three windows away. It was just three windows, but it felt like a chasm right now. On the other side of that chasm, Ares was limp and bleeding, with an arrow as long as he was tall embedded in his chest. Lady Grahnye cradled him, still screaming. Quan and Sigurd were beside her, trying to figure out what to do while they bled from numerous scratches and gashes from the glass. But there wasn't much they could do. Arrows were deadly even to adults. What training they had would've applied to adults, not children. And Ares… he was a baby. He wasn't even eighteen months old. Major Holy Blood or not, his body could not recover and endure the same way an adult's could.

I… I had to reach him. I had to reach him, sooner rather than later. Delaying could be fatal. Moving him could be fatal. So, the best way to treat him would be to cross that gaping chasm of three windows, but I already knew the others would refuse. It was too dangerous with us not knowing where the assassin was. In fact, Quan had already turned his attention to me from across the chasm, shaking his head. He was silently telling me not to cross, not to come over. Based on the heartbroken look on his face, I knew he'd already given up on Ares. He knew the dangers, knew how deadly it was. He could not hold onto hope, so he was telling me not to risk my life. One death was hard enough to endure; two would be near impossible.

But I could still see Ares's breathing. I could still see his fingers twitch. He was still alive, had not gone to Neit's realm yet, and I would not let danger stop me from treating him while there was even a sliver of a chance. So, I needed a practical reason. I needed a practical reason so the others on this side would let me go. Emotional reasons might work, but not quickly enough. A practical reason, however, when paired with an emotional reason would cut through arguments. What could I suggest, though? What was something…?

Chulainn's grip on me tightened even further, like he could sense my thoughts, and I remembered the last time he'd held me. I remembered what had caused it. And with the memory came the idea I needed.

"King Jamke," I began slowly. I didn't look at him; my gaze was fixed on the other side. Sigurd was pressing his hand around the arrow wound, minimizing the bleeding while doing his best to not disturb the arrow. Based on the angle and how small Ares was, it likely hit the sternum, lung, and possibly the aorta. I had to move quickly. "If the archer shot again, could you retaliate?"

"Even if I couldn't, I imagine a second shot would make it easier to narrow things down," King Jamke replied absently. Ayra and Lex frowned, wondering why I was asking. Chulainn stiffened behind me, knowing the answer. "But that would require someone to serve as bait and..." He trailed off then, eyes going wide. "You're not..."

"Ares needs a healer. No, we cannot find another path." Across the chasm, Lady Grahnye glanced up and happened to look right at me. Fear and hope warred in her eyes, well aware of the dangers but desperate for someone to help her son, her everything. "He cannot be moved. If it hit the aorta like I suspect, then even the slightest jarring will kill whatever chance he may have."

"Alicia, you're not Lex. An arrow can easily kill you."

"Yes, it can. That's why they'll take it. The chance to kill the Red Rose Healer is worth the risk of being exposed."

"Risking your life for a chance is-!"

"Then don't miss." I finally looked at him then, so he could see my resolve. I wasn't asking; I was telling. He'd better take advantage of it. "Chulainn, Ayra, help him watch." We had to make this count.

"You can't be serious," Ayra asked, incredulous. Next to her, Lex threw up his hands in sheer exasperation. "You cannot seriously-"

"She is, and the next thing out of her mouth is going to be how none of us can follow and shield because she needs to be 'good bait' for this to work," Lex grumbled, facepalming. I didn't reply since he was right. "And we can't argue. We're losing time. That's the problem. Just look at Quan; he's already mourning the boy he considers a nephew because there's no time. Unless we do this."

"That's…" Ayra's eyes were wide, and I saw the warring thoughts in her eyes. But this was why I had needed a practical reason. It was much harder to fight against both it and emotional reasons. "This…"

"I don't like this," Chulainn hissed in my ear. It was probably the angriest I've ever heard him. I wondered if he looked it, but he still held me, so I couldn't twist and look. "I don't like this at all."

"I know," I whispered in return. And I did. I was asking him to do the exact opposite of what he'd prefer. I was asking him to let me go into danger without him. "But…"

"But you're going to do it anyway, because that's the only chance he'll have." Frustration seeped through the anger, and part of me thought I should apologize. But I wasn't truly 'sorry'. I just wished my decision didn't cause him pain. "Start closer to the windows. When you reach the broken one, run sharply in a diagonal to the far wall. It'll throw them off."

"Thank you."

We all had to adjust our positions to ensure this had the greatest chances of success. King Jamke moved farther back to get a better view of the area outside the shattered window, while Ayra and Lex settled in the middle to balance reaction and view. Chulainn and I moved closer to the side with the windows, me in preparation and him to see the areas beyond the broken window. Once there, I took a quick stock of what I had. It was terribly little. I had my staff and my emergency pouch and that was it; I hadn't anticipated needing more. Finn's examinations never needed more. I hoped it would be enough. No, it would have to be. But he was a child, and my magic… my magic was fire and fire was too…

'Blessed Spirits, what are you talking about?' Mistress Yesui's words filled my head, as did the memory of her kind and warm eyes and her relieved and proud smile. 'Your magic saved them.' And with the words came the confidence and calm I needed. Even if I couldn't trust my own magic, I could trust Mistress Yesui, and she had praised it. She had thought it wonderful. So, right now, I would prove her right.

Once everyone was settled and ready, Chulainn took my hand and squeezed it tightly, a silent sign of his continued reluctance. But he gradually loosened it, because he knew I needed, and wanted, to do this. Just before I ran, I squeezed his hand back, a quiet thanks for supporting me. Then I slipped my hand out of his and crossed the 'chasm' as fast as my legs could move.

I was glad I took Chulainn's advice. If I hadn't, then the third arrow would've hit me in my abdomen or chest, not my leg. The pain was instant and my left leg buckled almost immediately, but I was still able to lurch forward. I was still able to make it across.

"Alicia, what the hell?!" Quan, of course, yelled as soon as I was close. But it was all right, because he reached out and pulled me the last little bit. "Are you insane?!" he continued, even as I crashed to my knees and started examining Ares. Lady Grahnye stared at me like she thought I was a hallucination. "You…!" He might have said more, but there was noise behind me and it was soon followed by a terribly loud scream from outside. "What in the…?"

"It sounds like King Jamke took the shot," I replied, frowning. Ares's health was rapidly deteriorating, but he was still alive, so I had to work quickly. It didn't matter that it felt like fire and ice were warring in my veins, with a large pit carving a space in my leg. I had a patient to treat. "What are the others doing?"

"They're… they're going through the broken window. Probably to chase down…" Quan was staring, rapidly piecing everything together. "You… you used yourself as bait?"

"I know how much of a target I am, Quan." For the first time in my life, I was tempted to curse when I realized just why Ares's condition was so bad. I might have, even, if my chest did not feel like I had swallowed molten iron. "I need to invest in a Restore Staff. I see poisons far too much."

"I'll buy you one," Sigurd offered, shifting so he sat behind me. I knew he was shielding me, just in case. "Hell, I'll commission one. Who knows when one will appear in the market?" He reached over to brush the hair out of Ares's pale, clammy face. "So, poison. I'll go-"

"We're fine," I told him, already digging through my pouch for an antidote. Having an emergency medicine pouch was the best idea and I truly needed to thank Lady Edain for it. It took me a couple tries to grasp the bottle; my hands were shaking. "He can still take the broad-spectrum; I just have to be careful because there's no set dose for infants or toddlers."

"Ah." Sigurd blinked a few times before looking at the arrow still sticking in my leg. "Um... Alicia?"

"Yes?" I popped the top off the antidote. "Lady Grahnye, can you lift his head a little more for me?" Startled out of her staring, she did as I asked and I began trickling the antidote into Ares's mouth. My own was drying out. "What was it, Sigurd?"

"If the arrow in Ares's chest is poisoned, then wouldn't the one in your leg also be poisoned?"

"It's fine." Everything hurt to the point I barely felt like my body was my own. But it was, and it still obeyed me, so it was fine. I was fine. Ares might not be if I didn't focus. Ares was dealing with this pain too. "It's not paralytic and my vision isn't blurring yet."

"Oh, well, that's… delightful?"

"I think I need a new heart after dealing with both of you," Quan groaned, facepalming. Sigurd managed a smile; I continued ignoring him for Ares. The antidote was working, and working fast, so just a little more and… "Alicia, do you have another antidote in your pouch?"

"Unfortunately, no, I do not," I answered, barely paying him any mind. I then smiled because Ares's symptoms cleared. He even coughed and mewled, good signs when he was hurt. "There we go. Now I just have to cut the arrow out." Of course, that wasn't something I should do with shaking hands, so I downed the rest of the antidote to buy myself time. It did nothing for the pain or numbness spreading from my leg, but my hands steadied. It was enough.

"I'm going to run and get you another one, then. Unless that little bit is enough?"

"It is for now."

"Definitely need extra hearts." He sighed heavily. "I'll see if I can find another of the healers while I'm at it."

He left then, probably to get away from my insanity. Meanwhile, I pulled out everything I would need to remove the arrow, rubbed numbing balm around the wound, and unsheathed my dagger, the one Dew insisted I keep on hand at all times. It occurred to me, just before I began, that this was the first time I'd done a surgery on a baby. No small part of me panicked, but if I didn't do this, then Ares would die. I couldn't let that happen. So, I simply… I simply had to trust, both in myself and Mistress Yesui's lessons. With that resolve in my heart, I went to work.

I'd been partially right; the arrow had hit the sternum and lung. It had not quite hit the aorta, thankfully, but was dangerously close. Lady Grahnye held him firmly while I cut into his chest and reached in to try and wriggle the arrow loose. It was a delicate task, since I had to heal the most crucial damage with my magic as I cut and pulled, and when I realized how deep into his lung it went, I knew I would need…

"Sigurd, I need you to pull the arrow," I ordered, keeping calm. I had to be calm. If the healer panicked, then those around them would panic. "It's in his lung and he's lost too much blood." Lady Grahnye's breath caught. "It'll be fine. But I need…"

"What do you need me to do?" Sigurd asked, shifting to my side. His hand hovered over the shaft of the arrow, but he didn't touch it yet. "Just pull or…?"

"Yes, but I need you to do it slowly. I will have to heal the damage as you're pulling it out." That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was… "It's barbed, so it will catch and tear." I would need to reevaluate my emergency pouch; it was stupid for me not to have what I needed to handle the barbs.

"Damn them." Sigurd looked ill at the thought, but I couldn't blame him. I was telling him to pull an arrow out of his nephew, and that no matter what we did, it was going to hurt. "So… oh, Chulainn." I almost asked, but a shadow fell over us and a gentle hand touched my shoulder. "Why do you have feathers?" …Feathers?

"Lex said to give these to Alicia," Chulainn answered, holding them out. Though it was terribly impolite, I snatched them from him and immediately slid them into the wound. Yes, there were dangers about using something not sterilized, but I could worry about that after the immediate problem! "I hope he knew she'd stick them into a wound."

"Oh, it's to cover the barbs," Lady Grahnye whispered, back to staring. I couldn't even begin to imagine everything she was feeling at this moment. I would need to give her a checkup later, probably after treating Quan and Sigurd for their own injuries. We had to make sure their scratches didn't have glass stuck within. "Thanasis had a box to use for the siege."

"Ah, so he suspected it was a barbed arrow." Why wouldn't it? But now, there would hopefully be less damage to Ares as we removed it. "I am afraid I must inform you the sniper is tragically dead, Grahnye."

"Why is it tragic? Because I can't kill him myself?"

"And corpses don't speak." Chulainn's hand twitched on my shoulder as I signaled for Sigurd to begin pulling the arrow. "I chose to return to give the immediate report, while Jamke… ah, he can speak for himself."

"Though my report isn't much," King Jamke sighed, joining us. I barely paid him any mind, focused as I was on repairing Ares's lungs. "The sniper was supported by two others, both also dead. Thought we might have kept one of them alive, but the second Lex hamstrung him, he threw himself on his sword."

"It's nice to see they're cowards for running away from the consequences of their actions," I muttered without thinking, relaxing once the arrow was fully out of Ares's lung. With one last tug, Sigurd had the arrow out entirely, and I could repair Ares's sternum. "Were there others?"

"Not that we found, but Lex and Ayra decided to do a final sweep before dragging the bodies back." King Jamke made a curious noise; I ignored it to fumble for needle and surgical thread. My hands were shaking again, but not enough that I couldn't thread a needle. "Corpses may not speak, but their belongings can imply their own stories. So, the more, the better."

"I see." Though, truthfully, I couldn't see literally. My vision was starting to blur on the edges as I began stitching Ares's wound, so I ended up pricking myself for the first time in a long while. But in a way, it was a blessing, because it helped me keep a sense of the wound's size. I would probably need to redo these stitches later, but for right now, they would hold. He wouldn't bleed out. He could recover. He… he would live.

I was tying off the last knot when Quan returned, accompanied by Lady Lachesis and Lady Edain. "Sorry to take so long," he gasped out, holding a vial of antidote out for me. Lady Lachesis collapsed next to Lady Grahnye, hugging her tightly and supporting her. Lady Edain slid between Sigurd and Chulainn and immediately began examining my leg. "I ran into them on the way; something about you being late to check on Finn."

"I was on my way to his daily check up," I explained, feeling woozy. Perhaps it was because of the stress, and the subsequent accelerated heart rate, but my vision was definitely blurring and it was difficult to tell which of the 'three vials' I saw was the 'true' vial. Yet I needed to drink it. So, I reached out, my hands trembling faintly, and took a guess. My fist closed on air, so that told me the one on the right wasn't the correct one. So, perhaps…

Thankfully, Sigurd figured out what was wrong before I had to admit to it and took the vial from Quan. "Here, Alicia," he murmured, grabbing my hand and placing the vial directly into it. All three Quans I saw looked horrified when he realized what was going on. "Do you need help drinking it?"

"No, I should be…" I began, before realizing it was still closed. There was no way I would… "Actually, can you open it for me?" Sigurd did so without hesitation, and I brought it close, relying on the smell and cool touch to drink it without spilling. "Thank you." The antidote was cold, like drinking icy water in the middle of winter, but the effect was immediate. My vision cleared before long and my hands stopped shaking. The pain ebbed until my body felt like its own again, all traces of fire and ice vanishing. The pain in my leg, however, remained and pulsed in time with my heart. Strange…

"Well, you no longer look like death." Sigurd brushed the hair out of my face. Some blood smeared because he forgot he had Ares's blood on his hand, but neither of us cared. "Will you need more?"

"No, I should be fine with the one." But it was unusual for my leg to still hurt this much, even when accounting for the arrow. So, I glanced at my leg, noting the amount of swelling and bruising. That was too much for an arrow wound, so… "Say, Lady Edain?"

"Lady Alicia, I think we can both agree you don't need to call me by title," Lady Edain immediately retorted, studying my injury closely. If she was still examining, then that only confirmed my suspicions. "Also, you should keep two antidotes in your pouch."

"I might need three, and I will drop the title if you reciprocate." I drank the rest of the antidote and handed the empty vial to Quan. "But we can discuss how to adjust my emergency pouch later. Might I ask how deep the arrow is?"

"If you're asking that, then you've already figured it out." Edain sighed gustily, and the others looked at her worriedly. "You have the worst luck, Alicia. It's lodged in bone, and lodged pretty deep." Of course it was. These symptoms were very consistent with a broken leg. "Worse, I think our arrow-removing tool is still being repaired." It was. It had been chipped and worn from use, so we decided to send it for repairs, in addition to searching for new ones. "Did the new ones come in yet?"

"No, we all agreed it was lower on the priority list compared to things like hammers and nails needed to repair the town." So now, she had to try and cut the arrow out of my bone without proper tools. "We could try breaking my leg more thoroughly and get the arrow out that way."

"No, no, let me at least try first. Maybe my good luck will counter your bad." She tapped her cheek. "I will need a dagger, though." I handed her mine without a word. "All right, does anyone have a handkerchief?"

"I do," Lady Lachesis said, pulling it from her pocket. She let go of Lady Grahnye and crawled over so she could be next to Edain and hand it over. "Um… if it's a strength issue, I can help? Or Sigurd can."

"Considering how deep it is, we might just need Hodr's strength," Edain sighed, carefully wiping down the blade. Honestly, we were breaking a lot of rules here, but if the arrow was as deep as we feared, then I needed it out sooner than later. "Baldr's might not be enough. But, Sigurd, hold her leg steady for me."

I tuned them out after that, focusing on checking Ares now that my sight was back. I barely even noticed when Edain put the numbing balm on, but I did notice when she started cutting. Even with the area numbed, it was hard to ignore blood pouring over my calf. But it would be fine; Edain would make sure of it.

"...Lady Alicia, thank you…" Lady Grahnye whispered as I worked. I made a noise to tell her I was listening, but otherwise continued my examination. I wanted to make sure nothing had been missed, especially given the less than sterile conditions. In fact, I pushed some of my magic through to help clean the injury more thoroughly, just in case. "You took… you took such a risk to save my son. I…"

"I'm a healer, Lady Grahnye, and this is what I do," I murmured in return, lifting my head to smile at her. She smiled back, looking ready to cry. "I'll need to give you a check-up later, though."

"I… yes, of course." She carefully cradled Ares against her shoulder, and rested her cheek against his head. Though he was unconscious, his breathing was finally even. "Just thank you. Thank you." She looked past me then. "They almost have the arrow out of your leg."

"That's good." Done with my initial check, I absently reached up to touch Chulainn's hand, still on my shoulder. There was some comfort to it, especially when I heard Lady Lachesis shout in triumph. The arrow was out, then. "Is the arrowhead discolored? These symptoms were consistent with about three different poisons, and I can eliminate or confirm one by-"

"Are you truly diagnosing yourself right now? Surely, it can wait."

"Some poisons can have lingering effects even after the antidote has cleared it. So, I need to know for Ares's health." I could feel Chulainn's exasperated stare boring into my head and squeezed his hand to try and reassure him. "So..."

"The blood has a purple tinge," Sigurd relayed, leaning against my back. I glanced over my shoulder and saw he was actually sitting back to back with me, holding the arrow up the light. Lady Lachesis was holding my leg steady while Lady Edain stitched the wound shut and Chulainn had stepped to the side to give Sigurd room while remaining close enough to keep his hand on my shoulder. "Arrowhead underneath might have a blue tint, but that could be the steel they used."

"It turned the blood purple?" I murmured, thinking rapidly. Yes, if I recalled correctly, then... "I will need to double-check my books, but it sounds like xifis root."

"Never heard of that one."

"Xifis leaves can be used in cough medicines, but the roots are poisonous. They're abundant in western Agustria." I decided to lean a little back into him. "I read about it in the books Lord Eldigan brought me, at your request."

"Oh?" There was a faint smile in his voice. "Well, I'm glad. And glad you apparently have an encyclopedic knowledge of poisons."

"Many medicinal components are poisonous alone. Besides, how can I treat someone who has been poisoned if I do not recognize the symptoms?"

"Fair." He sighed, and then made a curious noise. "Ah, Lex and Ayra have returned, and it looks like Lex is ready to be dramatic."

"Hmm? What in the world do you-?"

"We've brought presents!" Lex declared loudly with false cheer, dropping two of the corpses like rag dolls next to us. Ayra, with stony eyes, tossed the third to sprawl out next to them. So, this is what Sigurd meant. "There's no sign of anyone else." He hesitated before looking at Ares. "How's…?"

"He's alive," Lady Grahnye whispered, smiling with such relief I felt myself tear up. Lex and Ayra both relaxed at the words, and Ayra even crouched next to me to hug me tightly. "Thank you for the feathers."

"Thank Ayra, since she's the one who found them. I just know Alicia uses them for barbed arrows thanks to how many she's cut out of me."

"Then I thank both of you." Her eyes flicked to the corpses. "I don't suppose they conveniently let anything slip before dying?"

"Sadly, no." He stepped to the side to give room for Quan and King Jamke to begin examining the bodies. I thought Chulainn would've joined them, but he remained next to me, one hand still on my shoulder. "Tried to ask, but…"

"No, it's fine. I prefer your lives. Information can always be obtained." Her eyes suddenly flashed and she frowned. "Wait, the one in the middle…" She nodded to it for emphasis, not willing to loosen her hold on Ares for even a second. "Turn his face towards me, will you?" An air of dread confusion fell on everyone as Quan did as she asked. "I… know him." Her words were soft, but they hit like stones. "He's one of Heirhein's knights."

Silence. Silence dropped on us like a deluge. Edain even paused in bandaging my leg as the silence suffocated everyone's breath and thoughts. Until…

"Those bastards!" Sigurd's roar of anger shattered everything back into life, and absently, I thought this was the first time I'd ever heard him not try to swallow the word. "Those complete bastards!" Now, however, his eyes blazed with fury, everything about him sparking with barely-restrained wrath. He was on his feet in an instance, the arrow stained with my blood clattering to the ground. "Bad enough they did all this to Eldigan and Nordion!" Next to him, Quan was a statue of ice, as frozen and silent as a blade ready to strike. "But to shoot Ares, to nearly kill him…!" Everyone else was also frozen, some from surprise and some from barely restrained anger. "I should-!"

"Sigurd," I interrupted calmly, reaching up to catch his sleeve. He stilled in an instance. "Sit down. No one has checked if there's glass in your cuts yet." It took a couple of tugs for him to listen and, even then, Chulainn had to helpfully nudge him down. "There we are." I picked up my staff and went to work. "Can someone check Quan's injuries for shards?"

"Er… Alicia?" Sigurd's anger abated as he stared at me. I was glad; his yelling still echoed off the halls. "You're kind of the more injured of us two still."

"But Edain has my injury well in hand, so the next on the triage list is you." The others were staring, but I didn't care. "Honestly, you and Arvis are too similar sometimes. Focus too much on the past and future and you forget what is in front of you. What would you do if the glass healed inside the cut and you gained an abscess?"

"Uh…"

"Yes, calm yourselves, all of you," Lady Grahnye agreed, her crisp and no-nonsense voice cutting through the last of the anger and silence. Edain finished tying off my bandage before yanking Quan down to check him over. "Thank you, Lady Alicia, for reacting as quickly as you did. Those two are ever prone to rushing off when they lose their tempers." Sigurd had the grace to look sheepish. Quan was still silent and frozen, so Lady Lachesis placed her hands on his shoulders to force him to relax. King Jamke, meanwhile, returned to examining the bodies, passing off any interesting objects to Lex and Ayra. "And I fear the stress of the day made me slow to think."

"I don't think anyone could blame you," I reassured, leaning forward to get a better look at a cut on Sigurd's neck. Catching sight of something shining, I found some tweezers in my pouch and plucked out a shard. "Besides, I do have practice. My older brother can act much the same when faced with injustices. He has to be reminded to re-center himself." Lex shot me an incredulous look, for some reason, but he shook his head and returned to his job.

"My, that sounds very different from the rumors." Were they? "But, regardless, we cannot charge them recklessly. We must send a messenger first and see if this was knights operating without orders, or on old ones. It will not help Nordion's position if two foreign powers strike while Heirhein can maintain plausible deniability. There can be no doubts about Heirhein's continued assault, despite your presence. If Boldor chooses to continue even after being reminded of the consequences…" She looked down at Ares, cradling him close, despite the blood. He needed a bath and a change of clothes. "Well, I would ask you do Jugdral a favor and remove such stupidity from it."

Another silence fell then, with no one knowing how to break it in the wake of this heavy knowledge and heavier request. So, once I finished treating Sigurd, my mind turned to what needed to be done next. The answer was obvious; Ares needed supervision. There was no way around it. Someone had to be by him constantly to ensure he remained stable. And though I knew Lady Grahnye would prefer to watch him herself, she had to rest. Her health was already fragile because of the stress of the siege, to say nothing of what happened today, and I knew she would be right in the middle of everything that needed to be done. Messengers, logistics, reorganization of defenses… all of it she would oversee, because it was her duty, and I knew everyone here would do all they could to assist her. But it would still be too much stress, so the best thing for both her and her child would be…

"Lady Grahnye?" I began slowly, smiling as gently as I could to hide how awkward I felt. She looked back curiously, tilting her head. "Ares will require a watcher, so why don't we move him into my room temporarily?" She opened her mouth, no doubt to reassure me it would not be necessary, but I tapped my chest right over my heart to remind her why she couldn't. "I would be fretting too much anyway, and I doubt anyone is going to let me do much of anything with my leg like this." But I would give other reasons. Her health was her own.

"...I would hope not, since your leg is so swollen," Lady Grahnye finally replied, sighing in what appeared to be exasperation. I knew without looking that the others were giving me similar looks. "But given how much you check on me, it only makes sense you'd worry. I doubt you will rest properly if you can't reassure yourself he's well, and it would be better a healer was near in case something happens." Her slight, bitter smile told me she caught the other reason. "But are you certain? Though no others were found, we cannot discount the possibility of there being other assassins."

"Then it is all the better to change his normal location, isn't it? Besides, Chulainn can keep him safe." I did feel a little bad about volunteering him for the job, but when I glanced up, he didn't seem annoyed. "Ah, but I do need to check-"

"I can handle Finn's check up, because the only thing you're doing for the next few days is being carried to bed," Edain grumbled, reaching over to poke my cheek. She definitely looked exasperated. "Here, I'll accompany you back to your room and you can tell me what's going on. Of course, we should figure out how you're getting-"

Chulainn picked me up then. Easily and without hesitation, he scooped me up and began walking down the hall back towards my room without even a token farewell. Edain actually had to scramble to catch up, a faintly knowing smile on her face as she asked about Finn's medicines. Still, I could hear what the others did as we left them behind. Lady Lachesis left with Lady Grahnye to help gather Ares's things and carry them to my room. Sigurd and King Jamke arranged patrols inside the castle to ensure no other areas were attacked; Quan, Lex, and Ayra handled coordinating patrols outside the castle and in the town.

Assassinating a child, though… Boldor of Heirhein would have a lot to answer for if this was on his orders. None of us would let him get away with it.

---

Within the hour, all of Ares's things were moved to my room. Ares himself remained asleep, as one might expect given his terrible ordeal. Lady Lachesis handled the move itself and fussed over the tiniest of details before departing to help Lady Grahnye. Chulainn attempted to remain near my door to keep watch, as he usually did, but he kept twitching at all the people swinging by to check on me and after the tenth person, he moved to the window to keep watch there. I couldn't blame him, since the number of visitors was truly ridiculous. So many people showed up that I truly wondered if I should just keep the door open so the knocking didn't drive me mad. Thankfully, most left me alone before long. The only ones who didn't were people I wanted to be around.

"How could they target a baby?!" Deirdre, of course, rushed to my room as soon as she heard what happened, and refused to leave. "What threat is a baby?!" she continued, snapping and growling. Yet she was perfectly gentle as she opened the curtains to let in a little more sunlight and returned to my side to smooth the blankets over my lap. As expected, I was confined to bed for the rest of the day. "I don't want an actual answer by the way, Azelle. I'm mad enough."

"Then I won't point out the political nonsense," Azelle commented, making some tea for us. He'd actually beat Deirdre here. "I'll point out the vindictive nonsense instead. From what I hear, Boldor has a personal grudge against Eldigan, and Eldigan's a good father who cherishes his son."

"They should've arranged an accident for both him and his lousy, good-for-nothing son." She sighed gustily, and sat on the bed next to me, leaning forward so she could peer at Ares in his cradle. To minimize any strain on my part, his cradle was placed next to my bed on the right side, farthest from the door. "If they took out both, then Heirhein couldn't have declared war, yes?"

"Deirdre, you really shouldn't say that so casually."

"Besides, it would've caused a succession crisis in Heirhein, unless Boldor has a secret and convenient illegitimate child," Chulainn murmured, crossing his arms and leaning more against the wall so he could get a better look out the window. His eyes were fixed to something beyond the glass, but he returned his attention to the room before long. "I don't know if Agustria has any laws for such an event, but from my experience, a lot of blood will be shed even with them."

"Succession crises are messes everywhere," Azelle agreed, bringing the tea over. He set the pot and cups on the nightstand and passed me my cup first. "Here, sister…" I smiled when I took it and he smiled back before passing Deirdre hers. He then sat on the bed closer to my legs to drink his own tea. "Ayra said Sophara still isn't fully settled, and it's been… uh…"

"Sophara fell thirteen years ago, give or take a month." A strange look flitted over Chulainn's face, so quickly I would've missed it entirely if I hadn't been looking at him. But it was a dark, empty, even haunted look, and even when it went away, something tired lingered like a shadow. "Quite the bloodbath before and after, from what I've heard. Why were you even discussing it?"

"Oh, uh… actually, Ayra asked if Prince Kurth had an heir." Why would she have asked about…? "Not sure why. I think she just wanted to learn more about him. So, I told her how he didn't and talk turned to succession crises since it's dangerous for a lord to go to war without an heir." Azelle shot me a pained look, and I could only close my eyes. Arvis warned him about Cigyun's return to the gossips too. "But Grannvale sort of has something in place?"

"Oh?"

"My understanding is minimal, but essentially, Saint Heim wanted to ensure the people would always have stability, so in the event House Belhalla did not have an heir, a council would be called among the Crusaders Houses and a new ruling house would be decided," I answered, sipping my tea. Arvis had told me about it not long before Verdane attacked, while discussing some Round Table meetings. It wasn't unusual; Round Table meetings were where the heads of the Crusader Houses would convene and discuss government, laws, and everything related to ruling. Arvis liked asking for my opinion on some of the policies he wanted to support. "While not necessarily part of the law, it's expected the new house would be chosen from one of the other Crusader Houses."

"How would they decide, though?" Deirdre asked, setting down her tea for it to cool a little more. She immediately began fussing over my blankets again. "I doubt any of them would willingly yield power or elevate another. There would have to be so many deals and arrangements made in advance for something like that to run smoothly. Well, that or someone kills off all the other candidates to be the last one standing."

"Deirdre, as bad as Grannvale is, I doubt there is anyone that bloodthirsty." I sipped more of my tea, to hide how uneasy the topic made me. Given how Arvis was fairly popular and favored by King Azmur, he'd be one of the first targets, alongside Sigurd. "Someone who is willing to kill so many for something so pointless as a crown can never provide long-term stability or prosperity for the people. While Grannvale's nobles have many flaws, they do keep everything stable."

"True, so they'll likely go with the first option." Satisfied with my blankets, she picked up her tea once more. "I like it better anyway. Winning them over will keep deaths to a minimum."

"However, there are always those who you can never find common ground with," Chulainn suddenly countered, looking rather thoughtful. I tried to think of how the discussion turned to this. Azelle, meanwhile, was desperately trying to ignore us and drink his tea in peace. "In those cases, wouldn't the better option be to turn the people against them? Tragic accidents, assassinations disguised as suicides, falsifying evidence for crimes…" There was something a little disconcerting in how easily Chulainn listed that off. "Turn your opposition into villains and the people will cheer for you even if you cause a bloodbath."

"Mm… while I will concede on the common ground thing, I still don't think killing everyone in your way is a good idea." Deirdre tapped her cheek, thinking. "Though I suppose that sounds strange given I'm the one suggesting 'accidents' for those horrid men. What would your recommendation have been?"

"Mine?" He frowned, but gave it some thought. "Probably what I suggested. No way to avoid the succession crisis, so make the people decide that chaos is preferable. Though I suppose you could just assassinate Boldor."

"Oh, and let Ellidiot flounder his way into a revolution? While that would've taken him out eventually, how many would have suffered and died until they cracked? If you're sacrificing the few for the many, you should be precise over it."

"But you should also take into account reputations and rumors. You can be precise all you want, but if you don't follow it up, you're just going to have the same thing. People prefer their habits."

"So, essentially, you think it's a case of a few hundred for a thousand many. That's a little too big of a picture for me." Despite the words, she giggled in clear delight. I refrained from pointing out that most would not find any of this amusing. "Ah, I should steal you when I next have a chat with Quan."

"Have you two been plotting in secret?"

"It's not plotting! It's extra strategies." Most would still call that 'plotting'. "Anyway, since I now know you're good at this, you should really-"

"Is any of this really an appropriate conversation when someone is laid up in bed due to a leg broken by a poisoned arrow?" Azelle finally asked dryly, pouring himself more tea. He looked so exasperated I almost felt the need to apologize. "In front of a baby at that?"

"Said baby is very asleep and will not remember this conversation anyway," I pointed out, mostly to keep the peace. But Ares was still asleep, breathing easy and showing no sign of waking. "Hopefully he sleeps peacefully through the night."

"Shouldn't he wake to eat, though?" …He probably should, and if I remembered correctly, he had switched to solid foods, so it should in theory be easy-ish. However, I had no idea how to go about that. I also had no idea how to change a diaper. "But, seriously, what was with that conversation? How did you all even know so much about political nonsense anyway?"

"Oh, Quan has been teaching me!" Deirdre revealed easily, with the brightest of smiles. This explained a lot, especially given how she was raised. 'Few for the many' had been her village's motto. "Sigurd has no head for it, and I apparently have a talent for it, so I figured this was the best way to help him and protect Chalphy! Besides, you started it by mentioning succession crises."

"No, Chulainn brought that up, after you complained that no one assassinated Boldor," Azelle retorted, his tone completely deadpanned. I had to hide my laugh by drinking my tea, and unfortunately, quickly ran out. "I just responded, and then Alicia elaborated."

"So, it's everyone's fault!" Deirdre giggled; Azelle groaned. "But yes, Quan has been teaching me. Chulainn, did you learn as part of being a mercenary?" The question was said innocently, but I caught how he immediately tensed. Every time he did that, it was because of something about his past, which he did not want to talk about. So…

"Deirdre, can you set my cup on the nightstand for me?" I requested, sharply changing the subject. Azelle and Deirdre blinked a little as they tried to adjust. "I can't lean over that far and don't want to move."

"Oh, of course!" Deirdre replied, focusing entirely on me. Above their heads, Chulainn gave me a thankful smile. "How are you feeling? Are you comfortable? Should I…?" A quiet, even hesitant knock cut her off and she turned her attention to the door. "Oh, another visitor?"

"I swear I don't know this many people…" I couldn't help but sigh. It didn't help that most of the visitors were people I barely recognized. Those I held close were too busy. "Chulainn?" Chulainn nodded and went over to the door to open it and see who it was. To my surprise, though, my visitor was actually someone I knew. "Lady Lachesis?"

"Ah, yes, good evening," she mumbled, smiling faintly. Chulainn moved out of the way to let her in, and I saw she carried a small bag and a mend staff. "I… Edain said you'd need help checking your leg, Lady Alicia, and I happened to be free, so…"

"Ah, yes, I suppose now is a good time for that," I murmured, shifting the blankets to expose my left leg. It was even more swollen than before, to the point that the bandages were tight enough to hurt, and when I undid the bandages, I saw the stitches were near invisible against the deep bruising. "It is a shame healing magic cannot be used on the user."

"Right, so here I am. My magic may be meager, but it should be enough. Though, I'll need some sort of direction since I haven't worked on an injury like this before." She set the bag on the ground next to my bed and looked around for a chair to sit on. Chulainn dragged one over from my desk and shut the door at last. "So, um… where should I start?"

"Considering my injury, the most pertinent thing will be to check if there's anything foreign in the wound, such as a piece of the arrowhead." I pulled my skirt a little more up, relying on the blanket to keep the rest of me covered. Deirdre hovered over me worriedly, making sympathetic noises. Azelle busied himself with the teapot. "You remember how to do that, yes?"

"I do." She frowned in concentration as she brought the staff up to work. Though the thought was terribly inappropriate, I couldn't help but think of how adorable she looked. "Your bone is still cracked. I thought Edain healed it?"

"She healed most of it, but until we're certain there is neither shards nor poison lingering, it's better to not heal it fully." So, it was healed enough that I did not have to brace my leg, but otherwise was left alone. "So, do you sense anything?"

"Ah… no?" She tilted her head, checking again. "No, I don't. And there's no necrosis either."

"Yes, that's always the next step for these sorts of wounds. I'm glad you remembered." I smiled at her, and she flushed a little, pleased despite the circumstances. "Since the arrow was poisoned, you'll want to check for any toxins next. I feel fine, and this poison isn't known for lingering effects, but we should not discount the possibility of there being more than one poison."

"Understood. And after this, I should focus on infections, yes?" She went to work, and I smiled at how skillfully she went about it. She really did learn fast, even if she wasn't the strongest. "Oh, I never thanked you, did I? For saving Ares, I mean."

"I don't need thanks. I'm glad I could help."

"You may not need it, but I give it anyway. Ares… he's everything to Grahnye and Eldigan. I'm not sure either would ever have recovered if they lost him." Finished with her checks, she pulled out various disinfectants and bandages from the bag. "And for me… well, he's my precious nephew. I love him more than anything." Carefully, she cleaned my injury and then bandaged it. "Sigurd says you always refuse payments, so I won't say I owe you or anything. But I need to at least give you my thanks."

"I see." I didn't know what to say, so I only smiled. "Then I shall accept it. But you should tie the bandages a little more tightly."

"Oh, sorry!" She undid the bandages and redid them more carefully. "Like this?"

"Yes, that's good. You need it firm, but not constrictive." She nodded and focused intently on her task, tying off the bandage before long. "You did well. Thank you, Lady Lachesis."

"You know; you should really drop the title with me. After everything you've done for me and mine, it feels weird." She smiled brightly and hopped to her feet. "All right, if you're good, I should return to Grahnye and see if she needs help."

"Of course… Lachesis." I frowned a little, worried. I knew Lady Grahnye would be in the middle of everything, of course, but considering her health, I… "Make sure she rests, even a little. You can tell her it's my suggestion."

"I will." She grinned. "I can guilt her into a tea break if nothing else, so I'll come by later to check on you again, okay?" With that, she left, so abruptly I genuinely wondered if she'd somehow managed to go through the door instead of just opening and closing it quickly.

"Well, that was quick," Azelle noted, coming back over with the teapot. He refilled my cup and passed it back to me. "Uh… so… what's a lighthearted topic? No weird things like earlier. You should listen to happy things while you're recovering, sister."

"Is that so?" I asked, muffling a laugh. I'd dare say the change in subject was just as awkward as Lachesis's departure, but I wouldn't say it aloud. "Well, how about you tell me more about your research?"

"Huh? Oh, well, Deirdre and I are actually pursuing a project together."

"Truly? What is the topic?"

"Um…"

It took a little more encouragement, but soon, both Azelle and Deirdre were chattering excitedly over their joint research project. I didn't understand half of it, since both were prone to using technical terms, but I gathered it was an examination of just how and why light magic differed from elemental magics, and whether or not the 'traditional wisdom' of light magic trumping elemental was actually true. It was just the sort of thing to capture a scholar's heart, and the way their eyes sparkled made me smile. I hoped they found answers they wished; Deirdre might be able to convince Azelle to finally publish a paper.

---

I received another surge of visitors as morning turned to afternoon. Thankfully, it ebbed before long so I could enjoy some peace and quiet. At least, I could until Ethlyn burst into my room, but I'd forgive her for it. I adored her smiles and cheer, after all.

"Alicia, how are you feeling?" She barely even stepped through the door before asking, rushing to my side to peer at my face. "You don't look too pale…" she murmured, studying me closely. Chulainn, meanwhile, shook his head and closed the door behind her before returning to his spot by the window. She hadn't bothered to knock before bursting in. "Sigurd said you were paler than a corpse before."

"That would be from the poison," I replied, smiling serenely. Despite my attempt to reassure, however, she frowned. "I will be perfectly fine, Ethlyn."

"Mmm… but you also say you're fine after five all-nighters." First of all, I hadn't pulled five all-nighters around her. Second of all, I probably would be fine since I rarely did so many without preparing first. "And I'm reasonably certain your definition of 'fine' is different when you apply it to yourself."

"Would you feel better if I told you Edain said the same?"

"A little, but you're the type to suffer in silence. So, I can't help but fret about the amount of pain you're in." She found a chair to drag over and plopped down, once again studying my face. "I mean; you were shot in the leg, the arrow went deep enough to break your bone, and then you had someone cut your leg apart to dig it out. That all hurts!"

"I have pain medicine if it becomes more than I can tolerate?" I pointed to the two vials on my nightstand, clearly labeled. One was for pain; the other was for sleep. "For now, topical pain relievers are enough. They're on my desk if you want to take a look." If I had to be honest, I probably should have taken pain medicine already, since my leg felt like a thousand needles had been shoved into it, but they always muddled my head and I wanted my mind clear. I had to keep an eye on Ares.

"Mmm…" She scrutinized me very closely, so I gave her the most perfect healer smile I could muster. "Well, all right. Do you promise to take it if it becomes too much?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Good." Her attention drifted to the crib by my bed, and Ares dozing within. He woke briefly earlier, long enough to yawn and look around, before nodding off again. "...Quan told me…"

"Hmm?"

"Quan told me he thought Ares had died." Her voice was very small, and her hands shook as she clasped them in her lap. "As soon as the arrow hit, he thought Ares had died. He knew it hit deep. He knew there was nothing he or Sigurd or Grahnye could do. Knew they couldn't risk moving him, couldn't risk cutting it out. So, he thought his nephew died." She smiled wryly when she looked at me. "Then you recklessly ran across, used yourself as bait, and saved him."

"I can't decide if you're scolding me or not."

"I'm not sure either. I hate that you were reckless, but if you weren't, Ares wouldn't be here. And that… that would've broken all of our hearts. I don't know how Grahnye didn't faint or break down in tears. If Altena had been the one hit, I…" She trailed off, focusing on Ares's crib again. "Alicia?"

"Yes?"

"Can I move Altena here too?"

"Pardon?" For a very long second, I swore I misheard. But her serious eyes and awkward smile told me I hadn't. "Why?"

"I'd just… feel better, I think. It…" She trailed off, fidgeting with her hands as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "This attack came so unexpectedly. We actually thought Heirhein had backed off. It's suicide to attack while Sigurd is here; it's the equivalent of attacking Grannvale directly. With their unofficial declaration to King Jamke, that would mean attacking two separate countries at once. And since Quan is assisting here, you can even make an argument that they're attacking three other countries. Honestly, the potential consequences of this makes my head hurt." What I was getting from all of this was Chagall's blatant attack on Nordion, on charges that most would know were a lie, was quite possibly the stupidest thing a ruler ever did. Sigurd invaded Verdane to rescue Edain; why would he not do the same for Eldigan?

"Has Chagall provided any evidence of Lord Eldigan's supposed treason?"

"He declared something about 'questioning the will of the king', but that's the extent of his 'evidence'. Lachesis said Eldigan left to try and dissuade Chagall from declaring war." If such a thing were enough to call 'treason', half of Grannvale's nobility would be rotting in jail. "It's nothing that will satisfy anyone, save those who seek to use it to their own gain."

"It sounds like he has a child's view of being a king." 'I am the king and I can do what I want'. It was the same selfish, petty, childish mentality my father had, and the revelation made my stomach turn.

"That's probably the most charitable way to describe him." She sighed heavily, drooping with the motion. "But all of it meant we... we thought Boldor had hesitated. And maybe he still has. We don't know. We don't know anything. So..." She smiled wryly again. "I know you're awkward around anyone less than two, Alicia, so I also know this is a lot to ask. But I would feel better if Altena was with you. You saved Ares, even when most would've given up."

"I try to save everyone, Ethlyn." Honestly, the whole thing was foolish when you looked at it logically. Risking a healer as bait to save a child already on death's door was not the pragmatic choice. But it had been the only one I could live with.

"Yes, you're like Sigurd. You both try to save everyone, only your methods differ. Which is why you do stupid, reckless things that give us heart attacks, yet we can't help but admire." She beamed, and I ducked my head to hide my embarrassment. She made it sound better than it was. "That's why I'd feel better if Altena was with you. If she's hurt, you'll do everything you can to save her. B-besides, moving her location is only a good thing."

"..." I almost sighed, but I bit it back in time. She was right; I wasn't comfortable. But she was also right in that if Altena was hurt, I'd give all I had and more to save her. She was also right that she should be moved to a different, secure location when so much was unknown. It was even a good idea to group the most vulnerable together to better watch them. And it was Ethlyn. How could I ever refuse her? "Very well."

"Really?" Her eyes widened for a split-second and she surged to her feet so she could hug me tightly. I thought she was going to pop my spine with the force! "Oh, thank you! Thank you so, so much!" She popped back and headed for the door. "I'll go get her now, so I'll be back soon! And I'll feed her and Ares when I return!"

"There's no need to rush. I'm not going to change my mind." I smiled to let her know it was a bit of a joke; I knew she was rushing because she still had a lot to do. "I will be mad, however, if you trip and hurt yourself." She laughed, smiling back to show me she caught the joke, and left, careful to shut the door behind her. Only when it clicked shut did I sigh and turn my attention to Chulainn. "I'm sorry for agreeing before asking you. That's another you're protecting, after all."

"It's not much more trouble," he dismissed, shrugging. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or exasperated at how easily he accepted it. "I'm surprised it took her so long to ask. I've been anticipating the request for hours."

"Oh?" I replied, tilting my head. "Why?"

"She may have been the one to make the request, but I'm sure it would ease a lot of people's minds." Would it? "But she's adventurous, meaning she'll want to try to crawl around, right? Is your room baby-proof?"

"I… have no idea, actually." Without thinking, I tried to push myself up to check, but my leg throbbed in protest and I hissed in pain. That… that had been stupid. That had been more than stupid. "Ugh…"

"You all right?" He frowned worriedly, and I winced again before pointing to the pain relief balm on my desk. He caught the hint and brought it over. Now, truthfully, I expected him to hand it to me so I could apply it, but he didn't. Instead, he sat down on the bed and carefully pulled my injured leg out from under my blankets and into his lap. "Is it supposed to be this swollen?" He undid the bandages with ease, frowning more at the bruising underneath. "And bruised?"

"Neither is unexpected for this sort of injury."

"I see." He studied it for a moment before popping open the balm and gently rubbing it into my leg. I had to look away to hide the sudden surge of embarrassment I felt. I wasn't even sure why I was embarrassed. I hadn't been when Lachesis had looked at the injury. But I certainly was now. "I don't see signs of infection. Is there anything else I should check?"

"If you could make sure the wound is still closed, then I would be grateful." I still couldn't quite look at him, not until I felt him wrap a fresh bandage around my leg. "Um… thank you."

"It would be difficult for you to bandage it when it hurts to move."

"I have practice, but that's not the only thing I'm thanking you for." I made sure to smile, even as he tilted his head in confusion. "Your advice saved me. The arrow would've been much more lethal if I didn't listen. I definitely would not have been able to save Ares if it hit me any higher." His expression darkened, so I looked down. "And even though you didn't want to, you let me go. I'm sure you could've countered my arguments, but you didn't."

"Holding you back would've saved you at the cost of the boy. And you are not someone who could endure that burden. You can never choose yourself over another." He sighed slowly, aggravation creeping into the sound. "Your lack of self-preservation is terribly frustrating sometimes."

"I'm sure." Usually, I'd try to protest, but I couldn't right then. "It certainly makes your job harder."

"That's not why it's frustrating." Now he sounded irritated, but when I glanced up and studied his expression, I decided he wasn't irritated at me. He was irritated at himself. "It has nothing to do with the job. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't." He was irritated because he couldn't find the words he wanted. So, I kept silent, waiting for him to find his words. But either he was unwilling or unable, as he too remained silent. The silence stretched on and on, and it was heavier than our usual silences. I wanted to break it, but did not know how. So, I remained quiet. I knew how to keep quiet.

I did not know how long we sat there in the heavy, not-quite-comfortable silence. But it was long enough that both of us were startled when it suddenly shattered. To be fair, though, neither of us expected Ares to wake right then, or for him to immediately begin crying upon coming to consciousness.

"Oh dear…" I murmured, shifting so I could lean over the side of my bed and pick up Ares from his crib. It was awkward, all the more because my injured leg remained in Chulainn's lap, but somehow, I managed. "Good afternoon, little one…" Thinking of all my lessons from Mistress Yesui, I adjusted my hold on him to be as secure as possible. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you'd prefer your mother right now." Unfortunately, he only had me, who did not know how to comfort a crying child. But, luckily, Ares was easily distracted. As soon as he saw my hair near his face, he grabbed a lock as tightly as he could. "You and my hair… I swear…" I sighed, but shifted him up so he was resting against my shoulder and could easily reach more of my hair. He took advantage to bury his face in it, and soon quieted, staring out curiously from the strands. "Yes, yes, you can get away with it this time. But please do not grab for my eyes like you did the last time I held you." I couldn't help my dry tone, and Chulainn ducked his head to hide his smile. "Amused, mister?"

"A little," he admitted, smiling boyishly now. I was glad to see it. "Can't blame him for liking your hair, though. It's pretty."

"I just don't understand why he likes it so much." Altena had only been briefly curious; Ares's attention fixated on it every time.

"Doesn't Eldigan wear a lot of red? Maybe it reminds him of his father."

"I'm nothing like Lord Eldigan, though."

"But if he thinks red is safe, and he's in pain…" He shrugged. "Could be that simple, yes?" Well, he had a point. The mind was a powerful thing, after all. "Since he's awake, he should eat, right?" Er… yes, he should. "Ah, but Ethlyn said she'd handle it, right?"

"Yes, she did." And though it was lazy and selfish of me, I was going to count on that. "So, I suppose I simply need to keep him awake until then."

"Doubt it'll be long." He moved my leg out of his lap and tucked it under the blanket. Then he stood and adjusted the pillows behind my back for me. "And Ares looks wide awake for the moment." He hesitated before reaching down to pat Ares's head. Ares blinked up at him curiously, and reached up to try and catch his hand as it retreated. But Chulainn was too quick for him. "I'm glad he's alive."

"I know you are." It was an awkward statement, but I knew why he said it. He may be frustrated with me, may wish I was not hurt, but he didn't regret any of it either. He just wished we'd found a better way. "Has there been anything interesting outside the window?"

"Some pretty birds, but so far, harmless. The problem, of course, lies in how complacent we all had gotten, so we can no longer trust that calm." He put the stopper back into my jar of palm relieving balm and returned it to the desk. "Do you mind switching to candlelight? I'd feel better if the curtains were closed."

"I don't mind, though I do worry about the babies. We'll need to place them in more secure locations."

"I can handle that."

We lapsed into quiet again, this time our usual comfortable silence. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine being back in my workshop in Evans. But the weight of Ares in my arms made it clear I wasn't even before I opened my eyes again to see the barely familiar room and Chulainn moving about with ease to arrange the candles in optimal spots where no curious baby could reach up and knock it over. Watching him light them made me think of how Arvis and Azelle usually lit and snuffed their candles; they simply willed it. But I had never been able to do that. Even when Arvis tried to explain, tried to show me, I had only a sick feeling deep in my heart and stomach.

Still, there was one candle on the nightstand next to me. While Chulainn looked away, I reached my hand out, wondering how they did it. Was it a warmth to the blood they called out to or was it something they barely thought of like their breath or pulse? It didn't matter either way. The sick feeling filled me, my breath caught, and I yanked my hand back like it had been burned, wrapping my arm around Ares to hold him tightly. He squeaked a little in protest, but he soon shifted to hold onto my collar, tucked safely against my shoulder and neck. He was… he was so warm. He was alive. He didn't die.

I didn't need to conjure flame; my magic saved this sweet, quiet little boy. That was more than enough for me.

Chulainn had just lit the candle on my nightstand when someone knocked on my door and opened it. "Alicia, I'm back," Ethlyn called, stepping inside with Altena in her arms. I was surprised by the lack of things, until I saw Quan follow her with a crib. "Quan insisted on carrying it. How's… oh, is Ares awake?" She skipped over to my bed and smiled down at Ares, who still hid in my hair. "Good, I'll feed him and Altena in a minute."

"And we'll assign a messenger for you while you're laid up, Alicia," Quan added, setting the crib down next to Ares's. He reached in and spread out a blanket, the very one I'd made. "You can't exactly move to feed them or change their diapers with your leg like that." This was to say nothing of how I didn't know how to do either. "Speaking of which, we should set up stations for both. Makes cleaning easier."

"That may be true, dear, but this is Alicia's space. We shouldn't just co-opt it."

"You can do whatever you need to make things more comfortable for the children, so long as you avoid my medicines, my teas, and my books," I reassured them both, feeling awkward. I could barely watch one child. How was I supposed to handle two? "The room is more than big enough for extra stations."

"Are you sure?" Ethlyn asked, frowning worriedly. But when I nodded, she relaxed. "Then I'll do that first." She set Altena down on the bed, and she immediately crawled into my lap to sit and stare at everything in the room. I shifted my hold on Ares so I had him secure with one arm and I could wrap the other around Altena. "Hey, Chulainn, help me, will you?" Chulainn tilted his head curiously, probably wondering why she didn't ask her husband, but Quan was fussing with the crib still, so he shrugged and nodded. "Thank you! This side room is the workshop, right? Do you mind if I move some things higher?"

"Go ahead. I doubt the crib will hold Altena for long."

"She hasn't learned how to climb yet," Quan laughed, moving to the other side of my bed now that the crib was properly set up. Ethlyn and Chulainn disappeared into my workshop. "The main thing is that she's learned that if she fusses, we'll pick her up and then she can escape." Well, thankfully, she was too busy staring to try and go on adventures. "He… looks all right." His attention focused on Ares, and his expression softened. "Is he?"

"He'll be fine; I only want to watch him in case there's complications," I reassured him. Honestly, I was surprised none had showed already, but we couldn't be complacent. Complications could have easily been delayed. "Then I'll be on hand to tend to him."

"And how are you? You seem fine, but…"

"I have some pain, but it's easily managed."

"I see." Quan then did something very surprising. He pulled me into a light hug, careful to not disturb the children, and kissed the top of my head. "I know I shouldn't thank you for your recklessness, but I am so, so grateful you saved him. I had… I had no idea how I was going to tell Eldigan we saved his home, but failed his son." Now what was I supposed to say to that? "And thank you for watching Altena. It helps both Ethlyn and I feel better, knowing she's safe with you." I had even less of an idea of how to reply to that! "Oh, and Arden is making apple cider for you."

"He's doing what?" That… that was an abrupt change in conversation! "Why?"

"Sigurd needed to trick him into taking a break." So I was the convenient distraction. "Ah, but I'd better help those two."

"Of course."

With a smile and a squeeze to my shoulder, Quan headed into my workshop to join Ethlyn and Chulainn. I debated watching them work, but decided instead to focus my attention on the children. Ares needed to be comfortable, and Altena had to be distracted before she crawled right off my bed. So, I did my best to entertain them, wondering the entire time if I was doing a poor job. It wasn't as if I knew what to do with children.

With that said, when the other three finished and Ethlyn came over to take them to the feeding station, Altena whined and Ares refused to let go of my collar, so maybe I didn't do too bad of a job? I had no idea, but it was certainly a struggle! Worse was how Quan and Ethlyn laughed at my flustered attempts to get them to let go. I was glad someone was amused by it.

---

Shortly after Altena was moved to my room, Shannan and Dew were appointed my 'helpers', ready to fetch me anything I needed from food to drinks to people more than willing to feed the babies and change their diapers. When they weren't running messages for me, they would play with Altena, fuss over Ares, and badger Chulainn and me with questions about the most random of things. I was glad I had already decided against sleeping, since it would've been near impossible with their energy bouncing about my room.

At the moment, though, all was finally calm. It was late into the evening, and Shannan had left to fetch us all dinner. Dew had originally planned to stay, but I requested he'd check on the others and ensure they'd eaten. So, in their absence, I worked on the blanket for Prince Kurth while Chulainn lingered by the window still. Both babies had been sleeping quietly, but… well, Altena was not one to be quiet for long. I was putting the finishing touches on the blanket when she started fussing in her crib. Again.

Shaking my head, I set the blanket to the side and scooted a little closer to the edge of the bed so I could reach down to pick up Altena to try and figure out what caused her to fuss this time. She immediately started wriggling, so I had to tuck her close lest I drop her and she escaped to crawl about my room. Apparently, however, that was exactly what Altena wanted, since she made a happy little gurgle and buried her chubby face into my neck. Two seconds later, she was fast asleep again.

"...Ah. You wanted to be held while you slept," I murmured, somewhere between amused and exasperated. This was… "I suppose I'm not working any longer on the blanket any longer." Carefully, I shifted, so I was leaning against the headboard. "Chulainn, might you bring me a book?" I wasn't going to risk moving her back to her crib and waking her, especially if she'd wanted to be held. Maybe she could sense how uneasy the castle was and wanted to be reassured.

"Which one?" he asked, already moving to my stack on the desk. He paused and held up the one Deirdre insisted we read. I'd nearly forgotten about it with everything that happened. "When did you get this one? It's not your normal fare."

"Deirdre thought it would be fun if we read the same book." Keeping Altena tucked against me with one hand, I held the other out. "I suppose I should get started. Who knows when she'll badger me with questions?"

"You'd best read this one 'properly'." With a faint smile, he passed me the book. "If you read this one 'improperly', she might just get mad at you."

"My, that's a fate worse than death." Shaking my head, I flipped open the book and began reading. "Ah, can you move the blanket for me? I don't want to risk someone getting pricked by a needle."

"You're almost done, aren't you?" He folded it carefully, so as little as possible would be disturbed. "Are these the phases of the moon?"

"Ah, yes." While Naga of Light and Saint Heim were usually portrayed with radiant halos and sunshine, Naga of Light was also associated with the moon. I thought it would suit a blanket better. "I don't know much of what he likes, so I defaulted to Holy Blood symbolism." Perhaps it might protect his sleep and dreams, silly as it sounded.

"If he didn't like it before, he will after this." Now why did he say that? "I wonder what will reach him first: the blanket or rumors of what happened."

"Do you think it'll spread?"

"Not immediately, but eventually, something is going to slip. None of us were exactly quiet, and there's few things that can rile both Sigurd and Quan. People may be sheep, but they're not stupid." He set the blanket down on my desk. "It'll be noisy when it does."

"Yes, I suppose so." I sighed, thinking about it. "People will forgive and ignore anything when it happens to an adult. Gambling, drugs, murder… each is eventually forgotten. But the second a child is harmed, there is a public uproar few can quiet."

"Well, so long as the child is palatable for their gossip. Most don't give a damn about what happens to children on the streets." I wish he wasn't right, but I knew he was. If I doubted, I only needed to look at Dew and the hints he'd given of his past. "It's tragically easy to trick people into viewing others as less than even animals, and many will do it only for power."

"I suppose that's why you think beasts are more honest, huh?" I smiled bitterly, but I couldn't help but be amused when he looked surprised. "What? You told me that, once."

"When… oh, right, at that tea party." He sighed, shaking his head. "You're much too easy to talk to. Too many things slip out." I thought about replying, wondering if I should joke or take it seriously, but he suddenly stiffened and shifted his focus to Ares in his crib. "He's…" In a blink, he was by the crib and scooping Ares up. Ares's face was scrunched in pain, and now that we were quiet, I could hear the barest, quietest of whimpers. "He has a fever." Chulainn sat on the edge of my bed and adjusted his grip so he could rest the back of his hand on Ares's forehead. I marveled at how easily he did so. "Mild, but there. Should…?"

"It's not uncommon after surgeries," I whispered, drooping. I'd been afraid this would happen. "Can you fetch my staff?" Chulainn did so without a word, still carrying Ares, and sat closer to me so it was easier for me to check. "How is his breathing?"

"Aside from the crying, it seems normal?" Though he remained hesitant, he undid Ares's bandages with ease to check the wound. To my surprise, and relief, I actually hadn't needed to redo the stitches. "No sign of infection either."

"Is there any swelling anywhere? Rashes?"

"Not that I can see." He retied the bandages and patted Ares's arms and legs. "Nor feel."

"There is nothing I can sense either, so for the moment, we can assume it's his body's response to the surgery and poison." But though something like this would resolve on its own within a few days, it did not make the whimpering any easier to hear. "We could wake him and…" I trailed off as I tried to think. Mistress Yesui would've recommended a sponge bath, but I didn't have anything like that set up. I could try to give him something for the pain, but the only medicines I knew were for adults, not someone under the age of two. So, what could I do? What could I do now? I… I honestly didn't know.

While I struggled to think, Chulainn… he began singing. He began to sing that beautifully soft song I vaguely remembered from when he carried me inside after the assassins. That lovely lullaby was just as soothing as before, easing my worries, and based on how Ares quieted down, I think he agreed. Even Altena smiled at the song, burrowing more into my chest and neck in her sleep. And he didn't stop at just the one. He kept singing lullabies, so I set my staff down on the bed and leaned back against the headboard to simply relax. I was overthinking, so I needed to calm down. I needed to relax, and then I could figure out what was best for Ares. Until then, I would enjoy the songs.

I wasn't sure how many songs Chulainn sang. All of them were so comforting and soothing that I half thought it was a single, very long song. But, sadly, he did eventually stop, his attention fixing to the door. It took me a very long second to realize that meant someone was here and I twisted to see Sir Midir lingering in the doorway. I hadn't heard him knock.

"My apologies, but my lady bade me to check on you," he explained softly, with a kind smile. How long had he been there? "No one answered when I knocked, so I grew worried. Are the children having trouble sleeping?"

"They aren't now," I joked, carefully shifting to not disturb Altena. She continued snoozing, drooling a little into my collar. "Ares has a fever, but at the moment, it doesn't seem to be something to worry about."

"I see." He chuckled, amused. "Well, I cannot blame them. You have a very lovely singing voice, Chulainn." Chulainn looked away, and most might think it was out of annoyance. I, however, saw the tips of his ears were red as he set Ares back into the crib. "I apologize if I offended, but…"

"You must forgive him, Sir Midir." Though it was terrible of me, I muffled a laugh. "He's embarrassed."

"Is that so? Well, I shall show good manners and pretend to not notice, then." Sir Midir grinned and I muffled another laugh. Chulainn actually shot me a dirty look. "Lady Alicia, Lady Edain said she would come by later to discuss Finn's morning checkup. She would rather you rest for the next few days."

"That…" My instinct was to protest, but I had a feeling she anticipated such. "Let me guess. If I try to refuse, she told you to weaponize Deirdre and Shannan's frowns, didn't she?"

"I would never share my lady's secret weapons." His smile turned perfectly serene, and I sighed. Edain very much would do so, and without the slightest of regrets. "But she does still have a knight's mentality when it comes to 'victories'."

"I will agree so long as I am allowed to make his medicines. Some of them are terribly finicky."

"I will relay the counteroffer."

"Oh, and take Edain out for a date tomorrow. She needs to rest." The teasing order was out before I even comprehended the thought, but the result was instantaneous. Sir Midir blushed a very dark red, even redder than my hair! "Goodness, that's a deep flush. You haven't developed a fever, have you, Sir Midir?"

"You are as terrible as Lord Sigurd sometimes, Lady Alicia." He looked away, and I bit back yet another laugh. "I… will ensure she takes a break tomorrow, however."

"Please do." Ah, I should have a bit of mercy. "Knowing her, though, she'll have a counter for my counteroffer, so it might be good to relay the message sooner rather than later. It'll be easier to discuss when she comes to check on me."

"Of course." He bowed quickly and it did not hide his clear relief. "Please remember to rest, Lady Alicia."

"I will." I smiled as he left and barely bit back a giggle. "Ah, I should make him tea later to apologize."

"And then tease him further?" Chulainn suggested dryly, tucking Ares's blanket around him. He was sleeping peacefully again, thankfully. "Or I can."

"Maybe I should, since he interrupted your songs," I joked without thinking. Chulainn looked away again, his ears turning red. "I think they sound even better when I'm not half-conscious." I thought about teasing him, but I decided against it. It was related to the past he did not want to discuss, after all. "The children seemed to like them too, so thank you."

"That's not…" He struggled for words before he sat up and looked at me. "You should return the favor."

"Hmm?"

"I'd like to hear you sing." He smiled faintly; I stared back blankly. "Like that day you hummed while making me pleorula tea."

"That was just a string of random notes." Well, now I was the one embarrassed. "I don't actually know any songs."

"So, if you learn any, will you sing them for me?"

"...Fine, but you will have to wait a very long while."

"That's all right." His smile became that terribly gentle smile I had only seen once before, when I had first made him pleorula tea. "I know how to be patient." I… didn't know how to reply. Only one thought came into my head and it was something so ridiculous I refused to acknowledge it, much less say it. "However, Shannan does seem to be taking a while. I'm going to step out and see if I can find someone."

"Very well." It was as good of a subject change as any. "I'm sure he's just being too enthusiastic."

"Well, he's a child, and I'm sure he's glad to be able to help you for once."

"He doesn't owe me anything."

"No, but even children enjoy helping those they love and respect. And he thinks the world of you." With those simple words, said as easily as one would say the sky was blue, he left the room.

I could only stare before ducking my head and busying myself with Altena. She remained fast asleep, but it gave me something to do with the bubbly embarrassment welling up in my chest. It was hard to believe that less than two years ago, few thought anything of me besides 'useful' and 'nuisance'. To hear someone as sweet as Shannan thought highly of me… it was so hard to describe. But I hoped I would always live up to that image, and be worthy of the admiration. I hoped to be worthy of all of them.

I'd just managed to calm my heart once more when Chulainn returned with Shannan and a whole cart piled with food. Surprisingly, however, they were accompanied by a third person: Sigurd, who carried a mug for some reason.

"I thank you for sending Dew, since I didn't notice the late hour," Sigurd said, coming over to my bed. Shannan and Chulainn, meanwhile, were arranging all the plates on my table, taking their time. "While I was in the kitchens to ask for food, I saw Shannan in the middle of arguing with the chefs. They were determined to give you a feast, and Shannan was trying to explain how such a thing will make you terribly uncomfortable."

"If this is what Shannan managed to argue them down to, I dread to think of how much there was originally," I murmured, still staring. Even when I accounted for four people, it seemed like far too much. "Are you eating with us?"

"Tempting, but the only way I'll know Lachesis has eaten is by eating with her, so I tasked Dew with fetching her."

"I see. So, you're sipping tea in the meantime?" I could think of no other reason for why he carried it.

"Hmm? Actually, no, this mug is for you." He set the mug on the nightstand and I wondered why he'd been carrying it instead of putting it on the cart in that case. Had there been no room? "Ayra was also in the kitchen, making warm milk with honey. She insisted you have a mug."

"Oh?" Well, that was curious, so I took the mug to hesitantly take a sip. Truthfully, I didn't expect much. I was rather indifferent to the taste of milk the few times I'd drank it, using it only as an ingredient for meals, but this was unexpectedly delicious. "My goodness…"

"Is it good?" In answer, I tried to hand him my mug, but he shook his head. "No, no, I'll trust your judgment and simply ask for a cup myself." With that, he sat down on the bed, peering at my face. "How are you feeling? I see Altena has decided you are her pillow."

"She wanted to be held while she slept, apparently." I set the mug back down, and glanced at Shannan and Chulainn. They seemed to be taking a while, even when you accounted for all the food. "As for me, I will be fine. There's pain, but-"

"Nothing you can't endure. Which, considering I watched you perform a surgery while suffering from blood loss and poison, isn't actually all that reassuring." He raised a brow and I could only smile back innocently. "And you're still terribly pale." He reached out and rested the back of his hand on my cheek. "Not clammy, though, and you don't look like a corpse. So, I'll take you at your word, for now." I made a face at him and he chuckled. "But I'd like it if you tried to sleep tonight."

"Ares needs watching. He has a fever."

"You're injured too." But he turned his attention to Ares, asleep in his crib. "Sleeping soundly despite the fever?"

"Now, he is." I muffled a laugh. "It is a shame you did not come earlier. You might have heard Chulainn singing him a lullaby."

"Well, damn, I'm sorry to miss that. I knew I should've snuck out here earlier. Reorganizing everything was a headache and a half."

"Do we know when and how those assassins slipped in?"

"No, not yet." He watched Ares sleep for a while longer before focusing back on me. "One of the senior Cross Knights, Eva, will leave as a messenger to Heirhein in the morning." He spoke very quietly now, not wanting to be overheard. "Alec will shadow him, just in case, and Naoise will leave the next day to provide any back-up that may be needed. In the meantime, we will prepare to move out with only our cavalry, so we can leave at a moment's notice if Boldor responds as we fear. All infantry will remain here to handle Nordion's defenses."

"This is what Lady Grahnye decided?"

"Yes, we want to increase the chances of battle occurring far away from people. Nordion cannot suffer a second round of assaults." So, the infantry were remaining in a worst-case scenario.

"Has there been word from…?" What were the other two cities again? "Was it Anphony and Mackily?"

"There has been no reaction from either, yet. Grahnye is preparing to send a messenger to Mackily, but will wait until we have heard Boldor's response. If there is still nothing by the time we figured out what to do with Heirhein, then we will contact Anphony directly."

"I see." Without thinking, I adjusted my grip on Altena to hold her a little more tightly. She mumbled and squeaked in her sleep, and did not wake. "I'm assuming there's still no luck on the Cross Knights."

"A messenger did reach them, finally, but it's hard enough for a single scout to slip through. All we could do was confirm they have not, and will not, answer Chagall's call. If we can secure Anphony's cooperation, they'll be able to make their way here. But as it stands, breaking through will hurt our position more than help."

"Given what you told me before, it'll be hard to win Anphony to our side." So, unless Anphony attacked, they would be stuck, desperately trying to not make things worse. "Might you tell Ethlyn and Edain to meet me in the morning? We will need to discuss how triage will work. I am assuming Edain will not join the cavalry, after all."

"It's still being discussed, but likely, no, she will not. She's good at riding, but she can't heal and ride at the same time" In that case, the triage system we had in Verdane wouldn't work. "That'll continue in the morning, though. Best to eat and rest, and believe me, Dew is heavily using 'this is Alicia's orders' to wrangle people into cooperating." I was glad to hear that. "So, I took the easy excuse to come check on you and inform you of the current plan."

"Thank you." Now, if even Edain, who rode well, was going to stay here, that would mean Deirdre would as well. She must already be anxious; I would think of how best to distract her. "Make sure you rest."

"We'll see." He smiled bitterly. "I promise to at least lay down and do something relaxing. I fear relieving those arrows in my nightmares."

"Would you like something to help you sleep? I can-"

"I will rest better knowing you were resting, Alicia." He leaned over and rested his head against mine, raising a hand to place on my head. "Please. I genuinely thought you would die in front of me today."

"...Very well." What else could I say? "I hope your dreams are pleasant, Sigurd."

"I hope yours are as well."

He hugged me briefly before leaving, closing the door behind him. As soon as it clicked shut, I fixed a smile on my face and turned my attention to Shannan as he bounded over with a plate full of food for me. Chulainn caught my eye over his head, a knowing smile on his face, but he didn't say anything. After all, for now, it was better to pretend everything was fine. It was better to pretend this was some misunderstanding, some misinterpretation of orders. It was better to pretend this was something that could be resolved with words and words alone.

But somewhere deep in my heart, I knew that wasn't the case and the coming days would be very long, and very bloody. And there was nothing I could do about any of it.

---

Author's Notes: This game-chapter has another secret event that is by no means hinted at, like Lex's Brave Axe. If Arden (the very slow ax knight who most leave at the home castle and do not bother with), moves to a very specific spot on the map (the small peninsula directly south of Heirhein Castle), he will have a funny little event which nets the Pursuit Ring. As the name suggests, it's a magic ring which grants the wearer the 'Pursuit' skill. The same skill that is king in FE4 because without it, you CANNOT double-attack. Most immediately have Arden sell it to another unit (since most of my preferred pairings lead to kids with Pursuit, I usually have Ethlyn buy it for Leif, but Lex is also a popular choice). Now, I'm not having the ring itself for convenience, but decided to reference the event.

Lachesis learning some skills from Dew is another event reference; if the two speak, they gain 50 love points and Lachesis gets the thief sword, which lets her 'steal' money. (Probably to help her buy the Elite ring which shows up later in this same chapter.) Jamke's growth rates are referenced again here, namely the high strength (50%) and his low skill (10%), his skills (Pursuit, Adept, and Charge), and his starting equipment (Killer Bow). (Fun fact, while I generally put more emphasis to the 'boost' to growth rates than the actual growth rates themselves when it comes to Holy Blood, 50% is the highest strength growth for any gen 1 character. So, Jamke actually shares 'first place' with Sigurd, Quan, Arden, and Lachesis.)

Jugdral's Trinity of Magic differs from other games. It introduced the 'Anima Triangle' later utilized by the Tellius series (Wind Thunder Fire Wind), and it features the only 'unidirectional' advantage/disadvantage system in the series (Light/Dark Anima, with Light and Dark being equal). The GBA games, however, actually have Anima trump Light (with the triangle following the Anima Light Dark Anima). So, Azelle and Deirdre's research is a nod to this difference.

In game, you just blitz your way up to Heirhein without pausing (and, in fact, need to do so if you're to have a chance of saving all the villages in Anphony), but I figured they'd hold back to at least try not to drag Agustria into a civil war backed by foreign powers.