Chapter 14

Return to Phoenix Gate

Year of the Realm 873/311 AC

The last thirteen years felt like a dream. From one nightmare with the incident at Phoenix Gate being called the Night of Flames, to the years of Rosaria being engulfed in one conflict after another. First it was the skirmishes with the Imperial legion on the eastern border, then it was the raids along the western shores by the Ironblood. Jill still remembered that fateful day. She was a young lady when she had decided not to take up any of the surviving shields time in Rosalith. Of course, Lord Murdoch had begged her not to go, but even he could see what she did. Rosalith was no longer the castle it had once been full of happy memories and a royal family doing their best for their people. It was just a fortress for a military campaign in the kingdom's defense.

At fifteen summers old she left, under escort, for Port Isolde. Lord Byron had offered to take her in, said it was the least he owed those he loved. It all happened so fast, Jill had not the time to even think of who may have been injured before she was grabbed. The Ironblood struck from the hillside, killing her guards and taking her prisoner. Captain Vaughn, one of Lord Murdoch's men, had tried to shield her from them but he too was cut down. Thus began her years of servitude. Ten years she spent in their cells. Beaten, tortured, broken till she had no choice but to fight for them.

"Finally awake I see," Jill gives a pleasant smile, a far cry from the sad one she typically wore while surrounded by those fanatics, to the redheaded woman as she entered the infirmary "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she readily admits "You…you wouldn't happen to know who it was that brought me here, would you?"

"That would be Goetz, big guy but he has a gentle heart. Of course, the man who headed that mission was our leader, Cid. Don't worry, you'll meet him soon enough," the woman frowns minutely as she sees Jill's shoulders sag "Something wrong?"

"No, it's…it's nothing." She says, glancing down at her hands resting on her lap.

"Well, there was another man with them when they came back with you," Tarja gives a sly smile as she watches Jill perk up somewhat "Tall, dark hair, seemed like the brooding type…and that wolf Cid found was very friendly with him too."

"Clive," she smiles, a faint red hue dusting her cheeks as she catches Tarja's eye "I'm sorry…I never introduced myself."

"Jill Warrick," Tarja's grin was unrepentant and promising nothing good for Jill "Clive made sure that I knew your name once he returned from helping Cid with another job. He's quite the catch, been in here every day since he returned as often as he could be. Always had to kick him out so he would eat and sleep."

"Where is he right now?"

"Should be in Cid's study, just out the door and down the hall. Can't miss it." Jill made to stand, her body fighting her just a little bit after finally getting the rest it required. "Careful there, plenty of time to see what the men are up to. How about you just sit tight, and I'll find you a change of clothes. Doubt you will want anything to remind you of those savages, right?"

"Thank you…um…"

"Tarja," the physiker smiles "And don't go thanking me just yet, I have a feeling that you and Clive will be bringing me quite a lot of entertainment."

When Tarja returned, Jill made sure to thank the other woman for her assistance while she dressed. She almost hesitated to ask any questions of Tarja, the other woman giving off this air of danger as she moved in and out of the infirmary. She was a force of nature, not unlike some of the women Jill had been left in the tender care of during her imprisonment. As she left, freshly dressed and with her rapier strapped to her hip, Jill felt the weight she had carried partly fall from her shoulders. She felt almost new, like herself again after thirteen years.

Tarja let her go, not without a few choice words about not letting Cid get too comfortable with his antics around her. A fair warning as Jill opened the door to the solar and was greeted to the sight of a smug older man with his boots up on the desk he was seated behind and a clearly frustrated man with dark hair and a brand on his face. The smug man was obviously this Cid she had heard about, and while her heart wrenched at the sight of that brand upon his face, she knew the man opposite of Cid surely must be Clive. It helped that Torgal was beside him, that sweet little puppy that followed her and Clive around all the time in her youth hadn't changed a bit since his puppy days. Well…aside from being significantly bigger than a puppy she could hold in her arms.

Cid smirked as he spotted her. It took Clive a few seconds to pair her any mind, as usual, but once he did his body said everything his lips refused to share. He stood abruptly, startling poor Torgal, and just stared at her. His lips moved, but no sound would come out of his mouth. She gave the same shy smile she would any time they're…attraction, was brought up by the staff. One would think a few comments of a future betrothal or even a wedding wouldn't have bothered her as much as they should have bothered Clive…but that poor boy just let the comments go over his head for reasons she knew not.

"Clive."

That one word, his name, eased her nerves as she approached him. Clive himself was the opposite at that moment. He was nervous as she approached, unsure if what he was seeing was real or not anymore. It was not until Cid coughed and broke their staring contest that he realized the dream was ruined by him being around.

"Much as I enjoy seeing my brooding friend here do his best impression of a fish out of water…we were having a very important talk before you joined us." Clive frowned at Cid's attitude, the blatant disregard for Jill's status would not go left unpunished.

"By all means then," she says, cutting off Clive's slow building rant "Please, continue Cid."

"Oh? Already knowing my name before introductions are made? Heh, guess Tarja told you about me then?"

"She said you were a sarcastic outlaw with a heart of gold but a sad love for his cigars," she smiles politely "Though she did not mention that you also enjoyed making Clive look like he had sucked on a lemon."

Clive narrowed his eyes at the pair, matching smirks being directed towards one another while Cid nods his head. He had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.

"Well, well…who would have thought that the 'prim and proper lady' that Clive was so dead set on rescuing would also have a mischievous side?" he chuckles "Welcome to the hideaway Lady Warrick, sorry about the accommodations, but we are not a luxury palace here."

"Jill, please," she insists "But any place that would take Clive in is more than good enough for me. I'm just grateful that you have kept him out of trouble."

Cid coughs, clearing his throat as he shoots Clive a look. Clive for his part stares at the ceiling. This would not end well for him. He just knew it. Jill looked like she was missing something, her eyes stopped on Clive as she folds her arms. "Clive?"

The First Shield of Rosaria winces. He knew that tone…he knew that look. Swallowing the words that his mind had first thought best he carefully attempts to navigate the situation around him "We…might have run into a bit of trouble while you were…incapacitated."

"What kind of trouble?"

"…a Dominant?"

"Which Dominant?"

Clive gulps "Garuda…"

Jill did not explode in anger. She didn't hit Clive, nor did she freeze him, which was something he realized was a very real possibility given her powers. Thirteen years apart and he only hoped that what fondness she had for him would not wane within the time it took he and Cid to recount the events at Caer Norvent to her. Through the entirety of their shared storytelling, Cid with more…adjusted details and Clive with more factual and to the point details…Jill found that the pair of men before her were quickly being listed below Torgal in terms of intelligence. But she wouldn't tell them that…yet.

"Let me see if I heard you correctly…"

"Oh, here we go," Cid sighs, leaning back in his seat.

"You mean to tell me, that a God may or may not have been responsible for what happened at Phoenix Gate, and that he wants you, Clive, to go back there to hear the full story?"

Clive opened his mouth to speak in his defense.

"And as if that was not enough, Cid requires your help to get his people into Rosaria for their protection and has agreed to go along with your idea of going to Westeros so long as you can ensure that Rosaria will take the inhabitants of the hideaway?"

"Lad, when she puts it like this…you can't help but think we might be fools."

"When Jill sets her mind to something she usually doesn't relent." Clive sighs "But even then, she won't do what she doesn't want to unless her heart gives her a reason to, aye?"

"Clive, answer the question."

"Founder, yes! Yes, Jill, you heard everything correctly. There's a God that wants to talk to me, we are going back to Westeros and…I might have promised Rosaria's aid for Cid and his people."

"No, no, you did promise me lad," Cid clarifies "And I quote 'Once we have the support that Rosaria needs to free up their troops at one border, you and your people can move in and be protected within Rosaria, and I will lend my assistance in handling the threats at the border until stability is restored' end quote. See?"

Clive slowly sighs, "Why, of all the people to be in charge of this place, why did it have to be you Cid?"

"Just part of my charm."

Jill couldn't help herself. She giggled seeing their interactions at work. Cid gave an amused smile to Clive as he heard her, Clive however just looked at her in betrayal. "Sorry…I just…it's good to see you not being such a serious soldier Clive."

Cid pulls out a cigar "So, if you don't mind Jill, seeing as Clive here cannot lie to save his life, what exactly is this Westeros anyway?"

"I'm not that bad at lying…am I?" Clive gave her such a look. He looked more like a child than a man as he looked to her for support.

"Well…that isn't completely wrong…" but she had none to offer him.

"See lad? Listen to the lady here, she knows what's going on."

Clive frowns, idly rubbing Torgal's head as he huffs "Traitors, both of you, forever and always."

"I'm sorry but I am not the best to answer any questions you may have Cid; Lord Byron was the one who sent traders looking for it…I only sailed the one time there and back with Clive."

"That could be a problem then…as it is, information out of Port Isolde is rare, Byron Rosfield has been stuck battling the Crusaders raiding parties all these years." Cid lights his cigar with a crystal "But that hasn't stopped him from being a bit…eccentric."

"He still goes out to the pub to eat and drink amongst the men in his service and hunts dangerous beasts just for the thrill of it, doesn't he?" Jill felt the corner of her lips twitching upward as she heard the exasperated edge to Clive's voice as he described his uncle flawlessly "Uncle Byron never was one to shy away from his vices, just be thankful they are not all that terrible of vices."

"Be that as it may…without his say so, no ship leaves the port and if no ship leaves the port…"

"We can't get to Westeros…" Jill taps her chin in thought, eyeing Clive who gives her a wary look "Clive…"

"I know that look…while I might regret what follows…we do need his assistance," he sighs "Fine…but whatever it is, do not tell me until we are in his manor. Less time I have to back out of this, the better."

"If that settles it…I suggest you kids get rested today, then we can leave in the morning for Port Isolde," Cid suggests with hat damnable smirk on his face "Unless of course, you both need some time to uh…catch up."

Jill blushes while Clive glares at the man "We'll be heading for the Gate in the morning…given the distance we have to travel, you should arrive in Port Isolde before we do, unless you were to leave a day after."

"What? Wanting more time with her ladyship without witnesses? Just think of the scandal there would be."

Suddenly being sick in the infirmary seemed like the better option than being here to be teased by one and all but ignored by the clueless man that was the other. Torgal offered a sympathetic whine, at least he understood her plight somewhat.

Clive couldn't help the little twitch the corner of his lips did as they journeyed through Rosaria. A few people had mentioned his being a Bearer, insinuating that he was in the service of Jill on their little tour of the lands. His ruined Imperial armor was replaced by a decent mockup from Blackthorne. The grizzled old blacksmith did a decent job, it was far superior to anything the Imperials would have given him, but it was not the over-the-top forging that Cid had said was his standard. Purposefully done to not draw suspicion, but good enough to protect him from more serious blows.

Being here again as they made their way through Martha's Rest however made up for all the years spent apart. The only bit of trouble on the road came from the least likely of sources. Two Rosarian knights patrolling around Martha's Rest stopped them, wanting to know where they were headed. They hardly spared Clive a glance at first but Jill they took an interest in, especially when they noticed Torgal by her side. Fortunately, it was only a minor delay, but Clive got the feeling there would be more along the path ahead.

"I didn't think it would still be like this," Jill confesses as they walk up the road to Eastpool "To think that the Empire would fail to even get this far…I'm relieved, but part of me doesn't wish for this to be a dream or for it to end."

"Part of me doesn't want it to end either." He admits "But if it is a dream, then it is one we both share."

Torgal moved on ahead without them, sprinting into Eastpool with a sense of urgency neither one of them had expected. Clive shook his head as he tore off after his trusty companion, Jill, hot on his heels. Clive got to him first, kneeling beside the hound as a few of the villagers eyed the curious pair.

"Just what has gotten into you today boy?"

The wolf whines, nudging his head towards the house in the center of town. Clive had to squint as he stared at it, something about the building was familiar to him. As Jill came to stand by his side he heard her gasp "That is Lady Hanna's home!"

"Lady Hanna? Lord Murdoch's wife!?" Clive abruptly stands, Torgal slowly walking ahead while the pair are swept up in memories of old "To think it's been so long…I wonder if she still lives here?"

"I should certainly hope so!" a voice calls out from the left. Standing with a smile on her face was Hanna Murdoch "I'd recognize that hound anywhere, no matter how big he gets. You two, I could never forget."

Clive shuffles in place as she approaches, turning his head to the left, aware of all the eyes on them now as Hanna takes a closer look "It is good to see you again, Lady Hanna."

"Still the same little boy who wanted to be First Shield so desperately, aren't you, Clive?" she smiles, taking it all in "You sure have grown…used to be my Rodney would complain about how much of a stick you were during training. Now you've turned into a handsome man, isn't that right, Jill?"

Jill feels heat rising to her cheeks "Y-yes Clive has certainly grown up, if he were in Rosalith why he might just have to beat them off with a stick."

Hanna smirks knowingly at the younger woman before her. Still hopelessly in love with a hopelessly clueless young man. "What am I to do with you both?" she shakes her head in thought while Clive eyes Jill with some suspicion "Come along, we can talk more in private at the manor…assuming Torgal hasn't tried to break in from his usual spot again."

The 'usual spot' was a small gap in the wall that Torgal would often try to explore whenever Clive would bring him along on his trips to Eastpool as a boy. It didn't lead anywhere, but the number of times the curious pup would get stuck had been both more trouble than it was worth in Clive's opinion and an adorable side quest as Jill had put it.

"Lady Hanna," Clive begins "We don't wish to intrude but we really must be going."

"None of that," Hanna says, grabbing Clive by his wrist and dragging him along without protest "You are thirteen years overdue for a visit, and I will not wait another thirteen years before I see either of you again."

Clive looks back at Jill for help. The little girl he once knew would have tried her best to aid him. The young woman now travelling with him just covered her mouth and laughed into her hand. A pity that he did not get to hear that laughter again after so long.

Patience was not a virtue that Clive was known for. Forced to take a seat on the sofa in Murdoch Manor, a cup of tea set down before him untouched and Jill by his side…Clive honestly did not know how to respond. Hanna Murdoch was a force of nature. How could she not be? Her husband had been leading Rosaria on his own with all the powers at his disposal. The noble families had given him their support, pledged their loyalty in the face of betrayal. As Hanna put it, much had happened in the wake of Phoenix Gate.

"So, grandfather just handed the kingdom over?"

"That's right…when Rodney returned from Phoenix Gate with your chocobo, the first thing he did was summon the other lords to court. All of them showed, all of them but one. Old Gerald Cole had fled in the night, no one knew where to. All his household; servants and soldiers alike, all of them were gone too. To make matters worse, Duchess Anabella went missing at the same time."

Clive clenches his fists, thinking of the man he had grown up calling grandfather. Gerald to his memory was a hard man to please, always seeing every little failure as proof of unworthiness. "So, having his daughter be Duchess wasn't enough for him? He just had to sell us all out to the Imperials!"

"Clive…Gerald was never a kind man, but for him to have done something like this…you would need proof more than just his fleeing the kingdom." Hanna warns him "But everything does point to this. There's no denying that, but it's what happened to your mother that raises questions."

"Did he do something to the Duchess?" Jill blushes as Clive's eyes zero in on her immediately "I'm only curious if he might have harmed her…Clive, it is a possibility."

"Flames be praised, Anabella only seemed to act somewhat different the few times I had seen her before that night." Hanna sighs "Would that I could have seen her more often, but if her condition got worse…I cannot say that I know of anything that could have done that to anyone."

"Mother was…ill," Clive admits "Father always said he was looking into it. That her behavior made no sense to anyone in the castle. One second, she would be her old loving self and the next she would be…she was someone else."

Hanna frowned as she watched Clive's forehead furrow in thought. She knew him almost as well as his own parents did. He was thinking, none of it good, and brooding as usual. "Let's change the subject…something pleasant perhaps?"

Clive and Jill share an uneasy look "About that, Lady Hanna…Clive and I…there isn't really much good that we could share."

"Nonsense, I would say that you two being together again is all the good we need." She offers them a reassuring smile, right hand reaching down to scratch behind Torgal's ear as the hound takes up his age-old position near the older woman "This one hardly changed at all, always used to try to get attention for something like this when you would visit. You two seem just as inseparable as ever, has anything else occurred since you found one another again?"

Clive suddenly coughs, Jill's eyes flick to the right, away from him. "No, nothing of the sort. We are just…travelling together."

"You were always a terrible liar Clive," Hanna giggles, feeling all the younger with these two around "If you won't tell me what it is that's brought you here, perhaps you'll allow me to see that you are taken care of perhaps?"

"There is really no need for that…" Clive gulps, recognizing the stern look he is being given by the older woman "That is to say…we have been on the road a while. Perhaps we could rest here for the night?"

"I thought so." Hanna rises, Torgal following along "You can take the guest room upstairs, and before you leave in the morning Clive…Rodney and I have something here for you."

As she wanders off towards the kitchen Clive glances at his cold cup of tea and chuckles. All these years later and he still feels like a boy of seven coming here for the first time. "Thirteen years has done nothing to dull her instincts."

"I thought she might try to press a little further into our business here," Jill confesses with a nervous smile "Lady Hanna certainly is a force of nature."

"Say it often enough in my head, still doesn't feel like I have said it enough at all." Clive chuckles as he leans back "I can't help but wonder just what the others are up to right now."

Jill shakes her head, a fond smile on her face, as Lady Hanna returns with Torgal in tow. "I should hope that nothing unpleasant has happened since I left, though judging by Jill's face I would say she rather enjoys the company." Hanna gives the younger woman a knowing smile, Clive ever still unaware though he feels that familiar feeling of dread settling in his stomach "Now…Clive, you still remember where the bedroom is, I hope? It is getting late, and if you both want to be up and out before the village is awake then I suggest you get some rest while you can."

"Yes but…I really must protest this." Clive clamped his mouth shut as she gave him yet another look. Clearly, whatever boyish charm he had finally lost its luster and been replaced with charm he had yet to fully understand. "I…I'll show Jill to her room."

Before Clive could even get out of sight with an amused Jill behind him, he heard Lady Hanna's parting words "Your bed, Clive, there will be no sleeping outside of that room or on the floor."

Jill felt heat rushing to her cheeks, a smiling tugging at her face as she heard Clive grumble the rest of the way up the stairs. As the evening broke into the night, Jill could not keep herself from smiling as she watched Clive in an act of defiance attempt to set himself up against the wall of their room. "You could at least try and act like you will do as she says Clive."

"It would be improper," he says stubbornly, arms folded across his broad chest "Lady Hanna is…she means well, truly but she…she presumes too much."

"And just what, exactly, is she presuming too much about?"

Clive felt a chill in the air. A hesitant gaze strays towards Jill who looks at him with the interest a wolf might eye a rabbit. He would need to be cautious "I just feel that she may be overstepping her boundaries…implying that we are…you are a lady of a much higher station than a lowly Branded."

Clive winces, waving his left arm as a faint chill lingers in his forearm. He throws a heated glare at Jill who stares right back, her left arm extended "Oh? I'm sorry, Branded, did that hurt?"

"Jill! What has gotten into you?"

"Sometimes I swear you are still the same boy that I…" she cuts herself off, looking away while Clive frowns in confusion "Stop calling yourself a Branded, we both know you are no Bearer, Clive."

"Try telling the Empire that." Clive focuses on the floorboards. His mind wanders back to that night at Phoenix Gate, his last night in Rosalith, all the time that had come and gone "Jill?"

"Did you…" his mouth feels dry suddenly, he gives a nervous laugh "I'm not very good at this."

"No, no you are not." She laughs lightly "What is on your mind?"

"Did you ever look out at the stars at night?"

"Stars?" Her thoughts linger on the red star she always prayed to. Metia. "Almost every night…when I could anyway, with the Ironblood. Why?"

Clive frowns, dread settling within "Our promise…you remember?"

Recognition flashes behind her eyes "Oh! I…yes Clive…I remember."

"Thirteen years," he says, eyes cast down at his fists "Thirteen years of my life I spent hating that second Dominant, cursing their Eikon…all those years wondering who lived and who died…all that time in service to the Empire and the only light I had left was you."

"Clive?"

"If things had been different that night…you'd have been betrothed, wed by now and living with a man my father would have thought could make you happy." Clive chuckles "Even would have asked for you input too."

"What makes you think that I would have accepted?"

Clive did not have an answer for that. Like the young fool of a boy that he had been once, he had let his mind wander and his mouth with it. As always, he failed to ask what she wanted. Jill was no longer the young girl who looked to him for support or to support him. "What are you saying?"

"What if I didn't want whatever noble's son came before me?" she asks, back straightening as she stands as tall as she can before him "What if…what if my heart belonged to another man?"

Clive feels the heat building up, a dark feeling he felt quite often as a boy when he and Thorn would spar was rearing its ugly head yet again "Then he is a lucky man."

"Is that all you have to say!?" Jill's eyes widen, hands covering her mouth.

"No, I suppose its not…Jill, about that last night in Rosalith," Clive begins, face set, eyes determined as he looks into her gray eyes "I wanted so desperately to reassure you however I could. Truly, I did…but there are things that I…it wouldn't be proper if it happened."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Clive shuts his eyes. Wishing more than ever that Eddard Stark had kept it in his breeches and had not let his honor be forgotten just the one time at all. "I…I want nothing more than for you to be happy. Were I able to…were it…were it even something that would be accepted…"

The words die on Clive's tongue as he looks at her. The most honorable of men in Westeros gave up his honor, his vows to his young wife just once and brought him into the world. Could he truly forget his origins so easily? Just let go and do what his heart wanted him to? The heat in his chest was a blazing fire as he felt the words lingering in his mind. What was he so hesitant for?

"I would have courted you without a second thought," he blurts out. His own eyes wide as he stares at the look of shock on her face. They were out in the air now, no sense in holding back if this was where he fell on his proverbial sword "When Thorn and I would spar…it wasn't just a bout of training for us boys. Thorn swore he would be your knight protector, maybe even more if you wanted it…I just couldn't see you with anyone because…because I wanted to be that knight."

"Clive…do you…do you mean that?"

"What does it matter? Your heart belongs to another man, and he is lucky to have it," Jill wanted nothing more than to strangle the man before her as he spoke. Leave it to Clive to infuriate her and yet make her heart swell all within the span of minutes. "I shall always be ready to protect you, if you…that is to say…"

Jill sighs "Clive? Please, stop talking for just a few seconds, won't you?"

His mouth clamps shut. Oh, he had done it now. He had done what he had been dreading. He had spoken too much, been too casual about it all hadn't he? Clive could see her face twitching, rather her mouth was twitching as she struggled not to laugh at him. "Whatever you are going to say Jill…I do not regret the meaning of my words…only that I acted too rashly in saying them."

"Clive…you are the single most courageous knight I know," she begins, smiling at him "But you are also the most clueless of them all."

Clive opened his mouth to speak but promptly shut it before he could make a bigger fool of himself as Jill approached him. What's done is done. If there was no salvaging his foolishness, then he would have to live with the consequences of his actions. He felt the tension in his body building as she stared up at him, scrutinizing him no doubt. Perhaps plotting how best to freeze him in place before dealing some sort of punishment?

While Clive's mind wandered through every possible scenario wherein his words cost him greatly, Jill saw every opportunity that had passed her by as a girl present themselves again to her as a woman grown. When Clive resigned himself to his fate he expected to be slapped, berated even, or outright ignored the rest of the night. What he did not expect was to have her lips pressed against his own in a chaste kiss. The stupor he found himself in did serve a purpose, however, it made Jill laugh like she used to when they were kids.

"What…?"

"You may be one of the most dangerous men on a battlefield Clive…but you never knew what to do when a girl was involved." Jill gives him that mischievous smile of hers "All those years together, and you never figured out who it was I went to for comfort? For support?"

"I…uh…"

"Eloquent, Lord Marquess."

Clive glances past her, eyes locking with Torgal who almost seemed to be laughing at him. Perhaps it was his imagination, but she was right…he had no idea what he was doing. "Jill…but you said…but I'm not…I'm…"

"Clive. You are just Clive Rosfield, to me and anyone that matters, that is who you are." She cuts him off, getting directly to the point that he was trying to argue against "I do not care if you are Branded, no one in Rosaria that knows who you are will care. I do not care if some Imperial officer claims you to be their prisoner or their slave, I will fight by your side against them. I…I love you, Clive. You were the one knight I fancied throughout my time in Rosalith."

Clive felt heat building up in his face, and not from the flames of the Phoenix's blessing "I…I was? All this time…I thought perhaps it was Thorn. Or even one of the other shields."

"That night when you left for the Gate, I prayed to Metia for your safe return, to me…it was selfish of me at the time, I blamed my wish for what happened but when I heard from Tarja that you were the one who brought me back…I dare not question if my prayers had been answered, that you were alive, that you were back."

The next morning barely a word was spoken by the pair as they were greeted by a very smug Lady Hanna Murdoch. While nothing untoward had happened, nothing that could put the maiden status of Jill into question anyway, that did not mean that assumptions would not be made. If you asked Hanna, it was about time these two children stopped dancing around the subject. She would bet a few hundred gil that it was Jill who took the initiative because Clive was too stubborn to admit it immediately unless cornered.

One thing Jill was regretting was agreeing to wait outside with Lady Hanna in the early hours of the morning, a tired but somewhat attenuative Torgal resting by her side. The only fortunate part of this predicament was that the village of Eastpool for the most part was still sleeping in their beds. The one small mercy to be had, no one else would see Jill at Lady Hanna's mercy.

"You know, I think you might just thank me for this," the older woman muses with an impish smile "Finally have a good night's rest Jill?"

"I found the arrangements acceptable, yes."

"I would hope so, with how often you no doubt daydreamed of Clive's arms around you."

The Dominant of Shiva wanted nothing more than for the earth beneath her feet to open and swallow her whole. "I…don't know what you mean my lady."

"Poor Torgal looks like he did not sleep at all…I wonder why?"

Jill had never been more grateful for a distraction in her life as the door to Murdoch Manor opened slowly. Her breath caught in her throat; the smirk Hanna bore grew larger as she watched the interaction. "Clive…"

Clive approached the trio slowly, his body a bundle of nerves as he felt more than a little unworthy of this gift. "How do I look?" he asks as he stands before them.

Jill's eyes slowly worked their way down from his face to his feet and back up again. He wore dark trousers, black greaves covering his legs up to just a little past his knees; a red dress shirt covered his chest for the most part…her eyes did linger where a part of his upper chest was revealed, much to her own chagrin it seemed Lady Hanna had noticed her gaze lingering too long there…with the hints of a chainmail undershirt poking through in places. His arms were covered in black armor, Jill could see the individual segments that covered his hands just enough to protect but not to hinder him, all the way to his shoulders where a black cape of sorts was clasped. If he weren't being so shy, she might think he looked like the Archduke…but that shyness was all him, all Clive, her Clive.

"You look wonderful," she says carefully, having to mentally fight down the blush attempting to give away her thoughts "Like a proper First Shield."

Clive smiles at that, reaching for his shoulder he draws his new weapon, holding it aloft in the morning sunlight "Lady Hanna mentioned that father had left this all here years ago…but…are you sure it is alright for me to take it?"

Hanna nods, smiling at the poor boy "You are his son Clive, Elwin would want you to have them. A sword forged for a Dominant of the Phoenix and the garb of a Rosarian Royal, both designed to withstand the powers of the Phoenix. You wear them well."

"Thank you, Lady Hanna, you…you've done us both a great service."

"Think nothing of it," she says, dismissing the notion of being owed any sort of favor "You both are children to me and Rodney, but you will always find you have our support. This is just me showing that support."

"We won't let you down," Jill says, stepping up beside Clive, giving him another once over "If there is any way that we can repay you…"

"No repayment is needed, just…just make sure that you both stay together. Whatever it is that brought you back here…It must be important if it is keeping you from truly returning home. Do not let it take you from us for good, not for a very long time."

Clive smiles, Torgal coming up to his side "We won't…we'll return, one day. I swear it."

Hanna smiles, seeing not the grown adults and their wolf but the young children and their puppy for a faint moment "I know you won't…you always keep a promise when you make it Clive."

She watched the three as they made their way north through the village. Phoenix Gate was their destination and with it came more trauma for Clive than anyone could ever understand, but Hanna knew he would get through it. After all, that boy was far too stubborn to just take the punishment and not overcome it. "I just hope you don't lose yourself from this Clive."

The final approach to Phoenix Gate was, in Clive's mind, the most daunting task he had ever undertaken in his life up to that point. He was restless, as evidenced by the way he felt the heat building up within him, and he was afraid. Afraid of what he might find in the ruins, afraid of what may be told to him by this 'God' R'hllor. Clive Rosfield was afraid, and no number of reassuring words from Jill or comforting gestures from Torgal would soothe those fears that haunted him.

"When we get there," he began as he could see one of the towers of the fallen castle just over the hill "I know not what awaits, but if we…"

"We shall face it together, Clive," Jill was trying her best to be reassuring. She gave his hand a firm squeeze but she herself was in the same boat as him. They both lost their family in a way. Neither of them had made it through that night without losing someone they loved in more ways than one. "Whatever it is, I will be right here beside you."

Clive hardened his resolve, a calming breath to soothe the flames within him as the trio made their way down into the ruins. The castle was still a mess, nothing more than the remains of that fateful night. The years, however, had been kind to the land. Most of the damage done by the flames, by the battling Eikons had not kept the ground around them scorched and battle-scarred. Now only the craters from the Phoenix's attacks remained. The walls were still in clear states of disrepair, storehouses collapsed upon themselves and in the center of the courtyard there was a campfire….

"We are not alone here," Clive says with an edge to his voice, hand reaching for his sword.

Jill and Torgal were on edge. Trusted hound ready and baring his fangs while the Dominant of Ice readied her rapier. Clive draws Invictus, readying for a fight as he hears a sound he had not expected to hear in this place. Laughter. He tenses as he sees just seven knights stepping out from their cover in the ruins ahead of him.

"That's far enough stranger!" one calls out to him "Or should we instead call you Lord Marquess?"

Clive felt confusion roll over him at those words. Far as he was aware no one should know who he was…true enough, in his father's old clothes he certainly looked more the part of a Rosarian Noble, but then…who got the word out as to his identity? "And just who is it that speaks before me?"

The lead knight removes his helmet, a head of blonde hair cut short, and a smug smirk directed right back at Clive. "Been a while kid, you've grown up."

"Sir Rex?" Clive felt his heart racing, eyes moving to the other knights before him "Then…the rest are…"

One by one, helmets were removed; Colt, Cody, Thorn, even Tyler and Wade were present. Even behind him were knights, each one of them bearing the colors of Rosaria and sharing a bond that Clive too bore. "They are all Shields," Jill gasps, feeling tears beginning to sting at the corner of her eyes.

"Each and every one of us," Cody says proudly "Some who were here that night, many who were back in Rosalith. We received a message from one of our guards out by Martha's Rest, said that they had spotted travelers that matched your description."

"We didn't believe them at first," Colt says "But the description of the hound they were with, along with a letter from Lady Hanna talking about Phoenix Gate…we couldn't think of anyone else it could be. So, we packed our things and set out at once, a lot of us here were stationed to protect the ruins already."

"All this time?" Clive can't help but ask as he turns, taking in each face he sees "You all…why?"

"Some of us wanted to repent from our failure," Tyler winces, a shadow of the pain he endured that night flashing across his face as he rubs his side at that old injury "Archduke Elwin fell here, cut down by traitors who would dare call themselves Shields of the Duchy. Wade and I did our best…but we only managed to protect the young prince."

"Sir Tyler…" Tyler and Wade both looked to be wracked with guilt over that night, Clive would even dare to say nearly as much as he was. "What happened that night…it was not any of your faults. None of you failed in your duties…the blame lies with someone else."

"Someone else my lord?" one of the knights Clive didn't recognize asked.

"Who is it?" Rex looked ready for a fight, his eyes burning with an excited fury as he took a step forward, drawing his axes "Who is responsible for this!?"

Clive chuckles, shaking his head as he looks towards the sky above and feeling the sun on his face "I do not know their name, but…as remarkable as it is to think…a second Dominant of Fire killed my brother right here at Phoenix Gate…least, that is what I remember of that night."

"With respect my lord, you might want to start from the beginning, so we all are on the same page." Clive acquiesced to Cody's solid logic. So began his retelling of events from that night. How he, Sir Gregor and Lord Murdoch were a distraction so the others could escape. How Gregor had stayed with him when he went to confront Joshua. All the way down to the last thing he remembered seeing after he had blacked out, how a flaming Eikon shoved its hand through the Phoenix and reduced Phoenix Gate to the sorry state they now saw it in.

"And that is all I remember…after that I woke up in an Imperial wagon, didn't properly regain my senses until they were forcing me into the service." Clive clenches his fists "I spent thirteen years serving those snakes…kept under watch in case I tried to make a run for it."

The last of the Shields of Rosaria were gathered around the campfire. Tyler cooking up a small stew for the lot of them. Jill and Torgal flanked Clive, offering what little support they could give as he gave out the details of his service to the Empire of Sanbreque. None of the knights looked pleased at what they heard. What it was that had everyone so upset Clive could only guess at, but he was certain of one thing. These men were no traitors.

"And the Brand?" Rex gestures at his own unblemished face "Why did they do that? Knowing you, you could kill anyone they might send to kill you for running off, it would be a waste of their time to even bother with that."

Clive chuckles "An Imperial Captain that I had offended it seems, he had me confined to a solitary cell in the middle of the night. I was starved, beaten, and then dragged out at the end of the week just to be held down and branded in a public display for the crime of saving a Bearer's life from an angry mob. Never mind that two of our men died on that mission, or that he had the Bearer killed…James deserved better than to be cut down like cattle because of some self-perceived slight."

"But then why have you returned here to Phoenix Gate?" Thorn cups his chin "While we are all more than overjoyed to see you, Lady Warrick and Torgal alive…why come here exactly?"

"Would you believe me if I said that a God of Fire wishes for me to enter the Apodytery and learn just what it is that he has to tell us all?"

There was an abrupt silence around the fire. Tyler looked like he was in the most awkward position as he stirred the pot of stew, the only sounds being that of the fire itself and his stirring. Wade gave an awkward cough. The once young and novice shield having grown some into a respected fighter in service to the Duchy. "My lord…no one is saying you are crazy for this but…well…a God is a bit um…"

"Farfetched?"

"Yes…we believe you about the second Eikon, but if a God were to ask this of you…only the Phoenix may enter the Apodytery."

"Does he not carry the blessing of the Phoenix?" Jill's question brought them all up short "Honestly…I might not have seen this God, but we all know Clive…he would not lie about this."

"Not well anyway," Rex mutters under his breath, receiving an elbow to his side from Cody "Right! You need to get into the Apodytery, well we won't find out just sitting by a fire."

Clive shakes his head, a fond smile on his face "Thank you Cody for getting this one back into working order," there was a chuckle from the assembled knights "Alright Sir Rex, show us the way."

"What is this place?"

Clive felt like smacking himself upside the head. Of course, he and the other shields were not surprised by what stood before them in these sacred halls. They had seen it many times over their lives, stood watch by it just as many too. But Jill wasn't a shield. She had never been down here before, stood before it and felt so small and yet as large as any mountain due to the important task laid out for them all.

"Right…you've never been down here," he begins as Rex, Cody, Colt and Thorn assume their position by the Gate. "This is the Hall of the Gate…it's a Fallen relic, we don't know how it works but that only a Dominant of the Phoenix can enter it…once inside, they can commune with the ancestors and learn from them a wisdom that may help in times of war. It is our way but if R'hllor wants us to come here…I dread to think of what awaits within."

"And Joshua was supposed to come here then…" Jill frowns, eyes taking in the details of the Gate, the crystals embedded within its structure "To think the Fallen would build something like this."

Clive slowly approaches the Gate, standing just before it with his eyes locked on the crystal within. "Beyond this…the words of our ancestors will be heard, as well as the will of a God. Starting to think I was not prepared enough for this."

That comment brought a laugh out of three of the four shields that accompanied them down. Cody shakes his head, the first to gather his senses "You learned everything that we could teach you, my lord. No better student among the squires we trained than you."

"Cody is right," Rex chimes in "None took to the sword like you did. Shame too, you could have been good with any weapon had you applied half as much time as you did the blade."

Clive shakes his head, embarrassment from the praise clear on his face "I was only so good because my teachers were the best. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Were that it was true," Thorn laments "You outclassed all of us. I only became a knight before you because of my age and experience. You had me beat in skill even then."

Clive turns to Jill for support, finding none of it amongst his fellow shields. The young woman he had come to admire and over time be at true peace with offered him no such support. She was enjoying this far too much, as was Torgal who barks from her side. "Traitors. All of you are traitors."

"Well then, allow us to redeem ourselves, my lord?" Rex was teasing, but Clive knew there was a hint of seriousness to his voice "We shall stand guard here, as is our duty. You might not be the Phoenix…but you have an important job ahead of you, the least we can do is ensure that the way is clear when you return."

"Till the end Clive, we will stand watch," Cody assures him with a curt nod of his head.

Clive sighs, eyes gazing up at the Gate one last time "Let's get this over with then," he places his left hand over the crystal in the Gate. The crystal lights up, illuminating the hall before the same light spreads throughout the Gate itself. The individual pieces of the Gate began to slide and shift around, rearranging themselves as individual parts slide back behind the stonework of the wall. Clive glances at his hand, offering a silent prayer for his brother as the way ahead was clear.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Never more," he says as he takes that first step forward. Jill and Torgal follow close behind, passing him as he takes one last look back at the loyal shields that stand ready to protect the Gate. The path was direct as the Gate shut behind them. Crystal lining the walls lit up as they walked past, the narrow hall leading to a wide-open room…a dead end.

"What do we do now?" Jill asks, she and Torgal standing in the center as Clive approaches "No doors…is this where we commune with R'hllor?"

"No," he says, eyes focused on a crystal in the floor "Something tells me this is not the end of it…not yet."

The crystal begins to glow, the floor beneath their feet shaking as they begin to descend. The floor, a platform, taking them down deeper into the Apodytery. Jill didn't know how Clive could remain so serious as the walls around them stopped but the platform they were on continued going down. Eventually, their view opened to a chasm of columns deep within the earth. Torgal howls, the sound echoing all around them as the platform comes to an abrupt stop.

"This can't be it…" Clive catches himself as the platform jerks forward. "Blasted thing…if this is his idea of a joke, I am not amused."

"I'm sure a Fire God would be shaking in his boots at that," Jill flashes him a smile, Clive huffs as the platform comes to a final stop "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be…hopefully this won't be for nothing."

Clive felt the flames within burning as they approached a mural depicting what looked like the Eikons. Nine Eikons in total, ranging from the Phoenix all the way to the Lost Eikon, Leviathan. Clive found his eyes settling on the Eikon above them all, that infernal monster from Phoenix Gate.

"Clive?"

"It's here," he grits his teeth, feeling the flames pulsing within "Why…why is that thing here!?"

"I should think it obvious." Clive's hand goes for Invictus as he hears that voice, that same patronizing tone of R'hllor "This is the origin of your salvation, this is my resting place."

"Resting place?" Clive scoffs "This is the Apodytery, where every Dominant of the Phoenix comes in times of war to commune with the ancestors, to hear their wisdom before going off to battle."

"So it is," R'hllor appears in a flash of fire, hood still in place "Then perhaps this will ease your mind," the God snaps his fingers. Jill and Clive tensed in anticipation of a fight that never came.

Clive was ready to attack at a moment's notice, Jill and Torgal sharing that sentiment completely as another voice joined their little meeting. "Where…am I? What is this place?"

Clive felt his sword arm go slack as a new shape took form beside the Fire God. It was transparent but…it still retained the shape he knew so well in life. A shape he last had seen on that fateful night. "F-father?"

Elwin Rosfield, in all his spectral glory, studied this strange man before him wearing the very same clothes he had left with Hanna Murdoch all those years ago. He had been very direct with his instructions; they were only to be handed down to one of his children…the boys. "Clive? Clive is that…is it truly you, my son?"

"How do I know this isn't some illusion? A spell of some kind?"

"I doubt an illusion would remember all the trouble you and Rex got into when you were a boy," Elwin gave that same reassuring smile that was halfway to a smirk. The same one he'd give Clive whenever his mother was present and he was supposed to be punished for his antics instead of encouraged "You've grown up…look at you…no longer that scared little boy, you truly carry yourself as a First Shield should."

Jill frowned in concern as she watched Clive's body give the faintest of hints that nothing in the man was fine in this moment. His shoulders gave the tiniest of shakes as he kept himself composed. His mouth was dry, he was blinking back tears as he took in the sight of his long-fallen father. "If you are finished with this reunion, we have much to discuss," and there was the ever-present deity ruining the moment.

Clive felt the flames roaring within him "What gives you the right to interrupt!? You…you bring my father back as nothing more than a ghost, a specter, and expect me to heed what you say?"

"What I have done is offer you the same service as I have offered those who came before you to this place, a chance to speak with the ancestors."

Before Clive could open his mouth again and cause more trouble, Jill placed her hand on his shoulder and eased him back to reality without the anger he felt burning within him. The two shared a look, an unspoken request shared before he steps back from the god. "Please, we won't argue, just tell us what it is you wished for us to know."

"So, The Mother has more sense than The Champion," R'hllor muses "Very well then. I shall show you why you are here."

With the snap of his fingers R'hllor made the area around them explode with color. Gone was the darkness of the depths of the Apodytery, now there was only rolling green fields, birds singing over head and the cool breeze of a…northern wind. "This is where it all began. In the beginning this world was barren, but the intervention of myself and the Old Gods brought life to this world. We nurtured them for centuries, watching them grow and thrive…we grew arrogant however, and let Life spread across this world thinking it would be easy to control and guide for eternity."

Clive watched as people flocked into the scene around them. Men and women, children and the elderly…they all dressed in furs of some kind, going about their own activities as a village slowly sprouted up around them. Torgal, poor Torgal, even tried to play with the images he was seeing, chasing after other dogs and trying to play with children that weren't even real.

"Eventually, the truth of what we had made was brought to light." The scene shifts again. Jill covers her mouth, eyes wide in shock as a man is bound to a tree, a group of shorter people encircling him. One of them armed with a knife black as night approaches him, muttering in a language she did not recognize before plunging the knife into the man's chest. "Our first great success was the Children, they assisted us in nurturing Life, took care of the Old Gods and protected their trees…but when Man came into heir territory, came across the sea to Westeros it began something dark."

"They killed them," Clive says, speaking with an awe he had not had since his youth when stories of the Children and legends of the North would be read to him and Robb. "They killed the First Men."

"They did worse yet, my Champion. They sacrificed them in rituals, hoping to drive their kin away from their lands, to force them back across the sea." The scene shifted again, snow covering the ground around them as another man struggled against his bindings "In time, their sacrifice created something far worse than we had anticipated. The amount of Life that had been taken by force, used for these rituals, had birthed an entity we foolishly welcomed as one of us…a God of Death, Darkness, and Ice. We only ever called him the Great Other. Upon his birth, we guided him…but as the sacrifices continued, his power grew until with one final sacrifice he claimed his Champion."

Elwin grimaces as the struggling man is killed, his body stilling as his blood stains the snow red. The Children rejoice at another success for themselves. Their joy, however, was short lived as the body stirred, ice blue eyes glaring at them as the chains that bound his flesh began to freeze over before snapping as he freed himself. "What sort of monster is he?"

"He is the Night King," R'hllor informs as said Night King proceeds to slaughter his tormenters "When the Great Other created him, he bound his existence to the greatest of his life givers, his people. For centuries he built his forces, gathering the dead to serve as his personal army until the time came thousands of years ago for a war to begin between the living and the dead. We thought him vanquished, the Great Other no more…we were wrong."

"Wrong? How could you, a God, be wrong?" Clive asks with a flippant edge to his voice "You mean to tell me that the legends of the North are true? That the White Walkers are real, and you say that they are not in fact dead and gone?"

"We were arrogant," R'hllor confesses "After the end of the War for the Dawn we believed peace to be restored…but I could still feel his presence. In time, worship of me spread throughout Essos but worship of new Gods was spreading and eventually it reached Westeros. Millenia ago, these Seven came to Westeros, and in time their worshippers disrupted Life again. Children were forced into hiding beyond the Wall, First Men were persecuted for worshipping the Old Gods…and they too were cut down. Now only we few remain, me, the Seven, a handful of Old Gods and the Drowned God. But I am the only one who yet remains awake."

"And what happened to the rest? If you are awake, then…can they be awakened?"

"Perhaps. But their existence is not what concerns me, only defeating the Great Other is what matters. To protect and preserve Life itself by defeating he who would disrupt it and corrupt the natural order."

Clive grits his teeth, fists clenched "How can you…how can you be so cold as to disregard your own kind like that!? Are you not a God!? How could you think that without the others…that we could do any of what you demand of us!?"

"Because you are my Champion. Azor Ahai reborn, the Prince that was Promised…my Champion. Ifrit." That single word affected Clive as a headache threatens to split his skull open. He hunches over, grasping at his head, screaming in pain "You still are not yet ready, but soon your body shall refine what you have not."

"R-refine!?"

Jill and Elwin moved to his side, one able to support her love while the other harmlessly felt his hands pass through his eldest's shoulders. Torgal snarls at the God, daring him to make a move for his master. "I shall show you the truth of that night, so that you might be more willing to cooperate."

Elwin felt the heat against his corporeal form. He almost thought he were alive again as the snowy fields melted away, replaced with the stonework of the very castle above them back in its prime. He could see the stars again, glittering in the night sky above them. But more importantly, he could hear the flapping of great wings and the cries of the Phoenix. "Joshua?"

Jill gasps in shock as she too sees the Phoenix in its glory over Phoenix Gate "But this is…this is the Night of Flames? This is…Clive!"

Clive winces as he looks up, seeing his younger self struggling with a headache the same as he was now. "I know this night…I have lived this every night for thirteen years…what do you hope to gain here R'hllor!"

"Your cooperation," the god responds as the flames ahead of young Clive form into a body "I required you to grow, to be ready for the battle that is to come. You were not ready and so I took matters into my own hands."

Young Clive faints, body dropping like a sack of flour, just before the burning man explodes into a column of fire. They all watch as out of the fire arises that same beast Clive had been hunting all these years. With its burning talons, rocky tail and magma dripping from its body, the Infernal Eikon that killed Joshua. What Clive did not expect however was to witness this great burning beast to do battle so clearly with the Phoenix.

"Stop it…stop it!" he cries out as the scene shifts to that same cliff where he saw his brother's last moments.

"How can I stop what you desired so intensely?"

"W-what?"

Elwin watched in shock as the Infernal Eikon burst from the ground, crushing part of the castle walls in its fall. All the while his boy, his youngest, the Phoenix made manifest hovered above and prepared to finish the beast off. As the attack was launched, burning bolts of Aether impacting the ground, Elwin frowns as the beast dodges the attack and leaps for the Phoenix. "What madness is this? This…this Eikon…what is it?"

"That is Ifrit," R'hllor's words make Clive's blood run cold "That…is you, Clive Rosfield."

Clive couldn't believe it. He refused to…he…he was on the cliff, wasn't he? He had witnessed this battle with his own eyes. He was with Torgal when it happened. There was a little bark and whimper. Clive glanced down to the side, witnessing a small puppy Torgal bark and whimper as he witnessed the battle…but where was Clive? He was supposed to be here…he…he had to be.

"This doesn't make any sense…I was here…I ordered Torgal to run away…to get to safety! So then where am I…where am I R'hllor!?"

"You are where you said you are." The Fire God gestures at the puppy "You are a peculiar one Clive Rosfield, the blood of your ancestors that once lay dormant awakened within you for this one moment. You, Clive Rosfield warged with your companion and saw this night through his eyes."

"I…I warged…but that's not…no…no, no…I…I couldn't be. I can't be!"

Jill rushes to his side, doing her best to comfort him in this moment of madness made manifest. She could hear the cries of the Phoenix, the roars of Ifrit…she could hear it all as Torgal's puppy body barked with an insistent need. "If Clive is…was, in Torgal's body…then what about his real body?"

"My Champion's health was my greatest concern. I shielded him from the battle, so that his physical form might live to see the morrow."

"But if Clive's body was still in the castle and his mind was within the hound…then how can he be Ifrit!?" Elwin glared at the God of Fire. All powerful or not, responsible for his being here now or not…he would not yield to this arrogant being before him.

"My Champion requires strength, power, to be strong enough for the battles yet to come. While he slumbered, I forged a duplicate to serve my needs without risk to the true Child of Fate, one that could grow and in turn strengthen him for his destiny." R'hllor surely was smiling as he spoke "Soon, he will be strong enough for Ifrit and the duplicate will no longer be needed. Soon, the Great Other's demise shall awaken within him, and the world will be free of the Long Night."

"Is that all I am to you?" R'hllor regards Clive carefully as the man stands slowly "Am I just a tool to you? A puppet on a string, waiting for your next command? You…you used me…my body, to kill my brother!"

The flames burst to life, engulfing Clive as he glared at the God. Jill had to step back quickly as the heat rose to a point that even Shiva could not protect her from at such proximity. Elwin watched his eldest slowly approach, drawing his sword as he garnered the full attention of divinity.

"You are the one who will finish them, to usher in a new Dawn for the world and free it of his shadow. Why do you resist your Fate?"

"I resist nothing," he says, gripping Invictus tightly in his hand "I won't allow those abominations to live…but you? You I refuse to work with. You copied me…you manipulated me…you are why Joshua is dead! I will suffer you, no longer!"

Clive made to swing at R'hllor, the Fire God standing his ground as the blade came down for his head…and stops short. Clive froze, the anger behind his eyes dimming as he stares into he transparent eyes of his father Elwin. The deceased Archduke gives a sad smile, shaking his head slowly as Clive lowers his weapon.

"Why?"

"Much as I would like nothing more than to see the being that forced my sons to fight, that saw one live such a hard life…Joshua is not dead, my son. Of that, you can rest assured."

Clive was floored, Invictus clattering against the floor "He…he lives? Truly?"

"I am dead Clive…of that I cannot argue, but in my time amongst the ancestors I saw every soul of House Rosfield that has come before, even your namesake…but not once did I see Joshua amongst them." Elwin cast a glance over his shoulder at the hooded god "That is what you neglected to tell him isn't it? That your pawn had failed to kill my son."

"The copy was only doing what Clive wanted in that moment. To make the Phoenix stop fighting. How he went about it was his own decision, not because I wanted the Phoenix dead. Whatever happens to the other Eikons will affect the outcome of our conflict. I need them all alive to serve their roles in this, as do you."

"That still doesn't give you the right to copy me just so you have a puppet that does your bidding!" Clive snaps, flames coming to life around him again as his anger rises "What say you to that then? What do you plan to do once this fight is over…what happens to the copy?"

"It will join with you; its strength will become your strength as intended. You shall become one before the final battle, no more and no less. I only desire to see the Great Other be vanquished, not to control a single mortal forever."

Clive frowns, slowly sheathing his blade as he and Jill share a look. R'hllor was not winning any favors, he certainly did not have their respect or their loyalty but if what he had shown them was true…this would complicate many of their plans for the immediate future. "Cid will never go for this."

"What the Father thinks on the subject matters not, only that you fulfill your destiny and win the War for the Dawn." Clive kept his glare trained on the god "…I will allow you a moment, until we meet again, Ifrit."

R'hllor's body burnt up, consumed in fire before vanishing. Elwin could feel a slow building chill as he was left amongst the living for this moment in time. "He certainly isn't what I expected a god to be like…but we should use this moment while we have it, tell me, what all have I missed?"

So, Clive and Jill informed Elwin's ghost of what had transpired while he had been dead. He listened attentively to every detail. To his credit, Elwin only cursed his good father's name when he heard of what had happened to his beloved Anabella, and then again when he heard the tale of how Clive received his brand. But there was a glimmer of hope for the late Archduke of Rosaria. His boys were alive, not together now but alive and well.

"And with what R'hllor has said…I suppose we will be going to Westeros to gather allies for that battle with the army of the dead," Clive sighs "To think this all began because I thought Lord Stark might offer his aid in Rosaria's defense…I was a fool to think it so simple as that."

"Clive," Elwin begins carefully "You did everything your mother and I could ever have asked you to. You stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves, you risked your life to save people who would not hesitate to stab you in the back, you fought to the last moment with all your strength to save your brother and you saved the woman you love from a life of bondage or worse…I think you not a fool, but an honest man doing what is right. Be proud of who you are, Clive, not what some god says you should be."

"He's right you know," Clive cracks a faint smile as Jill says that, coming up to his side "You have done more than anyone would expect of you given the circumstances…and you still want to do more, it's an admirable trait to have Clive."

Torgal gave a bark of his own in support of his master. Elwin threw his head back and laughed "Were I alive, I'd see Torgal gets a juicy steak for all the trouble he's gone through to look after you." Elwin glances at his arms, growing more transparent with the seconds that passed them by "Seems I have overstayed my welcome…my time draws near to return to the ancestors…Clive, Jill…wherever you both shall go, know that I will always support you both. And tell your brother, that he will make a fine Archduke, if he ever remembers that he has you to support him as well."

Clive didn't shed a tear as Elwin's ghostly form slowly faded from this realm of the living. That's the story he would tell any who asked him. No one would argue against it. Not Torgal, not Jill and not Clive himself. For her part, Jill let her love silently mourn his father; all the hope that he had left for the man's survival having been crushed by his appearance. R'hllor was an arrogant god that cared not for what happened to mortals so long as his enemy was defeated, and balance restored. While there was a kindness in bringing Elwin to this world just for the sake of proving his identity…Clive found there was a cruelty to the act that was unmatched by even Jardin having him branded.

"We should return to the others," he says as his tears had dried "If we hurry, we may reach Martha's Rest before nightfall…or at the least, stop there on our way to Port Isolde."

AN: …ok, show of hands, who here has started to form a mob because of this one? I'll cut to the chase before someone comes at me for this; What I have done here is give a creation mythos for this combined universe, not unlike what exists in any mythology with Gods appearing over time and nurturing life, I did take liberties obviously as the show and books vary on their details there.

The creation of the Others, the Great Other being a part of this in a bigger capacity of sorts; there are of course details I did not go into as they are not important in this moment or for this interpretation of R'hllor who is in fact not as blatantly Evil as every God in a JRPG like Final Fantasy or Persona but is more Neutral. Does that mean he is not bad? No, nor does it mean he is good either. He only cares about his goal, his objective which is the destruction of the Great Other and his worshippers ensuring he dies for good. There's a lot more than 20 chapters in this story, how many exactly I don't even know but I can say that depending on how this all goes there is still time for him to be a villain…but don't hold your breath just in case that doesn't happen. He will not, however, be a main hero, that much I can tell you as I never planned for a deity to be a bigtime hero here.

Regarding the lovebirds confessing...I never once claimed to be an expert at writing romance. I was actually going to ask for some assistance in that field, but my first choice probably wouldn't have taken to that idea so suddenly, and my second has more of a specialty with the uh…more lemon based romance…if you can call it that. If you were looking for any sort of sex scenes, read George's actual works or watch Game of Thrones with subtitles on. I don't write it, I try to keep my work as close to 'for all ages' as possible but with my penchant for combat and violence…we typically struggle keeping my work for younger audiences, sorry kids but this is a more adult level of fighting and violence. Like DBZ before the censors got to it…and idk if that counts as a spoiler yet or not, we'll see…hopefully.

Update: Official count is 12,262 words…give or take a few, minus Authors note of course. Which means this chapter is actually 2 chapters long….please don't get used to that length. Also we hit 100 favorites with the last chapter...and just one review away from an Order 66 joke to be made if I knew one.

With that said…let's get to the reviews, shall we?

furvustocs: Good to see you haven't given up on this story yet. I don't know anything about what DLC may or may not be coming or what it will include. For all I know the DLC could in fact alter the ending of the game or even add in new characters that change how the events play out normally. What I can say is I do have a list of Eikons, as well as Dominants, for the future…not going to give out any details on which summons become Eikons or what their corresponding element is…most follow the standard for their incarnations, but a few are different…one in particular does play a big part in what you and the other readers have been waiting for.

Hakuryukou79: So…I can immediately cross Fenrir off that list as Torgal does still exist with his little transformation. Can't really say it's a spoiler, just how our trusted dog companion is inside and out. As for the rest…some of those are on the right track and some are not. I can however give an estimation of how long it will be until the first Eikon vs Eikon fight happens, roughly it will be after the war begins, I can safely say that much, but the Dominants might appear before then…or perhaps they already have appeared…who knows?

Jebest4781: …you did this one different just because I said something didn't you? Moving right along…yes, new sets of foes are coming and have already made some minor appearances though none were proper introductions yet. The subject of Anabella, you are on the right track…I have been avoiding anything with Brynden Rivers just because he is used so often, wanted something a bit different though it isn't an absurd choice like say, making Bran king of the Seven Kingdoms because the capital is now handicap friendly…seriously, anyone reading this, THAT is NOT happening here. Anyway…big plans are coming, wont spoil what as always but next few chapters this plot is rolling and it aint stopping soon.