Sorry for the delays. In addition to still dealing with health issues (again) this is my third time rewriting this chapter. In addition, I ended up rewriting the outlines for both Chapters Ten and Eleven (again). But I think the story will flow even better now.

Part Three

The Three Little Pigs, Second Edition

The Cast

Narrator: Lanny

The Wolf: Ciana

First Pig: James

Second Pig: Freyr

Third Pig: Ichirou

—

Lanny sighed as a spotlight shined over him. "At least I'm not one of the pigs this time…"

"Hey Lanny, Desiree is here!" A soldier shouted from the audience, earning loud laughter.

"There once was a family of three pigs who left home to start their own lives!" Lanny frantically blurted out. "They m-made their houses of straw, sticks, and brick but then a wolf came along and ruined everything!"

"Lanny, slow down!" Nāṭaka loudly hissed to him.

The stage lights came up, revealing James standing underneath the flimsy house of straw stage prop in front of the green countryside background. "There is no finer house than a house of straw!" he spoke in a proud and theatrically dramatic voice.

Ciana stiffly walked on from stage left. "Ruff, ruff," she said blandly.

"Ciana, you have lines!" Nāṭaka said desperately.

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!" James declared proudly.

"Ruff, rawr," Ciana responded in a dull voice.

"Oh dear," Tidur said softly.

"Ciana didn't seem upset about being cast as the Wolf," Esther whispered. "But I guess she was!"

Despite her lack of enthusiasm, Ciana still walked over and flicked at the straw house prop. It predictably collapsed easily and the stage lights lowered.

"Uh—ah—uh—the first pig house was eaten by the wolf but the wolf was still hungry and so um, uh, he traveled and found the uh, er, stick pig's house," Lanny rambled embarrassedly.

"I don't think this is turning out the way Nāṭaka thought it would," Roen whispered.

"When has it ever?" Felicity whispered back.

The stage lights came up again, revealing Freyr standing underneath the stick house stage prop. He looked embarrassed to be onstage. "M-My house of sticks is the b-b-b-est house there ever was!"

Ciana returned to the stage, her expression still blank and bored. "Ruff, rawr," she deadpanned.

Freyr gaped at her with a frozen expression. After a moment he jolted as though he'd suddenly come awake. "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

"Grr," Ciana responded, and walked over to knock over the stick house prop and the lights lowered again.

Lanny didn't initially notice his cue because he had found Desiree in the audience and he stood frozen on the stage staring at her. In a fit of frustration, Nāṭaka grabbed a nearby stuffed animal and threw it at Lanny. The toy bounced off the top of Lanny's head and the theatre patrons shrieked with laughter. Lanny snapped out of his trance and his face turned darker crimson. "So the wolf ate the other pig but the wolf was still hungry so he went looking for another pig to eat!" he quickly shouted.

The stage lights came up again, revealing Ichirou standing underneath the brick house stage prop. "I have the b-best house in the world!" Ichirou shouted. "No one can withstand a house of bricks built through time and hard work! YEAH!" he added.

Ciana returned to the stage. "Bark, bark."

"Ciana, say your line or else I will NEVER cast you in a play again!" Nāṭaka shouted. The theatre fell silent.

Ciana turned to looked at Nāṭaka. "Do you promise?" She asked. Nāṭaka responded with a scream of outrage and she threw her copy of the script into the air, pages flying everywhere.

"Hey, wait!" Ichirou protested. "I haven't finished my lines!"

At the back of the theatre Sloan was rubbing both hands over his face. "…Ciana used to love acting in plays. The damage I've done to my daughter…I'll never forgive myself for it!"

"I-I think it's the part she was casted in and not because of acting in general," Adalgiso reassured him. "There aren't many 7 year old girls who would want to play a wolf in a play like this!"

Desiree idly picked up a piece of paper off the floor and read it. "Ah," she said cheerfully. "Nāṭaka had changed the ending."

—

Three days later…

"Another trip?" Daunte asked.

"Rumors are flying about your return of course, but activity within the Holy Army has been subdued," Caesar said. "Morale is at a historic low for them."

"They have yet to notice the over 100,000 former Holy Army soldiers who were supposed to be dead alive and well here," Chinmaya said.

"So we may as well take this opportunity to visit a new place," Caesar said. "They will mostly likely know that we've rebuilt the Army by the time we come back so I feel it's time to visit one last new location."

"A-Are we—do you want to go to Harmonia?" Daunte asked.

Caesar quickly shook his head. "That would not be a good idea right now considering you have a True Rune. Harmonia is a lovely country but as Nash confirmed for us the government wants your Rune. It wouldn't be safe for you to go there."

"So then where…?"

"The Islands Nation Federation," Caesar said. "Elenor Silverberg thought they were worth sacrificing her life for, and the islands are in a lovely tropical climate, so I think it would benefit us to go."

"I would love to go," Daunte said. "But I think I've made a decision about the type of government I think this country should have after the war is over."

"You do?!" Chinmaya exclaimed. "Please tell us!"

"Hold up," Caesar said, raising a hand. "Let's get a few more victories under our belt before we start planning the new government. We don't want to jinx ourselves."

"…Fair point," Chinmaya conceded reluctantly.

"And back to your point that's fine," Caesar said, smiling. "I'm glad you made a decision. That will actually be easier for us anyway as we won't need to deal with so much red tape. And we don't need to visit every island, just a handful of them. I spoke with Hero and he said he made some modifications with the rebuild of the skyship that will allow him to land and depart from water. We can depart at anytime if you wish."

Daunte folded his arms over his chest and thought about for a moment. Is it okay for me to leave so soon? I was in a coma for three months and the entire Army reunited less than a week ago.

The wind howled loudly outside. Daunte could hear snow hitting the windowpane. Well…Caesar said that it was a tropical climate, right?

"Okay," Daunte said, nodding. "I would love to go, but I don't want to be away longer than a week."

"A week is perfect," Caesar agreed. "I'll go with you since this was my idea."

"I'll take care of things here while you both are gone," Chinmaya added.

"Who would you like to bring with you in the party?"

"Arin would never forgive me if I left him behind," Daunte laughed.

"Well, you've taken him on most of the abroad trips you've done," Chinmaya pointed out.

"I imagine Xi An will want to come—"

"Oh, definitely," Caesar agreed. "She really integrated herself into Hero and James's family. Ever since the three of them died together and were revived together they became closer."

"Good," Daunte said. "Priscilla, definitely. She's from Razril, I believe."

"And she's not a fugitive of the Federation at least," Caesar said. "Speaking of which then, we should avoid bringing Bax on this trip, given what he told us."

"I agree," Daunte said. "It—what?" his voice broke off as he heard loud voices in heated argument quickly approaching the war room. Daunte turned as the doors burst open and Mihr stormed inside, Keiran quickly following him. "Lord Daunte, you must reason with him!" Keiran shouted. His emotional state shocked Daunte deeply. Keiran was someone who maintained calm on the battlefield and didn't waver from a fight or his convictions. Now he looked angry and…distraught.

"I heard a rumor that you are traveling," Mihr said grimly, his expression hard. "If this is true, then I must insist on going with you."

"Wow, word traveled fast," Chinmaya said with surprise.

"I-I am traveling," Daunte said, looking between Mihr and Keiran. "What—"

"Lord Daunte," Keiran said harshly, pushing himself forward. Daunte noticed that he was gripping a sword and sheath. Daunte realized that it was Nariek he held in his hands. "Mihr gave up his sword! I've tried to give it back to him but he refuses! He wants to go on this trip with you weaponless!"

"What?!" Chinmaya exclaimed, hovering a hand over her mouth. "You gave up your sword?! Why?!"

"I dishonored myself in the battle at Winter Hill," Mihr said calmly. "I made myself unworthy of wielding that sword. I do not have the right to even touch it. As a warrior from the Warrior's Village, I must redeem my honor as a swordsman and as a man before I can wield Nariek again. I will fight for you, but I must do so with my bare fists. I must work to make myself worthy again to wield that sword."

"Are you listening to this, Lord Daunte?!" Keiran asked incredulously. "Does this not sound ridiculous?! Discarding his weapon over that horrible incident that you made right?!"

"Keiran is right, Mihr," Caesar said, stepping forward. "What happened at Winter Hill wasn't your fault. It wasn't even Lord Daunte's fault. I can guarantee to you that Lady Tengaar would not condemn you for your conduct during the battle. You fought bravely and you personally saved the lives of Lanny and Sásta. You were very heroic during that battle."

"I agree," Daunte said, nodding. "If I'm not allowed to take any blame for what happened, then neither are you."

"It is not that simple," Mihr responded. His hard expression faltered very slightly. "I did not do enough. I have to redeem myself and make myself worthy of wielding Nariek again. As I am now, I have no right to hold that blade."

"Yes, you do," Keiran snapped, grabbing him by the shoulder and turning him around to face him. "This is your superior officer telling you that you have the right to wield Nariek! Now, take him back!" he tried to push the sword back into Mihr's hands, but Mihr did not accept the sword. "Damn you—"

"I thought you would understand," Mihr snapped suddenly, reaching up to grab Keiran's wrist and removing his hand from his shoulder. "This is something I have to do."

"No, you don't," Keiran said. "You're the bravest warrior I've ever met. No one has the passion that you—"

"YOU DIED!" Mihr shouted. His sudden shout startled everyone, and Keiran's eyes went wide. "You died," he repeated through clenched teeth. "I. Saw. You. Die. You were slain right before my eyes and I sat there gaping like a fool while your killer escaped. What part of that was brave? What part of that was honorable? What part of that made me anything other than a failure?"

"Hey," Daunte said softly. He moved forward but Caesar caught his shoulder and stopped him. He looked over his shoulder at Caesar but the Strategist shook his head without saying a word.

"I have to make this right," Mihr said. "I have failed in every way and words of redemption cannot redeem me. I must do this. I must do my journey of manhood again to make myself worthy again. I must do this!"

Daunte knew that that Mihr couldn't be swayed from this. He could also see Keiran realize this with his changing expression. Keiran stared down at Nariek in silence for a long time before looking back up at Mihr. "I don't like when you refuse to listen to me." his tone was quiet. "But when you're convinced of something you rarely change your mind. It's one of your most infuriating flaws."

Mihr said nothing. Keiran turned to address Daunte. "I won't go with you, because it's clear Mihr doesn't want me to. But here—" Keiran pushed Nariek into Daunte's hands. "Since he refuses to listen to me, maybe you'll have better luck Lord Daunte."

"I—" Daunte said, but Keiran stormed out of the war room without another word. Feeling awkward, Daunte looked at Mihr. His eyes were downcast and he didn't say a word. "I'll bring the sword with us," Daunte said. "I won't pressure you to wield it, but if we're in a rough situation it will be good to have it on standby.

"I'm…not going to pretend I know what's going on," Daunte continued. "Or how you feel. B-But Keiran is right. I don't think you deserve to punish yourself like this. Was Keiran angry with you about how he died?"

"…No," Mihr admitted reluctantly.

"Then I think you're being too hard on yourself," Daunte said. "I'm happy to have you with me. And if you want to fight without Nariek for awhile, I won't stop you. But don't kill yourself trying to redeem yourself. I'll just bring you back and then I'll yell at you," he added with a forced laugh.

"Understood," Mihr said, nodding as he looked up at Daunte. "I will go and get ready for the trip now." he turned and left without another word.

"I feel like I'm missing something," Chinmaya said.

"It's a cultural thing," Caesar said. "People from the Warrior's Village are proud warriors. They live for the fight and they name their weapons after the person who means the most to them. It's a rite of passage. The fact that Mihr, a skilled warrior, has relinquished his sword of his own volition is a huge deal. It means he feels he dishonored the person who shares their name with his sword. So he will fight without the sword to prove himself worthy to wield it again."

"But the sword is named Nariek," Chinmaya said, her face twisting in confusion. "Who is Nariek?"

Caesar sucked in a breath as though he were about to respond, but then he caught himself and shook his head and looked at Daunte. "So you have Priscilla, Mihr, and Xi An. You have two more slots left for your active party. Who else would you like to bring?"

"Lysander," Daunte said. "He's never been abroad before. And h—he told me how he died," he added quietly. "I want to give him a change of scenery. Some happy memories after everything he's suffered."

"That's very nice of you, Lord Daunte," Chinmaya said.

"And Brennus," Daunte said. "His family was kind to me when I visited them, and he seems to have experienced some trauma from the battle at Winter Hill."

"Your observation is accurate," Caesar said. "Brennus witnessed firsthand what his comrades were like before and after they took Raging Nostrum, and he was murdered by his own commanding officer when he refused to drink the vile potion."

"Everyone has been negatively affected by that battle," Chinmaya said. "But I'm glad you're prioritizing the kids. We'll all get better with time."

Daunte's brow rose when she said "kids" as she was not much older than him, but he didn't address it. "I want to put some of the Falenans in my support party. Surya, Mokuren, Freyr, and Soturi. I know it's risky because they can't appear to be making diplomatic missions without talking to Queen Lymsleia, but—"

"I'm sure they'll appreciate being invited," Caesar said with a smile. "I'll go and call everyone."

Priscilla was mostly indifferent but the Falenans were indeed very enthusiastic about a trip to the Islands Nation Federation ("We already have diplomatic ties with them," Surya said) and both Lysander and Brennus were thrilled about the trip.

"The skyship!" Brennus cheered. "When I was in the Holy Army, everyone was scared of it!"

"Y-You remembered-d," Lysander said, smiling.

"Of course I did," Daunte said.

"My mother's going to kill me when she hears I had an affair with a married man," Priscilla sighed, stretching her arms over her head. "But I may as well give her the news."

"'News'?" Daunte echoed. Priscilla answered him with a wink.

"I may as well get Farrin and Signe souvenirs," Freyr sighed.

"Daunte, are you going to get a souvenir for Princess Farrin?" Arin asked.

"Um—" Daunte began.

"That's not necessary," Freyr cut in. Surya and Mokuren snorted but stopped when Freyr glared at them. "Soturi, are you going to buy a souvenir for Elina—"

"Prince," Soturi said in a surprisingly sharp tone. Freyr flinched as his face fell. "I-I'm sorry."

Soturi shook his head. "It's not your fault, Prince. Shall we go?"

Surya gestured to Daunte and he hung back as the rest of the party left the war room. "Elina, she…she called off the engagement," Surya said solemnly. "Their relationship is in this weird, suspended state. After she heard that Soturi died on the battlefield, she—I-I guess," he stammered. "She was more personally traumatized by Soturi's near-death experience than we thought. When she found out Soturi had died at Winter Hill, it was a little too much for her. They are technically still in a relationship, but Elina gave Soturi her engagement ring back and asked for distance. Soturi is respecting that."

"I'm sorry," Daunte said quickly, feeling sick to his stomach. "I-I didn't mean to ruin their relationship—"

"It's not anything for you to worry about," Surya reassured him. "Elina did put Soturi first at the expense of her own feelings and opinions, but they will find a way back to each other."

"Yes, they will," Mokuren agreed. "They love each other too much to not be together. This is just a minor setback that they can overcome."

Daunte was surprised by her mature response. "Okay—"

"OH!" Mokuren shouted dramatically, throwing her hand against her forehead. "What a forlorn circumstance for two star-crossed lovers!" she pretended to faint and Surya caught her with a bemused expression. "Ready to go?" He asked Daunte.

"A-Ah, yes," Daunte said. Mokuren skipped on ahead but Daunte grabbed Surya's arm to stop him. "Ah…Are you okay?" He asked discreetly.

Surya gave him a painful smile, understanding the meaning of his question. "I'm getting better, Daunte. Not quite there, but I'm getting there."

Daunte nodded. "Take care of yourself. And each other."

Surya nodded in reply. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

They followed the rest out of the war room, but Daunte stopped when a hand grabbed his arm. Startled, he turned and saw Yuber standing there with a stony expression. "I-Is something wrong?" Daunte asked him.

Yuber stood there staring at him in silence for a long moment. Then he let his arm go and returned to his post. Not once did he say a word.

The group exchanged their currency at Eliasen's shop and then saw Viki. Thankfully she did not sneeze and was able to teleport to them to Hero's Island. To Daunte's surprise though, the skyship was not at its usual spot at the highest point on the island. "Oh!" Mokuren shouted as she raced to the cliff's edge. "Look!"

The party hurried to her side and Daunte was shocked to see the skyship sitting idle in the water near the shore. He saw James and Xi An standing on the wings waving. "HEY!" James shouted, waving both hands over his head. "Down here, Lord Daunte!"

The group made it down to the beach and Daunte was in awe of how big the skyship was. It was not only longer but wider, and it held steady on the water unswayed by the currant. There was a small boat on the beach and Surya used his Water Rune to get them to the skyship. Hero poked his head out of the open door. "Oh, you're here! You wanna see some islands?! I don't why, the whole place looks boring!"

"That's my homeland you're insulting," Priscilla said dully. Hero shrugged unapologetically.

"How long will it take for us to reach the Islands Nation Federation?" Daunte asked as they disembarked the boat onto the skyship.

"A couple of hours," James said positively. "Isn't that great?"

"T-This is incredible," Lysander said as he looked around the plane. The seats were larger than before and they looked more comfortable. There were still two rows of dual seats beside the window but Daunte counted a total of twenty seats. The aeolipile in the back of the ship was larger than before. Daunte walked around the sphere and examined it closely. He counted four rune slots on the aeolipile.

"That took me the longest to rebuild," Hero scoffed. "But now it's better than ever! You can attach four runes to it, and I'll even allow you to choose what rune to attach to it!"

"Really?!" Daunte asked, looking up. Hero shrugged. "Well, it's a bit boring having the skyship shoot only fire, right? So you can attach a Lightning Rune, Earth Rune, you name it and the aeolipile will utilize the spell!"

"How can the skyship use an Earth Rune in the air?" Priscilla asked.

"Don't ask me!" Hero responded.

"But why not?! YOU built this thing!"

"I believe we are ready whenever you are," Caesar said. "We're looking forward to seeing this ship take off from the water."

"Oh, it's amazing!" Xi An chimed in. "Grandpa Hero did a fantastic job!"

Grandpa Hero? Daunte wondered, but he didn't say anything.

Everyone took their seats, but when Daunte sat down he noticed two straps tied to either side of his seat. He held both straps in his hands and looked at James in confusion. "Oh, that's a seatbelt," James told him.

"'Seatbelt'?"

"It will help hold you in place so you're not slipping out of the seat if the wind gets too rough. And our takeoffs have had higher speeds than before, so the seatbelt will make sure you're not flying out of your seat."

"That makes sense," Daunte said thoughtfully. He helped Arin fasten himself in, and the boy made a face. "I don't like it."

"I thought it was a meaningless feature and ignore it before," Hero said over his shoulder. "But after getting killed in the last skyship I had built I decided that I wouldn't skip over safety any longer. Now! All of you strap yourselves in because I'm not taking off until you do!"

"…How would a "seatbelt" protect you when your ship is blown up?" Freyr wondered out loud in confusion.

"It wouldn't," Soturi said bluntly.

"Wow," Brennus breathed, rubbing a hand over the wall around his window.

"Aunt Lym may want the blueprints for this ship," Surya said.

"What if she asks for them?" Mokuren asked him.

Surya shrugged. "Well, it's not like I can just get my hands on them is it?"

"She won't ask for them," Mokuren concluded cheerfully. "And if she does, she'll ask Lord Daunte and not you Prince."

"Everyone, get ready!" Hero shouted, flipping switches on his panel before grabbing his controls.

"Wait, I thought you were checking seatbelts!" Priscilla shouted, snapping hers on.

"You seem reckless," Mihr said softly as he checked his own seatbelt.

"I won't hear any complaints!" Hero snapped, and pulled his controls back. Daunte yelped as he found himself pressed back into his seat. Everyone else but James and Xi An similarly reacted with shock as the the skyship suddenly lunged forward, creating waves across the water. Daunte glanced out the window and saw the island quickly pass them and the large wings began to beat. Once, then twice. And then suddenly they were in the air.

"WHOOOOOOO!" James cheered, pumping her fists.

"O-On second thought, I don't think Aunt Lym would like this," Surya said.

"Yeah, Mom wouldn't like this at all," Freyr agreed.

Despite being larger than before, the skyship effortlessly left the water and rose high into the air. Daunte cautiously glanced out the window in the direction of Nagarea, watching carefully to see if there would be another strike against them.

Windy attacked Yuber and destroyed the skyship from a distance away. She could undoubtedly do it again.

Thankfully they did not face any attacks, which made Daunte wonder again if the Theocracy knew if he was back. He had a feeling that Windy knew a lot, and that she was definitely more dangerous than the former Nether Gate assassins.

Lady Leknaat seems to be doing okay, but I need to figure out how to protect her from her sister. He shook his head. I'll worry about it when we get back.

He was relieved to know that the travel time to get to the Federation would not take nearly as long as it would to get to the Northern Continent, and the skyship was a lot more comfortable than it had been. Although…during the course of the flight he learned something new about Surya and Freyr.

"Prince!" Mokuren cried out, holding Surya in her arms as he retched into a bag. "Prince, hang in there!"

"I want to DIE!" Freyr cried out before lurching and vomiting into his own bag. Soturi patted his back stiffly, his expression unchanging.

"Wow, that's the worst motion sickness I've ever seen!" James said cheerfully over his shoulder. "Does it run in your family?"

"I'm f-fine with small boats!" Surya croaked out. "But big ones, and th—" he threw up again.

"…Are able to open these windows?" Priscilla complained softly.

"For your own safety, no!" Hero barked.

Priscilla sighed heavily and pulled out a perfume bottle. She blithely sprayed the air, but the sweet scent seemed to make both Surya and Freyr even sicker.

"A-Are they going to be okay?" Arin asked worriedly. "They said they were sick, right?"

"Oh, don't worry about them," Caesar reassured him. "Sea sickness—or motion sickness—is very common. It can happen to anyone and it's not a permanent thing."

"This doesn't seem as frightening as I thought it would," Brennus said.

Daunte glanced towards Mihr, who was seated across the aisle from him. He looked the older man over and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Gauntlets."

"Excuse me?" Mihr asked, looking at him.

"You're wearing gauntlets," Daunte pointed out. "So you're going to do hand-to-hand combat then?"

"Until I earn back Nariek's trust, yes," Mihr said, glancing out the window once more.

"Oh, just like Brother!" Arin cheered.

"Aren't you being melodramatic?" Priscilla cooed at him. Mihr answered her with a glare.

It was an hour later that Hero announced, "We're over the Islands Nations!"

"Really?!" Prsicilla exclaimed, looking out the window. Surya's face was still white and Freyr's was green.

"Where do you want to land?!" Hero asked.

Daunte floundered for a moment before looking at Caesar. "I-I…I don't know anything about the Islands."

"From our position we should be close to Middleport," Caesar said. "We could start there. At one point they were the largest export of Rune Cannons in the world."

"Rune Cannons?!" James shouted, jumping out of his chair. Xi An promptly ran forward and took his seat. "Where?!"

"Nowhere," Priscilla scoffed. "Rune Cannons no longer exist. Must we stop there? I wanted to show you guys my old house."

"In Razril?" Daunte asked. "Of course," Priscilla responded.

"Razril is further north from here though," Caesar said. "We—"

Daunte felt a familiar twitch in his right hand and his body went cold. "Land!" He shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Land?" James asked. "Hey, Xi An you took my seat!"

"So?" Xi An responded.

"Yes, land right now!" Daunte interjected.

"Please land!" Freyr wailed.

"Daunte, w-what's wrong?" Surya gurgled out.

"There's a True Rune nearby," Daunte said quickly, pressing his left hand over the Rune of Restoration. "The user just used it! We need to land!"

"I-I-Is that a g-good idea?" Lysander asked.

"The islands below us are largely uninhabited," Hero said. "One of them used to be a pirate's nest—"

"YES, LAND!" Caesar shouted, rushing to a window. "Land in the water now! There at that tiny island!"

That's very specific, Daunte thought but he quickly retook his seat.

"All right," Hero scoffed. "James, sit down!"

"But—" James complained, gesturing to Xi An. The girl did not move. James cursed under his breath and took a seat beside Mihr in the front row.

"Here we go!" Hero announced. The skyship tilted to the left, but with everyone strapped in with seatbelts they didn't move in their seats. The sudden motion though did make Surya and Freyr sick again, and Daunte felt sorry for them. Hopefully they can get used to it.

"The island has a long dock," Mihr observed from his seat. "How unusual."

"How so?" Brennus asked.

"For such a long dock the island only has one visible house on it."

Caesar gasped throatily behind Daunte. "This is it," he whispered. "This is really it…"

"What is?" Daunte asked him.

Caesar smiled. "This is where Elenor lived before she joined the Island Liberation Army."

Daunte was shocked but Hero's shout cut him off before he could spoke. "We're about to land!"

Landing over water instead of land was surprising rougher, but the skyship only bounced a couple of times before it glided across the water and came to a stop at the end of the dock. Unsurprisingly Surya and Freyr were the first off, running frantically for the door to get onto solid land. When the door opened warm, tropical air filled the cabin. Everyone seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief and took off their cloaks to leave behind.

As Daunte stood up he felt the Rune of Restoration respond again, this time more powerful. "It's here," he announced. "Whoever has the True Rune is here."

"Well, that's convenient," Priscilla said, stretching as she stood. "I've never been here before. This should be interesting."

Xi An joined the active party. Hero, James, Freyr, and Soturi stayed behind with the skyship while Arin, Caesar, Surya, and Mokuren joined the convoy. The dock was in surprisingly good shape and did not feel weak under their feet. The air felt different but nice to Daunte and he couldn't help but smile as they left the pier and walked up the sand. A large, expansive forest lay before them but the brush wasn't thick.

"We'll need to pass the forest to get to the hut," Caesar said. "There will be monsters in the forest, so be careful."

"We'll be ready," Daunte said.

The forest had a wide road with very few branching paths, but the road was thick with Demonic Wolves. Very strong too, but not too strong to overwhelm the group. Brennus proved himself very capable of wielding a glaive, though after their first battle Mihr advised him to use the plow position when holding a glaive than the ox position. "Why?" Brennus asked. "My former commanding officer said the ox position was fine for me."

"The same commanding officer who killed you?" Mihr asked bluntly. Brennus used the plow position after that.

Mihr also proved capable of fighting with just his fists, though Daunte saw that he struggled mildly. Despite being a skilled warrior he was obviously a swordsman and he seemed more comfortable in combat holding a sword than having empty hands. Daunte had Nariek strapped to his back, but Mihr waved him off. "I'm fine, my Lord."

On one of the short branching paths Daunte found a Window Set 03 in a chest. Esther will love this. He immediately stashed it in his satchel.

"Elenor's former house should be just ahead," Caesar said, his tone slightly giddy. "I can't believe I'm actually going to see it!"

"Wasn't she a traitor to the Scarlet Moon Empire?" Mihr asked him.

"I'm not surprised you know that, but yes she was technically a traitor. In reality she was a scapegoat because the Emperor refused to listen a warning she gave him, and then she got blamed when the warning came to fruition."

"A woman being a scapegoat," Priscilla scoffed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Ah, I don't see how her gender has anything to do with her exile. Lazlo was also exiled for something he didn't do—"

"Lazlo?!" Arin perked up. He fished around in his bag and pulled out a figurine. "This Lazlo, right?!"

"You brought that with you?" Daunte asked him. Arin nodded enthusiastically. "Just in case we ran into him!"

"Well the 108 Stars of Destiny from that war are all dead but him," Caesar said as they drew nearer to a crumbling stone wall. "The odds of running into him though are—"

"Everlasting Mercy."

There was a burst of light beyond the wall, causing the party to stop, but Daunte felt his Rune respond and his eyes went wide. "There it is!" He shouted, taking off for the open gate.

"Wow, he IS here!" Arin cheered, running after Daunte. "Lord Lazlo!"

"What if it's a bad person like Yuber?" Surya asked.

"If it's Lazlo, then we have nothing to worry about," Caesar told them.

Daunte pushed one of the gate doors opened, and he jumped when the old door fell off its hinges and crashed to the dirt. Flushing with embarrassment, his looked up through the hole he had made to reveal a courtyard surrounded by dilapidated buildings. Directly in front of him he saw two men; a tawny-haired boy around his own age with his back to Daunte, and an older gentleman in his early forties with short back hair and a full beard sitting on the ground. A large round shield was strapped to the man's back, along with a claymore, but the shield otherwise covered up his whole body.

Daunte however saw that the man had something in his lap. It took him a moment to register what it was, and the body it was attached to, but when realization dawned on him he took a step back. Arin reached his side, and he laughed with delight at what he saw. "WOW!" He cried out, surging forward. "Is that—"

"Arin!" Daunte scolded him, grabbing him and pulling him back. Neither of the two men noticed them. "Don't get any closer!"

"Do you see, Brother?!" Arin pointed towards the two. "On the ground—he's holding a hippogriff! I've never seen one outside of a book! It's a real hippogriff!"

Daunte knew, and he knew that hippogriffs were dangerous monsters. But the man holding the hippogriff's head in his lap handled the monster with care. His rough hands stroked the hippogriff's white head tenderly, and his deep voice was low and soothing. "Come on, Ariosto. Come on, boy…"

A-Are they trying to save that monster? Daunte wondered. The young man who was standing held out his left hand over the hippogriff, Ariosto. "Everlasting Mercy."

A dark Rune symbol in the shape of a jagged cyclone rose into the air, and bright green light consumed the hippogriff. Daunte felt the power and he gasped throatily. That…That's him!

Despite the powerful rune spell, Ariosto did not stir. His eyes remained closed. Daunte swallowed hard as he quickly realized what was going him. They—They ARE trying to save the hippogriff. But…

"That was my last spell," the young man said, drawing his hand back. "I was too late. I'm sorry, Ruggiero."

Ruggiero shook his head, but his body began trembling. "It—It wasn't your fault, Lord Lazlo. It…" he pressed a hand to his face and began to quietly sob.

"Daunte!" Arin hissed, pulling on his hand. Their companions came up behind him. "Daunte, please save the hippogriff!"

"'Save the hippogriff'?" Priscilla wondered out loud. "Wouldn't it be risky to revive a monster?"

"Oh, that poor man," Mokuren breathed, clutching her hands to her chest.

"That's him," Caesar gasped, his eyes wide. "That's definitely him."

"Lord Lazlo!" Arin shouted, pulling Daunte with him. Ruggiero didn't respond to them but the man who was standing turned to face him. "WOW! You are Lord Lazlo!"

The hero of the Islands Liberation War still had the appearance of a teenage boy, and his expression seemed to be frozen in a frown. "Who are you?" He asked. His tone was light but guarded.

"I-I'm Daunte," Daunte introduced himself. He gestured to Ruggiero and Ariosto. "I came from Nagarea. W-Were you trying to save this hippogriff?"

"They were blamed for a crime in Middleport that they did not commit," Lazlo responded. "The hippogriff was wounded saving Ruggiero. They somehow made it here, but Ariosto…"

"They wouldn't listen to me!" Ruggiero sobbed, his body hunched forward. "Ariosto was good! Ariosto has NEVER hurt anyone! B-But they wouldn't listen and now he…" the older man sobbed even harder.

Daunte swallowed hard and looked back at Lazlo. "H…How long ago did he die?" He asked softly.

"Less than an hour," Lazlo responded.

"Good, good!" Arin shouted, tugging on Daunte's hand again. "It's not too late! You can bring him back, Brother!"

"B-Bring him back?!" Ruggiero immediately snapped to attention. His green eyes were filled with sorrow but also hope. "Y-You—do you have a Resurrection Rune?!"

"Ah, something like that," Daunte said. "I-I can try to bring Ariosto back if—"

"Please!" Ruggiero wailed, grabbing Daunte's pant leg. "Please bring him back to me! I-I-I-I raised Ariosto! He's been my best friend for fifteen years! I need him back, please bring him back!"

"Ah…" Daunte's breath caught in his throat at the man's anguish. He looked at his party, and he could see from their expressions that some approved and others disapproved of bringing the hippogriff back. Caesar shrugged his shoulders at Daunte. "It's up to you."

Daunte nodded and turned back to Ruggiero and Ariosto. "I'll give it a try," he said. "I-If I can bring back a Death Worm, then a hippogriff should be easy."

"Oh thank you, THANK YOU!" Ruggiero sobbed, hugging his knees.

"Ruggiero, you need to let him go so he can cast the spell," Lazlo said softly.

"Be careful, Daunte," Surya said softly. "Don't overdue it like before."

"I don't intend to," Daunte said. He stood over the hippogriff and examined him closely. Ariosto looked vulnerable in death; his feathers and fur were stark white and his wings were folded around him. He saw three deep stab wounds on Ariosto's body and he knew the hippogriff had to have already been dead if his body didn't repair from Lazlo's healing spell. He raised his right hand over the hippogriff and steadied his nerves. I won't overdue it. I can control it.

"Wail," he said. The Rune of Restoration's symbol rose into the air as yellow-green light consumed Ariosto. Daunte concentrated but allowed the rune to draw upon its own power. After a few moments the light faded, and Daunte let out a breath when he saw that the hippogriff's wounds had been healed.

"Ariosto?" Ruggiero whispered, kneeling beside his companion once more. Ariosto's eyes opened, revealing big golden eyes. Ruggiero gasped loudly as Ariosto snorted and sat up. The hippogriff slowly climbed to his feet and shook himself out, beating his wings. His eyes met Ruggiero's and the hippogriff let out a loud cry, as though in greeting.

"Ariosto!" Ruggiero burst into tears again and hugged the hippogriff's neck. Ariosto curled around Ruggiero as though accepting his friend's hug. "Ariosto, you're all right!"

Ruggiero let Ariosto go and crushed Daunte in a tight hug. He could feel the man's brute strength. "OH, thank you so much! You saved my friend!"

"He looks tame," Mihr observed softly.

"Of course he is!" Ruggiero said indignantly. "I told you I raised him! Ariosto would NEVER hurt anyone!"

Daunte felt a hand grabbed his right one, and he turned to see Lazlo. Before he could say anything though, the Rune of Restoration glowed. No! Daunte closed his eyes. Please! I don't want to see his memories!

"We have settled on your punishment."

Daunte opened his eyes. He saw Lazlo before him sitting on a bed. A blonde-haired woman stood to Lazlo's left, her eyes red and swollen. She looked as though she had been crying, but she glared with hatred at Lazlo. "You will be exiled from the kingdom. You will be cast out to sea, and you are never to return to Gaien."

Lazlo looked hurt and confused. At a loss as to what to say. "You will depart tomorrow," the woman continued. "Until then, you are confined to your quarters."

"Katarina," Lazlo said, his tone soft but desperate. "I did not kill the Commander—"

"I know you will not try to escape, but I must lock this room until tomorrow morning," Katarina interjected, speaking as though Lazlo hadn't said a word. She had turned away from him. "It's nothing personal."

Nothing personal?! Daunte wondered. He's being punished for a crime he said he didn't commit!

"…I'm sorry, but you should be grateful that you aren't to be beheaded." Katarina sounded as though she may cry again as she quickly left the room. Lazlo stood from his bed, his expression stricken, but he didn't say anything else.

"Lord Daunte?"

Daunte blinked when he heard Caesar's voice, and he was no longer in the dark room. He was outside, with Ruggiero still hugging him and Lazlo still holding his hand. He wanted to mention the vision he saw, but he knew that it had to have been a bad memory for Lazlo. "I-I'm sorry," he said lamely.

"What I said," Lazlo said, pulling Daunte's glove back. "Was that I felt that power. This is a True Rune, isn't it?"

"Yes," Daunte said. "I have a True Rune like you do." Lazlo's head snapped up but Daunte shrugged. "I felt the power inside the skyship."

"I KNEW that you were Lord Lazlo!" Arin cheered. He shoved Lazlo's figurine into Lazlo's free hand. "Can you sign this, please?"

Yeah…the whole thing with Lazlo's exile is one of the reasons why I didn't like Suikoden IV as much as the other titles.