Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

At first Lilina didn’t believe her eyes. What would Sue be doing here, in Ostia, so far away from her home? It was entirely improbable that a girl Lilina had not seen since she was eight years old would suddenly be here, leading a horse through the long hallways of Ostia Castle, but that is what it seemed. She hurried to catch up.

“Sue?”

The other girl turned around. Improbable or not, it was her. Sue looked oddly the same as she had last time they’d met, though a good deal taller. “Lilina…I didn’t expect to see you.”

Despite what had happened, Lilina almost laughed. “This is my home,” she said instead, although she knew that Sue had not been to Ostia before, and wasn’t even certain if Sue knew, really, who she was.

Sue shrugged awkwardly, causing the bronze scales of her armor to clink together. She said nothing.

Conversation stalled, and a strained silence formed. It had always been like this between them. They were not naturally compatible, perhaps. Or maybe Lilina was simply no good at making friends. In the past, they had merely separated to play their own games while their parents talked. Now though, Lilina refused to give up.

“Strictly speaking, I don’t think my…I don’t think father would have appreciated horses in the halls,” she said, gesturing to the elaborately-tacked horse by Sue’s side. It was a joke, of sorts, ruined by an up-welling of emotion. Not that she was particularly good at making jokes anyway.

Sue gave an embarrassed glance at the horse, which was currently eyeing a nearby wall-hanging with suspicion. “I am sorry about your father,” Sue said. “He was a great warrior.”

“He was,” said Lilina. Of course Lord Hector was a great warrior. Was. Had been. It hadn’t helped him in the end. Her mother had been a great warrior too, for all the good it did.

Lilina scowled. It seemed everyone in Roy’s hodge-podge force had expressed their condolences. But she did not want to think about her father, or his death. She wanted to be doing something. No one seemed to realize that, not even Roy, who knew her better than anyone.

Sue rubbed a hand on the back of her neck. “Can you show me the stables? I don’t know where they are.”

“Oh! I can do that! It’s-” Lilina paused, trying to think of the most horse-friendly route. “I think we should go that way.”

Ostia castle was not in good shape, and Lilina despaired slightly as they walked. She had studied battles, and fighting, and strategy, but she had never seen one in person before. Blood she might have anticipated, but not the sour, metallic smell of it soaking in and clinging to everything. Nor the other smells of death, or the persistent buzzing of flies already finding their way to the dead. There were scorch marks from magic, chips in the stone from metal weapons, and in one case a wall had been knocked through entirely. Rooms were standing open, precious items had been burgled.

To be fair, Lilina was not in much better shape. Her bliaut was wrinkled from days of captivity, and now soiled and torn in several places from the fighting. She had lost her headband, and her hair was in desperate need of a brushing. Utterly unsuitable for Lady Ostia. Utterly unsuitable for going with Roy.

Lilina looked back at Sue, but whatever words she was going to say died in her throat. Sue was paler than she should be, and clung to her horse’s reins as if they were the only think keeping her upright. The horse snorted and tossed his head, eyes showing more than a bit of white.

The easiest route to the outside was the same one which Sue and the others had fought their way through, not so long ago.

“Over here,” Lilina said, simply, taking a side hall that would be longer and more inconvenient, but also less gruesome.

They walked in silence for a short while, with only the muffled clopping of hooves on carpet to accompany them.

“It’s different, when you’re fighting,” said Sue. “Mother Earth and Father Sky, all those people…all those lives. Not at all like shooting rabbits.” She paused. “I dislike it but…I’m done running. I shall fight for my people.”

“I knew them,” Lilina said. “The guards, I mean. I knew them all. They served my family for so long…how could they do this? Why did they-” a few tears ran down her cheeks and Lilina scrubbed at her face with one arm to get rid of them. There wasn’t time for tears now. Whatever the reason, the betrayal had happened, and now she was left alone to pick up the pieces. That word, alone, kept surfacing in her mind no matter how many times she quashed it. “There’s much to do before we leave, isn’t there?” she said, forcibly turning her thoughts to the many, many tasks that awaited her. Tasks she needed to get done quickly, if she was to go with Roy when he left. She had no intention of being left behind again.

“Do you want help?” Sue asked.

“Help would be appreciated,” Lilina said, pulling up short next to an unassuming wooden door. “But first, the stables.”

Sue nodded her assent as Lilina opened the door. They stepped together into the sunlight.

Chapter Text

Roy was holding his conference in the dining hall. Perhaps the throne room would have been more appropriate, but it had yet to be cleaned from the signs of battle. Ostians were more frugal than most other Lycian residents, but Ostia Castle had long been held to be unimpregnable. Comfort and confidence had allowed for the collecting of no few items less than easily cleaned or repaired, and a few things that would need to be replaced entirely.

Lilina had spent all the previous day and most of this morning overseeing the clean-up. It was not until Sue excused herself to attend Roy’s war meeting that she realized one was being held at all. His lack of inclusion stung, all the more for the fact that they had shared the same early training in matters of war. His audacity at holding such a meeting in her own home without so much as consulting her stung even more.

Lilina intended to make sure he did not forget her again. She had washed the signs of captivity, battle, and labor from her features, and dressed in a crimson mantle and a kirtle of finely woven maroon wool, and wore only minimal ornamentation – nice enough for Lady Ostia, practical enough for travelling the realm. The Sacaen cut tunics and trousers that her late mother had favored would have been even more practical, but Lilina knew that she must remind those in the castle of her status – and she would not do that by emphasizing her slightly foreign blood.

She opened the double oak doors leading into the dining room without bothering to knock. It was, after all, her castle. Everyone present – no small number of knights and mercenaries as well as the merchant Merlinus and Sue, the sole Sacean representative, looked up in surprise. Roy’s first look was irritation at being interrupted, but at the sight of her it changed to acute embarrassment.

In the past Lilina might have smiled at that expression. She did not because she remembered her surroundings and injured dignity. This time Roy was not a young boy caught stealing cookies before dinner, but a military commander holding a meeting without his host’s consent. Childhood friend or not, Roy had overstepped his bounds and he was well aware.

“What, then, are our plans for the immediate future?” Lilina asked as she inserted herself at the head of the table, right next to Roy. Sir Marcus was gallant enough to make room for her, even if his master was not.

Roy got over his embarrassment quicker than he would have even a few months ago, no doubt a benefit of being in charge of a large force. “The Lycia Alliance Army has to make a stand against Bern somewhere,” he said. “A fortress like Ostia Castle would be useful, but I don’t like the idea of fighting near so many civilians.”

Lilina nodded. If they stayed here, the castle’s very imperviousness would work against them. Bern could simply trap them. The castle could hold out for an impressive amount of time, if it came to a siege. But it would be harder to stand by while the invading army took out their whims and frustrations on an innocent populous. That Ostia would be a battleground, Lilina had already accepted. It came from having the most available land. But the fewer of her people were on it, the better. “What are we facing? What are their numbers?”

Roy paused for a moment, a slight hesitation that Lilina would not have noticed had she not known him as well as she did. “It would be safer for you to remain here, to hold Ostia for us while we lured them away.”

“I am not staying behind,” Lilina said. Once before she had allowed herself to be persuaded in such a way, and due to that she could not even be with her father when he died. She had many reasons for wanting to go, but that was the one that was likely to get the result she wanted. “They murdered my father, Roy.” Her use of her father’s memory was meant for manipulation, but that did not make her grief or rage any less real, and Roy knew it.

His gaze softened somewhat. “I’m sorry,” he said, as he had said twice before.

“I don’t want apologies,” said Lilina. She placed her hands on the table and leaned forward. “I want revenge. I want to build a monument to my father. The largest funeral pyre Elibe has ever seen.”

There could have been an awkward silence there, but Marcus stepped in before it could begin. “Spoken like you father would have, at your age,” he said, and inclined his head in a brief bow as an apology for interrupting. He may have been amused, or dismayed, or reproachful, but none of that showed on his face. Marcus was as ever a true knight, and never allowed his personal feelings to color his work. “Too, we could use your abilities. Our forces are heavily bent towards physical attacks.”

Roy took the exit Marcus had provided him. “If you truly wish to come, we’ll be glad of your help. Ostia is the best military resource in Lycia and we’ll need that to equal Bern.” He hesitated again. “But it will take more than mere numbers or skill to turn the tides. They have dragons on their side, real dragons from all we’ve seen and heard.”

“But how could that be?” Lilina asked, all political maneuvering temporarily fleeing from her mind. “We defeated them a thousand years ago!”

“That is not entirely true,” said Merlinus, inserting himself into the conversation for the first time. He had always been slightly stuffy and self-important, and Lilina had largely ignored him. Now, from the way that everyone turned to face him with surprise, everyone but Marcus, she could tell she wasn’t the only one.

“Do you know something about the dragons?” Roy asked him. “Something more than what you told me before?” Lilina heard an echo of her own discontent in Roy’s voice and realized, for the first time, that perhaps she was not the only one being shut out by those who thought they knew better.

The merchant offered and apologetic shrug. “It is not something your parents wished you to know, and so I have kept my silence all these long years,” he said. “Now, however, I believe it is wiser for you to know. When they were not much older than you, Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, and Lady Lyndis fought and defeated a dragon that was summoned here from elsewhere.”

A wave of shocked murmurs rose almost involuntarily around the table. Marcus stepped in to stop the meeting from straying into chaos. “Merlinus and I were both present for that venture, close enough to see how it very nearly ended in failure. At the time your parents had the help of several divine weapons. To go into battle against dragons with less would be foolish.”

“Lord Hector mentioned the divine weapons to me, but he said nothing of that,” Roy mused. “In fact that was why we turned to Ostia in the first place. He said there was a weapon to fight dragons here.”

Lilina did not waste time wondering why her parents had never told her about the dragons. Thinking over things they had told her she realized that, in a way, they had done their best to prepare her – making sure she got training and practice not only in running Ostia but also in fighting, and making sure she was well-versed in the lore of both Elibe as a whole and Lycia.

“Ostia is the home of a shrine to Roland, a shrine that contains his holy sword Durandal,” she said. “It is located not far from the capitol. That must be the weapon he mentioned.”

“I remember,” Marcus said. “Lord Eliwood once used that very sword.”

“Then we should retrieve it, first thing,” said Roy, taking charge of the meeting again. “I will want a fuller briefing on what happened in those days later.”

“I would like to be present as well,” Lilina said.

Roy nodded. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t suppose you know where the other divine weapons are?”

“Not exactly,” Lilina admitted. She tapped her finger against her lips in a gesture that anyone who knew her would take as a sign that she was thinking. It only took a moment for her to consider what she knew. She shrugged. “The divine weapons were used by the eight heroes. It’s likely that each nation has custodianship of one. At the very least there are no more in Ostia.”

Sue spoke, for the first time from what Lilina could tell. “There is one such weapon in Sacae, but it’s far away and likely possessed by the traitors who attacked my clan.”

Roy frowned. “Then we’ll have to deal with that, as well as the others, later. We should make Durandal the priority. Only then can we turn ourselves to researching the remainder.” He turned to face Lilina. “How soon can you be ready to lead us to this shrine of Roland?”

“I’m already packed,” Lilina said. She had anticipated having to follow the army rather than being accepted as one of them. Now she was grateful for her foresight. “I can leave as soon as you can.”

“And the sooner the better,” Roy said. “We’ll leave at dawn. Make sure everyone is ready to move.”

That was the end of the meeting. The members of the rag-tag Lycia Alliance were well-used to working together by now. They immediately scattered to attend to their own needs.

Roy caught hold of Lilina’s sleeve as she back to rise, so she settled back and waited for them to be left alone.

“I’m sorry,” he said, again. “I didn’t mean to leave you out. I just wanted to protect you.”

Lilina smiled and patted his hand where it rested near hers on the table. “I’ve had enough of being protected. I don’t want to wait at home to learn whether I’ve lost any more people I care about.”

“I’ll be happy to have you with me,” said Roy. “I mean that. All of this…it’s so much sometimes, I don’t know how I’ll pull it off. Having your support might make it more bearable.”

Lilina rose from the table and offered her hand to him. Roy took it and allowed her to pull him to his feet. “You’ll always have my support, Roy,” she said. “As long as you remember to ask for it.”

“And,” he said with a laugh that was no less genuine for its undercurrent of strain, “if I don’t remember to ask, you’ll make sure to remind me.”

“Indeed. Is there anything I can do to make the departure smoother?”

“As a matter of fact-”

They left the room together, talking as if nothing, not doubts, not politics, not death, had interrupted their long friendship.

Chapter Text

Ostia was large, as far as Lycian territories went, but even so the shrine of Roland could be reached with only two days of easy riding. The remnants of the Lycia Alliance Army were not taking an easy ride. They pushed themselves to a frantic pace, turning what Lilina remembered to be a relatively calm and scenic country road into a nightmare of anxiety. The bright sunshine and warm weather was at odds with the snorting of the horses and the clink of armor and weapons.

The faces of the villagers they passed were drawn and frightened. Lilina wished she could stop and talk to them. Why were they afraid? Was it Bern? Her father’s death? The coup, or the army now racing through their land? All of the above? There were still so many things she didn’t know about Ostia and her people, things she had to learn quickly. For one moment Lilina felt the full crushing weights of despair and obligation. The change in mood startled her horse, and the black palfrey dropped out of a canter, mincing her hooves and shaking her head. It was enough to drag Lilina back to the present and give her something to do as she regained control of her delicate mount.

The remaining army streamed around the pair, except for Sue who slowed. Next to the sleeker Lycian palfreys and coursers, Sue’s scruffy brown Sacaen horse looked ridiculous. Next to the shining steel plate of the Lycian armor, Sue’s own breastplate of bronze scales looked just as odd. But in this case, the unusual came across as a breath of fresh air.

Lilina straightened from soothing her high-strung mare as Sue approached.

“Lilina,” Sue said, “do you need to stop?”

“No, I’m alright,” Lilina replied. She sighed. “There’s just a lot happening, isn’t here?”

Sue inclined her head, and her dark hair gleamed emerald in the strong sunlight. She didn’t seem to want to say any more.

Lilina stopped herself from sighing again. Sue was always so quiet, she’d never been able to understand the other girl and that hadn’t changed in the years they’d been apart. “There’s not really time to stop, is there? No time to enjoy all this.” She gestured around, to the open countryside that the army had disturbed by their passing. “Certainly no time for weakness on anyone’s part. I have to be stronger.” She kicked her mare firmly on the sides, and the palfrey jumped into a startled canter, following after the army that had passed them by.

Sue caught up quickly. The horses of Sacae possessed a uniquely ground-eating gait that made them the equal of any of their larger, Lycian kin. For a moment, the two rode side by side in silence. Then Sue said, “No sense in pushing too hard either. Everything is harder and more dangerous when you’re stressed.”

Lilina looked over at her, eyebrows raised. “With all that’s happened, with everything I’ve lost and everything we could still lose, you think I can just…not be stressed?” Her words came out with more anger than she intended, but Sue seemed less upset by the anger than by any of Lilina’s previous attempts to be polite and courteous.

“We need you,” Sue said bluntly. “We need every strong person who is able and willing to fight. Everyone who is brave and true.”

Lilina flushed nearly as red as her mantle. No one had said they needed her before this. Certainly, Roy had not been unhappy to have her once she made her opinions known, but he never would have asked for her to come. None of them would.

“I-”

“But I know,” Sue said, continuing as if Lilina had not started to speak, “that sometimes being strong and brave means being able to ask for what you need.”

There was no time to reply. They had caught up to their comrades. The Lycia Alliance Army had arrived at the Shrine of Roland.

Roy moved back towards her, the army parting around his white courser like water around a rock. In his brand new armor and mantle he looked every bit like a war leader and nothing at all like the fifteen year old boy Lilina knew he was. “Lilina,” he said. “I’m glad you caught up. This is the cave right? What can we expect inside?”

Sue’s comments were forgotten as Lilina turned her attention to the problem at hand. She followed Roy back through the ranks of the army and to the entrance to the cave. “This is right. It’s a volcanic cave, so it’ll be hot and difficult to traverse.” She paused. “There’s no point brining the horses, or most of the army. Only take a few who can help.”

“I’ll go,” Sue volunteered, riding up behind them.

Roy looked at Lilina and she shrugged.

“That’ll be fine,” he said. “I’ll go pick out a few others. Try to remember what you can about the Shrine.”

Lilina slid down from the saddle in a swirl of crimson and maroon. She took off her mantle and rolled it up. She pulled a spell book out of one of her saddlebags and stuffed the mantle into the empty spot. The fine wool of her kirtle would be warm enough in a lava cave without adding a full cloak to it.

“There’s not much to remember,” she said to Roy as he rejoined her on foot, followed by a few of his knights and fighters. “The Shrine is at the back of the cave. The route is narrow and the floor is treacherous. We’ll need to be careful.”

One of the knights, a man named Alan, if Lilina remembered correctly, spoke. “Please allow us to proceed ahead of you and clear the way my lord, my lady.”

Roy nodded, and the chosen few streamed into the cave. Roy walked more slowly, next to Lilina. Sue moved up just ahead of them, but kept her bow held loosely in one hand.

“Are you alright, Lilina?” Roy asked. He, too, had noticed her falling out of the army earlier.

Lilina shrugged again. With one hand she raised her skirts to jump over a small crack in the floor. Small wisps of smoke rose up from it and similar cracks all the way through to the shrine. Lilina had only come here once before, and then her father had lifted her up over all the worst of the dangerous parts. Lilina shook her head and blinked a few times to discourage any tears. “I’d be lying if I said I was fine, but there isn’t time for mourning. I have to be strong for the sake of Ostia.”

Roy offered her a small smile. “Good for you, Lilina.”

Lilina clearly heard Sue snort from her place ahead of them.

Roy heard it too, but misunderstood. “Is everything alright, Sue?” he asked.

Sue turned around as if to reply, but the sudden clamor of metal on metal interrupted her. She whipped back around and broke into a run, pulling an arrow out of her quiver as she did so.

“It must be bandits!” Roy said, drawing his sword from its scabbard. “Do you think they’ve taken Durandal?”

Lilina’s grip tightened on the spell book. “Only the worthy can remove the sword from its rest. I think we should give these bandits the bad news.”

“Lilina…” Roy said.

Lilina didn’t respond. She just started running to catch up to their comrades, to reach a place where her actions would make a difference, where, for a little while, she could forget everything but the moment right in front of her.

Chapter Text

Durandal’s blade was thirty-nine inches of perfectly balance steel, as sharp as the day it was forged. The hilt, wrapped in leather and inset with designs of silver and gold wire, was comfortably sized to be used two-handed or one-handed. Roy left well enough alone until they returned to Ostia Castle at which point he could no longer contain his excitement. Ostia castle boasted a first class practice arena, and that was where Roy went as soon as the party arrived.

Lilina had never seen the weapon out of its scabbard and she too had her fair share of curiosity. She followed Roy to the arena and watched the blade glitter in the sunlight. She had no feeling for swords, but even she could tell this one was beautiful.

Roy was used to one-handed swords, but Durandal was a weapon of high caliber and he picked up its use with little trouble.

At one point he stopped and held the blade straight up, examining the polished steel with an admiring glance. “It’s lighter than I expected,” he said.

“It would have to be,” Lilina said. “If one is fighting dragons, I imagine speed is important.”

“Just that it’s such a big sword. A proper warblade,” Roy said. “Even a divine weapon like this, you think it would be heavier.”

A clatter of boots on stone drew both their attentions to the door. Merlinus burst into the arena, disheveled and out-of-breath. Merlinus had always been fussy and meticulous, but now he did not even pause to straighten out his tunic before speaking.

“Lady Lilina! Master Roy! A squadron of Bernese flying knights is outside the castle!”

“They’re here already?” Roy asked, and slid Durandal back into its sheathe.

“Blast!” Lilina said. “I had hoped they’d give us slightly more time to pick an appropriate battlefield.” In fact, she had not wanted to return to the castle at all. All of the same issues raised in the previous meeting still applied, but she had been overruled. The soldiers needed a place to rest, a place that would have enough provisions to feed all of them. They could not, and would not, tax the ordinary citizens of Ostia in such a manner. When Lilina brought up the fact that they had been planning to go into the countryside anyway, and they could hunt their food, Merlinus replied that there were still many supplies needed that could only be purchased in a large city. And so to the castle they had returned.

Neither Merlinus nor Roy responded to her comment. They were already headed for the front entrance. Lilina picked up her skirts in one hand and followed after them, making sure to snag a spell book from the chest near the door as she did so. If it came to a fight, she would be ready.

Roy and his soldiers had talked about the dragon knights. Merlinus had talked about dragons too, what he remembered for them childhood misadventures of their parents.

No amount of stories could have prepared Lilina for the truth.

The dragon knight at the head of this squadron was nothing at all like the wyvern riders behind him. Wyverns were intimidating in their own way, with sharp fangs and long claws, but they were common, domesticated, and no larger than an average horse. The wyverns facing them held patiently still, waiting for their master’s commands, but exhibiting little initiative of their own.

The dragon was massive, twice as large at least as the largest of the wyverns behind it, wyverns that looked like mere playthings. Each scale on the beast gleamed like a jewel in the sunlight, each claw glowed like polished ivory, and there was fire in the dragon’s eyes that was never seen in its lower kin. Each line of its body radiated wildness. This was not a tame creature, not by any means. It tolerated its rider, but this was a creature that knew its own mind.

The man mounted on the dragon flipped his golden hair with one hand and sneered down at the small force gathered by the gate.

“So you’re Roy, are you?” he asked. “I must thank you for getting rid of that idiot Leygance for me. But now be a smart little boy and hand Ostia over to me!”

Lilina clutched her spell book to her chest and put her free hand on her hip. “Ostia isn’t his to give. And I would never hand my country over to the likes of you!”

The dragon rider only laughed. “And what? You intend to oppose me with this pathetic little rabble?” He slid a sword out from its scabbard and pointed it at them. “Fine with me! I’ll crush you just like I did with that fool Hector!”

Lilina’s breath caught in her throat, and her fingers curled more tightly around the tome she was gripping. Before she could act, however, a new voice cut into the fray.

“That’s enough!”

Everyone turned to see who approached.

In front of them, a Bernese wyvern soldier wormed his way to the front of the pack. “General Narcian! Etrurian troops have appeared!”

“I can see that you idiot,” the dragon rider snarled. He raised his sword, as if to smite the hapless soldier, but he didn’t get a chance.

A legion of mounted knights approached from the west, armor and weapons glinting in the sunlight, banners marked with the Etrurian crest fluttering high above. The two riders at the front of the legion stopped, and their followers did likewise, all moving in perfect harmony with each other.

One of the riders was familiar to Lilina from her infrequent trips to Etruria, the other was much more familiar as the woman who had tutored both her and Roy in their younger years. Generals Percival and Cecilia, two of the highest-ranking people in all of Etruria.

Percival spoke first. “I am Knight General Percival of Etruria. We received a petition for aid and as of now, Ostia is an Etrurian protectorate.”

“What?” General Narcian didn’t seem to believe what he was hearing.

His reaction perfectly expressed what Lilina herself was feeling. Ostia as part of Etruria? This was the first she had heard of it. She stared at General Percival, but he seemed in earnest. General Cecilia looked likewise unperturbed. Lilina glanced at Roy. He seemed pleased, and not at all surprised. A sudden flower of anger and suspicion bloomed in her heart.

General Cecilia crossed her hands on her lap and stared up at the Bernese General, serene as ever. “You seem unsatisfied by this news. You can, of course, still fight us for control. But do your men stand a chance against our numbers?”

Narcian was nearly incoherent with rage. He levelled the sword at Cecilia and Percival. Magic crackled along its length, blindingly bright. “You! You-”

Cecilia paid no attention to the obvious threat. “I am Sorcery General Cecilia of Etruria. Ostia is now under our protection, and we will fight for it.”

In all this commotion the wyvern rider had not moved from his commander’s side. “General Narcian please control your temper!” he said now, urgency apparent in every syllable. “We might be able to fight one Etrurian general but Percival and Cecilia together? We’ll be slaughtered!”

Narcian snarled again, nearly as feral as his dragon. Then he slammed his sword back into its scabbard, its light extinguished as quickly as it had appeared. “I know! But this isn’t over. You better watch your backs from now on, generals.” With that he kicked the dragon solidly in the side and it launched itself into flight. The wyverns followed their brethren, leaving the ground empty except for the Etrurian army and the sad remnants of the Lycian Alliance.

Once they were gone, Lilina turned on her so-called-friend. “You gave Ostia away? It isn’t in your power to make such a decision, Roy!” She spat out his name, one syllable, a reminder that she was the power here, not him.

Roy raised his hands defensively. “You have to understand Lilina! The Lycian army was devastated! Lord Hector was killed, you were kidnapped, and Bern was menacing our borders! We didn’t feel like we had any other choice.” He caught her free hand in his own, and met her eyes with his own, bright blue, shining with sincerity and good will. In that moment, Lilina hated him more bitterly than she had ever hated anyone. “I would have done anything to rescue you, to keep Lycia safe. But we didn’t have the numbers to do it on our own.”

Lilina had been trying hard to keep her losses at arm’s length, to be strong and resolute like her father had been. She had seen him grieve, and keep moving forward. He had no other choice. She had no other choice either, but more than that, she wanted to be like him.

This was too much.

This was her home, the only thing she had left, that Roy had passed off so casually. Everything crashed back in on her all at once – all her losses, all the stress and danger, all of the small, subtle slights, intentional and otherwise.

One tear rolled down her cheeks, hot as dragon’s fire, then another and another. The tears did nothing to diminish her anger. “You could have told me! You could have said ‘hey, Lilina, I gave your home away to someone else, just wanted to let you know’!” She jerked her arm out of her grasp and raised it to her eyes, letting the soft wool of her kirtle soak up the tears and block her view of Roy’s face all at once. “Do I mean that little to you? Or you think so highly of yourself that you can do as you please?”

Footsteps sounded across the grass, and someone cleared their throat uncomfortably.

General Cecilia said, “I’m sure General Roy did not mean to cause you any distress, Lady Lilina.” She put a hand on Lilina’s shoulder. “We are only here to help, not to take control of Ostia away from you permanently. When this is over I will see to it that it is returned to Lycian control.”

Percival joined in. “General Cecilia is quite fierce when she needs to be. She argued with the king to be allowed to come here at all and won. I am certain that with her here Ostia will be in good hands during these trouble times.”

Lilina’s tears had slowed, if not stopped completely. She scrubbed at her face with her arm and looked up the Etrurian generals, determined to make the best of this horrible situation. She did not think that Etruria would be so eager to give up a foothold into Lycia, but she curtsied. “Thank you, General Percival. It would be rude of me to refuse your aid as you have travelled so far to help us. Would you like to come inside and rest?”

Percival shook his head. “I appreciate your offer of hospitality, Lady Lilina, but I must be going. Etruria needs her generals, you understand. I will leave you in Cecilia’s capable care.” He offered a bow both to her and to Roy. “I do hope that when we meet again, it is under better circumstances.” He returned to his horse and swung up into the saddle with practiced ease. At his signal, half of the soldiers fell out of rank and followed him back to the west, heading for Etruria once again.

General Cecilia gave a wan smile. “How about we take this conversation inside?”

Lilina dried her face again and nodded. Fortunately, her tears had subsided, but the outburst had only increased the sullen pit of anger simmering in her soul. “Yes, I think we have quite a bit to discuss.” She tried to sound calm and in control as she had so often seen both of her parents pretend to be, but her heart was not in. The words came with an undercurrent of malice.

Cecilia ignored the tone. “In truth,” she said as they walked through the wide double doors leading into Castle Ostia’s great hall, “Roy has done us a favor of sorts by asking for our aid. You shouldn’t be too angry at him.”

Lilina could not think of a polite way to respond to that, so she said nothing.

Roy was walking to Cecilia’s left. “I don’t understand, I thought this was a favor for us?”

“Bern’s actions have been something of a concern to us,” Cecilia said. “But they have made no moves against Etruria, and we have no active alliances with Lycia. When Roy asked us for aid, he gave us an excuse to show our displeasure.”

“You mean to declare war on Bern,” Lilina said flatly.

Cecilia inclined her head. “As you like. But I assure you, again, that we have no intention of claiming Ostia permanently at this time. Our goal is merely to remind Bern of her place in the world.”

“At this time,” Lilina echoed. Then she shook her head. There was nothing more to be done about this for the time being. She could hardly challenge Sorcery General Cecilia and all of her troops over what was essentially an inheritance dispute. She could not challenge Roy over actions undertaken, supposedly, in order to save her life. And, of course, there was still Bern to consider. “So,” she said, swallowing her vitriol, “what do we do now?”

Roy gave her a small, awkward smile. “Now, with your permission, I would like to call a council of war.”

“Very well,” said Lilina. “I believe the throne room is clean by now. It should be large enough to seat everyone.”

Chapter Text

If anyone had asked, which no one did, Lilina would have said she had already had enough. She had lost her mother, her father, her home, and many of the staff she had trusted in all her life. Surely that was enough to make up for any wrongs she had committed. Surely the great cosmic scales were now balanced. If anyone had asked, that is what she would have said.

And she would have been wrong.

After Etruria’s intervention, Bern’s activities subsided to a low murmur. Peace became the order of the day. And then the message arrived.

Roy came to find her in her father’s office.

It was a bittersweet place to spend time. Lilina remembered playing on the floor while her parents ran their country, bickering good naturedly until an acceptable course of action could be found. She remembered later, when it was just her father and her, seated side-by-side while he taught her what she would need to know. The office was very large, and very, very empty. Still, Ostia needed to be run and Lilina was still the one to run it, and this office was still the most convenient place to work.

General Cecilia had little desire to involve herself in Ostian affairs and left most of the managing up to Lilina. During the day this made Roy’s actions more palatable. It was still Lilina behind the massive hardwood desk, still her name on the orders, still her that the people looked to. At night, however, Lilina could admit to herself that she resented being turned into a puppet ruler of her own country. Parroting Etrurian orders, however infrequent, left a sour taste in Lilina’s mouth that only fed her growing anger and malcontent.

She had mostly avoided Roy since General Cecilia had arrived, citing work as a reason. He respected her enough to stay away from her office, until today.

Lilina did not look up from the contract she was reviewing when someone knocked on the door. She merely said, “Enter!” and kept reading. She only looked up when Roy spoke.

“This came for us today, Lilina.” Roy slid a rolled up piece of parchment to her across the desk and Lilina put aside her current work to look at it.

The message was short, but brief. “Your father is calling a Lycian council?” she asked, though she could read the scroll as well as anyone else.

Roy shrugged. “He is the largest power left in Lycia now that-”

“Now that my father is dead and Ostia is delegated an Etrurian plaything,” Lilina said flatly. She was too tired and too bitter to play those kinds of games.

“Lilina…”

Lilina stared at him, and Roy stared back. He really had changed, he was calmer now, more decisive. He understood, certainly, that his actions had hurt her, but he didn’t regret them. If he did, he would have looked away. If he wanted her forgiveness, he would have looked away.

So that was the way it was. Lilina sighed.

“It’s reasonable for Lord Eliwood to call a meeting,” she said. “Many changes have happened. And given his illness, it is reasonable for him to ask us to travel to Pherae rather than hosting them at Ostia as we always have before.” Although, she added to herself, we both understand that Etruria’s involvement is more pressing than either of those things.

“If you don’t mind,” Roy said, “I thought I would see to preparations. We can leave the bulk of the army here. It should be an easy enough ride with only a small force as escorts.”

Lilina waved a hand. “Do what you think best. We can make it in good time if we leave the day after tomorrow.”

Roy inclined his head and saw himself out. Lilina returned to her contract, but she couldn’t concentrate. She could only think about the upcoming council meeting and what it was going to mean.

Castle Pherae had changed very little in the past few months since Lilina had been there, but she had changed so much it seemed different. The white stone walls that had once felt so bright and happy now felt impersonal and cold. The colorful banners and tapestries that had fascinated her as a child now looked garish and out of place. Roy, changed from his war gear to a finely woven short bliaut and parti-colored hosen looked odd and unfamiliar.

Lilina too had dressed up, in a tightly fitted bliaut, with some of the expensive jewelry her father had gifted her draped around her neck and a lace veil over her teal hair. The face that greeted her eyes in the mirror seemed just as unfamiliar as the castle, or Roy, or anything else these days.

All of the men Roy had picked to escort them were of Pheraen birth. But even those few men she had come to know looked different here. They had put off the practical clothing of war for their ceremonial garb. Perhaps Lilina should have insisted on having something to do with the preparations after all – she now felt her lack of allies clearly, as she should have all along.

Everything was bright and gay and utterly at odds with Lilina’s increasingly black mood.

The no-nonsense conference room with its plain oaken table came as a relief, though the other lords, just as fancily dressed as anyone else present, undercut that effect slightly.

Lord Eliwood was already seated at the head of the table. Once each seat had been filled, he opened up remarks. “I think you all for coming,” he said, looking to each of the attending marquesses in turn. “I called this meeting to address all of the recent changed to our fair city-states. First among these is the lost of our dear friend, Lord Hector of Ostia.”

A low murmur rose in the room and Lilina felt the eyes of everyone in the room turn to look at her. She kept her eyes fixed stubbornly ahead, gazing at Lord Eliwood. He seemed as calm as he ever had, but as Lilina continued to gaze at him, she saw he was more tired and drawn than even his illness could account for. He was far more changed than he should have been, after only a few short months apart. She remembered that Lord Eliwood had been her father’s best friend, and that Hector’s death must have affected Eliwood almost as much as it had affected her.

“Lord Hector wished his daughter to succeed him to the throne,” Eliwood said. “I see no reason to dispute that. All of my sources indicate that she is doing a perfectly admirable job managing the region.” For this, Eliwood did not give anyone time to dispute his claims. Lilina did not quite breathe a sigh of relief – it would have been far too obvious. But she did feel as if a weight lifted off her shoulders. She had been afraid that the marquesses wouldn’t support her claim, especially now with Etruria muddying the waters. She remembered, too, what her father had told her. Most of the Lycian territories resented Ostia for its power and for its attitudes towards more common Lycian traditions. This would have been a perfect time for the other lords to attempt to bring Ostia to heel. With Eliwood backing her, though, Lilina at least could feel as secure as possible.

Later on, Lilina would think unkindly on her optimism.

Eliwood continued, oblivious to Lilina’s thoughts and to the few marquesses signaling to be recognized. “Much more troubling is the death of Lord Orun. He did not leave any heirs to govern Toria and it would be less than kind to leave his steward to manage everything. We will need to send someone trustworthy to oversee the area.”

Clamor broke out immediately after those words, loud enough to cover Lilina’s sharp intake of breath. Uncle Orun too? Lilina remembered, vaguely, hearing the news, but somehow it had not sunk in on top of everything else.

She watched the lords squabbling for the right to take Toria.

All things considered, Toria was an offshoot of Ostia, having belonged to Lilina’s grandmother since her first marriage. It was a gesture of goodwill on Ostia’s part that the land retained its independence, rather than being included in the bridal properties when she married Lord Ostia. With Orun’s death, the lands should have gone to Hector, and then to Lilina.

She would not sue for her rights in this case. Toria was a small territory but no less of a prize – good enough to have distracted the lords from the assertion that she should remain in control of Ostia. If Lilina tried to rightly claim Toria, it would be like putting meat in front of a pack of hungry dogs.

Angry she might be, but she was hardly a fool. She kept her silence as Marquess Araphen emerged from the fracas triumphant.

That done, Eliwood began again. “There are other matters to think of as well. Lord Hector was both the head of the Lycian Alliance and the general of her army. These are positions that will need to be filled anew.”

This time there was no clamor. There was absolute silence, but not a peaceful silence. It was the silence of the forest when the wolves are hunting, the heavy silence right before a wild summer storm, the silence of some dozen lords now realizing they had been handed the tools to strike Ostia’s death blow. She had lost her lord, her independence, her sister state, and now, at last, was a way to take every last vestige of power from her.

Lilina balled her hands up in the soft velvet of her skirts and said nothing. Ostia had ruled Lycia for nearly as long as there had been a Lycia. Even her father, not so much older than she, had taken place as the head of the Lycian Alliance with little struggle. But then, he had just made an advantageous if controversial marriage alliance with Caelin, and had Eliwood’s support.

Eliwood had no intention of backing Lilina in this, she could see it. His gaze was fixed on Roy, and his eyes gleamed with the same predatory light being exhibited by all the lords around the table.

They would take this from her, all of them, and they would do it with smiles on their faces. Eliwood had backed her control of Ostia. But what was Ostia, after all, stripped of power, dignity, and autonomy?

But Lilina they underestimated. This would not be the end for Ostia. She made a promise, to her father and mother, to her people, to herself. This was not the end. Ostia was not finished as long as Lilina was not finished and one day soon all of these men would come crawling back to Ostia’s conference room to beg her forgiveness.

Even as Eliwood took Lycia as a jewel for his crown, even as Roy took the army, even as these lords bickered and plotted and cut Ostia to shreds, Lilina smiled.

Chapter Text

Lilina travelled back to Ostia alone. Roy was to remain in Pherae to oversee the beginnings of the new Lycian Alliance Army. He offered to send an escort back with her, but Lilina refused. She pitied the bandit who thought to mess with her in such a black mood.

It almost seemed like an insult that nothing untoward happened. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and the roads were relatively peaceful. She returned to Ostia in one piece, though the sight of her home did little to soothe her spirits.

“Oh, Lady Lilina!” said the guard at the gate. He was one of Roy’s people, a young archer named Wolt. “Didn’t expect to see you arriving with so little fuss, my lady.”

Lilina reigned back her horse. The black palfrey snorted at the command and shied away from the gate. No matter how Lilina worked with her, the mare remained liable to startle. There was something to be said for Sacaen horses, no matter how scruffy they were. They tended to be more ornery than skittish. Lady Lyndis had tried to breed their stubborn practicality into the Lycian bloodlines, but the program had ended with her death.

Lilina brought the mare completely to heel before she spoke. “Wolt, please gather all the members of the Lycian Alliance army and have them meet me in the throne room in an hour. There are changes you need to be aware of.”

“Lady Lilina,” he said, offering her a quick bow. “If you don’t mind asking…it’s not Bern again is it?”

“It’s not Bern,” she said. “At least, not yet.”

An hour was not much time to see to her horse and to make herself presentable, but Lilina had been doing both of those things for as long as she could remember. She managed. She always did.

She pulled on the first bliaut that came to hand – one made from soft violet wool and stitched with designs in thread-of-gold. She didn’t bother with jewelry or a veil, but pulled her hair back into a thick braid. That was enough finery for Ostians. It would have to suit the others.

There were less of them than she expected. Roy had taken only two dozen men with him to Pherae, but the remains of his army did not even fill up her throne room. She knew that without Etruria’s intervention, Ostia would have fallen. Given a choice, she might have even made the same one Roy did. Acknowledging it didn’t make her any less angry. She hadn’t been given a choice. He could have at least told her.

Lilina mounted the dais steps and settled into the throne. Like most other things about Castle Ostia, it was no nonsense, a simple high-backed chair carved out of gleaming ebony. Geometric patterns were carved into it, making it quite beautiful up close. From afar it seemed solid and severe. That had suited Ostia, when it was the most powerful region in Lycia. Now it almost seemed more pretentious than even the gaudiest of gold and gem encrusted monstrosities common elsewhere.

She took her time, studying the men and women in front of her. They waited in patient, if not entirely respectful, silence. She had lost most of her castle guard in the rebellion, and these people had taken over those responsibilities admirably. Sending them away would weaken her again. But it might be worse to keep them around, where they could so easily spy on her defenses and report them to the rest of Lycia. Which was more important, physical security? Or political?

Lilina considered these questions as she considered the people. There would always be spies in Ostia. Perhaps it was better for them to be spies you knew, rather than those you didn’t. But those spies she and her father knew before, well, none of them had been in martial positions. And that, in this time of war and unrest, might be the most important thing of all.

Finally, she addressed the gathered soldiers. “Lord Roy has been officially named as Lycia’s general,” she said. “The army is being reformed. If any of you have commissions, they are renewed. You will report to him in Pherae at the earliest possible opportunity. If you wish to join the army officially, you may enquire with him. Those who have no wish to continue fighting are free to return home.”

“And that’s it then, is it?” said one of the innumerable mercenaries Roy had recruited. “You’re just tossing us out, just like that?”

“As for the mercenaries among you,” said Lilina, “I understand that most of your contracts were with my father. But he is no longer the general and Ostia no longer has any ties to the army, or its treasury. If you want to renew your contracts, you’ll need to speak to Roy. I will ensure that your bills of service get to him.”

It was petty, that. Childish, even. Hector had made the contracts, and Ostia most likely should be footing the bill. But if Pherae wanted to be the power in Lycia so badly, they could learn to deal with what that entailed.

It seemed to satisfy the mercenaries, at least. They left first – their time was too valuable to waste it here. The soldiers followed, leaving singly or in groups, but none questioning her orders.

“Bors,” Lilina called.

He had been standing at the back of the room. Now he hurried forward and dropped to one knee. “Yes, my lady?”

“You’re now the highest-ranking knight left in Ostia. I’m naming you knight commander,” she told him. “I understand this unexpected departure will put a strain on you. However I trust you to fill the gaps with worthy Ostians. I will expect a list of potential guards on my desk by the end of the week.”

Bors paled slightly, and Lilina felt bad for throwing the responsibility at his feet. But she knew he was up to the task. “It will be done, my lady.” He bowed slightly lower before climbing to his feet and trailing after the retreating soldiers.

That left only two people waiting in the throne room: General Cecilia, and Sue.

“It’s a poor ruler who makes decisions in bitterness,” Cecilia warned.

Lilina just looked at her. What could she say? That she wasn’t bitter? That she was doing her best? One was a lie, the other a sure sign of weakness. But Cecilia was still waiting for her response. “I will do what is best for Ostia, lest you have any objections.”

“Only,” said Cecilia, “a warning. Don’t take any paths you might regret, later.” So saying she left the room, going through the opposite door than the soldiers had, the one that led to the private suites.

That left Sue.

“And what of you?” Lilina asked her. “Will you go back to the plains?”

Sue shook her head. “There’s not much there for me right now but graves. I was thinking…” but she trailed off, the way she usually had when they were children.

“What?”

“I thought I might stay here, for a while,” Sue said. “Roy has been kind enough but he doesn’t understand. Not what we’ve been through, not who we are.”

Lilina leaned back into the throne which was imposing, yes, but also damned uncomfortable. Like everything else about her life these days. “To be honest, Sue, I could really use a friend.”

Sue stood awkwardly, twirling a lock of dark green hair around her finger. “Do you want to go somewhere and just…talk for a while?”

Lilina looked at her, thinking about how improbable it was that they would become friends, now, which is what their parents had wanted all along. They’d never got on before, but maybe they just weren’t trying hard enough. She stood up.

“There’s nothing I’d like better. And I know the perfect place to go.”

Chapter Text

It was the park they went to, and Sue’s happy intake of breath at seeing such ‘wild’ greenery was enough to tell Lilina she had made the right choice. Well, that and the fact that hardly anyone came here.

The park had been a hunting reserve at one point, but none of the lords of late had cared much for the sport. At least as far as Lilina had been told. Certainly much of the meat on her tables came from here, and certainly there was a bit of poaching among the servants to help out family members who didn’t have cushy castle jobs, but there were no more great hunting parties, and hadn’t been in decades.

Instead, Lord Hector had given control of the park to Lady Lyndis, who had turned it from a slightly wild ‘tame’ forest into something hardier and more sustainable, and something a great deal prettier too. Something that just felt right in a way that cultivated land never did.

“You can come here whenever you want,” Lilina said. “It’s safe to ride too, at least as safe as anywhere is.”

“I will,” Sue said. “I didn’t realize there was such a nice place here.”

“Mother did it,” said Lilina. “She spent a lot of free time here.” They meandered through the park side-by-side. There was plenty of space to cover – the park was no mean, scraggly patch of trees. It was large enough that it supported plenty of deer and boar, in addition to smaller forest dwellers.

“It’s a good place to come listen,” Sue said. “Nature’s voice is very strong here. To have a place to be close to mother earth and father sky, well, any Sacaen would want that.”

“Even Lycians need it,” Lilina said. It did seem easier to breath out here, for all that the trunks of oak, elm, and ash pushed just as closely as the castle walls, and their interlacing branches formed a ceiling nearly as solid as the castle roof. “I should have come out here before, to clear my head. I’ve just been so angry lately. I don’t like it but I can’t seem to make it go away.”

“Because of Roy?” Sue asked. She finally settled down on a fallen tree trunk and Lilina fell into place beside her, not at all concerned that it might ruin her dress.

“He started it, the other lords finished it.” Lilina could not keep the bitterness out of her voice, and didn’t even try. Sue was safe to talk to – she wasn’t involved in politics, had no strong ties to any other region but Sacae. “They’re trying to turn Ostia into a dog – collared and controlled and Etruria’s hand on the leash!” She dug her fingers into the trunk, and bits of bark and moss crumbled under her grip. “And General Cecilia! As if I should be batting my eyeslashes and saying ‘you’re my hero Lord Roy!’ like some simpering moron. And she scolds me as if I’m a child throwing a tantrum. Ha!” Lilina pulled her hands away from the trunk with difficulty and rested them on her lap instead, tangling her fingers in her skirt. “Ostia won’t end with me, I swear it by St Elimine, aye, and by mother earth and father sky too! She’s my charge, my birthright, my legacy, and I’ll restore her to her place if it kills me.”

“The arrow that does for rabbit won’t do for elk,” Sue said, in Sacaen.

The proverb took Lilina by surprise even more than the shift in tone, or language. “Ah…mother used to say that too,” she said.

“Yes, the people of Sacae are very wise.” Even Sue couldn’t keep a straight face for that. First, she smiled – an expression just as subdued as the rest of her, but no less nice. Then she laughed a little and suddenly they were both laughing – a touch hysterically, but real laughter.

Lilina couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed like that, laughed so much she was wiping tears from her eyes as she stopped. She felt lighter, as if some invisible load had been lessened. “I won’t tangle with the other lords without being prepared,” she promised. “And there’s still Bern and Etruria to consider, before I can do much of anything at all.”

Sue was rubbing at her eyes as well. “Still, I admire you, Lilina. If I was half the warrior you are…”

“What happened? In Sacae?” Lilina’s tragedy was plain enough, she couldn’t have hidden her losses if she wanted to. But Sacae was far away, and Sue was so private a person, and Lilina only had a faint idea of what had transpired.

Sue stared at the ground as if willing it to talk for her, and sighed. “The clans of Sacae took a stand against Bern, all but one. Those traitors attacked us, along with Bernese troops they’d given access to the plains.” She scowled. “A hunter I am but a warrior? I was sent with the other women and children, only to find that we’d ridden into a trap. I did what I could but in the end…all I could do was flee with nothing more but my horse and my bow. Lord Orun gave me safe lodging, until he was murdered.”

Lilina did not want to give Sue an empty ‘I’m sorry’ like the ones given to her, and she couldn’t say nothing. “Bern has a lot of lives to answer for,” she said, instead. “Lives lost and lives ruined. But that kind of greed can’t possibly stay locked up quietly behind those mountains. And the next time they cause trouble…”

“I won’t run, this time,” Sue said. “Some of my people might still be alive, or captured. Vengeance solves nothing and violence solves little, but I’ll rebuild my home too, however I must.”

“I’ll help, if there’s anything I can do.”

Sue nodded, and silence fell between them, for once not awkward but comfortable. It was nice to sit outside on a beautiful day and listen to birdsong and watch the ever-changing patterns of sun and shadow as the light changed. It was nice to do those things with a friend, and even that thought thrilled Lilina just a little bit. She was not a girl with many friends, perhaps none outside of Roy, and now Sue.

But the light was changing, and it was nearly time for dinner. She stood up and shook her skirt to free it from the bits of moss and wood she had scattered liberally around.

“We should get back. Until I find a new seneschal, I don’t have much free time.” She offered Sue a hand, which was accepted, and pulled the other girl to her feet.

“Seneschal?”

“A lord’s right hand, someone who takes care of the little details. Father’s seneschal, Lady Marian, was a treasure, but Leygance saw to her during his coup.” Lilina set off back towards the castle, but she couldn’t help moving slowly still, unwilling for this brief respite to end. “I’ll need to have one found and trained before I can think of joining forces with Roy again.” She sighed. “And tomorrow I need to ride out and start making rounds of the tenant farmers outside the city proper, and I need to check on Bors and his new guard recruits, and talk with the housekeeper and the butler about filling any servant positions that need filling.” She stopped there, even though the list went on and on. Her father had tried to prepare her to rule, but the amount of work still took her by surprise. Where, in this wave of minutiae, would she find time to fight Bern or the other Lycian lords?

“Can I help?” Sue asked. “Leading here is more complicated than doing so in Sacae, but if I need to regather my clan it’s something I must continue to learn.”

Lilina paused as they neared the gated wall that separated the park from the rest of the castle estate. The sun was setting behind the park, throwing long, twisted shadows from the wall and gate across the perfectly manicured lawn. A good representation of how she felt – as soon as they crossed that threshold she was Lady Ostia again, with all the responsibilities and problems of the country firmly on her shoulders once more.

Lilina had always known who she was, what she was destined for, and she had wanted it. But she’d never wanted it like this. Never wanted to claim it from death and despair. Even so Ostia was hers, and it needed care and keeping. She pushed the gate open.

“I can’t refuse any offer of help right now,” she told Sue. “I’m sure we can find something that will be useful for both of us. And…well, we do have one of the best training arenas in all Lycia. Perhaps we can spar together sometime? We have to keep up on that as well.”

Sue smiled her elusive smile again, and closed the gate behind her. “I’d like that, very much.”

Chapter Text

Lilina sat in her office again, but she was no longer alone. Across the desk sat a young man named Martin. He looked a bit weedy and washed out, but he was stronger than he appeared. Not only that, but as the youngest son of a middling noble family, he had both the basic training to pick up a seneschal’s work, and enough ambition to leave the dubious prospects of a family inheritance for a surer thing in Ostia’s employ. Lilina wasn’t sure she trusted him, yet, but at least he was competent.

She finished what she was writing and handed the parchment to him. “Have this order copied and supplied to all of the major merchant houses in Ostia,” she said. “I want these set as the new prices for selling in the rest of Lycia.”

He read over the missive she had written, blonde eyebrows climbing higher as he got farther down. “This is quite a jump, Lady Lilina. Won’t the other territories be angry?”

Lilina shrugged. “The previous low prices were because Ostia was the head of the Lycian Alliance, and they paid taxes to us. I won’t beggar this country by giving them benefits they’re no longer paying for.”

It was a slow plan, the only kind she could manage right now. To bring Ostia back to prominence she needed two things. The first was to remind the other lords of exactly how many things Ostia had been able to provide for them, more easily than a smaller territory like Pherae could do. The second was to make sure that she, and Ostia, played a large role in whatever wars were to come. Without both halves, nothing would work.

If she acted submissive and allowed them to bully her now, they would never respect her later. If she stayed home to tend her country, Ostia would be cut out of any war reparations once it was over. And if they lost, well, Ostia had deep coffers and large stores of resources. One way or the other, she would bend the rest of Lycia back around. But it had to start now, and having a competent right hand – even if somewhat unproven – was the first step.

Everything else was going more or less smoothly. Bors had managed to convince a few older knights to come out of retirement and help him train the new recruits. There were enough of those, fortunately. Ostia had always paid well, and had always had more candidates than slots. Hopefully under the strict tutelage of proud older knights, the new generation would come along well enough. 

Sue helped with training too, as there were currently no mounted knights to teach them how to ride, much less ride and fight. General Cecilia had the promising magic users well in hand – her apology for their current situation, Lilina thought. But it meant she had no excuse at all to join her troops in practice, and much more incentive to stay inside working with Martin, regardless of how nice the day was, or how much she wanted to hit something.

“Above all,” she told Martin, pulling her thoughts away from what was happening outside, “Ostia must remain strong in this. The other territories are like sharks, and we must not allow them to smell blood in the water.”

“I understand, my lady,” Martin said. Lilina thought he probably did – those from the lesser nobility were well used to presenting a façade of strength to the world. “I’ll see that this gets out. Any other orders for the merchants?”

That was one good thing about a seneschal – he could remind her to stay on topic, to finish a task she might consider already complete. “Tell them to start stockpiling things we get from outside, outside Lycia especially. For all that things are calm now, this is still a war. I’d rather avoid rationing if we can, and it’ll be much cheaper to buy in bulk now if others think the worst is over.”

Whatever reply he intended to make was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Enter!”

General Cecilia came in at Lilina’s permission, and from the expression on her face, Lilina knew the call had come at last. It was time for Etruria to tug on the leash.

“I need you to send a message to General Roy,” Cecilia said. “Word has come from the Etrurian court. He and his army are to travel to the Western Isles immediately in response to a bandit problem there.”

Lilina barely contained her surprise that it was Roy – not her – being called to task. She didn’t bother to ask why Etruria couldn’t handle its own bandit problem. They would say, of course, that their forces were spread thin protecting both Etruria and now Lycia from the Bernese threat. That may well be true, but the reason was more likely a reminder of Lycia’s obligation to them. She knew, and Cecilia knew it. Would Roy know it?

Lilina pulled a clean sheet of parchment towards her and dipped her quill in ink. “Is there anything specific I need to tell him?”

“The political situation in Etruria is no less complicated than the one in Lycia at the moment,” General Cecilia said. “At least, it was when I left, and I hardly doubt its grown less so in the time I’ve been away. But this is an order, not a request, and should be worded as such.”

“The king is demanding a gesture of good faith on our part,” Lilina said, reading between the lines. “If we refuse, Etrurian support will be pulled from Lycia. Or worse, Etrurian troops will overrun our borders.” Less likely, in a time where imminent war brewed, but still a possibility. If Etruria did decide to act, a sizable number of their soldiers would start with Ostia which, in her damaged state, would only be able to offer a token resistance to such a large and well-trained force.

“I’m afraid this isn’t the doing of King Mordred,” Cecilia said. “But this is something I will discuss in more detail when he arrives from Pherae.”

If Lilina experienced any satisfaction that it was Roy who had to come running cross country at Etruria’s beck and call, she was careful not to show it to Cecilia. She had the general’s support for now, but she had already been subjected to a few lectures as if she were still a child in Cecilia’s tutelage. And, of course, Ostia would also be running at Etruria’s beck and call. She just had a shorter route to get there. She also had the dubious pleasure of playing host to Lycia’s army. Again.

That was a problem for tomorrow.

For today, Lilina wrote quickly, but in an even hand, the bare bones of the request and that a proper explanation awaiting his arrival, and advice to beginning preparing the army for the march to Ostia. She passed it to Cecilia, who scanned the words, sanded the still wet ink, and attached her seal to the missive.

“Martin,” Lilina said, “send this out first thing tomorrow.” He took the letter from Cecilia and bowed, leaving the room to the two of them. To Cecilia, Lilina said, “Ostia’s army is newly made, but I can poll my men and see who is willing to go. We are no less eager to participate in this venture than Pherae.

“And no more, either,” Cecilia replied. “You don’t have to pay such lip service to me, Lady Lilina. I am ever your ally in this.” She was too proper to show her nerves with ticks or habits, but it had always seemed to Lilina that her very stillness was a tell in and of itself. She did not guard herself so readily if she thought there wasn’t any danger. “And I promise I’ll explain everything when the time is right.”

With that, she too left, leaving Lilina alone in the office once more.

Lilina leaned back in her chair, pondering this new development. She had to go, that much was obvious. She knew Sue would go. Bors too, probably. That was why he had found older knights to teach, so he wouldn’t have to stay behind.

A new seneschal, mostly new guards and staff…Lilina knew it was dangerous to leave Ostia in such a way. But what choice did she have? There was no one left that she could trust to remain here, no one in any position of authority at any rate. Leygance’s coup had left Ostia far more injured than any action from Bern.

She wanted to jump immediately into her preparations, but serving as Lady Ostia in truth had settled her, somewhat. She could not display agitation at the news where anyone of importance could see her. Above all, Ostia must remain strong. Lilina must remain strong.

She wanted, more than anything, to get her horse and go ride with Sue in the park. Instead, she pulled a fresh sheet of parchment towards her across the desk and began to write.

*

It seemed being named General in official capacity had also settled Roy, to some extent. He knew the implications of what was being asked right away, and he went through the official greetings as quickly as he could without giving offense.

Lilina understood his impatience, and she already had a room ready for them to speak in. A room she knew for a fact did not have any spy holes, or any other way to listen in, physically or magically. It was big enough for a solid wooden table, half a dozen occupants, and the chairs needed to seat them. Today it was only occupied by four: Roy, Cecilia, herself, and Princess Guinevere of Bern.

That surprised her, for a number of reasons. Though thinking back on it, Lilina did remember that Princess Guinevere had been in Ostia once before. It was only that there was so much going on that Lilina failed to attach any significance to her presence. As for the wisdom of allowing the princess of a nation they were almost, but not quite, at war with into a private council, Lilina had her own thoughts. But Roy had brought her, and Cecilia had not objected, and here they were.

Once the door was closed and all four of them seated, Roy spoke. “I understand that we have to do it, and that Etruria will protect Lycia while we’re gone.” He did a good, but not perfect job of hiding his unease at the prospect. Pherae was not Ostia who, in better times, had ample guard to have men in both the army and in adequate private protection. The other city-states, even smaller, would be left even more vulnerable. “I understand we can’t refuse this…request. But as for the things your letter hinted at, I’m at a loss.”

Cecilia rested her clasped hands delicately on the tabletop and looked at them all in turn. “You remember,” she began, “the tragedy in Etruria last year?”

“Yes,” said Roy slowly, “Crown Prince Mildain died suddenly, if I recall correctly.”

Cecilia nodded, and her emerald hair gleamed in the candlelight. “It was…rather more than King Mordred could bear. He has retreated from the world in many ways, and his advisors are free to play their own games with the people.”

Lilina spoke. “General Percival said you had to fight for the right to involve yourself with Lycia, but that makes sense. A divided court could never hold another country, not with any kind of lasting power.”

Cecilia nodded again. “That was one thing that led to me being given leave to come at all. To other countries – especially to Bern – it must appear as if nothing has changed. And Etruria is still strong. But know this: the aid with a price, the meaningless tasks, they are not from our king.” She paused, as if debating whether or not to continue. After several minutes had passed, she did. “The factions are less than they had been. Advisor Roartz was emerging victorious as I left. He’s done a fair job of keeping the other advisors from the king, and us generals as well.”

“So,” Roy said, “we have to play nice and we have to go clear up this bandit problem, and we have to act as if we believe these are orders from the rightful king of Etruria.”

“That is the size of it, yes,” said Cecilia.

At that, Princess Guinevere spoke. She showed none of the aggression or duplicity her brother was becoming known for. She asked only, “Can I go with you?”

Roy smiled at her. “You can go with us as far as Etruria. But after that, it would be wiser for you to remain there, with General Cecilia’s protection. Fighting bandits is dangerous and dirty work in territory you know. In unknown lands, it would be hard for us to guard you at the same time.”

The princess bowed her head. “I understand, General Roy. Thank you for undertaking so much to protect me. I will be praying for your safety.”

“And we will pray for yours,” he said. But he stood. “There’s much to do before we leave.”

Indeed there was, and this time Lilina didn’t intend to let him have it all his own way. She suppressed a sigh, rose after him, and said, “Why don’t we take this to my office?”

Chapter Text

There was no time to relax before they were off again, farther west than either Lilina or Roy had ever gone. On the shore they parted ways with Cecilia and Guinevere, and ventured deeper into the western isles.

The western isles were beautiful and rich, with many different kinds of resources in some process of being stripped by the Elibean countries who claimed ownership of them. They were also, as Etruria’s missive said, infested with bandits who interfered with those processes, and had the residents living in fear. Their job, impossible as it seemed, was to root out the bandits.

Roy had procured a map from somewhere, and had passable copies drawn up for the head of each group of soldiers. Not that the maps did much good. Fog hung heavy on the islands, and had since they arrived. The early morning sun failed completely to burn it off, and the mid-morning sun didn’t even seem interested in trying.

“It’s not a good situation,” Roy said to Lilina, as if he needed to explain it.

“Three disadvantages for the price of one,” she replied. “But if there are any mages, I’ll know.”

Originally the plan had been to split into groups and comb the islands one by one, but in fog like this that wasn’t viable. Instead the groups remained close together, well within distance of easy finding if something went amiss. They were all on high alert, but the attack still took them by surprise.

There was a strangled shout from one of the other groups, then suddenly the air came alive with the sounds of battle.

Roy had Durandal already in hand when Lilina felt the tiny atmospheric changes that signaled magic at work. She shoved him roughly to the side and followed, seconds ahead of the lighting strike that would have killed either of them had it hit.

Roy looked at her.

She spoke before he could. “I’ll take care of it. Mages can’t hide in the fog, not from me.”

“Be careful, Lilina,” he said. “You’re still my oldest friend and if anything happened to you…”

“And to you, the same,” Lilina told him. And it was true. Despite everything that had happened, and everything that would assuredly happen in the future, Roy was still her friend. But this was a battle, and there was no time to linger.

She turned to say something similar to Sue, but Sue was already vanishing into the fog, a stray arrow held tightly in her hand.

Lilina shook her head, and moved to the south, where the magic was coming from. Another mage, a boy named Lugh, was headed in the same direction and they naturally drifted together, protecting one another as they tried to pinpoint the exact locations of the enemy mages. They had hardly spoken, but their magic was of a type, and so they could work together without needing to be bosom companions to do so.

Other fighters streamed past them, heedless of the magic. Mostly those were mercenaries, those who had chosen to remain in Roy’s employ. Lilina couldn’t concentrate on them, not on the ringing sound of steel on steel after a successful block, not the grunts and gasps of pain that heralded an unsuccessful one. She could not focus on imagining her retainers making those sounds, certainly not her friends making them. It was the magic that was important.

Suddenly, they got one.

“There!” Lugh whispered, unnecessarily.

Lilina was already readying a fire spell, letting it build under an even hand, until the moment the pressure could not be contained, and she could not hold it, and just before she lost control she flung it with all the force of her considerable will.

She couldn’t see the mage, but she felt him die.

Sometimes Lilina had to wonder if magic wasn’t a much more personal form of attack than a steel weapon, for all that it worked at a distance. But there was no time for philosophy.

Her attack had made them targets, even as the enemy mages had made targets of themselves. She and Lugh moved on to another hidden place, and went back to work.

Dodging, tracking, attacking, her focus narrowed to this small pattern. She did not realize how Bors trailed after them, determined to protect his lady from the very real threat of sharpened steel.

The enemy mages were no longer focusing on the rest of Roy’s forces, spread out and hard to track as they were. It was usually this way, in a chaotic fight. Steel to steel, magic to magic. And magic took focus and concentration. Good fighters knew that, and good fighters would seek to take out a mage or two while they were distracted.

Lilina knew it too, but had forgotten in the initial heady cocktail of fear and exhilaration.

When the last mage was dead, she turned to speak to Lugh, and saw Bors out of the corner of her eye, guarding them both. His armor was scratched and dented, showing hard use. Some of the damage was old, but some of it was surely new.

Around them the battle still raged. The mages were dead, but regular soldiers were harder to find in the fog.

“Do you have energy left to fight?” she asked Lugh.

He nodded. “Some.”

“Some,” she repeated. In truth she felt the same. It was harder to fight other mages than otherwise. They took more power to kill, and in this situation, more effort to find. “I suppose we ought to go help the others. “Bors?”

“Yes, Lady Lilina?” he asked. He didn’t look at her, but he continued to scan the surrounding area for immediate threats.

“Thank you for your help so far. May I continue to rely on your assistance?”

This time he did look at her, albeit briefly. “Always, my lady.”

“Then it is time for use to join the fray anew.”

“Of course, my lady.”

The rest of the battle was a blur. It was thunder magic for regular soldiers, thunder that sparked and ran along their weapons and armor, finding vulnerable flesh that much more easily. Thunder, that bucked and convulsed in her hand, not nearly as tractable as fire – if any elemental force could be tractable.

There were bandits in plenty to find, and pirates coming from the outside. As if the western isles didn’t have enough trouble already without importing more.

By the end, Lilina was no less tattered and torn than anyone who had been fighting more traditionally. The hem of her kirtle was ripped in places, stained with mud and blood and who knew what else, bits of hair were escaping the braid down her back, her hands shook slightly, and she was ravenously hungry. Magic was like that, sometimes. But she and Bors and Lugh had all survived, if somewhat worse for wear. They followed the sound of talking to see how their friends and comrades had fared.

Of the people they knew, they passed Sue first, separated a bit from the others and talking rapidly in Sacaen with a man Lilina didn’t recognize. Lilina waved, and saw Sue’s slow nod in return, but didn’t interrupt the conversation.

Roy was also talking with someone Lilina didn’t know – not that she knew every face on campaign, but it was a rather distinctive face – and with one of his knights. Noah, she thought his name was. Merlinus hovered by his shoulder trying to get his attention, but Roy only waved Noah and the girl away when he saw Lilina appearing out of the still pervasive fog.

“Well,” Roy said with a cheeriness that he quite clearly didn’t feel, “if all the bandits are this eager we won’t have to spend very much time looking for them.”

“Someone warned them we were coming,” Lilina said. “Or they always operated under the assumption that someone would try to oust them eventually.”

Roy frowned. “Better to assume the worst – that they were warned. At a time like this we can’t afford to be careless.”

“A recommended starting point would be to have meetings such as this in a more private establishment,” Merlinus said, straightening his tunic. He, of course, had emerged from the battle looking as impeccably groomed as he had gone in. “Out in the open anyone could be listening.”

“We’re not staying here,” Roy said. “Any messenger can’t be that much faster than us. Lilina, do you have enough energy left to send out a few flares? I’d like to get the troops reassembled as quickly as possible.”

Lilina paused for a moment, but then nodded. “I think I can manage three, but no more, not without rest and lunch.”

Roy nodded once. “That’ll do. We can make camp once we’re away from the battle site. Help the others gather here. I need to speak to Marcus.”

Lilina and Merlinus shared a look.

“Where do you think we’re going?” she asked.

He shrugged.

Chapter Text

They went north, towards the mines, following a tip that Roy had gotten from an evacuating villager. It seemed that people from around the isles were taken there and forced into hard labor. It wasn’t exactly the sort of thing they were sent to investigate, but Roy couldn’t turn a blind eye to those allegations, so north they went.

There was a minor Etrurian lord holding the pass to the mine, one Lord Nord by name. Nord, being only a minor noble, was outranked by Roy and Lilina both. And, of course, Roy had explicit instructions from Etruria to be able to pass through the western isles. He sent a single outrider with a message, and the group moved at a leisurely pace.

There had been no attacks since their welcoming party three days before. As they had moved north they entered first into the reach of the foothills and then farther up, taking them out of the worst of the fog. Up here, it tended to burn off by midmorning, and the army was treated to stunning views. The isles were truly lovely and vibrant places, covered in blossoming plant life from shore to shore, and their beauty was only marred by the undercurrent of tension that ran through everything that people did.

Bandits, Etruria had said. Pirates, they hadn’t. But this settled in fear could only be accounted for by a permanent and powerful group of individuals. The first group they’d fought had been organized, but not powerful enough to instill this kind of wariness.

Roy made sure there were outriders during every session of movement, and sentries during every stop. Despite the threat, the army was in a good mood. People were vigilant, but they also talked and chatted with their neighbors. Weapons were placed with the idea of easy access, but no one went around with their hand on their hilt, save the outriders.

Lilina was enjoying herself. Here, her primary responsibility was to be in charge of her own small force, and to fight when needed to. Her secondary responsibility was advising Roy. He hadn’t considered leaving her out, even though it would have been within his rights to do so. It suited Lilina fine. No one could deny Ostia’s involvement in this squabble now, even if they might want to.

Only three people in Ostia’s contingent rode. Lilina, befitting her status as their commander, rode on a fine dapple-gray hunter – a more reliable beast than the showy black palfrey she usually preferred. Sue continued to remain among the Ostians as well, and therefore so did Shin, the fellow tribesman she had recognized during that first chaotic battle.

But the bulk of Ostia’s forces had been and continued to be foot soldiers, so Lilina’s place was towards the rear of the train, away from the other officers and cavalry.

From there, she could not see what originally caused the disturbance in the lines. She didn’t need to see to hear the low, mournful sound of the hunting horns Roy had chosen to signal danger.

Hold, the pattern of the blasts said. Hold and defend.

That always had been Ostia’s strong suit.

The Lycian Alliance Army worked well together, considering how little time they’d had to practice. The various groups fell into their ranks with little prompting, and through the orderly lines, Lilina could see their enemy approaching from the fort higher up. Foot soldiers, it appeared, but even foot soldiers could be dangerous if they had the advantage of the high ground.

“They’ve a ballista,” Sue said quietly, and tipped her head in the direction.

Having it pointed out, Lilina could see it too, and could watch the bolts that fell upon the army. “Not many mages,” Lilina said. “At least, not mages like me.” From the sounds now drifting back, the first wave of the attack had met the Lycian front lines. Her horse merely flicked an ear, alert, but not uneasy.

The Sacaen horses were even more unflappable, though both Sue and Shin had their bows out, arrows held, ready to draw when the time came.

Bors walked up beside them. “We can defend the pass adequately, my lady,” he said. “When the rest charge, we can hold this line.”

Lilina nodded. “If I can see my enemy, I don’t need to be so close. I’ll remain here.”

A look of relief crossed Bors’ face, but he was too well-mannered to say anything in particular about her demonstrated propensity for flinging herself into the fray.

At least, Lilina thought, she came by that honestly. Both of her parents had been brash and reckless. Both of her parents had died before seeing the age of forty. So had her uncle Uther, from Hector’s accounts. Uncle Orun hadn’t been much older. Neither had her grandparents. Lilina shook the morbid thoughts from her head and settled her spell book more firmly on her lap.

“And what of you?” she asked Sue and Shin. “Will you remain with Ostia’s troops, or join the fray on the frontlines?”

“I’ll remain,” Sue said. “Archers too work well from a distance, and even our horses would have some difficulty with the hills.”

Shin also looked relieved, though he was better at hiding it than Bors. “If Sue remains here, so will I,” he said. His accent was stronger than Sue’s, when he chose to speak in Elibean. He rarely did. He knew Lilina understood him, so it was Sacaen he spoke.

“I’ll be glad to have you,” Lilina said in Elibean. She used to speak Sacaen as well, a gift from her mother, but after Lady Lyndis had died, Lilina had stopped speaking it almost entirely. Listening to Sue and Shin, it had been coming back, but not so much that she was willing to speak it to them and reveal her ignorance.

Shin bowed his head briefly in acknowledgement and turned to face the fight ahead.

The call came, as they expected, and the army in front of them surged forward, save for the archers and Lugh. Lilina urged her horse up, abreast of those who remained, and picked a target.

She paused only a moment when she realized the man was wearing proper livery. No bandit he, but without doubt an enemy. These men were quick on their feet and knew the terrain. They ducked and weaved across the hills, dodging blows and fouling the lines. Metal weapons they had, but lightning was pinpoint magic, and these men moved too quickly for it to be effective.

Lilina switched back to her fire spells, which could deal damage over a wider area.

Sue rode up next to her. “These are the lord’s men, aren’t they?”

Lilina let go of the spell she was holding and glanced over. Sue loosed arrows from her bow with a steady hand, showing no reluctance at all about coming up against what should have been honest men, rather than the bandits they were sent to find.

“It certainly appears that way,” said Lilina. She flung another spell, targeting a sword user who had been pursuing Marcus. “In my experience, it isn’t bandits who force honest citizens to work themselves to death in mines. Orders like that come from a higher power.” She wondered if Roy had the same thought. He must have. Why else would he choose to come up this way?

If she looked for him she could find him, his silver armor glinting in the sunlight. General’s armor, decorated with fine gold-leaf filigree already damaged and flaking after only a battle and a half. Despite the fancy army, he fought as hard as anyone else on the field, leading his men from the front even as her father had done.

She watched the flow of the battle from down below, seeing the tide ebb and flow. But although the lord’s forces knew the terrain better, they were far outnumbered by the Lycian Alliance army and slowly, slowly, the battle turned against them.

It was not long before the first man turned and ran. He was not chased. That prompted a flood of men abandoning the battlefield, taking to the hills. Some men fought to the bitter end, but the army did not stop for them. They pressed on towards the castle.

No longer being needed to hold the line, Lilina left the command of the men to Bors and rode forward to where Roy was.

“Should we pursue them?” she asked. “They could come back to ambush us later.”

Roy frowned. “I would rather not kill men in cold blood,” he said. “At the moment, the mines are more important.”

“General Roy!” It was Merlinus, again, making his way up from the middle of the ranks. “This is no mere bandit problem,” he said. “Etruria must be told of this development.”

“Things are certainly more complicated that they seemed,” Roy agreed. “I will draft a letter to General Cecilia myself.”

“It is possible that Etruria already knows, one way or the other,” Lilina said. “If the…court…has lost control of their nobles, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for them to send us to clean up the mess. That way whichever side wins, it’s no loss of life they consider important.”

“I’ll write to General Cecilia,” Roy said again.

A commotion from the crowd interrupted the meeting before it could truly begin.

One of the soldiers said, “General Roy-”

He didn’t have time to finish before a short brunette in the getup of a travelling performer pushed her way through the crowd and emerged in front of them.

“You’re that general, right?” she asked. “The bandit chaser?”

Merlinus gave a disapproving little cough. “This is General Roy of the Lycian Alliance army. He is here on Etrurian orders to clean up the bandit problem.”

That was good enough for her. She suddenly flung herself at Roy, and grabbed ahold of his arm.

“Please, Roy, you have to come help my friends!”

“Wait a minute-” Roy began.

Merlinus pushed himself between them, “Hold on now, miss, you cannot just grab the general.”

Roy flushed. “It’s okay, Merlinus.” He turned back to the dancer, who had gone from clinging to him to wringing her hands. “You said your friends were in danger?” he asked, in a tone of voice much kinder than the one Merlius had been using.

“Yes, they need help!”

“Slow down a minute,” Lilina said. “How about you start at the beginning.”

The girl huffed, as if the idea was a big waste of time.

“You certainly didn’t believe that General Roy would follow some unknown entity out into the wilds on something at could be no more than a wild goose chase, did you?” Merlinus asked, crossing his arms.

The girl huffed again. “My name is Lalum and I’m a member of the rebels hereabouts.”

Roy nodded. “So your friends protect the islanders from the bandits?”

“Yes!” she said, but then she shook her head. “I mean, no.”

“No?” Roy repeated, raising his eyebrows.

“I mean,” Lalum said, waving her hands for emphasis, “we protect the villagers, yes, but it’s not the bandits we have to worry about. It’s Etruria that’s the enemy here!” She leaned forward, catching and holding Roy’s eyes with her own. “Etruria is the one sending the bandits! Etruria is the one squeezing the islands so hard they’re like to get blood from stone.”

Lilina did not feel much satisfaction hearing that her theory was confirmed. “There’s the matter of the mines as well,” she said.

Lalum turned her attention abruptly to Lilina. There was an incredible force of personality in those bright blue eyes, enough that Lilina took a half-step back. But Lalum wasn’t trying to intimidate. “Exactly!” she said. “The mines! They force people to go to the mines and they work them and work them and work them to death. We’ve been fighting Etrurian occupation all along and our next stop was the mines on Mt. Ebrakhm but…”

“But?” Roy prompted.

She turned back to him. “But we were betrayed! They probably tortured to get the information but now I have to get to the mines before they can act on it and I need your help to get there!”

“General,” said Merlinus, disapproval written all over his face.

Roy glanced at Lilina. “I think more than enough people have been hurt because of our political squabbles,” he said. “I want to help them.”

“Oh thank you! Thank you!” Lalum said. She flung herself on Roy again, and this time she didn’t stop with grabbing his arm, but wrapped him in a tight hug.

Roy blushed again, nearly as red as his hair this time. “Now wait a minute Miss Lalum-”

She detached herself this time, and pulled a sword, scabbard and all, from her belt. “Here, you can use this when you go.”

Roy drew the sword, which was not as fine as Durandal, but unquestionably a weapon of superior make and upkeep. “What is this?”

Lalum shrugged. “It belongs to Echidna, our group’s leader but as you’re riding to their rescue I’m sure she won’t mind if you use it. It’s supposed to be useful against dragons but since there aren’t dragons anymore I think it’s useful against wyvern riders too.” She paused and tipped her head to one side in thought. “Well I’m not really sure but in any case, it’s bound to come in handy sometime, right?”

Roy smiled and slid the sword back into the scabbard. “Thank you, Lalum. I’ll make sure it goes to someone worthy of the blade. Ah, Lilina, can you please keep our new friend occupied?”

Lalum opened her mouth as if to protest, but Roy cut her off.

“I need to make rounds of my force and check for injured men, then we will need to form ranks again. I promise we’ll be on the move within the hour.” He moved off quickly, before the dancer had time for any more outrageous shows of gratitude.

Instead she turned back to Lilina.

Lilina gestured for Lalum to follow her, and headed back for the Ostian division. “Well Miss Lalum,” she said, “What can you tell me about the rebels, and the defense around the mine?”

“Oh that,” Lalum said, waving a hand. “I can tell you everything you need to know.”

Chapter Text

As Roy made rounds of the army, it was Lilina who spoke with Lalum, and Lilina who wrote the missive to Cecilia telling her what had already transpired. Lalum spoke the whole time. She talked a great deal, and moved a great deal, and her nervous energy made everyone anxious to be off.

When it was finally time for them to leave, Roy came to collect her. His big white destrier would have no trouble at all carrying double.

“I already sent a letter to Cecilia via carrier pigeon,” Lilina told Roy as Lalum situated herself on the saddle. “But I don’t know if we can expect and answer before we arrive at the mine.”

“Then we’ll do what we think is best,” Roy said. “Do you mind staying in the rearguard? It’ll be much easier knowing there’s a solid force at our backs.”

“It’s the most logical place for us.”

Roy looked relieved to hear her say it. “Then I’ll continue to rely on you.” He clucked to his horse and made his way back to the front.

Lilina mounted the gray courser and settled the skirts of her kirtle into place. “Lalum doesn’t leave much unsaid does she?”

Sue laughed and mounted her own horse.

There were other things Lilina could take care of while waiting for the signal to move. She checked in with all of her retainers. She had done it once, after sending the letter to Cecilia, but it might be easier to speak now that Lalum was not hovering by her shoulder.

There was also a letter from Martin, an update on how things were going. Lycia had been quiet, after some initial discontent from the other lords on the subject of Ostia’s new pricing, but the discontent had been only murmurs, with no hint of a formal complaint. That might change once Lilina was easily reachable again. Training of the new guard and staff was going well, and so she could rest easy.

Lilina tucked the letter into one of her saddlebags, but she couldn’t help but feel uneasy anyway. There had been too much chaos as of late, and too little time to find trustworthy people to fill the gaps. All she could do was wait and see when she returned.

She didn’t have too long to dwell on it before the horn sounded again and it was time to return to the march. Although it was closing in on dusk, none of them wanted to camp near where they had been fighting, nor did Roy want to take over the lord’s castle for his own use. No, they would press on and build their camp after dark, and everyone would be happier for it in the end.

“I don’t understand,” Sue said quietly as they rode, “what Etruria is doing here.”

“I’m not sure I do either,” Lilina admitted. “If Etruria truly had lost control of the nobles here, it would make more sense for them to use their own forces to cover up the mess. Sending us all the way out here, putting the Lycian Alliance in a position to doubt Etruria’s strength and unity, doesn’t seem like the smartest of plans.” She paused. “Even using us as fodder, like I suggested to Roy, it’s still too messy to bring in outsiders. There’s more going on but I don’t know what.”

Sue nodded slowly but said, “I meant how they are destroying these islands, but that too is troubling.”

“Ah…” said Lilina. “Well the rest of Elibe isn’t quite as good at living with the land as the people of Sacae.”

“It’s unfortunate,” Shin said from behind them, “that they feel the need to so injure the mother of us all, and take no notice of the gifts she gives freely.”

Lilina shrugged awkwardly. “Most Elibeans listen to the words of St Elimine, not of mother earth. It’s a different path to follow. Though the operations on this island do seem excessive, from what Lalum said.”

“And you,” Shin continued, not being so easily distracted as that, “daughter of two worlds, what words do you listen to?”

“Shin,” Sue interrupted.

He bowed his head. “My apologies, Lady Lilina. I did not mean to insult you.”

“It’s okay,” Lilina said. “I ask myself the same question sometimes. I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you.”

After that silence fell, or rather, the sort of silence that an army was capable of fell. Armor still clinked and grated, the dull sounds of hooves and heavy footsteps still pervaded the air. But there was not much conversation in the Ostian division, or elsewhere. People were tired and confused, and even victory did not cheer them up, being that it was a victory over an enemy they hadn’t been aware of.

Over the not-quite silence of the army on the move, Lilina could hear Lalum’s irrepressible voice rising and falling, and she couldn’t help but smile.

They camped just after dusk, as soon as they reached a relatively flat area that could hold them all. At times like this, everyone pitched in to make camp. Lilina put up her own tent, looked after her own horse, and saw to her own dinner before making her way, as was her habit, to Roy’s tent in the middle of the camp.

She was only one of his councilors, the others being Merlinus and Marcus, and the four of them met without fail every evening, even if nothing of any note had happened at all.

Today, Lalum was in the tent as well, peering down at the large map of the island that Roy had spread across the floor.

“The mines are all the way over here,” she was saying, pointing to a portion of the map. “But with a big army like this you can’t get there directly. And anyway, the village that we operated out of is over here, along the road. The lands around there are ruled over by this really awful bishop, and you’ll have to get by him in order to pass onto the mines.”

Roy frowned. “We ought to try and get his permission, the way we did with Lord Nord. But the messenger we sent to Nord never came back, and I don’t want to sacrifice any lives needlessly.”

“Is that what caused it?” Lilina asked. “I was too far back to see anything. I thought perhaps they just rushed us.”

Marcus shook his head. “They sent back the messenger’s horse, without a rider, and followed up with an immediate attack.”

“All the lords here are like that,” Lalum said scornfully. “Can’t trust them as far as you can throw them. Etrurians! Huh!”

Lilina sighed. “I wrote to Cecilia, but I’m not sure how much she knows of this situation, or how much she’s willing to tell us. Otherwise she would have mentioned it before. But we should assume that Etruria knows of this, and wants us here, specifically, for a reason.” She looked at Roy. “You invited the wolf in the door, don’t be surprised that he doesn’t want to leave the hearth.”

“You don’t think they’re after Lycia,” Roy said back.

Lilina crossed her arms and said nothing.

“You said yourself that they couldn’t-” but he stopped, suddenly aware that three of the people in the tent hadn’t been privy to that comment, or that meeting, or that information. Lalum was staring at him with open curiosity, and the faces of Merlinus and Marcus were hardly more guarded.

“They don’t have to act now,” said Lilina. “Ostia and Pherae are the powerhouses in Lycia. Lord Hector is dead. Lord Eliwood is dying. You and I are young, untried, and new to our positions. Without us, even the army couldn’t function. Without us or the army, Lycia has no defense at all. A perfect battlefield to meet the Bernese on. Perfect land to cede to them, if need be, or take from them, if wanted. Leaderless lands that might go crying to one or the other on their own now, or maybe after the war. Etruria doesn’t need to do a thing.”

“You have a suspicious mind, Lady Lilina,” Marcus said. As usual, it was impossible to tell what he thought about it. It was a statement, devoid of any emotional inflection.

“I didn’t always, and look what happened. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Roy flushed, but this time it was in anger. “Are you ever-”

“No.”

Merlinus intervened. “It is perhaps for the best to think as Lady Lilina is advising us to do. If Etruria sent us here all in good faith, then we shall be over-prepared and will survive with ease. If they did not, then we will be ready.”

“On these islands, Etruria doesn’t do anything in good faith,” Lalum said. Her words held the flat-toned edge of finality.

Roy, outnumbered at least three to one, backed down. “All right,” he said. “All right. So how do you suggest going about getting to your friends, and the mine?”

Lalum nodded once, as if well satisfied, and pointed to the map again. “The best way is to go in this direction, through the village. The bishop has a lot of troops, but if you skip all the nonsense about messengers and inevitable betrayal you can probably be well in position before he has a chance to act.” She paused, looking at each of them in turn. “My friends, and the villagers helping us, are being put in danger for each moment that reinforcements don’t come.”

“I understand,” Roy said. “I promise we’ll do all we can to help save the people of these islands.”

“Good, I’ll hold you to that. Now, one of you must show me where I can camp.”

“Merlinus is our acting quartermaster, I’m sure he can give you any supplies you need,” Roy said.

Merlinus did not seem at all put out. He gave Lalum a half bow and said, “Shall we go, miss Lalum?”

Marcus excused himself as well, saying he needed to check on all of the scouts.

That left Lilina and Roy alone.

“Lilina…” he said. “You know I didn’t intend any of this. I just wanted you to be safe. If I wanted you left out of things, I wouldn’t have let you come here. I wouldn’t have you as my adviser. I need you on my side.”

“I am on your side,” she said, “against Bern. As for the rest, you and your father has made it quite clear to me that it is to be Ostia against the world. I won’t trade my country for your friendship. Good night, Roy.”

So saying, she left the tent. There might be a time and a place for them to air their grievances, but Lilina knew that this was not that time, nor that place. For the sake of the army, for the sake of Lycia emerging from this viper’s den in one piece, she would support him, her friend. Later though, Ostia and Pherae might very well come to blows, and Lilina did not intend to be the loser of that fight.

Chapter Text

They saw the village spread out below them just before midmorning, but they did not like what they saw.

Word had spread around the camp the previous evening, told by captains and enlarged by camp gossip, that Lycia was parting ways with Etrurian commands. The lords were attacking the villages. The lords were the bandits. The Lycian Army was to protect the villagers no matter whose uniform came under their blades. This was understood, and agreed upon. It may even have elicited some excitement, though if that was the case the soldiers were too well-disciplined to show it to their superiors.

When the call sounded to go on the attack, it didn’t matter what had prompted it. It didn’t matter who they were facing. The army was ready, and the army poured down the road into the village, blood roused and weapons at the ready to fight the men that the bishop had sent to attack his own people, before any hint of the Lycian Alliance army was even visible.

This time the Ostian division had to fight as well. No one would, or could, come up from behind them – that area was contained and controlled. Not only that, but this village was an old one, with defensive walls built in and around, and the village itself cut up into small segments, each of which would need to be patrolled and controlled individually. This was a job for the whole army, but especially Ostian infantry, who would have a much easier time getting around and holding these streets than the cavalry and lightly armored infantry of the other territories.

“Don’t let them attack the villagers,” was Roy’s command, and all of the various groups set about keeping that single goal.

Ostia was the bulwark of this, and the lighter troops streamed around them, securing locations and chasing down those of their enemies who chose to flee.

There was no more leniency, as there had been before – not that Lilina had known, or cared. This was war against the parts of Etruria that claimed these islands for their own, and Roy had no interest in taking prisoners. Perhaps he would have, if their force was bigger, their supplies more stable. But they could not afford to house prisoners, and so there would be none. It was utterly ruthless, and utterly practical, and utterly unlike Roy.

It was an attitude Lilina had no trouble adapting to.

They claimed the village, little by little, and Lilina was there to see the silver-haired woman that stepped out of one of the final houses, straight-backed as a tree and musclebound like a young ox.

One of the bishop’s men, running from the Lycians, took advantage to try and cut the woman down. She dealt him a blow with a warhammer that sent him flying.

“These fools are still at it?” she said, scorn heavy in her voice as she watched another soldier fall to a Lycian arrow. “You’d think they’d’ve learned by now.”

Even through the chaos of the battlefield, Lalum’s voice was unmistakable. “Oh Echidna! Echidna you’re all right!” She bounced a little, momentarily appearing above the fighters, before vanishing into the crowd.

The woman with the silver hair, Echidna, moved in that direction. “More worried about you,” she said, and then she was gone, just as lost in the swirl of battle as anyone else was.

The only constant was Bors, still faithfully by Lilina’s side, as he said he would be.

But there was no time to wonder on that, or on the fate of the rebel forces.

There was a battle to fight, after all.

*

It was the cheering that announced the end of the battle that managed to break her concentration. Before then, Lilina was still looking around, in search of someone else to fight, some other person that needed defeating. But the army was cheering, and the battle was done.

The grey gelding’s sides were heaving with exertion, but Lilina asked one last favor of him, and nudged him into a walk, heading for the bishop’s home, and the telltale glint of sunlight on silver and gold.

Roy was there, as she knew he would be, talking to his commanders and taking stock of their situation. She could see Lalum and Echidna making their way out from one of the other village doors, but they stopped and allowed a slender blond man to pass them. It was clear from the cleanliness of his clothing that he had not partaken in the battle. But he walked with the gait of a man who knew he had every right to be there, and angled straight for Roy. Lalum and Echidna did not seem to be surprised to see him in the least, and in fact altered their path to trail after him. One of the other rebels, no doubt.

Lilina urged her horse to a slightly faster gait, a request it responded to with a gusty sigh, but did, ultimately, comply with.

She reached just before the young man.

“Are you Lord Roy?” he asked.

Roy nodded, once. “I am General Roy, of the Lycian Alliance Army. And you are?”

“My name is Elphin.” Elphin gave a properly courtly bow. “I am a member of the rebel forces here. You have my heartfelt thanks for saving the townsfolk as you did.”

“We did as we thought was right,” Roy said.

“But now you have engaged in open rebellion against Etruria,” Elphin said, studying Roy with bright blue eyes. “Was this truly the wisest course?”

Roy shrugged. “Is it wiser to allow innocent people to suffer such cruelties? We wrote a letter to a trustworthy member of the Etrurian court. If she takes action it should not be hard to swing things into our favor.”

Elphin shook his head. “I would not be so confident. Didn’t you think it odd that Etruria sent you in particular to deal with this?”

“Of course we did,” Lilina said. She swung down from her horse and offered Elphin the brief curtsey that a ruler could offer the common man. “Lady Lilina of Ostia,” she said.

Elphin bowed again, as he had for Roy. “My lady,” he said. “I would imagine the one behind this request to be Advisor Roartz.”

“Perhaps,” Roy said, “We ought to take this discussion somewhere private.”

“We have plenty of room at our disposal,” Elphin said, gesturing to the bishop’s manor house, rising up just behind them.

The house was empty, and far too large for the five of them who met in the entrance hall: Roy, with Lilina, Merlinus, and Marcus, and Elphin. Marcus had only just shut the door when Elphin spoke again.

“It is likely Etruria has some goal in mind while Lycia’s protectors are otherwise occupied.”

“We have discussed this,” Lilina said. “Including likely reasons that could be and the possible danger to our countries. We have not, however, talked about an actual course of action.”

“I’m not leaving,” Roy said bluntly.

No one spoke.

“From here, it is hard to tell what is true and what is a lie, what is a fact and what is a trap meant to lure us into some misstep.” He paused. “Besides, we have to finish what we started here. If we go back on our word so easily, who would ever trust us?”

Elphin laughed. “I apologize for testing you,” he said. “But I needed to see what kind of man you were.”

“Then…what you said was a lie?”

“How could it be?” Lilina said, crossing her arms. “He didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already suspect or know on our own.”

Elphin smiled at her. “Nothing I said was a lie, but I did…perhaps…include my own emphasis. But I would be honored to serve in your company, General Roy, if you’ll have me.”

“I don’t like people who play games,” Roy said. “Do it again, and I’ll have you thrown out.”

Elphin bowed again.

Roy frowned, but said nothing of the gesture. “You have been fighting this fight far longer than we. What advice do you have for us?”

“We must travel to Djuto, the main Etrurian city on these isles,” Elphin said. “It is better, after all, to cut evil off at the source.”

“All right,” Roy said. “Thank you for the suggestion. I will discuss it with my advisors.”

Elphin recognized the dismissal for what it was, bowed again, and walked out of the manor. The door swung shut behind him.

“I get the feeling,” Roy said, “that Elphin is trying to force our hand when it comes to Etruria. I want to help these islands, but we all know we can’t afford to provoke Etruria too far.”

“It is possible that the rebels are allied with Bern,” Lilina said. “If Etruria’s attention is focused here, then they wouldn’t be watching their home ground as carefully, and especially not Lycia. That’s what happened in Ostia, and it nearly worked. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bern tried the same tactics more than once.”

Roy sighed. “When did everything get so complicated? It never should have been like this.”

“We are already here, General Roy,” Marcus said. “Whether Bern or Etruria is behind the state on the western isles, it must be dealt with. We are too far from Lycia to do any good right now, but we can still do some good here.”

Merlinus nodded. “Not to mention, if Etruria is behind this and we leave, they will use our defection as an excuse to seize Lycia.”

“Either Etruria or Bern could seize Lycia on any grounds at any time,” Lilina said. “If we fight and win here, it’s just less soldiers we’d potentially have to fight there. I think setting course for Djuto is the wisest thing, considering.”

“When there are no good choices, you pick the one that’s the least bad?” Roy asked, with a smile that did nothing to hide how tired he was. “Very well. There were more substantial injuries during this fight, so we will remain for a few days. Any able-bodied fighters are to help the village repair the damage. When the army is ready to march, we’ll march towards Djuto.”

Marcus bowed. “I’ll see that the orders are distributed, general.”

He and Merlinus both left the house, leaving Roy and Lilina alone.

Roy leaned against a decorative table and closed his eyes. “It shouldn’t be like this,” he said again. “There shouldn’t be any war. Your father should still be alive. We should be just us. Just our fathers’ heirs.”

“There’s no point in wishing,” said Lilina after a long silence. “Our parents weren’t much older when they fought dragons. I’m sure they wanted things to be different, but they did what needed to be done. And so will we.”

“Do you think we can?”

“You haven’t been doing badly so far,” she said.

Roy sighed. “I don’t want this. I don’t want to be the general.”

Lilina didn’t know how to respond to that. She said, “Get some sleep, Roy. We have a lot of work to do in the morning.” She left him to his own thoughts, which were certainly no less troubled than hers. But there was a thread through them that she was afraid to look at too closely, lest it turn out not to be true.

If Roy didn’t want to be the general, then he might give her the support she needed to reclaim that honor for Ostia. If they saw this through. If they survived.

Chapter Text

It took them several days to reach Djuto, Eturia’s largest settlement. Even from the outskirts, it was easy to see where Lord Arcard made his residence – his castle, a gaudy and opulent affair built from gold-veined marble, towered over the rest of the city sprawling at its base. It was an impressive feat, considering how tasteless the rest of the city appeared.

“Huh!” Lalum said disdainfully from where she rode on a pony donated by one of the villagers. “Etrurians made all this from the suffering of the people here!”

Roy frowned. “Why would the Etrurian court allow this? Why send someone like Lord Arcard to oversee this area?”

“Why send anyone to oversee this area at all?” Lilina asked. For once she rode at the head of the line, to better receive the orders Roy had for her portion of the troops. “Power, and wealth, easily obtained, with minimal losses on their part.”

“Huh!” Lalum said again. “Doesn’t matter why they did it, what matters is stopping them. You promised.”

“I intend to keep that promise,” Roy said. “But we need a plan. Does anyone know the layout of the city? Of Lord Arcard’s castle?”

Elphin too rode beside them. Until this point he had remained silent. Now he inclined his head. “I have been here before, recently and not so recently. His castle has two entrances which should be easily accessible to us.”

Roy considered this. “We have enough people to take both. If we move quickly enough, we can catch Lord Arcard in the middle and prevent his escape.”

“The doors are there, and there.” Elphin gestured with his hand to show the relative positions. “We’ll have to approach from two different parts of the city to reach them at a similar time.”

“I’ve been there too,” Lalum said. “Mayhap it’s best for me to guide one group and Lord Elphin another?”

“Lord Elphin?” Roy asked.

“Er….” Lalum shrugged and gave an embarrassed laugh. “It’s cause he looks like a lord doesn’t he? I call him that.”

The whole group was silent for a moment.

“Well,” said Lilina, “I can take my troops to the east with Lalum, and you can take the west entrance with Elphin, if you think that expedient.”

“It seems as good a method as any.”

“Before we separate,” Elphin said, “there’s something I must tell you. The last time I was here I heard certain…rumors.”

Roy looked at him, suspicious. He still had not forgiven Elphin for the trick he pulled before. Lilina did not blame him in the least for his caution. “What kind of rumors?”

“They say there’s something strange guarding the castle, a man that can turn into a dragon.”

“A human turning into a dragon? Such a thing can’t be possible, can it?” Roy asked. “Humans are humans, and dragons are dragons.”

Lilina felt uneasy. Even from what Merlinus had told them, the dragons their parents had fought had only been dragons, nothing more. Was there more information being hidden from them? Was this something known, or was it something new? Or was it simply the talk of anxious inhabitants, unsure of what to think in a world hovering on the brink of war? She bunched her hands up in her skirt. “Even if there is a dragon, you have Durandal. There should be no trouble.”

“And if I am not the one to find this dragon?” Roy countered. “Assuming there is one. We are not all armed with holy weapons.”

Lalum gave an exasperated snort. “What kind of hero are you, to let a thing like that stop you! It’s not like we know for sure.”

“It’s the not knowing that worries me,” Roy said. “But in the end, Lalum is right. We came here to put an end to this. I can’t walk away now. Not when people still need our help.” He gave a decisive nod. “So we go with the plan we have, and hope for the best. I’ll take the west door, Lilina, take the east.” He glanced up at the sky, which had favored them with clear, sunny weather. “Enter the building as close to noon as you can. Be quick, we want to give Etruria as few objections to this as possible.”

“Agreed.” Lilina turned her horse and rode back through the ranks of soldiers, Lalum following after. “How long do you think it will take us to get to the castle?”

“Time enough that we ought to start now!” Lalum said. “I may not know much about tactics and things, but the closer we are the easier it’ll be to catch ‘em if they try to run, right?”

“I suppose. I’m sure he has hidden escape routes. Ostia Castle does. Just in case, as they say.”

“Like rats, they are,” Lalum said. “Always another place to hide.” She shrugged. “Ah well. One way or another we’ll oust him. That’s what matters.”

“Mhm.” Lilina had reached her area of the line. All of the troops turned to face her.

“Orders from the front, my lady?” Bors asked.

“Indeed. A two-prong attack,” Lilina said, projecting her voice to make sure all could hear her. “We’re to make our way to the castle’s eastern entrance and take that pathway. Pherae’s forces will do the same to the western door. Lalum is going to guide us through the city, so be ready to move out in five minutes. We follow her lead.”

Lalum grinned.

Lilina dismounted and led her horse over to where Sue and Shin were waiting, checking the condition of their bows and swords. “Will you continue to ride with my troop for this?”

Shin looked to Sue, who nodded. “I’m with you, Lilina.” She tugged on her bangs as she thought. “Though it seems to me that it won’t be subtle, two armies moving through the streets.”

“There’s precious little we can do about that. Lord Arcard probably has word of us from his spies and informants anyway. For now all we can do is reach the castle as quickly as possible and either capture him or pursue him.” Lilina’s gelding nosed at her hands in search of treats and she scratched his mane absently. “We must be prepared for the worst. Rumor says there may be a dragon at the castle.”

Sue nodded slowly. “So, it appears Bern is involved here too.”

“So it seems. It’s a troubling thought.” Lilina sighed. “At the moment Etruria’s might is the only thing holding Bern in check. If they join forces, what can the rest of us hope to do?”

“A cornered animal is the most dangerous of all,” Sue said, quoting another Sacaen proverb. “Even if the worst should occur, fighting is the duty of all free creatures.”

Lady Lyn had said the same thing, when she returned to Sacae to deal with the bandit problem there. Lord Hector had explained it to Lilina, too, when she was anxiously awaiting her mother’s return. Lilina closed her eyes. “I’ve no intention of giving up. Even if I’m alone, I’ll fight.”

Sue offered one of her rare smiles. “As long as you fight, you’ll never be alone.”

Before Lilina could respond to that, a piercing whistle cut over the chatter.

“Come on then,” Lalum said. “We’ve got to get going!”

All around them, soldiers in both groups were forming into ranks.

Sue stood. “Best get up there, lest she go power-mad. We’ll form the rearguard.”

Lilina nodded and swung easily back into her saddle. “Then I’ll see you at the castle. And Sue?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

Sue only smiled again.

Chapter Text

Lord Arcard’s castle was a twisting maze of corridors, each lined with palace guards – arches, mages, and melee infantry. Even that wasn’t so bad. Nothing they hadn’t dealt with before. But none of them could be prepared for what awaited them in Lord Arcard’s throne room.

A dragon. A real flesh and blood and scales dragon, and it wasn’t the first they had seen. General Narcian had ridden one too, but this one was larger even than his, with blood red scales and lethal talons ripping holes in the plush green rug.

The entire army took a step back when they saw it. Not only the size, or the wildness, but the heat in the room was intense. It rolled over them in a stifling, oppressive wave that forced the humans back, always back.

It was too his credit that Roy did not hesitate for long. He pulled Durandal from its scabbard in a single fluid motion and advanced towards the dragon. Where Roy went, so too did Marcus, so too did Allen. Unwilling to be left behind, Lilina gathered her courage and stepped into the throne room.

In some ways it was easier for her. Her ties to the elements made the heat seem less intense, and her light kirtle breathed more easily than did gambeson and armor. The difficulties did not stop those members of their army with the courage to fight such a beast.

The stalwarts who joined them were few. Bors and Sue, ever at Lilina’s side, and Shin following Sue. Echidna stepped up, seemingly not at all phased, followed by Lalum clutching a tiny dagger, as if it would make a difference. A golden-haired archer Lilina hadn’t yet met, and the young swordswoman Fir, the mage Lugh. All of these joined them to fight the dragon.

When no more came through the door, the dragon lowered its head like a belligerent wolf, and roared.

It was not unduly fast, the dragon. It did not have to be. It was made of weapons and armor, with a reach that outdistanced theirs, and firey breath that set the draperies aflame.

Though there had been no talk of strategy before coming in, though none of them had known whether to expect a dragon or not, they worked together on instinct, with archers and mages providing distance cover and the melee users pressing the advantage. They herded it back little by little, into a corner, where the tail and back legs could not come into play.

Durandal did the most damage, cutting through the scales as if they were not there. Where blood flowed the carpet singed and smoked.

The others were not without their effect. Scales chipped and flew when they were hit, and if they did not have instantaneous results, neither were they ineffective.

Finally Roy saw an opportunity. Distracted by Fir, the dragon raised its head and Roy lunged.

A single, rapid step forward. The gleaming blade slid into the dragon’s chest up to its hilt.

It screamed once, then died. As it fell, it reverted to its human shape. A red gem clattered from the man’s hand, rolling across the patched and burning carpet until Roy picked it up.

“So that’s the power of a dragon,” he said.

“A small one,” said Marcus. Roy was winded from the fight but Marcus, as usual, was hardly fazed. He cleaned his spear tip on a tapestry that had not been destroyed. “Different from the one your parents fought, at any rate.”

“A small one is more than enough!” Roy said. “We barely managed to-”

“Master Roy, please calm yourself!” It was Elphin, arriving from the mass outside the door. “A difficult battle to be sure, but if you panic then the rest of the army shall surely follow suit.”

 Lilina too studied the dragon, the unassuming man that had hidden the monster within. “It proves one thing. If Bern’s dragons are here…”

Roy finished the sentence. “Then at least some Etrurians are working with Bern.”

“The two most powerful countries on the planet, and Lycia crushed between them.”

She and Roy shared a look. No matter their differences, they were internal differences. What the Lycian states did amongst themselves was business as usual, but for an outsider to interfere? That was worrying indeed. There may be no recovery from such a war.

“We have to get back to the mainland.” Roy cleaned Durandal and slid it back into the scabbard. “We have to get back to Lycia.”

“Hey!” Lalum said, indignant. “We have to chase after Lord Arcard! If you don’t finish him off he’ll just come back and root again. Like a weed.”

“Now, now,” Elphin put a hand on the excitable dancer’s shoulders. “If Lord Arcard fled it was assuredly to the protection of Bern. We shall see him again. But there is one thing more to be done before you can leave the Western Isles, General Roy.”

“You don’t mean there’s more enemies still?”

“Nothing like that,” said Elphin. “A divine weapon, though, I believe would be of interest to you.”

“Oh!” Roy said.

Lilina had forgotten about the search for the divine weapons, the idea that there must be one here. He apparently had forgotten as well. Elphin moved on as if he hadn’t noticed the lapse, though she was sure he noticed most things.

“It is hidden in a cave near here, and should be easy for us to obtain.”

Roy nodded. “Then we’ll go there. But not tonight. It will still be there in the morning, and our army needs a rest.”

Elphin bowed. “Very well.”

Marcus stepped in. “I’ll go see to the making of camp,” he said. “There must be an area near-by that we can take over.”

Echidna leaned on her axe. “Lalum and I can see what the villagers can provide, in terms of victuals like. Now that they’re free to act as they will and all.”

Roy looked at Lilina. “Once you’ve setup an Ostian camp, I’d like to speak to you,” he said. “We’ll need to write another notice to General Cecilia and plan our next move.”

“Of course.”

Chapter Text

The cave wasn’t far from the capital, but stepping into it was like stepping into another world entirely, different even from the cave that had housed Durandal. Hot and humid, with echoing drips of water and a lingering hint of sulfur in the air, Lilina could not think of a less hospitable place.

And yet, they weren’t alone.

As in Ostia, bandits had found the cave and taken it as their own. The sounds of their muffled laughter and speech, the clatter they raised as they tore through the tunnels looking for treasure floated to the cave entrance from two different directions.

Roy hesitated.

“We have to split up,” he said. “I don’t like it, but there’s no other choice.”

Lilina peered into the gloom ahead, puddled around the light of their torches like a physical thing, and nodded. “I’ll take the left if you take the right? Mark the walls to stay on track.”

“Yes.” He raised his voice. “Everyone stay alert! We don’t know what secrets this cave holds and I don’t want to lose any of you today.”

No cheers greeted his words, only mute nodding. The air here seemed to forbid any such rowdy displays. Lilina wondered how the bandits could stand it.

She started off down her chosen tunnel, tome at her side and skirts held high to avoid the stagnant puddles of water here and there.

In the end, the cave itself was more dangerous than the bandits. Hidden twists and turns strained their sense of direction. The surface of the floor, uneven and slick with water and moss, threatened to topple them. Geysers went off at random, released hot water and bursts of poisonous steam that burned their lungs and stung their skin.

But they prevailed, fighting their way through bandits and nature alike to find themselves in front of an empty altar.

“…Did they already take it?” asked Roy, perplexed.

“Only the worthy can wield them, I thought,” Lilina said. “Who in that ragtag band could be considered so?”

“Everything here is not as it seems,” said Elphin, not losing his composure. “Do you not feel it?”

The entirety of the army stood still, waiting.

“A breeze?” Roy climbed the altar, and examined the throne upon it. “There’s something back here.”

With a click, the wall swung open, revealing a secondary altar, just large enough to house an axe.

“Armads,” Elphin said, “the axe used by Durban the berserker. A truly powerful weapon.”

It was awe-inspiring to see, the blade gleaming crescents of silver and gold, decorated with etched scrollwork. Their torchlight glinted back at them from the weapon, and the blood-red ruby set into the knob.

Echidna whistled and stepped forward. “Reckon it’s me, isn’t it? An islander ought to use such a thing.”

Elphin looked at her. “According to the ballads, this axe is cursed,” he said, as calmly as if he were relaying the weather to them. “Any who take it into battle will surely live short, brutal lives.”

Lilina eyes Armads with disfavor. She did not need to be told that this was the weapon her father had used, in his youth. This had been his judge, jury, and executioner, this had been the twist of fate that had stolen him from her – long before she was ever born, long before he’d ever married Lady Lyndis.

Echidna shrugged. “Not so bad as all that is it?”

“Echidna!” said Lalum, but no words followed the admonishment.

The mercenary gave her a crooked grin. “Already prepared to give my life to build a peaceful world. How’s this any different?”

Lalum crossed her arms but didn’t argue. “If that’s how you see it.”

Echidna’s response was to step forward and lift Armads down from its stand. She gave the axe an experimental swing then nodded once to herself. “Aye, it’ll do.”

“Now we have two of the divine weapons,” Roy said. “And six more to go, provided we can find them and appropriate wielders for them.”

Elphin opened his mouth but before he could speak, the silence of the cave shattered. A messenger broke through their ranks. “News, General Roy! Urgent news!”

Following fast at his heels was Merlinus, breathing hard. “Riots in Aquileia!”

The messenger gave a hasty bow to the company and picked up where the merchant left off. “Lord Arcard reached the mainland, he and Advisor Roartz have initiated a coup d’état. They’ve taken the king hostage!”

“Rats and weeds,” Lalum muttered under her breath. “I warned you they were as rats and weeds with their fleeing and their plotting.”

Echidna put one hand on Lalum’s shoulder, a gesture warning her to be silent. Roy ignored them both, focused as he was on the messenger. “What of General Cecilia? And Princess Guinevere?”

“We’ve had no news, General Roy, sir. The Etrurian Generals have scattered, some resisting, some disappearing. Everything in Aquileia is chaos and disorder.”  

“So they’ve made their move,” Lilina said. “Bern was backing Lord Arcard. If he successfully takes the reins of Etruria…”

“The two most powerful countries in the world, united against us.” Roy said. “No matter. We can’t give up now. There’s still time. We have to get to the mainland.”

“I’ll get us a ship,” Echidna said. “A fast one. Hold it at the port for you, waiting.” She vanished into the gloom and Lalum followed without a word.

Roy turned, catching the attention of Lilina, Marcus, and Merlinus in turn. “Get the army ready to move. There’s no time to waste.” To Elphin he said, “See what supplies the villagers can spare.” Elphin gave a languid bow, and followed Echidna’s example. To the remaining company he said only two words. “Move out!”

Chapter Text

The Lycian Alliance Army moved more quickly than any of them would have thought possible, aided every step of the way by the Islanders who were both grateful for what they had done and eager to see the last of any kind of occupying force.

But as fast as they moved, the news moved faster.

News came that riots broke out, not just in Aquileia, but all across Etruria, the flames of impending civil war fanned by Bern’s generals.

News came that Cecilia had escaped, likely with Guinevere in tow, and had formed a counter force of loyalists to combat the revolution.

News came that the loyalists were out-numbered and out-supplied, and losing ground quickly.

News came that they had been pushed into a defensive position in a single castle, and defeat was inevitable.

There was no way to know how much of it was true, how much propaganda and exaggeration, how much simply outdated. Roy did his best to keep his frustration to himself, but on a ship it is very difficult to hide.

Lilina joined him by the railing, where he seemed to be engaged in a contest of wills with the waves below.

“You can’t make the ship go any faster like that,” she told him.

He sighed. “I know. But it’s not like I can do anything. At least you can make sure we have a favorable wind. All I can do is wait, and worry.”

She had done that, true. But such a spell, once in motion, needed very little effort from her to upkeep. There was no point in telling Roy that, if all he was interested in was self-pity.

He turned away from the water and sat down, back pressed against the railing and head in his hands.

Lilina joined him on the deck, spreading her skirt around her with care as she sat. “It will work out.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s not over until we give into despair. Until then, we can make it better.” She paused. “My parents weren’t the sort who accepted giving up, and neither am I. So long as there is a drop of blood in my veins I will fight.”

“If the castle falls before we get there…if General Cecilia and Princess Guinevere fall…then everything we have done has been in vain. We can’t hope to conquer and hold Etruria or Bern, let alone both. Without allies to calm the situation there, how can we even move on from here?”

Lilina, as she had a hundred times during their childhood, threw an arm around his shoulders. “General Cecilia isn’t to be taken lightly. Misul Castle is a strong defensive position. They can certainly hold on until we arrive.”

Roy raised his head just enough to peer at the horizon – already they could see the Etrurian coast as a smudge of green in the distance, but even with a favorable wind it would still be several hours before they could arrive, and several days before they could reach Misul Castle at all. Lilina could see him thinking about it, even if he didn’t it aloud.

There were other concerns too. Their army was by no means fresh – not with weeks of fighting and days of double-time march behind and ahead of them. But the Etrurians had been fighting too, fighting one another, and would not be in much better shape.

“It will work out,” she said again.

“I hope,” Roy said. “There’s so much to keep track of isn’t there? First Bern, and then the Islands, now it’s Bern and Etruria, and Sacae, and all of Lycia is in danger. When does it stop? How can you or I stand in front of such a wave and think to break it?”

“A well-placed pebble can overturn a cart,” said a voice. They did not have to look up to know that it was Sue. She settled onto the deck as well. “Bors sent me to find you, Lilina, and I overheard.”

Roy looked at her. “You think we can do this?”

“I would not be here if I did not think I could avenge my people,” Sue said. “But the men and women on these ships have faith in you, as do I. Because you forget, you are not alone. We are all here with you, and we will all fight.”

Lilina could not have said it any better than that. “What did Bors need me for?”

Sue shrugged. “Something about letters you need to send?”

Letters. Missives. News and orders to be sent to Ostia in her continued absence. She had been putting them off lately, but once they passed through the port who knew when she would have another good chance to send them? Lilina sighed.

“Go on,” Roy said. “I know you have a lot on your shoulders too.” He stood and pulled Lilina to her feet, then offered a hand to Sue. “And about Armads…I didn’t say anything before but I’m sorry. It can’t be easy for you.”

Apparently, Lilina wasn’t so difficult to read herself. She blushed. “In the end it was his choice wasn’t it? And Echidna’s choice too. I shouldn’t be upset over something that happened before I was even born.” She tugged at the end of her braid. “Would you still use Durandal if it were cursed?”

Roy considered. “I would not want to go against what we’re facing without it, even if it meant my life down the line.”

Lilina glanced at Sue, who nodded.

“In the end,” she said, “I would too. So I shouldn’t be angry. But I can’t help it.” If Roy’s demon was worry, hers was surely wrath. Lilina took a deep breath of sea air and let it out slowly, hoping some of her anger would leave with it. It didn’t seem to help much. Still, there was work to be done. “We all do what we need to in times of war, I suppose. And I need to see to those missives. Get some rest, Roy. Try not to worry too much. We’ll be relying on you again as soon as the ship docks.”

Chapter Text

As soon as they hit land, Marcus sent a messenger ahead to Misul Castle. The rest of the army followed at the fastest pace they could manage.

They had travelled only half a day before the messenger reappeared, his horse lathered with sweat and blowing hard.

“The castle has fallen!” he cried as his horse came to a stop. “King Zephiel appeared in person, and nothing could stay his hand.”

Roy’s face was grim. Behind him, anxious whispering swelled through the army as soldiers at the front spread the news to those behind them. Armor clinked as people began to fidget.

“What of General Cecilia?” asked Roy.

“Of her there is no news. Whether she has been captured or…”

He did not want to finish the sentence. None of them wanted to hear it.

“If King Zephiel showed up himself,” said Lilina, who had elected to ride at the head along with Roy, “then it means Bern has no intention of honoring whatever treaty they arranged with Etruria. It’s undeniable proof of their involvement, and of their eventual aim.”

Roy nodded. He likely had been thinking along the same lines. “Is he still there?”

“No. The castle has been relegated to an underling. General Narcian.”

Cecilia had thwarted Narcian once, and he did not seem like a man who liked being balked. Roy could hardly have forgotten that meeting outside of Castle Ostia. “If there is any chance that General Cecilia and Princess Guinevere yet live, we must take it. We resume our march on Misul Castle.”

Cheers greeted this, though they rang a bit hollow. Lilina understood, and she could tell from Roy’s pained expression that he did too. There was no way around the fact that the army was tired, tired and scared. The farther into this conflict they got, the less hope they had of settling it without coming to blows with Bern.

Could they do it? Even Lilina wasn’t sure. So far they had won their battles, though not without cost. How long could that last, when their opponent was Elibe’s most militant nation?

King Zephiel himself had a hand in this. If Cecilia was dead, they could count on very little support from Etruria, and Bern would crush Lycia like an insect. Whether Guinevere had been captured or killed, it didn’t seem as if she had the ability to stop her brother.

Was it a fight they were riding into, or a slaughter?

Did it even matter?

Lilina had already sworn to fight until the end, no matter what that end was. The Ostians were behind her. Sue, too, and the remaining free Sacaens would fight. And Roy, Roy had just proved that he would fight.

He signaled to the army and horns rang out, indicating a return to the march.

Lilina nudged her horse back into a walk, and contemplated the future ahead of them.

*

Misul Castle appeared in the distance, a small square against the horizon.

Protected by a wide river, the only way to approach would be to cross one of two bridges. But that would take them out of the protection of forested mountains and into the line of sight of the scores of Bernese soldiers camped on the castle lands.

“It would be best to wait until night,” said Lilina. “With them camped so closely to the castle and its lights, they would be much less likely to notice us.”

Roy shook his head. “There isn’t time for that. We have no information on where General Cecilia is, or how much time she might have. We must act quickly.”

“If she is a prisoner,” Lilina countered, “they might just execute her the second they see us coming. Or use her as a bargaining chip. It’s much safer to wait. Not to mention, our army is exhausted. Our supplies are low. If we are to attempt such a thing we must be rested.”

Roy opened his mouth as if to protest again, then closed it and looked at his other advisors.

Marcus sighed. “As much as I wish we could be done with it quickly, my lord, I believe Lady Lilina is right. We cannot afford to play games with General Cecilia’s life.”

“The inclusion of the bridges creates difficulties in positioning a large force of soldiers,” said Elphin. “Were you to effect an attack during the day, it would be a simple matter for Bernese troops to trap us on the bridge and slaughter us with magic and ballistae. Night has many perils, but cautious movements create a higher chance of survival.”

Merlinus shrugged.

“Fine.” Roy clenched his hands. “We can pull farther back into the forest for now to rest and prepare. But we attack at nightfall.” He left the edge of the forest and walked among his troops, circulating the news without the use of the horns that would give their position away.

Merlinus and Marcus hurried after him. Elphin chuckled.

“He is surprisingly focused, our General.”

“General Cecilia was our teacher. And as for Princess Guinevere, they seem to be quite close.” Lilina smoothed a wrinkle out of her skirt and continued watching the movements of the enemy across the river, just out of reach. “His loyalty is absolute, though his methods of acting on it are often misguided.”

“It is to his benefit to have an advisor like you, Lady Lilina.” He smiled then, and there was something familiar in it, as though they had previously met. But she had never been to the Western Isles before, and she knew that he had never entertained in their castle as other bards had. Surely she would have remembered such a thing.

“Have we met?”

He smiled even wider. “I think not. It’s a shame that such a lovely young woman so long escaped my notice.”

Lilina rolled her eyes. “I was being serious.”

“So was I. Shall we return to the camp?” Elphin offered her a hand and Lilina accepted. “There is, after all, much to do before nightfall. As much as I would love to deepen our acquaintance, I fear now is not the time.”

“No, I suppose not.” Lilina cast one more glance across the river, where Bern’s flag flew, then followed the bard through the trees to where the men and women of the Lycia Alliance Army waited, and planned.

Chapter Text

Night found them on the bridge. Dark cloaks disguised the shine of armor, and strips of fabric wrapped around wagon wheels and horses’ hooves dulled the noise of their passing. All blades had been fire-darkened to a dull, smoky grey, and a liberal application of ash and charcoal to exposed skin rendered the fighters likewise.

Bern had fires lit at their camps, but those camps were at the other side of the bridges, clustered protectively around Misul Castle. The fires would ruin their eyesight, and help the Lycians move in. All that needed to be taken care of would be the sentries on the bridges, patrolling their areas in groupings of two. But there were those among their forces, especially those who had been aligned with the rebel group on the Isles, that were well used to attacking with stealth.

Roy’s reluctant, though practical, blessing sent them on ahead to clear the way. A dagger between the ribs was hardly honorable, but honor meant very little in times of war. The bodies were set to one side, so not even a muffled splash could alert the defending army.

Misul Castle was a fortress in and of itself, difficult to get to. Halfway points on the bridges sported ballistae, previously unmanned, now in the hands of Lycia. The firelight gave experienced archers plenty of shadowy targets, once signals were given.

Lilina left Sue there, along with the golden-haired Eturian Klein. He had been injured recently, but ballistae were loaded with winches and levers – much easier on the arms. And they could use his experience, and that of the archers who served under him, ready to take his place when his stamina faltered.

Lilina was with the other mages, at the rear. Their chosen ground was a stone’s throw from the ballistae, and well behind the shieldwall formed by Ostia’s troops. For this, she had given command of her men over to Roy and had taken over the mages instead. Silhouettes by firelight worked as well for them as for the archers, but once the battle got underway, they were not likely to be useful. Her troops, and her mages, would be more successful defending the bridges, and keeping the Bernese army trapped on the peninsula they, themselves, had chosen.

It was a good plan, a good set-up. Better than some of the odds they have faced recently. But there was one thing that could not be predicted, one thing that could very easily turn the tide of this battle against them: Bern’s redoubtable wyvern riders.

It would take time for the soldiers to find their beasts and goad them into air, but once the element of surprise had been lost, that is exactly what they would do. The wyverns must be taken out. With their excellent night vision, high magic resistance, and thick scales, it is their defeat on which this whole plan rested.

Lilina held her position and spared a glance for the sky. There was no moon that night – another factor in their favor, but the sky was clear and the stars shone with a merriness that was not reflected in any of the humans they watched. The stars were to be their guide in this. Wyverns were large, and even once all chaos reigned on the far shore, they should be easy to see as they flew.

It would be up to the mages and the archers together to take them down.

Lilina had no more time for introspection. From ahead of them came the sound of an owl’s call, an owl that lived only on the Isles. Signal received, those manning the ballistae released the first of many shafts. Fletched with owl feathers, the arrows flew silently, and silently they fell, but their landings did not go unnoticed.

The sudden violence of screams piercing the air made Lilina jump, though she had been waiting for it. The archers released a second, then third volley, while the rest of the Lycian army poured onto the far shore. Then it became too muddled for them to see by the churning firelight, and they held their arrows at bay, waiting for the wyverns.

Lilina passed her own signal to the mages, though they knew their jobs already. Each of them had thunder magic at the ready, thunder to which the wyverns were uniquely vulnerable.

Being among the defending party was far worse than being in the thick of battle. On the front, there was no time to think. Here, on the bridge, all Lilina could do was wait and hold herself ready. All she could do was listen to the ring of steel on steel, the cries and screams of the wounded and dying, and worry.

Where were the wyverns? What was taking them so long? Surely the Bernese army was roused now.

Against the frantic noise of the battle in front of them, their own silence increased, weighing heavily on the waiting fighters. No one with empty hands enjoys waiting when they could be alongside their comrades, and yet they all knew they must wait.

The silence held them, tense as cloth about to tear.

When the first wyvern’s screech rose into the night, it was heard with a sense of relief. Lilina sighed, and she was not the only one. But then there was no time for anything except to look at the dark shape winging above the fray, and gather to her the magic that could save her comrades and – there – at its most potent, release!

*

Dawn stained the sky as red as the bloody cobbles of the bridge, but the sun rose high over an army victorious, if exhausted. An army elated.

The end of the battle had revealed to them more comrades to bear arms: General Cecilia, alive and already in the care of healers. Princess Guinevere, hale and whole, and with her one of her personal guard. General Percival came with a score of men, though what caused him to align with them was not disclosed to Lilina.

And one other, strange, figure settled into their midst: a priestess named Sofia, who spoke unbelievable tales of dragons, but promised more information if they should help her save her people.

Another battle, another victory, and yet the road loomed ahead of them longer than ever. Lilina merely sighed, and offered willing hands in the healers’ tent.

Chapter Text

It was not a quick journey, the route from Misul to Nabata. They cut a path to the southwest, skirting around the edges of Lycia as they did so. Although Sofia urged them to hurry, Roy was not persuaded from his course of action. In this case, he said, it was better to travel in secret.

Lilina, Marcus, and Merlinus had agreed. Elphin had declined to comment on the situation. Sofia subsided with unease, at least until the first Bernese patrol had flown overhead. It was not the only patrol. They were being hunted and if they were caught on an open mountain trail, any fight between them and a squadron of wyvern knights would be a short battle indeed. After the first patrol, Sofia pushed no more for haste.

It was due to Merlinus that they were able to travel as they were now, packed into wagons painted over to look like a merchant’s caravan. Horses on the string travelled some miles behind them, each group guarded by only a token of armored fighters, no more nor less than a prosperous merchant would use to guard valuable merchandise. The rest of the army rode in the wagons, hidden from view. If need be, it would be easy for the fighters to react to danger.

But danger did not come.

Merlinus was careful, and the patrols passed them without incident.

It was almost absurd, the change from forced double-march and constant fighting to days of sitting in a wagon confronted by nothing more perilous than Elphin’s banter.

Why he had chosen to spend so many days riding in the company of the Ostian and Sacaean troops Lilina could not have said.

“I’m simply making up for lost time,” he explained, gracing her with one of his dazzling grins. “The neglect I have shown you until this point is criminal.”

Lilina could not help but roll her eyes, something which did not discourage him in the least.

Sue spoke up. “Seems to me it’s her title what interests you. Your neglect of the other ladies causes you no such concern.”

The laugh that came out him then was genuinely surprised. “You think I’m interested in her title?” He barely got the words out before he dissolved into more laughter, leaning helplessly against the wall of the cart. Just then the wheel hit a bump which sent them all sprawling into each other. When Lilina righted herself she saw him wiping tears from his eyes.

“Please, Lady Lilina! Tell your chaperone that I have no interest in your title, and even less in behaving dishonorably!” He placed a hand over his heart. “I am, at heart, a gentleman.”

Sue snorted her disbelief and Elphin feigned to look wounded.

“Is it perhaps that I have neglected you, Lady Sue? Certainly I can remedy that. Someone hand me my lyre! I shall compose a song to your beauty as we sit here.”

“Please don’t,” was Sue’s response.

Lilina laughed, almost in spite of herself. She had her doubts about Elphin, but at least he helped keep the mood from getting too grim. It was easy to lose sight of themselves in all this danger and darkness. Elphin, for all his faults, kept them grounded. In that respect he was even more useful than he was as a tactician.

Lilina would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it. Verbally sparring with Elphin was a new sort of relationship for her, entirely different from her serious conversations with Sue or her now-stilted discussions with Roy. Even before the war had started, Roy was too earnest to enjoy these kinds of games.

“You needn’t worry, Sue. Elphin’s words have all the value of a necklace made from pyrite.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Unless you thought I was too blind to see how you chase after that young Etrurian archer.”

“You wound me!” Elphin declared, right before another bump sent them all crashing into one another again.

Elphin landed in Fir’s lap, and he neglected to lever himself back up. “Oh leave me here, our fair lady’s arrows have pierced me sore! I shall languish here until I die.”

Fir had more patience for him than Sue, but not by much. “Oh please,” she said, and shoved him back into a sitting position.

“Beset on all sides!” Elphin continued his performance with the most theatrically over-done sigh Lilina had ever heard. “I see how it is. I must surely throw myself from the back of this wagon. I was wrong. The horses would be better company than our fair Lady Ostia and her companions brave.”

“Only until they trample you,” Fir added helpfully. “Might be doing us all a favor, that.”

Elphin held up both hands in surrender. “The truth then, Lady Lilina, is that I need someone to practice with.”

She gave him a wry look. “I hardly think you need practice. Your tongue is well-silvered already.”

“Not enough for Klein.” He sighed again, and this time it was a touch less theatrical. “I fear I have angered him greatly and now he is as cold to me as a statue of blessed Elimine herself. I must practice.”

“Perhaps,” said Sue, “you should use words with a bit more truth in them.”

“Lady Sue, I am a bard. If I do not court with great pomp and ceremony, how will he ever take me seriously?”

Lilina laughed again. “Poor Elphin! So serious an army is no place for you.”

“Poor Klein,” Sue countered, instead.

“I was right the first time,” Elphin said. “I should throw myself out of the wagon after all. You lot have no appreciation for art.” With a great display of wounded dignity he took himself off, jumping lightly out of the wagon to take a place elsewhere in the caravan.

Lilina moved to take advantage of the space he’d opened up. Everyone else in the wagon shifted likewise. “He must know something we don’t, to remain so cheerful in light of recent events. Perhaps we should learn from him.”

“Please don’t,” Sue repeated. “One of him is more than enough for me. I think he could stand to learn from you.”

Lilina shook her head. “More likely you, Sue! You’re far more stable and responsible than I am.”

Fir covered her eyes. “Have some mercy for the rest of us! Did we get rid of one flirt just to replace him with another?”

Lilina flushed, but couldn’t think of an appropriate response to that. Instead she changed the subject. “What do you think we’ll be up against in Nabata? I’m afraid I don’t know much about it.”

Chapter Text

What they all expected was sand. That was understandable. Nabata was, after all, a desert. But Lilina and the others had naively expected that sand to be on the ground, not blowing hither and yon on not-at-all gentle breezes.

The sight of the sandstorm in front of them made the whole army draw up short.

Sofia merely nodded, unsurprised. “The sandstorm was created as a natural barrier to protect our village. I can lead us through it.”

“We’ll have to leave the horses behind,” Lilina said. “The desert would be hard enough on them without dealing with that.”

Elphin surveyed the whirling storm alongside them. “Our visibility will be nearly nonexistent inside such chaos. Our chance of getting through without running into at least some of Bern’s troops is minimal.” So serious, as he always was when he needed to be. Sometimes it almost seemed as if there were two of him, so varying were his moods.

Sofia nodded. The other women in the army had pulled their hair back, but she wore hers loose. Even from this distance it danced in the wind maintaining the storm. “It is wise to tread lightly. Even outside of the enemies we face, Nabata is home to many ruins and things are always shifting in the sand. You must watch your step.”

Roy frowned. Standing as he was, turned out in glinting armor and a helm tucked under one arm, he looked almost like a painting of a general. After a few moments he turned to face his advisors. “This is by far the worst terrain we’ve taken on yet. Seeing it now, I put the question to you. Should we proceed?”

Roy was right, the terrain was awful. The sandstorm would cripple them and leave them nearly blind. But it would do the same to their enemies, and the Bernese troops had been here far longer than they had. “After coming all this way, I think we should press on,” said Lilina. “Even if the information we gain is only moderately helpful, it is another chance to whittle at Bern’s numbers.”

“In a war of this nature,” said Marcus, “each chance for a blow should be taken. Compared to Bern we will always have the smallest force.”

Roy nodded. It was obvious he had already considered this. “It was as I thought and, when it comes down to it, I mislike leaving others in need of help I can provide. But I thought I would ask, this being different from anything we are prepared for.” He glanced at the sky. It was not yet noon, with hours of daylight left ahead of them. He turned to Sofia. “What direction is the village?”

“Northeast.”

“Very well. We will take only a partial force, something small enough to make sticking together easy. The rest will remain here guarding the horses and the injured.” He took a moment to put on his helm, completing the transformation from young man to general. “I except everyone to be ready to move in less than ten minutes. The less daylight we waste the better.”

The commanders peeled off, heading to pick out the best of their troops. General Cecilia took that moment to approach. “I will go with you,” she said.

Roy shook his head, but Cecilia did not allow him time to object.

“This was not a request. The sandstorm is made via magic, and mages will be of great help to you in navigating it. I am not so injured that I cannot manipulate such forces.”

It was no use arguing with her and Roy had better manners than to sigh. “Very well, if that’s what you wish.”

Lilina stood by and said nothing. Her own troops, heavily armored as they were, would be of little use in this mess. Sue would, she expected, follow her. The rest should remain here. Bors came up to her, awaiting orders. He wouldn’t like being left behind. She could see from the resignation on his face that he was already expecting it. She had not, after all, left Roy’s side when the other commanders had.

“The Ostian contingent should stay here,” Lilina said, to him and Roy both. “We are the least useful in bad terrain, and the best at solid defenses. In Bors’ hands, the base camp could not be more secure.”

Roy nodded. Bors swallowed his reservations and bowed. “It will be done, Lady Lilina.”

“It’s no light duty,” she told him. “There are Bernese troops here. They may not notice a small force slipping amongst the wind, but they will assuredly see our camp outside the storm and attack. You are the optimal choice for this duty.”

“You honor me,” Bors bowed again.

Marcus, who had left, now returned. “With your permission, General Roy, I will stay as well. I am not as young as I was, and a storm like this calls for youthful strength.”

Roy looked at both of them, seasoned warriors in battered armor. “Between the two of you, the camp should be as safe as if tucked inside a fortress.”

Much safer, Lilina thought, than they were going to be inside the storm. Even if the camp did weather an attack, at least it would be an attack on open ground under clear skies. There was no telling what awaited them inside the sandstorm.

Anticipating some of the dangers the desert offered, Lilina had retreated at last to short bliauts and soft trousers, different from what the men wore only in the Sacaean-style cuts. Now she was even more glad she had done so. Inside winds like that, her usual long skirts would have been a nuisance and a hindrance.

The others gathered, most attired like she was. Many had chosen to leave behind their armor, counting on the sandstorm to offer protection. They, at least, still wore padded gambesons. Lilina had no such assurances, but then again, she never had.

The group comprised of only fifteen soldiers, a small portion indeed of their army. Roy seemed satisfied. Many of those present were those who had fought the dragon, those who had stepped up and gone beyond in the fighting they had already done. It was a solid group, a group that could be counted on.

He did not delay. “Keep close, keep alert. If you get separated, head either northeast to the village or southwest back to camp. Let’s go.”

*

It was far worse than it looked from the outside. The sandstorm looked imposing enough, but there was no preparing for the sheer force of it – the wind was strong enough to drive an unsuspecting person to their knees, as it did to all of them as soon as they entered. At Sofia’s urging they had all worn hoods and tied fabric around their faces to keep their mouths and noses clear, but that did not stop the sand from worming its way in. Any exposed flesh quickly turned red and raw before being caked in dust.

They did not find enemy opposition so much as blunder into it, human troops and dragons both. Their only advantage was that the sandstorm hindered both sides equally, and was worse for those who had remained in it longer. Sand could not damage dragon scales, but even the dragons had to protect their vulnerable eyes and ears from irritation, which made them slower.

They had seen a lot of hard fights – fighting in the fog on the Western Isles, the night battle to take Misul Castle. They would undoubtedly have many more hard battles ahead of them. But, Lilina thought, they would never again have a battle like this. Never again would they fight in wind strong enough to render arrows useless – Sue fought by her side wielding a curved blade she rarely drew. Never again would visibility be so poor. The desert within the sandstorm existed in a muzzy and impenetrable twilight. The only change in lighting was the brief glow from spells or crackling dragon fire. They would not fight slipping and sliding, sometimes falling into the sand, other times stumbling over forgotten, half-buried ruins and relics, balancing as best they could on ever-shifting dunes.

It was a battle Lilina would remember until she died. There was no light, no direction, and no sound save for the wind screaming by them, nothing but chaos and the interminable effort to move ever to the northeast. She lost track of most of her comrades immediately, only occasionally catching glances of them, or more likely hearing brief sounds of battle carried by on an errant wind only to vanish just as quickly.

When she and Sue at last crossed the boundary into the protected area around the dragon city, the silence seemed deafening. They were hardly recognizable as themselves, so caked in dust that they blended in with the desert.

The rest of their companions fared little better. Roy was there with Sofia, and Cecilia and Fir, all looking worn and weary. Echidna rounded a corner of the city cleaning blood off of Armads blade – taking care of any stragglers. Klein made it just after Lilina arrived, bleeding from a cut over his eye. Of his sister there was no sign.

Fifteen had started with them, and now only eight stood here in front of Arcadia. Lilina hoped that the others were alright, had merely been forced to turn around and retreat. Not dead, certainly. Not lost in the whirling madness of the storm.

They waited, catching their breath, but no one joined them. Roy’s face was grim.

“We should go inside,” he said. “Perhaps the others will arrive.”

“We all of us knew the risks,” Echidna said. Lightly spoken but not lightly meant, her face was a match for his. She was the only one of the Islanders who had journeyed this far, but they had travelled together long enough that the Lycian Alliance Army was a solid unit now, not really a patchwork of allied forces at all.

Sofia shook her head. “None of ours have fallen. I will look for them when our business here is done.”

That helped, to know that their friends were alive. Alive, but still lost. There was nothing more to say about it.

Roy brushed himself off as best he could – not well, considering that the dust had congealed with blood and sweat into a solid layer. Lilina knew, because she had already tried. There would be no getting clean until they could scrub.

But it didn’t seem right, to enter so grand a city looking as they did. And it was grand. No mere hidden village, for all that Sofia had described it as one. It was a city for dragons and the proportions were coincidingly vast, things created neither by human hands nor for human tastes. Lilina had never seen anything like it, the twisted, rounding lines stretching up into the sky. But some things were familiar, too familiar after months of fighting.

The village appeared empty, a fact that troubled Sofia.

“…the entrance to the temple…”

They all turned to look at the building she indicated.

“The door’s been forced,” said Roy. “They were after something in there.”

Sofia nodded. “The divine weapon, as you would call it.”

Roy’s mouth opened in a silent o.

“Makes sense,” Sue said quietly. “Every country has one.”

“So we’re too late. Bern already-”

“There’s no need to fret, General Roy. The weapon is unharmed. It is…protected.”

“We should hurry and retrieve it,” Lilina said. “Perhaps if they realize it is gone, the Bernese soldiers will leave this place in peace.”

Temples in Lycia were small, and built to inspire comfort. Lilina had been in temples in Etruria built to impress and awe, temples meant to glorify Saint Elimine. Even they could not compare to this, the size of it. Walking into the dragons’ temple, she felt like an ant. It was big enough to fit many dragons, she could tell. But were the limits of the ceiling – so far above she could not discern its decoration – meant to cradle or to awe? Were the dragons they had fought so far smaller than average? She did not want to think of fighting a beast large enough to find this ‘comfortable’.

They had only crossed a few feet of the floor when a clatter broke the silence of the temple. Sofia gasped. “There are enemies in the temple!”

“So we’re not alone after all.” Roy frowned. “There’s not many of us, but we have to help.”

There were no disagreements from the rest of the small party. Sofia hurried across the floor. “This way! The book is down here!”

Chapter Text

They had only crossed a few feet of the floor when an old man rushed out in front of them. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

Roy bowed. “I’m General Roy of the Lycian Alliance Army. Sofia brought us here to help protect the village.”

It was then that he seemed to notice Sofia among them. Relief shone on the old man’s face. “With Sofia! So it was you who drove off those soldiers. Please forgive my hostility. There have been so many enemies lately…I did not know what to think. I am the Elder here.” At his change in tone, two other joined them in the hall, one a tall blonde warrior, the other a small child who stared at them with wide eyes.

“The Elder,” Roy repeated. “So you’re a dragon, then?”

“Once perhaps, I was called that,” the Elder said with a quick bob of his head. “In these days, things are different. There is only one dragon left.”

Lilina stepped forward. “There are dragons in Bern, true dragons.”

“What? That’s impossible. There are no dragons outside of Arcadia.”

“Elder,” said Sofia, “I cannot say if they are truly dragons, but there is…something in Bern’s army. Something twisted. That is why they are seeking the divine weapons, and why I helped them.”

The Elder wrung his hands, clearly undecided.

“I think it bears looking into, Elder,” said the blonde woman. “If you will allow it, I will go with General Roy and see these dragons for myself.”

“Oh would you, Igrene? I’m too old to traipse about the countryside…better for none of us to have to leave but I suppose this is an emergency. You have my permission, if General Roy will have you.”

“I would never turn down willing hands.”

At this, the little girl spoke up. “Fae wants to go too!”

“No, don’t be silly, it’s much too dangerous.” The Elder quickly grabbed one of Fae’s small hand in his own. “You must stay here where it’s safe.” She stamped a foot on the ground in protest, but the Elder prevented any further argument by speaking over her. “I will not prevent you from seeing if the weapon judges you worthy, General Roy. Neither will I accompany you. There are enemies in the temple and I must care for the safety of my people.”

Roy nodded. “I wouldn’t ask anyone unwilling to put themselves in danger. We will do what we can to put paid to those threatening you.”

The old man moved aside, pulling the still protesting child along with him.

“It’s this way,” Sofia said again, walking past the Elder and deeper into the temple. The others followed along behind her. Igrene brought up the rear of the party, tense and ready to fight. Lilina wasn’t sure if she was getting ready for the conflict, or if she was preparing to fight them, should they turn out to be untrustworthy. Most likely it was some combination of the two.

There was no use worrying about it. She kept her eyes focused in front of her, and took what comfort she could from Sue, whose hand brushed hers ever so often as they walked.

Despite the ample space of the temple, the eight of them walked close together. On the upper floor the building was light and airy, but the stairs leading below were dark and damp, uncomfortably cramped for all their large size.

“This is underneath the desert?” She heard Roy ask. “There’s so much water.”

“An oasis,” Sofia said. “That’s what enables us to live here…it was found, strengthened, by the archsage Athos.”

The farther down they traveled, the damper the tunnels became, until the stairs themselves became treacherous, so slick were they. Without mentioning it, the whole group moved from the center towards one wall, to have a steadying influence against the wet stone.

“Athos as in one of the eight heroes?” Roy asked, obviously impressed.

Lilina wondered if he had forgotten the story the two of them had heard, about what their parents had done. Athos had been involved in that as well. Surely that was a closer relation to the man than the word of a relative stranger.

“He found the original village, where man and dragon lived in harmony,” Sofia said softly. “But he knew it could only be a matter of time before we were found. And so he led us here and fortified us against intruders as best he could. It is his spell book hidden below.” She paused before adding, “You must be very careful down below. Arcadia is very old. Some of the passages may crumble into the water.”

Even after the conversation and the warning, Lilina could not have been prepared for the sight that greeted her. Water was everywhere, glowing softly in the sparse candlelight, lapping against the edge of dark walkways. How could this be here, when above the sandstorm continued to rage at it always had, and the very air parched their throats and skin?

“There are traps too,” Sofia added, almost as an afterthought. “You should follow where I walk.”

Drifting across the water came the echoing sounds of looting and chatter. Roy drew Durandal from its scabbard in one smooth movement. “I would prefer to take the lead if you can direct me,” he said.

“I am not defenseless,” Sofia said, eyes flashing. She walked off into the semi-darkness, and all Roy and the others could do was continue to follow.

They were all exhausted after the trek through the storm, but fortunately the battle below was not difficult. Sofia knew all the pathways, something the invaders did not know. They passed many who had fallen victim to traps and tricks. More fell that way too, rushing into battle at the sight of their smaller challenging force.

Many of the remainder fell to Igrene, a capable archer by demonstration, made more capable in comparison because she was fresh. Where had she been when the Bern army invaded? Would it not have been easier to keep them from entering the temple at all than to fight them within? Lilina didn’t ask. Igrene didn’t look the sort to welcome questions, and even less so accusations.

However, the members of the Lycian Alliance Army were not going to be left behind. Long journey or not, previous battle or not, they were still people who had fought dragons and won.

Between Sofia’s shortcuts, the traps, and their own force of arms, it took them only thirty minutes to reach the altar wherein Athos’ spell book was enshrined. The altar itself was fairly small, compared to the rest of the building, and built of black marble. There was ample evidence that the looters had attempted to open the altar – broken levers and crowbars attested to that. But the shining black surface of the altar bore nary a scratch nor nick.

Sofia smiled. “It is made so only one of us can open it.” For her the side swung open on well-oiled hinges to reveal a thick leather-bound book. She pulled it out with reverent hands. “Athos’ divine weapon. Fire magic stronger than any other. Foreblaze.”

She offered it to Roy but he held up his free hand. “I’ve no talent for magic. Lilina?”

Sofia offered the book to Lilina instead, and Lilina took it from her as if it were made of glass. The book was heavier than it looked, and it hummed with energy in her hands like a living thing. All spell books had energy, energy that helped their users, but she’d never felt anything like this! She did not need to be told that this magic could destroy her just as easily as her enemies, should she misstep. A dangerous gift, nearly as dangerous as Armads. Still, who could say what secrets and powers she could access by studying its pages?

Roy was looking at her, waiting for her opinion.

“I can use it,” she said.

He gave her a relieved smile. “That’s one more blessing on our side. And now that the Bernese troops have been driven out, it’s high time we returned to Etruria to regroup. Sofia, if you would?”

Without another word, they left the dark, watery temple behind and made their way back towards their waiting companions.

Chapter Text

Sofia led the way back through the sandstorm to where the rest of the Lycian Alliance Army waited. It was a nightmarish, roundabout path as they tracked down their missing comrades, those unlucky few who had become separated in the storm.

Even after clearing the storm, there was no time to rest.

“We got what we came for,” Roy announced. “We’ve driven off the Bernese soldiers. It isn’t wise to stay here any longer than necessary.”

So it was back to Etruria, back across the whole of Elibe again. Things like fighting and tactics, Lilina could do. Organizing and supplying an army she had trained for. But nothing could have prepared her for the sheer monotony of tramping back and forth across the land.

Although Bern’s forces had left, they maintained their disguise as a merchant caravan. Lilina was grateful for the chance to sit. She had, after all, been fighting all this time. But being able to sit did not mean she was able to relax.

Lilina sat in the back of the jostling wagon, the divine tome Foreblaze heavy on her lap. She wondered if the other divine weapons felt like this, heavy and crackling with power. Or was it, perhaps, only the books of magic that exuded such an aura?

She opened the book just to the first page, revealing old parchment heavy-laden with glimmering gold characters written in the language of magic, but written in a form even more archaic than the one she was used to. To learn these spells would take work, work that must be accomplished very quickly. It wasn’t really a matter of words or chants or potions, but a way of remaking the self. A specific way of arranging and ordering the mind so that the magic came out in the intended shape.

Lilina didn’t have much familiarity with weapons, but she saw the way Roy and the others held themselves, familiar poses allowing them to defend or attack with maximum speed and minimum risk. With magic it was the same, though it was the shape of the mind and soul that determined the results.

With familiar spells it took very little effort, and it was possible to switch between them quickly. Lilina knew the basic forms for fire magic and thunder magic and wind magic, the ways they tended to change for spells offensive, defensive, or practical. Even so, the books helped. The energy they offered had a feeling of power, a reminder of how the spell should be set, and a slight edge that helped one attack more quickly, to hold longer, to use greater strength.

Lilina had told Roy that she would be able to use Foreblaze, but she wasn’t sure. Always before when learning new spells, she had been in the presence of a teacher. Someone who knew what it should feel like, someone who could step in before things got dangerous. With these spells, there was no becoming dangerous. They were dangerous.

The spells offered here called forth more power, using forms unfamiliar to her, the instructions laid out in words she was not sure she could interpret. On top of that was the uncanny feeling of being judged, as if the spell book could decide for itself whether she was worthy. Whether to help her or hinder her.

There was nothing Lilina could do about that. And as for learning the spells, she would simply need to practice.

But time and space were hard to come by in an army constantly on the move. Hard to come by, knowing that she also had to devote much of her time to discussing strategy with Roy. Hard to come by, when the time on top of that was devoted to being Lady Ostia – reading reports from Martin, writing orders in return, spending time among her troops to encourage their morale. Where, in all this mess, could she possibly make room to take the archsage’s place?

She sighed.

“Something wrong?” asked Sue. Sue, also, was making the most of being stuck. Despite the crowded conditions, she was managing to make more arrows – a task that was never truly completed. She didn’t set it aside as she spoke but, knowing her, it was a chore she could have done in her sleep.

“There’s so much to do,” Lilina said. “I don’t know when I’ll find the time. And,” she added, lowering her voice, “as things grow more and more out of control, it’s difficult to imagine how I can manage to do my duty here and reach my goals for Ostia. It’s too much.”

“He who chases two hares catches neither,” Sue responded in Sacaean. Then she smiled. “But you must remember that you are not alone. I am here, and I will do what I can.”

What could Lilina do but smile in return? She didn’t know how it was that she and Sue had never gotten along as children. Now she felts as if the Sacaean girl’s steady presence was the only think keeping her grounded. Sue’s smiles were infectious, her presence calming, her quips and sayings endlessly heartening.

Lilina realized that she was staring, and looked quickly back at her book. She was embarrassed, but also guilty. After all, she was not the only one who had suffered and lost because of this war. She was not the only one with multiple, conflicting goals.

“I appreciate it, really I do. But you have your own path to walk as well. I don’t want to keep you from doing what you must just so you can help me.”

Sue put down the arrow she was carving and grabbed Lilina’s hand from where it rested on Foreblaze. Lilina glanced up again to see Sue looking at her, completely serious.

“This path we’re on now leads to Sacae, I know this. I feel it. I will accomplish what I need to in time. Already I know that when I do, you will be there by my side. Why should I not help you now?”

Lilina didn’t have a chance to respond, because Fir broke into the conversation. “Really!” she said. “You two are always acting as if you’re the only people here. We’ve an entire army with us, you know!”

Lilina flushed. One thing she did miss was having a little privacy! But she wasn’t about to let Fir have all the fun. “Maybe you’d like me to share with the wagon some of the things I’ve heard you and Noah whispering about?”

She had the satisfaction of seeing Fir turn an even bright red than she had. “It’s not the same!”

Lilina pulled her hand away from Sue and leaned back against the wall of the wagon. Was it not? She wasn’t as naïve as some would believe her to be, but her mind shied away from the thought. There was too much going on, too many things to think of. She couldn’t think about this right now. Or perhaps she didn’t want to.

Sue made no response, merely went back to work. Lilina resolved to do the same, and bent back over the spell book, intent to begin deciphering it.

She had just started to do so when the frantic clatter of hoofbeats interrupted her. Someone opened the back flap of the wagon in time for them all to see someone charging up the line on a horse lathered in sweat. Whoever they were, they weren’t dressed in any uniform present in the Alliance army. Which could only mean they were a messenger from Nabata. From Arcadia.

The caravan rolled to a halt. Lilina saw Elphin and Marcus both making for the front of line. She resisted the urge to sigh. Duty called. She closed the book and climbed out of the wagon, heading for Roy’s side.

Chapter Text

The caravan came to a halt as Roy received the messenger. The man was breathing hard, covered in dust and sweat, and his horse was in even worse condition. Even so, he took no time to rest, instead tumbling off his horse and giving Roy a short, jerky bow.

As he did so, Lilina and the other members of Roy’s council gathered behind him. They were joined by Sofia and Igrene, understandable as this certainly involved their homeland.

The messenger took a deep breath, bowed again, and said, “General Roy, the Elder sent me. Fae has gone missing!”

“Fae? Who is Fae?”

Sofia stepped forward. “You met her, the little girl who was with the Elder. She’s…the last true dragon. If she were to be captured by Bern…” The mage wrung her hands. “I shudder to think.”

“We warned her to stay home.” Igrene also looked upset. “She must have followed us when we left!”

Lilina frowned and turned to the messenger. “If you didn’t meet up with her between Arcadia and here, then it’s likely she is already lost or captured.” This mountainous area so close to the dreaded Nabata desert was mostly, but not entirely empty. There were castles, villages, and Bernese outposts in the land they travelled through, which is why their current disguise as merchants was necessary in the first place. However, though the area was populated, there were few roads and if Fae was truly following them, it was unlikely that the messenger wouldn’t have seen her.

“I apologize,” Igrene said. “I understand the urgency of getting to Etruria, but Fae-”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Roy said, cutting her off. “I wouldn’t leave anyone trapped in Bern’s clutches, much less a child. Of course we’ll look for her.” He turned to Marcus. “Send out scouts to the locations we’ve passed, find out any information about recent prisoners or lost children being discovered. Discretely.”

The old knight bowed. “I’ll see to it at once, General.”

Roy turned to Merlinus next. “The caravan will move until we find a good spot to camp out, we don’t want to go too far.”

“Please leave it to me General Roy!” Merlinus clapped his hands together once. “I will take charge of everything.”

The messenger seized Roy’s hands. “Thank you, General, thank you! I can’t tell you how grateful we are! Fae is so very important to us in Arcadia.”

Roy only smiled. “There’s no need to thank me. You and your horse can feel free to rest with us until you’re fit to travel back.”

Igrene gave a dry cough and folded her arms. “As for Fae, you can rest assured that I will take charge of her.” She glanced at Roy. “Fae is very young, but it would not be safe to send her back alone. She will be more secure with us.”

Roy didn’t object.

Elphin made a soft noise of displeasure and Lilina glanced at him. Seeing it, he leaned over. “Are you and your compatriots not young enough already? Bern will even involve children in their quest for power and control?”

Lilina could not help but agree with him. Somedays she truly felt too young for all this. Certainly she had been trained, but that training should have lasted years more, possibly decades. She wished that she’d had the luxury of decades by her father’s side. Lilina wasn’t sure if it was the passage of time or simply how hectic everything else was, but the thought didn’t sting as much as it used to. She shook her head. “What choice do we have? Someone must stand up to them, and there’s no one else left.”

Lilina glanced behind her, taking in the fake merchant caravan, their army, and everything that it entailed. There truly was no one else left, only children and elders.

“Indeed,” said Elphin, and he still seemed dissatisfied. With that he stepped forward. “General Roy, I am often useless once battle is underway. I will also volunteer my services to protect the little lady dragon while others fight.”

Roy looked surprised, and then relieved. “Would you? That would certainly make things easier. Well if that’s settled, then let’s move out. We can come up with a plan once Fae is located.”

Lilina walked back down the line of wagons at Elphin’s side. “I’m surprised you volunteered,” she told him. “Useless in battle, pah! You may not fight but you move like a warrior.”

He gave one of his oh-so-charming and oh-so-fake smiles. “Perceptive as well as beautiful, Lady Lilina you astound me again. But the truth is, some years ago I became quite ill, and my eyesight and coordination are not what they were. I serve the army better as a strategist.” Then he laughed. “Besides, I happen to like children!”

“If you need help, you can come to me.” Lilina wasn’t sure what made her volunteer. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have enough to do already. Maybe she just didn’t want to see any other lonely children.

“I may, at that.” They had reached the wagon Elphin was riding in. He gave her an overly elaborate bow and clambered inside.

Lilina rolled her eyes and went back to her own wagon, and the work she had left behind. Their clashes with Bern were getting more and more frequent, and she needed to be ready. She needed to unlock the use of Foreblaze before it was too late.

Maybe Bern had ruined their lives, hers and Roy’s, Sue’s, Elphin’s, and everyone else fighting alongside them. Everyone living in the cities Bern had ransacked, the countries they put under thrall. Maybe the members of the army were too young, maybe they would never be the same afterwards. Lilina knew she was already changed from who she used to be. Maybe for them it was too late.

But Bern could still be stopped. Countries could still move forward. Lives could still be rebuilt.

Muttering under her breath as she entered the wagon, she said, “After the fire come the grasses, after the flood come the flowers.” Something her mother used to say, and the first Sacaean Lilina had used in years. The familiar words brought some comfort, and Sue’s small smile of understanding brought even more.

Lilina found herself smiling back. Then she sat down, opened the foreboding spell book, and got back to work.

Chapter Text

The Lycian Alliance Army had followed Fae's trail to the Etrurian border, and now sat halted at the foot of the mountains. While it couldn't compare to the desert behind them, this was hardly the best terrain. They had the low ground, and the enemy had a fortified castle above them. There was no way to approach unseen.

Lilina and Roy, along with Marcus, Merlinus, Elphin, and Igrene, listened to the scout's report with a growing sense of resigned acceptance. This just seems to be their lot in life, Lilina thought. Always fighting at a disadvantage.

"That's not all," said the scout. "A lot of troops have been leaving the castle and taking up defensive positions. They seem to be ready for us already."

"They must've found her Dragon Stone." Igrene's voice didn't display any hint of her emotional state, but the way her grip tightened around her bow certainly did.

"Dragon Stone?" Roy asked.

"It's how dragons store their energy in human form," Igrene explained. "It is said that it takes enormous amounts of energy for dragons to maintain their actual forms here, so they usually remain in human form."

Roy nodded. "Perhaps the 'human not humans' we fought before were sometimes in human form for the same reason."

"These other dragons that you mentioned?" Igrene asked. "Yes, it's more than likely. It said in our history that dragons only started taking human form after the Scouring ended, but once they started, they did it nearly all the time." She sighed. "I have to apologize on behalf of my people for the inconvenience. I know that you must hurry toward Aquleia."

"There's no need to apologize. We wouldn't possibly ignore this, and allow her to fall into the hands of Bern. That would be just as disastrous as anything else."

Marcus interrupted the conversation. "The enemy is on the move, coming this way." He pointed up the mountain to where soldiers could indeed be seen coming towards them with weapons in hand.

"Then we must do this quickly," said Roy. He thought for a moment. "This isn't good terrain for us. Marcus, take the cavalry and make sure that they don't have any outriders who can come up from behind us or from anywhere else in the area, then join the front. I'll lead the infantry up the mountain for the first engagement. Lilina, I hope I can count on the Ostian forces to protect the nearby villages. We don't know who else might be lurking in the area besides the Bernese troops."

"Right," said Lilina. She wasn't all that upset not to be on the frontlines this time. She had been in every other battle so far, and for most of them had left her own contingent behind. It would be difficult for the Ostian heavy infantry to keep pace with the others while climbing a mountain. Far better to have them stay down here, and defend the rear. At least Bors would be relieved that she wouldn't be putting herself in any danger this time.

There wasn't much else to say. Roy dismissed them all their respective assignments, and went to talk to the infantry captains on his own.

Lilina gave the news to her troops and prepared to set off immediately. If they were to be defending the villages, there was no reason for them to wait for Roy's signal. In fact, it would be better to be on the move earlier, to reach the places they were supposed to be defending before there was any reason to defend them.

The Ostians accepted it with their usual practicality, and Bors was relieved as she had predicted. Only Sue seemed to be discontent.

"What's wrong?" Lilina asked her.

Sue shook her head. "I won't be staying with the Ostian division this time. Sacaen horses are much sturdier, and they will need us in the mountains."

"That's true," said Lilina. "Be careful. I doubt there will be much danger here, but you have to come back safely. We both still have a lot to do."

Sue gave her a small smile in return. "Be careful as well. Still water can hide large fish ."

Lilina barely restrained herself from laughing. "You made that one up!"

Sue just winked at her.

"Never fear!" Elphin walked over from where he had clearly been shamelessly eavesdropping on their conversation. "I will be right by Lady Lilina's side, and will protect her in your stead."

Sue gave a disgusted snort, and mounted her horse to go join Marcus. Lilina waved her off.

"Well, it's nice to be worried about." Of course Bors worried about her too, but that was different. She was his lady, and he was her retainer. It was nice to be worried about by someone who was a friend or well…something. There wasn't time to worry about that now. She turned to Elphin. "You won't be going to give strategic advice to Roy this time?"

"I fear that I'm not feeling up to the trek, my lady. Besides, he seems to have his own strategy firmly in hand."

"He does at that. Well, you are welcome to join me. There are two villages in the nearby area. I'll leave you in charge of the one to the south, and I'll take the one to the north."

He gave her one of his usual over-exaggerated bows, and Lilina just shook her head. But there was no time for jesting now either. She mounted her own horse and led the way for the Ostian division.

Lilina had thought that she would mostly be in for a lot of waiting. A different kind of waiting than from when they had taken Misul castle, but waiting nonetheless. She could see, if not everything, then at least a good deal of the back-and-forth of the battle while the Lycian Army attempted to gain the mountains. None of the Bernese troops even came close to the villages.

She did not expect bandits to descend on the villages like vultures.

These bandits were neither as organized nor as well-equipped as the ones they had fought on the Western Isles. But they fought with a crazed desperation that made them difficult all the same. Lilina looked around until she saw the man that the bandits were taking their orders from, the leader of the band.

He was a large man, bald and musclebound and covered in scars. Clearly someone who knew what he was doing, unlike many of those present. But what was one bandit compared to a dragon? Or an army? Lilina knew that her troops would be able to fend off these bandits just as well without her for a few minutes. She steadfastly forced her way through to block his way.

In truth, she wasn't entirely sure why. Only a few months ago she would've eagerly cut down anybody who stood in front of her. But the anger that had consumed her like a raging fire after her father's death had settled to a smolder. And maybe she was also just tired of seeing so much death wherever they went.

"Why are you attacking this village?"

The bandit seemed almost amused. He propped his axe on his shoulder and looked down at her. "And just who do you think you are?"

Lilina crossed her arms. "I'm Lady Lilina of Ostia, and I asked you a question. Why are you attacking the villages?"

"Oh a lady are you? Forgive my rudeness. But the only reason we attack these villages is precisely because of idiots like you."

She said nothing about his sarcastic tone. What else would one expect from a bandit leader? "What you mean, like me?"

"You nobles just keep on causing wars, making more and more people just like me, people have no choice but to steal to get food."

"That's the sort of thing that we're fighting to put a stop to."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before." He brought his axe down to rest against the ground and leaned casually on the handle. "All you nobles say you're trying to help, but we can recognize empty words and promises. There's never any action, except for things that make life better for you. And if you think the world’s any different from that, you're just a naïve little girl. Now get out of my way."

"I will not." Lilina gripped her tome tightly. This was not Foreblaze, this was a tome that she knew inside and out. Between her trained magic and one bandit leader's axe, she wasn't at all worried about her chances.

He picked up his axe and held it in a way that she assumed was meant to be threatening. "I ain't playing games with you, little girl. If you don't get the hell out of my way…"

"You'll do what? Kill me?" Lilina stood as tall and proud as fifteen years of etiquette lessons could make her, and stared him directly in the eye. "You're welcome to do as you wish to me, but if I let you pass, I would be exactly the kind of person you're talking about. Someone who is all talk, and no action. But my words are the truth, we are here to defend these people, and we fight for the good of everybody."

For a moment, she thought he really would lash out at her. But then he began to laugh. "Your conviction almost makes me believe it."

"So what do you intend?" Lilina asked him.

"A bargain. I'll stop looting if you allow me to fight with you. I wanna see with my own eyes that you're being true to your words, and if I find out that you aren't…" The threat was implicitly clear.

It didn't bother Lilina at all. "Deal." She held out her hand to shake and he took it.

"The name is Garret. And I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, milady."

Garret was as good as his word, he immediately withdrew and brought his men with him. He and a band of his followers would show up again later that evening, after everything had been resolved, Fae had been rescued, and they had once again resumed their march to Aquleia.

For that moment though, Lilina was just happy that for once she could resolve something in a peaceful manner, no matter how small.