The Life and Times of The Lance of Legend

by 9thGuardian

Summary:

When everything in life is taken from you, it's hard not to completely give up on it all. Finn went through a lot from his time as a young up and coming knight to the man he became by the end of the final Holy War. Follow along as we experience specific events of that time period from the perspective of The Lance of Legend. (Finn x Silvia)

Chapter 1: Onward to Chalphy

Disclaimer: Pairings will not be based around what is canon in Thracia 776.

“Take this!” Finn shouts as he takes a momentary step back before driving his practice lance straight ahead toward his liege.

“Not fast enough!” Quan swiftly avoids Finn’s strike before intercepting the attack with one of his own. He jams his right shoulder directly toward Finn’s ribs. While the blow makes the young knight stagger, he does not lose his footing. Quan couldn’t help but smirk, “Well would you look at that, just a few months ago you would have fallen right on your rear end. Your stance grows steadier each day, Finn.”

“You flatter me, milord,” Finn mutters in-between his heavy breathing as another long day of training comes to an end.

“I assure you that praise is very much warranted. You weren’t a slouch when you first became a knight, but you improve by leaps and bounds every day,” Quan continues.

“I’m honored, milord,” Finn bows. “I simply try to do my absolute best, both for you and for Leonster.”

“Spare me, Finn. You mustn’t feel the need to remain so formal at all times, it’s just the two of us out here,” Quan says before piercing his lance into the dirt beneath him.

While Finn treasured the close relationship he had developed with Lord Quan and Lady Ethlyn, the young knight still felt he had something to prove. The royal family treated him as one of their own, as close to being family without sharing blood, and he was more than willing to give his life for them.

“You know, they called me crazy at first,” Quan says as the two allies take a seat beside each other in the ravaged training grounds. Despite limited battle experience, Finn’s abilities on the battlefield are second to none, and Quan noticed early on. “Why would I possibly choose some random nameless soldier to become such a high ranking knight? Especially one so young, you’re still just a boy in a lot of people’s eyes, Finn.”

Finn remained focused on Quan’s every word. Quan was never shy about giving critiques and heaping praise on Finn’s fighting on the battlefield, and Finn cherished every piece of advice he could acquire. He truly idolized Quan on and off the battlefield and made sure to take every chance to learn from him, however he was particularly perplexed on where these specific sentiments were leading too.

“There’s a reason I asked you to train with me today,” Quan says.

“What would that be?” Finn answers.

“As you know my father-in-law, Lord Byron of Chalphy, is off dealing with affairs over in Isaach,” Quan explains.

“Right.”

“That leaves my brother-in-law, Sigurd, to take care of things in his absence. Not that that’s a problem, I know better than anyone he can handle himself.” Quan continues.

“Has something happened?” Finn asks, figuring Quan wouldn’t bring this up now unless something urgent came up.

“Indeed, some Verdane dogs have invaded Grannvale and kidnapped Lady Edain of Jungby.”

“What!?” Finn exclaims, quickly jumping to his feet.

“And since most of their forces are off in Isaach, Sigurd isn’t left with much to take care of this invasion. We just learned of this earlier today, which is why first thing in the morning, Ethlyn and I are marching our way to Chalphy to aid him,” Quan explains as he returns to his feet as well, pulling out the training lance and handing it to Finn. “And I want you to come along with us.”

“L-Lord Quan, really? You want me to go along with you?” Finn could not believe his ears. “But what of Leonster, and young lady Altena?”

Quan simply lifts a reassuring hand, “My father has everything well in hand here, and Altena will be safe while Ethlyn and I are away, I made sure to see to that. Our main defenses will remain here to keep Leonster safe. To make sure of that I had only planned to bring one knight along with us, one knight I knew I could trust the most, and that’s you, Finn.”

“M-Milord,” Finn mutters. Part of him felt like tearing up, to be held in such high regard by his liege was an accomplishment he never could have conceived. Finn knelt down to a knee, “This is the greatest honor you could bestow upon me Milord, you have my word I will assist you, Lady Ethlyn, and Lord Sigurd to the best of my abilities. I promise not to disappoint!”

Quan let out a light chuckle, “I couldn’t imagine the day you would, Finn. Now c’mon, at ease,” he says as Finn returns to his feet.

“Will you be taking the Gáe Bolg along, sire?” Finn asks.

“No need, I won’t need it to clean up this Verdane mess. It’ll be more useful here with my father. Now go and rest up, we’ve got quite the journey ahead of us, and there will be no time to relax once we get to Chalphy.”

“Yes, sir.”

For someone so young, Finn doesn’t truly understand how much potential he has, how far he could possibly go in this life, or just how naive he is to the ways of the rest of the world. He knows he’ll do whatever he can to protect Quan and Ethlyn, and he’s prepared to make whatever sacrifices necessary to ensure their safety. What he doesn’t realize is that upon leaving for Chalphy, his life will never be the same.

Chapter 2: The Holy Knight's Wedding

Summary:

Finn attends Sigurd's wedding, and Finn starts to see the world unravel before him.

Sigurd smiles as he looks across the chapel within Evans castle. The castle priest having now blessed the ceremony, he announced that Sigurd and Deirdre were husband and wife. The newlyweds, elated to be surrounded by so many loved ones, embrace as the festivities commence. Several bards and musicians began filling the air with a beautiful collection of harmonies as everyone began to feast.

Finn had never been to a wedding ceremony before, as Quan and Ethlyn were married before he had met them, nor did he ever think he would have the chance to go to one. A servant of Evans had brought all the members of Sigurd’s army formal attire for the ceremony, which came in handy since Finn had only arrived with battle garments. Finn continues trying to adjust his collar that just won’t seem to loosen up before being approached by his lieges.

“Enjoying yourself, Finn?” Quan asks.

“Indeed, sire. The food they’ve prepared is some of the best I’ve ever had,” Finn answers. “I just wish this outfit wouldn’t strangle me.”

Both Quan and Ethlyn share a laugh. “Well this was rather last minute. They probably couldn’t get everything to match everyone’s specific sizes,” Ethlyn adds.

“You should look around, Finn,” Quan suggests. “It was love at first sight for Sigurd and Deirdre, next up could be you if you find someone.”

“I-I don’t think so, Milord,” Finn quickly becomes flustered and his face begins to blush. “I have all my knightly duties to focus on, I’m not exactly looking at the moment.”

“Just because you aren’t looking doesn’t mean it can’t find you. Don’t forget that,” Quan tilts his head and points at his young retainer.

“It can often find you in the strangest of places,” Ethlyn says with a bright smile as she gazes at Quan lovingly.

“Oh, now what is that supposed to mean?” Quan asks with a chuckle.

“Oh, nothing,” Ethlyn responds, accompanied with a wink to her husband.

Quan and Ethlyn go to join Sigurd and Deirdre as Finn continues to traverse the crowd. “Ah, how are you, Midir?” Finn says as he takes a seat beside his fellow knight.

“Hm? Oh, good to see you, Finn,” Midir responds but seems distracted.

“Is something the matter?”

Midir sighs as he stares off in the left corner of the venue, seeing Edain enjoying the festivities with Prince Jamke of Verdane. “Nothing. I’m just glad Lady Edain is finally safe and sound. Now that Verdane is taken care of, we can finally go back to Jungby and everything can go back to normal for a while. You mentioned you came all the way from Leonster?”

“Indeed. Lady Ethlyn is Lord Sigurd’s sister after all,” Finn answers.

“Wow, you three came all the way here. Well let me just say thank you on behalf of all of us back in Jungby for helping us rescue Lady Edain, and I’m glad to see none of you are badly wounded.” Midir holds his glass out towards Finn and offers a toast.

“As a knight of Leonster, it was my pleasure. I’m simply following my lieges orders.” Finn smiles and clangs Midir’s drink with his own.

“Things turned out for the best, and I wish you lot safe travels back to Leonster,” Midir says, extending a hand to Finn.

“Many thanks,” Finn responds and shakes Midir’s hand.

---

“Oh wasn’t that just the loveliest celebration?” Ethlyn says as she, Quan, and Finn return to their quarters for the ceremony.

“Indeed, it’s just unfortunate they met during this Verdane nonsense. I’m sure Sigurd would have wanted his wedding back in Chalphy,” Quan adds.

“You’re right, but this was still just as special. Only thing we were missing was Father, I wish he could have seen the look on Sigurd’s face. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him smile so wide,” Ethlyn recounts with a light giggle.

“Once Lord Byron returns from Isaach, we’ll all have to go see him together as a family and share the good news,” Quan suggests with a bright smile.

“I think he’d like that a lot,” Ethlyn responds and gifts Quan a smile of her own. “I’m turning in for the night, are you coming too, dear?”

“I will soon, I just need to go check on our inventory. Finn, do you want to come with?” Quan asks.

“Sure thing, sire,” Finn answers as the pair head towards the convoy while Ethlyn retires to her room.

“Lord Quan, what do you suppose we do from here?” Finn asks.

“Hm? What do you mean?” Quan replies.

“Edain is with us now, and Verdane is no longer a concern. Are we to remain here?”

“Well,” Quan utters as he thinks of what is to come next. “I suppose we could return home. Sigurd received orders from Belhalla to remain in Evans until further notice, but it looks like he’s got some strong friends beside him, so he might not need us. However, there is one thing that makes me not want to leave.”

“What’s that, milord?”

After they arrive in the convoy, Quan looks over both his shoulders, and then checks beside all the corners of the area, ensuring the two were alone. “Okay, Finn,” Quan whispers. “What I’m about to tell you stays between us, do not tell Ethlyn or Sigurd about this.”

Quan has never been one to come across as panicky, hearing the intensity and concern in his voice almost made Finn shake, “S-Sure whatever you ask, milord.”

“I was speaking to Lady Ayra after she joined up with us on the battlefield, and she said something that really doesn’t sit well with me. You know why Grannvale and Isaach are at war right?”

“I believe it was because Isaach invaded and conquered the fortress in Darna, correct?”

“Exactly, and I asked Ayra about it. Isaach knows that Grannvale would get involved if they attacked Darna, and they know their military isn’t enough to handle Grannvale’s might. It doesn’t make much sense right?”

“Hm, that’s right,” Finn mutters as he gives it some thought. “That seems like a major tactical misstep, what could they possibly gain from doing so?”

“My father and The King of Isaach had a fairly positive relationship, and from what I’ve heard that doesn’t sound like something he would do. It turns out The King had nothing to do with it.”

Finn raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“Filthy dogs from Rivough are the ones who attacked Darna, and Isaach as a whole took the blame for it,” Quan explains.

“What!?” Finn shouts.

“Shh! Quiet down,” Quan utters.

“But both countries are at full scale war just because-”

“Listen. I was shocked too, but The King of Isaach apparently was on his way to speak to Prince Kurth when it happened to explain the situation, but was assassinated.”

Finn couldn’t believe his ears. He only had a basic gist of what was going on with Grannvale and Isaach, but couldn’t comprehend how much deeper this whole situation had been.

“Once news of his death reached Isaach, the young Prince Shannan’s father, Prince Mariccle, took up arms against Grannvale. As unfortunate as this all is, I can’t blame him. In his eyes his father was wrongly murdered by another country, any man would do the same. That’s also why Ayra and Shannan were in Verdane. They needed to make sure the future of Isaach was out of harm’s way.”

“B-But this was all a misunderstanding! Surely there’s something that can be done.”

“If only it was that easy. It’s far too late for that, and that’s why you have to promise not to tell Sigurd or anyone else, including Ethlyn. There’s already too much going on, Sigurd has got too many things on his plate as is, and I promised to help Ayra and keep this a secret for now. Plus, if you or I told Ethlyn or anyone else, they’d go straight to Sigurd.” Quan finishes.

“Well don’t worry about a thing, Milord. I will not tell a soul.” Finn says.

Quan smiles, “Thank you, Finn. I knew I could trust you, but that’s always why I’m not going to leave Sigurd’s side just yet. Everything about this seems very wrong,” Quan begins to lean over some of the inventory, glaring off into the distance. “This whole war seems way too calculated, like everything fell about a little too easily and quickly, just something really doesn’t seem right. Because of that, I’m not going to abandon my friend, whatever is going on here I’m not heading home till I know for certain things will be fine.”

Finn couldn’t help but be in awe at the nobleness of his liege, Quan being every bit the strong willed person he was proud to serve. “Well said, Milord. If that is the case I will stand by you and Sigurd every step of the way.”

“Many thanks. I knew I could count on you, Finn. Now let’s take care of things here and get some rest, since we have some down time for the moment we can get some training in tomorrow.” Quan says as he and Finn begin going through the inventory.

---

Just only a few days after Sigurd and Deirdre’s wedding.

“Please! Please! Where is Lord Sigurd!?” A hysterical unknown soldier shouts after barging into Evans Castle.

Finn, Oifey, and Arden all happen to be within hearing distance from the soldier and each come running towards him. “Please calm down! What happened?” Oifey asks.

“Something terrible! Lord Eldigan went off to see King Chagall, and The King threw him in the dungeon!”

“What!?” The three of them shout in unison.

“That’s not all of it! Some knights from Heirhein are coming for Nordion and are planning to kidnap Lady Lachesis! We need Sigurd’s help please!” He exclaims.

“Stay right here! I’ll go find Sigurd immediately!” Oifey says before running off to find Sigurd.

As Finn ran off to prepare for battle, he couldn’t help but be reminded of Quan’s words. Trouble has come their way once again, and they all need to be here to lend their strength. Finn must make sure to do his part to make sure nothing befalls Quan, Ethlyn, or Sigurd.

Chapter 3: The Dancer and The Bard

Summary:

While off to save some villages from bandits, Finn and Midir run into two interesting individuals.

Sigurd’s army quickly makes their way from the western Agustrian castle of Heirhein to the north towards Anphony.

“Finn! Midir! You two quickly make your way east towards the villages to stop the bandit attacks. The rest of us will focus on the castle!” Sigurd proclaims.

“Yes, sir!” The two knights shout as they begin to change direction.

“Finn, wait!” Quan commands as Finn turns back towards his liege. “Take this.” Quan tosses the most marvelous looking lance Finn has ever seen in his direction.

Finn catches the lance and thoroughly examines it. The silver texture was unlike anything he had ever wielded before, but upon taking the first swing he knew exactly what he was holding. “Milord, is…is this a brave lance? I never thought I’d ever actually wield one.”

“Precisely. Things aren’t going to be as simple as they were in Verdane, so I think you’re going to need it. Now get moving! Those villages need you!”

“Right!” Finn and Midir make their way towards the forested areas.

While they were able to reach the villages faster than most, it proved difficult for their horses to traverse the heavy forest terrain. The two slowly ventured through the paths until they spotted their first batch of bandits nearing the closest village.

“Midir,” Finn whispered.

“I’ve got this,” Midir replied, formulating a plan.

The two knights separated as Midir lined up his shots. There were not many bandits, but there was enough to devastate the small village if left to their own devices. The bandits were inching closer and closer to the village, axes in hand, completely unaware they were being hunted. The instant one was in Midir’s line of fire; they were pierced with an arrow to the head quicker than they could react. Once the other bandits noticed their fallen comrade, they were immediately met by a flurry of arrows from deep within the forest. The few with the wherewithal to guard or dodge began to rush in the direction of the arrows, only to be dispatched by Finn from the back. In no time at all, each bandit was taken care of before any of them could realize what hit them.

Finn and Midir quickly regrouped to ensure no one entered the village, in which some curious Agustrians exited their homes to greet the knights.

“Oh thank heavens you two arrived!” An elderly villager exclaims.

“It was nothing, but please return to your homes. We are going to check on the other villages in case they’re in danger,” Midir explains.

“Please do so, the nearest one is off in that direction,” A second villager states as she points down the forest trail. “And please hurry, we had heard there’s a bard and a young dancer girl battling off some of the bandits in a village towards the east. Please see to their safety.”

Midir looks rather puzzled and quickly glances at Finn, then turns his attention back to the villager. “If we come across them we’ll see to their protection.”

“Indeed, you have our word,” Finn adds before the two charge toward the next village.

“A bard and a dancer? What could two of those do to stop the bandits?” Midir asks.

“I haven’t a clue, but if they are battling the bandits then they’re likely on our side,” Finn adds as the pair march on.

Finn and Midir continue to go from village to village stopping any bandits they come across. As they travel further east, a sudden blast of wind shoots right past them, startling their horses and slicing down a tree in the process.

“AAH! Easy! Easy, girl!” Midir shouts in an attempt to calm his steed.

“What was-!? That wasn’t just any gust of wind. Could there be someone using wind magic out here?!” Finn questions.

“Can you come up with anything else?” Midir sarcastically replies. “If there’s a bandit with wind magic then those villages are in grave danger! We need to move!”

Both knights swiftly begin heading in the direction of the wind spell, spreading out in order to avoid both of them getting hit by a second attack. To their surprise, a second attack never came, however they were able to hear a few different screams of pain in the distance, forcing them to quicken their pace. Once they arrive at the scene they notice a group of bandits that have all been dispatched. Standing before them was a young green haired man wielding a tome, and a young girl with long green hair in an uncomfortably revealing outfit with tassels hanging off her wrists.

“Ah, that should be the last of them here,” The man said before turning his head and spotting Finn and Midir, startling himself. “Quick, Silvia! Behind me!”

“Eep!” Silvia mutters before doing as he says.

“Ah, so the Noble’s thugs weren’t enough so they sent actual trained knights I see,” The man cockily spouted. “Now if you think you’re taking one step inside this village and messing with these poor people then you are sorely mistaken.”

Midir and Finn shoot each other a quick glance. “Is this the bard?” Midir utters.

“What bard knows magic?” Finn replies. “Excuse me!” Finn shouts addressing the bard, “We aren’t serving under any Agustrians. We came here in order to protect the villages from bandit attacks. We’ve already taken care of most of the bandits around here, and we heard from some villagers that a bard and a dancer were doing that very same thing. I presume that’s you two?”

“Hm, curious. If you aren’t serving Agustria then whom are you working for?” The bard asks.

“I hail from House Leonster in the Thracian Peninsula,” Finn states.

“And I come from House Jungby in Grannvale,” Midir adds.

“The Thracian Peninsula? What business could you possibly have all the way out here?”

“We could ask you the same,” Midir says. “You don’t look like any ordinary Agustrian citizen.”

“Oh me?” The bard said, adjusting his head scarves revealing both his eyes. “I’m just a traveling bard, you can call me Lewyn.” He says with a smile, lowering his guard.

“Hm, well, Lewyn,” Finn says as he and Midir get off their horses, lowering their weapons. “We’re thankful for your help dealing with the bandits. If you don’t mind, we’d be very grateful to have someone who is adept with wind magic working alongside us.”

“Well if you lot are trying to protect the people you can count me in. These nobles have had their way with them for too long,” Lewyn says, shaking Finn’s hand.

“Great! We’ll take you to see Lord Sigurd. He’ll be thrilled to have someone of your talents on our side,” Midir says.

“Sigurd, hmm,” Lewyn mutters to himself, his demeanor becoming much more serious. “Gladly, I look forward to meeting him.”

“Um, excuse me!” Silvia shouts as Finn and Midir begin to approach their horses. “Forgetting someone?”

“I completely forgot she was still there,” Midir mutters.

“Um, Lewyn, is your companion coming along?” Finn awkwardly asks.

“Um, right. Just give me a moment,” Lewyn says as he approaches Silvia. “It’s okay now, the bandits are taken care of and the day is saved.”

“That doesn’t mean things are over now, I’m not getting stuck here all alone!”

Lewyn let out a long sigh. “Give me a second,” he says as he turns back to Finn and Midir. “Listen here, boys. She’s really insisting here and my hands are tied. Quite frankly, I don’t exactly want to leave her here either.”

“Is she like…your wife or-?” Midir asks

“Oh no no no. I mean we went out once or twice but,” Lewyn whispers before looking back at Silvia. “She’s not really my type, but be that as it may, she is a good girl on the inside. She deserves a better place at the very least.”

Finn looks over Lewyn’s shoulder to get a good look at Silvia, amidst all the commotion he never took the time to examine her. The only dancers he had ever seen were the few traveling performers who would stop by the castle in Leonster from time to time, but certainly none of them looked quite like Silvia did. Her long green hair and her intriguing choice of garments did make her a real sight for sore eyes, like nothing Finn had seen before.

“Like what you see, Sir Knight?” Silvia says before striking a pose.

Finn immediately averts his gaze, not realizing just how long he was staring. His face now crimson, “A-Ahem, she did help you with protecting the villages right?”

“She sure did,” Lewyn answers.

“Then at the very least we owe her some transportation,” Finn says.

“Okay, Silvia. You’re coming along!” Lewyn alerts.

Silvia excitedly makes her way over to the trio, “Woohoo! Now we’re all a traveling team!”

“We aren’t exactly traveling for recreation. We’re in the middle of a war,” Midir says.

“Pff, that doesn’t scare me,” Silvia confidently states.

“If you say so, just know what you’re getting yourself into,” Midir replies as he gets on his horse.

“So where’s ours?” Silvia asks.

The three of them glance at each other in confusion. “Your what?” Finn asks.

“Our horse, genius!”

“Umm, w-we didn’t exactly plan on bringing people along,” Midir utters.

“I was just going to walk,” Lewyn adds.

“Well how are we supposed to keep up with you two on horseback?!” Silvia exclaims.

“We’ll ride real slowly?” Midir utters awkwardly, unsure of how to deal with Silvia’s behavior.

“It’s not just that, umm,” Silvia timidly points down at her feet. Finn and Midir barely realize that she’s barefoot. “If I walk all the way there, my feet will get all messed up, and I need them to be in tip top shape to dance.”

“She’s got a point,” Lewyn says, smirking at the knights.

“I guess it can’t be helped,” Finn extends a hand to Silvia. “We don’t have other horses with us, but you can ride with me if you want.”

“Sounds like fun!” She shouts, grabbing his hand and lifting herself with such force she nearly pulled Finn off his horse.

“Y-You’re awfully energetic,” Finn utters as the four of them head back through the forest to regroup with Sigurd.

“Of course I am, I’m a dancer! A good dancer is always ready to move!”

“Okay but, don’t you think you’re a little young to be out here fighting? There’s a lot of dangerous people out here,” Finn explains.

“Excuse me, you want to talk about young? You look exactly my age, I might even be older than you!” She replies, taking some offense to Finn’s concerns.

“I’m a trained knight, it’s different,” Finn rolls his eyes. “I’m meant to be on the battlefield.”

“Hmph. I can take care of myself, but if you’re so concerned about my safety, I sure hope you won’t let me get hurt. The big strong knight can’t let anything bad happen to the beautiful dancer can he?” She teases.

“Yeah about that. I realize you’re a dancer, but,” Finn mutters, attempting to bring himself to say what’s on his mind. “Does that mean you have to dress…like…that?”

“Like what? This is my dancing outfit. you don’t like it? You seemed to like it earlier,” Silvia smriks, continuing her teasing while she pokes his back.

“N-No! I mean, yes? Um…it’s really cute,” Finn states, vowing not to say another word.

“T-Thank you,” Sylvia replies, not expecting that response. “So anyway I don’t think I’ve been properly introduced yet. My name is Silvia, but you can call me Silvi,” She says with a bright smile.

“My name is Midir,” Midir says with a waving gesture.

“And my name is Finn,” He says, turning his head to meet her gaze.

“Nice to meetcha,” Silvia says, clinging to Finn’s back as they continue traveling through the forest.

Chapter 4: This Different Feeling

Summary:

After Eldigen's freakout over Grannvale's "invasion" of Agustria and his split with Sigurd, Finn is left to ponder how strong bonds really are.

The sound of metal piercing wood echoes through the night sky as Finn continually stabs the wooden dummy with his training lance. It’s been one month since Sigurd’s army seized Agusty and they received orders to keep hold over Agustria. Finn witnessed the tense confrontation between Lord Eldigen and Sigurd, and Sigurd promised to return Agustria to King Chagall within a year’s time. Unfortunately, Quan had seen it as well. The sight of his two best friends on opposite sides was an almost heartbreaking experience for him. Seeing those three knights, whose camaraderie he had always envisioned as being unbreakable, not seeing eye to eye really put an empty pit in Finn’s stomach.

“Do you know how to take a day off?” A voice rang out, snapping Finn out of his train of thought. He quickly turned his head towards the voice, spotting Lewyn on the other end of the training grounds. “It’s nearing sleep hours, yet here you are training, again. There’s nothing urgent going on. You can relax from time to time, you know.”

Finn turns his attention back to the dummy and resumes his practice with his lance. “I’m training so when something urgent does come, I’ll be ready. You should do the same, Your Highness.”

“What did I tell you about this ‘Highness’ stuff, we’re friends aren’t we? Just call me Lewyn,” He quickly grows annoyed.

Finn had reduced the dummy down to mere woodchips. Holding his lance to his side, he turns to face Lewyn and says, “I would think so, but what does that really mean?”

“What does what mean? If we’re friends?”

“Do you intend to take the throne in Sileese?”

“Again with all these personal questions, what’s gotten into you?”

“Well, I’m just thinking. Most people in this army all hail from different lands, but at the same time, we’ve all become close allies right?” Finn ponders.

“Absolutely. If you want my opinion, I’m having the time of my life here with all of you. I’m not the biggest fan of all this fighting, but doing all sorts of good for the ordinary folk, having good company, being around such pretty ladies, it’s not too bad if you ask me,” Lewyn declares.

“Is that so? I feel the same way. The only home I ever really had was with Quan and Ethlyn, but…I really enjoy being with everyone here.” Finn starts to get choked up.

“So then what’s the problem?” Lewyn asks.

“I just…wouldn’t want anything to come between that. Anyone’s status, or class, or home get in the way. What’s the point in being friends if those ties can be severed so simply?”

“Is that what you think is gonna happen? Like just because I’m a prince from Sileese, Lachesis is a princess from Agustria, Ayra is a princess from Isaach, and you’re from Leonster, suddenly none of us would be friends anymore?” Lewyn asks. “Look, I can’t speak for anyone other than myself, but as far as you and I are concerned, as long as you keep doing right by you and your people, we’ll be friends.”

Finn couldn’t help but smile, “T-Thanks, Lewyn. This has been on my mind for a while, I think I needed this talk.”

“Well why didn’t you go to Quan if it was bothering you?”

“I wouldn’t have any doubts with Quan, he’s my liege, as well as my best friend, I’ll never not be by his side. I’d never have to worry about him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t value you all too,” Finn explains. Finn’s mind kept thinking about what happened between Eldigen and Sigurd and how easily they ended up on opposite sides. He starts to think Quan might be the right one to set Finn’s mind straight. “Maybe I’ll bring this up to him still.”

“Either way, don’t be afraid to come to me or anybody when something is on your mind. Instead you’re just taking it out on these poor poor training dummies. I mean just look at your hands.” Lewyn points out the sheer amount of calluses and damage done to Finn’s hands. “You’ve been at it nonstop ever since we came to Agusty.”

“I guess I…maybe I could use a small break,” Finn finally concedes.

“Well now it’s high time everyone got some shut-eye, so if you ask me, I say-”

“There you are, Lewyn!” An all too familiar voice shouts, interrupting Lewyn as the pair spots Silvia running in their direction. “You’ve been avoiding me all day! Are you spending all your time with that filthy Pegasus rider girl!?”

“Hey now be nice, Silvia. Erinys is a childhood friend of mine, and quite frankly an all around useful ally to have. Wouldn’t you say, Finn?”

“Having someone take to the skies really did give us an advantage when we took Agusty I think. I’m certainly glad to have her here,” Finn comments.

“Oh yeah, Finn!? Do you think she’s prettier than me!?”

“I-I didn’t say that! I just think she’s great on the battlefield that’s all!” Silvia’s tone sends Finn in an embarrassment fit.

“Yeah, well both you and Lewyn can-,” Silvia utters before turning her head to see that Lewyn has vanished.

“Uh, I-I guess he left when you were yelling at me,” Finn mutters.

“Gods, sometimes he just gets on my last nerve,” Silvia complains.

“Well why is it that you still follow him around? Do you just want the two of you to stick together?”

“You wouldn’t understand. He was there for me when I needed help the most, so…I guess I’m just…really really grateful,” Silvia explains, growing surprisingly forlorn.

“What makes you think I wouldn’t understand?”

“You just wouldn’t, I had-. Brrrrgh. When did it get so cold?” Silvia begins to shiver.

“Maybe you shouldn’t wear your dancing gear outside in the middle of the night. C’mon let’s go inside,” Finn rolls his eyes. He removes his cape and wraps her in it before returning his practice lance.

“T-Thanks,” Silvia mutters as the pair enters the castle and takes a seat beside each other on a bench.

“So, mind telling me what you’re thinking about. Usually you’re the bubbly one trying to perk everyone else up,” Finn says.

“I just prefer not to think about it. You know I’m not usually like this, you just kinda brought it outta me,” She explains.

“I-I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to overstep. Should I go?” Finn asks.

“Please don’t…at least I can trust you not to leave when my back is turned.”

“This is still about Lewyn?”

“In a way. I’m grateful for Lewyn for helping me get here, but I guess I need to start doing things for myself again.”

“What do you mean by that? It’s not like anyone thinks you’re dead weight, everyone would agree you’re doing your part like the rest of us,” Finn adds.

“Awww, Finn. You’re such a charmer,” Silvia says, regaining her cheerfulness as she lays down with her head in his lap staring up at him.

Instantly blushing, Finn starts staring upwards.

“You’re too easy to embarrass, Finn,” Silvia giggles.

“W-Well I’m glad you find this amusing!” Finn exclaims as he doesn’t break his gaze with the castle’s ceiling.

“Look at me,” Silvia requests.

“No!” Finn mutters.

“Finn.”

“No.”

“Finn,” Silvia whispers as she gently caresses his face, slowly bringing his eyes down to match hers. “Like what you see, Sir Knight?” She says before sticking her tongue out at him.

Finn couldn’t help but stare once he was finally coerced into looking at the lovely sight that lay before him. He knew the moment he had first seen Silvia that he was enraptured by her, but he had no idea how to respond to her behavior, nor did he truly understand what he was feeling. The one thing he did understand was that he did not want to look away.

“Hey did you hear?” Silvia asks, breaking Finn’s concentration. “Lady Deirdre is pregnant, she and Sigurd are going to have a baby! Isn’t that incredible!?”

“Hm, absolutely. All of us are overjoyed at the news,” Finn smiles.

Silvia finally sits up, getting up off the bench and stands in front of Finn. “Thank you, for everything, Finn. Ever since we met you’ve been willing to help me out, and I appreciate it.”

“Not a problem, Silvia. I’m always happy to hel-” Before he had any time to react, Silvia planted her lips firmly against his own. His eyes wide open, he couldn’t comprehend what was happening until Silvia slowly backed away. Those few short seconds causing a whirlwind to go through Finn’s mind and his chest.

She looked deep into his eyes as she smiled and winked. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Silvia says before walking away through the castle halls, still wrapped in his cape.

Finn’s mind was in shambles, all he was able to mutter was, “O-Okay.”

Finn remained sitting on that bench for what felt like a millennium. It was still the dead of night with much of the castle fast asleep. Eventually, he sat up and began making his way towards his quarters. He knew now he had many things to ask Quan about in the morning.

Chapter 5: Expansion

Summary:

Sigurd's army celebrates the birth of Seliph, which leads to a night Finn will never forget.

The entire castle nearly erupted as almost every resident surrounded Sigurd and Deirdre, each one of them eager to meet Lord Seliph.

“Only a few days old and already so popular, poor boy,” Quan says with a light chuckle.

“Aren’t you going to go see him, Quan?” Finn asks.

“I think he’s already got a pretty heavy crowd. I’ll have plenty of time to see Seliph later.”

“Finn! Let’s go see the baby! I wonder which one of them he looks like? I bet he’s adorable!” Silvia says, tugging on Finn’s arm.

“Go on, Finn. I know you want to,” Quan says with another chuckle.

“R-Right. Let’s go, Silvia,” Finn muttered, embarrassed. As the two went off to join the crowd, he couldn’t help but notice Quan let out a long sigh before slumping into the nearest chair.

Agusty Castle soon began a day full of festivities in the castle’s ballroom to celebrate the newborn. Sigurd’s army were sharing drinks, having a large feast, congratulating the happy couple, and further strengthening their bonds.

“How does it feel?” Quan asks, downing another bottle of wine.

“I have to say, it’s not like anything I’ve ever felt before. I would do anything for him, I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life before,” Sigurd said, choking up for about the fifth time of the day.

“Let me tell you, that feeling never goes away. You want to give them the world, no matter what it takes,” Quan continues. “Hey, could someone fill me up?”

“Quan, don’t you think you should slow down a little bit?” Finn asks.

“Yeah, Sweetie. You don’t usually drink this much,” Ethlyn adds.

“C’mon, it’s a celebration! How often do I do this at all? We have to enjoy it while it lasts,” Quan says.

“Well said!” Sigurd shouts as he takes another drink of his wine.

“You two really never change,” Ethlyn muttered within her laughter.

“I’m going to go check on Deirdre. She says all this flashiness isn’t overwhelming her, but I’m still worried,” Sigurd says.

“Okay. Take care, Big Brother,” Ethlyn says as Sigurd joins the crowd.

Quan lets out a huge sigh once Sigurd leaves, now alone with Ethlyn and Finn. “Poor guy is going through a lot right now.”

“Hm? I thought he seemed really happy,” Finn asks, puzzled at Quan’s sudden change in demeanor.

“He is. He’s ecstatic, as any parent would be. You’ll get there one day, Finn,” Quan says, slipping a quick embarrassing joke towards his retainer. “It’s just this all came at a really rough time.”

“You’re right, both his wedding and his first born son came far away from home. I’m sure that bugs him,” Ethlyn adds.

“It’s not just that. He’s been working tirelessly to try to keep the peace here and find a way to return power back to Agustria, but Belhalla won’t budge. We’ve been here for months just enjoying our time away from the battlefield, but Sigurd is working hard every day. After what happened with Eldigen, I’m just worried about him. Now that Seliph is born, I’m sure there’s another mountain of stress going through his head,” Quan explains.

“He’s not the only one. Deirdre has been right there with him, and the stress is getting to her too. It’s honestly a miracle there weren’t any complications with Seliph’s birth with how hard it’s been for those two,” Ethlyn adds.

“I just wish I could help him. Shoulder some of the burden, you know? Unfortunately it’s not like I have any sway with Belhalla. They’d never listen to me,” Quan utters, growing dejected.

“I understand, Quan, but give my brother some credit. You know just as well as anyone what he’s capable of, and he’s strong enough to get through this, for everyone’s sake,” Ethlyn says.

“She’s right, Milord. I may not have known him for nearly as long as you have, but I have no doubts about Lord Sigurd’s resilience. He is a man like few others, and I trust him,” Finn adds.

“You see, Quan? Now look over there,” Ethlyn says, pointing towards the crowd, each of them seeing Sigurd smiling holding his son. “He’s not sulking right now, and neither should you.”

Quan couldn’t help but smile. “You always know what to say,” He mutters as Ethlyn playfully lifts him out of his chair.

“C’mon, Sire. Let’s go join the fun,” Finn says, smiling along with his lieges.

“Honestly, Finn,” Quan says before taking another swig of his now refilled wine. “I’m not sure why you’re even over here listening to our business. I figure there’s a certain special lady you ought to be spending your time with here.”

“W-Well I, you know I wanted to talk to Sigurd with you guys and congratulate him and all,” Finn mutters, waving his arms in front of him, attempting to hide his embarrassment.

“Ever since Silvia joined us you two have been pretty close. It’s almost like you’re her personal guardian,” Quan jokingly adds.

“We’ve all noticed,” Ethlyn says with a giggle. “I shouldn’t be surprised, you always seemed extra excited whenever dancers would perform back home. Plus, Quan told me about that special little encounter you two had.”

“Quan!? I asked you to keep it confidential!” Finn accidentally shouted.

“She squeezed it outta me, what can I say? Besides, she heard me giving you advice, who wouldn’t be curious?” Quan explains in-between laughs.

“You did go to the right man for advice, Finn. Quan has always been a real charmer,” Ethlyn says, kissing her husband on the cheek. That sentiment immediately reminding Finn of Silvia’s words, only magnifying his embarrassment.

“I-Uh,” Finn uttered, struggling to come up with any response.

“Go on, Go! We’ll catch up later,” Quan says, nudging Finn to join the crowd.

Having no other choice, Finn enters the crowd to look for Silvia. He took this time to observe all his comrades. Lex seemed to be trying to get Ayra to watch Azelle perform some trick with his fire magic, while also trying to convince Azelle to do a trick. Lachesis was drinking along with Jamke and Edain, surely all this madness between Eldigen and Sigurd was taking its toll on her. Soon enough Finn spotted Lewyn sitting by himself.

“Have you seen Silvia anywhere, Lewyn?” He asks.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, she’s been looking all over for you,” Lewyn replies.

“She has!?” Finn muttered, beginning to feel upset for not spending the rest of the day with her.

“Yeah. She says she has a very special dance prepared for everyone to celebrate, but she’ll be damned if you aren’t front and center to watch.”

“Oh no, I gotta find her quickly,” Finn says as he begins to walk away, before slowly turning back. “Wait, why are you by yourself? I expected you to be with Erinys.”

“Oh, she doesn’t need me right now,” Lewyn says.

“Really? I assumed she really liked you.”

“She does. She and I have been together since we were children, but life had other plans, as they do,” Lewyn says, shrugging his shoulders.

“You seem really nonchalant about this,” Finn questions.

“Well have a look,” Lewyn says, pointing towards a different part of the crowd. The pair see Erinys talking with Azelle of Velthomer. Azelle uses different pieces of paper to make different pictures with his fire magic. Initially startling Erinys with the flames, then causing her to give him a bright smile. “She’ll be just fine without me. Me, I’m just waiting for the right one.”

“Well I sure hope tha-” Finn cuts himself when suddenly a pair of unexpected hands block his vision. “Aah!” Finn instinctively spins around only to find Silvia standing before him, her hands moving behind her back and gazing directly into his eyes with her own.

“Finally found you,” Silvia playfully says, gently grabbing his wrists. “C’mon, I want you to see this!”

“S-Sorry for making you wait, Silvia. I should have met back up with you sooner,” Finn apologizes, lowering his head.

“Well if you’re really sorry, you can make it up to me by watching me dance!” Silvia exclaims, placing her hand on his cheek and lifting his face as she stares lovingly at him with her bright jade eyes.

“Ahem!” Lewyn utters, lightly pushing Finn, forcing the pair to be chest to chest.

“L-Let’s go,” Finn says as the two head towards the center of the ballroom.

Finn takes a seat as Silvia stands in the middle, completely surrounded as the party comes to a halt. While the bards play in the background, Silvia begins. As she moved with such grace and passion, Finn had unintentionally placed both his hands on his face as he watched, with the largest smile he had ever mustered before. The way her body moved, along with how her hair and the tassels on her wrist flew through the air, made him feel like all his troubles were being slowly lifted away from him. This was a state of tranquility he could have only dreamed of, and he began to feel like both he and Silvia were the only two people in the whole world. Once she finished, the entire room began to clap for the amazing experience they just witnessed, snapping Finn back to reality. Silvia bowed to the crowd, locking eyes with Finn once again as she winked and blew him a kiss.

Nightfall would soon come and the party began to simmer down. Sigurd, Deridre, and Seliph headed back to their quarters and everyone else would begin to follow suit. Finn began heading back to his quarters when he spotted Quan standing outside his room, appearing rather despondent.

“Milord?” Finn asks.

“Aah! Oh, Finn. You startled me,” Quan muttered. “I thought everyone on this floor was already in their rooms.”

“My apologies. You just seemed pretty low, and frankly you seemed to have been all day. Are you still thinking about Sigurd’s strife?”

“Not exactly,” Quan says.

“What else is there?”

“I mean, I’m really happy for Sigurd and Deirdre, overjoyed in fact. Just seeing them with Seliph, it’s making me a little homesick. We’ve been gone for a very long time.”

Finn’s eyes widened, he hadn’t even considered how severely Quan must be missing Lady Altena. “I’m so sorry, Milord! I hadn’t thought about how this all must be making you feel!”

“At ease. I’m not upset,” Quan says. “She was barely learning to walk when we left for Chalphy, none of us thought we’d be here this long. When you have children of your own one day you’ll understand, Finn. Leaving them alone is one of the hardest things to do. So the sooner we get all this messy business taken care of the better.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll do everything in my power to help us see this through so that we can return to Leonster!” Finn says, bowing to his liege.

“Heh, I know, Finn. That’s one of the few certainties I have,” Quan says, finally forming a faint smile. “Thanks for coming by, this actually made me feel a little better.”

“Anytime, sire.”

“Now go get some rest, tomorrow maybe we’ll get some training in.”

“Looking forward to it, goodnight.” Finn says as Quan enters his quarters.

Once Finn returns to his room, he begins removing his garments to prepare to turn in for the night, when he then hears a knock on his door. He opens the door to see Silvia on the other side of it, dressed in her sleep wear with her hair still tied up, which was surprisingly less revealing than her dance gear. “Good evening, Finn. May I come in?”

“Um, sure,” Finn says as Silvia enters, closing the door behind her. “Did you need something?”

“Well, I was really hoping you enjoyed my dance earlier, and I wanted to ask you directly,” A very bright-eyed Silvia said.

“It was incredible, I loved every second,” Finn smiles.

“That’s what I was hoping for.” Silvia takes a seat on Finn’s bed. “Finn, do you know why I dance?”

“I can’t say I do. You haven’t mentioned it before,” Finn replies, sitting beside her.

“I’m an orphan, and the man who adopted me raised me to be one, so it’s almost all I know.”

“Well you certainly seem like you’ve been doing it for a long time. You’re very talented.”

“Aww. Thanks, Finn,” She says, resting her head on his shoulder.

Finn was slowly beginning to grow used to her behavior. Rather than shying away, he debated in his mind whether to act or not, but managed to get himself to place his hand on her head, “You’re welcome, Silvi.”

“Ah! You called me Silvi!” Silvia exclaims before wrapping her arms around him, throwing herself on top of him.

“W-Was not expecting that,” Finn utters, his confident disposition beginning to fade.

Silvia sat up, now sitting on Finn’s lap, placing her hands on his chest and staring down at him with her emerald eyes. “I like the view from up here. What do you think, Sir Knight?”

Blushing beyond control, Finn was trapped in her gaze, “C-C’mon, Silvia. What are you doing? Get off.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Silvi…”

“If you want me off of you, go ahead,” She whispered.

Both of them knew that wasn’t going to happen. Finn’s trembling hands slowly grew more relaxed as he got lost in Silvia’s bright green eyes, the ends of her hair touching his face as she untied it. He didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.

“Do you want me to go?” Silvia asks.

“Please don’t…”

“Hehe,” Silvia giggled as she slowly began to blush as well. She leaned in and began kissing his lips, this time far longer than before. Finn now had no signs of resistance. Silvia slowly parted before whispering in his ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you.”

Chapter 6: The Beginning of the End

Summary:

The war wages on against Agustria, and unfortunately, things continue to spiral out of control for Finn and the rest of Sigurd's army.

Finn quickly charged into the ensemble of sellswords that stood before him, forcing his brave lance into every enemy he could reach. 

Lex and Midir followed closely beside him, dispatching the remaining mercenaries before they could coordinate a proper counter-attack. Lex turned to his fellow knights with an approving smile, “Well looks like that’s the last of this batch. Should we head for-”

“Ack!” The Trio turns to the sound of Ayra in a standstill against a stray mercenary, struggling to hold her sword against the enemy’s weapon.

“Ayra!” Lex shouts as he and the others quickly rush to her aid.

Before they could reach her, a sharp gust of wind magic swiftly knocked the enemy off his feet. “AAAAGH!” Ayra screamed as she plunged her blade into the mercenary.

“I’m disappointed, Ayra. You’ve never had a hard time dealing with simple lowlifes like these. Did those six months off the field make you rusty?” Lewyn teased as he joined the group.

“You shut your filthy mou-” Ayra mutters before quickly dropping to a knee, dropping her sword and clutching her stomach.

“Ayra! What’s wrong!?” Lex shouts, jumping off his horse and kneeling beside her with Finn and Midir joining him. “Are you sick!? How are you feeling!?”

“I’m fine! I can fight, I can-. Look! Behind you!” Ayra mutters as she points past the group. Finn, Midir, and Lewyn turn to see another group of enemies coming their way. Midir and Lewyn begin firing arrows and wind spells in their direction while Finn returns to his horse lance in hand, but Lex refused to move. “Lex! Come on! We need to fight!”

“Are you kidding!? We need to get you out of here now!” Lex exclaims.

“They’re getting closer!” Midir shouts.

Just as quickly, a rain of fire began to descend upon the oncoming mercenaries from the skies above. “Huh?” Finn uttered as confusion overtook him and his comrades. “Up there!” He shouts, pointing at the source of the flames. 

Erinys was flying atop her Pegasus with Azelle seated behind her, clinging onto her as he cast his magic from high above the unsuspecting soldiers. The fire spells in combination with Lewyn’s wind magic and Midir’s arrows made short work of their enemies, dropping each of them before they could reach Finn and the others.

“Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!” Lex shouts, saluting his best friend as he flies off with Erinys towards Madino castle to join up with Sigurd and the others.

“Hm, wish I would have thought of that,” Lewyn mutters.

“Hmph. I coulda took em- Gak!” Ayra coughs. She looked as if she was going to vomit, one hand blocking her mouth while the other continued to hold her stomach.

Finn didn’t want to admit it, but he had noticed that Ayra seemed to be moving a bit more gingerly ever since they got back on the battlefield. He hadn’t spent much time with her during their 6 months in Agusty, or very much at all during their time in Sigurd’s army, but even he could see that she was slightly slower than usual. She also seemed to have gained some weight, particularly in her torso.

“Ayra, just relax. We need to get you to a healer,” Lex says.

“Let’s take her to Madino, it’s under Sigurd’s control now. There ought to be someone there who can help,” Lewyn states.

“The others captured Madino castle?” Midir asks.

“Yup, that’s why I came back here. I was ordered to round the rest of you guys up so we can head to Madino to plan our next move.”

“Right, let’s get going,” Lex says, slowly bringing a reluctant Ayra to her feet.

“Wait!” A male voice shouts. Each soldier turns toward the sound of the voice to see two figures approaching them. One appears to be a long blonde-haired man dressed in some sort of Hi-Priest robes, alongside him was a young violet haired girl dressed in white. “Let me help you.”

“Claud!? Tailtiu!? What are you two doing here?” Lex utters in shock.

“You know these two?” Finn asks.

“Claud is the duke of house Edda, and Tailtiu is the daughter of the head of Friege. They’re nobles from Grannvale,” Midir explains.

“This might not fix whatever ails you, but it should hold you over till you get to Madino,” Claud states before waving around his staff, casting healing magic on Ayra.

“Ayra, can you walk?” Lex asks.

“Hmph, I’ll manage.” Ayra mutters.

“Yep, you’re fine,” Lex says with a chuckle. “Thank you, Father Claud. I owe you big time.” Lex shakes Claud’s hand.

“Don’t worry about a thing, Lord Lex. It’s my duty,” Claud answers.

“Clauuuuuuuud, let’s get going!” Tailtiu mutters out of pure annoyance.

“Right, excuse us. We must speak to Sigurd, it’s a matter of grave importance!” Claud states.

“Well we’re all heading that way right now. We’ll make sure you get there safe and sound,” Lewyn says as he immediately rushes to Tailtiu’s side. “Madino is just north of here. Not too far, but you’ll still need an escort,” He adds with a charming wink.

“Ehe, riiiiight.” Tailtiu didn’t seem quite appreciative of Lewyn’s behavior.

“Many thanks. Now then, let’s not waste anymore ti-” Claud suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Umm, Father Claud?” Lex muttered as he and Ayra climbed onto his horse.

Finn and Midir both step in front of Claud, only to spot him making the most horrified facial expression they had ever seen. Mouth agape, eyes widened, a single beat of sweat rolling down his face, completely motionless besides his very faint breathing. “Claud?” Midir asks.

Tailtiu approaches Claud and begins shaking him, “Claud! Claud, snap out of it!”

“Bragi, protect us,” Claud whispers to himself. “B-Back there,” Claud states, pointing towards the south west, near Agusty castle. “I just felt…a most terrible presence. Something…horrific!”

“Wait, what happened?” Lewyn asks.

“Is there something we can do?” Finn asks.

“A sickening dark force, some demonic, vile magic. Something ghastly just appeared back there,” Claud muttered.

“Well whatever it is, let's get rid of it! Finn, let’s go!” Midir exclaims.

“Right!” Finn agrees as the two of them rush towards their horses.

“No!” Claud shouts, stopping both of the knights in their tracks. “You mustn’t approach! Whatever it is, it is far too dangerous for any of us to deal with it!”

“You guys should listen to him. Claud isn’t usually wrong about these things,” Tailtiu adds.

“Please…just bring me to Sigurd,” Claud pleads.

“He’s waiting for us anyway. We need to get moving before Chagall tries something else.” Lewyn says.

Everyone quickly makes their way north to Madino castle to regroup with Sigurd, but as they move Finn glances back in the direction Claud was pointing to. What was so horrifying that it forced him into that state of shock? His curiosity swirled around in his mind the whole ride to Madino.

---

“This isn’t right, none of this right,” Finn thought to himself as he headed toward Bragi Tower.

It wasn’t too long ago everyone was relaxing in Agusty, eagerly awaiting the order to return home. Each of them were brought together by uniting under Sigurd, but nobody expected things to turn out this way. Lord Eldigen, the man Finn had heard many stories about from Quan, and one of Quan and Sigurd’s dearest friends, had lost his life. Deirdre, the woman who enchanted everyone she met, Sigurd’s wife and Seliph’s mother, had unexpectedly gone missing. Agustria has lost all of their nobles and its entire Royal Family has been wiped out. The Orgahill Pirates, who have been going after some of the villages during Chagall’s attacks, decided to attack Agustria directly, and now Sigurd’s army have to get rid of them directly after fighting through half of Agustria. Things were quickly beginning to become exhausting.

“Finn! You there?” Midir mutters.

“H-Huh!?” Finn blurted out.

“You looked a little lost there, buddy,” Midir states as he rode beside him. Both he and Finn, along with Erinys and Beowolf, were ordered to rescue Claud and Tailtiu from Bragi Tower, as it was undoubtedly surrounded by pirates, while Sigurd led the rest of his army on Orgahill directly.

“I’m sorry, I can still go,” Finn replied, shaking his head and wiping the sweat off his brow.

“Well if you’re really feeling out of it maybe Claud can help patch you up. I don’t really know the extent of his healing, but if he’s anything like Edain he’ll perk you right up,” Midir suggests.

“I don’t think Edain has the same effect on the rest of us as she does you,” Finn teased.

Midir grew silent. “Yeah, don’t remind me,” He muttered under his breath. “Anyway, I’m sure they’ll be alright until we get there. Tailtiu is no slouch with thunder magic. These thugs won’t know what hit them. Besides, I wouldn’t want to get into a shouting match with Lewyn if something happened to her.”

“Why would Lewyn be the one to get upset?”

“You kiddin’ me? He couldn’t take his eyes off her once she showed up. I mean I knew he was a flirt but that was ridiculous. I’d never be that obvious.”

Before Finn could respond, they each spotted a band of pirates heading towards a nearby village on their path. They appeared to be chasing someone.

“Could they have made it all the way out here from the tower?” Finn asked.

“It’s possible, let’s go!” Midir exclaims.

With each pirate heading in a singular direction, it was easy for the four of them to strike the band when they didn’t expect it. Midir began firing arrows in the backs of the assailants, while Erinys flew low enough to swing her lance at the poor fools’ heads. Now that the pirates were alerted, Beowolf charged on their left while Finn headed towards their right. The pirates were quickly surrounded as the person they were chasing began firing arrows of their own from the front. Each pirate was now being attacked at every angle, for every swing from a lance or a sword they managed to dodge they were met with a sharp arrow’s cold embrace, and in no time at all they each fell to the rough ground below.

“That’s that. Erinys, how much further?” Beowolf asked.

“It’s close. It’s just across these waters!” Erinys shouted from atop her Pegasus.

“Perfect! let’s…move…” Midir muttered, suddenly stopping all movement.

“Midir?” Finn waved his hand in front of the bow knight’s face, but he never changed his expression. Midir looked as if his eyes were about to fly out of his face. Finn turned his head to see that Midir was staring at the woman the pirates were chasing.

“Pfft, the nerve. Scum!” The woman said, kicking the pleading hand of one of the fallen pirates. She appeared to be dressed as one of the pirates, yet wielding a bow and having long beautiful blonde hair, and bore a disturbingly strong resemblance to Edain.

“Excuse me, Miss. Are you going to be alright? Cause if so we gotta get going,” Beowolf asks.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, but thanks for the save. Er, what’s wrong with your friend?” She asks, noticing Midir still staring at her as his expression remains unchanged.

“E-Edain?” Midir uttered as he approached her, getting off his horse.

“Eh!? You got a problem or something?” She was quickly growing agitated, but that didn’t stop Midir from walking closer.

“But you can’t be…but how? Are you?”

“I said, ‘do you have a problem!?’ I’m not gonna ask you again!” She shouted. 

Finn braced himself for Midir’s inevitable slap to the face.

“What’s your name?” Midir asks.

“Brigid,” Brigid answers as sternly as physically possible.

“Brigid…you’re beautiful!” Midir looked as if he had seen an angel.

“W-Wait what? You think you’re funny or somethin’?” Brigid sounded more shocked and confused than upset.

“I could have never imagined, there was someone even more radiant than...you’re like a dream come true…” Midir chose to talk first and think second.

“I-I’m outta here,” Brigid said, growing flustered before heading back to Orgahill.

“What happened to not being obvious?” Finn asks.

“She’s the one, Finn. I’m certain of it.” Midir whispers.

Once Finn and the others made it to Bragi Tower, taking care of any pirates they came across, they ran into Claud and Tailtiu. Both were safe, but worse for wear, and once Claud tended to everyone’s wounds they all headed back to Orgahill, along with Brigid whom they came across on the way back.

“Finn!” Silvia shouts once Finn and the others arrive at the Orgahill castle. Silvia, along with other members of the army, seemed to be waiting for them. Each one of them looked to be in low spirits. “Welcome back, sweetie!” She says as she darts towards him, giving him a big hug. “I’m so glad you made it back safe! Some bad stuff is happening out there.”

“Bad stuff? What do you mean?” Finn asks.

“Grannvale betrayed us…” Quan muttered, drowning all the color out of Finn’s face and forcing a collective gasp out of him and the others.

“W-What!?” Finn shouts.

“Th-That’s impossible!” Midir mutters.

“What do you mean they betrayed us!? Just who have we been fighting for this whole time?” Beowolf asks.

“It’s exactly as Prince Quan says,” Oifey states. “Thankfully you all were the last ones still out there, but I’m afraid we won’t be safe here much longer.”

“Oifey, what is going on?” Midir asks.

“My worthless old man…” Lex mutters under his breath.

“Lord Lombard and Duke Reptor are leading a charge towards us,” Oifey explains.

Tailtiu’s eyes widen once she hears Reptor’s name, she begins twiddling her thumbs and places her back against the wall. The others notice her sudden change in demeanor, she began staring at the floor and looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but there.

“So we just gotta put the boot to those chumps? Big deal,” Beowolf says.

“They’re leading the entire Grannvale army towards us as we speak,” Oifey continues. 

Beowolf’s confidence dissipates just as quickly as it arrived.

“What are we going to do?” Finn asks.

“We’ve only got one option,” Quan says, glaring down at his lance.

Finn placed his hand over his mouth in disbelief once he realized what Quan was holding. “S-Sire, is that…”

“Yeah, and if we have to fight, we’ll fight,” Quan states as he clutches the G á e Bolg as tight as he could.

“Um, guys?” Erinys says, getting the attention of the rest of the room. She had been standing by the castle window for the past few minutes, “I think I may have found one more option.”

Lewyn approaches the window as Erinys points outside of it. The view outside of the window showed the ocean east of Agustria. Lewyn’s eyes widen once he notices what’s out there. “No way, is that…” He mutters once he recognizes Annand, Erinys’s older sister, along with several other Pegasus knights coming towards them.

Chapter 7: The Light Giveth

Summary:

While adjusting to their new lives in Silesse, Silvia has a major announcement for Finn.

Finn slowly opens his eyes, blinking as he lets out a morning yawn, spending his first few moments awake staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, beginning to shiver as the cold Silessian air fills the room. It would take some time before he’d get used to these rooms, the architecture was a mixture of gray textiles as opposed to the brick and wood he had gotten used to from Leonster or even Agustria. He couldn’t help but feel a little homesick. 

“Is the window open?” He mutters to himself, struggling to sit up as he turns to his right and sees Silvia still fast asleep, clinging to his arm and weighing him down. Finn lies back down beside her and smiles. “Maybe a little longer,” he whispers, trying to desperately get some more of the blankets Silvia snatched away in the middle of their slumber.

In no time at all, Finn and the rest of Sigurd’s army found themselves on the run, wrongfully being declared traitors by Grannvale and hiding out in Silesse. If it hadn’t been for Queen Rahna sending her Pegasus Knights to aid their escape from Agustria, each soldier would have been slain by the Grannvale army. Rahna offered Sailane castle to Sigurd and the others while she attempts to clear his name. Sailane is much smaller than the castles many of the soldiers had grown accustomed to, so much so that most of the army had to share rooms, however this didn’t seem to bother most of them. Silvia especially.

“This way we can spend every night together,” She had said with a devious smile when they got to their room. The thought still brings a smile to Finn’s face.

“Hm, oh you’re awake?” Silvia mutters once she wakes up, noticing Finn still had his eyes open.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about some things. I didn’t wake you, did I?” Finn asks.

“You might have, but it’s okay,” She replies, sitting up and stretching her arms. Her red nightgown slightly falling, exposing her left shoulder while her long untied emerald hair falls off the side of the bed and almost reaches the floor. “But either way, goooood morning sweetie!” She wraps her arms around him and plants a long kiss on his cheek.

Finn chuckles lightly and gives her a kiss of his own. “Good morning,” Finn replies before getting out of bed and gathering his garments.

“So what do you have planned for today?” She asks, sitting with her knees to her chest, now wide awake.

“Hm?” Finn took a moment to think. “Nothing in particular, did you want to go into town again?” He answers as he removes his shorts and puts on his traditional Leonster attire.

“Actually,” She seemed to be hesitating a bit. “Can you help me with something?”

Finn was taken aback by her sudden bashfulness. “Of course I can,” Finn answers, sitting beside her, placing a comforting hand on hers. “You know you can ask me for anything. What is it?”

“I’d…I’d like to work on my swordplay. I’m not strong enough to learn axes or lances, so I’d like to improve on the one weapon I kind of know.”

Finn raised an eyebrow, finding her request peculiar, as well as being confused at her reluctance to get the question out. “That’s all? Of course I can help you with that. Lances are my expertise, but I can still do what I can to help you with your sword skills.”

“Yay!” She shouts, “I can’t wait.”

After they both got fully clothed and shared a meal in the castle’s mess hall, the pair headed towards the training grounds. They each grab a practice sword and begin to traverse the frozen tundra of Silesse’s cold outside.

“I-I’ve actually been pretty hesitant to train out here. Leonster is much more green and lush,” Finn states as he attempts to walk through the snow. “I wasn’t exactly prepared for this kind of environment.” Finn takes a few practice swings, moving much slower than he hoped he would. Both he and Silvia were wearing training gear designed for this weather, but even with the warmer gear they found themselves struggling to get used to the cold.

“Sheesh, I can even see my breath!” Silvia mutters, quickly getting annoyed. “I have no idea how Lewyn and Erinys grew up here.”

“You know, if you want we can save this for another time, or maybe find somewhere else to train?”

“No! I can handle it, once we start moving we’ll warm up. I’ve danced in the cold before so I can handle this,” Silvia insists. “And don’t you dare take it easy on me!”

Finn grew nervous. Silvia had never taken weapons training so seriously. She understood the basics of the sword and could competently defend herself if she needed to, but unless it was dancing related it was rare to ever see her doing any kind of training. Nonetheless, Finn couldn’t disappoint his beloved. “I never learned how to, Silvi.”

Silvia’s years of dancing made her a difficult target to hit, even in the frozen weather she was able to gracefully avoid many of Finn’s strikes. Due to growing accustomed to fighting with lances, Finn unintentionally kept over extending his sword swings, leaving his midsection consistently open for Silvia to attack. Silvia managed to connect a few strikes to Finn’s ribs, however her swings lacked force. If she was wielding a normal blade she would have trouble dealing effective damage to her attacker. Her lack of force made it easy for Finn to shrug off her strikes, finding an opening to properly connect an attack, knocking her off her feet.

“Eep!” Silvia uttered as she fell into the snow.

“Silvia! Are you okay!?” Finn shouts.

“I-I’m fine, I can still go!” She insists, shaking off the fall and jumping to her feet. “It’d take more than that to stop me! You should know that.”

Finn smiles, “I know.”

“Well then, bring that pretty face over here so I can smash it!”

The couple continued their training, granting them some much needed exercise, and warming up to the point the cold was near unnoticeable. After an exhausting morning of clashing swords, the pair return the practice weapons and retire to the mess hall.

“Just for the record, if I was using my lance this would have gone a lot differently. On or off a horse,” Finn explains, forcing a laugh to escape Silvia’s lips.

“Whatever you say, Finn. I still would have landed all those hits on you,” Silvia mutters beneath her chuckles.

“I’ll admit I’m a little embarrassed, it’s been far too long since I’ve handled a sword. My natural instincts were all thrown off. I’m glad Quan hadn’t seen any of that, I’m sure I would have received a stern talking to,” Finn adds with a laugh of his own.

“So, now that we’re done with that, is there anything you can critique me on? Mr. Trained Knight?” Silvia asks with pleading eyes.

Finn places a hand on his chin as he thinks back to their training session, “Well I definitely have never faced off against someone like you, trying to hit a dancer is like trying to catch a fly. Although, if you want to improve your battle prowess, I’d recommend increasing your strength. You were able to hit me, yes, but most of your strikes lacked real impact. If you want to do significant damage to your enemy, that’s where you need the most improvement.”

“I see,” Silvia answers, hanging onto each one of Finn’s words.

“Actually,” Finn became more and more perplexed at Silvia’s attitude. He was expecting at least one joke after he finished his explanation, but she remained as stern as ever. “Why is it that you’re suddenly taking sword training so seriously? It never seemed all that important to you before.”

“Hm?” Silvia utters as she takes a sip of her drink, looking as if she wasn’t expecting that question. “Well…” She looked as if she wasn’t sure how to answer. “After everything that happened recently, we’re really all we’ve got. So, I gotta do my part. Make sure I can protect someone, I need to be able to protect you right if I have to.”

“Silvi…” Finn says under his breath. Their forced retreat to Silesse took a toll on every member of the army, and worries for the future weighed heavy on everyone’s mind. Finn slid closer to Silvia and placed his arm around her, bringing them shoulder to shoulder. “I know times are tough right now, b-but I’m sure things will turn out okay. Nothing is going to happen to either of us. I’m sure Sigurd has a plan, we just have to bide our time for now.” Finn was having trouble believing that himself. He’s heard from both Quan and Sigurd about their current status, and things seem uncertain. Morale in general is as low as it’s ever been for the army. Regardless, all Finn was concerned about was comforting his beloved.

“Um, it isn’t just you and me I’m talking about, Finn,” Silvia adds.

“I know, everyone here means something to me. They’re our friends, we all must do our best to support one another.”

“N-No, Finn. That isn’t what I meant. Sheesh, always with your duties with you.”

“Then, what do you mean?”

“W-Well, you see,” She says, failing to get out what she wants to say. “Actually, let’s go somewhere more private to talk this out.”

The pair exit the mess hall and return to their quarters. “What’s on your mind, Silvia?” Finn asks as he shuts the door behind them.

“I’ve been…noticing some things about myself lately. Honestly, I think I noticed it back at Agusty, I just haven’t really accepted it till now.”

Finn was growing concerned by her tone, “What are you referring to?”

“H-Have you noticed? I’ve gained a little weight, and I’ve had…some strange feelings inside.”

Finn’s eyes widened, he stood there stunned. He finally knew what she was talking about.

“I’d need to talk with a medic, but… Finn, I think I’m pregnant.”

He thought he had prepared himself to hear it, but hearing the words flushed everything in his mind away. He had a million different thoughts flowing out of his head and he couldn’t articulate a single one. His arms went limp, and before he could speak he fell to his knees.

“Finn!” Silvia shouts, lunging down to check on him.

“D-Do you, really think so?” Was all Finn managed to say.

“I think so.”

“Hearing it out loud, it’s really scary, Silvia,” Tears began to well up under his eyes.

“How do you think I feel?!” Silvia shouts, beginning to cry herself. “I’m not strong like Deirdre or Ayra! I’m not prepared for this! I wasn’t prepared for any of this!”

Silvia’s shouts of sorrow and rage managed to snap Finn back to reality. His mind grew clear and he was able to focus again, and he was completely fixated on Silvia’s crying face.

“I’m not ready, Finn!” Silvia screams, plummeting to her knees as well and burying her face in his chest. “I’m not ready, what are we going to do!?”

Finn took a deep breath, he took a moment to look into his mind. He thought back to the day Ethlyn gave birth to Lady Altena, he didn’t see fear in Quan’s eyes, he saw joy. He recalled the celebration for young Lord Seliph’s birth, the stress that lay on Sigurd’s head, yet even so, he was thrilled. He knew within they were distraught, but outside remained as vigilant as ever. It felt like an eternity since Altena and Seliph were born, but the images of those fathers were implanted in his memory. Come to think of it, he didn’t think they were ready either.

“Silvia,” He embraced her, gently lying down on the tiled floor with her still in his arms. “Stop crying,” Finn says in his gentlest voice.

“Huh?” Silvia mutters, staring at his face as he wipes away her tears.

“I don’t think we’re ready, and I’m very scared, but…” Finn wiped away his own tears despite more and more continuing to fall. “I know that I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Finn…” Silvia says, a smile forming beneath her cries. She decided it was her turn to wipe his tears. “I will too.”

“I don’t know what the future has in store for us, but I’ll do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to us, to any of us,” Finn says, kissing her hand.

“I-I guess it was pretty stupid of me to train if it’s true,” Silvia says with a light chuckle. “I just…I just want to be able to protect both of you, whatever it takes,” leaning down to kiss his forehead. “I’m, I’m so glad I got to meet you,” she says before moving to lay on her back, the couple now both staring at the ceiling. Her tears now came from a place of joy, feeling as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

“I am too, I wouldn’t trade this for anything.” Finn lay still, closing his eyes as he smiles. He gripped Silvia’s hand as tight as he could. He never envisioned he would meet someone like this when he left Leonster, nor did he ever guess where that journey would lead him and the others. He hadn’t given much thought about his future before; he simply assumed he’d be serving under Quan for the rest of his days. Things have changed now, and even if the future still seems uncertain, he decided he’d create something to look forward to. “Okay come on, let’s get up off the ground,” returning to his feet, then helping Silvia get to hers.

Silvia stared at her beloved knight, her bright emerald eyes gleaming into his. She looked almost as if she was glowing. “Finn, I, I wasn’t always like this,” Her disposition growing gravely serious. “The man who adopted me and forced me to learn how to dance was awful, he treated me like dirt, and when I was on my own the townsfolk weren’t always that kind either.”

“Silvi.”

“Things were hard for a long time, that’s why I wanted to come along so badly when you and Midir found me and Lewyn. I couldn’t be alone again, I couldn’t bear it.” She buried her face in his chest once again. “But it’s different now, I have friends, real friends. Most importantly, I have you.”

“Silvia,” Finn says, embracing her again, gently caressing the back of her head with his hand. “What do you suppose you’re going to do once this war is over?”

“Huh? Well, I never really thought about that.”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take, but when we’re both all done here, what's say you come back to Leonster with me?”

“You mean it?”

“Every word, I’d like to show you my beautiful homeland, and maybe, it can be our beautiful homeland.”

“I’d like that,” She answers, clinging onto him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Chapter 8: Duties

Summary:

Finn and Silvia welcome their child into the world, unfortunately, the festivities are short lived.

Sooner than anyone could have predicted, Sailane castle was becoming quite the nursery. Not too long after Seliph was born, Edain gave birth to a son. Once the army reached Silesse, Ayra gave birth to twins, Lachesis gave birth to a son, Erinys and Brigid became pregnant, and Edain became pregnant again. Even Ethlyn gave birth to her and Quan’s second child, they named their son Leif. Edain, along with the help of Oifey and Shannan, have been assisting with looking after all the children when the parents are unable. It seemed as if the whole army was turning into a real family.

Finn couldn’t comprehend exactly how long they had been in Silesse at this point. It seemed like just yesterday Silvia shocked him with the news, and the day had arrived far too quickly.

“J-Just try to relax?” Lewyn mutters. Lewyn fails to calm down Finn while he’s continually pacing back and forth in front of him, Midir, and Lex outside of Finn’s room where Silvia, the castle medics, and a priest resided.

“Is that all you got?” Lex asks.

“Hey man, I’ve never been in this position before,” Lewyn responds.

“It could be any minute now, should I be in there? Would that make things easier?” Finn mutters to himself.

“Finn, come on,” Midir interjects. “Just take deep breaths, if you’re nervous just imagine how Silvia is feeling.”

“That isn’t helping,” Finn answers.

“You guys are going about this all wrong. This isn’t a feeling you two can understand just yet,” Lex explains.

Lewyn smirks, “Funny you mention that, Tailtiu and I actually-”

“Finn, look,” Lex places his hand on Finn’s shoulder, finally putting a stop to Finn’s pacing. “Take it from someone who was in your exact position a while back. You’re freaking out right now, yes, and that’s fine, but now’s the time to really be a man.”

“W-Well what should I do?” Finn mumbles.

“How about you stop wandering around here and get in there, and remind her that you two are in it together!”

“W-Wow, Lex. That was, oddly profound of you,” Midir states.

“Well, when you’ve been through what we’ve all been through, kinda forces you to grow up a little bit. Which reminds me, I’d love to wait for the baby, but it’s my turn to take care of Larcei and Ulster. Ayra has been trying to get back into peak fighting shape ever since she had the twins, and if I take even a minute off her training time she’ll beat me to death,” Lex explains.

“I thought you said you liked it when she beat you?” Lewyn asks.

“Not the way she’s doing it now,” Lex replies with a loud laugh. “You guys’ll get there. Remember what I said, Finn. Good luck,” He states before walking off.

“Finn!” A voice shouts from the opposite side of the hallway. 

The trio turns their heads to see Quan heading in their direction.

“Milord,” Finn addresses his liege.

“You look frightened,” Quan states with a friendly smile.

“It’s only because I am, sir. How’s young Lord Leif?”

“Wonderful, Ethlyn was rocking him to sleep right before I came here. How are you holding up?”

“I can’t lie to you, I’m a wreck.”

“Right,” Quan mutters. He takes a moment to examine Finn, Quan appeared as if he was lost in thought.

“Sire?”

“F-Finn um, there’s something I’ve been thinking about,” Not usually one to mince words, Quan was acting unusually reserved.

“What about?” Finn asks, growing concerned.

“You see,” Quan mumbled before pausing then shaking his head. “Actually forget it, the only thing you should be thinking about is Silvia and your child.”

“R-Right,” Finn couldn’t help but ponder exactly what Quan was referring to, but his mind was far too preoccupied to press the issue further.

“Well unless some more distractions want to come out,” Lewyn interjects. “I suggest you heed Lex’s advice,” He says before making a shooing motion with his right hand.

“The three of us will be out here if you need us,” Midir adds.

“Go on, we can’t wait to meet them,” Quan smiles.

“Right!” Finn says before heading into his room.

“Out!” One medic shouts. “No one else should be allowed in here!”

“Wait! WAIT! Please, let him in. It’ll make me feel better!” Silvia pleads. She was laying on their bed, being held up by various pieces of equipment, her long green locks lay tangled on the bed while she was sweating buckets down her face.

“Silvia! Are you okay!?” Finn asks, rushing to her side.

“Do I look okay, Finn!?”

“It’s okay, we’re okay,” Finn mutters under his breath.

“It hurts, Finn. It really hurts,” Silvia whispers, reaching for his hand.

Finn immediately grasps her hand and squeezes it, “It’ll be okay! Things are gonna be okay, Silvia!” Whether trying to prove it to Silvia or himself, he couldn’t stop himself from repeating that phrase.

They went on back and forth for what felt like an eternity until Silvia began belting out in agony. 

“Just try to endure, Miss! The child is almost out!” One medic shouted.

Silvia was breathing rapidly and could nearly cut off blood flow with how hard she was clenching Finn’s hand. The sounds of Silvia’s whines, Finn’s pleas, the priest’s prayers, and the medics trying to calm the couple down filled the room, until suddenly everything came to a silent halt, and a baby’s cries interrupted the noise.

Finn and Silvia gazed into each other’s eyes as she caught her breath. “Congratulations. Sir Finn, Lady Silvia. You two now have a beautiful baby girl,” The medic said as the other medics began cleaning the baby.

After wrapping her in some warm cloth, the medics handed the baby to Silvia. She stared up at her parents, both Finn and Silvia were doing their best to fight back tears. 

“S-She’s, she’s beautiful,” Finn mumbles.

“By the Gods, Finn. Finn, we have a baby!” Silvia exclaims, gently holding their daughter to her chest. “Thank you, thank all of you so much!”

“It’s our honor, Milady,” The medics said.

Finn sat on the bed beside her, lightly wrapping his arms around Silvia and the baby. “I love you, Silvia. I love you both so much,” He said, allowing the tears to freefall.

“We love you too, so so much!” Silvia replies, joining in his cries.

---

It has been almost a month since the birth of Finn and Silvia’s daughter. Little has changed in Sailane, and there has yet to be an update on Queen Rahna’s attempts to prove Sigurd’s innocence. On this day however, Finn found himself in the training grounds with Quan while Silvia took care of the baby.

The two sparred as they had hundreds of times prior, but were unable to reach their usual levels of intensity due to the cold weather. “Gah! Shameful. I’m not sure how long we’ve been here, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to fighting in the freezing cold,” Finn explains before lowering his lance.

“Really makes you miss home, doesn’t it?” Quan mutters in a rather sullen tone.

“You said it. Second thing I’m doing when we return to Leonster is some serious training.”

“Second thing?”

Finn began to blush, but he still held a strong smile. “Yeah. Once we return home, I’m going to take Silvia as my bride.” He announced, filled with pride.

Quan smiled as he glanced back at his retainer. “You know, you’ve grown a lot since we left for Chalphy, Finn. Sometimes I have trouble recognizing you. You’ve made both me and Ethlyn very proud.”

“I’m honored to hear you say so, sire.” Finn replies, placing his hand over his chest and kneeling. “I will continue to grow and try to meet your expectations, for the better of Leonster.”

“Y-You just had to bring that up,” Quan utters under his breath.

“Hm? What was that?” He asks as he returns to his feet.

“Heh? It was nothing. C’mon, let’s put these lances back,” Quan replies as he begins walking back towards the castle.

“Milord, if you don’t mind me asking, you’ve been acting strange around me lately. It’s been kind of easy to notice, even some of our comrades have commented on it. If something is bothering you or if I’ve upset you in any way I’d like to know,” Finn explains. Finn has held Quan in the highest regard for as long as he could remember, the idea of there being any sort of friction between them was frightening to him.

“Finn…” Quan could barely form the words, but he felt Finn deserved to know what he wanted from him. “You know how I feel about you. You’re like a younger brother to me. I care about you and your well being. I like to think I’ve been reasonable as a liege to you.”

“Absolutely, I couldn’t ask for anyone better.”

“But with everything that is going on right now, we’re in a bit of a bind.”

“What do you mean?”

Quan rubbed the back of his head, feeling as if merely speaking the words will bring them to existence. “I fear something bad is coming. I trust Queen Rahna, but Sigurd and I are sure her pleads are falling on deaf ears, and I’m afraid war will be coming for us again.”

“War with Grannvale…” Even saying the words out loud made Finn shutter harder than the Silesse weather ever could. “That isn’t something I really wanted to think about.”

“Not to mention, you have a lot more in this world to protect now than just Ethlyn and I,” Quan adds.

Finn faced the snowy ground. Images of a fallen Silvia and the thought of losing his child plagued his mind, he gripped his practice lance so hard he nearly snapped the wood in two. “I can’t let that happen, I’ll sooner lay down my own life before any harm falls on them!”

“I know, and that’s what makes this so difficult for me to ask.”

“Ask what?”

Quan let out a long sigh. “We’ve grown stronger, but I don’t think our power alone is strong enough to hold our own against Grannvale, even with Silesse’s aid. I’ve wanted to do this for a while now. We need to go back to Leonster and bring back reinforcements for Sigurd.” Finally blurting out what was in his head.

“E-Excuse me?”

“And we need to as soon as possible, we’re sitting ducks here. It’s only a matter of time before another conflict starts up, plus you’ve heard from Lewyn about the tension with his mother and his uncles haven’t you? Silesse could be on the brink of its own civil war! We’d be lucky if we could subdue that!”

“So what do you want? To leave right now!?” Finn shouts, the first time he ever raised his voice at his liege. “Silvia is barely recovered from giving birth to the baby! There’s no way they’d survive the trip all the way down to Leonster!”

“…I know.”

Finn’s eyes widened, “You aren’t suggesting…”

“Finn, we don't have a choice!”

“You’re asking me to abandon my child. How could you expect me to do such a thing!?”

“…How do you think I felt when I left Altena?”

All of the rage Finn was building instantly dissipated with that one sentence. All this joy and wonder Finn was feeling upon meeting his daughter, Quan and Ethlyn chose to walk away from those exact feelings in order to save Sigurd. Along with that, every event that occurred forced them away from her even longer. Even after having Leif, it must be killing them inside that Altena is being forced to grow up without them. “Milord, I… I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

“It’s okay, Finn. I knew this would be cruel. That’s why despite my fears, I didn’t want to ask you to do this. I didn’t want to rob you of these experiences. I knew you were going through plenty of hard emotions already, but I don’t think we can put this off much longer. Jugdral is getting more dangerous by the day.”

“Will Lord Leif survive the trip?” Finn asks.

“He’s slightly older than some of the other babies, he’ll make it if we’re careful.”

“When do we need to leave?”

“Preferably as soon as possible. We’re going to return to the castle and bring back with us part of the Lanceritter, with those troops alongside us, I’m confident things may turn in our favor.”

“Well, traveling to and from may not take too long…” Finn had to tell himself whatever he needed to convince himself he was making the right decision. Deep down he knew Quan was right, but he still wanted to refuse. “I need to talk with Silvia about it first, I need to let her know what the plan is.”

“I know, Finn. Come talk to me and Ethlyn if you need to.” Quan says, doing his best to reassure him, and giving Finn a wide hug before returning to the castle.

Finn stood motionless and alone in the cold Silesse training ground, dreading what was about to happen. He attempted to construct some sort of speech in his head and find the perfect way to tell Silvia he was leaving, but he drew nothing but blanks. The freezing air finally getting to him, he eventually returns his training lance and begins heading towards his room.

Finn opens the door to see the baby asleep in her crib, while Silvia desperately attempts to quietly practice her dancing in her sleepwear and semi-tied hair while trying to be as silent as possible. “Oh?” She whispers, turning her head to see her beloved enter the room. “Welcome back, sweetie!” She quietly exclaims before hugging and kissing him.

“Hey,” Finn whispers, reciprocating her hugs and kisses. “How was the baby?”

“She wasn’t too bad today. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Edain, asking her for advice and whatnot, and I think I’m finally getting the hang of this. I want to be able to care for her the best I can!” She accidently whispers a little too loud. She quickly winced and turned to check on the baby, who was thankfully still asleep.

“That’s great to hear.”

“Yep, only problem is I have trouble making time for dance practice, and I want to practice now more than ever. That girl had me puffed up like a big ol’ cloud.”

“Nonsense, you still look perfect as always,” Finn says with a bright smile.

“Awww, Finn,” She says before connecting with a deep kiss, slowly motioning him onto the bed, not even allowing him to remove his garments. “You know…” She whispers, lying on top of him. “The baby’s asleep, soo-”

“N-not, not right now,” Finn mutters, lightly brushing her to his side as he sat up, placing his feet on the ground and his hands on his face.

“What’s the matter? Did something happen while you were training?” Silvia asks, sitting on his side and staring directly at him with a deathly serious expression.

He removed his hands, “Actually, yeah.”

“Well what is it? Are you sore or something?”

“No it's,” Finn began to get choked up, “Quan, he…” The tears were starting to form.

“Finn,” Silvia placed her hand on his cheek, slowly making him face her, staring directly into his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Finn sighed, it was taking every ounce of his strength. “Quan wants me to go back with him and Ethlyn to Leonster, we need to bring back some troops to help Sigurd.”

Silvia slowly removed her hand, “Oh.”

Finn was taken aback by her quick and simple response. “Silvia, I don’t have a choice.”

“Well, let’s gather our things. I’m ready whenever,” Silvia quickly mutters.

“Silvia, don’t make this harder than it already is. We both know you’re in no condition to be traveling that far of a distance, neither of you are,” Finn reluctantly stated.

“I don’t care! I’m not letting you go without me!” Silvia yelps, burying her face in Finn’s back and sloppily vice gripping his torso.

“Silvi,” Finn was dying inside. “Things are only getting worse, bringing troops from home is our only hope if we’re going to protect everyone.”

“Yeah and what if something happens to us while you’re gone!? Or if something happens to you and the others on your way there!? What would we do without you!?” Silvia begins to shout, waking up the baby. “We haven’t been apart since I first joined the army. I don’t want that to change…”

Finn turned to face Silvia, forcing her to sit on the bed on her knees. “I don’t like this, I hate it. But it’s our only choice for survival. I promise you I’ll make it there in one piece.” He places her hands in his and looks her in the eyes. “I want to do whatever it takes to end all this fighting, the sooner that happens the sooner the three of us can return to Leonster permanently. We could be a family, and you can be my bride.”

“Finn…” Her hands slowly slipped out of his. She stared down at the bed, but remained pinching his sleeve. “You promise?”

“I do.”

“When are you supposed to leave?”

“He just said as soon as possible.”

Silvia turned back, checking on the baby who miraculously cried herself back to sleep, then returned her gaze to Finn. “Fine, but on one condition.”

“Anything.”

Silvia unties the rest of her hair and lays Finn back down on the bed. “I’m not letting you leave with them before having you all to myself one more time.”

She had no trace of the mischievous intent that she would have during the other times they would get intimate. The look in her eyes was filled with both love and pain, and Finn wanted nothing more than to give it right back. “Anything. I love you, Silvi.”

“I love you too, Finn.”

The beloveds share another long night of passion before the fateful departure. Silvia, along with the rest of the army, stood outside Sailane castle to see the trio off. Finn gave Silvia and his daughter one last hug goodbye before the expedition.

“I’ll be praying for your safety,” Sigurd says as the three of them ride south towards Leonster.

As he rode off, Finn could not take his eyes off Sailane, even as it disappeared in the distance. He sighed as he finally began focusing on what was ahead of him, completely unaware that this would be the last time he would see most of his comrades again.

Chapter 9: The Dark Taketh Away

Summary:

Quan leaves to aid Sigurd, but forces Finn to stay behind.

“What do you mean I’m not coming!?” Finn shouts, nearly grabbing Quan by the collar.

“There’s no debating this, Finn! You are to remain in Leonster and that’s final!” Quan shouts back.

“Both of you settle down!” King Calf mutters before coughing into his hands.

“You said we would regroup with Sigurd together!” Finn continues.

“I know that’s what I said, but that was before I had seen the state Leonster was in. Without you here Leonster would be without any elite defenses, and we both know Thracia will be chomping at the bit to take action once they learn our army is cut in half!” Quan explains.

“But Quan I…! I need to go. They’re waiting for me…” Finn unclenches his fists as his arms lay limp on his sides, lowering his face.

“I know,” Quan says, putting his hand on Finn’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I had any other choice, but if I’m taking the G áe Bolg with me then Leonster will be without it’s greatest weapon. Every day there is risk of Thracian invasion, and you’re the only one I can trust to keep our home safe.”

Once again, Finn found himself unable to disagree with his liege. From a tactical standpoint it made the most sense, while Quan equipped with the G áe Bolg and half of the Lanceritter make their way to aid Sigurd, Finn could remain in Leonster to lead the other half to protect Leonster in case of invasion. However, that didn’t change the fact that Silvia and his daughter were still so far away from him.

“I know they need you, but so does Leonster. There is no other warrior who can protect our home,” Quan finishes.

“Preposterous!” Calf shouts. “This old bag of bones can still go. If any Thracian dogs dare step foot on Leonster soil I’ll-” He’s cut off by another coughing fit.

“Father, please! Don’t overexert yourself!” Quan shouts as he and Finn rush over to the King of Leonster’s side. “You are in no condition to take to the battlefield, at least not anytime soon.”

“Hmph, I’d do it if I must,” The King mutters under his breath.

“I see. We can’t let it come to that, Your Majesty,” Finn reluctantly says.

“Finn.” Quan returns his attention to his retainer. “I know how you feel. Every moment I spent away from Altena made me more miserable than the last, and now I have to leave her and Leif alone once again. These times of war are like living through a nightmare, but we have no choice but to fight on, and more importantly fight smart, in order to protect those we love.”

Finn grits his teeth.

“I’m going to ask you to place your trust in me, both as a liege and a friend, just as I’m placing my trust in you. I’m relying on you to see that Leonster, my mother and father, and my children remain safe here. In return, I will personally bring Silvia and your daughter back here safe and sound. You have my word.”

“…okay, I trust you, Quan. Glory be to Leonster.” Finn has yet to find a reason Quan would ever lead him astray. No matter how much his personal feelings got in his way, he couldn’t help but believe in his liege.

“Thank you, my friend. That was all I needed to hear. Ethlyn plans to accompany me halfway before heading back here. Once she returns, stay vigilant and be prepared for anything.” Quan finishes before turning back to the king. “Father!” He says before bowing. “I wish I could have been home longer, but I’m off. I’m going to see Leif one more time before I go, then I’ll begin marching north. Hopefully regrouping with Sigurd somewhere around the Yied Desert.”

“Understood, may the spirit of the crusader Njörun bless your travels. Please, be safe, my son.” Calf says.

Quan gave a simple nod before departing, leaving Finn and Calf alone in the throne room. 

Finn gave a lowly sigh once Quan was out of sight.

“You know,” Calf addressed Finn. “It’s not like you to ever question Quan’s orders. If it was any other knight there would have to be some disciplinary action.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” Finn says with a bow.

“At ease, you have more than enough goodwill with the royal family. You’ve earned your fair share of outbursts,” Calf replies with a hearty belly laugh.

“Surely you understand why I’m acting like this.”

“Absolutely, any good man would react the way you are. However, you are also a knight of Leonster, and you cannot allow your duties to clash with your personal obligations. You’re still very young, Finn. There will be times when life throws challenges at you that seem impossible, especially at times as hard as these.”

“I understand.”

“I am just as worried as you are, but all we can do is pray and believe in Quan. As long as he has the G áe Bolg, there is no force that can stop him.”

Despite his own emotions, King Calf’s words did help put Finn at ease. Finn knew that Quan is a warrior without peer, and a lesser knight would have fallen long ago after all they had been through. If there was anyone he could trust to do this, it was Quan. “Thank you, sire. I’m going to go check on Prince Leif, do you need anything before I go?”

“I’m quite alright, Finn. Please, go on.” Calf says before Finn exits the throne room.

Finn couldn’t tell just how long it had been since they left home. Walking through the halls of Leonster Castle like he’d done so many times before, he was filled with a sense of familiarity, yet also like experiencing it for the first time. Finn had come a long way as a knight since he, Quan, and Ethlyn first left for Chalphy. Seeing King Calf and Queen Alfiona again, as well as the many familiar knights he had trained with before leaving did provide Finn a brief spark of nostalgic happiness, but that didn’t change his focus. Finn stopped at a nearby open window which faced the front of the castle, from within he could see Quan, Ethlyn, and the Lanceritter beginning their travels outside the castle. He continued to watch until they were out of his sight.

Finn placed his hands together and closed his eyes. “Quan, Ethlyn, Silvia, please be safe.”

The nursery was quiet as various castle attendants shuffled around many of Prince Leif’s toys while desperately trying not to wake him up. The infant prince slept calmly while Finn quietly entered the nursery.

“Oh, Sir Finn. If you’re looking for Prince Quan you just missed him,” One of the maids says.

“I know, I’m just coming to check on Leif,” Finn explains.

“Okay but please keep it down. We only just got His Highness to sleep,” Another maid says.

Finn walks over to Leif’s crib and looks over him. Not yet a year old, but he looks strikingly like an infant Quan with Ethlyn’s eyes. The child was adorable, but Finn couldn’t help but see his daughter’s face the longer he looked at Leif. Knowing his child is going another day without her father was beginning to get to him. He couldn’t bear to keep staring and began to make his way out of the nursery.

“Wait a second,” Finn utters before leaving, looking back at the room. “Where is Lady Altena?”

“Hm? Oh she went with Lady Ethlyn,” A maid answers.

“Ethlyn took her with them!?” Finn blurts out, promptly receiving shushes from the other maids.

“Quan was against it but she insisted, it isn’t like we could have stopped them,” She explains.

“Gosh,” Finn grunts. “Please make it home safe,” He whispers under his breath before finally leaving the nursery.

Every second might as well have been an eternity for Finn. He continually looked out the castle windows for Ethlyn, impatiently longing for her return and any news she might have heard. The trip from Leonster to the Yied Desert wasn’t short, but that didn’t remove the worried pit from Finn’s stomach. Quickly minutes turned to hours, then hours turned to days. No matter what Finn did to pass the time, whether it be patrolling the castle walls all through the night, or training until he could no longer feel his hands, he was growing increasingly paranoid. The worry began to set in for the rest of the castle as well, eventually causing Calf to send out some scouts to search for Ethlyn. Finn found himself back in the throne room, alongside King Calf, Queen Alfiona who was holding Leif, and several other Leonster officials as they awaited the scouting report.

“Our scouts returned to Manster not too long ago, they should make it back to the castle any second now,” One of Calf’s retainers explains.

“Excellent, maybe we could finally get some good news,” Calf answers.

“Was Ethlyn and Altena with him?” Finn asks.

“Not that I know of, but he was carrying some supplies. Perhaps they sent him back with some things,” The retainer adds.

Finn grunts again. He paces throughout the throne room and either fiddles with his fingers or runs them through his hair in a panic.

“Finn, please relax. You’re scaring Leif,” Alfiona says as she attempts to soothe the crying Leif.

“I know, I know, I’m sure they’re fine. Once Quan and Sigurd are together they’re an unstoppable force. This whole mess could have been solved already,” Finn didn’t believe a word he was saying.

“Any sightings of Dragon Knights along the border?” Calf asks.

“None,” Another retainer answers.

“Well at least we can confirm Thracia isn’t putting the pressure on us. Chances that they don’t know we’re split in half right now?” Calf asks.

“Doubtful,” Finn interjects. “Travant is too sneaky to have not figured that out by now.”

“But then why haven’t they made a move?” Calf suggests. “Finn, please. We’re all concerned but you need to cease this worry, it’s going to take a serious toll on you.”

“Your Majesty with all due respect, I have-”

The room immediately falls silent as the doors swing open and the Leonster scout finally returns, carrying a full bag on his back as he gasps for air. He held everyone’s attention.

“Ah! Finally, please share with us the news of my son’s grand exploits!” A very confident Calf says.

“U-Um…” The scout began sweating profusely. He grabs his bag, but could barely move his hands with how hard he was shaking.

“Well!? Out with it!” Calf orders, showing just how nervous he truly was.

Leif began to cry even louder. Finn and the others all began to surround the scout as he finally reached into his bag.

“We-We’re gonna need to send a few more people…” The scout says.

“What for?” A retainer answers.

The entire room all grew immediately sullen as the scout pulled out Quan’s cape and Ethlyn’s Light Brand sword from his bag. “Quan and Ethlyn were assassinated, we’re going to need to bring more people to retrieve the bodies.”

No one could say a thing, the only noise that could be heard was Leif’s cries. The various officials each took turns glancing at each other, practically begging someone to say something. Alfiona set Leif down and held her hands to her face, unable to utter a single word. Calf held his head low, staring at the castle ground, not blinking once.

Finn took a few steps back, first biting his lower lip, then his left arm began to twitch. “No…” He whispers, surprisingly being the first to break the silence. “T-There’s no way. This has to be some…some mistake.” Finn promptly placed his right hand over his mouth and began sprinting out the room.

“Finn!” The other officials shout.

Making his way to the nearest receptacle, Finn hunched over it and began vomiting. His entire body was feeling numb, he couldn’t think straight, and the only thing he knew was that he had never felt this sick before.

“One of you go help him!” Calf orders as one of his retainers runs after Finn. “Who was responsible for this! I’ll have their head!”

“T-Travant,” The scout had trouble even saying the King of Thracia’s name.

That announcement caused a collective gasp from all the officials.

“He led his Dragon Knights on an assault on Quan and the Lanceritter in the middle of the desert, each one of them were slain,” The scout continues as Finn and the other official return to the room. Finn simply fell to the floor with his back to the wall and a lowered brow.

“What about Altena?” Alfiona hysterically asks.

“She wasn’t found, but knowing Thracians, I fear the worst.”

Calf slams his fist into the arm of his throne. “D-Damnit!” He shouts before standing and knocking over a nearby table and sending it towards the wall.

“There’s more,” The scout reluctantly continued. “It’s about Sigurd’s army.”

Finn’s ear twitched when he heard them mentioned, slowly raising his head. “Go on.”

“T-They fought their way to Belhalla, but…”

“But what!” Finn roars.

“Sigurd was murdered, and his army was all surrounded by Grannvale forces. I don’t know how many were killed, but the survivors were slim, if any.”

Everyone turned their attention towards Finn, knowing his connection to Sigurd’s forces. The despair on his face was like something out of dark folk tale. Finn lowered his head again, in no time at all the tears began to stream down his face as he wiped snot away with his sleeve. “Silvia…” Finn whispers. Before anyone else could speak, Finn quickly sprung back up to his feet. “AAAAAAGGGHHH!” He unleashes a loud scream before tearing at the banners on the wall, all while kicking at everything in kicking distance as the tears fly out of his eyes.

Several of the retainers begin the charge towards him and attempt to restrain him. “Finn! Please! You need to calm down!” They shout as four different officials attempt to hold him down.

Finn continues to shake and flail until they have his back to the ground, forcing him to cease his movements. As Finn finally stops, the others slowly let him go, leaving him to just stare at the ceiling as his eyes never stop swelling with tears. Pretty soon Calf and Alfiona would join him as the three of them all erupted into tears. The gravity of the situation finally began to set in. Quan and Ethlyn are dead, Altena likely joined in their demise. All of the dear friends Finn made in Sigurd’s army, all likely perished, and his beloved Silvia and their daughter presumably shared that fate. Finn now knew what true hopelessness felt like.

Finn sat back up against the wall, but now there was another noise besides everyone’s cries. Finn, as well as Calf and Alfiona, gaze as baby Leif begins crawling towards Finn. Practically the only one not crying, the infant slowly made his way to Finn’s side.

“Fi, Fi, Fi,” Leif utters.

“Leif…” Finn whispers, picking up the child.

“Fi, Fi…Finn.”

Finn hugged the infant prince. “Leif, don’t worry. You won’t have to see me like that again.”

Chapter 10: Never Ending Storm

Summary:

Finn attempts to live through another night on the run with Leif and Nanna.

“That way! I think I heard them go that way!” A Grannvale Soldier shouts.

Finn swiftly made his way through the mountainous region deep within the Manster District, all while cradling Leif and Nanna in his arms. He took a moment to hide behind a nearby tree, taking refuge under a thick branch in order to shield them from the harsh rainfall striking down. After catching his breath, Finn set the pair down to their feet and placed his finger in front of his lips. “Hold your breath,” He whispers.

The children nod.

Finn peers beside the tree ever so slightly, and then looks over the other side. His vision was blurry amidst the darkness of night combined with the heavy rain, however he couldn’t make out anything resembling a soldier in sight. Any footsteps he was able to hear grew further and further away. Finn believed it was safe to keep moving. He removed his cape and wrapped Leif and Nanna in it in order to protect them from the rain, picked them back up, then resumed their trek through the region.

Finn spots a cave in the distance. As the night looms ever closer without end, he had no other choice but to make that cave their camp for the night. He enters the cave and sets Leif and Nanna back down, “Stay close.” Finn grabs his brave lance, which he now holds onto with a strap along his back, and slowly makes his way through the cave with the children following closely behind. The cave wasn’t as deep as Finn anticipated. While near impossible to see within the pitch black grotto, he managed to feel his way to the end of it. He deduced they were truly alone.

Finn let out a calm sigh, until he suddenly heard a noise resembling rocks falling into some of the several puddles beneath their feet. The noise startled Nanna, causing her to trip over herself and falling face first into the cold ground. She lifted her face with tears beginning to swell under eyes. Finn quickly knelt down and put his finger over his lips again. “Shush, Nanna don’t cry,” He harshly whispered.

Finn slowly makes his way to the source of the noise and spots a small rodent near the entrance, possibly taking refuge from the rain within the cave. Finn sighed again, “Okay, I think we’re actually safe this time.” He made it back to the children and helped Nanna back to her feet. Finn let out a small yawn before taking off his travel bag. He first pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the dirt off of Nanna’s face. He then found the most level part of the ground within the cave and laid out his cape on the ground for the children to lie on. Leif and Nanna both lay beside each other as Finn wraps the two of them tightly with what remains of his cape, “Keep each other warm.” Finn held up their heads and placed the travel bag underneath them, “Try to get some sleep.”

The two kids simply nod, close their eyes, and attempt to drift off into sleep in the uncomfortable cave.

It has been 4 years, 7 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days since the Yied Massacre. Finn can’t help but keep track of every moment, there is not a day that goes by that he doesn’t think about Quan and Ethlyn. The nightmares refuse to stop haunting him. “If I had been in the desert then, could I have saved them?” He often thought. Whenever it wasn’t Quan and Ethlyn, he would think about the Battle of Belhalla. Stories of the tragedy circulated around the Manster District in no time at all, tales of Sigurd being reduced to ash and meteors pelting the poor souls who fought alongside him, Finn had trouble believing it himself as it sounded like something out of a camp side horror story. “If I had been in Belhalla, could I have helped prevent it? Could I have gotten Silvia to safety? Would one more knight be the difference maker?” These thoughts often prevented him from getting any sleep.

Finn sat with his back against the wall of the cave so he could keep his eyes on both the children and the entrance. Once he began finally relaxing, the strain on his body made itself known. Both his arms felt incredibly sore from carrying Leif and Nanna all day, and his legs nearly gave out before he sat down. He knows he can’t hold out much longer like this. He carefully reaches into his travel bag, moving very gingerly so as to not wake the children, as well as his current weakened state only allowing for very limited movement, and pulls out a small slab of meat he purchased that morning. Finn prioritized getting food to Leif and Nanna before himself, often skipping meals himself to make sure they were well fed, but he knew that in his current state he would be no use to them. “I need the energy to protect them,” He thinks to himself before chomping away at the meat.

It felt like only yesterday that Finn left with Quan and Ethlyn to Chalphy, and all he cared about was protecting his liege. Yet now he found himself trying to sleep in a cave deep in Manster. His beloved Leonster was set ablaze, everyone he loves had been murdered in cold blood, the Gáe Bolg was missing, and he had Grannvale soldiers trying to hunt him and Leif down. The longer he looked at the two children, they’d no longer resemble themselves. Sometimes he would see Quan in Leif’s face, other times he’d see Ethlyn’s face, and when he stared at Nanna, he would see the face of his daughter. All people he swore that he’d protect, all gone with nothing he could do to change it.

He attempts to recount how he found himself like this.

---

Finn was surprised to hear that someone arrived asking specifically for him. Leonster was in disarray after the recent loss of Quan and Ethlyn, and the fear of a looming invasion is heavy on everyone’s hearts, the last thing he expected was to receive any visitors. Finn was informed his visitor would be waiting for him in Leonster Castle’s courtyard. Once arriving, he was greeted by a sight he never believed he’d see again. “L-Lachesis!? You’re alive!?”

“Finn! You really are here!” The Princess of Nordion shouts as she approaches her old comrade, holding a newborn child in her arms.

Finn convinced himself that there couldn’t have been any survivors of the Battle of Belhalla, by merely seeing Lachesis, he now had a slew of questions. “I can’t believe it, how did you get here?” Finn actually managed to smile for the first time since he received that dreaded news.

“Claud told me you’d be here. He said I would be safe if I came to Leonster. By the Gods it just feels so good to see a familiar face,” She explains before giving him a light hug.

“O-Oh, who’s this?” Finn utters, a bit surprised at seeing a baby in her arms.

“This is Nanna, she’s my daughter.”

“I thought you had a son.”

“I do, Diarmuid. He’s currently in Isaach.”

Finn tilted his head, “Excuse me? Why is he there? Actually, Lachesis I’m sorry, I don’t mean to dampen our reunion, but if you’re here I actually have a lot of questions for you.”

Lachesis’s expression grew very serious, “I understand. I imagined you would.” The pair take a seat at a nearby table in the middle of the courtyard while some Leonster servants bring them tea. “I presume you already know what happened at Belhalla.”

Finn nods, “I heard. That brings me to my first question, how are you alive?”

“It’s true about what happened to Sigurd. However, not all of us fell to the meteors.”

“That, that’s incredible!” Finn suddenly lit up, a tiny glimmer of hope arose from within. “What happened to Silvia!? Did she survive!?”

Lachesis merely lowered her head, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to Silvia. She was with us when the meteors began to strike, but I don’t know if she slipped away. I’m terribly sorry, Finn.”

“…is that so,” Finn instantly slumped back into his seat, letting his arms go limp. He was upset with himself for getting his hopes up.

“B-But that doesn’t mean she died! She’s a crafty one, she could be out there somewhere.”

Finn didn’t bother trying to fool himself. “Who do you know for certain survived?” Finn lost any ounce of enthusiasm in his voice.

“Um, Sigurd sent Oifey and Shannan to Isaach. They took along young Seliph, as well as my son, Edain’s children, and Lex and Ayra’s twins. Last I heard Edain headed there after escaping Belhalla,” Lachesis takes a moment to sip her tea and think more. “Oh, and I believe Erinys and Tailtiu fled back to Sileese with their kids, but that’s all I know. Everyone else either fell in battle, or escaped on their own.”

“So, Midir, Lex, Lewyn, they could all be gone.” Finn slowly raised his head to look Lachesis in the eyes. “What about my daughter? Did someone take her with them?”

Lachesis shook her head. “Silvia didn’t want them too. She said she wasn’t going to let her child be taken away from her.” A very uncomfortable silence fell over them. “B-But that’s all the more reason she might still be out there! I’m sure she didn’t say that without a plan.”

“With how the world is right now, that would take a miracle.” Finn knows she’s trying to cheer him up, and he truly wants to believe there’s a chance Silvia and his daughter are alive, but this feeling of dread and hopelessness is becoming too much to bear. “So, why is it that you came here? I’m sure you heard what happened to Quan. Leonster isn’t the safest place either.”

“I came here because you’re here, and I need someone I can trust. Finn, I need you to help me.”

“Help with what?”

Lachesis looks down at her sleeping daughter, “Finn I…I need to go to Isaach. I need to see my son, and crossing the Yied Desert right now is really dangerous. I’m asking you as a friend. Could you look after Nanna.”

“E-Excuse me?!” That  question broke through Finn’s melancholy demeanor.

“Finn, I have no one else to turn to! Leonster was the only place I could safely reach after what happened at Belhalla, and I have no one else I can trust to do this. I promise I’ll return as soon as I can.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” Finn states before moving to his feet. “Leonster lost half of its army and the G áe Bolg, we’re practically sitting ducks here until Thracia comes after us. It’s not much safer here than anywhere else. His Majesty is already planning to meet the Thracian forces on the battlefield soon, and I’ll be accompanying him there too.” He finishes before walking away.

“Finn, wait!” Lachesis shouts before going after him. “You’re my last hope! Finn, please!”

“Lachesis,” Finn whispers before turning back to her. “I’m sorry but-” Finn mutters before having a good look at Nanna. The infant begins to wake up, giving a wide yawn before blinking a few times. “Hm,” Finn takes a deep breath and grits his teeth. “Truly, no one came with you? And you have nowhere else nearby to turn to?”

“Not a soul.”

“Fine.”

“R-Really! Finn, you mean it!”

“I’ll look after her. There’s not much of Sigurd’s army left, we need to look out for each other.”

Finn truly feels like that is the last happy memory he has. Bonding with an old ally will always mean something to him, but nothing turned out as planned. Lachesis never did return, and the Battle of River Thracia turned out to be a set up that ended with the death of King Calf. Leif is now the only living descendant of the crusader Njörun, and it is Finn’s duty to keep him alive.

---

Finn didn’t realize he nodded off while he was reminiscing; he slowly regained consciousness as the morning sun illuminated the cave. He took a moment to examine the children again, both of whom were still fast asleep. Finn never understood why he agreed to look after Nanna, but he finally came to a conclusion. He knows Leif isn’t Quan, nor is he Ethlyn, and he knows Nanna isn’t his daughter. What he does know is that he failed to protect people before, and Leif and Nanna have no one they can rely on but him. He owes it to Leif and Nanna to keep them alive, he must make up for the people he couldn’t protect by ensuring these two prosper. He owes it to Silvia, his child, Quan, and Ethlyn, to never fail to protect anyone ever again.

Suddenly Finn heard noises from the entrance of the cave. Before he could reach for his lance, he notices it was the same rodent from the night before finally leaving the cave for the well lit outside. Finn simply slumped back against the wall, hoping for a few more minutes rest.

It has been 4 years, 7 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days since the Yied Massacre.

Chapter 11: Next Home

Summary:

Finn, Leif, and Nanna arrive in Fiana hoping for some refuge.

Finn’s heavy eyelids continue to drift up and down while the hot sun beats down on his back. His fatigued horse’s movements slow with each passing minute.

“Come on, girl,” Nanna, who along with Leif had chosen to go the rest of the way on foot, pulls a piece of fruit out of her bag and feeds it to the horse. “We’re almost there. Right?”

“Fiana…should be close,” Finn weakly answers. “They should…have a place for us…at least…for a night.”

“Hey! I think I see it!” Leif shouts, points forward, and begins to run ahead.

“Leif…slow down,” Finn tries to say as images of houses and fences come into view.

Leif continues to run while Nanna chases after him. “Please! Someone help us! We need some help!” He yells, getting the attention of some villagers who were outside their homes.

“Hey what’s with the commotion? What’s the matter?” A middle aged blonde woman approaches the pair.

“My guardian is really weak! He needs some help!” Leif explains.

Finn’s face slumps into the back of his horse’s head as he finally rides into Fiana. The woman and the other villagers all take a long look at Finn as he makes his way towards them. “Orsin! Go get some water now!” The woman shouts.

“Y-Yes, Ma’am!” Orsin replies before running into the nearest house.

“Huh,” Finn mutters as he sees the woman giving orders. “That is strange. She looks just like Brigid,” Finn thinks to himself as his heavy eyes finally get the better of him, slipping into unconsciousness. 

The next thing he knew, Finn found himself lying in an unknown bed, just finishing having the most comfortable sleep he has had in many nights. He’s never been one to fall asleep so carelessly. As he realizes exactly where he is, his first instinct is to check on Leif. He rubs his eyes before sitting up.

“Hey, take it easy. Sure you wanna get up so soon?” The blonde woman from before was sitting at a table on the other side of the room. 

Finn looks over and notices her once she speaks up. The woman wore brown robes from the neck down. However, once he notices her face he realizes his mind was not playing tricks on him earlier, she resembled his old comrade Brigid in every way, just older. 

“Here,” She says, walking over to him and handing him some freshly cooked meat. “You look like you could use some energy.”

“How long was I out? Where are Leif and Nanna?” Finn asks before biting into the meat.

“It’s been awhile, it’s already almost nightfall,” She says after sitting back down at the table. “And don’t worry about those kids, they’re out back helping chop wood. I told em’ I’d let them stay, but the boy insisted they earn their keep.”

“Hmph, that’s good. Nothing in this world is free. We weren’t expecting a hand out.”

“Well I’m not always one to give them, but I’m not gonna turn my back on people who need our help. Especially two children.”

“Don’t underestimate them. Those two have been through more than anyone their age should,” Finn adds before finishing the meat.

She has a light laugh, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on it.” She walks over to an open window to spot Leif chopping wood with the other villagers. “Those kids seem like they were raised right, they yours?”

Finn shakes his head. “Both their parents were close to me, and they’re no longer around. It’s my duty to watch over them and keep them safe.”

“Is that right,” She walks over to Finn and extends her hand. “Finn, right? Name’s Eyvel.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Finn replies and gets to his feet to shake her hand. Looking in her eyes and shaking her hand, everything seemed so familiar. She truly resembled Brigid. Finn couldn’t bring himself to believe it. How could she have escaped Belhalla? How did she end up in Fiana? Why is she calling herself Eyvel? Finn’s mind was racing. “How long can we stay?”

“As long as you need. You lot seem like good people, plus you seem like you can handle yourself.”

“Come again?”

“Well, let’s just say things aren’t always so peaceful around here.”

“Just like everywhere else.”

“Smart too I see. Finn, listen to me,” Eyvel grew gravely serious. “I’m more than happy to have you and the kids stay here. I treat everyone in this village like they’re my family, but I could really use help from someone like you.”

“I’m guessing you need me to fight?”

“I have zero tolerance for injustice, and unfortunately there’s no shortage of scummy pirates or corrupt nobles around here.”

“As opposed to the rest of the world,” Finn muttered under his breath.

“I can tell just by looking at you that you’re an accomplished knight, you have that aura about you. Plus this lance, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Eyvel continues, going to reach for Finn’s brave lance which was leaning on the wall of the room.

“Don’t touch it!” Finn shouts. He sprints towards his lance with no hesitation, getting in between Eyvel and the lance.

“S-Sorry,” Eyvel lowers her hand, shocked at Finn’s sudden change of demeanor. “I didn’t mean-”

“No, no, no. I should be apologizing. I’m the one who snapped. It’s just that, this lance is…it’s very important to me. I don’t want anyone but me using it,” Finn felt embarrassed, he’s never had that reaction before. However, the thought of his final gift from Quan potentially being damaged due to his negligence was too much for him to handle.

“Hm, lesson learned.”

“So, you want me to protect the village, is that it?” Finn asks, regaining his composure.

“Not by yourself of course. I lead the Fiana Freeblades, and all I’m asking is for you to join us while you stay here,” She proposes.

“You lead? By any chance do you wield a bow?”

“Nah, I’m not the best shot. Swords are my specialty. Why do you ask?”

“Hm, it’s nothing.” Finn took a moment to think. The scars of Belhalla are still fresh in his mind, and ever since Leonster was burnt to the ground it’s only been him, Leif, and Nanna. The thought of belonging to another group is frightening to him, making new friends only for them to be taken away from him. He doesn’t know if he can handle that again. 

Finn walks over to the window and gazes at Leif and Nanna interacting with the other villagers. Even while working they were smiling and laughing. The two of them don’t get the chance to interact with other kids very often. Every place they managed to stay they were never there for very long. Fiana could allow Leif and Nanna to live normal lives for a change, and after all Eyvel has already done for them, protection is the least Finn could do. Finn remembered it wasn’t his feelings that matter, it’s those of his liege. Finn walks back over to Eyvel, “I’m in, on one condition.”

“Name it.”

“Leif, his safety is my number one priority. He’s…he’s not just any kid. So if I’m joining you, his safety needs to be a priority for everyone else too.”

Eyvel smiles. “Gladly. As long as he’s in Fiana I’ll protect him like he’s one of my own. Now then c’mon, it’s time I introduce you to the others,” She says as she leads Finn out of the house.

Finn felt he had no reason to not trust Eyvel, in just one day she’s done so much for him and the kids. Even so, he still felt hesitant to reveal the truth of Leif’s heritage to her. Perhaps one day, but now was not the time. Finn makes it outside as Eyvel calls various villagers over to her, along with Leif and Nanna. A group of village youths approach them, as well as an older bearded man.

“Everyone, introduce yourself to our newest Freeblade,” Eyvel orders.

Two teen boys, appearing to be only a few years older than Leif, walk forward. “Nice to meetcha, Sir Finn!” This kid was louder than Finn was hoping for. “Names Orsin! This right here is my good buddy, Halvan!” Orsin exclaims and throws his arm around Halvan.

“Geez, we’re both real good with axes. We won’t disappoint, even to a knight of your caliber. Promise!” Halvan added. He was much more reserved than Orsin, but Finn could tell both young men are very determined.

A young girl standing beside Orsin walked up next, “Hello, Sir Finn. I’m Tanya, I’ll do my best to do my part.”

“My little girl is no slouch with a bow I tell you what.” The large bearded man approaches Finn. “I’m Dagdar, I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do with that pretty lance of yours,” Dagdar explains before releasing a hearty laugh. “We’re missing Marty right now, he went off to the coast to pick up some fish, I’ll be sure to introduce him when he comes back.”

Finally, a young girl with short black hair only reaching her shoulders, steps forward. “My name is Mareeta, and don’t worry about having to protect me. I was trained by the best.”

“I adopted her and taught her everything she knows,” Eyvel interjects. “Trust me, she can handle herself very well.”

Finn looks over all the Fiana Freeblades, then over to Leif and Nanna. Belonging to another collective still created some fears for Finn, but he knew this would be best for Leif and Nanna. He’d look over this whole village on his own if that’s what it would take. “I won’t let any of you down. Nothing will befall Fiana while I’m here,” He said in a fairly plain tone.

The others were all taken aback at Finn’s response, each one of them expecting at least some semblance of enthusiasm. 

“Finn, can I be a Freeblade too!?” Leif excitedly asks.

“N-”

“Of course you can, Leif,” Eyvel answers.

“Absolutely not!” Finn loudly interjects, getting everyone’s attention.

“What? Why?” Leif asks.

“Leif, I know I’ve been pushing you hard, but you’re far too inexperienced to go into actual battles.” Finn explains.

“Well how am I gonna get experience if you don’t let me fight?” 

“Kid’s got a point,” Eyvel mutters.

“This isn’t a debate, Leif. You aren’t ready.” Finn continues.

“Hey wait, if the kid wants to fight let him fight. If he can chop wood as well as he was he can swing a sword,” Dagdar adds, he and the others beginning to get rowdy.

“His life is more important than anyone else’s! I’m not putting him in any unnecessary danger!” Finn exclaimed, growing hostile.

“Excuse me!?” Orsin and Mareeta shout while the others try to hold them back.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help you all, but that doesn’t include putting Leif at risk,” Finn says before departing back into the house. Finn returns to the room he woke up in, sits down on the bed, and places his face in his hands. He felt guilty for mouthing off to the others after how kind they’ve been to him, but he wasn’t ready for Leif to do real fighting on his own. The thought of Leif ending up like Quan is-

“F-Finn?” Leif opened the door to the room.

“Yes, Leif? If this is about going off to battle I already told you-”

“It’s not that,” Leif answers as he enters the room, standing in front of Finn so the two can look each other in the eyes. “I know you don’t want me fighting now, but when? How much longer am I supposed to keep running?”

That sentence nearly broke Finn. He couldn’t help but stare at Leif, still so young but he resembles his father more every day. “Poor boy. Leif, you got introduced to this world earlier than you should have. I wish things could have been easier for you and Nanna.” If Finn had any tears left he was certain he’d be gushing by now. “You aren’t ready, but you do get better every day. I don’t know how long we’ll be here, ideally it will be a long time, but when you’re ready you can fight with us.” Leif’s eyes lit up. “You have the blood of a crusader in your veins, I can’t deny you forever.”

“Oh thank you, Finn!” Leif shouts before giving Finn a wide hug.

Finn hugged him back, almost forming some hint of a smile on his face. “I guess it’s time I stop holding you back,” Finn says before releasing the hug. “Tomorrow morning I’ll start training you with the Light Brand.”

“R-Really,” Leif utters, quickly becoming intimidated.

“It’s your namesake. If you’re going to become the master knight you believe you can become, you’ll have to master that sword.”

Leif got slightly choked up, he knew who the Light Brand belonged to. “Yes! Absolutely! First thing in the morning.”

“Alright, now let’s go. I think I owe everyone an apology.”

Chapter 12: Familiar

Summary:

While fighting with the Fiana Freeblades, Finn meets someone who he can't help but feel like he knows somehow.

“Everyone, charge!” Leif shouts as Finn and Dagdar break down the front gates, allowing for the Fiana Freeblades to storm Kelve’s Gate.

“Leif, there should be four children locked away somewhere in this building,” Eyvel explains.

“We need to get them to safety quick! Finn!” Leif calls.

“Yes, milord,” Finn swiftly answers, returning to Leif’s side.

“You, Marty, Ronan, and Tanya. Can you each grab a kid and get them back to their homes?”

“It will be done,” Finn replies.

“Incoming!” Tanya shouts as some Manster knights begin heading their way.

Dagdar, Orsin, and Halvan immediately engage the knights, clashing their axes with the enemies’ weapons. “We can handle ‘em! Just go rescue the kids!” Orsin shouts.

“R-Right!” Tanya shouts as she and the others begin searching the fortress’s rooms while Leif and Eyvel go off to deal with the commander.

The four of them traverse through the stone walls of Kelve’s Gate, checking every room they come across. Despite finding one room with some chests, they were unable to find any of the children until coming across one final room in the middle of the fortress. Finn kicks down the door to the final room and rushes in, causing a collective gasp from the four kids within.

“Everyone come! I’ve found the…” Finn alerts the others before noticing one of the children cowering in the corner of the room. The young boy looked much older than the other kidnapped children, possibly even just a year or so younger than Leif. The boy wore white robes, like something befitting a young priest. For whatever reason, Finn couldn’t stop himself from staring at this child, something about him just seemed so…familiar.

“Okay good, they’re all in here.” Ronan states as he and the others enter the room, bringing Finn back to focus. “Let’s each grab ‘em and get outta here!”

“You don’t need to be scared, we’re gonna take you home,” Tanya attempts to calm the worried children. She, Ronan, and Marty put each one of the children on their backs and rush out of the room, until only Finn and the boy remain.

“Hey, can you walk?” Finn approaches the sniveling child.

“Y-Yeah, I can,” The child gets back to his feet and attempts to regain his composure.

“You’re older than those other children. You should be brave, set a strong example.”

“I’m sorry. I just, I didn’t know if we were going to make it. We were going to get sent to Belhalla. I was so scared,” The boy rubs his eyes.

“You don’t need to worry about that anymore. What’s your name?” Finn asks.

“Coirpre, sir.” He answers.

“Coirpre.” Despite this strange feeling, Finn knows for sure he’s never heard this name before, yet he couldn’t shake the idea that he knows this kid from somewhere. “I’m Finn. Come on, I’ll get you to safety,” Finn extends his hand.

“Okay,” Coirpre shakes Finn’s hand before rushing out of the room.

Once escaping the fortress, Finn places Coirpre on the back of his horse and quickly jumps on himself. “Hang on!” The two begin riding south towards the children’s homes. “Coirpre, you don’t seem like you’re from Manster or Thracia. Where do you come from?”

“Huh?” Coirpre mutters, not expecting any questions about himself. “Well, I was raised in Darna, but then when I was little I was adopted by Han-” He quickly stops himself. “A knight from Thracia adopted me.”

Coirpre’s slip of the tongue didn’t go unnoticed by Finn, but after just being kidnapped with the possibility of losing his life, Finn didn’t feel he should pressure him about it. “I see.”

“What about you?”

Finn hesitates before answering. “Leonster.”

“Wait, but you aren’t working with the Empire?”

“No.”

Finn felt Coirpre’s grip on his back loosen, “O-Oh my, I’m so sorry. I never would have guessed.”

“Don’t concern yourself with it.”

“But my father is a knight of Thracia, why would you want to help the enemy?”

Finn desperately didn’t want to hear that. He spent the entirety of his adolescence seeing Thracia as the bitter enemy. He isn’t filled with blind rage at the average Thracian citizen, but Coirpre said his adoptive father was a knight, someone who would cut him down without a second thought if they met on the battlefield. This man couldn’t have been there in the Yied Desert, right?

“Sir?” Coirpre mutters, snapping Finn back to his senses.

“Huh?” Finn looks back to see the boy’s face. He is reminded that regardless of being raised in Thracia, he’s innocent. This wasn’t about Quan and Ethlyn right now, this was about getting these children to safety. He feels foolish for letting his mind jump to absolutes so easily. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, no child deserves to be captured like this. I’m sure your father is very worried about you.”

“Y-Yeah, I know he is,” Coirpre states, the tension in Finn’s voice making him uneasy. “Do you have any children? You seem like a real strong knight yourself.”

Finn gulps. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

The air was filled with nothing but the sound of Finn’s horse trotting through the grasslands after that statement, and, eventually, the homes of the children came into view. “Over there! It’s to the left of that one,” Coirpre points out.

Finn stops in front of the specified house and Coirpre quickly jumps off his horse. Upon their arrival, an elderly man rushes out of the home. “Ah! Master Coirpre! Thank the Gods you’re in one piece!”

“Master?” Finn mutters to himself.

“Oh thank you, kind sir!” The man cries. “This child came here on a mission from someone very important and was mistaken for one of the villagers. It would have been a travesty if something happened to him. We’re in your debt!”

“Right,” Finn grew more confused. A very important Thracian knight? Could Finn have heard of this person? He grows more curious as to who this boy’s adopted father could be. “I’m just following orders, I’m glad all the children were returned safely.” Finn begins steering his horse back towards the fortress.

“Sir Finn!” Coirpre exclaims.

“Hm?”

“Thank you for saving me! I’ll say a prayer for you and the others, and if we ever meet again, I’ll try to pay you back. I swear it!” Coirpre finally manages to muster a stern expression.

Finn had grown numb to the pleasantries he’d hear from the occasional good deed he would do for people. He found most favors he would do for people that weren’t Leif or Nanna to be superfluous. For whatever reason, hearing Coirpre speak actually made his heart skip a beat, so much so he almost smiled. “Keep yourself safe, Coirpre,” Finn says before riding back to the fortress to aid Leif.

“What’s the big idea!? Let us go!” Orsin shouts.

“We didn’t do anything, this is a misunderstanding!” Halvan pleads.

Finn was living a nightmare scenario. Leif has been captured and taken by the empire. He, Nanna, Eyvel, and Mareeta are all being held by Grannvale forces. Dagdar, Marty, and Tanya managed to escape, but Finn, Orsin, Halvan, Safy, and Ronan have found themselves captured, hands tied, held in Meeds Castle in northern Thracia, and facing a group of knights in the dungeon.

“Please, you have to understand! We aren’t the enemy. We weren’t even targeting this place,” Safy tries to explain.

“I’m sorry, Miss, but those are our orders,” One knight says.

“Each of you are heavily armed and sneaking around the Master’s home. That’s too suspicious for us to ignore,” Another knight speaks up.

Finn didn’t think this could get any worse.

“We aren’t gonna hurt any of you without reason. We are waiting till Master Hannibal returns to tell us what we should do with the lot of you.”

Things just got worse. “Hannibal!?” Finn instantly perks up, finally speaking after having his head down ever since reaching the mansion. “As in The Shield of Thracia Hannibal!?”

One of the knights smirked. “Ah, you’ve heard of him, I see. Yeah, you runts trespassed around the wrong mansion. You better hope he’s in a good mood when he gets back,” He finished as he and the other knights left the dungeon.

“Geez, Finn,” Orsin utters. “I hardly ever see you get so worked up like that.”

“This is bad,” Finn states. “Hannibal is one of the most notorious generals in the entire Thracian Peninsula. If he thinks we were going to attack his mansion it’s going to get ugly.” Finn grew increasingly more frantic with each word, he’s becoming desperate.

“Wait, I've heard of him!” Safy interjects. “I’ve heard he’s a real kind man, despite his time on the battlefield. If we explain, maybe he’ll listen.”

“Doubt it. Look at us, a man with his experience could recognize a militia when he sees one, there’s no way he’ll think we were planning a rescue,” Halvan reluctantly adds.

“But it’s the truth,” Safy grows further disheartened.

“Leif, I swear it. I’ll get you to safety.” Finn whispers to himself, hoping for a miracle.

“By the Gods, could this suck any harder!?” Orsin yells, kicking at the air before looking towards Ronan. “Hey, Ronan. You okay, man? You’ve just been sitting there the whole time.”

The rest of the Freeblades each look at Ronan who sat silently in his chair with his head held low, appearing to have a twitch in both his arms. “One sec,” Ronan utters. Before they knew it, the ropes restraining Ronan fell to the stone ground below. “So much better!” Ronan jumps to his feet and stretches his arms.

The rest of the Freeblades stare with bulging eyes. “Woah! Ronan, how did you do that!?” Halvan asks.

“I’ve been toying with bowstrings my whole life. Bowstrings and rope aren’t exactly the same, but if you tie enough knots you’ll learn a few things. I’ve been fiddling with the restraints ever since we were thrown in here.” Ronan explains.

“That’s incredible! Well c’mon get the rest of us out here!” Orsin excitedly demands.

Finn found his miracle.

After Ronan frees the rest of the group, Finn makes his way to the front door to the dungeon. He opens it slightly and peeks towards the other side. “There aren’t any guards right outside,” Finn whispers to the others. “Okay, we need to take it slow. Let’s find where they stored our weapons, then make a break for it.”

The five of them slowly make their way out of the dungeon and begin trekking up a small stairway. The stonewalls of the castle’s interior send chills down Finn’s spine. He never believed he’d need to set foot in a castle held by Thracia. They continue walking through the halls until Finn hears the sound of people talking around a corner, prompting him to keep everyone from taking another step. Finn turns to the group to shush them, each one of them nods as Finn peeks around the wall.

“No, you put too many tea leaves in this one. You can’t be wasting all of them like this,” A knight spoke.

“I’m sorry. I’ll remember next time, I promise,” Replied the familiar voice of a child.

Finn leaned a little further out to get a better look at who was talking, only to discover the voice was coming from Coirpre. “What!?” A shocked Finn whispered under his breath. “What’s he doing here!?”

“Hey, what’s going on over there?” Orsin whispers.

“Damnit,” Finn has no time for questions. “Let’s go another way, there has to be an armory here somewhere,” Finn whispers as the group moves in another direction. “Our weapons should be held there. I’m not leaving without my lance.”

While carefully maneuvering through the castle and avoiding any chance encounter with the guards, the five of them manage to hunt down the armory. Once entering, they luckily find all their weapons hung up alongside the rest of the castle’s weaponry. Orsin picks up his Pugi Axe and gives a test swing, “Ah! So much better.”

Finn spots his brave lance amidst a sea of other Thracian lances and immediately pulls it out. The thought of Thracian forces using his lance was enough to make his skin crawl.

“Well now that we’re armed, what’s the fastest way out of here?” Ronan asks.

“I say we should knock out every guard in this place and see how they like sitting in that nasty dungeon,” Orsin suggests.

“And what, the five of us fight like a hundred knights? Maybe two hundred?” Halvan says.

“Hey man, it's just an idea,” Orsin scoffs.

“Let’s try to avoid any needless fighting. We’re clearly at a disadvantage. If we managed to sneak around this long without getting caught, hopefully we can get out of here with no problems,” Finn explains.

“I think that’d be best,” Safy agrees.

Finn peeks out the armory door, but this time finds two guards bickering outside of it with their backs turned to them. “Damnit,” He whispers.

“Where were they when we snuck in here?” A frustrated Halvan utters.

“Wait guys, I got an idea,” Ronan says.

After explaining his plan, the group puts it into action. Halvan and Orsin hold open the door ever so slightly, the guards not noticing the light movement, and there is just enough space between them for an arrow to fit through the door and not hit anyone. “Here goes nothing,” Ronan whispers as he launches an arrow below the knights’ line of sight. The arrow soars through the hallway before shattering a potted plant at the other end of the hallway.

“What the!? Where’d that come from,” Both guards run towards the destroyed plant.

“Now,” Finn whispers. The five of them rush out the armory and sprint away from the guards.

“Oh my God! I can’t believe that wor-” Orsin shouts before the five of them run directly into a group of knights.

“Hey! What are you all doing out here!?” A knight shouts before getting shoved to the ground by Orsin.

“Everyone, run!” Orsin screeches as each of them continue their sprint through the castle, all while Ronan continues to shoot arrows behind them.

They try nearly every door they come across, but can’t find the way outside. Finn and Safy nearly trip as they turn a corner in the castle. “Any chance we’re on the second floor?” Ronan suggests.

“Impossible,” Finn says, turning his head to face his allies while he runs. “The dungeon was in the castle’s basement. The stairway wasn’t that-” Finn stopped speaking as he ran directly into someone The sound of teacups shattering echoes through the castle.

Coirpre fell to the ground after being rammed into, dropped his small table of tea to the ground, and desperately tried to wipe the tea off his robes. “Watch where you’re going!” Coirpre mutters before looking up, a shocked expression growing on his face as recognizes Finn. “S-Sir Finn!? What’re you doing here!?”

Finn was at a loss for words. Coirpre was the last person he expected to see here, and especially didn’t plan to speak with him. Before Finn could come up with an excuse, he spotted some knights arriving out of the corner of his eye. 

“They’re over here!” A guard shouts from the opposite end of the hall.

“Finn, we need to go now!” Safy exclaims.

Finn had no choice but to keep running. “I’m sorry, Coirpre!” Finn mutters before continuing down the hall, leaving the fallen Coirpre behind him.

“How big is this damn place!? Where’s the exit!?” Halvan shouts as they all struggle to find the exit.

“We can’t keep running forever!” Finn exclaims.

“Oh screw this!” Orsin shouts and smashes the nearest window with his axe. “Found an exit.”

Finn tilts his head, “It’ll do.”

The five of them climb out the window as several guards close in on them. “Okay, now we can-”

“Hey!” An outside castle guard shouts.

“Ah damnit!” Orsin shouts as the five of them keep running towards the outskirts of the castle. Unfortunately, there appeared to be an ambush of knights outside the castle walls waiting for them. Orsin simply looks over to Halvan, who locks eyes with him as they run.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Halvan asks.

“Absolutely,” Orsin replies with no hesitation.

“What are you two on about?” Finn asks as the group nears ever closer to the ambush.

“Finn. Orsin, Ronan, and I will clear a path through the ambush. You get Safy to safety and make sure to rescue Leif and Eyvel,” Halvan explains.

“You just better come back for us!” Orsin shouts.

“I’m sorry what!?” A puzzled Ronan shouts. “Why am I being thrown into this!?”

“Well we’ve always thought we’d have Dagdar with us for this, but you’ll have to do,” Orsin explains.

Before Ronan could interject further, the ambush was upon them. Halvan and Orsin ran to the sides of Finn and Safy, swinging their axes to keep each knight out of reach to them. Finn used his lance to keep the area in front where they ran enemy free while Ronan frantically shot arrows all around them from the rear as fast as he could. Once they breach through to the other side, Finn and Safy continue running while Orsin, Halvan, and Ronan stop to hold the knights back.

“I won’t forget this!” Finn shouts, looking back to his comrades.

Halvan and Orsin look back slightly to give one more look to Finn and Safy and flashes them one last smile.

Finn and Safy run deep into the nearest forest before finally stopping to catch their breath. “I…I think we finally lost them.” Safy weakly says.

“I think so,” Finn says after peeking past a tree, and not spotting a single knight. “That was a real close one, wasn’t it Sil-” Finn immediately stops talking.

“Hm?” Safy says, adjusting her now wild green hair.

“Nothing, let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 13: Belly of the Beast

Summary:

After Finn's semi-successful escape attempt from Hannibal's castle, Hannibal wants to have a sit down meeting just between himself and Finn.

“How much further is it?” Finn asks.

“Relax, he’s just up these stairs,” One of the castle guards replies.

In a very bizarre twist of fate, Finn found himself taking refuge in the very same castle he had to fight his way to escape from. After making his way out of Castle Meeds and heading north to rescue Leif alongside Safy, he was shocked to discover Leif had already escaped Manster, rescued Nanna, and brought along many new allies as well. Finn went from shock, to relief, to confusion all in the span of minutes as their army was forced to request help from Thracia to drive off the oncoming Manster forces. Not only was Finn and everyone else from the Castle Meeds incident spared from any consequences, now the entire army is resting inside Hannibal’s castle, and Finn was personally requested to meet with the man himself.

Finn already felt uneasy being in a Thracian castle as a prisoner, but being inside as a comrade nearly made him wretch. “And you’ve given me your word that Leif and Nanna are safe here?” Finn asks the guards.

“Master Hannibal has forbid any hostility between any of us here,” One answers.

“Besides,” Another guard speaks up. “All of us were struggling against five of you, us trying to fight an entire fully armed force now would be suicide. You’re all lucky Hannibal is so trusting.”

“Hmph, so it seems,” Finn mutters.

“Here we are,” A guard says as they reach Hannibal’s quarters. “He’s in here, don’t get any funny ideas.” He glares at Finn directly in the eyes before walking away with the rest of the guards.

Finn opens the door to Hannibal’s large room to see the fabled knight sitting behind a large table inscribing something in a notebook. “Ah,” Hannibal spoke up, got to his feet, and approached Finn. “It took them long enough.” Hannibal looked just as the stories Finn had heard described him; a much older man of intimidating stature, long hair with a long beard, tall and wide like a sturdy walking wall. He truly lived up to being called the Shield of Thracia.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Finn replies.

“It’s no trouble. I was actually looking forward to this,” Hannibal extends his hand to Finn.

Finn took a brief moment to glare at Hannibal’s hand, a hand that probably has Leonster blood on it, a hand that belonged to an enemy, is now asking for him to shake it. It took every bit of will Finn had left, but he had to show consideration for the man who gave Leif and Nanna a moment of respite after the chaos they all had just gone through. After much hesitation, Finn shook Hannibal’s hand.

“Please, have a seat.” Hannibal takes a seat at one end of the table while Finn sits on the opposite end.

“Well, mind telling me what this is about?” Finn gets to the point.

Hannibal appears a bit bewildered at Finn’s aggressive tone. “Hm? What’s this now?”

“Surely there’s a reason you requested to meet with solely me. If it was just for idle chat I would like to return to my comrades’ sides.”

“Please relax, Finn.”

“I don’t recall giving you my name.”

“Are you surprised? I heard you knew me, and I believe this is our first meeting.”

Finn sat silent.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Finn,” Hannibal leans forward. “I mean no harm towards you or any of your comrades. I actually saw this as an intriguing opportunity.”

“Opportunity for what, exactly?”

“First and foremost, I wanted to thank you for rescuing my son. I believe you and Coirpre have already been introduced.”

Finn now knew why Coirpre wouldn’t say who adopted him. Certainly if someone captured the child of the famed General Hannibal, they’d gain a strong bargaining chip. “Real dangerous to have him out there in public like that.”

“Despite what my scouts reported, I underestimated just how far reaching the child hunts had become. It was a foolish mistake on my part. All the more reason I am indebted to you and your cause.” Hannibal explains before bowing his head. “Coirpre will be bringing us tea soon, he does wish to express his gratitude further.”

“I was simply following orders,” Finn nods. “While it’s good to know he’s safe, you make it sound as if you know me for more than just rescuing Coirpre and causing a ruckus around your castle.”

“Your modesty is surprising,” Hannibal releases a light chuckle. “The second my men described you to me and described the lance you carried, I knew it was the infamous Finn of Leonster.”

Finn grew silent once again.

“Your tales are spoken about all over the continent. Disappearing and reappearing all over the Thracian Peninsula for over a decade, there are stories of a knight that cannot be killed. A former member of the late Sigurd’s army and the right hand of the late Prince Quan, who savagely fights to protect the final heir of Leonster. Something akin to a specter from a bygone era, keeping the spirit of Leonster alive through sheer force of will. They’re calling you the Lance of Legend.”

Even though it sounds like praise, Finn couldn’t help but be saddened by this description. Every bit of it was accurate. It wasn’t rare for him to feel like his fight was meaningless as he fought for a country that was burnt to the ground, or an army that was almost completely wiped out. These words remind him of just how alone in the world he truly felt before stopping in Fiana. Had it not been for Leif or Nanna, he wouldn’t have the strength to go on. “Well, now you have me.” If Finn had any tears left, surely some would be falling now.

“I just thought it would be nice for you and I to form a friendship. I believe you and I are similar in many ways.”

That statement struck a nerve with Finn. Hearing a knight of Thracia, especially one as acclaimed as Hannibal, draw comparisons between themselves and Finn made him sick. “How do you figure that?” He replies with a scowl.

“You and I both are willing to die for our country, and have sacrificed everything to ensure the safety of their people.”

“Yet you’re sitting here in the castle while we’ve been living off scraps for the past decade.”

“If it was up to me, a knight of your caliber would be living the life he desires. Earnest loyalty to that degree should be rewarded,” Hannibal rapidly responds. “We were born on opposite sides, but we both have always wanted the same thing. Even without the luxury of any crusader blood, we still strove for the safety and prosperity of our lieges, and the very best for the country that raised us.”

Finn desires nothing more than to find a reason to storm out of the room, but as much as he hates it, Hannibal is making fair comparisons. Finn slumps into his seat. Before he can say another word, both Finn and Hannibal are alerted by a knock on the door.

“You may enter,” Hannibal responds.

The door opens and Coirpre gingerly enters the room holding a small tray with a pitcher of tea on it. “Phew, I’m glad you two haven’t left yet!” He exclaims.

“Ah. Welcome, Coirpre,” Hannibal says while Coirpre sets the tray on the table and begins pouring tea into cups. “Finn, I hope you’ll help yourself to some tea.”

“Y-Yes, of course. Thank you,” Finn replies as he’s handed a small cup.

“The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for all you’ve done,” Coirpre says with a bow.

“Even after I knocked you over?”

“Please,” Hannibal interjects. “Had you and your party not rescued him, he wouldn’t be here to be knocked over.” Hannibal and Coirpre share a light laugh. “Besides, no one was severely hurt in that scuffle, and I finally had an excuse to put fear into those Grannvale dogs. You and your allies making a mess was well worth that alone.”

“Yes about that,” Finn says before sipping his tea and setting it down. “Aren’t you worried about any retaliation? Thracia is allied with the empire.”

“Last I checked they came in my direction first. I was only protecting my home. In case it wasn’t obvious, the alliance between Thracia and the empire is a sham,” Hannibal sternly answers.

Finn raised his eyebrow. He had no clue what to expect from this meeting, but he never would have guessed such dismissal from one of Thracia’s acclaimed generals.

“Father is right,” Coirpre adds. “Emperor Arvis doesn’t seem to care about what goes on in Thracia, and is just letting Bloom do whatever he pleases up in Manster.”

Hearing Bloom’s name nearly made Finn twitch. While Thracia is what destroyed Leonster, it’s House Friege and its current head Lord Bloom that governs Finn’s home now. “I’m familiar with that monster.”

“His majesty is forced to be a mere lapdog for the empire. The entire continent might as well be run by Grannvale.” Hannibal reluctantly states.

Despite his hatred for the empire, King Travant is the last person Finn will ever feel sympathy towards.

“Be that as it may, I still fight my hardest. While I cannot openly oppose the empire, I must do what I can to keep the spirit of Thracia alive. All the more reason I am quick to come to the aid of those who are fighting for what is right.” Hannibal finishes as he drinks the last of his tea.

“Right,” Finn utters as he finishes his tea. His hatred may have blinded him to their plight, but Finn did not expect Grannvale to have been so damaging to the morale of Thracia. He wasn’t so lost in his ways to not realize that Grannvale did not view Thracia as an equal, but he believed to the fullest that Travant would have held some sort of influence after what he did to his lieges. Was any of this fighting between the two halves of the continent even worth anything?

“Do either of you want any more?” Coirpre asks, holding the pitcher of tea.

“I’m okay,” Finn replies.

“I’m good, thank you. Perhaps you should ask our guests downstairs, I’m sure they’re famished,” Hannibal suggests.

“Ah!” Coirpre lit up. “Good idea, Father.” He grabs the tray and heads toward the door. “See you, Father. It was nice seeing you again, Sir Finn!” Coirpre says before returning downstairs.

Hannibal sighs, “The poor boy.”

“Hm?” Finn utters.

“Even though I hate to see youths forced to fight, I’m actually relieved to see some of the brave soldiers in your army are near Coirpre’s age. He unfortunately doesn’t get many opportunities to mingle with those his age,” Hannibal explains.

“He mentioned to me you adopted him from Darna, did you not adopt other children?”

Hannibal shakes his head. “I never had any children of my own, so visiting an orphanage was suggested to me. I happened to be traveling near Darna and once I heard of their orphanage I decided to stop by. Coirpre had to have been only one or two years of age, but the woman running the place told me his story, and I couldn’t bear to leave him be.”

“What was his story?”

“His wounded mother left him and his older sister at the orphanage and never returned. Both were mere infants, Coirpre had barely just been born when she left.”

“Why didn’t you adopt his sister?”

“I would have, had she still been there. His sister was adopted months before, and I had no way to find or contact the ones who adopted her. Honestly, I felt that the orphanage was poorly run compared to what I had heard about it.  Against my best wishes, I had to raise young Coirpre alone.” Hannibal’s face moves from sad to stern. “I’m only telling you all of this because I’m grateful to you, and Coirpre seems fond of you. I haven’t told Coirpre that he has a sibling, and you must promise not to speak of this to him.”

If Finn was still a young knight, the look Hannibal was giving him would be haunting his nightmares for many moons. Despite his personal feelings, Hannibal has been nothing but courteous to him since he first walked through the door, Finn felt it was only right to show him the same respect back. “You have my word.”

Hannibal’s expression grew calmer, “Thank you.”

“Lastly, I must apologize for my hostile nature. You have given me no reason to suspect you have any ill intent,” Finn finally relaxing.

“No need,” Hannibal raises a hand. “I do not blame you. Given the history between our two countries, and that you are protecting your country’s last surviving heir, I would be shocked if you weren’t constantly on guard.”

“Even before you disclosed how you knew me, I suspected you knew Lord Leif’s true identity already.”

“Indeed. I understand why he tried to give me an alias, but he is the spitting image of his father. I would never mistake him for someone without the blood of a crusader.”

“You’re very right about that,” Finn replies in a low tone.

“That’s the biggest shame of it all. That someone not from the motherland dares to lay claim to Thracian soil. Regardless of all the infighting, the only ones who can govern this land are the descendants of Dain and Njörun. Even if we spent so much time against one another, both Travant and Quan wanted the same thing. They both dreamed of a properly unified Thracia. They were two sides of the same coin.”

Finn slammed both his hands on the table and leapt to his feet after hearing that last sentence. Finn needed every bit of strength he could muster to not flip the table. If it wasn’t for all the good will Hannibal just placed in him, Finn would have lost it. The sudden expression shift even managed to startle Hannibal. Finn stood there shaking for about ten seconds before taking a deep breath finally speaking, “I will ask only once. Do not compare the two.”

Hannibal sat dumbfounded before realizing his error. “M-My apologies. That was severely insensitive of me to say. I spoke without thinking,” Hannibal bows his head.

“No, no,” Finn sits back down and regains his composure. “You’ve done so much for Lord Leif already. I cannot hold you responsible for the sins of your comrades.”

Hannibal exhales, “As you can see now, all sides suffer from what happened that fateful day. All we can hope for now is that the empire is driven out of the Thracian Peninsula.”

“Right.” Despite these sentiments of unity Hannibal is showing, Finn still couldn’t help but harbor animosity towards Thracia. There is no force of nature nor act of any God that could make him see eye to eye with Travant.

“That’s all the more reason I’m willing to lend young Leif my aid at least in some capacity,” Hannibal explains. “He mentioned planning to travel to Tahra next, I’ve offered him one of my knights to lend him some strength and help lead him through the mountainous path there. His name is Carrion, I think you’ll like him. He’s originally from Leonster.”

Finn’s ears twitch at the mention, “Is he now? Well He and I will have much to discuss I’m sure.” Finn gets to his feet. “This has been very enlightening, Hannibal. I do not regret our meeting, and I appreciate all you’ve done for us, but I think it’s time I rejoin my liege. We’ve been apart too long now.” Finn bows before heading towards the door.

“Wait, Finn. One final thing,” Hannibal utters, stopping Finn in his tracks. “I will see you and the others off before you leave, however there is one last piece of information I think would be useful to you,” He says as he gets to his feet to face Finn. “Even if it’s against the treaty we were forced into, I have scouts all over Jugdral. They keep me informed of what is going on in these dangerous times of ours. According to rumors, there is a civil war brewing in Isaach right now.”

“What does that have to do with us?”

“One side of that civil war is a liberation army that opposes the empire. They’re being led by two men, the true prince of Isaach, Shannan, and a man from Chalphy named Oifey. Apparently they used to run alongside the late Sigurd. Perhaps they are friends of yours?”

Finn’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Shannan and Oifey, those were names he never thought he would hear again. Finn immediately thought back to the words Lachesis told him, Shannan and Oifey were in Isaach along with some of the children born from Sigurd’s army. If somehow he could regroup with them, their combined efforts could really make some semblance of a difference for him and Leif. “I, I…I don’t know what to say. I certainly hope that is true.”

“Jugdral is very dangerous, my friend,” Through his thick beard, Hannibal shares a smile and places a comforting hand on Finn’s shoulder. “As difficult as it is, I ask you simply to stay safe. I don’t know the likelihood, but I’d like to do this again sometime.”

While his feelings towards Thracia may never change, if Hannibal’s goal was to form a bond with Finn, he somehow succeeded. “Agreed, thank you.” Finn says with a nod before exiting the room.

Finn returns to Castle Meeds’ main hall to regroup with the rest of Leif’s army. “Ah! Finn there you are!” Leif excitedly says, motioning him to join them. The whole army, both the remaining freeblades and the soldiers Leif came across in Manster, all sat in a circle in the middle of the hall. “Come on, we’re going over our march to Tahra,” Leif explains as Finn stands beside him.

Finn stood in awe as he watched Leif go over the battle strategy with the others. Leif was discussing tactics, anticipating enemy artillery, planning battalion placement like a tactician who had been doing this for years, all with limited outside input or disagreement. He had already been displaying his leadership abilities when Nanna and Mareeta were kidnapped, but he had grown so much in the short time since they all left Fiana.

After managing to escape Manster, Leif was like a new man. Hannibal wasn’t wrong; Leif truly was the spitting image of Quan.

As Finn listens to the war council, he makes the decision he knew he would need to make one day. Leif would need to claim his birthright one day, and from now on Finn would no longer make decisions for him. The boy is still very young, and Finn would never abandon his liege and will never stop looking out for him, however Finn believes now Leif was ready to run his life on his own. Finn couldn’t be prouder.

Chapter 14: Homecoming

Summary:

Finn, Leif, and the rest of the army all feel euphoric after taking back their home of Leonster, however, keeping it is proving to be a challenge in itself.

After another brutal struggle against Friege, Leif’s army managed to force all the remaining enemy soldiers out of Leonster castle. Their long campaign brought them home at last. Finn observes from a castle window as the remaining Friege soldiers flee. His soul felt true peace for the first time in ages.

As the dust settles, Finn takes a long deep breath, and uses this moment of tranquility to examine the castle walls. He had been so focused on the battle before him that he didn’t have the chance to take in the beauty of his old home. Last he saw Leonster Castle, it was set ablaze while he desperately attempted to escape the siege by Grannvale. While the castle’s interior and exterior were severely damaged, the foundation remained strong and there appeared to have been much reconstruction since then. Finn began strolling through the halls of the castle, taking note of every little difference in detail he could find. The castle unfortunately became poisoned with House Friege’s insignia all over the interior, but the actual architecture of the castle was as sturdy as ever and damage from the previous battle thankfully was kept to a minimum. More importantly, every room is exactly where Finn remembered them to be. Even after all these years, Finn has the castle’s layout memorized. Finally, he is home.

Finn makes his way to the castle’s throne room, where he sees Leif, Dorias, August, and Nanna waiting for him.

“Finn! There you are!” Leif excitedly shouts.

Finn pays close regard to the throne room. It had been a very long time since he had a happy memory in this room. He still vividly remembers the day he heard of Quan and Ethlyn’s demise and how he broke down in front of Leif. Finn’s very grateful Leif was just an infant then and couldn’t remember him in such emotional distress. Making sure Leif never saw him look weak is one of the many forces that brought him this far. “My apologies, Milord. I was doing a final patrol, making sure every last one of them were gone.”

“Are you sure that was all you were doing?” Nanna asks.

Finn raises an eyebrow.

“Cause you don’t usually have such a wide smile on your face when you do patrol,” She teases.

Finn didn’t even realize he was grinning ear to ear. Seeing Finn smile was rare for even Leif and Nanna, this may be the happiest the pair had ever seen him. “Goodness me, I guess I didn’t notice.”

“Finn, you must be overcome with emotions right now,” Dorias says. “You don’t need to hold back, it’s okay.”

“Finn.” Leif approaches his guardian, face stern but joy in his eyes, and holds out his hand. “It’s always been a dream of mine to return to Leonster with you. We did it, all of us,” He states with a bright smile. “Thank you, we’re finally home.”

“Lord Leif.” Finn, Leif, and Nanna all embrace in the middle of the throne room, each of them dropping tears of joy.

“It’s magnificent, isn't it?” Dorias whispers to August. “After 14 long years, the long lost son of Quan and Ethlyn finally returns to his true home to claim it from Grannvale. It’s like something out of an old folk legend.”

“Indeed,” August responds. “Everything looked so hopeless not too long ago. It really does feel like we’re entering a new age doesn’t it? Still, things aren’t over. I’m certain Bloom has some sort of plan to take back the castle.”

“Most definitely, however…” Dorias takes a moment to observe Finn, Leif, and Nanna once again. “Our conviction couldn’t be any stronger. It’ll take the Gods themselves to rip this castle away from them a second time. Let’s go, I think those three deserve some privacy,” Dorias states as he and August exit the throne room.

Eventually, the entirety of Leif’s army stands before him as Leif stood in front of the Leonster throne, while August, Dorias, and Finn stood beside the young prince.

“Thank you,” Leif speaks. “Everyone, from the bottom of my heart, I wouldn’t have been able to make it to this point without any of you. It’s thanks to each of you we managed to liberate Leonster, and we’re all one step closer to saving our home from the empire. If we can continue fighting and keep Leonster safe, I’m certain we can drive the empire out of the entirety of Thracia!” Leif concludes his speech before finally taking a seat upon his throne.

The entire army erupts into cheers and applause. Everyone proved their belief in Leif’s cause, and will continue to fight for him. Watching Leif grow into a more capable leader warmed Finn’s damaged heart, however, he knows he can’t grow complacent. As much as he would love to rest and enjoy his homecoming, the fight is far from over. Leif has already planned an attempt to liberate Alster, and everyone knows Bloom will do everything he can to try and retake the Leonster. Regardless of what was to come, Finn has come too far to let everything slip through his fingers. Finn’s prepared to do whatever it takes to see this to the end.

---

Four months after retaking Leonster, everyone’s suspicions were proven correct. First, the army fails their liberation attempt on Alster, which resulted in the death of Dorias. Next, House Friege grows even more relentless with their attempts to conquer Leonster, and General Reinhardt continues to send wave after wave of enemy soldiers towards Leif’s army.

Finn laments the current state of the war as he grows more worried about Friege’s advancements. Despite tonight being his turn on castle patrol, he has trouble focusing when his mind is in such a troublesome state. He continues to circle the outskirts of the castle as the night envelops him, torch in one hand, lance in the other. Thankfully, the patrol is uneventful. As Finn begins making his way back into the castle to change positions, he takes one look back into the darkness and notices a shadowy figure making their way towards him.

Finn’s heart begins to race. “How? Where did they come from? They couldn’t have snuck up on me so easily!?” Finn thought to himself as he clutched his lance. “Who goes there!? Answer me!” He shouts, pointing the torch towards the figure. Once the figure grows visible, Finn almost drops the torch to grassy plains below. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Finn? You’re out here on patrol I assume? That makes this much easier. Time has been kind to you. You’re a real man now,” The figure states.

There was no mistaking it. He looked more mature, but the long green hair, the white garments. Finn knows this man well. “Lewyn? Can it be? Is that really you?” Finn lowers his lance and brings the torch closer. This man undeniably resembled his old comrade.

“It’s me, it’s Lewyn. Not since you left Silesse, I believe that is when we last saw each other.” Lewyn answers in a very monotone and lifeless tone.

As badly as Finn desired to hug his old friend, reminisce, and bombard him with questions, something didn’t feel right. Finn understands that no one will be the same when you see them for the first time in over a decade, and he knows he’s not exactly the same as he was during his time in Sigurd’s army. Even so, this felt like a drastic departure from the Lewyn he called his close friend. This man knew the last time they saw each other, so it couldn’t be an imposter. Lewyn was always very relaxed and was rarely ever serious. Finn couldn’t fathom what may have turned Lewyn into the man that stood before him.

“Why are you here? How are you here? How are you alive?” Finn asks, matching Lewyn’s tone.

“I am here to deliver a message. I wanted to tell Leif directly but telling you will suffice.”

“Wait but, how did you survive Belhalla? Where have you been all this time? Why are you choosing to show your face to me now?” Finn couldn’t help himself. The realization that his old friend is standing in front of him finally began to set in.

“Finn, please, time is of the essence.” Lewyn remained all business, and appeared to grow rather irritated at Finn’s persistence. This man seems like the total opposite of who he was in Sigurd’s army. “Are you aware of the situation in Isaach?”

Finn can’t help but get frustrated at Lewyn avoiding all his questions, but he reluctantly obliges. “A while back I was told there was a potential civil war on the horizon, and that Shannan and Oifey are involved. I’m guessing you’re also involved. Having a man of your strength would definitely-”

“I’m not fighting. I don’t have the strength I once did, I’m just watching over it.”

Despite wanting to pry and ask why, Finn assumes his questions will continue to fall on deaf ears. “Alright, well what about it?”

“Isaach’s liberation is getting underway. Shannan is in Yied at the moment, but Oifey is taking care of things up there. Young Lord Seliph is proving to be a capable warrior in his own right.”

“Seliph…” Last time Finn saw Seliph he couldn’t even walk yet. “The poor boy is only slightly older than Leif, yet they’re both forced to pick up their fathers’s mantle in this unjust world. It’s like fate is playing some cruel joke.”

“It’s unfortunate, but the boys carry the blood of the crusaders within them. They have the strength to change things, I’m sure of it. The remnants of the Holy Knight Sigurd’s army live on in Isaach, as well as here in Leonster. What is the situation here?”

“Bleak,” Finn reluctantly states. “We’ve been fighting off Friege’s forces for months now, but we’re not making a whole lot of progress. We only just got Leonster Castle back, but supplies are running thin. I don’t know how much longer we can go on.”

“You must hold out for as long as possible. I don’t believe Seliph and Oifey’s army will remain in Isaach much longer.”

“What are you getting at?” Finn became intrigued.

“After Isaach, they’re going to meet up with Shannan in Yied, and then I’ll direct them all further south to meet up with Leif’s army.”

Finn’s eyes widen at that declaration. “You’d do that!? That would be perfect!”

“With the combined efforts of both armies, they may become powerful enough to take on Grannvale.”

“Y-You really think so?” With how badly they’ve struggled against Bloom, the thought of Leif and the others taking on Grannvale is a frightening one. “That’s no easy task.”

“It is not, but our best bet is to have Seliph and Leif join forces. If you lot can hold your own for as long as possible, Seliph and the others will provide aid as soon as they can. That is what I ask of you,” Lewyn requests as he looks Finn in the eyes. “Finn, see to it that you hold Leonster to the best of your ability.”

“Of course, I will protect my liege and my homeland the only way I know how,” Finn replies with a stern nod.

“You’ve always been a survivor, Finn. I trust everything will go according to plan,” Lewyn says before beginning to walk away from the castle.

“Wait, Lewyn! It’s the middle of the night! You can at least stay the night! I still have so many questions!” Finn shouts.

“I must return to Isaach as soon as possible.” Lewyn turns back to face a desperate Finn. “We’ll meet again.”

Unable to stop him, Finn had no choice but to watch his old friend disappear into the darkness. He couldn’t help but feel overloaded by this encounter. Despite saying so little, Lewyn brought a whole lot of new information to Finn’s attention.

Finn couldn’t help but wonder what Seliph might be like. “If Seliph is even half the man his father was, Isaach will be in good hands,” Finn mutters to himself. He also ponders what kind of men Shannan and Oifey grew into. “Oifey is only a year younger than me, but he never fought back in Sigurd’s army.” Finn’s mind starts to race to all sorts of places. He can’t help but smile when he thinks back to his time in Sigurd’s army, despite that smile hiding the pain of loss.

The only thing Finn knew for sure, he found even greater resolve to never give up. Regardless of what Friege throws at them, he must make sure Leif survives and Leonster remains in their control. If Leif and Seliph actually do meet and align themselves together, this could be the turning point everyone’s life needs.

Chapter 15: Old Faces

Summary:

Leif and Seliph's armies finally convene, and with that, Finn meets some friends both new and old.

“How long are they going to sit in there? I know this must mean a lot to him, but every second we spend away from Leonster it is at risk of invasion.” Finn nervously paces around the main hall of Alster Castle.

“Please compose yourself, Finn,” August says. “The young lads haven’t been in there that long, and this is the first time Lord Leif has ever met any of his blood relatives. Plus, I’m certain Bloom is far from recovered from the battle with Seliph’s army. They’ve earned some precious time to themselves.”

Finn sighs. “I suppose you’re right. I just want to know what the next objective is. Seliph’s army being here changes everything.”

After a few more months of defending Leonster, a miracle in the form of Seliph’s army arrived to aid Leif’s cause. Just as Lewyn had predicted, Seliph’s forces managed to drive Bloom’s army out of Alster, and caused the attacks on Leonster to cease. Leif’s army convened with Seliph’s in Alster, and the two young lords joined each other for a chat within the castle. Although against Finn’s wishes, Leif insisted he speak to his cousin alone, and the anticipation is taking its toll on him.

Finn takes a seat beside August as he continues his restless waiting, until he is interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. “By the Gods, it really is you, Finn!?”

Finn looks up to see an imposing man approaching him. The man has brown hair with a thick brown moustache, stands at about Finn’s height, and has a fairly deep voice with a face that looks like it’s seen many a battle. Finn noticed behind the man stood another, this one younger than the former, and had very long black hair. “Excuse me, do I know you?” Finn asks as he returns to his feet.

“We’ve both done a whole lot of growing since we last saw each other, but I guess I’d be harder to recognize. It’s me, Oifey.”

“E-Excuse me?” Finn uttered. He anticipated running into Oifey again once he heard Seliph’s army was coming, however, he hadn’t a clue of what he’d look like, nor has he had time to really think of what to say with all the constant fighting.

“Pretty hard to believe I had to take to the battlefield, isn’t it? But I’ve become fairly capable in my own right,” Oifey explains. In the several years Finn and Oifey were apart, the meager tactician has bloomed into a fearsome Paladin. “If you don’t recognize me, you’ll never guess who our other friend back here is,” Oifey says as he turns his head to the man with the long black hair.

“If you’re here, then he must be,” Finn smirks. “Is that you, Shannan?”

Shannan smiles before approaching the two knights, “It’s great to see you again, Finn.”

“Heh, starting to feel like a reunion now, isn’t it?” Oifey chuckles.

A light laugh escapes Finn as well, “It’s a real pleasure to see you two again. You’ve both grown so much.” Finn tries to see his two old comrades as the last time he saw them, but can’t separate them from their newfound growth. Oifey was Sigurd’s tactician and was deemed ill-suited for combat, while Shannan was merely just a boy when he was rescued by Sigurd and Quan. Finn grew elated at his friends’s progress.

“Don’t count yourself out now,” Shannan adds. “You look older, but you’ve got a much more intimidating aura about you now. You’re far more threatening now than you were as just Quan’s recruit.”

Finn never took the time to examine his own progress with all his focus on Leif and Nanna’s safety. While he had heard the occasional comment from his comrades, hearing it from someone who knew him during his time in Sigurd’s army put things in perspective for him. After everything he had gone through since the fall of Leonster, what kind of knight has he become, and how has it changed him? At the moment, Finn had no answer. “I became what I needed too.”

“Hm, I understand.” Oifey grew gravely serious. “Given the situation, I couldn’t begin to imagine what horrors you and Leif had to deal with for all these years. Shannan and I were both young and inexperienced, but we had each other. Plus, we had help from Edain, as well as the people of Isaach to rely on. I pray your trials weren’t too grueling.”

“Everything…” Finn had trouble getting the words out. “…wasn’t easy. My only concern was making sure Leif and Nanna were safe. We met some crucial allies over the years however, I wasn’t alone all the time.” He attempts to find some positive ground recalling the decade plus since they last met, but Finn’s arms grow limp as he begins looking towards the floor. Despite being several years since the invasion of Leonster, every moment remained fresh in his mind. Even though he did his best to remain composed, the cracks in his mental armor would often rear their head.

“Finn, take it easy.” Shannan places a comforting hand on Finn’s shoulder. “We’ve all had it rough since Belhalla. The empire has been hounding any remnants of Sigurd’s army it can sniff out. It’s honestly a miracle the three of us are living right now. Even so, all that is going to change. With all of us together, I’m certain we can make a difference!” Shannan clenches his fist, fire in his eyes.

“Precisely! I’m looking forward to showing you what we can do, Finn!” Oifey exclaims.

Their kind words did succeed in lifting Finn’s spirits, however, he couldn’t shake the question that still burned within him. “Speaking of which…”

“Hm?” Shannan and Oifey mutter.

“Belhalla. I wasn’t there, nor was I in Yied Desert when it happened. I heard some of our old friends survived, would you happen to have any updates on any of them?” Finn asks.

Both their expressions grow grim. “Not a whole lot of good,” Shannan states with his hands on his hips. “Edain is safe back in Isaach. She basically continued her daycare duties while some of the children from the army were growing up.”

“But,” Oifey adds. “We heard that Tailtiu was taken from Silessia.”

“What!? Where!?” Finn utters.

“Actually, we think somewhere around here,” Oifey continues. “Her and Lewyn’s son joined our forces back in Isaach, and he gave us that information. Not only that, but since Tailtiu was taken and Lewyn was missing at the time, Erinys took over the crown in Silessia, but we were told she fell to illness. That’s about all we know.”

“So there really isn’t that many of us left, are there?” Finn laments.

“Unfortunately,” Shannan mutters.

“Well, I’m guessing that means you don’t know about…” Even daring to vocalize these thoughts became painful for Finn. “…you know.”

Shannan and Oifey both immediately knew who Finn was referring to. “I’m sorry,” Oifey says. “Nobody knows what happened to her or where she went. It’s an honest mystery.”

“Is that so...” With all the changes that have been occurring since Finn left Fiana, Finn’s perception of the world outside the Peninsula became much more skewed. Oifey and Shannan building an army, Lewyn being alive, he didn’t know what was possible and what was not anymore. He had long since given up hope on ever seeing Silvia again, but every potential seed about what happened to her stirs further confliction within him. Finn became desperate to change the subject. “Well, where’s Lewyn? This wouldn’t be complete without him.”

“Brilliant question,” Shannan mutters in annoyance.

“In all honesty, we have no idea where he goes. The only time we see him is when Seliph is around, other than that he’s not the easiest man to track down,” Oifey explains.

“That’s…fairly strange. By the way, does he seem somewhat different to you gu-” Finn gets interrupted by the sound of doors opening.

Seliph and Leif, along with Julia, finally emerge from their meeting. The two cousins walk side by side as they rejoin their advisors in Alster Castle’s main hall.

“Your Highnesses,” August says while getting to his feet. “I hope the two of you had a splendid chat.”

“Indeed we did, but we all must get going,” Leif replies.

“Shannan, Oifey, we’ll take a little more time here to prepare. Once we’re ready, we’re going to charge into Conote to subdue Bloom,” Seliph explains.

“Meanwhile,” Leif interjects. “We’ll return to Leonster, and then proceed to march into Manster to finally take care of Raydrik,” He explains to Finn and August.

“Once those are taken care of, we’ll reconvene in Manster and move on from there,” Seliph finishes.

“Excellent plan, Seliph,” Oifey shouts.

Finn had only caught a few glimpses of the young lord before he and Leif had their meeting, but he could see now that the rumors about Seliph weren’t exaggerated. The fact that he was able to lead a liberation army with their numbers all the way from Isaach to the Thracian Peninsula speaks volumes about the young man’s abilities. Finn could see the spirit of Seliph’s parents within, same as he could with Leif. There isn’t a doubt in Finn’s mind that Sigurd would be proud of who his son grew up to be.

After some brief goodbyes, Leif’s army gathers outside Alster Castle to return to Leonster.

“I expect to see you all in Manster in one piece,” Shannan declares. “That means you too, Finn! I’ve learned an awful lot I’d like to show you!”

“Same goes for you two.” Finn waves back to his old friends before mounting his horse.

“That Seliph,” Leif mutters as his army begins marching away from Alster Castle. “He’s a real admirable person. He’s already done so much.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, milord,” August replies. “You’ve conquered plenty of hurdles yourself since you left Fiana.”

“Yes, but there’s still much left to do. Even if we have Leonster back, everyone is still in grave danger,” Leif continues.

“That may be true, but the fight is not yet over. I’m certain that with the two of you, Leonster will-” August is quickly stopped as his horse accidentally bumps into Finn’s. “Bah! So sorry about that, Finn.”

Finn remains silent as his horse stands still.

“Uh, Finn?” Leif walks over to Finn’s horse. “Is everything okay?”

Finn doesn’t speak as he continues glaring in the distance. Leif looks in the direction Finn is staring at and sees members of Seliph’s army going through some training exercises. “Huh, what!?” Finn suddenly mutters with a sudden shake of his head.

“Have you finally returned to us?” August jokingly says.

“You looked a little lost. Do you know anyone else over there?” Leif asks. “Is it that girl?”

“Uh…no,” Finn mutters. Finn glances back at the various members of Seliph’s army. He wonders how many more children bred from Sigurd’s army might be fighting alongside Seliph. Many of the soldiers look around Leif and Seliph’s age, around the same age Finn left for Chalphy, too young to be fighting in a large-scale war. However, Finn spots a woman that appears to be the same age as Leif amongst the group of soldiers. She stands out amongst the other members of the army. She’s wearing a dancer’s outfit, wore tassels and jewelry on her wrists, and had long green hair tied in a ponytail.

“Are you sure?” Leif asks again. “You know, she’s pretty cute.”

“Let’s go,” Finn says, finally getting his horse to move again. “We have a lot of preparations to get through before we head towards Manster. There’s no time to waste.”

Leif keeps his bewildered expression as he glances back at the dancer, then back at the rest of his army. Each soldier seems just as confused as he is.

“There’s no way,” Finn whispers to himself. “There’s no way.”

---

“Leif, please hurry,” Finn mutters as he knocks a Thracian knight off their wyvern outside of Manster Castle.

Once Leif’s army fought their way to Manster Castle, Thracian wyvern knights were soon spotted headed towards the castle with the intent of killing Leif. While Leif and half the army charged into Manster to go after Raydrik, the other half of the army remained to fight off the Thracians.

“Ugh!” Brighton shouts as he throws a hand axe towards a Thracian soldier. “Where is Prince Seliph’s army!? These dastards just keep coming!”

“We can’t keep them away from the castle forever!” Dean exclaims.

“Did they already conquer Conote?” Ronan asks as he shoots down some wyverns with his arrows. “How much longer until they get here?”

“I don’t know!” Finn shouts to his comrades. “Just whatever you do, don't let them near the-” Finn gets cut off when he sees fire magic fly from within the castle and strike down several Thracians. “What the!?”

“Hey who the-” Ronan mutters as he looks towards the castle. “Oh boy, things just got a whole lot easier!” He excitedly shouts as he sees Ced of the Magi Group exit Manster Castle.

“Everyone clear out!” Ced shouts. Finn and the other soldiers quickly disperse before Ced unleashes several bolts of thunder magic above a crowd of wyvern knights. The onslaught of magic prove too much for the Thracians to handle, and each surviving Thracian soon retreats south back to their homeland.

“Ced! That was incredible!” One soldier shouts as Leif’s army quickly surrounds the young sage.

“Thank you, but please!” Ced’s demeanor remains manic. “I’m in a hurry! Where is Finn?”

“Hm,” Finn mutters after hearing his name. “That’d be me,” Finn answers as he gets off of his horse, still huffing and puffing from the battle.

“Ah!” Ced frantically rushes to Finn’s side, “I’m so glad to finally meet you!”

“Uh,” Finn takes a few steps back and raises his hands, surprised and slightly uncomfortable with Ced’s attitude towards him. This is the first time the two had met, but Ced’s acting as if he’s meeting some famous nobleman. “Likewise. I’ve heard a lot about you from Asbel, you trained him well. But now isn’t the time for introductions. We must go inside and aid Lord Leif!”

“Please! This is important! I’m looking for Bishop Saias, is he still around?” Ced hastily asks.

“Saias?” Finn ponders for a moment. “I believe after speaking to Lord Leif he said he was heading to Bragi Tower.”

“How long ago was that? Do you think he’s gotten far?”

“It was around when we first reached Manster,” Finn explains. “It’s safe to assume he’s long gone from here now. He didn’t sound like he was making any stops. I’ve been to Bragi Tower, it’s a long journey from here, I assure you.”

“Blast!” Ced shouts as he kicks the dirt beneath him. “Had I known I could have crossed his path when I had the chance.”

“Whatever business you have with Saias, can it wait until after we deal with Manster?” Finn only became more worried about Leif with each word they spoke.

“Finn, you’re the closest person I have to discuss this with. Can we please chat privately?” Ced remains very insistent.

Despite Finn’s desire to storm the castle, Ced truly seemed to be pleading for Finn to hear him out. “All of you! Go inside and help Lord Leif!” Finn orders as the rest of the army charge Manster Castle. “Okay, what is this about?” Finn asks after releasing an irritated sigh.

“I wanted to speak with Saias because…” Ced seems deeply troubled the more he speaks. “Because he and I are family, but he doesn’t know it.”

“Hm? I don’t know a thing about Saias’s lineage. Karin said you came from Sileese, I couldn’t imagine Saias also came from there. But I still don’t see what this has to do with me.”

“I can explain that. You know the name of the crusader who wielded the Forseti tome, right?”

“Of course, his name was also Ced.”

“You see…” Ced gulps. “My mother decided to name me Ced despite me not carrying any of his holy blood. She wanted… to make sure no one could figure out my true heritage.”

Finn gazes at Ced with intrigue. He figures Ced isn’t telling him this for no reason. The young sage held Finn’s full attention. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I know I could trust you with this information, and because you knew both my parents.”

Finn’s eyes widen. “Another one?” Finn whispers to himself. Finn puts the pieces together and assumes Ced is also a child born from Sigurd’s army. All these youths, forced to fight a war their parents and their parent’s comrades failed to finish. All these poor children forced to live with parents who barely survived traumatic experiences, if they were still breathing at all. Finn can’t help but feel for each and every one of them, no matter how many of them there may be.

“Both my parents fought alongside you and Prince Quan. My mother was Erinys, my father was Azelle of Velthomer.”

“Erinys and Azelle’s son…” Finn can’t help but think back to his days at Sailane Castle in Sileese. Remembering everyone in Sigurd’s army desperately trying to balance training with raising all the children brought a light smile to his face. “Ah, I remember you. You were born not too long after my daughter. I remember everyone saying how much you resembled your mother, it seems that hasn’t changed.” Finn can’t help but reminisce. “You have your father’s talent with magic, but you definitely still have your mother’s looks.”

“Heh.” Ced can’t resist a light chuckle at Finn’s remark. “That’s nice of you to say.”

Finn’s enjoyment of their moment immediately dissipates once he remembers what Oifey and Shannan told him. The fate of Erinys, as well as no word on Azelle, this can’t be easy for the kid. “I’m sorry. Maybe it was insensitive of me to speak about your parents so casually. As well as having familial ties to the emperor, I’m sure this is a touchy subject for you.”

“No no. It’s actually very comforting hearing about my parents in their youth,” Ced assures. “That is one of the reasons I wanted to speak with you so badly. My mother told me about all her old allies when she was able. Once I discovered you were the infamous knight keeping Leif alive throughout the years, I needed to meet you for myself. Anything you can tell me about my parents would mean the world to me to hear.” Ced’s face lights up the longer he talks about Erinys and Azelle. It warms Finn’s soul to see just how much this young man admires his parents. “However, I would like to keep who my father is a secret, at least for now. Hailing from House Velthomer would create… complications… I’m sure some people might question where my loyalty lies. Can’t say I’d blame them either.”

“I understand.”

“If we’re to become comrades from this point on, I would love to hear all kinds of stories of what my parents were like fighting in Lord Sigurd’s army. If you would be kind enough to share them with me.”

“It would be my pleasure, Ced,” Finn says before getting back on his horse. “Now then, I think we ought to-” Finn stops as he notices an army approaching them from the north. “Is that?” Finn moves to a hill to get a better view as Ced follows. “It is! Seliph’s army is approaching! They must have finished off Bloom!”

“They got Bloom!? If that’s the case, then all we need to do is get rid of Raydrik. Northern Thracia will finally be free of the Empire!” Ced announces excitedly.

“Precisely, their timing couldn’t be more perfect. Raydrik will have no chance against both Leif’s and Seliph’s forces.”

“If only they arrived a little sooner. They could have really helped with all the wyve-” Ced suddenly stops.

“All the what?” Finn asks as he looks back at his new ally who is staring off into the distance.

“Look!” Ced shouts pointing towards the mountains south east of the castle. “There’s one more Thracian soldier!”

“What!?” Finn yells before clutching his Brave Lance once more.

“Wait, it’s a woman?” Ced says. “And how long has she been sitting up there?”

Finn stood there in silence.

“Was she there when all her allies were retreating? For how long we’ve been talking, you’d think she would have made a move by now if she was an enemy.”

Finn still says nothing.

“Hey, Finn. Are you hearing me?”

“That’s impossible.”

“What is?”

Finn continues gazing at the female wyvern rider in disbelief until she eventually turns back and flies towards Thracia. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but the lance she held looked identical to the Gáe Bolg .

Chapter 16: Family Legacy

Summary:

Before Finn can discuss what he saw with Leif, he has several visitors who have some questions for him.

After the defeat of Bloom and Raydrik, Seliph and Leif’s armies finally united. Everyone agreed that further conflict with Thracia is unavoidable after their attack during the siege of Manster. The now unified army takes a small break in Meath Castle in order to plan for the coming invasion.

As the night sky hovered over the castle, Finn could not bring himself to fall asleep. He aimlessly stares at the ceiling as he lies down in his quarters, all the while a whole host of thoughts run wild in his head. After fending off Friege’s forces from Leonster Castle for what felt like an eternity, Finn couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at how quickly their situation changed. Finding out Lewyn has been alive all this time, reuniting with Oifey and Shannan, and that conversation he had with Ced. While the arrival of Seliph’s army felt like a massive weight was finally removed from his aching shoulders, he also felt like the over a decade of struggle left him too mentally exhausted to finish what they started. The day he left Silesse, the day Quan and Ethlyn passed, the day Leonster fell, each one continues to haunt him. No matter how he attempts to hide this from his peers, the cracks have begun to show.

Despite all these thoughts spiraling in his head, there’s one point of confusion that’s taking priority on this night. “That woman,” Finn mutters to himself. He has laid eyes on the Gáe Bolg countless times, he knows every inch of that lance like the back of his hand. He may have only seen it from a distance, but he knows that the lance that the rider held was no cheap imitation. The very air itself felt different the moment he saw her atop her wyvern. Afraid to admit it, Finn felt the same way he would feel when he’d see Quan wield that very same weapon. Finn knows Leif only carries minor holy blood and would never be able to wield the Gáe Bolg, and that only leaves one option.

Finn covers his face with both his hands before slowly sitting up. “Lord Leif may still be awake.” If Finn’s theory is true, then he needs to speak with Leif as soon as possible. Finn makes his way to his closed door, but stops in his tracks once he hears multiple knocks on the other side as he reaches for the door knob. “Hm?”

Before Finn could respond to the surprise late-night knocks, he hears muffled voices from the other side of the door.

“Not so loud! I don’t want to wake him up if he’s sleeping,” One voice says.

“Are you sure he wasn’t off somewhere training?” Another voice asks.

“I already checked the training grounds and he wasn’t there,” A third voice says.

“How many people are out there?” Finn wonders.

“I doubt he’s still awake. I knew we should have just waited until morning,” The first voice says.

“It was worth a check at least,” A fourth voice says.

“That one sounded like Ced,” Finn mutters to himself before finally opening the door. “I’m awake so who’s ther-” Finn raised both his eyebrows in shock as he found several members of Seliph’s army outside his door.

“Uh…Hi! Sir!” The young woman closest to the door says. She had small hoop earrings, short green hair, and stood beside Ced.

“Um, Hi?” A bewildered Finn replies. Nine youths dressed in their sleep wear stand outside Finn’s room. Apart from Ced, Finn hasn’t had any real introduction or interaction with any of them. “Why exactly have you all gathered outside my room?”

“You see,” Ced spoke up first. “Umm-”

“My name is Fee!” The girl with the earrings spoke up and extended her open hand like it was a freshly shot arrow, causing both Ced and Finn to wince. “I’m Ced’s younger sister.”

Finn hesitantly shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure, but that doesn’t explain what you’re all doing here. It’s late, you all should get some rest.”

“It’s because of me,” Ced spoke again. “I have a confession. After reuniting with my sister, she introduced me to other members of Seliph’s army. That was when I realized we all came from the same place.”

“Each of our parents were part of Sigurd’s army,” A blonde haired boy wearing a headband says. “Ced told us that you knew our parents back when they all first met. We were hoping we could talk to you about them.”

Finn glances back at Ced with confusion in his eyes. “Are you sure you want to hear from me? I’m certain Shannan or Oifey would have plenty of stories to share.”

“But they weren’t on the battlefield with them like you were!” A girl with short black hair interjects. “I wanna hear how they would fight. I want to be a warrior the same caliber as my mom and dad!”

“I’m sorry, Finn.” Ced interjects. “We were going to wait until tomorrow morning, but each of us couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

Finn takes a moment to examine the group. If each one of these kids were born from Sigurd’s army, then chances are they each grew up without their parents. He can’t help but think of Leif and Nanna as he gazes at each of their youthful faces. Not only that, but now he realizes that most, if not all, of his former comrades were unable to be around their children for very long. He knows firsthand how cruel of a fate that is, and it hurts even more knowing many of his close comrades dealt with that as well. He’s certain they would want their stories to be shared. These children have the right to know exactly what kind of heroes they came from. “If you all really insist. Fine, come inside.”

“Ah! Thank you, Finn!” Ced replies.

Finn steps to the side to let everyone enter his room. All nine of the youths enter in pairs except one. The lone girl in the back wore a red nightgown, and had her green hair tied in a sloppy knot. Finn instantly recognizes her from back in Alster. He feels a large pit in his stomach.

Finn takes a seat on his bed, two kids with violet hair and two kids with blonde hair sit at a table in the corner of the room. Ced, Fee, and two kids with black hair stood in the middle of the room, and the girl with green hair leaned on the wall beside the door. “So.” Finn breaks the silence. “Who wants to talk first?”

Each of them exchange nervous glances. Some of them play with their thumbs, others look down at the floor. Despite their insistence, they all seem very hesitant to ask about their parents. Finn figures talking about their parents would be a sensitive subject, but he also has family business of his own to tend to. “Look, I'm not going to sit here all night.”

“We’ll go,” Ced says as he and Fee step towards Finn.

“Alright, well…” Finn mutters, placing his hand behind his head. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, we grew up with our Mom,” Fee explains. “And she told us all about Sigurd and the army, your name was even brought up a few times.”

“Really? How flattering,” Finn replies.

“But we didn’t get to meet our father,” Fee adds.

“That’s actually why I left Silesse,” Ced interjects. “I was hoping our father might still be out there somewhere, and I wanted to find him in the hopes that he could help Mom fight her illness.” Ced wipes his nose when he mentions Erinys’s disease.

“She talked about Dad a lot, but… I wanna hear about them both from the outside too. I want to know what they were like as people.” Fee finishes.

Finn was not expecting such a complex question. He takes a moment to think before answering, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a whole lot I can say. I knew them, but I wasn’t particularly close with either of them.” He began to feel guilty. He knew that answer wouldn’t satisfy them, and even the slightest bit of information might mean something to them.

Before Fee or Ced could respond, Finn adds, “Your mother was incredibly focused. She was a very dedicated and diligent knight, she took her duty to protect Lewyn very seriously. B-But I’m sure you already knew that.” Finn couldn’t keep himself from stuttering his words, desperate to find anything to say. “Azelle… he was fairly timid when he and I first met. He was really nervous and shy around Sigurd and Quan. It took sometime before he became comfortable around the rest of us.” After taking a second to search through his memories, he recalls more moments he witnessed with the pair. “Ah, but there’s no question they were both incredibly talented at what they did. I remember once, me and some of my comrades were about to be charged by a horde of soldiers. Erinys flew overhead on her pegasus with Azelle seated behind her and set the whole horde ablaze with fire magic before they could even reach us. That was a huge help.”

“Mom never told us about that,” Ced replies with a bright smile.

“Wow!” Fee’s face lit up. “Most pegasi don’t let men ride them. Mom’s pegasus must have adored Dad if they were able to do that.”

“Plus magic from the air sounds like a very effective form of attack. We ought to try that soon, Fee,” Ced adds.

Finn smiles as another memory comes to him. “Funnily enough, both of them actually were interested in two different people when I first met them.”

“Really?” The siblings said in unison.

“Indeed, they were a really surprising couple since they came from two completely different backgrounds with completely different motives for joining the cause. However, once they latched on to each other, their bond could never be severed. I remember seeing at a celebration once, Azelle would use his fire magic to craft different pictures out of pieces of paper. Erinys was usually very stern, but that always got her to smile.”

Fee giggles, “She always talked about Dad’s magic pictures. She’d smile whenever she told us about them.”

Before Finn could realize it, he starts effortlessly listing off various interactions he had with Azelle and Erinys. The memories naturally flowed out of his mouth without any sign of difficulty. Everything came back to him like he just lived through it the day before, much to the delight of Ced and Fee.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Finn!” Fee cheers before giving Finn a hug. “Hearing all this means the world to me.”

“I can’t state how much it means to hear so much about our parents, Finn,” Ced says. “Please if you ever need something, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I’m happy to have been able to enlighten you,” Finn replies. Despite initially becoming overwhelmed, Finn found all the reminiscing rather therapeutic. It had been quite some time since his mood felt this pleasant, and that he was able to think about his old allies without feeling pain in his chest. “You have the right to learn about the strong people you came from.”

After saying goodnight, Ced and Fee leave the room. Finn releases a sigh of relief and hopes to finally relax, until he notices seven people still in his room. “Goodness,” Finn mutters under his breath. “Well, who’s up next?”

“We’re going!” The girl with black hair shouts.

“Ah!” The black haired boy standing beside her winces. “Larcei, you don’t need to be so intense. We’re all getting a turn.”

“Er, sorry,” She replies as the pair approach Finn. “It’s an honor to meet you, Sir! I’m Larcei.”

Finn’s ears twitch when Larcei says her name. He knows he’s heard that name before.

“My name is Ulster. Thank you for talking to us,” The boy states.

Finn sat on his bed in silence for a few moments, only having a light smile form on his face.

“Um, is everything okay?” Larcei asks.

The siblings remind Finn so much of his old friends, he doesn’t even feel the need to ask who their parents are. “I remember you two. As far as I can recall, there was only one pair of twins born in our army.”

Larcei and Ulster gasp in unison. Their hardened dispositions instantly become much softer as their curious eyes gaze into Finn’s.

Finn stands up and gazes right back at the young twins. The warmth he felt from talking about Azelle and Erinys began to return to him. “You both look so much like your mother, but I can see it in your eyes. That wild passion Lex had, there’s no doubt it’s within both of you.”

Larcei began grinning ear to ear while Ulster stood in awe as his cheeks grew red. “You really are the real deal!” Larcei shouts.

“Miss Edain told us a lot about our parents but,” Ulster hesitates. “Could you please tell us anything you can!?”

Finn’s first impression of Ulster was that he was a very reserved and composed young man as opposed to Larcei who seems to wear her heart on her sleeve. Finn’s surprised to see that the intensity of their parents resides in Ulster as well, but delighted all the same. “With pleasure.”

Larcei bombards Finn with question after question about Ayra’s sword technique, which Finn struggles to answer. Finn shares with them a time when Lex claims a woman appeared out of a lake and gave him a brave axe. The twins scoff it off until they remember Edain told them the same thing. Larcei and Ulster were both shocked to hear that Ayra fought while she was pregnant with them, even if she didn’t know it, but were delighted to hear how Lex rushed to her side when she was feeling sick.

“Your father…” Finn continues. “…was a very intense man. He wasn’t always the kindest, but, once he trusted you, he had your back like no other. Ayra was the same way. His loud attitude really put a strain on her sometimes, but he couldn’t help but endear himself to her. They’re, to this day, some of the toughest soldiers I’ve ever met. You two come from amazing roots.”

Larcei and Ulster both had tears swelling up in their eyes throughout Finn’s stories. Ulster wipes his eyes with his sleeve as Finn finishes. “T-Thank you, Finn. This really was-”

Larcei interrupts Ulster with a loud cry, unable to hold back her tears any longer. The whole room’s attention goes to her in surprise. This young woman who is at all times such a fierce sword-master, someone who is so fiery and aggressive, is now bawling her eyes out.

Ulster puts his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “I think we’re going to go,” Ulster says as he and Larcei make their way to the door. “Again. Thank you so much, Finn. This made us feel much clo-”

“O-One last thing!” Larcei mutters through her cries.

“What is it?” Finn asks while Ulster gazes at Larcei in confusion.

Larcei wipes her nose and says, “Do you know if-”

Ulster grabs his sister’s arm, interrupting her question. “Don’t do it, Larcei. You’re just gonna hurt yourself,” He says with a gravely serious expression.

“Lemme go!” Larcei mutters as she forces her arm out of his grip and aims her gaze back to Finn. “Do you know if our mom is alive? Do you think she’s out there? Maybe you’ve heard from her?”

Finn’s heart sank when he heard that question. He feels the right thing to do is to tell her the truth, but the desperation in her eyes made it impossible for Finn to get the words out. He can see it in her face just how badly she wished for Ayra to still be out there somewhere. Finally, Finn manages to form an answer. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve been on the Thracian Peninsula since even before Belhalla. I don’t know anything about what or who’s beyond here.” He hated having to break her heart in such a way, and he could tell by how Larcei’s eyes shot to the floor just how hopeless she felt. Finn recalls how many times he’s put others in this exact same position, he knew now just how harsh both sides felt.

“Right. I understand. Goodnight everyone.” Larcei mutters before quickly shuffling out of the room.

“Yeah, goodnight,” Ulster utters with a sigh before following her.

Finn clears his throat, that last question hitting him like a dagger to the ribs. “Alright, who’s next?” He asks the five remaining youths in his room.

The girl with green hair continues to stare at the floor, and the two pairs of kids sitting at the table stare at each other. “Us,” The blonde boy speaks up. He and the blonde girl beside him stand up and approach Finn. “I’m Febail,” The boy says while Finn wonders if he actually sleeps in that headband.

“I’m Patty,” The blonde girl says. Patty has long blonde hair tied in a tight braid that hangs down to her waist.

“I’m guessing you two are siblings too?” Finn asks.

“That’s right! This here’s my big bro!” Patty lightly smacks Febail’s right arm.

Finn places his hands on his knees and takes a long look at Febail and Patty. He knew about Ced and Fee’s parents from his initial conversation with Ced, and he remembered that Lex and Ayra were the only ones with twins, however he couldn’t figure out Febail and Patty’s lineage just by their appearance. Be that as it may, Finn did get a very familiar feeling from being around Febail, the same feeling he’s getting from the violet haired boy still seated at the table. There isn’t a doubt in Finn’s mind that these two boys carry major holy blood in their veins. “Well,” Finn finally speaks up. “Who do you two want to know about?”

“We don’t have a lot to go off of, we both grew up in an orphanage. Our father…we don’t know who our father was,” Febail explains in a melancholic tone. “We don’t even know his name. Our mom’s name was Brigid…”

Finn’s fingers dig into his knees once he hears Brigid’s name.

“…and apparently she was a pirate, but she was originally from Grannvale. Apart from that we haven’t a clue,” Febail finishes.

“Hm, that was all you needed to say,” Finn felt grateful that they wanted to know about someone he has quite a lot to say about. He could continue without worry of disappointing them. “If that’s your mother, then your father’s name was Midir. He was a knight in service to House Jungby, the same house your mother hailed from…and was supposed to lead.”

Patty gasps. “Oh my. I know you know your stuff and all, but I wasn’t expecting you to answer so quickly.”

“Same here,” Febail adds.

Finn begins speaking with more confidence in his voice. “Believe it or not, Midir and I were real good friends. We both joined the army for the same reason, loyalty to our lieges. Sigurd often sent the two of us together on side tasks if the army needed to split up so we spent a lot of time together.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Febail replies. “We really haven’t heard anything about him over the years. We’re really grateful to have you here to tell us about him,” Febail says with the first smile Finn has seen him with.

“It’s my pleasure, he and I were very close. He was right next to me when I first met my beloved, and I was right by his side when he met Brigid,” Finn continues.

“Awww, that’s so sweet!” Patty gushes.

“You ought to hear how he met your mother,” Finn says with a small chuckle. “He was like an animal finding their first piece of food after a really brutal season. I’m not sure how he managed to woo her, he had some rotten luck with women before.”

“Uh, Finn?” Febail asks.

“His charm may have needed work, but I can’t take away his ability as a knight. He was truly skilled with a bow, and I’m sure aiming a bow atop a horse can’t be easy,” Finn continues.

“Finn.” Patty says.

“We were both on the lower tier of Sigurd’s army. Amongst all the holy warriors, we were both just loyal knights trying to protect those we were sworn to. Hm, perhaps that’s one of the reasons we bonded so easily,” Finn wonders. “Most of the time we ended up working together just by the chance that Sigurd sent us off together, but I think it was best that way. Even when my daughter was born, Midir was one of the guys who were helping me go through the stress building up to it. In hindsight, him being there certainly help-”

“FINN!” Febail and Patty shout.

“Eh, wha?” Finn was barely affected by their scream. “Was, was I rambling?”

“No, er, actually yeah,” Febail explains. “But we don’t mind, this is all nice to hear. Knowing I come from a family of archers is really calming actually. But, you, um.”

“Finn, y-you started crying a little bit ago,” Patty hesitantly states.

“What?” Finn utters in surprise. “But I’m not-” Finn says before feeling his face and discovering streams of tears running down his cheeks. “Huh?”

“Here,” The violet haired girl walks over to Finn and hands him a handkerchief before returning to the table.

“Thank you,” Finn replies as he wipes his face. “I’m not sure what came over me. I hadn’t thought about Midir in so many years. After everything I’ve gone through I guess I forgot how much I,” Finn stops talking to wipe his nose. “How much I missed him.” A silence falls over the room while Finn collects his thoughts, “Well, where was I?”

Finn continues to share stories about Midir to his children, all while internally struggling to keep his emotions in check. Patty and Febail share a hearty laugh when Finn described Midir’s first interaction with Brigid. While Finn’s time knowing Brigid was brief, he did manage to find a few different ways to describe their mother to them. However, as Finn was winding down his stories, there remains one thought swirling in his head. He was fighting his own internal war on whether or not this is something he ought to tell them.

Patty and Febail say their goodnights and begin to approach the door. 

“W-Wait. One last thing,” Finn mutters before he could think any further, instantly regretting his choice.

“Hm, what is it?” Febail asks.

Sweat begins rolling down Finn’s neck. If his hunch is correct he could never forgive himself if he didn’t tell them, but if he’s wrong he would be giving these poor children false hope.

After rescuing Eyvel from Manster, Finn had finally confronted her with his belief that she was his long thought dead comrade Brigid. Even taking her amnesia into account, Eyvel claimed there was no way she could be Brigid, nor that she carried any major holy blood within her. Not only that, Eyvel chose to return to Fiana rather than join them in assisting Seliph. While Finn respected Eyvel’s wishes and chose not to pry into her personal life, he still believed deep in the recesses of his soul that Eyvel was Brigid. From the moment he arrived in Fiana all he saw when he looked at Eyvel was Brigid, fighting alongside her only strengthened his suspicions. However, he could never forgive himself if he was wrong and crushed these two’s dream of reuniting with their mother. His certainty of Eyvel’s identity is strong, but his knowledge of how loss and grief affects a person made him hesitant.

Finn already got their attention and knew he had to say something. “I…I can’t say for sure, but I believe your mother is alive out there.”

The siblings gasp and lock eyes with each other.

“I don’t know what it’ll take, but I have hope you two will see her again.” Finn couldn’t bring himself to tell them the whole truth, but if Eyvel is truly Brigid then her children have the right to know.

“Well that just means we gotta keep on surviving!” Patty pumps  her fist in the air.

“That’s the best news I coulda possibly heard. Very first thing we’re doing when this war is over is going out and bringing her home,” Febail says, unable to contain his smile.

“Mhm!” Patty replies.

“Thank you for everything, Finn,” Febail finishes before he and Patty leave the room.

Finn shuts his eyes and does a quick silent prayer, praying that Brigid will return to her old self once again. He’s certain that Febail and Patty would welcome Mareeta with open arms as well. The thought helped put his stressing mind at ease. “Alright, that leaves the three of you.”

“You two go,” The green haired girl leaning on the wall says. She had remained silent since the big group all initially stormed into Finn’s room, and has remained on the wall throughout all the stories. Finn found her behavior peculiar, but still couldn’t help but feel troubled every time he looked at her. He could only bear it for a second or two until he felt forced to look away.

“Fine then,” The violet haired boy gets up from his chair and the girl beside him slowly follows.

Finn couldn’t guess just by looking who the parents of these two are, but he could feel a strong familiarity with both of them. The girl’s appearance did remind him of someone but he couldn’t quite recall who, and something about the boy reminded Finn of the past. He quickly became interested in the origins of these two.

“My name is Arthur, and this is my sister, Tine.” Arthur says. Tine stands behind her brother and lightly waves at Finn as Arthur introduces her.

Finn felt a confidence from Arthur he didn’t feel from any of the other kids, except maybe Febail, and despite her willingness to lend him her handkerchief earlier, Tine seems very reserved. He could already sense that Arthur must have major holy blood flowing within him, now there’s just the matter of who it came from. “It’s a pleasure to meet the two of you. Now who do I need to discuss this time?”

“Tailtiu is our mother,” Arthur explains.

Finn nods. Now that he’s reminded of Tailtiu he can see the resemblance, especially in Tine. He recalls Shannan and Oifey telling him Tailtiu may have been held somewhere north from here, but judging by the fact that she wasn’t with them when Seliph’s army reconvened with them at Manster, Finn assumes she must have not survived. “I can’t say a whole lot. Her and I didn’t spend a lot of time together. What about your father?”

“Lewyn,” Arthur replies.

Finn sat motionless for a few moments. Arthur and Tine glance at each other in confusion. “Come again?” Finn asks.

“Our father is Lewyn, the would-be king of Silesse. We were told he passed away on the battlefield alongside Sigurd and the others,” Arthur explains.

Finn had a perplexed expression on his face. Finn saw Lewyn with his own two eyes just a few short months ago, and he spoke to Oifey and Shannan about him when they all regrouped back in Alster. Finn knows Lewyn is very much alive. Finn couldn’t fathom why Lewyn would hide his existence from his own children, or why Oifey and Shannan wouldn’t inform them of this. “Have you spoken to Oifey and Shannan about your father?”

“They just confirmed what I was told. My mom and Tine were taken from me when I was little and I grew up with Fee, Ced, and Queen Erinys. She told me she saw my father fall,” Arthur continues.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Finn replies. “Lewyn-” Just as Finn spoke his name he felt a strong gust of wind brush against his back. “Hm!?” Finn turns his head towards the lone window behind him, it was closed just as it’s been all night. “What the..?”

“Finn, you were saying? What about him?” Arthur asks.

Finn turns his head back towards Arthur and Tine. “Ahem, well your father-” Another gust of wind pushes Finn’s body. He examines the other three people in his room, none of them seem to have noticed either times the wind blew. “So that’s his game,” Finn mutters to himself.

“Hm? What’d you say?” Arthur asks.

Despite knowing he’s around, Finn hasn’t seen Lewyn since the day Lewyn showed himself in Leonster. Oifey wasn’t kidding when he said Lewyn isn’t easy to track down. Finn hasn’t had many run-ins with Seliph, so he hasn’t had the chance for Lewyn to show himself. Plus, he figures Oifey and Shannan must have their own reasons as to why they haven’t talked to Arthur or Tine about it. He doesn’t know how he’ll do it, but Finn’s determined to find a way to speak with his old friend and find out just what exactly is going on with him. First however, Finn needs to address these two. “Well, what do you two want to know?” 

“I heard a lot about my parents from Erinys,” Arthur answers. “This is more for Tine’s sake, and I didn’t want her to have to ask all this alone.”

“That’s fine.” Finn looks over at Tine who still remained standing slightly behind Arthur. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll answer whatever question you have if I can.”

Tine finally moves to stand beside her brother. “Arthur told me that Mother was a really cheerful person in her younger days,” Tine says.

“That’s just what Erinys told me,” Arthur adds.

“Is this true?” Tine asks with her head down.

Finn takes a moment to jog his memory. After Tailtiu first arrived alongside Father Claud and he and the others rescued them from the pirates at Bragi Tower, the two of them hardly spoke. He recalled seeing Lewyn consistently try to woo her back in Sailane, however by that point most of Finn’s time was spent either training or spending it with Silvia. After that he would return to Leonster with Quan and Ethlyn so he barely fought alongside her. He even had more time with Brigid than with Tailtiu. Even still, he had to draw from the limited memories he had of her.

“From what I recall, yes. She was always smiling whenever I saw her. The members of Sigurd’s army from Grannvale mostly all knew her, so they were all already friends for the most part.” Finn struggled to find things to say. He’d have plenty to say about Lewyn if she asked about him, but he has very little he can say about Tailtiu. “I’m sorry, I wish I could say more.” Finn felt guilty, after he was able to tell so much to the others, he felt horrible for not being able to tell Tine much of anything. Finn rubs the back of his head awkwardly, “If you’d like I could-” Finn stops talking once he notices Tine starting to sniffle.

“Tine,” Arthur mutters as he places a hand on his younger sister’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“Mom,” Tine utters under her breath. “Her being around a bunch of caring friends. Smiling…” Tine lifts her face, and under her tears she grew a warm smile. “Imagining that… makes me so happy.” Although her tears didn’t stop, her tone became much brighter. “I never got to see my mother smile. Things were so hard for so long, I never saw her happy or even have friends to rely on. When Arthur told me what she was like I couldn’t even fathom it, but it really is true.”

Finn smiles. “Indeed it is. She even could be a bit sassy. Your father used to be a bit of a flirt when I first met him, and when he’d hit on Tailtiu she wasn’t having any of it. It was quite a sight to witness. People really seemed to like having her around. I just wish everyone could have been brought together under better circumstances.” Finn suddenly finds himself troubled.

“Something the matter?” Arthur asks.

“You know,” Finn utters. “The whole army was just a big group of knights, royals, and even some sellswords. Different status, different homelands, even different reasons we started fighting.” Finn begins gripping his knees as hard as he could to keep himself composed. “We all just happened to end up fighting for the same goal, and then when the empire turned on us…” Finn pauses for a moment. Arthur, Tine, and the green haired girl all stare intently at him. “We felt more secluded, yet more united at the same time. Telling all these stories tonight, thinking back on all the memories I have with everyone, it feels like we were all one big family. A big family that…” Images of the day he left Sailane begin flashing through his head. Finn recalls the last time he saw Silvia and his daughter, as well as the day Quan and Ethlyns' remains were discovered in Yied. He began imagining all of his old friends being pelted with meteors as Sigurd gets incinerated by Arvis. Finn began sweating profusely and breathing dangerously quick.

“H-Hey!” Arthur shouts as he and the others rush to Finn’s side. “Finn, get a hold of yourself!”

Finn looked as if he didn’t even notice they were in front of him as he blankly stared ahead with a haunting expression. His breathing grows even more rapid.

“S-Should we go get someone?” The green-haired girl asks.

“Do you think a cleric could help him?” Tine asks. 

“I don’t know which ones are even awake right now,” Arthur says. “Do you have a dance that could calm him down, Lene?”

“I-I’m not even in my gear!” Lene replies. “I doubt that-”

“Dance…” Finn mutters.

“Huh?” Lene says.

Out of all the different memories flooding through his mind, Finn finally manages to settle on one. He thought back to the celebration for Seliph’s birth, and how Silvia wowed the entire party with her dance. She had danced for him many times, but that one will always be the one he looks back on the most. That was the moment he knew he wanted to be with her. “Silvi…” He whispers to himself. After thinking about Silvia’s dancing, he manages to slow his breathing.

“Y-You okay now?” Arthur asks.

Finn wipes some sweat off his brow and grabs the glass of water he left sitting on the bedside table. “I’m okay, I’ll be okay,” He says before taking a drink and placing it back down.

“O-Okay then,” Arthur mutters. “Well if you’re sure. You already confirmed what I told Tine, so I think we can go. I’m sure you must be exhausted after everyone kept you up so late.”

“You don’t want to hear about your father?” Finn asks, surprised they were already done. “He and I were actually really good friends.”

“I don’t know the first thing about him,” Tine confesses. “Bloom and Hilda forbid my mom from ever talking about him. I don’t have a clue what to ask.”

“Don’t worry,” Arthur interjects. “I have plenty of stories memorized from Erinys I can tell you about. Now that we have some moments of rest I can finally tell them to you. But just in case.” Arthur turns back to Finn, “If more things come up, we’d be honored if you could indulge us another time, Finn.”

Finn smiles, “I’d be happy too.”

“Thank you for tonight, Finn.” Arthur says.

“Y-Yes, thank you very much,” Tine adds with a bow. “Goodnight,” She says before she and Arthur leave the room.

While he’s grateful the two of them manage to leave satisfied, that doesn’t change the fact that Finn still plans to confront Lewyn. He hasn’t the slightest clue why he would hide from his children, nor why Shannan and Oifey won’t tell them he’s alive. “All children deserve to have their father in their life,” Finn mutters under his breath.

“Hm, what’d you say?” Lene asks.

“Oh, oh it was nothing,” Finn replies. He takes a moment to look around the room, each of the kids all left except one. The lone girl who stood behind all the others and only recently decided to speak up. More importantly, this girl reminded Finn so much of someone else. He simultaneously looked forward and dreaded the moment she became ready to talk. “Looks like it’s just you and me now. Ms..?”

“Lene, my name is Lene,” She replies. Lene finally got off the wall after Finn began panicking, and now that Arthur and Tine left, she found herself face to face with Finn.

“Lene.” The two of them remained silent for a few moments, but for Finn, each passing second felt like hours. He wants to believe this is who he thinks it is, but his heart knows better than to get his hopes up. “Well then, who are your parents?”

“I don’t know who they are.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t know who they are. I don’t know their names, faces, or even where they’re from.”

Finn quickly became unsettled about how bluntly Lene was able to speak about her parents. “With all due respect, why did you come here then? I can’t say much if I don’t know who I’m talking about.”

“The others dragged me here. I wasn’t planning on coming along, but they all insisted. Ever since Ares brought me over here to join Seliph and everyone, it’s been so crazy busy and dangerous with all the fighting, I haven’t had the chance to talk with Shannan or Oifey about this. They all mentioned to me that they were gonna come see you tonight, so I figure you might be able to tell me about my mother.”

Finn’s ears perked when she said that. “Oh? Well, is there anything you know about your mother?”

“Only thing I know is that she apparently ran with Sigurd’s army way back when, and that she was a dancer.”

Finn’s heart sunk when she said that. That descriptor could only match one single person.

“I was left at an orphanage in Darna before I could even remember. My foster parents told me what the nun at the orphanage told them, that apparently my mother was a member of the late Sigurd’s army and that she was a dancer. That’s the whole reason I became a dancer, I wanted to find her.” The more Lene spoke, the more choked up she became. She took a seat beside Finn on his bed and her whole body began to lightly shake. “I want to believe she’s still out there. I need to find her. I need to understand why I was left there, why she left me!” She shouts.

Finn was lost in his own head until Lene shouted, snapping him back to reality. He clasps his hands and then stares at the ground briefly before looking back at Lene.

Lene puts her face in her hands and releases a long sigh. “Sorry, I try not to give people my sob story. I know I didn’t have it any worse than any of the other guys that were in here tonight. I just-”

“No. Don’t apologize, Lene.”

“H-Huh?”

“You might have just proven something to me today. Something I knew from the moment I first saw you but was too afraid of being wrong to address.” Finn turns to Lene with a gravely serious expression, but with pleading wishful eyes. His face is that of a drained, exhausted warrior, who is one more strife away from catastrophe, but has a single remaining flicker of hope within him. “Lene, how old are you?”

“What? What does that have to do with..?” Lene got thrown completely off with that question. She hadn’t a clue why he’d ask that now of all times with that frightening look on his face. While hesitant, she tells Finn her age.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Finn says after hearing her answer. “I-It all adds up,” Finn mutters as he lowers his head and slowly begins sobbing.

“F-Finn what’s wrong? Do you need me to go get someone?” Lene says as she jumps to her feet.

“No, you don’t understand. It’s not out of sadness,” Finn replies, much to Lene’s confusion. “I should have said something from the very beginning, you look so much like your mother after all,” Finn says as he also gets to his feet. “I just. My heart couldn’t take being hurt again if I was wrong.”

“Finn. What are you going on about?” Lene says, slowly backing up.

“Lene, your mother’s name is Silvia. Her and I were lovers, and before we were separated…” Finn struggles to speak through his cries, but he’s experiencing a joy he thought would never be in his life ever again. “Before we were separated, we had a daughter.”

“W-What the? Finn, are you saying-”

“I don’t expect you to believe me. You can talk with Oifey and Shannan and they can confirm it. It’s the truth, there’s no denying it.” Finn gently places his hands on Lene’s shoulders. “You’re my daughter, Lene.”

Lene backs up again, forcing her own back against the wall once more. “W-Wait just a second! This is a lot you’re throwing on me all at once, you know! I-I mean I couldn’t even begin to imagine what my father was like or who he is! Although…” Lene begins fiddling with her thumbs. “Everyone else’s parents seemed to have all got together in the army. I guess if my mom was a part of that army it makes sense it’d happen to her.”

“Lene.” Finn fought off his tears, but struggled to keep his emotions in check. He wants to give her a hug, ask her all about her life, but he knows her mind must be in a whirlwind at the moment. “Your mother and I were in love, but I couldn’t be there for her when she needed me the most. Because of that, I couldn’t be there for you either. I was all the way in Leonster when everything happened. I had no idea what happened to you two. No one had any clues about her whereabouts or even if you two survived. Not a day went by where I didn’t think about you and your mother, and I truly believed I’d never see either of you again. But after all these years…” Finn couldn’t hold back the smile on his face. “…I’ve finally found you.”

“Finn. You…” Lene goes back to staring at the ground. “Listen, I don’t,” Lene mutters before looking back up at Finn. She gazes deep into his eyes and her heart skips a beat. She can’t understand it, but standing this close to him and looking into his eyes is making her feel warm inside, even comfortable. The feeling of someone she could depend on, a protector. She didn’t believe Finn was lying. “I…” Her body moves before she can think. Next thing she knew she leaped toward Finn, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing as hard as she could. Soon enough she began bawling her eyes out into his chest.

Finn gets caught off guard initially, but quickly wraps his arms around his daughter in a warm embrace. “It’s okay, Lene. It’s okay,” He says while rubbing the back of her head.

“Fi-” Lene didn’t feel like she could call him Dad, but didn’t feel comfortable just calling him Finn. “I…it’s been a really long night, and I need some time to process all of this,” She says before letting go and stepping towards the door. “I think I’m gonna go back to my quarters for the night. I need to rest my head.”

“That’s okay, Lene,” Finn says with a smile as he wipes his eyes. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow.”

Notes:

Here is my magnum opus. Easily the best thing I've ever written up till this point, at least I think so. This is my grand sweep on the life of Finn from Fire Emblem 4. Like always if you have any thoughts on my work I would greatly appreciate it if you left a comment sharing your opinions with me. The feedback is the best part. Either leaving a comment here or reaching out to me on my twitter. I hope you enjoy!
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