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There were many things that seemed destined to happen in Jugdral. Whether it was the series of events resulting in Lana’s family hiding in Tirnanog or the inevitable disrepair of her mend staff, there was no way to avoid them. Although it could bring a sense of helplessness to know what’s coming with no way to avoid it, one could at least have the comfort of knowing what to expect from their future. And if there was one thing Lana was certain would happen, it was that she and Seliph were going to get together. One day, he’d ask her to marry him, and they’d live happily ever after in Grannvale. That was the way things were destined to be. There was no need to pay attention to either of their current love lives when their ending was set in stone.
All of that changed when an unfamiliar blonde troubadour appeared in their home castle one afternoon.
The liberation army was preparing to take on the Aed Desert and assist Prince Leif. Lana had been at the blacksmith’s repairing her mend staff when she saw a flash of light in the corner of her eye. Coming back to the castle’s main entrance, she was greeted with the sight of a girl not much younger than her smoothly dismounting from her horse. With her head held high, she introduced herself as Princess Nanna of Nordion, and asked if there were any competent healers around. All she had was a simple heal staff, and the others at Leonster needed someone with better equipment. Her friend Julia went to move forward, but Lana caught Lewyn motioning for her to stay where she was.
And so, Lana was the only healer there who could do the job.
She had stepped forward to prepare to be warped by her to Leonster, but looking at Nanna, an odd feeling stirred inside of her. She had everything Lana lacked. Grace, charm, confidence. If she flipped open a dictionary to the word “princess”, there would surely be an image of Nanna in there. And while Lana, too, was a princess, she couldn’t help the feelings of envy that rapidly grew. She was told to not tell anyone that she was a royal of Verdane, but it was an easy task considering she hardly looked like one… Who was she in comparison to this girl that was essentially a better version of her?
But then she saw that she wasn’t alone. Seliph was also staring at Nanna, but in a much different way. She had never seen him look at someone like that before. Not any girls, nor any boys, and certainly not Lana herself. If she wasn’t mistaken…
It almost looked like he was in love.
Clearly she wasn’t the only one who noticed, as she heard someone joke, “Do I hear wedding bells ringing?”. Everyone’s eyes were suddenly on those two.
And before her mind could process what was happening, there was a blinding flash of white light, and she was face-to-face with who she guessed was Prince Leif.
So, there she was, mend staff in hand, still reeling from the expression she saw on Seliph’s face, and thrust into a battle in unfamiliar territory. Thankfully, she was able to keep to the sidelines for the most part. Just repeatedly healing the prince as he threw himself into the forces of Ulster over and over again, and occasionally stopping to check on the blue-haired knight - Finn, she had heard Prince Leif call him - who was by his side. Normally a job that easy would’ve been appreciated - especially after the amount of dodging enemy attacks she had to do in Isaach - but all it did was let her thoughts circle back to Nanna and Seliph.
Had she said something wrong that would’ve pushed him away? Did he think she was somehow falling for someone else? Should she have made a move, so that they would be an official couple already? Or - oh, Naga, she was stupid! Seliph just thought Lana was his friend, didn’t he? Here she was dreaming of some future life with three beautiful children, two cats, and-
“Lana, look out!”
Thanks to Prince Leif’s call, she was just barely able to dodge a bolt of lightning that was sent her way. The threat was quickly taken care of as Finn took down the enemy mage with ease, but she was still shaking, realizing that she almost died because she couldn’t stop thinking about Seliph. This wasn’t even the first time this had happened; the exact same situation had happened in Isaach, where she was almost cut down by an axe fighter because she kept obsessing over staying as close as she possibly could to him! And how many times before that, where she had completely missed something due to fixating on someone who didn’t see the same future she did?
After quickly thanking the two, Lana told herself to stop thinking about him. Stop thinking about him and her lost future, and focus on what’s in front of her.
The rest of Ulster’s army was cleaned up rather quickly. She could still see King Bloom scowling at them from the castle, but he also hadn’t changed positions for the entire time Lana had been there; it was safe to say they were probably fine. While she was glad the fight was over for now, she felt rather awkward being around two people she hardly knew. She had a Return Ring with her, but she didn’t want to suddenly abandon Leif and Finn. As if he had read her mind, the former walked up to her in that instant.
“We’ll stay here and guard Leonster,” he told her. “You can rejoin the others if you want.”
“Thank you,” Lana said with a polite smile. “It was an honour to fight alongside you both.”
As she used her Return Ring, she felt a rush of nervousness. Seliph would be there, right? She had told herself to just leave him be, but that quickly became impossible. She couldn’t get over this situation, could she? He and Princess Nanna were going to be right there-
-but he wasn’t. Nobody was. There was nobody in Rivough. Everyone had left.
Lana didn’t know what she expected. Of course they had to keep moving. Seliph wouldn’t delay the entire army for her return. But regardless, she still felt hurt. Why didn’t anyone - not a single person at all - wait for her? She tentatively stepped outside the castle, and saw nothing but the endless dunes of the desert. It felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart. She tried to tell herself that the rest of the army had more important goals, but she couldn’t stop herself from crashing to the ground and beginning to cry. Nobody stayed - not even her own brother.
A foreign land, and she was completely alone.
Sobbing in the desert sand, all she wanted was to leave. She didn’t want to be there all by herself while everyone she cared about went off without her. And she wished she wasn’t curled up on the ground. She wished she was somewhere different. Maybe even somewhere with a person who would’ve waited.
The Return Ring that was still clutched in her fist began to glow.
-
Normally, someone shouldn’t feel anything when being warped. But strangely enough, it felt like Lana was wrapped in a warm, comforting embrace. She could almost imagine her mother’s arms around her when she was young. Memories she thought she would’ve been too young to remember flooded her mind. A woman’s face - much like her mother’s, yet ever so slightly different -, a flash of brown hair, a man in white and blue holding a sword. And a voice, familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time…
“Everything will be okay.”
Lana blinked, tears still falling from her eyes, and saw an unfamiliar town in front of her. She could hear the hustle and bustle of a market, voices of people haggling for better prices and merchants advertising their wares. She slowly got to her feet and entered, wiping away her tears, but was quickly swept up in the chaos of the crowd. There were so many people that she was being pushed further in, unable to fight her way out. She finally managed to free herself from the mass of eager customers when she ended up shoved against the door of a tavern, and took the chance to enter in order to escape.
Inside wasn’t much better. Lana wasn’t sure what she had expected when she had opened the door, but she supposed she should’ve figured that it would be loud and rowdy at this time of day. Drinking songs, the sound of fights brewing, and the shouts of the bar-goers echoed around her. Amidst the crowd, she saw there was a green-haired dancer dancing on a stage, twirling pink ribbons with expert technique. Lana’s eyes were still red from crying, but something about the sheer joy in the room from the patrons cheering her on lifted her spirits. Soon, she found herself right there with them, clapping for the girl, her misfortune forgotten for a time.
Once the dancer had finished and waved goodbye before exiting, she went to find a table to sit at to get some food, remembering that she hadn’t eaten since the morning. All the tables were taken, unfortunately, but as she went to leave the tavern, she noticed there was an empty seat at the back of the room. She would have to share the table with the mysterious man that was there too, which did make her nervous, but she went to sit down regardless.
“Is this seat taken?” she asked politely, figuring she should at least check in before she sat next to the man, and thankfully he gave her a shake of his head. Their corner was weirdly dark, and she could hardly make out what he looked like aside from a vague silhouette.
Lana had a sneaking suspicion he wasn’t in the mood for a conversation, so she kept quiet, save for when a woman arrived to take her order.
Unfortunately, the “Jugdral-famous” stew she had ordered ended up being the wrong choice. After almost spitting out the first spoonful, all she could do was stare at it with displeasure. Part of her wondered if the cloaked man was going to find her weird for not touching her food - he certainly had no issues with the ale he had ordered, from the looks of it -, but before she could dwell on it, someone finally lit a candle near their table, and she got a view of his face.
Lana wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it certainly wasn’t a man who couldn’t be more than three years her senior. There was something about him that was…well, her cheeks were red as a tomato. She couldn’t help herself from staring into his eyes, shining almost scarlet in the lighting.
“You’re staring,” he finally spoke, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Have you never seen someone drink?”
“Well, I…er…” she trailed off.
Avoiding the question, she tried to take another bite of her stew, and was promptly reminded of its horrible taste.
“...Did you enjoy the performance?” she asked, trying to recover from her embarrassment.
He paused for a moment, and Lana instantly regretted what she said. Was this how she was going to find out the dancer was his ex-girlfriend or something?
“Yes. Lene is a skilled dancer.” He took another drink of his ale. Still dying a little inside, Lana briefly wondered if she should ask for one herself at that point. After that stew, though, she wasn’t taking any chances.
While there was a part of her that was curious about the history there, she didn’t want to make him mad by prying. She figured she may as well find out where she had landed while she had the opportunity.
“This may sound a little strange to you, but…what town are we in?”
He gave her an odd look. “Dahna?”
Lana nodded slowly. In other words, it would be a while before the liberation army would get there, if they’re still meeting up with Shannan. She felt a strange sort of relief at that. Seeing Seliph holding hands with Nanna would be…
She shook her head. Thinking about it wouldn’t do her any good now. “Sorry for asking the obvious. To tell you the truth, I’m not exactly sure what I did to get here.” The blonde gave her another strange look, and Lana held back a sigh, knowing her words sounded unbelievable.
“I’m assuming you have some sort of amnesia, then?”
“Well, it was less amnesia and more of a magic malfunction?” (Were Rings considered magical items?) “Before it happened, I was feeling a bit down, and then there was this flash of light from my Return Ring. I opened my eyes and I was at the entrance to the city, without any of my possessions. Oh! Except for the Ring, which was still in my hand.”
It would’ve been incredible luck if he had happened to be some sort of expert on magical items, but Lana didn’t want to get her hopes up. Even so, she slid it across the table, for the slim chance she’d get an answer as to what happened. The blonde picked it up, and his eyes widened.
“This…could it be?” While the lighting wasn’t the best, Lana could’ve sworn he had paled when he looked at it. “Where did you find this?”
“It was my mother’s,” she explained. “She used to be…” Was it wise to say her mother had been in Lord Sigurd’s army? She knew he was still seen as a traitor by some, after all… “…er, she knew this girl who was the original owner and bought it from her. I think that she got it after fighting a general?” She paused. “…Is something wrong, sir?”
“You…that girl must’ve been Aunt Lachesis…” He looked her right in the eyes, and Lana felt a hint of nervousness. “There’s no doubt, then. Your mother was a friend of my late aunt.”
“Lady Lachesis? She was! My mother was Lady Edain of Yngvi.” Her eyes brightened, recalling that the two had talked quite a bit before her mother left for Isaach. If Lady Lachesis trusted her with her son, there was no doubt about their friendship. “So that makes us friends too, right?”
Lana caught the faintest hint of a smile on his face. “I suppose it does.”
“I should introduce myself, then. My name is Lana.”
“And I am Ares, known as the Black Knight.” He then looked away for a moment, as if debating on whether he should continue. “Or, the prince of Agustria.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” she smiled.
She wondered if he’d consider joining the liberation army. They may be separated, but she still wanted to do something to help. Ares would certainly be a very powerful ally. Although, she’d have to handle paying for her meal, first. She reached into her bag of gold to-
…it had been left at Rivough. Of course.
Lana was at a loss on what to do. She didn’t even have anything she could sell! Well, there was the Return Ring, but if it was acting weird, who would want to buy it? Besides, that was her mother’s, and there was no way she’d-
Interrupting her train of thought was a loud crash outside the tavern that almost made her jump out of her seat. Somebody burst through the doors with a shout, and she instinctively reached for her staff only to be met with nothing but air. Racing inside behind them was a soldier who grabbed the person and-
Chaos erupted as the body of that person hit the floor with a dull thud.
“Does anyone have a heal staff? Please, does anyone have a heal staff?” Lana yelled over the screams of the rest of the crowd, who were scrambling away from the dying body in front of her. She blinked and found the soldier pointing their sword straight at her neck. They opened their mouth to speak, but before she could even process what was happening, there was a red flash and the soldier was on the ground as well.
To her surprise, Ares was next to her, already sheathing his sword. “So Bramsel truly is planning something,” he muttered.
“Thank you,” she breathed, staring at the two bodies - now beyond the help of any healing staff - that lay on the floor. Looking up, she saw him already exiting the tavern. “Wait- are you against the empire? If you don’t like Bramsel, I’m assuming no?”
He hesitated for a moment. “He is my employer, or rather, was my employer, if my suspicions are right.”
She decided not to ask him why he would even work for the man in the first place, remembering other members in the liberation army had been on the empire’s side before realizing what was really going on. “Did something happen? Aside from, well, that?”
“...I suspect that he’s done something with a friend of mine.”
Her eyes widened. Despite relying on what little the liberation army had known of Bramsel, she knew what kind of man he was. And she wouldn’t just stand by when she could save someone from a life of…
“I’m coming with you.”
He looked at her, and nodded. “Let’s go.”
Dashing out of the tavern, Ares headed straight for the imposing castle in the centre of the town. Lana tried her best to keep up, but she found herself gasping for air by the time they reached the entrance. He gave her a look of concern, but she motioned that she was fine with a wave of her hand.
They went inside, and found a surprising lack of soldiers. Despite all the riches and treasures Bramsel had on display even in the very first room, he wasn’t too concerned about thieves, it seemed.
“Tacky,” she heard the blond mutter under his breath as he glared at a chair made of solid gold, and she let out a small laugh.
“Not one for the extravagant, Ares?” After saying it, Lana thought to herself for a moment. “I wonder if Diarmuid would say something similar. You are family, after all…” she added, thinking out loud.
Ares’ eyes widened a bit at that. “Family? Did my aunt…”
“She did! We grew up together, actually,” she explained. The two moved into a hallway, lined with what she assumed were portraits of Bramsel. From what she saw, he seemed strangely good-looking, contrary to descriptions she had heard - then realized he absolutely told the painters to embellish his looks, and internally groaned.
“So you’re no stranger to Agustria, then.” Ares took a peek inside one of the rooms. “There’s a staff in there.”
“Oh, thank you,” she said, and grabbed it before moving to follow him. It seemed to be more powerful than the one she had prior to losing it, to her surprise - not that she was complaining. “I haven’t been there in person, but in a different world, we would’ve been neighbours, if that counts for anything,” she replied. She paused before continuing her sentence. Should she say who she was? Well, she knew his identity, so it was only fair. “I’m the princess of Verdane.”
He spun around. “The what?”
“To tell you the truth, I’ve never seen my own kingdom myself, but…my father was Prince Jamke. If you don’t believe me, I understand, but-”
“No, I believe you. I suspected it earlier, in fact. You do have this air about you that is rather charming; fitting for a princess.”
“Charming?” she said, her surprise sneaking into her voice. She felt a smile forming on her face, but it crossed her mind that she hadn’t ever heard someone…describe her that way. For that matter, had she ever heard anyone outside of close friends compliment her…?
“I apologize if that was-”
“No, no, I’m flattered! It’s just…new to me. Being complimented like that, I mean.” She looked away and silently crossed her fingers that he wouldn’t notice the blush tinting her cheeks.
He raised an eyebrow at that.
“I had to hide in a remote village with a few other children of various nobles - your cousin being one of them - when I was young. We all had to sort of lay low and try not to stand out. Despite that, you could tell that the others were…different. Some were unusually gifted with swords for people who supposedly had no holy blood, others had this natural aura of leadership…I mostly blended into the background in comparison.” Lana frowned. She was happy her friends were well-liked, but it still felt lonely to be the only one who didn’t have something special.
She heard Ares quietly whisper, “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
Her frown faded, and her eyes lit up.
He then spoke up and said, “Found the door.” And before she knew it, the iron door in front of them was thrown open, Ares was racing down a set of stairs, and they were heading straight into a dungeon. However, unlike the previous rooms…this one was filled to the brim with guards.
A strong gust of wind from a mage slammed the door behind them, and she heard a lock click. Unless Mystletainn could somehow cut through metal, they were trapped.
She knew Ares could easily take down all of them without breaking a sweat if they were anywhere different, but the dungeon was small. In other words, their plan had been to lure him to a spot where there was limited space to move, so that it would be harder for him to fight. Lana felt a burst of fear for both of them before she told herself to calm down.
Because they hadn’t accounted for her.
Before the liberation army had arrived in Rivough, Lana wanted to learn at least how to defend herself. Unfortunately, her magic was not up to par at the time, and she was told to work on her staff skills before she went near any tomes.
So, she struck a deal with Iucharba, who was stuck on one particular fighter in the castle arena. Keep fighting, and she’ll keep on healing him until either he defeats all of the fighters, or she gets enough experience to promote to a High Priest.
Luck was on their side, and they both achieved their goals (although not without a hefty amount of gold spent on staff and axe repairs).
And while she didn’t have a tome with her now…she knew that there was definitely a mage here who did, thanks to that trick with the door.
Before she could even open her mouth, Ares was already ripping through the guards with anger. With some already moving in on her, she needed to get that tome, and fast.
“GET THE MAGE FIRST!” Lana yelled at the top of her lungs. Without any hesitation, he darted towards his target, who didn’t even have a chance to resist before they dropped to the ground.
She dove for the wind tome, which thankfully had slid her way when the mage had fallen. Holding it in her hands, she realized she had approximately five seconds to learn how to cast magic before she was skewered by somebody’s sword.
Well, if Julia learned it on the fly, so could she.
Lana flipped it open to a random page, and threw her hand up with all the energy she could muster.
A strike of wind stronger than anything she had ever seen before sliced straight through a group of guards like it was a sword. Fueled by nothing but sheer adrenaline, she started throwing as many Elwinds as she could, the enemies dropping like flies, while Ares took care of the stragglers who tried to sneak behind her. Together, the fight was over after less than a minute had passed.
The exhaustion from the amount of spells caught up to her, and she felt her legs wobble, but somebody caught her before she fell.
“Use this time to rest,” Lana heard Ares say to her. She nodded, sat on the ground, and took a deep breath.
She heard the sound of a door opening, and a girl stumbled out of one of the cells. That dancer Lene from the tavern, she thought to herself. She and Ares were speaking to each other, but she didn’t have the strength to listen in thanks to how much her head was pounding.
Lana felt a hand tap her shoulder. “Thank you,” Lene said softly.
She blinked, and replied, “O-Of course.”
Her body then hit the ground, and she heard a shout of surprise before her vision faded to black.
–
Lana awoke to the smell of something cooking. She was laying on something soft, and there was a cool breeze drifting through the air. She slowly opened her eyes,
“Er…where am I?” she asked, her voice hoarse. The sky above her was pitch-black, and they were certainly out of town judging from the amount of sand. She felt the warmth of a fire near her, fighting off the strangely cold weather.
“Oh! We kinda took you with us after you passed out,” Lene replied. “Would’ve been rude to just leave. I’m Lene, by the way.”
Had Lene been told what her name was yet? “My name is Lana.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“I know.” Lene removed a piece of meat from the fire, and tossed it to her. “Ares had a lot of things to say about you,” she added with a smirk. “Riiiight, Ares? What were your words…that you thought she was cut-”
“Don’t finish that!”
“H-Huh?!” Lana suddenly felt very flustered, nearly dropping her food, and her eyes snapped to Ares. Had Lene really just said…
“Well, that’s my cue to leave!” Lene hopped up and grabbed a bag. “I did say I had a dance performance tomorrow, didn’t I? See you later!”
Before Lana could even react, she was off. There she sat, cheeks still flushed, alone with a person she found very, very, attractive.
Wait, since when did I…? I mean, he is, but why am I thinking about that? Well, if he ever was interested…
Oh, gods.
Coming to terms with the fact that she had a crush on Ares, she was faced with what felt like an insurmountable challenge: try to not die of nervousness before the morning comes.
“Do you…” Her heart felt like it was going to explode from how hard it was pounding. She hugged her knees, begging herself to think of something to say before she embarrassed herself.
“Do you really think I’m cute?”
Lana instantly regretted asking the moment the words left her mouth. She braced herself for a night of awkwardness; fumbling the bag within the first minute was a new record, she thought.
To her surprise, he turned his face away and replied, “…Lene wasn’t wrong.”
Thank the gods.
Did this mean she maybe had a chance? A glimmer of hope had appeared before her very eyes, and all she had to do was seize the opportunity and go for it!
Unfortunately, it was eclipsed by the ever-present fear that she’d misread the situation, and that all would come crashing down with the sting of rejection. No matter how many times she’d reassure herself that it would be okay, she couldn’t make an attempt to take it a step further, and so all she could get out was, “Thank you”. Of course, right after she wished she had said something a little more forward, but she’d lost her chance.
Unless…
Well, all she ended up doing was sliding a little closer to him, but she’d take it as a small win regardless.
If it wasn’t her imagination, she noticed Ares had come closer too. Life had granted her a second chance at making a move, and so she timidly inched her hand near his. Luck was on her side, as Ares finished the job and placed his hand on top of hers. If she hadn’t already been as red as a tomato before, she certainly was now; this was the first time she had ever gotten this far with anyone, really. And then what was the next step, she wondered?
Lana’s train of thought led her to a question she realized she had never asked him, and a rather important one at that. “Oh, before I forget to ask…how will we sleep? There’s only, uh, one bed…”
Despite the progress made, she really, really hoped there was enough blankets for Ares to have his own place to rest, because if they had to share a bed, she would never get any sleep. Her heart was beating fast enough as it was, and she was starting to think that anything more would leave her with a heart attack.
“I’m not tired, if you were asking. In fact, quite the opposite,” Ares said.
“Huh? Isn’t it rather late?”
He shook his head. “The sun will rise shortly.” He suddenly got up, and started grabbing his things. “We don’t have much time, so we must be quick.”
“W-we’re leaving?”
…already? Does that mean no bed-sharing?
Why do I feel disappointed?
“I’ve heard that the spawn of my father’s mortal foe was spotted north of here. I won’t let an opportunity like this escape me…” Ares had a rather dangerous look on his face, and while Lana couldn’t say she had ever felt scared by him, this was certainly testing that.
“Oh! Let me come with you!” She jumped to her feet, and was promptly hit by a wave of dizziness. She fought back against it, but it was tricky to keep herself from falling back over. The after-effects of how much she overexerted herself were ever present, it seemed.
“That is the plan, yes. Leaving you in that state would be rather thoughtless.”
“I see…” She took a deep breath. “You’re going to kill your…enemy, aren’t you?”
Bloodthirsty was one of the last words Lana would use to describe herself. The liberation army had certainly taken many lives, but she tried to spare as many as she could. While she hated the empire, she figured she’d rather see them live with the guilt of their actions.
But there were times when she had different thoughts. When she thought about her uncle and what he had done…she knew she’d take revenge if he had lived. And she couldn’t exactly blame Ares for wanting revenge, as a result.
“If you need healing, I’ll be there.”
–
And so, they began crossing the desert. Thankfully, the severe heat her friends had warned her about was absent; in fact, it was almost chilly. With how endless the sand dunes looked, she began to worry about catching a cold in that weather. It certainly didn’t help that the sand slowed their movement. While Ares did have a horse, to her surprise, it wasn’t exactly the ideal mode of transportation for the terrain. She did appreciate the break from walking, though.
However, it was quite easy to forget about how she was starting to shiver when she was so close to Ares…this was practically a dream come true for her. At the same time…she tried to not get her hopes up. She had assumed Seliph liked her, and he didn’t. Not in that way. Even if there were signs, it could’ve been completely platonic, right?
So, she resigned herself to leaving things as is until she had further evidence. She just had to ignore her innermost thoughts. They were just friends right now…
…Even if her daydreaming said otherwise…
Eventually, she could see something up in the distance. It looked like a group of people had set up camp there; a pretty large group, at that. Something about the tents there seemed familiar, but it was too dark to tell.
“This isn’t a sneak attack, is it?” Lana dismounted from the horse, almost toppling face-first into the ground after her foot sank a little too deep into the sand.
“That would hardly be as fulfilling. I simply need to get him alone, and then I’ll show him the pain his father dealt to my family with a duel.”
“Is it okay if I ask what happened?”
“His father killed my own in cold blood. My mother and I were forced to flee Agustria, and we hid in Dahna, until she died with a broken heart…leaving me an orphan with nowhere to go, while he spent his childhood knowing nothing of hardship.” Ares swiftly got off his horse - much more gracefully than she had - and laid his hand upon the handle of his sword. “But now, that hardly matters. No amount of ‘training’ he received can match practical experience. I can finally avenge them.”
“I’m so sorry about…everything.” She looked up at him with sympathy. “I understand, a bit. I-I mean, I was lucky compared to most people my age, but I did lose my father, and I don’t have a single memory to remember him by. If I ever found out who his killer was, I’d be upset too…”
Looking towards the camp, a question popped up in her mind. “Er, not to change the subject, but how are we going to get this person’s attention?”
“A light should wake him up. After that, I’ll slip a letter inside of his tent. He’ll know what to do.”
“I can do it, if you want,” Lana offered. “I’ll go in without my tome, so if I’m caught, they might think I don’t mean any harm and let me go.”
“And you’ll also have no way of defending yourself if they decide to capture you,” Ares countered. “Stay here, and I’ll…” He paused. “No, we’ll do it together, but stay close.”
“O-Okay,” Lana said. Her heart couldn’t help but flutter at his concern for her.
Sneaking into the camp, Lana felt the strangest sense of déjà vu. She must’ve seen these tents before, but she put aside the thought. What mattered was finding the man they were looking for. Ares seemed to know what he was doing, though, and the two finally stopped in front of one that appeared larger than the rest.
“Is this the right one?” she whispered.
Ares nodded. He slipped the letter inside, and then placed a torch behind the tent. Lana heard a faint rustling inside. Must’ve thought it was morning, she mused. He turned to leave, and she followed.
“Where are we going?”
“I told him to meet me by the cliffs to the north,” Ares said. “There won’t be many places to hide, so be careful.”
Something had been on her mind ever since they reached the camp. How did Ares know if this man was as terrible as his father? Was there really a risk of him hurting her? Well, it was his quest for vengeance. He’d naturally know more about him than she would.
They reached their destination, and there was a moment of silence as they waited for this mystery person to arrive. Lana felt a bit anxious, but she reminded herself that not only was Ares a skilled mercenary, he had Mystletainn. The only person who needs to worry is his target, and that’s hardly her concern.
When she turned to see whose faint footsteps were behind them, however, she felt her blood run cold.
Seliph, equally as shocked as she was, stood there, one hand on his sword.
“Lana? What are you…” he trailed off. Her legs began to feel a lot more shaky than they were thirty seconds ago.
“T-This is all a big misunderstanding!” she stammered. “Wait, please, please don’t fight each other!” She frantically looked back and forth between the two, wanting to do something, but her body was frozen in place.
“You…know Seliph?” Ares said quietly.
“He’s my…my…!”
“She’s my childhood friend,” Seliph finished, the slightest tremor in his voice. “Lana, you didn’t know he wanted to kill me…right?”
“Of course not-well, not you, Seliph! I-Ares, Seliph isn’t the person you think he is! Lord Sigurd may have committed many mistakes, but he’s not his father!” Lana desperately tried to calm herself down, but the panic refused to leave. Seliph thought she had betrayed him, Ares wants to kill him, and her words were only falling on deaf ears. One hundred things she wished she could do, but she couldn’t make herself act on anything at all.
“And yet he chose to abandon his ‘childhood friend’ in the desert, from the looks of it.” Ares stepped forward and drew Mystletainn. Lana’s heart dropped. “Even those you’ve known all your life can stoop to levels you never thought possible.”
“What?” Seliph exclaimed. “I thought you were with Leif!”
“Ares, that was all my fault! I was supposed to stay with somebody else, but I went off on my own…” Lana said, her heart pounding. “Please…Lord Seliph isn’t a bad person. Your fathers wouldn’t want you two to continue their cycle of hate. And, I don’t think they did hate each other, either. His own sister fought alongside Lord Sigurd, after all. Diarmuid had always said that Lady Lachesis cared a great deal for her brother, too…she wouldn’t be allies with his enemy. If we talk things through, we can find our answers, I’m sure of it!”
“Lana…” For a moment, all she could hear was the sound of the wind in the air. “Very well. I’ll listen to his story.”
“What Lana said is correct. Our fathers were close until the very end. My father fought to keep him alive…” Seliph dropped his gaze. “…Even if it meant fighting the king of Agustria himself. He did exactly that, in fact. However, Lord Eldigan’s fate was sealed before he could ever reach him in time. That was something he always regretted.”
“So everything I’ve ever known was…wrong?” Ares was shocked, but he sheathed his sword, much to Lana’s relief.
“Ares, I’m going to be rejoining the liberation army, but…if you came with us, I could introduce you to someone who can confirm what Seliph said,” Lana spoke. Her mind, of course, was practically on its hands and knees begging Ares to say yes, but she decided to leave that part out.
“In that case, I’ll do exactly that.”
Something within Lana broke loose, and before she knew it, she had rushed over to Ares and wrapped her arms around him. She couldn’t help but press her face against his chest, and she could feel his heart bea-what am I doing?! Holding hands is one thing, but this is…I should’ve asked first! Why would I just shove myself into his chest without warning?! She quickly pulled away and buried her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t even ask you if you were okay with…”
Peeking out from her hands, she tried to look him in the eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it out of fear that she’d see nothing but anger. “S-See you later!” She sprinted off, repeatedly asking herself why, why, why did she have to go and mess everything up.
-
“So when Nanna said she was in love with my cousin, I was kinda shocked at first, but it’s Lord Seliph, so I’ll support it, you know? Lifis’ crush on Safy, on the other hand…”
Inside Ulster Castle’s dining hall, Lana was seated at a table with Leif and Tine, who was intently hanging on to the former’s every word. She, on the other hand, was barely listening. Thankfully, her return to the liberation hadn’t been nearly as tense as she had feared, with her friends from Tirnanog frantically apologizing for leaving. After conquering Ulster, things were back to normal - aside from a few developments in the romance department. Tine very obviously had a crush on Leif despite her best efforts to hide it, and she had caught Diarmuid attempting to flirt with Larcei earlier in the kitchen.
And, of course, there was Seliph and Nanna. If she had told her past self from the liberation army’s beginning that she got over him that fast, she wouldn’t have believed herself. And yet, whatever jealousy she used to have was gone. In fact, when she had seen the two sitting together, she had congratulated them with a genuine smile. Before she knew it, she was one of the biggest supporters of their relationship.
Was what she had felt for Seliph even love in the first place?
Or was it just because that’s what everyone else expected - that the hero would eventually fall for his childhood friend, and they’d live happily ever after.
“Lana, if you knew there was a brave sword in a chest but it was surrounded by seven mages with Meteor, would you go for it or no?”
“I’m sorry?”
She gave up on trying to keep up with the conversation after that.
–
That evening, Lana found herself watching the sunset away from the rest of the army. In a way, the scenery of Ulster reminded her of Tirnanog with the mountains in the distance, which made her rather homesick. The chances were slim that she would travel back there for more than a day, after the war. She’d be off to live in Verdane, after all. Thinking about that made her a bit nervous; while she was curious about her country, she’d be away from everyone she had grown up with, aside from her immediate family. Well, Diarmuid would be relatively close, but Nordion was still a fair distance away.
…Ares would be close, too…
She instantly felt a twinge of nervousness. After the very awkward encounter in the desert, she had completely avoided him since, earning her some odd looks from Larcei when she vaulted over a crate and hid after she saw him nearby one day. She already knew she had completely squandered any chance at any kind of relationship between them, so she elected to save herself the pain of yet another rejection.
Turning around to head back to the castle with a sigh, she wondered if there was some parallel universe out there where she hadn’t messed everything up for herself. Maybe that was even a world where the Battle of Belhalla never happened, and her family would still be together.
Interrupting her thoughts was…something…she accidentally walked right into.
Lana’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she realized that “something” happened to be the exact person she was avoiding. Squeaking out an apology, she tried to slip by but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.
“Lana, I…”
No avoiding it now. She braced herself for the inevitable.
“…Forgive me.”
“Huh?”
“I gave you the impression that I was angry with you. The truth of the matter is that that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Lana couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Ares…still liked her? “Wh-no, I should be apologizing, not you! I made you uncomfortable, and instead of making it right, I ran away…”
“Lana, you could never make me feel that way! Being with you feels unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I feel as though I can do anything with you by my side.”
If this was a dream, she didn’t want to ever wake up.
“Ares, I…”
She tentatively stepped forward.
“I-I love you…”
Lana moved closer. Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Her stomach was doing backflips. More nervous than she had ever been, yet equally as excited for…
He gently put a hand on her waist and tilted her chin up with the other, and their lips met.
Her first ever kiss. A smile spread across her face - a dream she hadn’t even realized she possessed just became reality. She kissed Ares. After she drew back, she lightly touched her lips, wondering why on earth she hadn’t done that sooner; it was like she had stepped straight into a fantastical dream as soon as she felt those surprisingly soft lips…
Ares was frozen in place, too. For a moment, the two of them stood there still holding onto each other, the unspoken question of what even happens after a first kiss?
It was Lana who spoke first, but the feeling of surprise hadn’t fully cleared from her mind, and so she blurted out: “Are we together now?”
“I…that’s what I assumed?”
“Oh!” Lana couldn’t help but begin to laugh. She had just confessed her love, after all, so she should’ve guessed, she thought to herself. “It’s nice to hear it said out loud, though.”
Ares gave her a small smile. “If it’s alright…will you stay with me a while longer?”
“I’d love nothing more,” Lana murmured. Everything seemed so much…lighter, when she was there in his arms. Like she didn’t have to fear anything anymore, as long as they stuck together. “I’ll never leave you again…”
Before she knew it, she was having her second kiss of the night.
-
How in the world had time moved so fast? In the blink of an eye, they had liberated an entire peninsula.
There was one night before the liberation army would move on from Chalphy. Only one night until they either defeated the empire for good, or died trying. Not even the comfort of Lana’s warm and plush bed (a much needed change from camping while between castles) was enough to calm her down and let her sleep, so she decided to get some fresh air.
Well, “fresh air” being the smell of old books in the castle library. Like the rest of the building, it was surprisingly well-kept, as if despite the absence of its former residents someone had ensured it was kept tidy. Although, considering Lord Sigurd and his father were seen as traitors, she couldn’t imagine who would do that.
There was a rather sizeable couch next to one of the windows, the perfect spot for a bit of midnight reading. Taking a glance at the bookshelves, there wasn’t much that she was interested in. Almost all of them were on battle tactics, and she’d rather not think about fighting for the moment. She was ready to give up before something caught her eye: “Magic Rings Explained”. The unsolved mystery of her Return Ring had been eating away at her ever since she left Dahna, so she picked it up and got to reading.
“The Return Ring, true to its name, bestows the Return skill upon its bearer, allowing them to return to their home castle. Curiously, this skill has never appeared organically in any one person, unlike other Rings. As such, it has become a topic of interest among experts as of late. What defines a ‘home castle’? Can this change? What triggers the change? ‘Well, considering anyone can wear this thing - even someone with zero magic - it’s gotta be the ring itself that decides, right?’ said one mage that was interviewed. ‘My theory is that it can read minds! Y’know, I read this really weird novel once, and there was this guy- wait, no, I take back what I said…what if there’s outside interference that can change the destination too? Someone with Major Holy Blood could do that, I bet!’ Our researchers were intrigued, and tried to contact anyone who fit the criteria, but received no response. If this young mage’s theory is correct…”
Any trace of sleepiness left was gone, replaced by intrigue. Had someone tampered with the Return Ring to send her to Dahna? Had it known that she would meet Ares there? But who was powerful enough to do such a thing…
Another possibility crossed her mind. That was where the Crusaders had received their powers. Could it have been some sort of divine intervention by one of the twelve gods? But why decide to help her when Seliph needed their assistance more? Maybe it was some sort of situation where they weren’t allowed to interfere with human conflict; although, a god using what power they had for matchmaking was a strange thought.
Putting the novel back where she found it, she ended up back in the halls, telling herself that she would try to fall asleep one more time. As her mother had once said, even just resting in bed was better than nothing at all.
Strangely enough, when Lana reached the door to her bedroom, it wouldn’t open. Must’ve gotten stuck, she thought to herself. The doorknob wouldn’t budge, so she tried forcefully shoving it open, which also didn’t work. She was almost ready to give up when the door abruptly unlocked and swung open, revealing to her that she had somehow, in the dark, made her way to someone else’s bedroom.
Luckily for her, the person on the other side wouldn’t hold that against her.
“…Lana?” Ares said groggily.
“Ares! I-I’m so sorry for waking you, I thought this was my room…” She sighed. “I couldn’t sleep at all earlier. It was a little frightening, thinking about tomorrow…”
Her words hung in the air. All was quiet, aside from the very distant sound of someone snoring.
“Do you…” Ares broke eye contact, and seemed uncharacteristically nervous for a reason Lana couldn’t even think of.
“Is something wrong, Ares?”
“No, it’s…” He stared at the ground.
Lana patiently waited.
“We can share a bed.”
Her cheeks suddenly felt a lot hotter.
“O-Okay,” she finally said. They may have kissed, and they may be in a relationship, but the idea of sleeping in the same bed was still a first, making her heart flutter.
However, any nervousness she had disappeared just as soon as it came the moment she got under the covers. The lack of sleep had finally hit her, and exhaustion was far stronger than any butterflies in her stomach. She moved to the side a bit to make room as Ares followed.
From where Lana was, she could see the faintest bit of moonlight shining through the window. The rooms in castle Chalphy were quite nice; each room had a gorgeous view. It was unfortunate that they had to leave tomorrow, because she’d love to appreciate it for a while longer.
Thinking about leaving never failed to worry her, though… “Do you think everything will be okay tomorrow? I haven’t done anything special, and I’m worried I’ll just get in the way,” she found herself whispering.
“Lana, you’re one of the most valuable members here,” Ares whispered back. He pulled her into his arms, and Lana had to tilt her head a bit so she could look him in the eyes. “Have you forgotten that we wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Thracian prince without your skill in magic?”
“Ah…that is true,” she said, a soft smile on her face. She was the only one who had enough magic to reliably use the Sleep staff.
“You’re more incredible than you realize, so don’t let yourself believe that you’re not. And if anyone says otherwise, Mystletainn will gladly take the chance to quench its thirst…”
“Hehe, there’s no need to go that far,” Lana assured him. “Does that mean I have to worry about Mystletainn, too?”
“The only thing you need to worry about is me holding you in my arms and kissing you until you stop thinking that way about yourself.”
“Isn’t that more of a reward, though?”
“No, it’s me showing you that I love you.”
Lana felt her cheeks heating up, and snuggled closer with a smile on her face.
She slept better than she had in months that night.
-
Lana awoke to the sun peeking in through the curtains, and a warm feeling of security. She smiled to herself, noticing that despite being a restless sleeper at times she was still in Ares’ arms, and for a moment, let herself catch a few more minutes of rest before she had to get up.
Eventually, she slowly inched her way out, and managed to sneak out of the room without waking Ares up; the more sleep he could get, the better. They all needed it, considering what was to come.
However, it appeared that her good luck had run out, because Lana was caught leaving Ares’ room in the morning by Larcei. The person most likely to tease her all about it later, she internally sighed.
“So-o-o, I see someone had a good sleep,” Larcei snickered.
“Oh, I’m sure you and Diarmuid did,” Lana countered.
Larcei choked.
“Lana, I swear to-”
“Don’t lie, I saw the lovey-dovey looks you were giving him at dinner.”
Larcei (lightly) swatted her arm. “You’re getting worse than Scáthach! I told you ages ago that I wasn’t in love with anyone, and yet I’m still being accused of…this!”
“Larcei, your face is pretty red, you know,” Lana continued with an innocent smile. “Are you sure you don’t have a little crush?”
“Okay, fine, you win, I’ll stop teasing you about your love life if you do the same,” Larcei sighed.
“I accept those terms,” Lana said with a nod. Although, knowing Larcei, that same conversation was bound to happen a few days later regardless. She’d gotten used to it after the fifth time Larcei tried to annoy her over Seliph, way back when.
This time, she didn’t mix up whose door was whose, and made it back to her room. She quickly got dressed, and rushed down to the dining hall for her last meal before their final journey.
The air was tense, to say the least. While the more optimistic members of their army tried to keep the mood light, Lana couldn’t shake the dread she felt upon knowing that this could be the last time she’d see some of them. She was fortunate enough to not have lost any of her friends, but she couldn’t say the same for some of the others.
“Lana!” She heard her brother’s voice calling to her. Lester ran over with a plate of food. “We’re trying Thracian today, courtesy of Altena. Here, I saved you a plate.”
“Oh, thank you!” Lana gladly accepted it, and she was greeted with one of the most amazing smells she had ever encountered. Why hadn’t anyone introduced this to her earlier? What kind of incredible food did she miss out on when she lived in Tirnanog?
“Hey, by the way, I talked to Seliph for you,” Lester said.
“Huh? What for?”
“Weren’t you upset earlier about him being with Nanna? I figured I’d let him know so that he wouldn’t say anything that could hurt you more.”
“Wh-That was weeks ago, Lester! We’ve crossed an entire peninsula in the meantime, and you thought now was the ideal time to tell him that?!” Unnecessary drama, all because her brother was hopelessly oblivious when it came to romance… Lana was at least fortunate to be far enough away where the others couldn’t eavesdrop, but why would Lester even… “Gods, I’m never telling you anything ever again… I thought it was clear that not only was I over him since Leonster, I fell in love with someone else!”
Lester stared.
“You have a lover?”
“Well, uh, yeah,” Lana stammered. “He’s really caring, and-“
“Who is this man?” Lester interrupted, raising an eyebrow. “And why have I not heard about this?”
Lana sighed. “Because I knew you would be overprotective, as always.”
“Lana, as your brother, it’s my responsibility to-”
She was already walking off, heading towards the tables. If Lester couldn’t pick up on the very obvious clues and figure it out, she wasn’t going to help him - and definitely not after sharing private information without asking. She internally groaned, knowing that on top of preparing for a battle, she’d now have to track down Seliph and explain the situation.
So much for hoping to have a good morning.
-
Lana fiddled with the bow on her cloak, walking through the halls of Chalphy. There was a bit of time to spare before they were set to storm Edda, and she figured she might as well get her mission over with now. It was quickly proving to be an unexpectedly difficult task, with Seliph being absent from every room she had checked.
Once she realized Seliph was most likely moving around the castle as well - and she must’ve been just missing him each time as a result - she decided to give it a rest and catch her breath before she had to fight. Thankfully, there was a bay window just a few steps ahead, and she gladly sat down and admired the scenery. I hope Agusti has little spots like this. Perfect for reading.
The sound of footsteps broke her attention away from the window, and she abandoned appreciating the landscape in favour of rushing towards Ares, who had been preparing for the battle as well.
Upon noticing her appearance, Ares turned around, his eyes lighting up. “Lana! I’ve been wondering where you were,” he said. “We’ve been separated for longer than I would like.”
Lana let out a small laugh. “Hasn’t it only been a few hours?”
“A few hours too many,” he replied, and pulled her into an embrace.
Moments alone were hard to come by lately; but with it just being the two of them, Lana didn’t have to worry about her shyness with PDA. They wasted no time in pressing their lips together, savouring every last second of it. Who knew when the next time they’d be able to do this would be? After all, it wasn’t like someone was going to just walk by and see them practically making out in the hallwa-
A gasp of surprise interrupted them, and Lana swiveled around to the sight of Seliph with the most baffled expression she had ever seen on his face.
“So what Lester said…was that some sort of elaborate prank?” he mused, now lost in thought.
“Lord Seliph! Listen, I don’t know what Lester said, but that’s been irrelevant for almost a year now!” Lana said hurriedly. “I’ll tell you later,” she added on, noticing Ares’ look of confusion.
Seliph slowly nodded. “I, er, got that from you two doing…” He gestured at the two of them, and averted his gaze. “Well, that…”
“Seliph, I-”
“Oh, I’m not upset! It was just a bit surprising to walk over here, and then come across this exchange, and, you know…okay I’m leaving now bye!” Seliph ran off in the opposite direction, nearly tripping in the process. “Er, congratulations on the relationship!”
Lana awkwardly waved. Certainly one of the more embarrassing ways to discover your friend’s relationship, she thought.
“What was that all about?” Ares finally broke the silence. “He’s not jealous, is he?”
“Well, I’d certainly hope not, considering he’s with Nanna,” Lana laughed nervously. For the briefest moment, she saw an alternate universe where Seliph had decided to try to pursue her, and shuddered. There was no way she’d entertain that. “My brother told him some story about how he broke my heart, which I guess isn’t entirely false, but that happened ages ago, so why he’d try to make it a thing now is beyond me…”
Ares raised an eyebrow. “Seliph…broke your heart.”
“…Sort of?”
Lana awkwardly stared at the floor.
“I take back what I said, I’m taking revenge once and for all-”
“I-It’s not that big of a deal, I promise!” Lana grabbed his arm before he could take off. And then, despite her initial panic, something about the stormy look in his eyes over the situation made her start to laugh.
“What’s so funny about this? He played with your feelings! He can’t walk off just like that!”
Taking a deep breath, Lana managed to suppress the laughter. “I’m really happy that you’d defend me, Ares.” She gave him a soft smile. “But there’s no need to fight the prince of Grannvale over my old unrequited crush.”
“…You’re too forgiving,” Ares sighed. However, he didn’t pursue his quest, and for that, Lana gave him a small peck on the cheek.
-
Was it a month? Two weeks? Two days? The final battle seemed to have flown by in an instant. One moment, Lana was at their base castle, and the next, she was watching the most powerful blasts of magic she had ever seen fly through the sky as Julia faced off against her brother. And then, it was over.
There she stood, the sun glimmering through the castle’s windows, watching her allies leave Belhalla one by one. Miraculously, the fight was finished with no casualties on their end; although, that wasn’t to say that there hadn’t been a few tense moments. But when half of their army was descended from the crusaders, anything was possible, like Ced somehow dodging three blows from Mjölnir in a row, which she still found herself thinking about long after the fact. (How could someone be that speedy?)
“Lana?” A voice next to her snapped her out of her thoughts, noticing that Lewyn had been trying to talk to her for who knows how long. “Is there a reason why you’re staring off like that?”
“Oh, sorry! I was just thinking…” Trailing off, something entered her mind. Lewyn knew a lot about the crusaders…maybe she could get a clear answer on how she had gotten transported to Dahna, once and for all. “Uh, actually, I have a question.”
Lewyn crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”
“Something happened to me a while ago. I was holding my Return Ring, and without me consciously doing anything, it started glowing and I was warped to a place I’d never been before. That place ended up being quite special to me, in the end, but I didn’t think that the ring could, well, do that.” Lana paused for a moment. “If it’s relevant, right before it happened I was feeling pretty upset.”
“Well, I can tell you this: I’ve never heard of those rings doing that, either. Someone had to have warped you away.” Lewyn’s eyes widened. “…You know what? I think I know who’s behind that. Isn’t that where you met Ares?”
“Yes, it is. What does that…?”
“Let’s just say there’s a certain dragon who fancies herself a matchmaker, and is known for getting too invested in the love lives of those who share her blood.” Lewyn heaved a deep sigh. “Well, I’d be a hypocrite for saying she’s getting too involved with humans, but…” he added in a barely audible mutter that Lana wondered if she was even supposed to hear.
“So the god who gave her power to my ancestor Ullr, was…trying to set me up?” A small laugh escaped her lips. She looked outside of the window next to her, and watched as Seliph gave Nanna an embrace from a ways off in the distance. “Maybe they aren’t so different from us, after all. She just wanted to see me happy, right?”
It was comforting, in a way. There was a powerful being who was watching over her all this time, and when she saw she was upset, she led her to something - or rather, someone - that would change her life for the better.
Lewyn looked off into the distance, and Lana thought she caught the smallest trace of a smile. “Maybe she did.”
After a moment had passed, the two of them heard a voice calling for them down the hall - Seliph’s, Lana thought. “Oh! I’m guessing I should be leaving for Agustria, then,” she remarked.
Lewyn nodded. “Good luck with the civil war.”
“Thank you,” Lana said. As she walked down the hallway, though, she felt no fear for the task ahead. If Ares was with her, she knew there was no challenge they couldn’t overcome, she thought with a smile on her face.
Seliph was standing by the entrance to the castle, along with his now-fiancée Nanna. Diarmuid stood to the side, preparing to leave; he was coming back to Agustria to help with the fight ahead, although he’d be back to Isaach afterwards to stay with Larcei. And, lifting her already-high spirits, there was Ares, who she scurried over to in an instant.
“Did I miss anything?” Lana asked in a whisper.
“Leif and his allies left for New Thracia. Other than that, I’ve been waiting here for Seliph to stop flirting with my cousin.” Ares rolled his eyes. “I’m starting to think he’s forgotten I’m here.”
Seliph glanced over at them. “Did someone say my name?”
“No,” Ares lied.
Lana sighed.
“Well, putting that aside,” Seliph began as he walked over, “It’s been an honour to meet the son of my father’s dearest friend. While they may not be here to see what we’ve accomplished, we can rest easy knowing we fulfilled their greatest dream: bringing peace and unity to our nations.”
Ares nodded. “Well spoken, King Seliph. In the name of my father’s dying wish, I'll carve up for Agustria a new, prosperous future.” He took Lana’s hand and gave it a small squeeze. But my might alone shall not suffice. To this end, I pray I'll have your strength ever by my side, Lana.”
Lana’s eyes beamed. “Of course. I'll dedicate my life to helping restore Agustria as well. All I want is to ensure everyone can live peaceful lives.”
“So long as you remain, I know I'll never give up.”
“…I’m here too, you know,” Diarmuid said, breaking into the conversation. In all honesty, Lana had completely forgotten he was there, but she’d never say so out loud. Seliph must’ve too, jumping a bit upon hearing the man speak.
“Gods, Diarmuid, we were getting there,” Ares grumbled.
“Ah, you must be leaving too, right?” Seliph remarked. “Lady Lachesis was a noblewoman of Agustria, after all.”
“Don’t forget about me!” a new voice announced, and this time Lana also jumped in surprise. Even Ares looked slightly startled.
Strolling into the room was one Larcei, who she had sworn had left for Isaach, but apparently not, for she came up to them and gave Diarmuid a peck on the cheek. “I’m coming with them too, Lord Seliph!”
“I…I admit this was news to me, but congratulations all the same.”
After a brief moment of silence, this time Nanna spoke up. “While I may not be leaving for Agustria, I pray that you’ll be corresponding with me on the latest news,” she said. “After all, I’m a child of Lady Lachesis, too.”
“Of course we will,” Lana replied. “You’ve been an excellent friend, Nanna. I’m glad I was able to speak with you on our journey.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Nanna said with a smile. “Well, Seliph?”
“I hope I’ll see you all soon,” Seliph said. “And let me know if the beaches are as beautiful as I’ve heard they are!”
There was no doubt that the path ahead of them would be difficult. The liberation army hadn’t passed by Agustria, so it’d be up to them to calm down the civil war and usher in a new era of peace. But after surviving a war against some of Jugdral’s most powerful warriors, how could they possibly lose?
With a smile, Lana held Ares’ hand, and they embarked for their new home.