Jenna looked over at one of the enemy patrols, "Whatever Kared's holding over the king's head, it must be big. It'd take a hell of a lot to make the him let go of the fact that Gerneral Targus of Larcenia killed Prince Christian of Moltalir eleven years ago. After all the king banned any Larcenian from setting foot in Moltalir on pain of death after that, so for him to let in platoons Larcenian troops..." She trailed off and shook her head, "The threat would have to be pretty serious."

@@@

Tom looked sad then sighed.
"My country....did this...how can I even face them now..."

He felt a sharp pain in his heart. Thomas never felt this kind of pain in his whole life. He thought of never forgiving his country...his father...but he realized he should at some point...

@@@

Jenna slapped him on the back, "Don't let it get to you too much. Emotions can kill you in a battle."

@@@

"Heh." Xero readied his sword. Chelsea, on the other hand, leered over at him.

"What are you planning...?"

"Oh, nothing. I think we should just get the ol' king's attention... with this!" He then ran directly at the patrolling guards.

@@@

Jenna looked over and saw Xero, "What's that idiot doing?...Well, it was getting boring anyways." with a grin she unsheathed her blade and ran after him.

Gaheris looked down and saw Xero and Jenna running at the enemy troops, "What in blazes-?! Great, Lord Harkis is going to have my hide for this..." Jerking his left leg into his wyvern's flanks he dove behind the two.

@@@

"CHAAAAAAAAARGE!" said Xero, alerting every one of the guards. They came charging at him.

(Visa or MasterCard, amirite? *SHOT*)

"Oh, you idiot!" said Chelsea, and she ran after them.

@@@

Jenna was next to Xero in a flash, slashing through a couple of the guards, "We can't ever go anywhere with attracting attention, can we, greenhorn?" She moved further into the platoon, taking guards down as she moved forwards.


Gaheris began thinning the flanks of troops by driving down and ramming his lance through one of thier chests before swooping back up to avoid any archers. The noise from the fighting attracted two more platoons to the location, rapidly outnumbering the group.

@@@

"Oh boy here we go again....damnit Xero..." Thomas sighed and relunctantly picked his lance up and charged. "God he knows how to get himself into trouble."

@@@

Xero used his speed and quickly wiped out more of the platoon. Chelsea quickly sped up her pace and began firing fireballs at the rest, taking out more than their share. "Hee hee, this is fun!"

@@@

Tom quickly stab and pierced his way through the front lines. He kept thinking to himself as the fight continued.

"Man fathers really going to kill me for this..."

@@@

Jenna saw the archers forming a line and preparing to take aim at Gaheris, "Shit, all we need now is a ballista....." she tore into the line, slashing bows if the target was out of reach to makes sure they couldn't fire before taking them down.


Gaheris breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Jenna tear into the archers. Seeing a group of enemies trying to out flank the others he dove behind them and struck with his lance, killing many of them with a surprise attack. "Watch your back!"

@@@

"Their numbers are thinning at last!" said Xero as he wove in and out of Larcenian groups, slashing every one of them as best he could.

Chelsea finally got rid of the last of them in her area. "Whee!" her childish attitude was showing through as she teasingly blew at her finger, as if blowing the smoke off of the barrel of a gun after having shot it.

@@@

Tom laughed as the arrows bounced of the thick shell of his armor and started to cut the down with his lance.
"Never mess with a knight you ignorant archers!" Tom laughed.

As he charged through the archers he cleared a path to continue on.

@@@

Jenna slashed down the remaining enemies near her before noting several horsemen up on the hill, "Hey, guys! We've got more company!"

Gaheris gained some altitude as Jenna spoke, trying to identify the new troops as he approached them what he say stunned him, "Lendys....Those aren't reinforcements, it's the king and the royal guard!"

@@@

"Looks like we got what we needed," said Xero. "Those Larcenian guards are all gone, so maybe he'll be happy."

"Happy?" Chelsea snorted. "I doubt it."

@@@

"Wait! The royal guard of who!?" Thomas shouted.

@@@

Gaheris pulled back and landed next to Jenna. as he dismounted he spoke, "Somehow I think Xero misses the severity of the situation..."

Jenna wiped her blade down and sheathed it, "No kidding, but we better go to meet the king and try to convince him to keep our heads on our shoulders."

as the king approached the battle field, his guards came a head of him and circled the group. The last guard to approach spoke harshly to them, "stay put and the king may let you live long enough to explain yourselves."

@@@

Xero rose an eyebrow. "We needed to speak with him anyway. Since you weren't going to let us at first, we might as well have lured him with a party."

@@@

*sigh* "Lets just get this over with...how much trouble did we cause this time around?" Thomas asked. "And how bad is it?"

@@@

The guard jammed a lance butt against Thomas's throat, "Insolent pup, I should-"

"Enough, Gared." The king's voice broke through and he rode up to the group, "Would you be the ones who killed these men?"

Jenna nodded, "Yes sir."

The king looked at her, "You are Lord Severin's daughter, correct? And the man behind you is commander Gaheris. What are you two doing in a group such as this?"

Jenna shrugged, "I can't speak for Gaheris, sir, but for myself, I'm working. For the past six years I've been working as a mercenary and my current employer is Princess Chelsea of Verida."

The king looked shocked, "The Princess of Verida survived?! Is she with you?!"

@@@

"Y-Yes, that's me, sir," said Chelsea as she stood out; Xero stood up next to her, as if wanting to protect her. Chelsea continued, "It was all thanks to this man right here though," then she pointed at Xero, "but... the castle... and my grandmother..." she stopped.

@@@

"Its gone alright. Verida is in ruins because of Larcenia." Thomas continued. "Xero and I come from Arsenia because our country was attacked and we were order to go investigate."

@@@

The king nodded, "I heard about Verida and the loss of your grandmother, princess, I was sorry to hear of her loss. You've come a long way and into a worse situation I'm afraid. I'd offer you sanctuary at the palace but there are...circumstances that would not make it safe. Gared, guide the princess and her party to Lord Harkis' estate and tell him that I wish to have the princess stay there. I'm sure he will understand."

Gared bowed, "Yes sire" As the king rode off he came back up and growled at the group, "C'mon, i'll take you to Lord Severin's estate."

Gaheris trotted back to where his wyvern was resting and took to the air again.

Jenna quietly sighed as she came up behind Xero and Chelsea, "Why me...?"

@@@

Xero stayed close to Chelsea, keeping true to his word that he would protect her at any cost. This prompted Chelsea to say, "You don't have to keep that close to me all the time..." though there was a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

Xero smiled. "I keep true to my word. Always."

@@@

Tom chuckled and spoke up. "Cause youre being paid to do it thats why. Thats why I don't like mercenary work. The money talks, not the will of the people." He pats Jenna on the back and continued following.

@@@

Jenna sighed, "I don't object to the work, I object to my karma...Lendys, was I a mass murdering bandit in a past life? If not I really do not deserve to have to deal with my father again.:

@@@

Xero made a straight face. "Looks like we're here."

@@@

"Well...I know this might sound rude or offensive but why dont you talk to him about it? Maybe hell understand though I have a feeling he would...but he wouldnt admit it..." Tom pondered. "Hey come on were slowing down we need to catch up."

@@@

Gared spoke with one of the guards and in a couple minutes a tall older man with ash brown hair streaked with grey (in his beard as well) walked up to the group. his voice was gruff when he spoke, "What is it, Gared?"

Gared inclined his head, "Lord Harkis, the king has requested that you house Princess Chelsea of Verdia and her compatriots here as he cannot at the palace."

Harkis shook his head, "Figures...but at least he's helping the girl. I'll take care of it."

Gared nodded, and briefly inclined his head at Chelsea before departing. Gaheris' wyvern was heard landing somewhere behind the house. Jenna stood behind Thomas as her father turned to the group.

Harkis spoke, "It's odd to see two Arsenian soldiers traveling with a Verdian princess...And Jenna, you can come out of hiding, I saw you earlier."

Jenna stepped out from behind thomas and stood defiantly staring at her father, "Hello father. How have you been?"

Harkis grumbled, "A whole hell of a lot better if you hadn't decided to run off. What have you been doing with yourself?"

Jenna shook her head, "A little of this, a little of that. But mainly mercenary work, and I'm currently employed by the princess here. Whatever issues we've had, father, I want you to keep to your word regarding them, alright?

Harkis shook his head and a ghost of a smile crossed his lips, "Fine, fine. Come on in, and in case you weren't paying attention, I'm Harkis, lord of the Severin territory."

@@@

"I fail to see how odd it is that two Arsenian knights are following me since every country's being attacked by Larcenia!" said Chelsea.

"Enough, Chelsea," said Xero. "I'm Xero, and this is my friend Thomas." He pointed to Thomas.

@@@

Harkis laughed as he led the way inside, "It's quite alright, Xero, she has a right to ask. In my experience, Arsenians and Verdians, while allied don't help each other very often, so it's odd to see that alliance in force. Since Gaheris arrived with you, I take it that you know of the king's situation somewhat?"

@@@

"Well, I..." Xero found himself unable to continue, a small hint of pink flowing across his cheeks. "A-Anyway! Yeah, Gaheris told us what happened... well, what he knew of it, anyway. But we got rid of that Larcenian guard, so he should be alright now... right?"

@@@

Harkis' face darkened, "The Larcenians are only part of the problem. Lord Kared of Ulster has been blackmailing the king, or so we believe. Generally Moltalir is run by the king, but there is a committee composed of all of the lords that reviews the laws and judges them to be legal or not. The whole thing started when the king disbanded the committee, then he allowed the Larcenians into our country when they have not been able to set foot here for eleven years. And in the midst of all this Kared has gained more power." He sighed, "If we could figure out WHAT Kared was blackmailing the king with, we could maybe stop this, but even our best intelligence agents can't find out what it is..."

@@@

"Well, at the moment we need to head to Larcenia," said Chelsea. "And stop by Saskia on the way. As soon as possible."

"There's another fort between Moltalir and Saskia," said Chelsea. "I'm guessing the Larcenians have an outpost there too..."

"But then again," continued Xero, "This whole king situation seems pretty dire... what to do?"

@@@

Harkis sighed, "We lords can handle things fine for now, but the situation could get worse. If you want to help though, our sources say that Kared is in Larcenia right now. Dealing with him would help us a great deal...but enough shop talk for now, let me show you to your rooms." he led the group an elegantly banistered stairway to a side wing. "Choose any room in here. Dinner will be in a couple of hours so please feel free to relax here, as I know you've most likely had a hard journey."

@@@

Everyone got comfortable, and after dinner, everyone was sitting and talking. They heard noises, however, and once outside, they saw buildings on fire and villagers running around. "What's going on!?" said Xero.

"Look!" Chelsea pointed out; Larcenian guards were running to and from the city, coming from some Fort not too far into the distance. "We have to stop them! We have to go to that Fort!"

@@@

Jenna leapt up, "Well, then let's get moving! Sorry to bail on you, father, but we've got work."

Harkis stood up as well, "Fine, I'll head to the palace though, to make sure the king is alright. Gaheris will go with you."

Jenna nodded and turned to the group, "I'll go grab him from the guards quarters and catch up with you greenhorns later alright?"

@@@

"Gotcha!" Xero and Chelsea quickly made their way to the Fort, attacking every guard they could. The guard numbers thinned down as they reached the Fort, but they saw no passable way in. "What are we supposed to do now?" said Chelsea.

"Well, I guess we charge in!" said Xero, but Chelsea stopped him.

"No! Don't go in there...!" She looked at him seriously. "I.. I'll go in. I can sneak in and take out the boss, and then get out. Okay?"

"... Don't get hurt, Chelsea!" said Xero.

"What's this about attacking the Fort?" said a person. Xero turned around and came face to face with a man with blue hair, green clothing, and a sword. "You trying to attack the Fort, kiddies?"

"Don't call us kiddies!" said Chelsea. "... I'm going in!"

"Waaait!" Xero couldn't stop her. He sighed, and turned to the man. "What's your name?"

"Chris. You would do well to remember it, kid," said Chris. "I know yours already. Xero. Odd name, but maybe you can live up to your pride."

"That's none of your damn business!" said Xero. He turned around, and the guards stopped coming out... but the Fort caught on fire. "N-No! Not again! CHELSEA!!" he ran into the Fort.

"Oh come now, this girl's making him worry?" said Chris. He stood still, "Let's see if he can survive."

--

"Chelsea? CHELSEA!" Xero ran into the Fort, seeing dead bodies everywhere. He heard a scream from afar, and he ran up the stairs. When he reached the top, he saw her standing in the middle, scared.

"X-Xero..." Chelsea stood tall, refusing to move. "I-I'm scared...!"

Xero quickly ran up to her. "Come on, we've got to get out of here! This place is going to collapse!"

"I-I can't... I'm s-scared..." Chelsea couldn't find it in her to move... and once again, Xero picked her up and started running down the stairs. The place began collapsing as he ran, him dodging falling pieces of rubble as he got to the bottom and out.

@@@

Gaheris guided his wyvern down close to the fort. Jenna quickly dismounted and ran towards the fort full speed. Gaheris guided his wyvern back into the air and began dealing with the scattered Larcenian forces outside.

As Jenna got closer to the fort she felt the rumbling signs of a collapsing fort, "Great not again...." she slowed up but headed for the main entrance.

@@@

Out came Xero with Chelsea in his arms just as the Fort finally collapsed. He passed Jenna and stopped, letting her down. "Are you alright?"

Chelsea nodded, noticing that they were close enough to each other as it was; she blushed. "T-Thank you..."

"Oh no, it's no problem..." said Xero, embarrassed. "Um... I mean..."

Their faces were inching closer together, before a shout filled the air.

"Hey 'hero!' You done playing around yet!?"

Both of their heads snapped over to glare at Chris, but they stepped away, looking angrily at him. Chelsea 'hmph!'d and walked off, Xero following in her wake. "Wait, Chelsea!"

"We've got to go to Saskia. We're not far from there; Moltalir and Saskia are relatively close together."

@@@

Jenna walked over to Chris, and kicked him in the head, "Way to stand there and be an idiot, where you enjoying the scenery or something?!"

Grumbling to herself, Jenan made her way over to Xero, "Guess that didn't go so well, greenhorn. just out of curiosity, did you even check out the state of the building before you charged in there? It's possible the troops were evacuating an unstable building and not attacking...."

@@@

"No, they were charging into the city," said Xero. "They were setting the city on fire, so there's no doubt they were attacking. ... There's a guard over there," he said as he pointed to the camp near the next city. He walked over, and was immediately spotted by the guard. They ran up to meet him, but a booming voice said, "Let me handle this." A tall man came up to face Xero, and smirked. "Well well. You seem like a talented fighter. A... Myrmidon, I see."

"What do you want!?" said Xero.

"Ah, temper temper, my friend," he said. "I merely want to test your skills... if you can defeat me in battle, I'll let you pass to Saskia. How does that sound?"

"... That's a deal," said Xero, and he rushed at the man. The man drew his own sword and they began a very intense fight. It didn't last long, however; Xero used his speed to his advantage and stabbed the man through the chest; the man fell and the sword fell out.

Suddenly, the man's eye color changed from brown to blue. He looked up at Xero, and went "...... Is that you... Xero...?"

Xero stepped back. "No.... F-Father!?"

@@@

((PLOT TWIST DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!!!))


Jenna walked over to Xero, "That man...was your father? But, you said you didn't have any memory of your parents...."

@@@

"I... it just came back to me..." Xero said, wide-eyed. "No... it can't be..."

"... It is," said the man. "You are Xero... my son..."

"N-No!"

"You don't remember...?" The man sat up, clutching his now-bleeding wound. "You were once a part of Asgardia, a fortress not too far from Arsenia... The Larcenians attacked us, and your mother and I fled... carrying you with us. But we didn't want them to find and kill you, so we left you with the kind of Arsenia, hoping that he would take care of you. ... You've grown into a fine warrior, my son... but... beware... Vadras..."

"V-Vadras?"

"The most evil woman there is... she plans to call forth the dragons and rule the world," Xero's father continued. "You must go to Larcenia and stop Kared, and then find a passage into the Dragon's Gate before Vadras does. If you meet up with her... even all of you may not be able to take her on..."

"But we'd have to try!"

"... Perhaps you can... but... my time is up..."

"No! F-Father! I-I...."

His father smiled at him. "My son... do not feel for what you have done... I was... brainwashed... by the Larcenians... forced to come here against my will, forced to fight you..." he coughed up blood. "... I should have let myself die rather than give in to torture."

Xero couldn't believe what he was hearing, but his father continued once more.

"My son... Xero... live on. Keep fighting. I'll always believe in you... protect...the Verdia... Princess... goodbye... my... son..." and he died.

"No! Father!? F-Father...." He took a deep breath, and...

"FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"

--

Xero couldn't believe it. He had just killed his own father without realizing it. He ran off, to the side, and sat on the cliff, facing outward. There, he began thinking about everything. His past, his family, his home, and his actions. "W-Why..." He thought to himself before he felt a hand on his shoulder - he turned around to see Chelsea sitting beside him, looking at him with a comforting smile.

"Hey..." She tilted her head slightly.

"Oh, hey."

"You know... you really did a brave thing back there."

Xero turned back to face outward. "No, I didn't. I killed my father. The one person left to link to my past."

Chelsea felt her smile deteriorate a bit, but she didn't falter. "You couldn't have known it was him. He was possessed. And you hadn't seen each other in so long..."

Xero kept staring out. "I still killed him. It doesn't change anything. It's like if you killed your grandmother."

"No, it's not the same!" Chelsea protested. "You can't let this hurt you so badly, Xero!"

"...I can't help it, alright?" said Xero. "When I stabbed him, I felt like I was stabbed, myself..."

"...Xero..." Chelsea gently turned his head to face hers. "Things hurt. We have to go through life, facing each challenge like it was only a test..." when she saw his face flare up, she quickly continued, "and I know you don't think that about killing your father, but think about what he told you! He told you that he believed in you! He said a name... Vadras... I think she is the one behind this. We have to get them."

"...No... I refuse to fight..." said Xero, staring her in the eyes. "I... I can't even pick up my sword again after this..."

Chelsea didn't give up. "I'll be here for you. I promise. Just like you were here for me, when you saved me from my castle, from that fort back there... I want to be with you."

Xero felt his heart skip a beat, and he blushed. "Ch-Chelsea..."

And once again, their faces were inching closer, but this time, nothing stopped them from finally closing the gap between their lips, holding each other close. After a few moments, the kiss was broken softly, and Xero stared into Chelsea's eyes. "... Thank you..." They both blushed.

"Come on, let's go," said Chelsea. "The others are waiting for us." She gently led him to stand up, taking his hand into hers, and led him back towards the party.


(Xero/Chelsea Support raised to A!)