Ylisstol was the capital of the Halidom of Ylisse, ruled by Exalt Chrom and said to be watched over from the heavens by the Divine Dragon Naga. Naturally it was the biggest city in the country. The castle towered over everything else, standing tall and proud as a beacon of sort.
Sixteen years ago, the land was embroiled in a great war. The Grimleal of the neighboring Plegia, worshippers of the Fell Dragon Grima, had nearly brought ruin to the entire continent and perhaps the whole world when the Fell Dragon was actually brought to life. The Exalt, along with his friends and allies including a woman named Kelli who was supposed to be Grima's vessel, managed to triumph over all odds. The rebuilding of the war torn areas of the Halidom was nearly complete, allowing Chrom to focus on raising his heir, Lucina. Lucina had actually been born during a relatively quiet time in the war, after Plegia's "Mad King" Gangrel was slain. Everyone thought that was the end of it, so the Exalt married his dancer sweetheart and Lucina was born nine months later. Less than a year later the conflict started up again. Lucina was sixteen now. During the war she had been babysat and wet nursed because both her parents were fighting.
As for Kelli, she had married Chrom's most trusted vassal and knight captain, "Frederick the Wary", around that quiet time in the war, but they were not blessed with any children until after the war ended. Their first born was a son named Morgan, and their second was a daughter named Antoinette, who had the nickname "Annie". Morgan was fifteen and Annie was thirteen.
The Exalt and his friends and family still had enemies...but for now, it seemed like life was good. Ylisstol was open to tourists. Some people thought the Exalt was too trusting and that he shouldn't be letting foreigners in so willingly, but Chrom felt he had good instincts, so tourists continued to come and go. One group of tourists was from the continent of Tellius: twin wyvern riders, their adopted brother of the shapeshifting laguz race, a lancer, a dark magic wielder, a light magic wielding healer, and an axe wielding warrior who was married to one of the twins. All were mercenaries by trade, but they weren't in Ylisse looking for work, just tourists.
The atmosphere of the city, however, seemed...off. The laguz was the first to sense it, but he couldn't say why it was off until the lancer made a comment about how the people looked like they hadn't slept in days. While the said lancer was at the market looking at what was for sale, the rest of the group sat in the town square nearby.
"I don't know." The dark magic wielder shrugged. "These people would be like living zombies if they hadn't slept in days. And I don't see why they wouldn't, either. I mean, I doubt they all have my late night reading habit."
One of the wyvern riders, the male, nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't think many people can pull all nighters like you, Darcen."
"Sometimes I do when Boyd snores, but I hate it and I sleep like I'm freakin hibernating the next night." The female wyvern rider agreed.
"I don't snore that much." Her husband said.
"Well when you do, you sound like a bear with a cold or something. It's loud. Trust me."
"Doesn't he also talk in his sleep sometimes?" The healer asked.
"Yeah, he does that too, and half the time you wouldn't believe the shit that comes out of his mouth. Last time I think he was saying the trees were after him or something."
"Ents?"
The female wyvern rider blinked. "No, trees. How do you get ants out of trees?"
"It's a mythical creature." Darcen explained. "Ents are tree people. In some things they can walk around, some things they can't. But they can always talk and I think they also always have faces on them." He paused and turned to his friend. "Right, Amiel?"
"That's correct."
"I don't remember dreaming that, so don't ask me what kind they were." Boyd said.
His wife chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? They were chasing you, so clearly they were the kind that could walk."
The laguz swished his furry cat tail. "I still think something's up here. I can feel it..."
Sixteen years ago, the land was embroiled in a great war. The Grimleal of the neighboring Plegia, worshippers of the Fell Dragon Grima, had nearly brought ruin to the entire continent and perhaps the whole world when the Fell Dragon was actually brought to life. The Exalt, along with his friends and allies including a woman named Kelli who was supposed to be Grima's vessel, managed to triumph over all odds. The rebuilding of the war torn areas of the Halidom was nearly complete, allowing Chrom to focus on raising his heir, Lucina. Lucina had actually been born during a relatively quiet time in the war, after Plegia's "Mad King" Gangrel was slain. Everyone thought that was the end of it, so the Exalt married his dancer sweetheart and Lucina was born nine months later. Less than a year later the conflict started up again. Lucina was sixteen now. During the war she had been babysat and wet nursed because both her parents were fighting.
As for Kelli, she had married Chrom's most trusted vassal and knight captain, "Frederick the Wary", around that quiet time in the war, but they were not blessed with any children until after the war ended. Their first born was a son named Morgan, and their second was a daughter named Antoinette, who had the nickname "Annie". Morgan was fifteen and Annie was thirteen.
The Exalt and his friends and family still had enemies...but for now, it seemed like life was good. Ylisstol was open to tourists. Some people thought the Exalt was too trusting and that he shouldn't be letting foreigners in so willingly, but Chrom felt he had good instincts, so tourists continued to come and go. One group of tourists was from the continent of Tellius: twin wyvern riders, their adopted brother of the shapeshifting laguz race, a lancer, a dark magic wielder, a light magic wielding healer, and an axe wielding warrior who was married to one of the twins. All were mercenaries by trade, but they weren't in Ylisse looking for work, just tourists.
The atmosphere of the city, however, seemed...off. The laguz was the first to sense it, but he couldn't say why it was off until the lancer made a comment about how the people looked like they hadn't slept in days. While the said lancer was at the market looking at what was for sale, the rest of the group sat in the town square nearby.
"I don't know." The dark magic wielder shrugged. "These people would be like living zombies if they hadn't slept in days. And I don't see why they wouldn't, either. I mean, I doubt they all have my late night reading habit."
One of the wyvern riders, the male, nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't think many people can pull all nighters like you, Darcen."
"Sometimes I do when Boyd snores, but I hate it and I sleep like I'm freakin hibernating the next night." The female wyvern rider agreed.
"I don't snore that much." Her husband said.
"Well when you do, you sound like a bear with a cold or something. It's loud. Trust me."
"Doesn't he also talk in his sleep sometimes?" The healer asked.
"Yeah, he does that too, and half the time you wouldn't believe the shit that comes out of his mouth. Last time I think he was saying the trees were after him or something."
"Ents?"
The female wyvern rider blinked. "No, trees. How do you get ants out of trees?"
"It's a mythical creature." Darcen explained. "Ents are tree people. In some things they can walk around, some things they can't. But they can always talk and I think they also always have faces on them." He paused and turned to his friend. "Right, Amiel?"
"That's correct."
"I don't remember dreaming that, so don't ask me what kind they were." Boyd said.
His wife chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? They were chasing you, so clearly they were the kind that could walk."
The laguz swished his furry cat tail. "I still think something's up here. I can feel it..."
The main market district of Ylisstol, capital of the Halidom of Ylisse, was usually bustling with many people and activity. The dark red-haired lancer, his chocolate brown cloak flowing behind him, wouldn't have known that, however. This time, the place was strangely quiet and rather...empty. Some market stalls and cafes were closed and those that were open had only a small handful of people lined up at them. The lancer could only raise an eyebrow at all of this.
"Something isn't right here. At all," he surmised. His veteran warrior's intuition sensed something potentially dangerous, in fact.
As he kept traveling down the market road, however, his eye soon spied something even more atrocious at one of the closed cafes.
"Their special of the day is...rabbit stew?!" he almost yelled. "Seriously?! Of all the goddess damn nerve! They should be closed permanently!"
The lancer just growled and carried on after that. He was glad no one was nearby to hear him though. His fondness for fuzzy little bunnies was something he didn't like telling people, as it rather embarrassed him as a strong mercenary. He wasn't looking for work at this time, he was visiting with friends who had gone off to do their own thing for the moment, but he had a lot of experience in combat and even war.
A few minutes later, a more unusual group of people turned onto the road from another street. Three of them were on varied horses while a woman was riding a Pegasus the color of the midnight sky. The oldest-looking man was in heavy ornate silver and blue armor, as was his dark brown horse. Behind him was a boy who looked to be in his teens and wearing similarly colored armor. He bore some resemblance to the older man, though his horse was pitch black. The woman had a long teal ponytail cascading down her back and wore silvery armor herself. The last member of their party was...a familiar face.
"Huh? Is that...?" the lancer wondered and then rushed ahead. "Ralph!"
"Hm?" the man the lancer was referring to began. He was atop a lovely palomino horse and a green cape flowed halfway down his back. He didn't wear any armor aside from a gold chest plate.
"Wait a second... Jerec?!" Ralph continued when he recognized the lancer calling to him. "Wow, it is you!"
"Yeah! Man, what a surprise!" Jerec replied with a smile.
"I know! And I'm relieved to run into you!" Ralph said.
"Ralph, you know this man?" the heavily armored man stepped in.
"Oh, Fred! I do!" Ralph confirmed. "Remember when I got lost in the Outrealm Gate by mistake? I met Jerec in the world I ended up in."
"I see. His garb does bear little resemblance to that of around here."
Jerec then eyed Ralph's companions.
"Ah, is this Frederick and his wife?" Jerec guessed. "I remember you telling me about them, Ralph."
"Oh, yes, they are them," Ralph replied with a smile. "Fred, this is Jerec, a mercenary from none other than Tellius."
"Tellius? Wow, that world has a lot of famous stories told here," Frederick said. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Pleasure to meet you too," Jerec replied. "I thought as much, Ralph said he came from a world far into the future from mine."
"That is true. The stories we know of Tellius happened hundreds of years ago," Frederick confirmed. "This is my wife, Kelli. And our son, Morgan."
"Nice to meet you, Jerec!" Kelli said. "It's not every day we get a visitor from another world. They're slightly more common than they used to be, but still not seen often."
"Yeah, what an opportunity!" Morgan added. "I'm really glad I came now!"
"Morgan, don't forget I only let you come because we're short-handed at the moment," Frederick reminded his son. "You're still in training. And we still have a mission to focus on."
"I know, I know... We can't be distracted from the mission at hand or else likely let our guard down. I remember what you said."
"Right. And that goes for all of us," Frederick continued.
"Well, we could use Jerec's help," Ralph pointed out.
"True. But do we have enough money to pay him? We've had to resort to hiring outside help a lot and I'm still wary about some of those warriors we brought in."
"Fred, you always are. And I know Jerec personally, we can trust him. But if that's not enough, how about the fact that he's related to the great Sir Ike himself? They're cousins!"
"...What? Seriously?"
"Yep!"
"Wow! Not just any visitor from the Outrealms, but a relative of Sir Ike? That has to be once in a lifetime!" Kelli commented, her eyebrows shooting close to her hairline.
"As a matter of fact, yeah, Ike is my cousin," Jerec confirmed. "I didn't know it for a long time, but I found out some years ago that our mothers were sisters."
"Whoa! Wow, Annie, Lucina, Inigo, and the others are going to be so jealous when they hear this!" Morgan said with a snicker.
"Hey, don't gloat to your sister or friends," Frederick protested. "You know that's not polite, Morgan."
"I didn't mean it like that, Dad, sheesh..."
"Anyway, my husband is right though," Kelli said. "We do have a situation and we could use your help, Jerec. That's why Ralph was relieved to see you. You're experienced, I hope?"
"Ah, yes, I am," Jerec replied. "I use a lance, and I've even sparred with Ike and some of his allies before. Also, I have friends with me, we should go meet up with them so you can explain your situation to all of us."
"Oh! Are they the Whitefires? Or the Greil Mercenaries?" Ralph wondered.
"The first one. Cerai, Leo, Samba, just about all of them are here," Jerec said. "We left our own kids behind though, to help hold the fort back home, so to speak."
"Oh, great!" Ralph said gleefully. "Fred, Kelli, I assure you we can trust them all, and even if we can't pay them right now, they're generous enough to wait for that until later."
"Well, if they really know Sir Ike, I guess I have to believe you," Frederick replied. "I apologize for being wary, though. As knight captain and personal retainer to Exalt Chrom and Queen Olivia, it's my duty to see if strangers are trustworthy or not."
"That's fair," Jerec said. "Although...I forgot to mention one thing. I'm no longer just a mercenary. I earned myself a spot in the Crimean army too."
"Wow, that's awesome!" Ralph complimented. "Congrats! Let's go find the Whitefires now. We'll explain what's going on then."
"Sure thing."
With that, the group continued down the road together, listening to Jerec's descriptions of each of the Whitefire Mercenaries along the way.
"Something isn't right here. At all," he surmised. His veteran warrior's intuition sensed something potentially dangerous, in fact.
As he kept traveling down the market road, however, his eye soon spied something even more atrocious at one of the closed cafes.
"Their special of the day is...rabbit stew?!" he almost yelled. "Seriously?! Of all the goddess damn nerve! They should be closed permanently!"
The lancer just growled and carried on after that. He was glad no one was nearby to hear him though. His fondness for fuzzy little bunnies was something he didn't like telling people, as it rather embarrassed him as a strong mercenary. He wasn't looking for work at this time, he was visiting with friends who had gone off to do their own thing for the moment, but he had a lot of experience in combat and even war.
A few minutes later, a more unusual group of people turned onto the road from another street. Three of them were on varied horses while a woman was riding a Pegasus the color of the midnight sky. The oldest-looking man was in heavy ornate silver and blue armor, as was his dark brown horse. Behind him was a boy who looked to be in his teens and wearing similarly colored armor. He bore some resemblance to the older man, though his horse was pitch black. The woman had a long teal ponytail cascading down her back and wore silvery armor herself. The last member of their party was...a familiar face.
"Huh? Is that...?" the lancer wondered and then rushed ahead. "Ralph!"
"Hm?" the man the lancer was referring to began. He was atop a lovely palomino horse and a green cape flowed halfway down his back. He didn't wear any armor aside from a gold chest plate.
"Wait a second... Jerec?!" Ralph continued when he recognized the lancer calling to him. "Wow, it is you!"
"Yeah! Man, what a surprise!" Jerec replied with a smile.
"I know! And I'm relieved to run into you!" Ralph said.
"Ralph, you know this man?" the heavily armored man stepped in.
"Oh, Fred! I do!" Ralph confirmed. "Remember when I got lost in the Outrealm Gate by mistake? I met Jerec in the world I ended up in."
"I see. His garb does bear little resemblance to that of around here."
Jerec then eyed Ralph's companions.
"Ah, is this Frederick and his wife?" Jerec guessed. "I remember you telling me about them, Ralph."
"Oh, yes, they are them," Ralph replied with a smile. "Fred, this is Jerec, a mercenary from none other than Tellius."
"Tellius? Wow, that world has a lot of famous stories told here," Frederick said. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Pleasure to meet you too," Jerec replied. "I thought as much, Ralph said he came from a world far into the future from mine."
"That is true. The stories we know of Tellius happened hundreds of years ago," Frederick confirmed. "This is my wife, Kelli. And our son, Morgan."
"Nice to meet you, Jerec!" Kelli said. "It's not every day we get a visitor from another world. They're slightly more common than they used to be, but still not seen often."
"Yeah, what an opportunity!" Morgan added. "I'm really glad I came now!"
"Morgan, don't forget I only let you come because we're short-handed at the moment," Frederick reminded his son. "You're still in training. And we still have a mission to focus on."
"I know, I know... We can't be distracted from the mission at hand or else likely let our guard down. I remember what you said."
"Right. And that goes for all of us," Frederick continued.
"Well, we could use Jerec's help," Ralph pointed out.
"True. But do we have enough money to pay him? We've had to resort to hiring outside help a lot and I'm still wary about some of those warriors we brought in."
"Fred, you always are. And I know Jerec personally, we can trust him. But if that's not enough, how about the fact that he's related to the great Sir Ike himself? They're cousins!"
"...What? Seriously?"
"Yep!"
"Wow! Not just any visitor from the Outrealms, but a relative of Sir Ike? That has to be once in a lifetime!" Kelli commented, her eyebrows shooting close to her hairline.
"As a matter of fact, yeah, Ike is my cousin," Jerec confirmed. "I didn't know it for a long time, but I found out some years ago that our mothers were sisters."
"Whoa! Wow, Annie, Lucina, Inigo, and the others are going to be so jealous when they hear this!" Morgan said with a snicker.
"Hey, don't gloat to your sister or friends," Frederick protested. "You know that's not polite, Morgan."
"I didn't mean it like that, Dad, sheesh..."
"Anyway, my husband is right though," Kelli said. "We do have a situation and we could use your help, Jerec. That's why Ralph was relieved to see you. You're experienced, I hope?"
"Ah, yes, I am," Jerec replied. "I use a lance, and I've even sparred with Ike and some of his allies before. Also, I have friends with me, we should go meet up with them so you can explain your situation to all of us."
"Oh! Are they the Whitefires? Or the Greil Mercenaries?" Ralph wondered.
"The first one. Cerai, Leo, Samba, just about all of them are here," Jerec said. "We left our own kids behind though, to help hold the fort back home, so to speak."
"Oh, great!" Ralph said gleefully. "Fred, Kelli, I assure you we can trust them all, and even if we can't pay them right now, they're generous enough to wait for that until later."
"Well, if they really know Sir Ike, I guess I have to believe you," Frederick replied. "I apologize for being wary, though. As knight captain and personal retainer to Exalt Chrom and Queen Olivia, it's my duty to see if strangers are trustworthy or not."
"That's fair," Jerec said. "Although...I forgot to mention one thing. I'm no longer just a mercenary. I earned myself a spot in the Crimean army too."
"Wow, that's awesome!" Ralph complimented. "Congrats! Let's go find the Whitefires now. We'll explain what's going on then."
"Sure thing."
With that, the group continued down the road together, listening to Jerec's descriptions of each of the Whitefire Mercenaries along the way.
The wyverns were hungry. And hungry wyverns were no good to anyone, battle or no battle, because they got grumpy and constantly let out annoyed, pitiful screeches. But unfortunately, the meat merchant just couldn't bring out the proper steaks. Seasoned meat, while delicious to people, wasn't so good to wyverns. The first steaks were both seasoned and cooked and the second ones were unseasoned, but still cooked. Samba ate one of the seasoned cooked ones, but even a laguz of the beast tribe couldn't finish four steaks even if he tried. The wyverns reluctantly ate the second, unseasoned batch. Cooked meat didn't taste as good to them as raw meat. And they didn't know what happened to the remaining seasoned steak after they gave it back.
"Seriously!" Cerai complained. "They act like wyverns don't exist here!"
"They do though, but they're most common in Plegia." Amiel said. "This is Ylisse."
"Yeah, I know this is Ylisse." Cerai replied.
"That was the most scatterbrained, out of it merchant I've ever seen in my life..." Leo scratched his wyvern Frostbite's chin. "Sorry, boy, looks like raw steak is out of the question. I'll get you one as soon as I can."
Samba's ears suddenly pricked at the footsteps behind them, which he picked up before anyone else. He turned and waved when he saw who it was. "Jerec, over here!" A brief pause, then he recognized another face. "...Ralph? Guys, Jerec found Ralph!"
Darcen smiled. "Ah, I remember that almost like it was yesterday...still didn't get through my book that night, but it was...an interesting experience anyway."
"Small world, looks like." Boyd commented.
Cerai cuffed his shoulder. "We knew Ralph was Ylissean, but imagine running into him again in his own home land? Pretty darn cool."
"Seriously!" Cerai complained. "They act like wyverns don't exist here!"
"They do though, but they're most common in Plegia." Amiel said. "This is Ylisse."
"Yeah, I know this is Ylisse." Cerai replied.
"That was the most scatterbrained, out of it merchant I've ever seen in my life..." Leo scratched his wyvern Frostbite's chin. "Sorry, boy, looks like raw steak is out of the question. I'll get you one as soon as I can."
Samba's ears suddenly pricked at the footsteps behind them, which he picked up before anyone else. He turned and waved when he saw who it was. "Jerec, over here!" A brief pause, then he recognized another face. "...Ralph? Guys, Jerec found Ralph!"
Darcen smiled. "Ah, I remember that almost like it was yesterday...still didn't get through my book that night, but it was...an interesting experience anyway."
"Small world, looks like." Boyd commented.
Cerai cuffed his shoulder. "We knew Ralph was Ylissean, but imagine running into him again in his own home land? Pretty darn cool."
"Oh, there they are!" Jerec cried when he heard a familiar voice shout his name. He turned to see Cerai and Leo's entire gang approaching.
Ralph turned his attention to where Jerec was looking and smiled.
"Yep, that's them!" he confirmed.
"Ah, so these are the Whitefire Mercenaries then," Frederick said.
"Yes," Jerec replied and then turned to his comrades. "Guys, I'm glad it didn't take long to find you. I found Ralph a little while ago, and it turns out there's an urgent situation here in the capital. That's why things seem strange."
"Yeah, and my comrades here can explain," Ralph added. "These are the friends I told you about when I was in Tellius."
"Indeed. I am Frederick, knight captain and personal retainer to the Ylisse royal family," Frederick began. "This is my wife, Kelli, and our son, Morgan. Kelli is also our primary tactician, and we usually lead the army together. I do wish we could have met during better circumstances, but we're in dire need of your help. As Jerec said, this is urgent, and he and Ralph vouched for your trustworthiness. Not long ago, a strange disease began plaguing the city."
"Oh, Frederick, do you have to make it sound that serious?" Kelli wondered. "It's bad, but it's still just a small epidemic going through the city and there have only been a few deaths. They were unfortunate, but we've gotten even highly contagious diseases under control before."
"Yes, but nothing like this one! It's even afflicted the princess!" Frederick pointed out. "And just because the death toll is small right now doesn't mean it can't grow later!"
"Don't worry, guys, my father always goes crazy when the royals seem to be in trouble," Morgan said with a chuckle. "Though this time, it's probably justified. Like my parents said, we don't know anything about this disease and it's stumped our healers and doctors so far. And Princess Lucina came down with it recently. My sister is her personal retainer and is looking after her, but like I said, no treatments are working well."
"Yes, exactly," Frederick continued.
Frederick went on to describe the disease's symptoms. It seemed to start with some fatigue and trouble sleeping, and later include fever and sometimes nausea. Some people had eventually become bedridden and a few just seemed to have their bodies completely shut down and fatally fail. Lucina wasn't fully bedridden yet, but she was resting a lot.
"What? Whoa. That's definitely bad," Jerec commented.
"Yes. We must find treatments and cures at all costs," Frederick continued. "If something happened to Lucina and her parents and my own family under my watch, I... I don't know what I would do... I worry about the princess, prince, milord, milady, and my daughter every day while I'm not at the palace... And all of us! If we were to become ill as well, all hope would be lost. Thus, every bit of effort to find knowledge counts."
"I hear that, Fred," Ralph commented. "Don't forget Polly too. I have her to worry about. So far, she's been fine, maybe even immune to this affliction due to being a taguel rather than human, but she's just a child... And it hasn't been that long since I adopted her. I don't really know how I would take care of her if she got sick. I would ask Stahl, but he probably only knows about remedies for humans."
"Ah, yes, indeed..."
"What? You adopted a child?" Jerec wondered.
"Oh, I never mentioned, yes!" Ralph said, his cheeks going pink. "It was unexpected, but it happened. She loves me and I care a great deal about her. Something tells me you'd like her a lot. Heh heh. But we might not get to trade many stories if we don't learn more about this disease and where it originated from. So we'll have to talk more about family later."
"...Right, of course. I'm not sure what we can do to help since we're not healers or doctors ourselves, but we'll do what we can," Jerec agreed.
"Ah, thank you!" Frederick replied with a smile.
Ralph turned his attention to where Jerec was looking and smiled.
"Yep, that's them!" he confirmed.
"Ah, so these are the Whitefire Mercenaries then," Frederick said.
"Yes," Jerec replied and then turned to his comrades. "Guys, I'm glad it didn't take long to find you. I found Ralph a little while ago, and it turns out there's an urgent situation here in the capital. That's why things seem strange."
"Yeah, and my comrades here can explain," Ralph added. "These are the friends I told you about when I was in Tellius."
"Indeed. I am Frederick, knight captain and personal retainer to the Ylisse royal family," Frederick began. "This is my wife, Kelli, and our son, Morgan. Kelli is also our primary tactician, and we usually lead the army together. I do wish we could have met during better circumstances, but we're in dire need of your help. As Jerec said, this is urgent, and he and Ralph vouched for your trustworthiness. Not long ago, a strange disease began plaguing the city."
"Oh, Frederick, do you have to make it sound that serious?" Kelli wondered. "It's bad, but it's still just a small epidemic going through the city and there have only been a few deaths. They were unfortunate, but we've gotten even highly contagious diseases under control before."
"Yes, but nothing like this one! It's even afflicted the princess!" Frederick pointed out. "And just because the death toll is small right now doesn't mean it can't grow later!"
"Don't worry, guys, my father always goes crazy when the royals seem to be in trouble," Morgan said with a chuckle. "Though this time, it's probably justified. Like my parents said, we don't know anything about this disease and it's stumped our healers and doctors so far. And Princess Lucina came down with it recently. My sister is her personal retainer and is looking after her, but like I said, no treatments are working well."
"Yes, exactly," Frederick continued.
Frederick went on to describe the disease's symptoms. It seemed to start with some fatigue and trouble sleeping, and later include fever and sometimes nausea. Some people had eventually become bedridden and a few just seemed to have their bodies completely shut down and fatally fail. Lucina wasn't fully bedridden yet, but she was resting a lot.
"What? Whoa. That's definitely bad," Jerec commented.
"Yes. We must find treatments and cures at all costs," Frederick continued. "If something happened to Lucina and her parents and my own family under my watch, I... I don't know what I would do... I worry about the princess, prince, milord, milady, and my daughter every day while I'm not at the palace... And all of us! If we were to become ill as well, all hope would be lost. Thus, every bit of effort to find knowledge counts."
"I hear that, Fred," Ralph commented. "Don't forget Polly too. I have her to worry about. So far, she's been fine, maybe even immune to this affliction due to being a taguel rather than human, but she's just a child... And it hasn't been that long since I adopted her. I don't really know how I would take care of her if she got sick. I would ask Stahl, but he probably only knows about remedies for humans."
"Ah, yes, indeed..."
"What? You adopted a child?" Jerec wondered.
"Oh, I never mentioned, yes!" Ralph said, his cheeks going pink. "It was unexpected, but it happened. She loves me and I care a great deal about her. Something tells me you'd like her a lot. Heh heh. But we might not get to trade many stories if we don't learn more about this disease and where it originated from. So we'll have to talk more about family later."
"...Right, of course. I'm not sure what we can do to help since we're not healers or doctors ourselves, but we'll do what we can," Jerec agreed.
"Ah, thank you!" Frederick replied with a smile.
"People have been acting like they haven't slept!" Samba's tail bristled. "I knew that was odd...but well met, Sir and Ma'am..."
"Yeah, you should've seen that meat merchant, I thought he was going to fall down with his face in the meat he was selling, and he STILL didn't get the order right." Cerai added. Blaze snorted behind her. "We do have one healer with us-"
"-But I'm not too knowledgeable on sicknesses." Amiel interrupted. "I can, however, do research, if you will lead me to a library or anywhere I can do so." Darcen nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, send the two bookworms to do research, that's a good idea." Boyd said. "I mean, I could probably do research too if I had to, but..."
Leo blinked. "Research? YOU? Give me a break..." He turned to Frederick and Kelli. "How contagious is this, exactly? None of us want it...to be blunt..."
Ralph described he had adopted a little girl named Polly. Cerai smiled. "You did strike me as the type who would give someone the shirt off your back, so I'm not surprised you ended up with an orphan girl. But yes, my brother is right. None of us want this disease, so we'll have to be careful, that's for sure."
"All the more reason to figure out what's causing it, ASAP." Darcen made the "no sickness" gesture with both his pointer fingers crossed over each other in an X.
"Oh, like that gesture will actually work." Boyd rolled his eyes. Darcen told him to shut up.
"Yeah, it probably won't, but if you're not careful, he might give you a different finger gesture that's rude." Cerai said.
Darcen blinked. "I was thinking it, but not acting on it. Now...library? Hospital? Where can we find the research material?"
"Yeah, you should've seen that meat merchant, I thought he was going to fall down with his face in the meat he was selling, and he STILL didn't get the order right." Cerai added. Blaze snorted behind her. "We do have one healer with us-"
"-But I'm not too knowledgeable on sicknesses." Amiel interrupted. "I can, however, do research, if you will lead me to a library or anywhere I can do so." Darcen nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, send the two bookworms to do research, that's a good idea." Boyd said. "I mean, I could probably do research too if I had to, but..."
Leo blinked. "Research? YOU? Give me a break..." He turned to Frederick and Kelli. "How contagious is this, exactly? None of us want it...to be blunt..."
Ralph described he had adopted a little girl named Polly. Cerai smiled. "You did strike me as the type who would give someone the shirt off your back, so I'm not surprised you ended up with an orphan girl. But yes, my brother is right. None of us want this disease, so we'll have to be careful, that's for sure."
"All the more reason to figure out what's causing it, ASAP." Darcen made the "no sickness" gesture with both his pointer fingers crossed over each other in an X.
"Oh, like that gesture will actually work." Boyd rolled his eyes. Darcen told him to shut up.
"Yeah, it probably won't, but if you're not careful, he might give you a different finger gesture that's rude." Cerai said.
Darcen blinked. "I was thinking it, but not acting on it. Now...library? Hospital? Where can we find the research material?"
"...Erm, yes, again, I thank you all," Frederick responded, though somewhat confusedly. These people were interesting, to say the least. Cerai was reminding him of Sully, that much was for certain. Both of them even had red hair and a mount too, even if it wasn't the same kind of mount.
"And of course, it is very wise to be cautious," he continued. "We shall do that. As for where the royal library is, it is close by the palace, almost within the palace grounds themselves. We'll lead you there. However, as we already have other people doing research there as well, I am not sure how fruitful this will prove. I fear we may have to search elsewhere, perhaps even outside of Ylisse."
"It's possible," Kelli agreed. "We'll have to do whatever is necessary. And Ralph, yeah, he's as kind as kind gets! You should see how he sings to local children or gives to the poor and needy and other things!"
"Ah, Kelli, I just do what I feel is right to help out as part of the army," Ralph replied, blushing and scratching the back of his head. "I may not be a knight in class, but I practically am in title thanks to Fred!"
"Heh, indeed," Frederick agreed. "Sometimes I fear you're too kind for your own good at times though. I must admit, it worries me. You've even reported having been taken advantage of before."
"Ugh, did you have to bring that up? I know that's happened, but I do my best not to let it! And...well, I just can't help being who I am sometimes. You know that."
"Yes... And of course, I wouldn't have it any other way. I just want to look out for you."
Frederick shot a rare and deeply caring smile towards his best friend.
"Aw, I know," Ralph replied, returning the gesture.
Morgan spoke up as the group began heading towards the royal library.
"Hey, I remember how Uncle Ralph sang to me and my sister when we were little too!" he pointed out. "I know he's not really my uncle, but because he and my father are so close, he might as well be!"
"Oh, that was adorable!" Kelli agreed nostalgically. "When you both were babies, sometimes he'd even hold you two and sing while you both were wearing your bear onesie pajamas! And this was if Frederick wasn't already holding you and reading bedtime stories to you instead."
Morgan suddenly went beet red and grimaced.
"MOM!!" he cried. "You didn't have to mention that part!"
"Yes, I think this conversation is going into territory that I do not want it to!" Frederick added, also going pink and nearly gritting his teeth.
"Sheesh, you boys are no fun sometimes," Kelli retorted, though more playfully than annoyingly.
Jerec and Ralph couldn't help but chuckle loud enough for others to hear. Ralph nearly fell out of his horse's saddle.
"I bet we all have funny family stories to tell though," Jerec pointed out. "Maybe we ought to do that some time!"
Ugh... Just do not let my sister or mother join! Frederick fumed in his head.
"Now to get back to the matter at hand," he spoke up. "We're not exactly sure how contagious this illness is, unfortunately. It does seem to gradually spread, but slowly, and there's not enough evidence to say whether it's due to coming into contact with those who are already ill or not."
"Yeah, I mean, we've all been fine so far, but Lucina's been sick for days," Morgan pointed out. "It just seems to be random as far as we can tell."
"And of course, it is very wise to be cautious," he continued. "We shall do that. As for where the royal library is, it is close by the palace, almost within the palace grounds themselves. We'll lead you there. However, as we already have other people doing research there as well, I am not sure how fruitful this will prove. I fear we may have to search elsewhere, perhaps even outside of Ylisse."
"It's possible," Kelli agreed. "We'll have to do whatever is necessary. And Ralph, yeah, he's as kind as kind gets! You should see how he sings to local children or gives to the poor and needy and other things!"
"Ah, Kelli, I just do what I feel is right to help out as part of the army," Ralph replied, blushing and scratching the back of his head. "I may not be a knight in class, but I practically am in title thanks to Fred!"
"Heh, indeed," Frederick agreed. "Sometimes I fear you're too kind for your own good at times though. I must admit, it worries me. You've even reported having been taken advantage of before."
"Ugh, did you have to bring that up? I know that's happened, but I do my best not to let it! And...well, I just can't help being who I am sometimes. You know that."
"Yes... And of course, I wouldn't have it any other way. I just want to look out for you."
Frederick shot a rare and deeply caring smile towards his best friend.
"Aw, I know," Ralph replied, returning the gesture.
Morgan spoke up as the group began heading towards the royal library.
"Hey, I remember how Uncle Ralph sang to me and my sister when we were little too!" he pointed out. "I know he's not really my uncle, but because he and my father are so close, he might as well be!"
"Oh, that was adorable!" Kelli agreed nostalgically. "When you both were babies, sometimes he'd even hold you two and sing while you both were wearing your bear onesie pajamas! And this was if Frederick wasn't already holding you and reading bedtime stories to you instead."
Morgan suddenly went beet red and grimaced.
"MOM!!" he cried. "You didn't have to mention that part!"
"Yes, I think this conversation is going into territory that I do not want it to!" Frederick added, also going pink and nearly gritting his teeth.
"Sheesh, you boys are no fun sometimes," Kelli retorted, though more playfully than annoyingly.
Jerec and Ralph couldn't help but chuckle loud enough for others to hear. Ralph nearly fell out of his horse's saddle.
"I bet we all have funny family stories to tell though," Jerec pointed out. "Maybe we ought to do that some time!"
Ugh... Just do not let my sister or mother join! Frederick fumed in his head.
"Now to get back to the matter at hand," he spoke up. "We're not exactly sure how contagious this illness is, unfortunately. It does seem to gradually spread, but slowly, and there's not enough evidence to say whether it's due to coming into contact with those who are already ill or not."
"Yeah, I mean, we've all been fine so far, but Lucina's been sick for days," Morgan pointed out. "It just seems to be random as far as we can tell."
The twins both burst out laughing at the bear onesies topic. Leo clamped his mouth shut at Morgan's embarrassment while Cerai continued to snicker. "You poor kid." Leo commented with a smile. "But be lucky you still have parents to embarrass you. I'd give anything to have mine back to tell embarrassing stories..." Cerai nodded in agreement, still with a punchy smirk on her face.
"Yeah, didn't your parents meet their makers when you were about his age?" Boyd asked Cerai. She nodded. "Yes, but...let's not go any further on that subject."
"I can see either of you embarrassing your kids like that someday." Samba addressed his adopted siblings, then turned back to Frederick and Kelli. "That reminded me of how my adopted nephews and niece used to beg me to shift so they could use me as a fluffy cat pillow. When the oldest was really little, sometimes that was the only way he'd fall asleep! And then it'd be like trying to remove a fragile precious artifact from a booby trapped stand or something, if he woke up before they got him back in his bed, then he wouldn't sleep that night."
Amiel sensed something was off. "Wait a second, guys. Stop." And then the bishop turned and called back to his druid friend. "What are you doing? Catch up!"
Darcen had been talking to a woman in black, slightly revealing mage robes. She had long indigo hair in a braid and yellow eyes. "Oh." She said. "Are these your friends?"
"I told you I had no time to chat." Darcen told her. "But you didn't listen. Now run along, I have important business to take care of."
The woman gave the rest of the group a slight glare and retreated toward the side streets. "She asked if I was a foreign 'dark mage', I suppose that's what they call shamans here? Or druids? Sounds more like the former." Darcen explained. "And then when I told her I was, she cornered me and started asking a bunch of questions about magic where I'm from, what tomes exist, and then she asked me what other kinds of magic I could do, if I'd ever worked with potions or turned any 'annoying bratty kids' into frogs. She was creeping me out."
"I've known a few people I'd like to turn into frogs." Boyd commented. "Can they seriously do that here?"
The library was reached a few minutes later. Darcen and Amiel went straight to the non fiction reference section and opened anything that was about the human body, diseases, self care of sicknesses, germs, even parasites. Nothing useful enough. In the end it was Boyd who found a lead. He had picked up a book on hexes and curses used by dark mage cults of Plegia and the surrounding area. "Guys! I think I found something!"
Cerai rolled her eyes at him. "Are you still interested in turning people into frogs?"
"Yeah, kinda. But look at this. It says magic can be used to infect a town or settlement with a disease, and then it lists different symptoms and how to cast the spell to get said symptoms." He almost closed the book with a disgusted look on his face, but Cerai grabbed his hand and prevented him from doing so. "Keep it open! Everybody needs to see this!"
Amiel looked defeated when he saw it. "Well, I just got outsmarted and outresearched by an axe warrior..." Darcen sighed and nodded beside him. "I have a bad feeling about that woman I met now. And yes, who would've thought..."
"Hey, I may not be a bookworm, but I ain't stupid!"
Leo blinked slowly. "I don't think this was a competition." And then he walked over and tapped Frederick's shoulder. "I think we've got something here..."
"Yeah, didn't your parents meet their makers when you were about his age?" Boyd asked Cerai. She nodded. "Yes, but...let's not go any further on that subject."
"I can see either of you embarrassing your kids like that someday." Samba addressed his adopted siblings, then turned back to Frederick and Kelli. "That reminded me of how my adopted nephews and niece used to beg me to shift so they could use me as a fluffy cat pillow. When the oldest was really little, sometimes that was the only way he'd fall asleep! And then it'd be like trying to remove a fragile precious artifact from a booby trapped stand or something, if he woke up before they got him back in his bed, then he wouldn't sleep that night."
Amiel sensed something was off. "Wait a second, guys. Stop." And then the bishop turned and called back to his druid friend. "What are you doing? Catch up!"
Darcen had been talking to a woman in black, slightly revealing mage robes. She had long indigo hair in a braid and yellow eyes. "Oh." She said. "Are these your friends?"
"I told you I had no time to chat." Darcen told her. "But you didn't listen. Now run along, I have important business to take care of."
The woman gave the rest of the group a slight glare and retreated toward the side streets. "She asked if I was a foreign 'dark mage', I suppose that's what they call shamans here? Or druids? Sounds more like the former." Darcen explained. "And then when I told her I was, she cornered me and started asking a bunch of questions about magic where I'm from, what tomes exist, and then she asked me what other kinds of magic I could do, if I'd ever worked with potions or turned any 'annoying bratty kids' into frogs. She was creeping me out."
"I've known a few people I'd like to turn into frogs." Boyd commented. "Can they seriously do that here?"
The library was reached a few minutes later. Darcen and Amiel went straight to the non fiction reference section and opened anything that was about the human body, diseases, self care of sicknesses, germs, even parasites. Nothing useful enough. In the end it was Boyd who found a lead. He had picked up a book on hexes and curses used by dark mage cults of Plegia and the surrounding area. "Guys! I think I found something!"
Cerai rolled her eyes at him. "Are you still interested in turning people into frogs?"
"Yeah, kinda. But look at this. It says magic can be used to infect a town or settlement with a disease, and then it lists different symptoms and how to cast the spell to get said symptoms." He almost closed the book with a disgusted look on his face, but Cerai grabbed his hand and prevented him from doing so. "Keep it open! Everybody needs to see this!"
Amiel looked defeated when he saw it. "Well, I just got outsmarted and outresearched by an axe warrior..." Darcen sighed and nodded beside him. "I have a bad feeling about that woman I met now. And yes, who would've thought..."
"Hey, I may not be a bookworm, but I ain't stupid!"
Leo blinked slowly. "I don't think this was a competition." And then he walked over and tapped Frederick's shoulder. "I think we've got something here..."
The royal library was a grand sight to behold. It had small stone towers that appeared to brush the sky and lovely stone double doors with engravings of the divine dragon, Naga. Everyone hitched their steeds to the hitching posts outside and entered without hesitation.
Inside, there were dozens of shelves of books, standing on two vast floors. Ornate stairs marked the paths to the second floor, which could be seen from the first. Everyone scattered to the non-fiction sections detailing healing, illnesses, human anatomy, and anything similar. Morgan was less familiar with some of these things than others, so Frederick and Kelli explained anything he was confused on. Ralph was also confused every now and then. He had come from a poor family, so he never really had a proper education.
Nothing seemed to provide any possible answers though. Some illnesses had a few of the same symptoms, but not all, and the remedies listed had already been tried. However, when Frederick was about ready to give up, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Leo, and he said they had found something.
"Oh? I must say, I'm impressed," Frederick complimented. "People have been going through here for hours, and nothing reported was helping."
Leo then had Boyd show him the book he'd found. The others joined them later.
"...A dark spell," Frederick uttered. "I should've known."
"Oh! I should have too!" Kelli realized, trembling slightly. "I don't use dark magic, but I am familiar with some of it because...of certain circumstances."
"Hm?" Jerec wondered. "Are you alright? You're shaking."
"Oh, sorry about that," Kelli replied with a sigh. "I've had a lot of bad experiences with dark magic, which is why I know it the way I do."
"And now I suspect we know who's behind this," Frederick added.
"But...it can't be Phantom or Tomas or whatever his name was!" Ralph protested. "We already dealt with him! He promised to leave us alone years ago and he hasn't done anything since!"
"He did, yes. But I don't mean him specifically," Frederick continued. "Someone else with the same connections to the Grimleal."
"Oh..."
"Oh dear... I don't want to get him involved..." Kelli said. "We still haven't found a way to help him either."
"Uh, I'm confused here," Jerec stepped in. "Mind filling the rest of us in on who this guy is and all?"
Ah, yes... Well, remember when you were talking about parents, Cerai? Well, I sort of know how you feel," Kelli began as they neared the library. "At least you knew yours, though... All I can say is that my father was a corrupt sorcerer trying to destroy the world and my mother had basically been his slave...until she helped both of us escape somehow. I was eventually separated from her and drained of almost all my memories of the past. I eventually did find her, but she's been on the run from the people that belonged to my father's...cult, so we don't see her much. My children love it when she does visit though."
"Yeah, she's really cool. Mom's past is complicated though," Morgan said. "We'd probably be here forever if we explained the whole story."
"Yes..." Frederick added. "But it might be best to tell all of it. We try to eliminate everyone that was following Validar and the fell dragon, Grima, but they still show up occasionally to cause some trouble, and they're always after Kelli's mother. I only hope one day she won't have to run anymore so she can spend more time with us. She's a lovely woman whose naivety left her in this situation..."
"We will make that happen someday, I'm sure of it," Kelli said. "But to explain where Tomas comes in, well... that cult I mentioned was the Grimleal Frederick mentioned before, and he was born and raised as a member of it as well. He called himself Phantom when he was older. The Grimleal worshiped Grima and were trying to bring him back to wipe the world. All of us together stopped them. But Tomas was hurt the most. And I hadn't known until it was too late...."
Kelli went onto explain that Tomas and some leftover followers caused her and Frederick a lot of trouble, and it led to him and Frederick battling it out to the death. Tomas was all but dead after, and Frederick barely hung on. But before he could die, Tomas cast a spell on himself that made him take a literal phantom-like form instead of actually dying. He was basically trapped between life and death. Frederick and Kelli discovered this when Kelli was eight months pregnant with Morgan, and Tomas attacked again.
"I was hit, and that's how Morgan ended up being a premature birth," Kelli continued. "But as I was lying in bed with my newborn son, thinking of who this "Phantom" might've been and why he was so adamant on doing this to Frederick and I, I finally awakened all my missing memories. Everything became so clear. And I broke into tears. Tomas was my only friend when I was a child! He was a kind boy who, like I, had just been born to the wrong people. He really was supposed to marry me, just as he'd said, but because I'd lost my memories, I had no idea, and Frederick and I were married some time after I met him and the others here instead. Tomas had lost everything. His parents and anyone else he might've been close to died in the war we fought against the Grimleal. He no longer had me as a friend or fiancee... He was alone. He had no one..."
"And ever since, we've been trying to find a way to reverse the spell he put on himself," Ralph finished. "We can't forgive him for what he did, as he nearly put Fred, Kelli, and their unborn child in their own graves, but... We understand why, and not even he deserved what had happened to him. He said he doesn't think the spell can be reversed, but we're not giving up. He may not really be alive, but he isn't truly dead either."
"Yeah," Morgan said. "We never really know where he is or goes, but Mom says he watches over us from afar. He must feel like it's the only thing that gives him any comfort."
"Exactly," Frederick added. "And if more remaining members of the Grimleal are responsible for this illness, we actually might want to ask Tomas's help. He would recognize their magic. And we may even finally find a way to fully bring him back to life too."
"It's possible," Kelli agreed. "But it won't be easy to find him. Like Morgan said, we never know where he hides. He stays out of sight to avoid frightening people. We'll have to keep our eyes peeled."
"Indeed," Frederick said.
"Well, this certainly turned interesting," Jerec commented. "I bet he'd know who that woman Darcen ran into was as well if she's part of that Grimleal."
"Quite possibly. Before we go, however, I must report to Lord Chrom and tell him of these findings," Frederick insisted. "He and the others will want to know of this. I also must check on my daughter."
"Oh, yes!" Kelli agreed. "Do hurry though, Frederick."
"Of course!"
With that, he made for the library doors and was off. Morgan couldn't help but crack a small chuckle.
"Don't worry, my dad won't be long," he said. "He does this all the time, even with little details. He always says "no detail is ever beneath my notice.""
"Sure does!" Ralph commented. "I can never figure out just how Fred manages everything he does and not get super exhausted!"
"He used to be even worse about it, remember," Kelli said with a giggle. "He'd hide his exhaustion, and then get sick or fall over or fall asleep at a desk! And if he was stressed and anxious as well as really busy, he might've hurt himself. When I was about to give birth to our daughter, he fell down two flights of stairs trying to get to the royal infirmary! He got an earful from everyone for that."
"Oh my gods, don't remind me..." Ralph grimaced. "I had to help haul his heavy arse down there to get him bandaged up!"
"That story makes me laugh so hard every time though!" Morgan said, bursting into laughter. Jerec soon followed.
"Oh wow..." he uttered through his laughs. "Wait 'til I tell you some funny stories about Ike though... Just don't ever tell him I told you."
Inside, there were dozens of shelves of books, standing on two vast floors. Ornate stairs marked the paths to the second floor, which could be seen from the first. Everyone scattered to the non-fiction sections detailing healing, illnesses, human anatomy, and anything similar. Morgan was less familiar with some of these things than others, so Frederick and Kelli explained anything he was confused on. Ralph was also confused every now and then. He had come from a poor family, so he never really had a proper education.
Nothing seemed to provide any possible answers though. Some illnesses had a few of the same symptoms, but not all, and the remedies listed had already been tried. However, when Frederick was about ready to give up, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Leo, and he said they had found something.
"Oh? I must say, I'm impressed," Frederick complimented. "People have been going through here for hours, and nothing reported was helping."
Leo then had Boyd show him the book he'd found. The others joined them later.
"...A dark spell," Frederick uttered. "I should've known."
"Oh! I should have too!" Kelli realized, trembling slightly. "I don't use dark magic, but I am familiar with some of it because...of certain circumstances."
"Hm?" Jerec wondered. "Are you alright? You're shaking."
"Oh, sorry about that," Kelli replied with a sigh. "I've had a lot of bad experiences with dark magic, which is why I know it the way I do."
"And now I suspect we know who's behind this," Frederick added.
"But...it can't be Phantom or Tomas or whatever his name was!" Ralph protested. "We already dealt with him! He promised to leave us alone years ago and he hasn't done anything since!"
"He did, yes. But I don't mean him specifically," Frederick continued. "Someone else with the same connections to the Grimleal."
"Oh..."
"Oh dear... I don't want to get him involved..." Kelli said. "We still haven't found a way to help him either."
"Uh, I'm confused here," Jerec stepped in. "Mind filling the rest of us in on who this guy is and all?"
Ah, yes... Well, remember when you were talking about parents, Cerai? Well, I sort of know how you feel," Kelli began as they neared the library. "At least you knew yours, though... All I can say is that my father was a corrupt sorcerer trying to destroy the world and my mother had basically been his slave...until she helped both of us escape somehow. I was eventually separated from her and drained of almost all my memories of the past. I eventually did find her, but she's been on the run from the people that belonged to my father's...cult, so we don't see her much. My children love it when she does visit though."
"Yeah, she's really cool. Mom's past is complicated though," Morgan said. "We'd probably be here forever if we explained the whole story."
"Yes..." Frederick added. "But it might be best to tell all of it. We try to eliminate everyone that was following Validar and the fell dragon, Grima, but they still show up occasionally to cause some trouble, and they're always after Kelli's mother. I only hope one day she won't have to run anymore so she can spend more time with us. She's a lovely woman whose naivety left her in this situation..."
"We will make that happen someday, I'm sure of it," Kelli said. "But to explain where Tomas comes in, well... that cult I mentioned was the Grimleal Frederick mentioned before, and he was born and raised as a member of it as well. He called himself Phantom when he was older. The Grimleal worshiped Grima and were trying to bring him back to wipe the world. All of us together stopped them. But Tomas was hurt the most. And I hadn't known until it was too late...."
Kelli went onto explain that Tomas and some leftover followers caused her and Frederick a lot of trouble, and it led to him and Frederick battling it out to the death. Tomas was all but dead after, and Frederick barely hung on. But before he could die, Tomas cast a spell on himself that made him take a literal phantom-like form instead of actually dying. He was basically trapped between life and death. Frederick and Kelli discovered this when Kelli was eight months pregnant with Morgan, and Tomas attacked again.
"I was hit, and that's how Morgan ended up being a premature birth," Kelli continued. "But as I was lying in bed with my newborn son, thinking of who this "Phantom" might've been and why he was so adamant on doing this to Frederick and I, I finally awakened all my missing memories. Everything became so clear. And I broke into tears. Tomas was my only friend when I was a child! He was a kind boy who, like I, had just been born to the wrong people. He really was supposed to marry me, just as he'd said, but because I'd lost my memories, I had no idea, and Frederick and I were married some time after I met him and the others here instead. Tomas had lost everything. His parents and anyone else he might've been close to died in the war we fought against the Grimleal. He no longer had me as a friend or fiancee... He was alone. He had no one..."
"And ever since, we've been trying to find a way to reverse the spell he put on himself," Ralph finished. "We can't forgive him for what he did, as he nearly put Fred, Kelli, and their unborn child in their own graves, but... We understand why, and not even he deserved what had happened to him. He said he doesn't think the spell can be reversed, but we're not giving up. He may not really be alive, but he isn't truly dead either."
"Yeah," Morgan said. "We never really know where he is or goes, but Mom says he watches over us from afar. He must feel like it's the only thing that gives him any comfort."
"Exactly," Frederick added. "And if more remaining members of the Grimleal are responsible for this illness, we actually might want to ask Tomas's help. He would recognize their magic. And we may even finally find a way to fully bring him back to life too."
"It's possible," Kelli agreed. "But it won't be easy to find him. Like Morgan said, we never know where he hides. He stays out of sight to avoid frightening people. We'll have to keep our eyes peeled."
"Indeed," Frederick said.
"Well, this certainly turned interesting," Jerec commented. "I bet he'd know who that woman Darcen ran into was as well if she's part of that Grimleal."
"Quite possibly. Before we go, however, I must report to Lord Chrom and tell him of these findings," Frederick insisted. "He and the others will want to know of this. I also must check on my daughter."
"Oh, yes!" Kelli agreed. "Do hurry though, Frederick."
"Of course!"
With that, he made for the library doors and was off. Morgan couldn't help but crack a small chuckle.
"Don't worry, my dad won't be long," he said. "He does this all the time, even with little details. He always says "no detail is ever beneath my notice.""
"Sure does!" Ralph commented. "I can never figure out just how Fred manages everything he does and not get super exhausted!"
"He used to be even worse about it, remember," Kelli said with a giggle. "He'd hide his exhaustion, and then get sick or fall over or fall asleep at a desk! And if he was stressed and anxious as well as really busy, he might've hurt himself. When I was about to give birth to our daughter, he fell down two flights of stairs trying to get to the royal infirmary! He got an earful from everyone for that."
"Oh my gods, don't remind me..." Ralph grimaced. "I had to help haul his heavy arse down there to get him bandaged up!"
"That story makes me laugh so hard every time though!" Morgan said, bursting into laughter. Jerec soon followed.
"Oh wow..." he uttered through his laughs. "Wait 'til I tell you some funny stories about Ike though... Just don't ever tell him I told you."
Cerai simply blinked at Kelli's explanation of who her parents were. "Sounds pretty rough...my parents were both killed by bandits, and I thought I had it bad...your poor mother..." She trailed off, then nodded in understanding at Morgan saying they'd be there all day if they went into his grandmother's backstory. "That would be wise, yes. Plus it sounds like it would just be...depressing."
"He has something in common with Naroc and Ciara, they all just have the one grandmother. Well, unless Frederick's parents are still around." Leo piped up.
"Oh yeah, and don't even get me started on my mother in law. Her husband is gone, and my parents are gone, so she thinks she has to be the super grandparent, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, until she gets them both hyped up on sugar. When Naroc was five she brought him a chocolate cake the size of his head and he took it into his room and ate the whole thing and made himself sick..."
"...and there's still a stain on the carpet because he didn't make it to the bathroom before he threw up." Boyd added. "My mom means well though."
A man named Tomas who went by Phantom in the Grimleal was mentioned. The twins and Boyd just nodded sadly, Darcen's eyes widened. "Woah, spells like that exist? Spells that can make a corpse hold on to life? Are you sure he's worthy of forgiveness?"
"He sounds like a complete madman to be honest...but...I don't know." Samba said.
Amiel turned to his friend. "If she forgives him, let her. That takes strength. My mother always told me growing up, it's harder to forgive than to want revenge, but forgiving is the kinder option, and one closer to godlyness. She's quite the spiritual one. And I actually...agree. I pray for Tomas' soul. As should we all."
After a quick laugh at the next story, Cerai spoke again. "Jerec, remember that time we were all on our way to a job and Ike saw some peppers growing at the side of the road? And he acted like he'd just found a big pot of gold? He had the biggest grin on his face I've ever seen in my life, happily munching on his snack."
"I suppose the next step after Frederick comes back is to find that mage woman, right?" Samba flicked his tail.
"He has something in common with Naroc and Ciara, they all just have the one grandmother. Well, unless Frederick's parents are still around." Leo piped up.
"Oh yeah, and don't even get me started on my mother in law. Her husband is gone, and my parents are gone, so she thinks she has to be the super grandparent, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, until she gets them both hyped up on sugar. When Naroc was five she brought him a chocolate cake the size of his head and he took it into his room and ate the whole thing and made himself sick..."
"...and there's still a stain on the carpet because he didn't make it to the bathroom before he threw up." Boyd added. "My mom means well though."
A man named Tomas who went by Phantom in the Grimleal was mentioned. The twins and Boyd just nodded sadly, Darcen's eyes widened. "Woah, spells like that exist? Spells that can make a corpse hold on to life? Are you sure he's worthy of forgiveness?"
"He sounds like a complete madman to be honest...but...I don't know." Samba said.
Amiel turned to his friend. "If she forgives him, let her. That takes strength. My mother always told me growing up, it's harder to forgive than to want revenge, but forgiving is the kinder option, and one closer to godlyness. She's quite the spiritual one. And I actually...agree. I pray for Tomas' soul. As should we all."
After a quick laugh at the next story, Cerai spoke again. "Jerec, remember that time we were all on our way to a job and Ike saw some peppers growing at the side of the road? And he acted like he'd just found a big pot of gold? He had the biggest grin on his face I've ever seen in my life, happily munching on his snack."
"I suppose the next step after Frederick comes back is to find that mage woman, right?" Samba flicked his tail.
"Oh, dark magic seems to have no boundaries," Kelli commented on the reaction to Tomas's spell. "One of the memories I lost that had returned was how I had been taught that even Grima himself was born of dark magic."
"That means a massive six-eyed, six-winged dragon that's practically the size of a town was created by some dark sorcerer," Morgan added.
Jerec blinked as his mouth dropped.
"WHOA," he said. "That's...rather terrifying. Though now that you mention that, I think I believe you. In Tellius, we've been known to have these things called bloodpacts, that if signed, will gradually kill the people of the signer if the signer does not obey the terms of the pact. Basically, if the ruler of a country signed it, his or her people would die if they didn't do as the contract holder told them. I'm not sure exactly if this came from dark magic, but it's the worst thing I've ever known about. That, and another form of dark magic turning laguz into feral ruthless killers. A laguz is what Samba is, by the way."
"...Wow. I'm not sure if that's actually even more frightening," Kelli commented.
"Oh, I heard about laguz! I thought he might be one when I saw that tail!" Morgan cried. "My sister would like you a lot, Samba, she loves cats! I have to introduce you sometime."
"Oh yeah, Annie would be excited there," Kelli agreed with a chuckle. "Also, Frederick's parents actually are still around. And your mother-in-law sounds just like mine, Cerai. Though somehow, she still embarrasses Frederick more than she does her grandchildren or even my sister-in-law! And it makes him want to rip all his hair out sometimes. She never quit bringing a bunch of Frederick's old childhood toys for Morgan and Antoinette to play with or telling stories about him and his sister, Isabelle. Every time he was around, he'd go so red you'd think he dunked his face in a tub of red paint!"
"Oh my gods, yes," Ralph seconded. "I cracked up super hard every time. I even already knew some of the stories since Fred and I were friends as kids and lived in the same village. And here's another secret about him: he's afraid of a lot of wild animals. Some he's become more comfortable around these days, but others still quickly scare him half to death. Heh heh. He also hates gamey meat, so don't give him anything like, say...bear."
Ralph snickered again, remembering how Kelli had won Frederick's heart in the first place.
"Yet ironically, bear meat is how we ended up getting married," she added, as if to read Ralph's mind. "I helped him tolerate the stuff more."
A minute or two later, Frederick came back through the library doors and rejoined the group. He didn't look in very high spirits, however. He sighed gloomily before speaking.
"Gods," he uttered.
"Oh, Frederick, what's the matter?"
"Lady Lucina's gotten worse," Frederick reported. "Though the good news is that my daughter is fine and Lord Chrom and Lady Olivia are pleased to learn that we've found more people to help. They greatly thank all of you."
"Oh, of course!" Jerec said with a smile. "Now, what do we do next?"
"Well, I suppose we should find this woman Darcen ran into and keep an eye out for Tomas," Frederick suggested. "I think Tomas is more active at night though. He'd encounter fewer people that way."
"I agree. Let's go then," Kelli replied. "Poor Lucina though. And even though Annie is alright, she must be going crazy. Lucina isn't just her liege, but a really great friend to her too."
"Yeah. We can't let them down!" Morgan proclaimed.
"Indeed," Frederick agreed.
Everyone went back outside as quickly as they could to retrieve their steeds and begin their search. Before they could depart, however, a young female voice called out from nearby. Running up to the group was a girl with a long, dark brown ponytail, with bangs similar to Frederick's. She wore a big purple bow and a outfit of the same color akin to a troubador's riding garb.
"Father, wait!" she cried.
"Hm? Antoinette? What's wrong?" Frederick wondered.
"Annie, did something happen?" Kelli put in.
"Father, you need to slow down sometimes, I swear!" Antoinette complained as she was catching her breath. "Not long after you left again, a soldier came by with a message for you. It's Aunt Isabelle! She thinks she got the illness now too!"
"What?!" Frederick gasped. "Gods, no!"
"Oh, this is bad," Kelli grimaced.
"Yeah... The soldier wants to know if we should contact Grandmother and Grandfather," Antoinette continued.
Frederick bit his lip, really wanting to have his parents come over to be with his sister, but he knew it would be risky.
"I really want to have them come, but it's safer if they don't," Frederick admitted. "They could fall ill too. Tell him to tell them to stay put."
"Oh, alright. Please be safe, everyone!" Antoinette obliged.
"Hold on, Annie! We met a cat laguz! Check it out!" Morgan spoke up. "His name is Samba."
"Wow, awesome!" Annie gleefully commented, a big grin on her face. "I'd love to feel your soft fur sometime, Samba! ...But in better circumstances, of course. I have to go now though, okay? See you all later!"
With that, the barely teenage girl began making her way back into the palace while the others made for town again.
"I apologize, but I hope no one minds if...we pay a visit to my sister sometime," Frederick spoke up. "She runs a clothing store here in town, so she'll never be too far if we don't go far from Ylisstol."
"That means a massive six-eyed, six-winged dragon that's practically the size of a town was created by some dark sorcerer," Morgan added.
Jerec blinked as his mouth dropped.
"WHOA," he said. "That's...rather terrifying. Though now that you mention that, I think I believe you. In Tellius, we've been known to have these things called bloodpacts, that if signed, will gradually kill the people of the signer if the signer does not obey the terms of the pact. Basically, if the ruler of a country signed it, his or her people would die if they didn't do as the contract holder told them. I'm not sure exactly if this came from dark magic, but it's the worst thing I've ever known about. That, and another form of dark magic turning laguz into feral ruthless killers. A laguz is what Samba is, by the way."
"...Wow. I'm not sure if that's actually even more frightening," Kelli commented.
"Oh, I heard about laguz! I thought he might be one when I saw that tail!" Morgan cried. "My sister would like you a lot, Samba, she loves cats! I have to introduce you sometime."
"Oh yeah, Annie would be excited there," Kelli agreed with a chuckle. "Also, Frederick's parents actually are still around. And your mother-in-law sounds just like mine, Cerai. Though somehow, she still embarrasses Frederick more than she does her grandchildren or even my sister-in-law! And it makes him want to rip all his hair out sometimes. She never quit bringing a bunch of Frederick's old childhood toys for Morgan and Antoinette to play with or telling stories about him and his sister, Isabelle. Every time he was around, he'd go so red you'd think he dunked his face in a tub of red paint!"
"Oh my gods, yes," Ralph seconded. "I cracked up super hard every time. I even already knew some of the stories since Fred and I were friends as kids and lived in the same village. And here's another secret about him: he's afraid of a lot of wild animals. Some he's become more comfortable around these days, but others still quickly scare him half to death. Heh heh. He also hates gamey meat, so don't give him anything like, say...bear."
Ralph snickered again, remembering how Kelli had won Frederick's heart in the first place.
"Yet ironically, bear meat is how we ended up getting married," she added, as if to read Ralph's mind. "I helped him tolerate the stuff more."
A minute or two later, Frederick came back through the library doors and rejoined the group. He didn't look in very high spirits, however. He sighed gloomily before speaking.
"Gods," he uttered.
"Oh, Frederick, what's the matter?"
"Lady Lucina's gotten worse," Frederick reported. "Though the good news is that my daughter is fine and Lord Chrom and Lady Olivia are pleased to learn that we've found more people to help. They greatly thank all of you."
"Oh, of course!" Jerec said with a smile. "Now, what do we do next?"
"Well, I suppose we should find this woman Darcen ran into and keep an eye out for Tomas," Frederick suggested. "I think Tomas is more active at night though. He'd encounter fewer people that way."
"I agree. Let's go then," Kelli replied. "Poor Lucina though. And even though Annie is alright, she must be going crazy. Lucina isn't just her liege, but a really great friend to her too."
"Yeah. We can't let them down!" Morgan proclaimed.
"Indeed," Frederick agreed.
Everyone went back outside as quickly as they could to retrieve their steeds and begin their search. Before they could depart, however, a young female voice called out from nearby. Running up to the group was a girl with a long, dark brown ponytail, with bangs similar to Frederick's. She wore a big purple bow and a outfit of the same color akin to a troubador's riding garb.
"Father, wait!" she cried.
"Hm? Antoinette? What's wrong?" Frederick wondered.
"Annie, did something happen?" Kelli put in.
"Father, you need to slow down sometimes, I swear!" Antoinette complained as she was catching her breath. "Not long after you left again, a soldier came by with a message for you. It's Aunt Isabelle! She thinks she got the illness now too!"
"What?!" Frederick gasped. "Gods, no!"
"Oh, this is bad," Kelli grimaced.
"Yeah... The soldier wants to know if we should contact Grandmother and Grandfather," Antoinette continued.
Frederick bit his lip, really wanting to have his parents come over to be with his sister, but he knew it would be risky.
"I really want to have them come, but it's safer if they don't," Frederick admitted. "They could fall ill too. Tell him to tell them to stay put."
"Oh, alright. Please be safe, everyone!" Antoinette obliged.
"Hold on, Annie! We met a cat laguz! Check it out!" Morgan spoke up. "His name is Samba."
"Wow, awesome!" Annie gleefully commented, a big grin on her face. "I'd love to feel your soft fur sometime, Samba! ...But in better circumstances, of course. I have to go now though, okay? See you all later!"
With that, the barely teenage girl began making her way back into the palace while the others made for town again.
"I apologize, but I hope no one minds if...we pay a visit to my sister sometime," Frederick spoke up. "She runs a clothing store here in town, so she'll never be too far if we don't go far from Ylisstol."
"Isn't Grima also a god though?" Leo inquired. "An evil dark god, but a god nonetheless? What magic creates gods? In Tellius we have something that's called a dark god, but apparently it's actually the god of chaos and not inherently evil."
"That would be the goddess Yune." Amiel pointed out.
"Like, that Daein 'priestess of dawn' 'silver haired maiden' Micaiah's pet bird?"
Cerai rolled her eyes at her brother. "We've been over this, bro. Just because you haven't seen it yourself, doesn't mean it's not true. Ike traveled with Micaiah once, remember? He explained that she has a pact with Yune of some sort, and the bird is just a form the goddess takes. But it is hard to believe, I admit."
"Yeah, if a tree falls in the forest and nobody saw it fall, does that mean it didn't fall?" Boyd piped up.
Cerai cuffed his shoulder. "You need better analogies. You'd still be able to go into that forest and see the fallen tree. I don't think even Ike saw a bird turn into a goddess or vice versa, yet somehow he believed Micaiah when she told him." She nodded and smiled at Kelli's explanation that Morgan and Annie had more than one grandmother. "Well that's a good thing at least? Maybe if there was more than one grandparent in this case, the one they have wouldn't be so...overbearing."
Outside the library, Annie greeted the group and brought some bad news: Frederick's sister and her and Morgan's aunt now had the plague. It produced frowns from all the Whitefires, but Samba's quickly turned into a friendly grin at Annie's interest. "You're a good kid! Believe it or not, some beorc, people like you, back home raise their kids to view laguz as savages or monsters. If the kids want to pet our fur, it would be after their parents killed the laguz. People are that cruel."
"Let's check on this Isabelle, this is worrying." Darcen said. The rest nodded in agreement.
"That would be the goddess Yune." Amiel pointed out.
"Like, that Daein 'priestess of dawn' 'silver haired maiden' Micaiah's pet bird?"
Cerai rolled her eyes at her brother. "We've been over this, bro. Just because you haven't seen it yourself, doesn't mean it's not true. Ike traveled with Micaiah once, remember? He explained that she has a pact with Yune of some sort, and the bird is just a form the goddess takes. But it is hard to believe, I admit."
"Yeah, if a tree falls in the forest and nobody saw it fall, does that mean it didn't fall?" Boyd piped up.
Cerai cuffed his shoulder. "You need better analogies. You'd still be able to go into that forest and see the fallen tree. I don't think even Ike saw a bird turn into a goddess or vice versa, yet somehow he believed Micaiah when she told him." She nodded and smiled at Kelli's explanation that Morgan and Annie had more than one grandmother. "Well that's a good thing at least? Maybe if there was more than one grandparent in this case, the one they have wouldn't be so...overbearing."
Outside the library, Annie greeted the group and brought some bad news: Frederick's sister and her and Morgan's aunt now had the plague. It produced frowns from all the Whitefires, but Samba's quickly turned into a friendly grin at Annie's interest. "You're a good kid! Believe it or not, some beorc, people like you, back home raise their kids to view laguz as savages or monsters. If the kids want to pet our fur, it would be after their parents killed the laguz. People are that cruel."
"Let's check on this Isabelle, this is worrying." Darcen said. The rest nodded in agreement.
"Actually, Grima is not a god," Kelli explained. "And neither is Naga, the dragon that we worship. They are merely all powerful dragons. Naga is a manakete, a dragon that takes a human form and keeps their dragon form locked inside a stone called a dragonstone. Grima is all dragon, created by dark magic centuries ago, not long after the Hero King Marth's time. He doesn't have his own human form, so a vessel had to be created for him in order to properly exist in this world. As I mentioned before, the latest vessel was me, but I was eventually freed from him."
"This is true," Frederick added as the group left the palace grounds. "The moment we found out all of this was the most devastated that I'd ever felt in my entire life. The woman I loved and pledged to spend my entire life with was meant to house that monster?! I...I wasn't sure if I could live with it. I had to keep believing there would be a way to save her."
"It didn't come without difficulty though," Kelli continued. "Grima was so powerful that the only thing that could destroy him was...himself. And since I was essentially him, I had to deal the final blow. And that meant I could die as well."
"...Seriously?!" Jerec gasped. "That's insane... But...you're here now. So how did you survive?"
"Nobody knows," Morgan said. "My sis and I like to say it was some amazing divine intervention."
"It could've been," Ralph agreed. "All we know is that Naga said there was a chance Kelli would live if our bonds with her were strong enough. But we still don't know exactly what that meant or why it actually had not worked for...as long as it took."
"Yes... That turned into the real most devastating time of my life," Frederick said. "Kelli really was gone for a long time. Over half a year."
Frederick described that he had been so depressed and full of grief in those six long months that he could barely function and even tried giving up his knighthood, something he absolutely never would've considered before. He was completely devoted to the royal house of Ylisse and serving them to the end of his days. Leaving that behind was previously unthinkable to him. And yet, he'd actually tried to do it, showing how damaged he had become over the loss of his beloved.
"Thankfully, milord Chrom and milady Lissa's friendship kept me here," Frederick finished. "I am forever grateful that they talked me out of leaving. And that Kelli returned after all."
"Yes! Our love is as strong as ever and we have two children now," Kelli pointed out. "Truth be told, my being gone and then returning made us even closer. We promised to love each other even more than we did before and to always do so."
"That's a pretty crazy story," Jerec commented. "Kind of reminds me of what my wife and I had to go through to even be together. That's a good tale to tell though, so I'll save it for after we check on...Isabelle, was it?"
"Yes," Frederick said. "My sister's store is not far now. She lives right above it. I'll go see her myself though, I can't have a big group of people barging in on her."
"Dad, can I go with you?" Morgan inquired. "I want to see Aunt Isabelle and how she's doing too. It's kind of been awhile since we last visited her anyway."
"Hmm, true. Alright. But don't make too much conversation, we don't know how ill she is."
"Alright!"
With that, Frederick led the party through a few more streets and roads before reaching Isabelle Fashions, the shop run by his sister. Just as before, looking at the mostly empty and ghostly streets was depressing...and even eerie. Almost like a creepy fog could roll in at any time, effectively turning the Ylisse capital into a ghost town. Even the sign on the shop door looked a little dingier than usual, and Isabelle always made sure to keep her place in good shape.
After dismounting their horses, Frederick and Morgan went inside, sighing at the place being empty. The display clothing was still out, even the lovely dresses and suits decorating the windows, but that was all that remained unchanged. Usually, customers were there all the time and it was very clean. Now it looked like it could use a little dusting and sweeping, likely due to Isabelle not feeling well and having to send all her staff home. There were even a couple cobwebs lining the ceiling.
"Man, it almost feels like this place isn't running anymore..." Morgan commented. "Poor Aunt Isabelle..."
"I agree... I should clean in here before we leave," Frederick decided. "It's the least I could do for her. Even if I would have to make the others wait... Morgan, you'll have to help me."
"Oh, sure, Dad! I'd be glad to."
"Good!"
The two then headed up a staircase behind a door in the back, to Isabelle's home on the second floor. Frederick politely knocked on the door.
"Isabelle? It's Frederick and Morgan," he said. "We came to check on you."
"Hm? Oh, come in," Isabelle replied, though her voice was a little faint.
Frederick and Morgan entered to see Isabelle sprawled out on her couch with a blanket. She had the same hair color as her brother, only wavier. It reached almost halfway down her back.
"Antoinette told me that she heard you came down with the illness," Frederick said.
"Yeah, Aunt Isabelle, you're not feeling too ill, are you?" Morgan wondered.
"Oh, I think I only got it recently. It doesn't seem that bad right now," Isabelle replied. "Thank you both for coming though. I'm always delighted to see my brother and nephew!"
"Of course," Frederick said with a smile. "Antoinette is fine so far, and so is Kelli. We found help though, and a very possible explanation to why this is happening."
"Oh, good. I knew it had to be serious. Then you know how to stop it?"
"Not...exactly. We're still working on that. But finding the cause is always the first step."
"True. But I hope you find the cure soon, brother! You didn't have Father and Mother come, did you?"
"No, I knew it wouldn't be safe. You just rest and let us do what we need to."
"Alright. But if I hear that you or your group are in trouble, I'm arming myself and coming to aid you. And don't even think about protesting, Frederick, because I'm not changing my mind."
"Isabelle, that's foolish. We don't even know if we'll have to fight anything yet. And even if we did, you could get worse before we find the cure and become too weak!" Frederick pointed out.
"I don't care. As long as I have the strength, I'll fire my bow if I need to," Isabelle insisted. "And you won't stop me if I have to fill your armor with bear meat! I won't ignore my loved ones being in danger."
"Sigh... Very well. I suppose there really is no changing your mind then. But you can't say I didn't warn you."
"Oh, of course."
"By the way, Morgan and I decided to clean up the shop some for you before we go on our way again. With you ill, we want to help in any way we can. And don't insist that we leave anyway, because you know me better than that."
This time it was Isabelle's turn to sigh.
"Indeed, I do. I know saying no won't do anything. Just don't dilly-dally too long. You know you have other people to help."
"I'm aware. Now rest and don't do anything reckless, sister. We'll be back as soon as we can."
"Yeah, Aunt Isabelle, don't worry. We'll find a cure!" Morgan added.
"Well, thank you, in any case," Isabelle said. "Just be careful, both of you."
"Of course," Frederick agreed.
With that, he and Morgan returned downstairs to grab a pair of brooms and dusters from a small closet. Frederick worked on the cobwebs since Morgan could not reach that high. Morgan, meanwhile, swept the floor as best as he could. It took them some twenty minutes or so, but the place was looking tidy once they finished. Normally, Frederick would've taken a little longer to ensure a thorough and spotless job was done, but he knew time was of the essence. He and Morgan left the shop to rejoin the others.
"My apologies for taking as long as we did," Frederick said. "Isabelle is ill, though alright for now. But Morgan and I cleaned up the shop for her as a favor. "
"Oh, that's good," Kelli commented. "I also thought that might be why you were taking awhile. But we have to get going now."
"Yes. Now we shall find that woman Darcen encountered," Frederick agreed and turned to the dark mage. "Can you show us where she was?"
"This is true," Frederick added as the group left the palace grounds. "The moment we found out all of this was the most devastated that I'd ever felt in my entire life. The woman I loved and pledged to spend my entire life with was meant to house that monster?! I...I wasn't sure if I could live with it. I had to keep believing there would be a way to save her."
"It didn't come without difficulty though," Kelli continued. "Grima was so powerful that the only thing that could destroy him was...himself. And since I was essentially him, I had to deal the final blow. And that meant I could die as well."
"...Seriously?!" Jerec gasped. "That's insane... But...you're here now. So how did you survive?"
"Nobody knows," Morgan said. "My sis and I like to say it was some amazing divine intervention."
"It could've been," Ralph agreed. "All we know is that Naga said there was a chance Kelli would live if our bonds with her were strong enough. But we still don't know exactly what that meant or why it actually had not worked for...as long as it took."
"Yes... That turned into the real most devastating time of my life," Frederick said. "Kelli really was gone for a long time. Over half a year."
Frederick described that he had been so depressed and full of grief in those six long months that he could barely function and even tried giving up his knighthood, something he absolutely never would've considered before. He was completely devoted to the royal house of Ylisse and serving them to the end of his days. Leaving that behind was previously unthinkable to him. And yet, he'd actually tried to do it, showing how damaged he had become over the loss of his beloved.
"Thankfully, milord Chrom and milady Lissa's friendship kept me here," Frederick finished. "I am forever grateful that they talked me out of leaving. And that Kelli returned after all."
"Yes! Our love is as strong as ever and we have two children now," Kelli pointed out. "Truth be told, my being gone and then returning made us even closer. We promised to love each other even more than we did before and to always do so."
"That's a pretty crazy story," Jerec commented. "Kind of reminds me of what my wife and I had to go through to even be together. That's a good tale to tell though, so I'll save it for after we check on...Isabelle, was it?"
"Yes," Frederick said. "My sister's store is not far now. She lives right above it. I'll go see her myself though, I can't have a big group of people barging in on her."
"Dad, can I go with you?" Morgan inquired. "I want to see Aunt Isabelle and how she's doing too. It's kind of been awhile since we last visited her anyway."
"Hmm, true. Alright. But don't make too much conversation, we don't know how ill she is."
"Alright!"
With that, Frederick led the party through a few more streets and roads before reaching Isabelle Fashions, the shop run by his sister. Just as before, looking at the mostly empty and ghostly streets was depressing...and even eerie. Almost like a creepy fog could roll in at any time, effectively turning the Ylisse capital into a ghost town. Even the sign on the shop door looked a little dingier than usual, and Isabelle always made sure to keep her place in good shape.
After dismounting their horses, Frederick and Morgan went inside, sighing at the place being empty. The display clothing was still out, even the lovely dresses and suits decorating the windows, but that was all that remained unchanged. Usually, customers were there all the time and it was very clean. Now it looked like it could use a little dusting and sweeping, likely due to Isabelle not feeling well and having to send all her staff home. There were even a couple cobwebs lining the ceiling.
"Man, it almost feels like this place isn't running anymore..." Morgan commented. "Poor Aunt Isabelle..."
"I agree... I should clean in here before we leave," Frederick decided. "It's the least I could do for her. Even if I would have to make the others wait... Morgan, you'll have to help me."
"Oh, sure, Dad! I'd be glad to."
"Good!"
The two then headed up a staircase behind a door in the back, to Isabelle's home on the second floor. Frederick politely knocked on the door.
"Isabelle? It's Frederick and Morgan," he said. "We came to check on you."
"Hm? Oh, come in," Isabelle replied, though her voice was a little faint.
Frederick and Morgan entered to see Isabelle sprawled out on her couch with a blanket. She had the same hair color as her brother, only wavier. It reached almost halfway down her back.
"Antoinette told me that she heard you came down with the illness," Frederick said.
"Yeah, Aunt Isabelle, you're not feeling too ill, are you?" Morgan wondered.
"Oh, I think I only got it recently. It doesn't seem that bad right now," Isabelle replied. "Thank you both for coming though. I'm always delighted to see my brother and nephew!"
"Of course," Frederick said with a smile. "Antoinette is fine so far, and so is Kelli. We found help though, and a very possible explanation to why this is happening."
"Oh, good. I knew it had to be serious. Then you know how to stop it?"
"Not...exactly. We're still working on that. But finding the cause is always the first step."
"True. But I hope you find the cure soon, brother! You didn't have Father and Mother come, did you?"
"No, I knew it wouldn't be safe. You just rest and let us do what we need to."
"Alright. But if I hear that you or your group are in trouble, I'm arming myself and coming to aid you. And don't even think about protesting, Frederick, because I'm not changing my mind."
"Isabelle, that's foolish. We don't even know if we'll have to fight anything yet. And even if we did, you could get worse before we find the cure and become too weak!" Frederick pointed out.
"I don't care. As long as I have the strength, I'll fire my bow if I need to," Isabelle insisted. "And you won't stop me if I have to fill your armor with bear meat! I won't ignore my loved ones being in danger."
"Sigh... Very well. I suppose there really is no changing your mind then. But you can't say I didn't warn you."
"Oh, of course."
"By the way, Morgan and I decided to clean up the shop some for you before we go on our way again. With you ill, we want to help in any way we can. And don't insist that we leave anyway, because you know me better than that."
This time it was Isabelle's turn to sigh.
"Indeed, I do. I know saying no won't do anything. Just don't dilly-dally too long. You know you have other people to help."
"I'm aware. Now rest and don't do anything reckless, sister. We'll be back as soon as we can."
"Yeah, Aunt Isabelle, don't worry. We'll find a cure!" Morgan added.
"Well, thank you, in any case," Isabelle said. "Just be careful, both of you."
"Of course," Frederick agreed.
With that, he and Morgan returned downstairs to grab a pair of brooms and dusters from a small closet. Frederick worked on the cobwebs since Morgan could not reach that high. Morgan, meanwhile, swept the floor as best as he could. It took them some twenty minutes or so, but the place was looking tidy once they finished. Normally, Frederick would've taken a little longer to ensure a thorough and spotless job was done, but he knew time was of the essence. He and Morgan left the shop to rejoin the others.
"My apologies for taking as long as we did," Frederick said. "Isabelle is ill, though alright for now. But Morgan and I cleaned up the shop for her as a favor. "
"Oh, that's good," Kelli commented. "I also thought that might be why you were taking awhile. But we have to get going now."
"Yes. Now we shall find that woman Darcen encountered," Frederick agreed and turned to the dark mage. "Can you show us where she was?"
"Yeah, I'll have to second Jerec there, that's totally insane." Leo commented. "Glad it worked out for you though! I can only imagine, if I found out my wife was something like that and had to sacrifice herself...I'd probably hang myself in the closet."
"Bro!" Cerai had a horrified look on her face.
"What? I bet I would."
"But you'd still have family and friends left..." Cerai trailed off. "...Right, but no one to cuddle with and...go farther than that. I get it, I guess."
Leo's face turned red. "I'd deny that, but I can't because it's true."
"And you two say twin telepathy isn't a thing." Boyd teased.
"Shut up, Boyd!" The twins snapped in unison.
Frederick and Morgan went to check on Isabelle, did some cleaning for her, and then Frederick asked Darcen about the strange woman. "Oh!" The druid scratched his head and thought for a moment. "She had long indigo hair in braids, yellow eyes, and about the same build as Kelli. She was wearing some mage robes. But they were a little...revealing..." Brief pause. "She dropped one of her tomes. I picked it up, was going to see if I could use it, it appears to be a dark tome of some sort." And he took the said tome out of his robes and showed it to the group.
Samba suddenly transformed, making Amiel, who was standing beside him, jump. The cat laguz chuckled. "Don't worry, it's just easier to track shifted. Let me see if I can get a scent trail from that tome."
Darcen held out the tome in front of Samba's face and he sniffed it. "The female beorc scent is faint, there's more of the male scent from you since it was in your robes, but should be enough..." And he started sniffing around.
"...The scent is different by gender?" Boyd raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty much, yeah." Samba explained. "Like I can tell you from Cerai because you tend to be more...pungent, don't know how else to put it. Males in general are more pungent or sour smelling, or pardon me, stinkier. Females can be that way though around...that time of the month." He took another big whiff of the tome. "And she just might be coming up on that, but not sure." Darcen looked disturbed. Samba shrugged his furry shoulders. "It's just nature, Boyd gets stinkier than you."
Cerai laughed at that. "Sometimes even I can smell him!"
"Aha! I've got the trail! Follow me!" Samba took off toward one of the alleys, and soon he had the dark mage woman cornered against a wall. Her yellow eyes were big wide disks. "Get back, you overgrown alley cat! Oh Lord Grima...can cats even GET this big naturally?"
"Not regular cats, but laguz can." Samba stood his ground and lashed his tail back and forth.
"Gahh! It talks!"
"I am not an 'it'!" Samba snapped. Without looking away, he added: "Now who wants to start the questioning? Frederick? Kelli?"
"Bro!" Cerai had a horrified look on her face.
"What? I bet I would."
"But you'd still have family and friends left..." Cerai trailed off. "...Right, but no one to cuddle with and...go farther than that. I get it, I guess."
Leo's face turned red. "I'd deny that, but I can't because it's true."
"And you two say twin telepathy isn't a thing." Boyd teased.
"Shut up, Boyd!" The twins snapped in unison.
Frederick and Morgan went to check on Isabelle, did some cleaning for her, and then Frederick asked Darcen about the strange woman. "Oh!" The druid scratched his head and thought for a moment. "She had long indigo hair in braids, yellow eyes, and about the same build as Kelli. She was wearing some mage robes. But they were a little...revealing..." Brief pause. "She dropped one of her tomes. I picked it up, was going to see if I could use it, it appears to be a dark tome of some sort." And he took the said tome out of his robes and showed it to the group.
Samba suddenly transformed, making Amiel, who was standing beside him, jump. The cat laguz chuckled. "Don't worry, it's just easier to track shifted. Let me see if I can get a scent trail from that tome."
Darcen held out the tome in front of Samba's face and he sniffed it. "The female beorc scent is faint, there's more of the male scent from you since it was in your robes, but should be enough..." And he started sniffing around.
"...The scent is different by gender?" Boyd raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty much, yeah." Samba explained. "Like I can tell you from Cerai because you tend to be more...pungent, don't know how else to put it. Males in general are more pungent or sour smelling, or pardon me, stinkier. Females can be that way though around...that time of the month." He took another big whiff of the tome. "And she just might be coming up on that, but not sure." Darcen looked disturbed. Samba shrugged his furry shoulders. "It's just nature, Boyd gets stinkier than you."
Cerai laughed at that. "Sometimes even I can smell him!"
"Aha! I've got the trail! Follow me!" Samba took off toward one of the alleys, and soon he had the dark mage woman cornered against a wall. Her yellow eyes were big wide disks. "Get back, you overgrown alley cat! Oh Lord Grima...can cats even GET this big naturally?"
"Not regular cats, but laguz can." Samba stood his ground and lashed his tail back and forth.
"Gahh! It talks!"
"I am not an 'it'!" Samba snapped. Without looking away, he added: "Now who wants to start the questioning? Frederick? Kelli?"
"She IS from the Grimleal!" Morgan cried. "She said Lord Grima!"
"So you ARE behind all of this, aren't you?!" Frederick spat. "The illness and deaths! You better reverse this curse or we'll have to force you to!"
"And you better not have involved Tomas!" Kelli added.
"What?" the woman replied, and then chuckled. "Alright, the remaining Grimleal may have had SOME involvement. But Tomas? You mean that traitor who called himself Phantom? I'd never work with him if you paid me! Besides, I heard he was dead... And you killed him!"
The woman then pointed to Frederick.
"I guess I actually should thank you for that though," she continued. "You did us a favor. He was only holding us back. All he could think about was that vessel for Grima that we lost, claiming that he was to marry her!"
Kelli then paused for a second. She didn't want to tell this woman what had actually happened to Tomas in case she decided to do something awful to him...if it was possible. And thankfully, it didn't seem that this woman recognized Kelli as the former vessel.
"...Never mind about him then," Kelli finally said a moment later. "Just undo the curse or tell us how to!"
"Heh heh. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell you," the woman revealed with a chuckle. "I truthfully don't know. I wasn't the one who cast it. Only the one who did would know. And another truth is that we actually just intended to do a widespread prank, not kill anyone. It looks like the curse worked too well. But I can't complain. It's still fun after what Ylisse did to us before!"
"Witch!" Morgan shouted. "Dad, she ought to be arrested no question!"
"I agree," Frederick spoke up. "We arrest any Grimleal we come upon, and you shall be no exception!"
"You'll have to get me first," the woman replied with a grin.
"What, you against all of us?" Morgan pointed out. "You have no chance! You're cornered! So let's go, Dad!"
Morgan then charged forward atop his horse and grabbed the woman by her wrist.
"Wait, Morgan, let me--!" Frederick tried to command, but didn't get a chance to finish. Morgan attempted to grab the woman's other wrist to subdue her, but she was quick enough to use her free hand to grab his arm first and yank him down from his steed.
"Aaagh!" Morgan yelped.
"Aaah!" Kelli cried.
"Morgan!" Frederick shouted.
"Nice try, brat," the woman commented, though with some annoyance in her voice.
"You ingrate! Take your hands off of my son!" Frederick demanded.
"Let him go, NOW," Kelli added, brandishing one of her thunder tomes.
"Hmph! Thankfully for you, I have better things to do than mess with stupid kids, so I'm taking my leave," the woman decided.
She then raised a hand and muttered an incantation. Suddenly, a massive dark cloud burst through the area, causing everyone to begin coughing and be unable to see anything.
"What just...happened?!" Jerec wondered between coughs.
"No idea! ...I can't even sing in this!" Ralph said.
Within the next few moments, the smoke cloud vanished. Unfortunately, the woman had as well, and Morgan was slightly staggering, his hand on the arm which the woman had grabbed him by. He was grimacing, like he was in pain.
"Morgan!" Kelli cried. "Are you alright?"
"My arm hurts..." Morgan replied.
"Damn it!" Frederick opined. He dismounted to check his son's arm. Morgan carefully moved his hand to show his father. On his lower arm, amidst a singed sleeve, was a dark reddish purple mark that was the size of an apple. It looked like a burn.
"She did something when she grabbed me," Morgan added. "I think it was some kind of sneak attack. I'm sorry, Dad... I guess I got reckless."
"Well, it's a learning process, and that caught us all off guard, I think. But we're going to have someone heal this right away," Frederick decided. "Burns can become infected. Someone here said they were a healer, if memory serves?"
"So you ARE behind all of this, aren't you?!" Frederick spat. "The illness and deaths! You better reverse this curse or we'll have to force you to!"
"And you better not have involved Tomas!" Kelli added.
"What?" the woman replied, and then chuckled. "Alright, the remaining Grimleal may have had SOME involvement. But Tomas? You mean that traitor who called himself Phantom? I'd never work with him if you paid me! Besides, I heard he was dead... And you killed him!"
The woman then pointed to Frederick.
"I guess I actually should thank you for that though," she continued. "You did us a favor. He was only holding us back. All he could think about was that vessel for Grima that we lost, claiming that he was to marry her!"
Kelli then paused for a second. She didn't want to tell this woman what had actually happened to Tomas in case she decided to do something awful to him...if it was possible. And thankfully, it didn't seem that this woman recognized Kelli as the former vessel.
"...Never mind about him then," Kelli finally said a moment later. "Just undo the curse or tell us how to!"
"Heh heh. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell you," the woman revealed with a chuckle. "I truthfully don't know. I wasn't the one who cast it. Only the one who did would know. And another truth is that we actually just intended to do a widespread prank, not kill anyone. It looks like the curse worked too well. But I can't complain. It's still fun after what Ylisse did to us before!"
"Witch!" Morgan shouted. "Dad, she ought to be arrested no question!"
"I agree," Frederick spoke up. "We arrest any Grimleal we come upon, and you shall be no exception!"
"You'll have to get me first," the woman replied with a grin.
"What, you against all of us?" Morgan pointed out. "You have no chance! You're cornered! So let's go, Dad!"
Morgan then charged forward atop his horse and grabbed the woman by her wrist.
"Wait, Morgan, let me--!" Frederick tried to command, but didn't get a chance to finish. Morgan attempted to grab the woman's other wrist to subdue her, but she was quick enough to use her free hand to grab his arm first and yank him down from his steed.
"Aaagh!" Morgan yelped.
"Aaah!" Kelli cried.
"Morgan!" Frederick shouted.
"Nice try, brat," the woman commented, though with some annoyance in her voice.
"You ingrate! Take your hands off of my son!" Frederick demanded.
"Let him go, NOW," Kelli added, brandishing one of her thunder tomes.
"Hmph! Thankfully for you, I have better things to do than mess with stupid kids, so I'm taking my leave," the woman decided.
She then raised a hand and muttered an incantation. Suddenly, a massive dark cloud burst through the area, causing everyone to begin coughing and be unable to see anything.
"What just...happened?!" Jerec wondered between coughs.
"No idea! ...I can't even sing in this!" Ralph said.
Within the next few moments, the smoke cloud vanished. Unfortunately, the woman had as well, and Morgan was slightly staggering, his hand on the arm which the woman had grabbed him by. He was grimacing, like he was in pain.
"Morgan!" Kelli cried. "Are you alright?"
"My arm hurts..." Morgan replied.
"Damn it!" Frederick opined. He dismounted to check his son's arm. Morgan carefully moved his hand to show his father. On his lower arm, amidst a singed sleeve, was a dark reddish purple mark that was the size of an apple. It looked like a burn.
"She did something when she grabbed me," Morgan added. "I think it was some kind of sneak attack. I'm sorry, Dad... I guess I got reckless."
"Well, it's a learning process, and that caught us all off guard, I think. But we're going to have someone heal this right away," Frederick decided. "Burns can become infected. Someone here said they were a healer, if memory serves?"
The white wyvern lunged at the Grimleal woman as she attacked Morgan, but only managed to bite smoke. He gagged and sputtered. "Frostbite!" Leo gasped. "Oh man, that better not have been poison!" And then Frostbite hacked and vomited up the meat he had eaten earlier in the day. He looked shaken, but perfectly fine.
"Yuck!" Boyd complained. "That almost splattered my boots!"
The orange wyvern made a worried sounding screech. Cerai patted her. "See? Now you know why I was trying to pull you back there." Turning to Frederick and Kelli, she added: "The wyverns clearly don't like seeing kids in danger."
"Oh, yes, I can help with that burn!" Amiel stepped forward when Morgan's burn was revealed, brandishing his mend staff. The burn healed quite nicely.
Samba shifted back and lashed his tail. "Well that went well. NOT! I can probably track her down again, but...if she can do that, we can't easily corner her."
Cerai was looking at Darcen and scratching her chin. He blinked at her. "Oh no. I don't like the looks of that."
"Too bad. I think you might be the key to catching this witch and getting the info we need." Cerai smirked and turned to Kelli. "You're a tactician, right? What do you think of having Darcen go in as a spy? That woman was clearly interested in him. Have him act like he wants to join the Grimleal."
"WHAT? She'll turn me into a toad when my cover is blown! Or worse!"
Amiel elbowed his friend in the ribs. "It is a decent idea. We'll make sure you don't end up as a toad."
"Not you too!" Then Darcen shuddered and hung his head. "Oh, why me..."
"Yuck!" Boyd complained. "That almost splattered my boots!"
The orange wyvern made a worried sounding screech. Cerai patted her. "See? Now you know why I was trying to pull you back there." Turning to Frederick and Kelli, she added: "The wyverns clearly don't like seeing kids in danger."
"Oh, yes, I can help with that burn!" Amiel stepped forward when Morgan's burn was revealed, brandishing his mend staff. The burn healed quite nicely.
Samba shifted back and lashed his tail. "Well that went well. NOT! I can probably track her down again, but...if she can do that, we can't easily corner her."
Cerai was looking at Darcen and scratching her chin. He blinked at her. "Oh no. I don't like the looks of that."
"Too bad. I think you might be the key to catching this witch and getting the info we need." Cerai smirked and turned to Kelli. "You're a tactician, right? What do you think of having Darcen go in as a spy? That woman was clearly interested in him. Have him act like he wants to join the Grimleal."
"WHAT? She'll turn me into a toad when my cover is blown! Or worse!"
Amiel elbowed his friend in the ribs. "It is a decent idea. We'll make sure you don't end up as a toad."
"Not you too!" Then Darcen shuddered and hung his head. "Oh, why me..."
"Thanks! Amiel, was it?" Morgan asked. "It feels much better!"
"Yes, you have mine and my wife's thanks as well," Frederick replied, to which Kelli nodded.
Cerai then suggested that Darcen act as a spy and pretend to join the Grimleal to get information. Kelli brought two fingers to her chin to think about it. It actually sounded very plausible.
"Yes, I am a tactican," she confirmed. "And that idea sounds like it could work too! But if Darcen really is concerned about what could happen to him if his cover got blown, we can have someone go with him. And I know just who!"
Frederick blinked, seeming surprised at his wife's response.
"What? Kelli, you're not seriously thinking of who I think you're thinking of," he said a moment later.
"Huh? No, not Tharja! You know I want to stay far away from her! FAR away!" Kelli protested. "Besides, we don't know where she is since she went off with Gregor."
"...No, of course you wouldn't suggest Tharja! I meant Henry!"
"What? But Frederick, this is just his kind of thing!"
"Kelli, that's what I'm afraid of! He would start enjoying himself so much that he'd forget the task at hand! And Darcen doesn't know him, so how do we know that they would work well together?"
"Well, I was figuring they would work separately, just keep an eye on each other and get as much information as they could that way so they don't look suspicious."
"I still wouldn't trust Henry to keep his mind on the mission. Besides, he has a wife and child to worry about too, you know. And I have to admit, he's a surprisingly good father..."
"Yeah, and from what I've seen, he's a bit more focused on important stuff like that these days."
"Mom, wasn't he part of the Grimleal before he joined you guys though?" Morgan wondered. "They would already know him and definitely not let him back."
"No, I think he was just from Plegia," Kelli replied. "He never mentioned being one of them, just...ah, wanting to fight. But if you really are so worried about how he'd do with this, Frederick, we'll send someone else."
"Thank you. Now as to who..." Frederick contemplated.
It was then that Jerec thought for a moment as well and decided to speak up.
"I'll go," he offered. "I can look dark and edgy enough in my cloak if I put my hood up. And I've already had to keep a bunch of secrets about me once. You don't have to be a dark mage to join them, do you?"
"Well, I don't think so," Morgan said. "My parents fought all kinds of enemies when they went against Grima himself, so..."
"Yeah, I guess that's fine," Kelli agreed. "They'll probably accept anyone that agrees with their beliefs and can fight well. Dark magic just seems to be their most common specialty."
"Well, if you're sure, Jerec, I guess that's settled,"Frederick commented. "Just be careful."
"Yes!" Ralph seconded. "Those Grimleal are crazy! You and Darcen best be on your guard at all times!"
"Oh, I will. Believe me," Jerec assured, remembering the several times he'd nearly been killed. "I met my wife because she saved me from what were likely fatal injuries otherwise. And she and I were both almost killed later on after that. I'd do anything to prevent that kind of thing from happening again."
"Wow. Glad we can trust you then," Ralph replied. "Just don't let that woman we just ran into see you or Darcen. She'd recognize either of you and rat you two out."
"Right," Jerec agreed and pulled his hood up. He then pulled the sides of his cloak around his body more. He really did look like a dark and shady person this way, with how much of his face was covered and how all one could see were his black boots, black gloves, dark red tunic, and hints of his black and gold chest plate.
"Now let's find out how to get you two into the group..." Kelli said. "We may just have to ask around. Though coming from the rest of us, it could sound odd. So it's best if only you both ask."
"Alright, then let's go!"
"Yes, you have mine and my wife's thanks as well," Frederick replied, to which Kelli nodded.
Cerai then suggested that Darcen act as a spy and pretend to join the Grimleal to get information. Kelli brought two fingers to her chin to think about it. It actually sounded very plausible.
"Yes, I am a tactican," she confirmed. "And that idea sounds like it could work too! But if Darcen really is concerned about what could happen to him if his cover got blown, we can have someone go with him. And I know just who!"
Frederick blinked, seeming surprised at his wife's response.
"What? Kelli, you're not seriously thinking of who I think you're thinking of," he said a moment later.
"Huh? No, not Tharja! You know I want to stay far away from her! FAR away!" Kelli protested. "Besides, we don't know where she is since she went off with Gregor."
"...No, of course you wouldn't suggest Tharja! I meant Henry!"
"What? But Frederick, this is just his kind of thing!"
"Kelli, that's what I'm afraid of! He would start enjoying himself so much that he'd forget the task at hand! And Darcen doesn't know him, so how do we know that they would work well together?"
"Well, I was figuring they would work separately, just keep an eye on each other and get as much information as they could that way so they don't look suspicious."
"I still wouldn't trust Henry to keep his mind on the mission. Besides, he has a wife and child to worry about too, you know. And I have to admit, he's a surprisingly good father..."
"Yeah, and from what I've seen, he's a bit more focused on important stuff like that these days."
"Mom, wasn't he part of the Grimleal before he joined you guys though?" Morgan wondered. "They would already know him and definitely not let him back."
"No, I think he was just from Plegia," Kelli replied. "He never mentioned being one of them, just...ah, wanting to fight. But if you really are so worried about how he'd do with this, Frederick, we'll send someone else."
"Thank you. Now as to who..." Frederick contemplated.
It was then that Jerec thought for a moment as well and decided to speak up.
"I'll go," he offered. "I can look dark and edgy enough in my cloak if I put my hood up. And I've already had to keep a bunch of secrets about me once. You don't have to be a dark mage to join them, do you?"
"Well, I don't think so," Morgan said. "My parents fought all kinds of enemies when they went against Grima himself, so..."
"Yeah, I guess that's fine," Kelli agreed. "They'll probably accept anyone that agrees with their beliefs and can fight well. Dark magic just seems to be their most common specialty."
"Well, if you're sure, Jerec, I guess that's settled,"Frederick commented. "Just be careful."
"Yes!" Ralph seconded. "Those Grimleal are crazy! You and Darcen best be on your guard at all times!"
"Oh, I will. Believe me," Jerec assured, remembering the several times he'd nearly been killed. "I met my wife because she saved me from what were likely fatal injuries otherwise. And she and I were both almost killed later on after that. I'd do anything to prevent that kind of thing from happening again."
"Wow. Glad we can trust you then," Ralph replied. "Just don't let that woman we just ran into see you or Darcen. She'd recognize either of you and rat you two out."
"Right," Jerec agreed and pulled his hood up. He then pulled the sides of his cloak around his body more. He really did look like a dark and shady person this way, with how much of his face was covered and how all one could see were his black boots, black gloves, dark red tunic, and hints of his black and gold chest plate.
"Now let's find out how to get you two into the group..." Kelli said. "We may just have to ask around. Though coming from the rest of us, it could sound odd. So it's best if only you both ask."
"Alright, then let's go!"
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