Chapter Text
Hermit Village had always been as quiet and isolated as its namesake. Outsiders didn't really visit this place, save for the rare priests and priestesses doing a pilgrimage from neighboring islands. It had became even quieter ever since Gran left to find his father. Aaron missed him. Messages from Gran used to be frequent, but now he would be lucky to receive one after three months of no contact. Aaron not only missed him, he was worried too, so much that he lost sleep.
Hermit Village was quiet and isolated until The Erste Empire decided to occupy Zinkenstill. The person in charge declared that it was the fault of Gran that they were suffering like this, that they should blame him for being a thorn for the empire. Aaron felt sick to the stomach, as he began to puzzle the pieces Gran left out in his letters. He was fighting an entire empire with his crew. He was insane. But more than that, he was still alive if the enemies decided to take the village hostage. There was still hope, Aaron thought.
The one that came to the rescue, however, was not Gran. It was a man in black armor, looking more like a demon of fairy tales than a knight, in Aaron's opinion; and a man in red, who claimed that The Empire would be making an enemy of Wales if they do not leave Zinkenstill immediately. The army he brought with him seemed eager to prove that.
However, it was clear that The Empire's number was overwhelming compared to the troop brought from Wales. Aaron thought it was hopeless. He thought wrong. They fought with vigor and prowess none of the villagers had ever seen, and the imperial army was quickly whittled. Aaron was entranced, to the point he almost didn't notice a black haired knight sneaking into his house and gently grabbed his arm, telling him that he and the other villagers needed to evacuate.
Aaron soon found out that these new knights were not from Wales. They were from Freendrache, an ally of Wales, and most importantly an ally of Gran. When The Mayor asked what could possibly spurred them into helping an unknown village, the knight named Lancelot smiled and said that they were returning a favor to Captain Gran. Aaron wasn't the only one who was stunned by the revelation.
Lancelot and Vane... they were strong too. When the imperial army found out the Order of the White Dragon was escorting the villagers out of harm, they flawlessly managed to dispose of them without breaking a sweat, or even a single drop of blood on the villagers. These were the people Gran were friends with now.
Suddenly he felt even more faraway than before.