Chapter Text
"Please stop fussing!" Lachesis begged, patting her wailing daughter on the back as she paced around the room.
"He won't calm down either." Finn sighed as he rocked a fidgeting Leif in a small swing. Though at least he was only making a few noises, compared to Nanna's insistent crying.
“Come on, love.” Lachesis insistently rocked her daughter, but couldn't get her to calm down. “She definitely has personality.” She said dryly, giving up and sitting on the sofa with Nanna no calmer than before.
Finn picked up Leif from the swing so he could sit with his wife. "Some children are just difficult." Though Nanna's fussiness (probably) didn't have anything to do with him, he couldn't help but think about how much more mellow Lachesis's son had been at this age.
“Ethlyn complains that he's difficult.” She nodded at Leif, fidgeting in Finn's arms. “She has no idea.”
“And yet, you love Nanna anyway.”
“Of course.” Lachesis held her infant daughter against her chest. She almost wanted to say something, about how she couldn’t understand Ethlyn leaving her son behind even for a short time. But she thought guiltily of Diarmuid and kept quiet. “I feel like Ethlyn should've returned by now.” She said instead.
“I was thinking the same.” Finn mused. After all, Ethlyn was only supposed to accompany Quan to the edge of the Yied Desert. “Maybe I'll speak to the Queen about it.”
“I think you should… Oh, they’ve stopped crying.” Lachesis pointed out.
"Maybe they're bored by talking?" Finn offered, but as soon as he stood up to put Leif in a crib, he started fussing again.
"I don't think that's quite it." She said through gritted teeth, because Nanna had started crying too. But as soon as Lachesis stood up, bringing Nanna closer to Leif, they stopped again. "Is it just me, or…"
"It seems like they like being near each other.” Finn said slowly, glancing back and forth between the two children.
"Hold Nanna, I'll bring the crib over." Lachesis instructed, and surely enough, even as she transferred Nanna to her father's arm, she did nothing except wiggle her arms a little.
Finn sat back down, holding a baby on each arm with practiced ease while Lachesis wheeled the crib over. The two didn't make a single noise as they were simultaneously placed on the bed, side by side. Nanna's eyes fluttered shut and Leif flailed his arms a little before doing the same.
"How strange." Lachesis remarked, and even though she tried to sound light, the unease in her voice was clear.
"I've never seen a child want for someone's presence so much." Finn said. "Least of all another baby."
“Do you think babies even understand that other babies exist? ” Lachesis pondered, but Finn hardly had an answer for her. Though seeing Leif and Nanna together, finally sleeping quietly, he thought the answer must be yes.
“I'm worried.” Queen Alfiona admitted. “Do you think I should send a search party, Finn?”
He nodded, though he wasn't sure that he was qualified to give counsel to the Queen. Finn was also sure that the King and more senior knights wouldn’t agree to send scouts, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about the situation.
Queen Alfiona sent Glade and a few men, and everyday that passed without them or Ethlyn's return worsened everyone's anxiety, to the point that even King Calf was worried.
It was another tense but otherwise normal day, where Finn and Lachesis had just set the babies down to sleep in the crib. They had started putting them to sleep in the same crib since that day, and it rarely failed to soothe them.
The door to their quarter abruptly slammed open. Luckily the children didn’t really stir, but Finn stood up quickly, ready to rebuke the person who disrupted their peace and quiet.
“Commander Finn!” Glade was the one standing in the doorway, breathing heavily.
“Glade, you're back?” Finn asked, the shock temporarily stifling his irritation. “What's gotten into you?” It was inappropriate of any soldier to barge into his quarters like that, least of all while his family and the prince were there too, but maybe it was a real emergency—
“They’re all dead.”
“What?” Finn asked, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. “Who’s dead?”
“Prince Quan. Princess Ethlyn. And Lady Altena, in the Yied Desert…” Glade coughed, leaning on the door for support.
“That can’t be!” Lachesis snarled. “Ethlyn… she wasn't supposed to go into the desert!”
“My lady, I wish it were not true.” The knight pleaded. “But they were ambushed by King Travant. I… saw the bodies myself.”
As if sensing the tension, Nanna began to sniffle. Her fussing woke Leif too, who began crying in earnest.
Quan, his liege for so many years, with whom he had faced many battles. Ethlyn, the spirited, ever-smiling princess. And little baby Altena, barely a few years old. All of them, gone in the blink of an eye, leaving just Leif, who cried and cried, unknowingly mourning his lost family.
They had decided to stay in Leonster. There wasn't really anywhere else to go, especially once the news of the massacre at Belhalla arrived.
“We're surrounded.” Lachesis said grimly, even as they watched Leif and Nanna trying to crawl while Selphina kept them entertained. “The Yied to the north, Thracia to the south, and now Grannvale is our enemy too…”
She didn't say it aloud, but the implication was obvious. Leonster wouldn't be safe forever.
Lachesis fidgeted, as if there were more. “What is it?” Finn prodded.
“Diarmuid.” She sighed. “I was waiting for… her…” It was still too painful for either of them to speak Ethlyn's name, “to come back, before I could leave for Isaach. But now…”
“It's not safe.” Not anymore, now that they couldn't go through Grannvale, and with Isaach under the Empire's control as well.
“I know.” She relented, but Finn knew this wouldn't be the last of this conversation.
They held out for longer than expected, but many things went wrong in quick succession. They were betrayed by Conote, and King Calf perished at the River Thracia, along with the bulk of their forces. From that day on, Finn knew their days in Leonster were numbered, but he couldn't bring himself to leave— not until very suddenly the dracoknights appeared on their doorstep.
“Why?” Leif asked with persistent, bright eyes when Finn sat him on his horse, and Lachesis did the same with Nanna. “What's that?” He pointed at a distant dracoknight.
“Don't worry.” Finn deflected. “But I need you to be very quiet, okay?”
“Okay.” But Leif's voice turned uneasy, and he kept glancing back at Leonster castle.
Running away left a bitter taste in his mouth, but Finn tried to remind himself that there was no other choice. The air began to rapidly fill with dracoknights, and the screams of the townspeople intensified.
“Into the trees. It’ll be harder for them to spot us.” Lachesis called, steering her horse into the forest, and Finn followed suit. A lone dracoknight had spotted them, but Lachesis made short work of him, using her powerful wind magic to tear the wyvern's wings to shreds while Nanna hid her face in fear.
They proceeded like that for a little while, mostly evading detection while putting distance between them and Leonster castle. Finn glanced back at the castle, which had been set ablaze. Leif looked too, the fire reflected in his copper eyes. He didn't say anything though— Finn wasn't sure if it was because of his order to remain quiet, or if he didn't understand what was happening.
“Grahnye.” Lachesis said suddenly, bringing her horse to a stop. “Her family’s estate is around here— We can go there while we figure out what to do next.”
It wasn’t like Lachesis to seek out her sister-in-law’s aid, but they could at least be sure she wouldn't betray them to the Empire, even if it was only for Ares’s sake. So they turned their horses slightly to the west and headed in the direction of their family’s manor. They rode all night, with the sun having just risen when they reached the estate. Or at least, what was left of it.
Lachesis’s face was ashen as she stared at the rubble. “Keep the kids away.” She said, dismounting her horse to inspect the scene of the battle. Luckily, both of them were asleep, letting Finn survey what he could of the corpses on the ground. Dracoknights, Munster soldiers, the estate’s waitstaff, and…
“Grannvale soldiers.”
Lachesis didn’t respond, but continued poking around the rubble with renewed intensity. Finn began to set up a rough camp in the trees nearby while she searched. “I… found her.” Lachesis came back some time later, looking even paler than before. “Grahnye… she’s dead.”
Finn bowed his head.
“But Ares isn’t here.”
“Are you sure?” Finn asked, looking up at her. Of course, he hoped it was true, but…
“I didn't find him." She said, sounding quite grateful. "And I didn't find Mystletainn in the rubble— no one could have moved it except him…"
They spent a few days there— taking shifts resting, watching the children, scrounging for supplies, and burying the bodies. With what little money they had managed to bring with them, Lachesis went into the nearby town to buy food for Leif and Nanna, and tried in vain to locate Ares.
He hardly slept. Most nights he would lie awake, or sit up and stare at Lady Ethlyn’s sword, one of the few possessions he had managed to secure while fleeing Leonster castle.
Lord Quan, Lady Ethlyn… I failed to protect you. But I will guard Leif until my dying breath.
“I’m going back to Isaach."
Finn stared blankly at his wife. Just a short distance away, Leif and Nanna were sitting in the trees, delighted to finally be leaving soon. They had been planning to seek shelter in Ulster, but…
"I have to go back." Lachesis repeated. "Diarmuid… I haven't seen him in three years."
"Lachesis…"
"I miss my son!" She couldn't help but start crying, and Finn quickly wrapped his arms around her. But Nanna, precocious as she was, had already seen.
"Mommy…?" She asked, clinging to Lachesis's leg.
"Nothing, dear." She composed herself enough to pat Nanna on the head and usher her back towards Leif.
That night, she sat down to write a letter.
"Is this really necessary?" Finn asked, watching as Lachesis slowly etched out small, curly letters, using supplies she salvaged from the ruins of the estate.
"I'm going to try and find Ares." She insisted. "He may still be in Thracia. But in case you run into him first," she finished off the final letter with a flourish, "have Nanna give him this."
Finn took the letter and read over it, raising an eyebrow. "Did you really write that about yourself?"
She shrugged. "I have to make it believable. I hope it won't be necessary either, but there's no way of knowing how much Grahnye told him."
He folded up the letter and tucked it into the envelope, but then glanced around for a place to put it. "It's going to be hard to keep a piece of paper safe…" He muttered, turning over the envelope again and again.
"I have the solution to that as well." Lachesis stood up and unsheathed her sword, the one given to her by Eldigan, and twisted the hilt open. "There's a compartment here, and I want you to give this sword to Nanna—"
"You can't go without your sword!"
"There are other swords, Finn!" Lachesis snapped. "And I have my tomes, and my bow, I'll be fine. I want Nanna to have this."
Finn stared at her, his lip trembling. "Lachesis… are you really going?" He asked. "The Yied desert…"
"What do you think the Yied Desert could do to me?" She said dismissively. "Nothing can stop me from seeing my son again."
"I know." Finn whispered. He wanted so desperately to hold her back, but then again, Diarmuid wasn't his own flesh and blood, so it's not like he could even begin to understand the depth of Lachesis's longing to see him again. "Please… stay there with him. Don't cross the desert twice."
She just chuckled. "Don't worry about me. When it's safe, I'll bring him and find you again, and our family can finally be… together…" Finn quickly wrapped his arms around Lachesis, both to comfort her and to muffle her sobs so the kids wouldn't notice again. "I'm sorry. But if I don’t go now—"
She didn't have to explain. The deeper they went into hiding, into the Munster district, the harder it would be to leave.
"It'll be okay." Finn promised. "Nanna and Leif are so well behaved, it'll only get easier and easier."
"I love you." Lachesis told him as she shouldered her filled saddlebags. "I regret that it took so long to realize that…"
"We have a long future ahead of us." Finn shook his head. "So don't talk as if we'll never see each other again, alright?"
"Okay," she giggled, leaning in for a kiss. "Goodbye, Finn. See you soon."
“Papa! Are you coming!?”
“Huh?” He looked down to see an insistent Nanna, waiting for his response. Truthfully, his mind was still occupied by Lachesis at times, especially when they had secure shelter.
That's irresponsible, he reminded himself. He couldn't afford to have his eyes off Leif for even a second, even in a supposed safe place.
“You're my papa! You have to be there!”
“Okay. Where are we going?” He acquiesced, following Nanna, who was wearing a crown of flowers with a white cloth hanging off of it.
“We’re having a wedding!”
“Oh?” He tried not to sound troubled. They're just kids. It's just pretend. “Are you the bride?”
She nodded happily, pleased that he was taking an interest. “I'm marrying Leif! And Asbel is the… the offy… ummm…”
“The officiant?” He supplied.
“Yes!” She led Finn out to the garden, where the kids had messily decorated an alcove with more flowers. Asbel stood there with a giant book that Finn was sure had absolutely no relation to weddings. Leif was also there, with another white cloth tied over his shoulders. There was also a bit of an audience, which as far as he could tell just consisted of the young maids who were supposed to look after the children. They giggled and whispered about how cute the kids were.
“Think they'll get married for real when they grow up?” One of them asked her colleagues. A couple of them didn’t think so, but most of the maids seemed to think it was very likely.
Finn watched attentively at first, but it soon became clear that the kids did not have the proper attention span for what they were trying to do. Asbel was only part of the way through a long poem, the words of which were complicated and had the poor boy tripping over his own tongue constantly. A bee flew into the alcove, attracted by the flowers, and the kids fled in terror, the wedding completely forgotten.
Their caretakers decided it was enough, and took them inside to eat something. Finn was about to follow, but Asbel's father rushed into the garden.
“The Empire knows you're here.”
"You're most welcome in Tahra." The governor reassured Finn, who couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "My daughter will enjoy having some friends too, I hope." He nudged a little girl with bright pink hair who was hiding behind him. "Linoan, go take them outside." Leif, Nanna, and Asbel— for Asbel and his father had accompanied them out of Hrest— followed behind the little girl.
The children distracted, Finn collapsed in the quarters the governor gave him, utterly exhausted from their narrow escape, which had only succeeded because the bishop had come with them.
But unfortunately, their respite in Tahra was very brief— the Empire was on their heels again, and before Finn knew it, they were back on the run, this time just the three of them.
Encounters with the Empire's soldiers were unfortunately common, even as they moved into Thracian territory, where food and supplies became even more scarce. Finn was very reluctant to travel into the kingdom, but going north was hardly an option. He did his best to avoid the groups of soldiers, staying off the established roads, but Finn couldn't evade them forever.
“Wait here. Whatever you do, don't come out.” He sternly instructed Leif and Nanna, who he had sheltered under an outcrop of rock that only children could fit under. They had to cross this mountain pass, forcing them to take the road, but a group of soldiers blocked the way. It wasn't really an impressive company, about ten soldiers and no mages, from what Finn observed, but it was still difficult for one person to take on alone. And yet, he had to do it— if they lingered, the Empire would be on their tail again.
That was the thought that drove him as he fought the soldiers, even as they gained ground on him and started landing blows on him, even as one soldier's lance tore up his leg and another's sword cut his side.
Finn couldn't stay standing when he finally cut down the last soldier. He would rest, just a little, before going to fetch Leif and Nanna…
He didn't know how much later it was when he vaguely registered Leif and Nanna tugging him towards the horse, pushing him until he mounted it— the two kids were talking to each other, but their voices just went straight through him.
All Finn could think about was how, in the end, he had failed his promise.
Eyvel had, in the years since washing up on Fiana's shore, seen her fair share of strange things, and gotten into what was probably more than her fair share of trouble. But the sight before her was probably one of the most troubling ones, probably only second to the day she found Mareeta.
The little girl cried and cried, begging Eyvel to help her father, who was slumped over on the horse, covered in dark stains that were undoubtedly blood. Past the two of them, a little boy with sharp eyes glared at her— both of the kids seemed to be around Mareeta’s age.
The boy stepped forward. "I'll give you this sword." He said, holding up a blade that was still too big for him, but not dropping his glare for even a second. "If you help Finn."
"Keep your sword." Eyvel sighed, grabbing the reins of the horse. "Follow me."
Fiana didn't have a healer, so it was up to her to dress the man's wounds after Dagdar helped lift him off the horse. The two kids watched intently, despite their clear exhaustion. Eyvel wanted badly to give them something to eat and somewhere to sleep, but the situation was a little more dire than she had anticipated, and she couldn't spare even a moment without risking the man's life.
Something told her the kids wouldn't have wanted to rest anyway. "He's going to be okay." She reassured the girl, whose lip had been quivering the entire time. "Now, what are your names?"
They glanced at each, silently communicating with their eyes, and Eyvel sighed. "Okay, nevermind. At least tell me how you ended up like this?"
"The Empire soldiers." The boy spoke up. "Finn fought them off, but he got really hurt."
"Father's a really good fighter." The girl added with a sniffle. "I don't know how he got hurt so bad!"
"Even the best of us can be caught off guard." Eyvel said ruefully. "Now come on. The two of you need to rest."
"Mother, is he a real knight?"
"He might be."
"Can I play with the new kids yet?"
"Let them sleep, Mareeta."
"Are they gonna live in Fiana?"
"We'll see, dear."
Finn vaguely registered the back and forth voices of a young girl— not Nanna, but someone else— and an older woman. He forced his eyes open.
"Easy there!" The woman scolded him. "Those injuries are pretty serious, you know!?"
Finn grimaced as the pain registered a second later, gently tracing one of the bandages with his hand before the realization hit. "Where is Lord Leif!?" He blurted out. His eyes widened in horror at the slip up, but she didn't bat an eye.
"Mareeta," she said, turning to the little girl. "Go play outside." Mareeta obediently ran off, and she returned her gaze to Finn. "He's fine. The girl too… sleeping in the other room."
Finn sank into his pillow, thanking the goddess profusely before it occurred to him that he should also thank the lady sitting in front of him.
"I'm Eyvel, by the way." She laughed. "Something like the mistress of this little village."
"Where are we, exactly?" Finn asked.
"Fiana. Near the edge of the peninsula— the ocean's just a short distance away. It's a small town," she gave Finn a telling look, "so the Empire leaves well enough alone."
He bit his lip. "I don't know what you mean."
"I've only been living in Thracia a few years, but even I know the name of Leonster's prince. And the way the Empire is apparently pursuing you three…" She shook her head, not bothering to finish.
"And even knowing that, you're inviting us to stay here?"
Eyvel shrugged. "What can I say? I have a soft spot for children."
He remembered the little girl who was in the room before— she looked like Nanna's age. And there would probably be other kids in the town too… Leif and Nanna were always perfectly content with each other's company, but they also sadly remembered their friends that they had to leave behind— Asbel, Linoan and others too. It would undoubtedly be good for them to have people their age around again. And the woman, Eyvel… she seemed trustworthy, familiar, even, but he couldn't place it exactly.
"Very well," Finn sighed. "We'll accept Fiana's hospitality for now."
Fiana was good to them, and Leif and Nanna were as happy as he had ever seen them.
Now that they had a somewhat stable environment, he could finally resume teaching Leif how to fight— or at least that was the plan. Eyvel, despite her amnesiac past, turned out to be a much better swordswoman than him, and she primarily trained the kids in the village. The nagging sense of familiarity he got every time he looked at her had never gone away, but it wasn't until he saw her teaching Tanya how to draw a bow that he realized it.
"You think I'm… who?" She asked in disbelief.
"Lady Brigid." He repeated. "Lady Brigid of Yngvi… I'm sure."
Eyvel could only laugh at the suggestion. "A Grannvale noblewoman? I don't think you could've picked anything less believable!"
"I'm sure." Finn repeated, slightly embarrassed by how quickly she had dismissed the idea, but Brigid had always been rough around the edges. "And I know how to prove it too."
Eyvel raised an eyebrow when he asked her to lift her sleeve up to the shoulder, but she shrugged and did it anyway, only to reveal… nothing.
"B-but… Ullr's mark…" Finn stammered, vividly remembering how proudly Brigid would show off the holy markings that adorned her right arm.
"Sorry to disappoint," Eyvel said with a good natured shrug, "but I'm not your Lady Brigid."