No Longer Alone

Well, here it is. The end. It's been quite a while. Over four and a half years, in fact.

For one last time, I hope you enjoy what I've written for you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The first thing Franz was aware of was the sunlight streaming in through the window and hitting him in the face. Instinctively he screwed his eyes shut and shifted his gaze away from the golden rays, mumbling a half-hearted groan of protest as he did so.

There was a light chuckle from his side, and this prompted him to blink his eyes open and he found himself looking into Amelia's eyes. She was laughing, a light bubbly sound that made Franz want to smile and laugh himself.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

"'Morning," he mumbled, still in a warm and comforting haze of half-slumber. Then blinked. "Wait, morning? What happened? I thought it was nearly afternoon when we made it out of the temple…"

"It was," she confirmed. "You told me you wanted to take a short breather and the next thing I know you're slumped up against a tree, dead to the world," Amelia laughed again. "We had to carry you back, and I think Forde complained the whole way."

"Wait, back?" ignoring the protest from his muscles, Franz sat up, looking around the opulently decorated room. "Where-"

"Rausten Palace. Where else?" Amelia swept her hand out. "Apparently they decided us soldiers deserved nicer lodgings for all the work we had to go through – st least for the duration of our stay here."

"Wait, wait…" Franz ran a hand through his hair. "That… doesn't make any sense. Rausten Palace is a week from the Black Temple."

"That's right. Guess how long you were out," Amelia turned and took a drink from a cup at her bedside. "Not to say I didn't take a very long nap at the first opportunity myself."

Franz sank back into bed, staring up at the ceiling. A long moment passed before he looked over to Amelia. "So… it's really over."

Her smile widened and leaning over, she grasped his hand tightly. "Yes, it is."

"I thought I told you to tell me when he woke up," came another voice as Forde appeared in the doorway, one eyebrow raised.

"I was just coming to get you," Amelia replied as she turned to face him. "He'd only just gotten up."

"Yeah, I figured," Forde grinned easily as he sauntered over to Franz. "You probably already guessed, but Amelia hasn't left your side ever since we came back from the Temple. Took her meals next to you, slept in the chair over there…"

"Forde," Amelia looked over at him. "I seem to recall you being right there as well most of the time."

"Was I?" the older knight shrugged. "Anyway, how are you feeling, Franz?"

Franz blinked once more, thinking about the question for a moment before he opened his mouth. "Hungry. Famished, even."

His brother grinned. "Thought as much. Comes with not having eaten anything for a week. Well, come on. It's a little past breakfast time, but we shouldn't have any trouble finding some food for you. Lord Joshua's been telling some stories about you, you know. Made you out to be a pretty big hero of the hour."

"Come off it," Franz said lightly as he slipped out of bed, stumbling slightly as he stood to his full height and felt a rush of dizziness wash over him. Instantly he felt Amelia grab onto him, steadying him until he could stand on his own. He gave her a grateful smile which she returned.

"I'm serious. Any two people who can deal with dragons all on their lonesome are going to be pretty respected. Of course it's somewhat overshadowed by Lord Ephraim and Lady Eirika beating the Demon King, but you take what you can get, huh?"

As Forde continued to prattle on about everything and nothing at all, the three of them slowly made their way out of the room, and down the brightly lit corridor.

The victory celebration was already in full swing by the time Amelia entered the room. She gave a tiny sigh and found herself a drink before retiring to a quiet corner of the grand ballroom, watching as the dance moved on around her.

"There you are," she heard a soft voice to her side and she looked up to see Neimi approaching. Raising her glass in a slight greeting, Amelia smiled back. She'd been doing that a lot lately, she realized.

"How're you feeling?" she questioned softly. In response, the archer glanced down at her right arm, still in a thick cast, and she sighed.

"Actually, it still kinda hurts. I'm not supposed to move it around too much, so I had to sit out the dancing," Neimi shrugged as she settled herself into the seat next to Amelia.

"Well, I don't think Colm would be particularly keen on dancing, anyway." Amelia chuckled. "So I guess you didn't lose much."

"Maybe," Neimi sighed. Then her expression brightened. "But what about you?"

"Me?" Amelia raised her cup to her lips and drank slowly from it.

"Yes, you!" Neimi leaned over, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Why aren't you out there on the dance floor with Franz?"

Amelia shook her head and laughed. "Oh, that. Well, I haven't been able to find Franz at all. Maybe he's not even here." He did tell me he never liked big crowds.

"Well, that won't do!" Neimi shook her head and stood. "Come on, Amelia, let's go find him!" and ignoring Amelia's half-hearted protest, she dragged her friend to her feet and they set off.

Despite the two girl's best efforts, however, Franz was nowhere to be found in the ballroom. Finally, Amelia spotted Forde by one of the food tables, deep in conversation with one of Pegasus Knights.

"Forde," she asked as soon as she caught his eye. "Have you seen Franz?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Told me he'd be skipping out the party tonight, and that he;d probably spend some time at the Eastern tower. You know where it is, right? You got the tour of the place already."

Flashing a quick smile (and a wink so quick that Amelia almost missed it), Forde turned and walked off, the green haired lady at his side.

Hesitantly, Amelia turned to face Neimi, who smiled and gave her a slight push on the shoulder. "Well, go on," her friend said softly.

"I'll… I guess I'll see you later, then."

As she left the lights and music of the party behind her, Amelia wondered if Franz wanted to be alone right now – after all, he had wandered off on his own. But something kept her moving, kept her heading towards the eastern tower of the palace.

Aside from the odd Rausten guard keeping watch at the doorways, the palace now seemed oddly silent and deserted. As she climbed the polished stone steps, she wondered about why Franz would have come here specifically.

Finally, she was at the top of the tower, and pushing open the door, she saw Franz sitting silently on a stone bench as he stared up at the night sky. It was cloudless, and filled with a dizzying array of stars.

"Hey," she said softly. He turned to face her, a smile on his face.

"Hey," he replied. After a brief pause, he patted the empty spot next to him and Amelia walked over.

"What are you doing?" she questioned as she settled herself next to him. He shrugged.

"Just… stargazing. And thinking."

"What about?" almost unconsciously, she sidled up closer to him, feeling the warmth of his body.

He didn't reply immediately, but one hand reached over to grasp hers. The two of them sat, silent, for a long while, and then Franz let out a long breath of air.

"Amelia, where will you – what are you going to do after this?"

The lancer closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "After this… I want to go see my mother. It's been so long time since I last saw her," she smiled past the growing tightness in the back of her throat. "Even my memory of what she looked like is kinda fuzzy right now."

"I see," Franz nodded slowly.

She hesitated for a brief moment. 'But, don't worry, Franz."

"Don't worry?" he repeated, turning to look at her.

"After that… after I've seen my mother, after I've made sure she'd all right… I'm coming to Renais. To stay in, I mean. I'm still not entirely sure of what my path in life is going to be," she looked up, gazing deeply into his eyes. "But well, I know I want to walk it by your side."

His smile widened. "That's good to hear."

Amelia frowned. "Franz?" she questioned. There was something he wasn't telling her…

"I've talked to General Seth. He gave me permission to take a leave from absence away from my duties as a knight. Amelia, when you go to see your mother… would you let me come with you?"

She stared at him, mouth open for several long seconds. And then she found herself tackling him in a hug and holding him tightly to her.

"I'll take that as a yes," came his slightly amused voice.

Still clinging on to him, Amelia shook her head. "How did you know?"

"Well, Ewan helped me confirm it, but…" a moment later she felt Franz reach up to caress the back of her head. "Did you really think I didn't know you well enough to guess what you'd want to do?"

Forgoing any real response, Amelia simply closed her eyes and continued to embrace Franz, luxuriating in the feeling of warmth and safety she had in his presence.

"Franz."

Upon hearing the voice of his mentor, Franz quickly stopped tightening the straps of Sophia's saddle and turned to face Seth, saluting crisply as he did so. The Silver Knight returned the salute, smartly. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted Amelia exchanging fond (and tearful) farewells with Neimi, along with promises to visit each other soon.

"General."

"I assume you'll be leaving soon."

"Yes, sir," Franz glanced over at his packs. "Everything that we need to load is on Sophia and Fort already. I planned on leaving once Amelia finished saying her goodbyes."

"Indeed," Seth nodded slightly. "Very well, Sir Franz. Be sure to take this time to rest and recuperate. There'll be plenty of work waiting for you once you get back to the capital."

"I know, General. I'll see you soon." With another salute, the general turned and departed, leaving Franz to finish his job of securing the supplies. He had just about finished when he felt another heavy hand on his shoulder.

He turned. "Forde?"

His elder brother smirked down at him. "I just wanted to tell you… well, take care. And enjoy yourself."

Franz chuckled. "It's not like I'll be travelling alone," he pointed out. "Aside from Amelia, Ewan and the rest of his mercenary troop are going to Caer Paelyn and we'll be travelling the same path for a while. And General Duessel and the remainder of the Grad forces will be on the same road, even if we're not setting out together."

"Yeah, I know," Forde's smile was crooked. "Hey, when you meet Amelia's mom, make sure you're on your best behaviour. Wouldn't want your future mother-in-law to get a bad impression, would we?"

Franz rolled his eyes, and at that moment Amelia came up beside him. "You ready?" she questioned, a cheerful grin on her face. Franz nodded in response.

Within seconds, both of them had mounted their respective horses. As they turned to head down the main road, Franz paused and turned back to his brother.

"See you."

Forde nodded once. "Yeah… see you."

The first leg of their journey was taken leisurely, with Ewan and his taciturn master accompanying them throughout most of the way. Ewan, having travelled extensively, was able to point out many landmarks and sightseeing spots, now that there was no fear of having to rush down to the next battle. It was in such a manner, with frequent rest stops and breaks, that they made their way south.

"We'll be nearing the border soon," Ewan said one day as they left the latest inn. "Just a couple more days, at the latest."

"Oh," Amelia said, feeling oddly muted. "And then off to your home in Caer Paelyn."

"Yeah, I haven't seen grandma in ages, Ewan smiled as he looked west, in the direction of the great mountain ranges. "She's going to want to hear all about the journey. Both the good and the bad," he concluded as he glanced backwards at the Myrrh, who was at Saleh's side.

The loss of her father (one of the dragons that had been guarding the Black Temple) had affected her deeply, and she'd grown even more quiet and reticent than usual. Amelia hung her head and closed her eyes. Some wounds were not so easily healed, even at the end of a war.

"Hey," Ewan said softly, bringing her attention back to the present.

"What is it?"

He grinned a sideways grin at her. "Are you going to miss me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ewan."

"Hey, I'm serious this time," Ewan gazed back to the mountains. "Once I go back there, Master Saleh's told me that we'll begin the next phase of my training; it'll require a complete devotion of my time and energy. I guess what I'm trying to say is…" he shrugged. "I don't know how long it'll be before I can come visit you. Could be years, in fact. So… will you miss me?"

She nodded, keeping her eye on the road ahead of her. "Of course I will. But I think you're missing something here, Ewan."

"What?"

"Nothing's stopping me from visiting you," she grinned at him. "I've never seen the peaks of Caer Paelyn – it sounds like it'd be fun for a little trip.

The young mage smiled. "Yeah, I guess that'd be nice. Nothing beats having a guest come into your home, after all."

"No, I suppose it doesn't."

Several days later, as the two knights prepared to part ways with the mercenaries, Amelia rode up beside Ewan. "Hey, Ewan."

"Hm?"

"Thanks for everything."

The redheaded mage flashed her a cocky grin. "You're welcome. And thank you." He turned, taking several steps after his departing sister. And then he paused and turned back to Amelia. "See you soon!" his voice sounded across the plains towards her.

She remained there, waving at his retreating figure until it vanished beyond the horizon.

And then it was just the two of them. She glanced over and saw Franz, likewise mounted, that gentle smile still on his face.

There was a short silence between the two of them. And then Franz gestured with his shoulder down the path. "Shall we?"

Amelia nodded. "Yes, let's."

It took nearly a week for them to finally reach the village. Most of the journey was spent in a comfortable silence, either of them only occasionally commenting on the scenery or other trivial information.

Finally, they stood in front of the organized collection of houses, and Franz glanced over at Amelia. "This is the correct village?"

"According to General Duessel… yeah," Amelia nodded, swallowed. All of a sudden Amelia looked like a nervous child. "This is… this is the place."

"Well then, shall we?" he questioned softly. Amelia merely nodded.

As they progressed through the village, Franz could feel the stares and hear the whispered mutterings from all around the two of them. Apparently visits by knights wasn't a particularly common occurrence – rarer still for one of the knights to be showing the sigil of Renais on his tunic.

"There," Amelia pointed to a house near the edge of the settlement. "That's the one."

As they both dismounted their mounts, Franz noted that Amelia's trepidation only appeared to be getting worse. Reaching over, he gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze, and she gave a grateful nod in response. Taking another deep breath, she walked over and rapped once on the edge of the doorway.

There was silence for a long moment, and then in the doorway appeared a woman with dishevelled blonde hair and a weary look in her eyes. Franz heard the breath and catch in Amelia's throat for a long moment.

"Good – good evening, madam," Amelia spoke, trying to keep her voice steady. "By any chance, might your name be Melina?"

The woman was staring at Amelia now, a puzzled frown on her face, but she nodded once in response.

"I – my name is Amelia," she said. "And I… could you be… are you… my mother?"

The woman's eyes widened, and she peered even more closely at Amelia's face, and Franz could see the exact moment that recognition dawned.

"Amelia!" and suddenly the two of them were hugging each other, arms wrapped tight across the other's body, eyes closed, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

"Mom," was all that Amelia managed to squeeze out before she buried her head in her mother's shoulder. The woman – Melina – didn't say anything, simply holding her daughter close for the first time in nearly a decade.

After a long moment, Franz turned to grasp the reins of Sophia and Fort, leading them away to be stabled, leaving mother and daughter to the privacy of their long overdue reunion.

"Mom, this is Franz," Amelia gestured towards him and he bowed slightly in greeting. "He – he saved my life countless times during the war."

"What? Don't be ridicu-"

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him," she continued, speaking smoothly over his protest. Melina turned towards the obviously uncomfortable knight.

"Sir, thank you so much for what you have done."

"Please, I –" Franz shook his head. "Every time I saved Amelia she would end up repaying the favour sooner or later. You don't owe me any thanks. Really."

"Is that so? Well, I want to hear all about it – but this tale doesn't look like we can finish it while standing around doing nothing. Come on in, dinner's almost ready."

"Uh, we brought our own rations-"

"Nonsense. The general has provided very well for me, and I'm sure that whatever I have in my stock is better than army rations," Melina spread her arms invitingly. "It's the least I can do."

Amelia smiled at Franz and shook her head. "Franz would be delighted to accept, mom."

Her mother's cooking was just as good as she had remembered. As she leaned back in her stool against the wall of the house, listening to her mother question Franz – for the third time – on the details of how the two of them had first met up, Amelia closed her eyes and let out a long, low sigh of contentment.

Later that night, as the two of them made their way back to the village inn – her mother would have let them stay over but there simply wasn't enough room in her simple house, Amelia shook her head. She was aware that she still had a humongous smile on her face that seemed to refuse to go away, but she didn't really care much about that – a warm fuzzy haze of bliss that enveloped her seemed to make things like that matter very much at all.

"Full moon tonight," she heard Franz's observation, and she pulled to a halt, staring at the night sky like he was.

"Anything special about the full moon?"

"No, not really," Franz shook his head. "There's just this old Renaitian tradition…"

"Really. What's it about?"

"They say that a love that blossoms under the full moon will never wither," Franz shrugged, as if that statement were of no consequence.

Amelia shook her head. "Franz, even if you put any stock in Old Wives' tales like that, it's… well, I'm not sure when it happened, but I love you. I've loved you for a while now. It certainly didn't start tonight," it felt strange, hearing those words slip out from her mouth so easily, after she had agonized about it so often during their journey. But that was how Franz was, she supposed. Whenever he was with her, all her anxieties and doubts always seemed to fade.

He smiled that gentle smile she loved so much at her. "I know. I love you too. But… well, during the dinner, when your mother was making me talk about how we met, I remembered."

"Remembered what?" she raised an eyebrow.

"That night, when I came to visit you in that room… it was a full moon too."

The smile on Amelia's face widened as he turned to face her. Slowly, on some unspoken signal, the two of them leaned in closer. Amelia closed her eyes as their lips met, feeling a rush of sensation and emotion surge through her.

Finally, the two of them broke the kiss, but instead of pulling away, Amelia tightened her embrace around Franz and lowered her head to rest on his shoulder, eyes closed, her breathing steady, and a small smile on her face as she luxuriated once more in the feeling of warmth.

After everything, after all the fighting and pain and fear and danger and injury, after all that… they were together now. For all the hurt and pain she'd received, what she'd found during the fighting was something she would never give up for the world.

Friends.

Family.

And love.

She was no longer alone.

Story End

Well…. That's that. My longest work to date, in terms of chapters, wordcount, and time spent on this thing. To any of you who stuck it out with me from the beginning… thanks.

So, what's next? Actually, I'm planning a sort-of sequel for this story. It'll be much, much shorter than this, and it's going to centre around the great quake and how our two favourite knights react and respond to it. Time will tell whether or not this idea comes to fruition.

Regardless, for one last time, thank you for reading. And please review.