Disclaimer: Same as before (like anything would've changed anyway XD)

Notes: OHCRAP! People actually asked for a second chapter! This time, it's with Joshua's point of view (with some timeframe differences). Really sorry about how long I took D: I know it's been over two YEARS already but… Hey, things happen. Not to mention, it's kinda hard to write Joshua XD Anyway, let's see how different our myrmidon's thinking is; let's go!

I should've known that it would turn out like this.

I can't put it into words, really. Unlike the two princes, who seem to have a talent for these kinds of things, I can't explain stuff very well. I'm the type of guy to go by instinct and just follow the flow, if you will.

Anyway.

As I rushed out the burning building that was once my home, logic and reasoning went out the window, into the wind, and the feelings of pure rage took over immediately. (Alright, maybe you can throw in a hint of disbelief and even a tiny bit of denial. That I'll admit.) And damn, was all that rage put to good use. What better way of relieving anger and stress by taking it out on enemies? (Not to mention, the one who committed your mother's murder in the first place.) I won't lie. It felt good.

It's been almost a week since we left Jehanna behind. Hopefully, I'll be returning under better circumstances. Hopefully. The other option is that I'll die trying. But we can't have that, can we? Nah.

The Princess of Renais decided, with her twin brother's approval, to head back over to the Tower in Frelia to kill more dark creatures. (Not to mention some impromptu questioning to one of the recent additions to the army, the Grado shaman Knoll.) We got stuck with the overland route again. ('Ghost Ship'… What a load of crap.) I'm not complaining much. If we get ambushed, I'll be more than happy to take them down myself. (May not be so good for the rest of the army, though. Even if we got through that desert battle alive, we still took a good hit from the waves of enemy soldiers that came after us.)

Up ahead, I spotted Kyle and his mount cantering back towards the group. He was sent to scout ahead for enemies. Slowing to a stop, his horse trotted next to Prince Ephraim.

"I've spotted no enemies stationed around the perimeter of the plateau. I believe we can stay overnight at the stronghold nearby to make the necessary inspection on supplies." I saw the blue-haired royal nod, looking slightly relieved.

"That's good to hear." He said, before turning to address the rest of the soldiers, "Everyone! We shall stay in Teraz Plateau for the night. We'll move again within the next twenty-four hours." And with his word, we all started to move towards our temporary shelter.

"Joshua!" I knew that voice way too well; it's dripping with too much enthusiasm and overall too loud to ignore. And as fate knew it, I was assaulted (maybe that's exaggerating a bit, but you get the picture) by a bone-crushing 'hug' from behind me, "Here you are!"

"Hey, there, Lady L'Arachel." I greeted. I really wasn't in the mood for this. She's a nice girl and all, but sometimes she gets a bit too over the top. (It may sound mean, but holy Stones, save me!)

"Oh, please! Just call me, L'Arachel!" the almost-valkyrie-but-not-quite-there-yet said in her usual tone of voice. I had to keep myself from wincing; she hit an incredibly high note that made my ear hurt.

"Uh…Right. Was there something you needed?"

"Ah, yes! Princess Eirika suggested you attend the next war council, since it now affects the future of you and your nation."

"Okay. When?"

"As soon as we set up within the fortress ahead."

"Ah…" Great. Now I have to start going to these things? Strategizing isn't my forte either—it's either you tell me what the hell you want me to do, or I do it my own way (which may cause more bad than good, but that's just less than half the time).

"By the way," she started off. And here I thought it was over, "I think our resident Brother is worried about you."

"Brother?"

"The orangey-haired one." Yeah, thanks, that helps a lot. (Note the sarcasm. I'm really not in the mood for this.)

Wait a tic…

"Who, Artur?" she snapped her fingers and said, 'There we go; that's the one!' Speaking of Artur, I still need to give him that tome I picked up. Yeah, I kind-of-sort-of caused him to "break" it during one of our training sessions. ("Break" as in all the pages magically shriveled up, leaving only a useless cover. How the hell do they do that anyway?) I was going to give it to him earlier, as an apology of sorts, but my bitter mood left me to forget about it until now. Anywho, "What about him?"

"I keep seeing him glance at you, with a solemn and far-off look." Is that all? Ain't that called sympathy? A.K.A., things monks are supposed to have in the first place? I turned my head to the side, rolling my eyes, when I caught said monk actually looking my way. He seemed surprised and hastily bowed his head apologetically before snapping his head forward, nervously trying to shake off the awkwardness of the moment. Well, wasn't that adorable. I have to admit, for a guy, Artur's not too bad on the eyes.

"See, just like that!" L'Arachel whispered none-too-softly into my ear. Ow.

"I don't see what you're getting at. So he's concerned; it's what monks do." I replied, nonchalantly.

"Surely you saw the look in his eyes!" she exclaimed. I'm surprised no one's giving us looks, "That, my dear companion, is the look of a pining maiden!"

I rolled my eyes again. That look could have been anything, but a pining maiden? Sometimes, I really have to question the sense of this girl. That, and her lucky streak. Seriously, I can barely win a bet against her; I refuse to believe in the 'divine power' crap she's spouting.

We soon arrived at the stone steps leading up to the abandoned fortress, where Sir Sniper-with-a-stick-up-his-ass was stuck with Gerik and Tethys. L'Arachel, seemingly determined not to leave me alone for a moment until we got to the war council, followed after me. (Oh joy…)

"Prince Joshua!" L'Arachel and I turned back to see Ephraim running to catch up to us. Pausing just a few steps below, he said, "I heard you were joining us in the subsequent council."

I gave a curt nod, "Mmhm. And don't worry about all that whole 'prince' stuff. Save it for after the war."

"Very well. Now, I don't mean to rush you two, but it would be wise for you to place your things in your rooms right away. Lady L'Arachel, my sister requested you be her roommate for tonight."

"Oh? How delightful!" the green-haired troubadour squealed animatedly. Too. Much. Happy-sunshine. Arg.

"As for you, Joshua, we've assigned you a room with Brother Artur. You seem to be friendly with him, so I assumed you wouldn't mind." The prince continued, turning to me. I shook my head and told him that it was fine. It really has been a while since I last talked with him anywho.

"Great. I shall see you both again soon, I would hope?"

"'Course." My mouth automatically spat out. Sometimes it's better to just go with it—makes things a whole lot easier on yourself. And with that, Ephraim went back to his sister, who was in discussion with Lady Tana.

"Well, Joshua?" L'Arachel said, looping her arm within mine, "We mustn't waste time, now! Let's go!"

She started to run up the stairs, naturally dragging me with her. I was fast, yeah, but apparently her good mood increases her speed. (If only that would happen in battle; then she'd actually be very useful.)

"Whoa, slow down!" At the rate she was going, it was almost guaranteed that I was going to trip sometime soon. I always hated stairs. I think it started when I was a kid—I was learning how to use a blade and I would take it to train myself everyday. Of course, back then my definition of 'training' equals to running around the castle as fast as I could, swinging a practice sword at objects I knew would survive the hit. (Breaking things in Jehanna Hall was a big no-no, as I found out the hard way.) When it came to stairs, I didn't really run down them, I would jump off the top step and land at the bottom just fine. But one particular day, during my training, I decided to be stupid and jump off the top step of the main stairwell, which was the one with the most steps.

I jumped off the top, but landed way short of what I had expected—and thus, I lost my footing and tumbled down. End result was a broken left arm (thankfully, I'm not left-handed), loss of half my brain cells, me avoiding stairs like the plague for the next week, and a severe scolding from my mother.

…Mother…

So once I made it up the steps to the fortress, I lightly shook L'Arachel off, "You should probably go meet up with Lady Eirika in your room. I just need to go see someone."

Cocking her head to the side and crossing her arms, she made a face. Like the "you're-trying-to-get-rid-of-me-aren't-you?" face. She begrudgingly agreed, before telling me not to be late to the council—apparently taking place within a few dozen minutes' time. Hm. Guess I'll have to find my little monk quickly.

Ah, wait. No 'my.' He's not mine. At least not yet.

You heard right. I admit that there's something inside me that desires him. (But not in that pining maiden way. I know I'm lean and slender, but I'm one hundred percent masculine in how I carry myself, thank you very much.)

"Yes, yes; I won't be late." I said, waving a dismissing hand and walking away in a hasty step. Really, you can tell I was eager to place some distance between us. Now, then, to find Artur…

I decided to first check in with Kyle to see where our shared room was. He informed me — his voice filled with its usual serious (and laughably boring) tone—that we were down the second corridor, the fifth door of the left-hand quarters. He can't just be simple and go "Yeah, yours's the fifth door on the left over there."—we all know Kyle has to be all sophisticated about it. I don't know whether he's actually trying to act refined or if he's just being a pretentious stiff.

Anyway. I went down to our room and looked to see if he was there. Nope. But the little belongings and clothing he had were already placed atop the beddings. So I assumed he had already been here, and had recently left. Well, damn. Leaving my own things on the other bed except for the tome I was planning to give to him, I went back out and ran around the perimeter of the entire stronghold. But I just couldn't find him.

Looks like my luck needs to replenish itself. Bah.

My time's running out and I know I'm gonna forget to give this to him again if I just give up. If I can just find someone in the next minute…

"Joshua!" I heard the Rausten princess's voice call. Crap, that's not good. I sprinted off in a random direction away from her voice. I had been too busy worrying about being caught that I didn't notice someone in front of me and soon bumped into them.

"Ah, sorry there." I said, looking down at the one I ran into.

"It's quite alright. Though I should recommend that you do watch where you're going, if you're planning to run around like that." the girl said, picking up her thick book. Wait, doesn't she usually hang out with Artur? Looks like my luck's finally starting to turn around.

"Lute, right?" I asked her, just in case I got the wrong person. (The army's growing fast and I hadn't had the time to acquaint myself with its new fighters.)

"Indeed. Do you have business with me?" she said in a professional manner. I wonder if she's met Kyle; I have a feeling that they'd get along real well.

"Oh, yeah. You're friends with Artur, right? Think you can give this to him for me?" I handed the tome to her and she took it with a look of curiosity and interest.

"Hm… Why not simply give it to him yourself?"

"Well, you see—"

"There you are, Joshua!" a familiar green-haired valkyrie rounded a corner and pointed triumphantly at me. She has a habit of overdramatizing, don't you think? Before I could even say something to the girl, she sauntered over, grabbed the back of my collar and started to drag me off to that forsaken meeting, "Come on, now; we mustn't keep the others waiting!"

As I stumbled forward against my own will, I glanced back at Lute. She gave a firm nod before going off with the tome at hand. She'll deliver it. She can't use a light tome anyway; what good will it do her?

And so off I went to the Meeting of Epic Boredom, with my none-too-quiet "escort" still holding the back of my collar in a vice grip. Troubadour? More like a newborn Gorgon in disguise.

-x-x-x-x-

Finally. I'm finally out.

My eagerness to escape from the modest council room and mainly a green-haired staff-wielder could be seen by a blind man. (Though I still wished to uphold some sort of dignity, so I restricted myself from not exiting the room in a mad dash.) I hold the highest respects to Prince Innes—I really do—but hearing him rant for an hour (give or take) was practically unbearable.

That should be our battle tactic. Send Innes out there and let the enemy soldiers listen to him for more than ten minutes.

As I leaned on the stone railing of the fortress, looking out at the scenery, I gave out a sigh. Really, when the hell did my life get so complicated? I thought going out of the castle to interact with the people would make things better—make me better—but then all this happened. I can't even explain myself right. (Then again, when have I ever?)

Why did it turn out like this? Why couldn't I have just stayed in the Hall, and maybe, just maybe…

You'd still be here.

Too late to fix things, I guess. I just have to learn to get over it for now and keep moving forward. There's already enough moping going around this camp, anyway.

The fog I've heard someone talk about earlier (Rennac, was it? Sounds like a Carcinian name) finally moved in, blanketing the entire plateau in a mildly-thick fog. Great… I swear, if enemies ambush us, I'm going to go berserk on them. No staff needed.

All of the sudden, I heard an inhuman screech that pierced the fog (not to mention my eardrums. Ow). Sounded like a Bael. Figuring that I needed the distraction, I quickly ran over to the direction where I heard the roar. (Steps be damned; I leapt off the railing and landed into some shrubs.) About halfway there, I saw a familiar burst of light explode in the veiled air.

Oh, crap.

The beast was in sight, roaring in being injured. I looked and saw a mass of white robes trip and fall to the ground. That could only be one of a handful of people, but hell, I knew who it was. I ran as fast as I could, unsheathing my sword and jumped at the Bael, swerving myself around as I whirled through the air to make three lengthy slashes before cutting the monster in half. Sheathing my sword, I spotted the mess of orange hair trying to get up. I wasted no time in going to his side, helping him back on his feet.

"Are you okay, Artur?" I asked. He tinged a light pink for some reason before he picked up his magic book.

"I'm fine, Joshua. Just frazzled, is all." His answer sounded rushed. Artur quickly turned on his heel and made a hasty retreat back to the fortress. I caught up, falling into step next to him. He's one of the people who traveled with Eirika since the onset of this journey. Hell, he's probably one of the first ones in the continent to combat these creatures! So why did he just get paralyzed like that all of the sudden?

"What happened?" I asked, curiously, "I heard a roar and came out just when a light flashed. By the time I got here, you were frozen like someone caught in a Fimbulvetr spell."

"Ah… Well…" he was trying to think of an excuse, by his expression… Hold on a second… Now that I think about it, when it came to those freakish spiders, he always stayed far away, opting to attack any other monster. He also seemed to shudder at the sight of cobwebs… A phobia, maybe?

"Were you scared?" Artur's cheeks turned even pinker at the comment; his feeble nod affirmed my guesses. It's understandable. Everyone has their fears, me included. (And, no, the stairs don't count. I merely said I didn't like them; I didn't say I was scared of them. There's a big difference, you know.)

When we got back to the dreary gray fort, I heard someone calling for me. It was Gerik.

"I'm comin'! Just gimme a sec!" I told him. Nodding, he soon disappeared around the corner. Turning back around, I saw Artur bowing his head. It was cute, and I couldn't help myself when I mussed up his hair a bit. As I ran off after Gerik, I couldn't help but think that his hair was just as soft as it looked… (Crap. Pining maiden mode is starting to activate. Must not succumb!) In rounding the corner, I nearly ran into the one I was after.

"Whoa, don't hurt yourself there, Prince!" the green-haired mercenary joked, putting his hands up. I grinned in response.

"There something you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked, leaning my elbows back against the stone railing. He shrugged.

"Just thought I'd strike a conversation. Seeing a depressed person mill about depresses me too, y'know." I raised an eyebrow. I knew where this is going, but I played dumb and asked him what he meant anyway. Sighing, he replied, "Don't play that game. I can tell by that look in your eyes that your spirits're crushed. Not to mention, I've been around long enough to be able to point out the all-time low of your cynicism."

As per usual, Gerik's keen eye was right on target. He continued when I didn't reply, "Is it your mother?"

Sighing, I closed my eyes and thought about what I could say, "…This all could've been prevented if I hadn't been selfish."

"You can't help the circumstances." Gerik said, leaning forward against the rail, "Besides, things would've been real different if you hadn't made the decision you made. You wouldn't've joined up with the army as soon as you did. Sister Natasha might've died back in Serafew. You might've died in the Hall. A lot of things could've happened. But out of all those options, this is the result. Now that you've killed the murderer, all you can do is get through this damn war and raise your country from its ashes afterwards."

The mercenary put a hand on my shoulder, "Hey, you can always come to us if you wanna vent. Almost everyone's lost one person that was important to them in this war—parents, friends, loved ones… We know how you feel. Don't single yourself out. You're starting to worry everyone, 'specially that little monk friend of yours."

The tone in his voice made me open my eyes. Upon facing him, I was greeted with a knowing smirk. Crap, please don't tell me…

"What's with you two, anyway? Mighty close, if you ask me." I knew what he was implying and surrendered myself to his unspoken accusations. Someone's gonna find out anyway.

"Alright, alright, you got me." I told him, straightening myself out and stretching my arms, "I got my eyes set on him."

I probably piqued Gerik's interest; he looked like he was practically restraining himself from bombarding me with questions. He managed to select one, "What brought this on?"

I shrugged, "Artur's a cute kid. Got an adorable personality to boot, though his rage is something you definitely want to avoid."

"Definitely." He agreed. We've both seen Artur's fury out on a battlefield and trust me, it was a fearsome sight. Back in the dunes of Jehanna, he took out an entire fleet of high-ranked reinforcements with just a Lightning tome. Looks like holy men need to vent once in a while, too. And when this little bundle of light magic is raging, the best thing to do is get the hell out of his way. Bringing the conversation back on tangent, Gerik asked, "You do know what you're getting yourself into, right?"

"What can I say? I'm a gambler, after all. It's the perfect situation, too — subject of my wants is oblivious, pure, part of the clergy, and male. Having a love like this just has risk written all over it, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

He grinned, "Well, I sincerely hope you win that gamble. Might make you less gloomy, after all, since I'm gonna win that promised duel."

"Don't get too cocky; I've gotten a lot better since you last saw me fight." We both laughed, and I knew everything was starting to get better.

"Gerik! Joshua!" a panicked voice shouted. It was Neimi, "The fort's surrounded by fell creatures; we're under attack!"

The two of us looked at each other and our grins got wider with excitement. We ran off, following Neimi as the rest of the army started to rouse from their respites. The rush of the oncoming battle was starting to creep its way into my body and as I caught sight of the enemy—a horde of Revenants with some Mauthe Doogs—Gerik told me to show him just how much I've improved.

My pulse was rushing from the adrenaline. Every slice into dead flesh felt exhilarating, and I managed to get some loot for the others. There were no dropped swords that I could've used, but I have to wonder: what the hell is a Deathgoyle doing with one hundred gold! (I must've been wondering out loud since I heard Forde reply that the monsters "need money in order to have a good time too, if you know what I mean." I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.)

"Joshua!" I turned around, just as I noticed the massive shadow that was being cast above me. And there I saw an Elder Bael staring down at me, with poison dripping from its teeth. I jumped and dodged, just as it sank its fangs into the dirt. Thank you, newfound reflexes of being a Swordmaster. I raised my Wind Sword and, with elegant speed, made my attack on the overgrown spider. The wind blasts made several cuts into its body, and it was close to its end, but it was still alive enough for another attack.

You remember back when I said that my luck's finally starting to turn around? Well, Lady Luck decided to be a complete jackass at the moment because my sword just chose the absolute perfect time to break into magic-metal splinters. One thought crossed my mind: Shit. Before I knew what was happening, I was suddenly knocked over. When I hit the ground, I saw a blur of white practically flying over me. By the Stones, don't tell me…

There was a blinding light, and a dying screech. I lowered the arm I used to shield my eyes from the light, and saw a familiar mass of white robes and orange hair. Cursing loudly, I ran over and knelt down beside him.

"Artur? Artur!" His gaze was unfocused and his eyes started to droop. I picked him up immediately, yelling for a healer like a madman. My heart was starting to beat again—not from excitement, but from fear. My breathing started to get ragged as I ran towards Natasha, catching small glances of his limp arm dangling lifelessly. I would've already sworn he was dead if I didn't hear those shallow gasps—the only things that kept me thinking: Yes, he's going to be okay; just run, Joshua, run.

He still has a chance.

My hands were still shaking as I handed him over to the healers, who proceeded to surround him with Restore and Mend staves. The healing light had radiated warmth that I could feel as I stood to the side, but even that didn't help me ease my nerves. What had he been thinking, jumping in like that? I could've dodged it just fine! Once they had finished bandaging him up, they put them back in my arms. He looked nothing more than a sleeping boy who had accidentally spilled michew berry juice on his clothes now. It was a major relief. I carried him back to our room and laid him down on the bed immediately, taking off his boots. Those robes were a mess and needed to be cleaned and mended quickly before the blood starts to dry…

…He wouldn't mind if I took just the outer coat and shirt off, right?

Working the buttons out of their holes and untying the knot on his sash, I carefully peeled off his outer jacket. Once it came off, I saw that there was nothing else covering his upper body save for the thin bandages that wrapped around his torso and—No, Joshua, you can't just stare! Images started to flood into my mind: tangled bed sheets, suffocating heat, exposed skin, those half-lidded eyes heavy with desire, that voice crying out just for—STOP RIGHT THERE! I shook the perverse thoughts out of my head and brought my eyes away from Artur's sleeping form for the sake of my mental health.

I need fresh air…

-x-x-x-x-

I had decided to walk around the premises for a little bit to clear my thoughts. Go figure that I bumped into Gerik.

"Feelin' alright now?" the mercenary asked me, patting me on the shoulder. I should've seen this conversation coming after our last little "heart-to-heart."

"Yeah… Still a bit shaken, but I'll be fine." I replied honestly.

"I can see the 'shaken' part." Gerik said, eyes not-so-subtly pointed at my still-trembling hands. I clenched them into fists in an attempt to make them stop, "You were scared he was gonna end up like your mother. Dead in your arms."

Yes, I breathed in my mind. I was afraid that it was going to be too late again. Afraid that I'd be cradling another departed loved one that could have lived. The army had been impacted with grief for my mother, even though they never knew her like I did. So imagine what it would be like if we had lost one of our own. And imagine what it would be like for the ones who do know him I like knew my mother. My folks may be dead, but Artur gave no inclination of his parents being deceased. He has people waiting for him back home—people who may not even know he went on his nigh suicidal mission to save the continent from a second coming of darkness. Gerik patted me on the back.

"He's okay now, Joshua."

When I went back to the room, I took in the sight of an empty room.

…That's not good…

Panic started to overtake my system. I was about to run back outside to raise some sort of alarm when a bright metal glint caught my eye. I slowly turned on my heel to face it, and to my surprise—what do you know, a sword. Not just any sword, either; it was a Killing Edge. As I check my mental inventory, I don't think I ever had a Killing Edge since before the siege at Jehanna Hall. And that had been quite a while ago. It possibly couldn't have popped out of thin air and I'm almost sure that our convoy master hadn't paid any surprise visits, which only left one slight possibility.

I ran back out, closing the door hurriedly. Whirling around, I almost ran into L'Arachel.

"Oh my!" she cried out, stumbling back, "Joshua, do be careful next ti—!"

"Artur's missing; seen him?" In any other circumstance, she would have already started to berate me on my rudeness. However, she seemed to recognize that this is way more important than her usually ridiculous tirades.

Starting to take on a thoughtful look, she replied, "I haven't spotted him at all… But maybe you should look in the stables? Lute tells me he's formed a liking with the wyvern."

Now that she mentions it, I've noticed that too. Quickly thanking her for the small piece of direction, I swiftly ran over to where the wyvern was. He was kept away from the horses and pegasi since he had a tendency to scare the other mounts. As I started to think about the wyvern my train of thought went to his rider, a misinformed ex-soldier from Grado by the name of Cormag. Artur was friendly to everyone, and he's starting to become especially close to Cormag. When I realized that the chances of him not returning my feelings were higher than I had anticipated, my running pace slowed to a walk.

"Damn…" I whispered to myself. Way to have thought this out, Joshua.

It was at that moment that I heard a voice. I looked past the tree branches and saw a spot of orange. By the Stones, I don't even care if that's an enemy; I'm going over there to check it out. (Then again, I'm already running, so what point is it to think that?) Lo and behold, the army's resident monk who is supposed to be resting in be—why isn't he wearing his cloak?

"Artur!" I called out to him, "There you are!"

He made a startled noise and whirled himself frantically in my direction, probably thinking me a thief or some sort of bad person who'd try to lay harm on him. I made my way over to him to see if he's alright (though by his company, I'm fairly sure he is).

"J…Joshua…"

"I was looking everywhere for you! Gods, do you have any idea how worried I was!" I instantly regretted saying that. Artur looked down, looking absolutely petrified. He's one of those types that hate getting into these types of conflicts. The wyvern mount behind him growled at me (they were awful close, by what I've been hearing around camp) and Artur just gave a meek assurance. I sighed, knowing I've scared him just as badly as he did me earlier, "I didn't mean to yell like that. It's just… Damn, you really scared me, you know? I thought someone snuck in and took you."

I don't know where it had gone. I was just trying to make small talk to get him less nervous around me—and before I knew it, I was giving him relationship advice! (On that note, when I find the guy who managed to steal my monk's heart away, I will kill him. Kill him dead. Deader than dead. So dead, even Caellach would be impressed.) But he seemed a bit more relaxed now, and that's what I was aiming for.

First, however, is a little information. Because I want to kill the guy deader than dead before we have to move onto our next destination (preferably, at least). So I proposed a bet. After hearing the terms, Artur tensed right back up.

"You can't be serious…" he groaned lightly. I had to fight the urge to grin.

"I'm quite serious, and you've already agreed so there's no backing out now." I showed him the coin just in case. Because at my own admission, he knows I have the ability to cheat in these types of wagers (though recently, he's grown keener on catching them), "Now make your call. Heads or tails?"

"Heads."

"Atta boy!" And I tossed it high up in the air. This is it. The fate of one unlucky person who will feel my handy-dandy new Killing Edge is riding on this coin. So what's the outcome? I caught it and flipped the gold piece over the back of my other hand. The grin defeated my self-control—with good reason, though. It was tails.

"So, Artur, who's the lucky man that stole your heart?" Yes, do tell so I may introduce his face to some sharp metal. (I can be very possessive and vindictive at times, as you can obviously tell.) However, Artur seemed reluctant to give me a name. Reminding him that a deal was a deal, I saw a blur of the wyvern's tail—and suddenly, I got one very cute monk on top of me with us both being connected through our mouths. Yep. I was kissing him. And damn, did it feel amazing.

He tried to push off of me, but my clingy thoughts of making this catch mine caught up with me. Like hell was I letting him go now. Out of every decision I made in my life—the ones I was never sure would turn out okay, the ones I was wary of—this was the one I was completely sure was right. This felt right. Just him and me. I felt more confident now.

But of course, nothing ever goes right, and it was only natural that we'd get interrupted by our forgotten audience. Artur, looking more embarrassed than ever, practically jumped off me and started to sputter out incoherent babble (though I think I caught "sorry" in there).

"Artur." He abruptly stopped when I called his name, "You still didn't tell me who it was."

I think I just saw most of his blood rush to his face. He stood up abnormally straight before squeaking out, "Um…you?"

I'm going to wait three seconds…

Two…

One…

Whispering my approval, I leaned over him and claimed my rightful prize. I guess patience and perseverance really does pay off in the end. His lips felt divine. His taste was intoxicating. I couldn't get enough of it. He wants this too; I can tell by his face. I can tell he's been wanting it as long as I had.

"I love you… I love you…" I chanted it into his skin over and over like a mantra. I'll keep saying it until he believes it—until all of Magvel believes it.

It felt like forever (as cliché as it sounds), but I would like to reiterate at this time that nothing every goes right. Cue another interruption by our reptilian friend. I pulled away from the living temptation I was indulging myself with and sighed. If we stay out here, we're not going to progress far.

"Come on, Artur; let's get back to the fort. Your wyvern friend's getting impatient." He probably wanted us out so he can finally get some sleep. Cormag's wyvern can sure be moody sometimes. Artur gave an amiable goodbye to his unconventional confidant, and we started to head back to camp. Oh, speaking of camp, that reminds me. I asked Artur about the sword. He said he picked it up at Hamill Canyon and thought he would keep it with him for a bit, just in case my sword broke (which it did). I was touched by the gesture. He's too cute.

I smiled and thanked him, grabbing hold of his hand gently. The feel of his fingers between my own. The warmth I feel between the two of us alone. Future visions of intimacy, tender smiles and a brighter future after this war…

Yes, this—both of us, together—is truly right.

-x-x-x-x-

As we get closer and closer to the temple where the Demon King lies, the monsters we've encountered have increased tenfold. They come in hordes now, constantly. Artur's no longer a monk, but a bishop. But he's still cute.

Darkling Woods is taking its toll on all of us. We're forging a path through all the foliage and beasts that dare cross us. I must say, though, we seem to be holding up okay. The temple's just beyond a small thicket of trees in the distance. It seems so far away, but compared to where this journey has taken us, we've never been closer.

Mountains blend with forests in a mystical and foreboding way—and before we could even suspect, I heard the tell-tale skittering of Baels. I see Artur try to suppress a shudder next to me. He clutches onto his staff before running towards the arachnids.

"Artur!" I call out. Everyone in the army knows of his fear. Ever since the incident in Teraz Plateau, we haven't crossed these eight-legged fiends. He's never had to fight them. So what the hell was he doing, suddenly charging at them like this!

He stopped within their range. They spotted him and let out a cry before rushing over to their prey. None of us could move any further than where we were, so he was out on his own. I couldn't bear to watch this—if he gets hurt…

But, no, that wasn't the case. To our amazement, he dodged them. Even if their deadly talons hit Artur, the attacks didn't even seem to faze him. After their assault was finished, he raised his staff high, heralding in the light that would fell all of those Baels in one blow.

All of our forces gave a sigh of relief before continuing the advance. Cormag and Genarog have spotted the crazy priest who tried to kill us in Rausten. As everyone was moving, I saw Artur talking with Eirika. She handed him a book of some sort before returning to the front lines to lead the charge. He just stood there, trying to catch his breath. Like he couldn't believe what he just did.

I ran over to him and hugged him tightly. I wanted to hold him—for what could very well be the last time.

"I'm proud of you." I told my love, letting him go.

"I'd like to hear you say that when I help defeat the Demon King." Artur said, smiling at me. He showed me the book Eirika had given him—the Sacred Twin, Ivaldi. I couldn't hide my smile, either.

I held his hand, while I held my sword with the other, "Let's end this war. Both of us."

"Yes!" He replied, nodding fervently. Like this, we caught up with the others and rejoined the skirmish. Riev was dead. The undead dragon guarding the gate had fallen. Beyond that gate was the Demon King. Everything rides on this last battle. But we're going to win. Definitely. I decided it myself that I would spend the rest of my life with the one I love. Like hell will I let some freak of nature get in the way of that.

We enter the temple, hands still held tightly.

Mother… After this, I can rebuild Jehanna alongside Artur.

Please, wait for us.

We'll be finished soon enough.

AND THAT'S THE END! Thanks to all those who waited this long and stuck with me!

Oh my goodness, Joshua. Why did my motivation refuse to work with you!