Araya Lucaris (Elora Krisara x AndrewS)

[AndrewS]

"To meddle with the dark arcane is to risk corruption of the soul itself. Do not say that you were not warned, Balthier. If a time should come when the seed of evil has been sewn so deeply inside of you that you cannot be saved, it is my duty as your appointed retained to free you from your burden. This I promise you."

Regis Fairwind was a scholar. He had spent most of his life researching everything about the twin kingdoms of Astellia and Arellia. He knew the ins and outs of every inch of land, the legends and local folk lore, and the foretelling of the secrets hidden beneath. For many years of his youth, he traveled far and wide and made allies on both sides of the border, a border which maintained a pleasant peace between the two kingdoms.

Things changed when the Arellian Kingdom discovered the truth behind one of the stories passed down from their ancestors. They spoke of the arcane, of powerful energy that existed within the very earth that they inhabited. They said it always existed and that it gave life and order to everything around them, including people and wildlife. The trees grew because of magic, the ocean was pure due to it's soothing calm. Caverns were forged from it's might and grass turned verdant from it's nurture. It was speculated that if humans could find a means to harness that power, it could lead to a new age of prosperity for of mankind.

Instead, it became a reason for war.

The Astellian crown were the first to discover the true existence of magic on a joint expedition between both kingdoms. Though it was found on the Arellian side of the border, the Astellians took credit for the discovery and the artifacts found within. Ruins long since forgotten, buried beneath the rubble of civilizations which existed long ago and served only to pave the way for future cultivation, contained the secrets of the arcane arts, but also held something much worse.

The Araya Lucaris shimmered with an otherwordly light, appearing as though it came from another existence entirely. It could best be described as a pillar, or a statue, though not even the finest minds of either kingdom could determine what it was made of or where it had come from. And it seemed to create a calling. It had a resonance. The Araya Lucaris served as a judge to those who stood before it but nobody really understood what it was capable of. For some, it granted them access to the arcane, for others, it rendered them inert and unable to connect with the energy of their planet. In most cases, the Lucaris seemed to resonate better with females rather than males, something which caused a segregation within the populace. For those with wicked desires within their heart, the Araya Lucaris often gave something else; the dark side of the arcane, twisting weakened minds and those with devious intent into something that could no longer be considered human.

Due to the dangers of this artifact, and the unpredictability of what it could create, it was locked away by the Arellian Crown in a place known only to it's royal family. This act was the beginning of the divide that formed between the two kingdom as the Astellian side believed it to be unfair that the Arellians were in total control of this relic. They feared what it would mean for them if the Arellians decided they wanted total dominion over the continent, or worse. Though the Arellians appeared to have good intentions at heart, hoping to shield the public and only allowing those who were approved by the Crown through rigorous training and testing to commune with the Lucaris, inter-Kingdom relations began to sour.

Darkness always finds a way.

Those who were tainted before the Lucaris had been locked away were hunted for the dangers they possessed but not all were found. These beings came to be known to the people of both countries as Demons, Demons who spread their dark arts to anybody willing to let the darkness corrupt them as well.

Regis Fairwind warned them. They did not listen.

Balthier Albright was the oldest of two brothers, both heirs to the Astellian throne. He was the first to commune with the darkness, showing incredible potential in mastering it's corruption and remaining in control of the power that it granted him. The Demon he had come into contact with, Alzahar, remained an ally to him as his kingdom began to rise in power. His father, however, did not approve of his son's methods and opposed him only to meet an untimely end at the blade of an Arellian invader. At least, that was the story that they told, propaganda to spark a war at best.

With the power vacuum left behind, Balthier was first in line to become King and immediately began to change the complexion of his kingdom. His brother, Vander Albright, soon came into contact with Azalhar at the behest of his brother and he too began to develop the ability to control the dark arcane while showing a mastery over it that prevented him from succumbing as well. Together, the two began to work in tandem to develop this power, to strengthen their bond and the army of their kingdom in hopes of taking Arellia by force. If they could find the Araya Lucaris, they would hold all of the power, they could take back what should never have been stolen from them.

As their war effort began and the invasion started, Vander was at his brother's side as Balthier used his dark arts to strengthen their forces and began to conquer the border of Astellia. They marched their way straight into the capital city and laid siege. There was nothing that could have stopped them. The Astellians had locked the Araya Lucaris away, their regular soldiers had no answer for magic and those who could use the arcane were over powered by the sheer, malicious power that their invaders were wielding. Backed all the while by Alzahar, the Albrights took Astellia Castle and Balthier buried his blade into the heart of their queen and took their king captive.

Astellia had been conquered, in record time, but not all had gone smoothly. They were unable to eliminate the entire royal family; they had but a daughter who had escaped, freeing herself before her home, and her family, brutally fell. Balthier tortured the king for information on where the Araya Lucaris had been hidden but his lips remained sealed, refusing to give up the whereabouts of the relic or where his daughter may have fled.

It was around this time that Vander had begun to come around to what was happening. The influence of the dark arts had blinded him. He had never been like this, he wasn't a conqueror, neither was his brother. There had been peace between the two kingdoms at the behest of their father and the corruption they had been warned of had taken a grip on their very souls, tainting them into something that they weren't. He stopped using his magic, in hopes that it would somehow heal him, but he was powerless without it and his brother was only growing more deranged.

Vander watched Balthier and Alzahar torture the opposing king for three days straight, bringing him to the edge of his life and leaving him teetering on the edge in hopes that it would break him. All the while, Vander found refuge in the words of Regis, who had warned them from the start that this would happen. It was then that Regis confided to Vander the truth about the death of their father, a secret he had harbored for too long. Balthier had arranged the entire act, orchestrating it to set the stage for a war and to free the throne. He had arranged the regicide of his own father under the corruption of the darkness and was, for all intents and purposes, now a Demon himself, having lost his will to fight it any longer.

Vander needed to put a stop to this before it was too late, but because he hadn't trained nearly as hard as his brother, he was no match for Balthier.

"Of course I killed him. What else was I to do? Watch as he led our country, our people into another hundred years of subservience to a lesser kingdom? I did what I had to for us!"

"You did it for yourself. You're...you're not my brother, anymore. You've lost yourself to the darkness."

"I found myself. I found who I really am."

Alzahar smirked from behind Balthier's shoulder, proud of what he had caused. Becoming a demon had changed him, making his skin darker, his eyes a piercing, demonic red, a change that had taken root in Balthier as well, replacing his family's trademark golden iris with the red of blood.

"I won't stand for it. You've done enough. I know you want the Araya Lucaris but is this really the way? Through subjugation, and murder?"

"Was there another alternative? You didn't seem to mind too much when the darkness made you stronger too...but you've lost that strength, haven't you? You've become weak, like our father..."

Though Vander tried, his magic couldn't overpower that of his brother and he quickly found himself pinned against the throne room's wall, Balthier approaching him with terrible intentions.

Regis moved between the two, trying to diffuse the situation.

"He is your brother and I will not see you kill another member of this family. If you want him gone, exile him, but do not end his life, I beg of you, Master Balthier."

"Exile?" Balthier asked, shaking his head. "Do as you wish. But know this, Vander Albright, my excuse for a brother...if I see you again, you will not be given a second mercy."

"I have failed you both..." Regis spoke as the decree was made by the man who had become king of both kingdoms.

With a single push of his hand, Balthier forced Vander's body through the throne room window and down into the sea that surrounded the risen castle. He crashed in a heap within the waves and lost consciousness, awaking about a mile away on the shore of a beach-side settlement that had been razed to the ground.

Vander pulled off anything on his wet body that bore his family's crest as he hauled himself out of the ocean and across the sand, into the wreckage that his family had caused. He remembered when they took this place, how easy it was...how they screamed for mercy and found none at the end of their blades. He could feel the darkness festering inside of him, trying to prevent him from feeling any guilt, but guilt itself was a powerful motivation and it brought him into the center of the village where some of the survivors had gathered.

"We've got another one! Over here!" One of them yelled and, within an instant, two men were at Vander's side, pulling him closer to safety. "Don't worry, we've got you." They reassured him, offering him a kindness he did not deserve. His entire body felt heavy, stinging with pain. In the distance, he could see a woman that was being revered by those who were still here. She seemed to be helping them? "She'll be with you soon. Hang in there. She's a miracle worker, a true blessing from the heavens above!"

 

[Elora Krisara]

Kelaria Anidori Etherborn, Crown Princess of Arellia, was born into a kingdom with a history steeped in magic. When the raven haired baby was born not a single cry fell from her lips. Instead she looked upon the world around her with wide and curious eyes. The Queen took one look at those eyes, bright and brilliant purple with a faint glow of magic, and Kelaria's fate was decided. The King and Queen considered themselves blessed, for their firstborn to be a daughter and one already touched with magic. From the moment her abilities began to materialize, Kelaria's life became devoted to her studies.

Growing up, Kelaria was far from oblivious of the tensions between the twin kingdoms. Though her studies focused mostly on honing her magical talents and learning to commune with the Araya Lucaris, She was still the crown princess and heir to the Arellian throne and as such also studied politics, military strategy, and other matters of state. It became obvious to Kelaria at an early age that her family and her kingdom relied too heavily on the Royal Family's arcane mastery. The peace between the twin kingdoms was a thin and frail thing. Each day Kelaria could almost sense the tension threatening to break that fragile peace. the Arellians were nearly blind to it, trusting too much in the knowledge the Araya Lucaris granted the crowns chosen few.

When Astrellia's army began to march for Arellian boarders the Arellian King still did not see the true danger they were in. They were protected. They held the power of the Araya Lucaris. The Arellians would not fall. But fall they did. With the power of demonic dark arts aiding the Astrellian princes, Kelaria's family could no longer ignore the danger. The decades of fragile peace had been shattered and Arellia was unprepared.

The siege on the capital city had been brutal. Even the strongest of the guard were no match for the power granted to the princes by the demon Alzahar.

When the invaders reached the castle Kelaria was high up in her solar, enjoying her first quiet moment to herself since the day began. At the distant sounds of shouting, fighting, and screaming, Kelaria ran to the nearest window and was greeted with the site of her city burning. The room suddenly felt as though it were spinning and Kelaria struggled to keep herself from falling apart. No. She wouldn't fall apart. Her family needed her to not fall apart. Her kingdom needed her to not fall apart. Kelaria tore her eyes from the nightmare scene before her. Kelaira descended the spiral stairs that lead to her bedchambers.

Quickly, Kelaira rushed to her wardrobe and seized a small satchel and began to gather items into it. While the bag seemed able to hold far more than it should, Kelaria made sure only to grab things she was sure she would need. With a wave of her hand her gown became a simple servant's dress and her slippers turned to workers boots. Kelaria slid a dagger into a pocket under the apron of her dress and ran from her room and made her way to the throne room. The castle had broken out into chaos as the attackers laid waste to any that stood in their way. Kelaria found that in her current dress, she was able to blend in with many of the fleeing servants and was overlooked when she slipped passed waiting invaders. She did her best not to look to closely at the bodies of the less fortunate that now littered the halls. When at last she made it to the throne room, she knew she was too late. She peered inside and was greeted with the site of her mother's blood spilled across the floor and could only watch as her father was taken into custody. Briefly, her father's desperate eyes looked up and held her own. There was a pleading in them. A pleading and a command. Run. Kelaria only paused for a moment longer before she fled, barely escaping the gaze of one of the Albright brothers as he turned to follow her father's gaze.

By some miracle and her family's sacrifice, Kelaria made it out of the castle alive that night, with only a few scars to show for it. Dread weighed heavy on her and the directionless path before her threatened to pull her under but she couldn't let it. If she let it she wasn't sure when she'd be able to pull herself up again. She fell in with refugees fleeing the attack. It seemed the quickest way to erase her identity. She would run and wouldn't look back. Not until she could take her throne back.

Kelaria followed a group of refugees to a small village miles from the capital. Far but not as far as Kelaria would have liked. She would have liked to keep traveling but she was tired, hungry, and had no idea where to go. This seemed as good a place as any to stop for a while.

---

Kelaria had found it hard to sit by and watch her people struggle when she knew there were things she could do to help. While it was dangerous to reveal her abilities in a kingdom where only a select few could learn magic the way she had, Kelaria couldn't just let these people suffer. There was a child, a small boy, so badly injured and suffering from smoke inhalation from the siege on the capital. A child that would not survive without help. Help Kelaria could provide. She vowed she would help just this one child then tuck her powers away so no one would see them. One child. That's all it took. The child's mother told the story of his miraculous recovery and suddenly all of the refugees were looking to Kelaria for aid and she was unable to tell them no.

---

Kelaria, with a dull brown scarf worn to cover her hair, moved through the refugee camp that took over most of the small village. She checked on those who appeared to be injured, inspecting bandages and offering food. She looked up as she heard two of the villagers speaking of her. Her gaze traveled to them, then to the man they brought into the camp. Her eyes took him in and her eyebrows knit together. "Bring him to the cot over there" she guided them with her finger as her gaze stayed on the newcomer. Once he was situated she slowly made her way to him, eyes wary and body stiff.

"where have you come from?" Kelaria asked, trying to sound conversational as she stepped towards him.

 

[AndrewS]

Vander felt himself being whisked away, towards one of the cots laid out for those who were injured. He tried to protest, but they were insistent and his body was riddled with a mixture of fatigue and pain that made it so that he couldn't really put up much of a fight. He leaned himself back, feeling how difficult it was to breathe when he was on his spine, eyes skyward towards the beautiful, blue sky overhead. If not for the state of the kingdom, this would have been a picturesque day. Instead, it was impossible to enjoy the gentle, cool breeze, and the caress of the sun's warmth knowing the tragedy that had just befallen the Astellian people, and that was before Vander factored in that he had been part of that pain and suffering to begin with. Smoke drifted through the air, small embers flowing in the breeze, as some places nearby continued to burn out as the fires sat days before finally quelled and quiet began to return, temporarily, to the lands around the besieged castle.

He tried to lift himself up, only to feel the hand of one of the people there pushing him back down. "Shh. Don't move. She's coming." She. He kept hearing about this she. She was a miracle worker. She was coming to help him.

Well, who was she?

He heard the sound of steps indenting against the charred dirt, crumbling it beneath each step as the source of the noise got closer. He tilted his head upwards, peering past his chest into it's direction, watching as a woman adorned by a brown scarf got closer to him. She seemed to be on guard, looking him over like he was a potential threat. Had she some how already figured out who he was? No, there was no way. None of these people had seen his face and he had meticulously removed every part of his clothing that had his kingdom's crest, leaving it in the water to drift away out of sight and out of implication. She was probably just naturally concerned, given the state of the world around her.

He needed to lie to her and he needed to come up with something, quickly. He thought about feigning amnesia, but it seemed too coincidental, so he started talking and hoped his brain would catch up with his mouth before he made a mistake.

"My home was attacked...I fell into the river and washed down stream..." He tried to sound as convincing as he could. It helped that he didn't need to fake the strain in his voice, the pain in his body was natural enough to make it sound believable without him needing to put on an act. "This place has been...destroyed...the survivors, are they okay?"

This was good. Establish a concern for the kingdom and it's people as if he were a part of them. Blend in. Just get through this conversation, get healed up and then, find a way to stop his brother. That was simple enough...right?

"I'm sorry for burdening you with another injured body but I can hardly breathe..."

 

[Elora Krisara]

Kelaria studied the face of the newcomer warily for a long moment before she began to move or speak again. She reached out and took one of his hands. Her other hand slid gently under his shoulder and she began to ease him up until he was upright. "Which village are you from? What is your name?" she skipped over formalities as she questioned him. Normally she would be kinder, more polite, but something about this man pricked at something in the back of her head. Some knowledge she couldn't recall. It could be nothing and she was just being overly suspicious or was over tired. It could also be everything. "Does sitting up make it easier or harder to breathe?" Kelaria asked almost clinically. There was little emotion in her voice as she spoke.

As she waited for his answer her hand moved to his forehead as she tried to gauged his temperature and check for fever or infection. "It would be helpful anyway-" she began more gently, trying to shake away her suspicion. "-If you gave me your name and told me where you were from. We are compiling a list so that we can try to reunite families and refugees looking for one another." Her hand moved from his head to his back. She prodded at his back gently. "Tell me when it hurts" her tone had softened, though her eyes still watched him carefully. She prodded until she watched him react in pain. She dropped her hands carefully. "Are you able to remove your tunic or do you need assistance?" Her eyed left him and drifted across the camp of ailing refugees. It was obvious that she was looking for someone specific. She located a woman dressed in a simple brown peasants dress. The woman was short and plump and was carrying a large pot with a ladle coming out of it. Kelaria waved her over.

Kelaria's gaze turned once more to the newcomer who sat on the cot in front of her. Her eyes, a dull and muted grey, found his. There was something...wrong...about her eyes. They were almost too ordinary. Too boring. So boring in fact that it would be hard for the newcomer to focus on them for too long, always feeling the need to look at something more interesting than those dull grey eyes. Finally she answered his question. "As you can see," she gestured with her hand around her, "we're making due with what we have." she voice softened and quieted, not wanting to be overheard by anxious refugees. "We are running out of supplies and many who make it this far are nearly beyond my skill to help. I am- we are doing what we can. It's not enough" Kelaria sighed heavily, her shoulders slumped as if there were a terrible weight trying to push her into the earth. Her eyes left his and she waited for the woman with the pot to approach.

All around them there were villagers and refugees alike, coughing and wheezing as their lungs struggled to recover from the smoke. Small children clung to some of the women though it was hard to say how many of those children actually belonged to those women. Many were likely orphans now. Those who were well enough wandered the camp checking on those who needed help, offering food and blankets.

 

[AndrewS]

"Which village are you from? What is your name?"

Vander felt a moment of internal panic as he tried to recall the names of some of the nearby villages they had moved through en route to the capital and the castle. Not only did he need to recall one, and fast, but he needed to think of any defining features he could and pick a fake alias that he wouldn't forget when asked by anybody else. He seemed woefully unprepared, but it wasn't like he had planned to be sent hurtling to a potential watery grave or to wash up in front of the one person apparently skilled enough to take care of his injuries.

Her touch was gentle, warm. She seemed to move with purpose, guiding him in a way that helped ease the pain in his tired and damaged muscles. "Easier." He told her, noting how little she seemed to emote. Was it by choice or just natural while she worked?

He still hadn't answered her question and she seemed to be suspicious, practically requesting the desired information a second time. "My name is Vonn. I'm from Calisia." At least, he thought it was called Calisia. He knew it was something similar but he couldn't recall what he had seen on that damn road sign as their horses pressed onward inside. He had been distracted with things other than sightseeing, however, but he knew it was near a river that would have likely washed out into the ocean, adding credence to his claims...and he only knew that because of the way the blood they had spilled polluted the war with a sickly crimson. "And you are...?"

She prodded and poked, finding potential points of injuries, though most of the pain seemed to focus around his ribs, likely from the force of being thrusted through a window and falling so far against the unwelcoming crash of the water beneath her castle...but she didn't know that. "Right there." He told her, answering her questions as best he could, grimacing as the pain crescendoed once more. "Must've gotten hit pretty hard on the way down, or against the rock...I'm probably going to need your help getting out of this." He continued, all of which probably was true, though he was unconscious and couldn't properly remember it.

This woman's gaze met his own and he felt oddly offput by it. How was someone apparently so caring and a 'miracle worker' seemingly so cold? Even in the face of what had happened to her kingdom, to these people, how was there not an inkling of emotion or concern within her? Her eyes seemed dull, like the life had been stolen from them. It felt unnatural, almost like she was trying to hide them, but he couldn't really focus on much else; it hurt to breathe and he had more concerning problems that required correction than his curiosity about the color of her eyes. He just hoped she wasn't aware of his family's defining trait; the golden hue of his own iris, something he couldn't hide and wouldn't have had the energy to do so even if he wanted to.

As she spoke more, Vander began to get a better insight into why she was acting this way. The weight she must have felt was enormous. How many people had come to her that she couldn't save? Children? Women, men, families torn asunder by the pillaging of his war-hungry people...she had witnessed the other side and lived to tell the tale but was powerless to undo the damage. They were alike, in that way, though from different sides of the coin. While she was guilty for being unable to help more, he was guilty for ever letting it happen in the first place.

"How about me?" He asked, curiously. "Am I beyond your skill?" It was a double-edged question. He wanted to assess his own physical condition, but he also wanted to learn more about what exactly her 'skills' were. She didn't seem a medic, nor a common villager. "Perhaps once I have recovered, I can be of some help, or service, to you here."

The least he could do was lend a hand if needed before leaving. He was beginning to rediscover that he wasn't heartless. He wasn't a conqueror like his brother. The longer he stayed away from the dark arts, the more of himself he was beginning to regain, though maybe that was the pain speaking to his overloaded brain.

 

[Elora Krisara]

Vonn..it was a perfectly normal name. Not a common name but not unheard of either. A name that sounded like it could belong to a man from Calisia. AS he continued to speak she realized one of the missing pieces. One piece of the big picture she seemed to be missing, or forgetting. She frowned as she looked at his face again, studying it. "Well, Vonn. I've never heard someone from Calisia speak with an accent like yours. Were you born there?" She turned her attention back to his wounds.

"I'm Ani." An alias had been easy for Kelaria. She simply shortened her second name. Crown Princess Kelaria Anidori Etherborn became Ani Easton, an apprentice alchemist. "I grew up in the capital. I was one of the survivors who fled three days ago when the crown fell." There was a deep and tight pain in Kelaria's voice though it was obvious she fought to hide it. "They said they were all murdered. The Etherborns. The King, The Queen, the Crown Princess. All killed in their own castle." Though Kelaria knew her mother's fate she could only guess at her fathers. He could still be alive for all she knew. Though she fervently hoped she'd see him again some day, she hoped more that he was dead. She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he would be suffering if her still lived.

Kelaira helped him remove his tunic and she quieted as she inspected the bruising on his chest and back. Her hands were featherlight as she prodded at the sensitive tissue. Her hands were pale and smooth. Aside from a healing scar on the back of her right hand, they were flawless. Not the hands of a laborer. The right corner of her soft lips quirked up a bit, in amusement at his question. "You are not beyond my skill. I'm not sure how well you would have fared without healing of some sort, but you won't be dying today Vonn. Not on my watch." she humor in her voice was almost empty. The smile never extended beyond the slight pull at the corner of her mouth. She wouldn't let any more die today. She wasn't sure she could take it.

"Oh don't you worry. As soon as you are well you will be put to work whether you like it or not" She turned to face the woman as she brought the pot. "Thank you Kara" Kelaria propped Vonn up with a bundle of cloth as best she could. "Eat something. I'll be back in just a moment"

The woman, Kara, ladled some of the contents of her pot into a small wooden bowl for Vonn. "Do ya need help eating or can ya hold it yer self?" she said in a gruff but kind voice.

Kelaria returned shortly with a woven basket full of items. "You have no fever so I'm not concerned you have any infection, not yet anyway. However, I am sure you have several cracked ribs. Which is why it's so difficult to breath when you lay down. Drink some of this" she held out a small vial of a liquid with a color that could only be described as swampy. "It will taste terrible but it will help. Drink it all. I will bind your chest so hold still. Do you have any other injuries?" She stepped closer to him so that she could bandage him better.

 

[AndrewS]

Vander continued to think quickly on his feat, weaving his way in and out of potential mistakes as he told his story. He explained away the accent by saying that he had only been staying in Calisia for a short while and that he was a merchant who traveled between kingdoms. He offered to use that 'talent' as a means to help pay her back, since she seemed to insist that he would be working for them regardless of whether he freely offered or not. Vander, of course, would do what he could to try and make up for the wrongs he had done, but he had no intentions of staying longer than a day or two at most. He needed to stop his brother, at all costs, but that wasn't possible until he had healed up more. There was still the potential for magic within his body, after all, even if he didn't use it. Surely it would accelerate the recovery of his injuries, but it would still take him time.

With his tunic removed, the bruising against his ribs was on full display for her, but that wasn't the only blemish. Perhaps his skin had been darkened enough to mask most of them, but he was not without his fair share of scars, both fresh and old, etched into the toned physique she found underneath. He had been in more fights than he could count, there had been many injuries sustained, but none as rehabilitating as that fall.

Kara, whom Vander just begun to notice, had filled a bowl from her pot and offered it to him. She seemed kind, but he could feel the same sense of dutiful weight on her that Ani seemed to have. It couldn't be easy trying to provide for so many broken people trying to recover and grieve all they had lost, it would weigh heavy on even the coldest heart, never mind those who were born with compassion in their nature.

At least he wasn't going to die before he set things straight. Or starve to death.

"Thank you." He told her, politely, cradling the wooden bowl carefully in his hands. "I can manage." He continued, not wishing to hold her up from helping anybody else, nor really wanting to be tended to much more than he already had been.

He expected this to have been the end of his interaction with the village's "miracle healer", but was surprised to see Ani coming back towards him, bringing with her a full basket of medicinal supplies, supplies that she had made very clear they were running low on. Had she known who he was, or what he had done, she wouldn't dare waste a single thread on his well-being, but that remained his dark secret to hold.

Cracked ribs sounded about right. He couldn't breathe properly and it felt like the very action of drawing breath was shoving a dagger into his stomach. She didn't need to be a doctor to tell him that, he could have self-diagnosed, so he still had no idea what this 'talent' of hers actually was. He eyed the concoction he was given carefully, trying to discern what it was. The color wasn't exactly appetizing, but she insisted that it would help him. He wasn't going to be able to fake it or turn it down, so he did as he was told, downing the vial, his face contorting in grimace as he felt it's strange taste slide down the back of his throat. Potion-brewing was also not her keenest talent.

Setting the bowl down before he even had a chance to taste it, he steadied himself so she could begin bandaging his injuries. "No, nothing else that I'm aware of." Vander responded, shaking his head. If anything else was wrong with him, he hadn't realized it, either from adrenaline or the sheer amount of pain being caused by the wounds she had already found. Besides, he still remained adamant that he shouldn't take more of her time than was necessary when there were others more in need, he didn't exactly deserve any of their kindness. "You said you grew up in the capital, did you not? Your family...did they...?" He asked, cautiously, not wanting to open any wounds of her own by bringing it up but he was curious as to how she had gotten here and who she had been before the crown had fallen.

 

[Elora Krisara]

In truth the concoction that Kelaria instructed him to down was no more than a random mixture of harmless herbs paired with vinegar and alcohol to disguise the taste enough that anyone who knew herbs and potion making wouldn't be able to discern the ingredients well enough to know it was a fake. The potions were her cover story. She could weave a tale of a talented Alchemist's apprentice that could work miracles with her elixirs and medical training, all while hiding the magic she used to mend the sick and injured. The potions were her alibi. "The potion may cause a flushed feeling as though you are feverish. It will go away quickly. Do not be alarmed."

Kelaria eyed the scars, old and new, that painted his torso. She noted his toned physique. It was obvious by his build, while clearly strong and lean, he was no laborer either. He wasn't built like a Merchant either. He was built like a guard or swordsman of sort but Kelaria didn't pry into that too much.

As she wrapped his chest, pulling the bindings tight in order to pull the cracked bones into place, her hands touched his back and chest as much as she could manage. Her palms grew warm as she channeled her own energies and magic into his body. She could visualize in her mind the places where his body was broken. Slowly her magic stretched out, warm and bright, and wrapped around those cracks and fissures and slowly began to mend them. Though the brightness was not visible it was tangible. His whole body, especially his chest, would feel nearly feverish with warmth.

Kelaria slumped ever so slightly as her magic withdrew from his body and she finished wrapping him. She had overstretched herself today, draining her own energy to help more than she should have, more than she could. "It will take a few days to heal completely but you should feel some relief already. I imagine by tomorrow morning your will be able to sit up and lay comfortably on your own. Don't over exerted yourself until I clear you."

Kelaria stepped back and began to pack up her things. When he asked about her family, she had been tucking away the spent vial. Her hands froze and the vial fell haphazardly into the basket. She felt her eyes sting almost painfully with the tears she had been fighting away these past three days. "Dead." Her hands balled into tight fists and that weight that was already pushing her down seemed to grow heavier. Or maybe she lost some of her strength to carry it. The effect was the same either way. "Murdered before they had the chance to defend themselves. I was lucky to escape but I left a big part of me with them that day. A part of me I don't know how to get back." Her voice was tight and almost icey again.

Her hands resumed their packing. "And your family?"

 

[AndrewS]

Though the taste was not something he was particularly fond of, he did begin to feel the way that she had told him he would feel, but Vander quickly began to clue in on the fact that it's source was most definitely not whatever concoction of herbs she had just given him to drink. This was magic. It was undeniable. He knew what it felt like to tap into the arcane, he knew how that warmth would feel as it spread through his body. Though his magic was darker, given the nature of how he received it, he wouldn't have been able to mistake this for anything else even if he tried.

But if she knew how to use a type of magic that wasn't dark, did that mean she had relation to the Astellian Crown? They were extremely strict over who they gave access to the Araya Lucaris, to these abilities...did that mean she knew where it was?

Suddenly, everything seemed to change. If Balthier found out, he would come for her, without hesitation. Furthermore, if he could somehow trick her into leading him there, maybe he could use it's power to stop his brother? He couldn't just ask her directly, he needed to find out more but now, his interest in this woman was far beyond that of a patient towards a doctor.

Her parents were dead and she had managed to escape. She had said she was from the capital, but what if she meant the castle? Had they crossed paths during the siege without even knowing? What if he was the one who laid waste to her parents during their onslaught? Guilt settled in as Vander was riddled with questions, so much so that he barely registered the one she had asked him until a few moments later.

"My family?" He asked, trying to fabricate another lie on the spot. "I didn't really have much of a family left, even before the attack. Just my brother, and my, uh, grandfather." He tried to figure out what sort of role to give to Regis in a normal family but that seemed fitting enough. "My brother was a coward who turned his back on us at the first sign of trouble. My grandfather, well, I'd like to think he's still alive, but I really don't know for sure." That much, at least, wasn't a lie, but rather a misguided truth.

"I'd like to get back to them but I don't think that's a reasonable request until things settle down a little bit. I'm sorry for your loss, Ani. Truly. You've done a lot of good here, your parents must have been wonderful people to have raised you to be so compassionate for others. Were they doctors? Since you're so good with this sort of thing, surely you must have learned from somewhere, right?" Vander was practically buttering her up as he pried for more information, hoping she wouldn't shut him down.

 

[Elora Krisara]

Kelaria kept her very uninteresting eyes pointed down at the items she was settling into the basket as she listened to him. As she spoke she still didn't look up. "No. My father was a knight." It wasn't completely a lie. King Alistair had been only a knight when he met Kelaria's mother, the then princess. Kelaria found it easier to stick to half truths or versions of the truth. It made keeping track of the lies and her new identity much easier and more believable because of how naturally it came to her. "My mother shared some of my talents and taught me a great deal. She was a healer like me, but not through alchemy as I do. I was often away with masters in the capital, learning to become good at what I do. I was special. Or so they told me. A natural. A prodigy." there was almost a bitterness in her voice when she spoke the word. Right now she wished that there was nothing extraordinary about her. Right now she was only resentful of the time her studies took her away from her parents.

Kelaria looked up and tried to smile but it fell flat quickly. "I guess I should be grateful. It means I can help more people now." She turned her eyes back down again. "I hope you find your family, even your brother. No matter what he did, there's always ways to make amends. Nothing matters more than family." her voice was thick with emotion but none of it showed on her face. A breeze ruffled her scarf and nearly threatened to pull it from her head, but luckily all of her raven hair remained covered.

 

[AndrewS]

She called herself a prodigy, but she spoke that word like it were a curse rather than a blessing. He could only assume that her cover story was taking pieces of the truth about her life and rearranging them in the exact same way he was. Given what he knew about her, she likely meant that she was considered a prodigy with her magic, something which made her all the more intriguing. There was no way she could have known that he had caught on to her secret, which meant she had no idea that he was becoming privy to what she really was and that he was just trying to discern more information from her in any way he could.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but there are some decisions you just can't take back or make amends for, no matter how badly you want to." When Vander spoke that, he did in a way that made it quite obvious that he wasn't just talking about his brother anymore. He wasn't as good at acting as he thought he was. He wished he didn't feel so much guilt, but with what he had been a part of, he could see no absolution that didn't involve Balthier at the end of his blade, but even that didn't feel right. To answer violence with more violence, to rectify murder with another murder and justify it was making amends felt borderline insane to him.

"These people are lucky to have you, Ani, and so am I. Thank you for what you have done for me and for the other survivors. Your parents would be proud of the difference you're making."

 

[Elora Krisara]

Kelaria's eyes flicked up to his as she took in the expression on his face. She wondered what he did to give himself an expression, no matter how poorly hidden, of such pain and guilt. "Don't write him off yet. People can surprise you. After all, in times like these" she gestured to the refugees around them and the smoke of dying fires in the distance, "have a way of putting life into prospective. " She finished packing her things into the basket. She reached for a blanket that sat in a stack nearby. It was a threadbare blanket with a few holes but it was certainly better than the cold the night would bring.

As she spoke again, Kelaria helped him put his tunic back on. "I hope you're right. I'd like to think they were proud of me, wherever they are now. Mostly I worry they think I'm a coward. That I'm not doing enough" Kelaria was the crown princess and now the only remaining Etherborn. With her parents' death, she was now queen. She should be doing more. There had to be something more that she could be doing. At the thought Kelaria looked up and her eyes darted anxiously over the refugees around her, as if she were afraid she had missed someone who needed her help or one of her recovered patients would suddenly begin dying because she had done something wrong. There had to be more she could do.

As her attention returned to Vonn, her eyes showed a hint of that panic. It only showed for a second but it was unclear if it was gone because she hid it or if it were simply impossible to focus too long on her dreadfully uninteresting eyes. She straightened a bit and seemed to take a deep breath. "Get some rest. If you need something ask. Try not to move around too much. I mean it. If something feels worse or is going wrong-" the look of panic returned for half a heartbeat then was gone"-tell someone. Don't try to be a hero by pretending to be fine because you're worried about supplies or my time. I can't handle another loss today" she spoke the last sentence so quietly it was almost as thought she were talking to herself.

"Rest" Kelaria commanded him then stood up and left him to tend other patience.

 

[AndrewS]

There was a disconnect between how she acted and how she seemed to feel, or, rather, who she really was. She came across as stoic, disconnected, but he could tell that she still cared a great deal. Perhaps this was her way of keeping herself guarded after everything she had lost, or it just made it easier for her to cope. Either that, or she was truly trying to hide who she was. How ironic it would be that Ani was the first person he had come into contact with while trying to do some concealment of his own.

"You've done plenty. If you were to stop helping this very moment, you would have already saved dozens of lives. That doesn't sound like a coward, that sounds like a hero." He told her, shrugging his shoulders once his tunic was back on, wincing as he did. She had certainly done plenty more good than he had, that was without doubt or question. He wasn't sure why he was trying to reassure her, she was just a stranger, after all, but the intrigue was getting the better of him and he felt like she could be of use to him. Her, and that power.

He was instructed to rest and though the last place he wanted to be was laying on a cot in the remnants of the village he had razed, his body wasn't giving him much of a choice otherwise. "Thank you, Ani." He told her, before she could leave, picking up on the faster pace used at the end of her sentence as though she were speeding through the sentiment. Just how much had she truly lost?

He had no time left to ponder any farther, his exhaustion had gotten the better of him and not long after she had left, Vander had drifted off to sleep.

~~~

"A pity, really." Balthier scoffed, looking over the now-lifeless body that laid across the once-pristine tile of the Astellian Castle's throne room. What had once been beautiful and clean had now been sullied with blood as King Alistair finally gave his last breath in defense of his kingdom and it's secrets. "He was a stubborn one. I really thought we wouldn't be able to break him, but, I guess he was too fragile."

"Humans usually are." Alzahar hissed, his voice snake-like and sharp, as if simply hearing it could maim.

"And with the shattering of his feeble body, we've lost his secrets. Hm, Regis, please, relay a message to the first battalion."

Regis had been staring out the window over looking the kingdom, the very same window that Balthier had driven his brother through just an hour or two earlier. Regis was praying that Vander had survived the fall, that not all had been lost within the long casting, sinister shadow of somebody he had once called family. Hearing his name spoken by what remained of Balthier chilled him to the bone. This wasn't the young boy he had helped raise and it certainly wasn't the man he had been taught to be.

"What is your request, your highness?"

"One still remains unaccounted for. The wretched king's daughter. She is now the heir to our stolen throne, but furthermore, she is the last remaining Etherborn. We must find her."

"The Araya Lucaris is within reach. Do not fail us, human."

"Search the area surrounding the castle. Scour what remains of every village, every little inlet of worthless survivors. Comb the rubble of the capital and burn every forest to the ground until you have found her, but she is not to be fatally harmed. Not yet, at least... I have use for her. See to it that she be delivered to me in one piece...whatever else happens to her is beyond my concern."

"Balthier, please, we've done enough. Are you su-"

"Do not fail us, human." Alzahar repeated, again. This time, Regis got the message, and decided it best not to speak out of line any farther, scurrying off towards the exit for his own safety, and to complete the request that had been given.

"Yes, your highness. I will inform them of their new orders immediately."

Balthier smirked, walking back towards the throne he had stolen, sitting himself down where King Alistair once did while thinking of the capture of the fallen lord's only daughter. "Run, little light. There's no place in either kingdom where you can hide from me now..."

 

[Elora Krisara]

Kelaria had very little rest these past three days. Between fleeing and taking care of her patients she rarely slept. When she did sleep her rest was plagued with horrific nightmares and scenes of the attack on her home. Tonight was no different. In fact it was worse. She couldn't be sure why, though she suspected her conversation with Vonn had dug up enough of those painful not so distant memories to cause her unrest. For the first several hours of the night she faded in and out of sleep, waking often in a near panic because she was convinced someone was dying. When she finally let her patients be for the night she was able to fall into a deeper sleep but almost wished she hadn't.

The nightmare that haunted Kelaria this night were fractal images thrown around wildly in her mind like they spun around in a storm, all set to the soundtrack of screams and scent of blood and smoke. She saw her mother's lifeless body bleeding out on the white marble floor of the throne room. The Queen's wide unseeing eyes locked onto her daughter's. She saw her father fighting for his life and the desperate look he gave her, ordering her to run. She saw all the refugees she couldn't save. She saw her kingdom in flame and ruin. She heard the crunch of boots above the screams. Many boots, marching closer to her. Suddenly the images shifted and she was watching herself, grasped by the throat by a man with dark features. She felt him crushing her windpipe and she struggled to breath. His eyes pierced into hers as he gave a sickening smirk. Irises of gold that shifted slowly to blood red.

Kelaria shot upright as the image of those eyes, the gold ones and the blood red, filled her mind. She breathed hard as she struggled to catch the breath she had never really been deprived of. She looked around the village as the image faded from her mind, stealing away the recognition with it. After a few moments, Kelaria slowly got up from the bedroll she slept on, on the hard ground. She went to a bucket of fresh water from the river and splashed some on her face to try to wash away her nerves before she set out to check on things around the village. Her eyes scanned the cots, grateful that Vonn and her other patients seemed to be alive and relatively well.

 

[AndrewS]

Vander, or rather Vonn, as he needed to be known as for now, slept relatively peaceful despite the guilt that weighed on his shoulders. It had been his first proper night's sleep in quite some time, his body too tired and exhausted from the pain to put up much resistance. He expected nightmares, but he remembered nothing more than drifting to sleep and waking up in the early morning, the sun just barely beginning to creep up over the horizon, forcing back the night with it's golden glow.

He already felt much better; a combination of not just his own magic but of what she had given to him as well. Ani. If he continued to improve at this rate, he wouldn't have much reason to stay, but he had told Ani that he would help with the village as best as he could. He intended to follow through on that, at least for a little while, to try and make peace with the damage he had caused, but he didn't know where to start. He would need to find her and so, against what would likely be her wishes, and maybe his own better judgement, Vonn lifted himself onto his feet. He felt his legs buckle slightly as he needed to readjust to putting weight upon them, arguing with his equilibrium until it decided to grant him balance and then, he began wandering off into the village proper.

He didn't get very far before he had found her doing rounds, making sure that everybody she had tended to the night before remained alive and that none of their conditions had worsened. "You're up early." He greeted her with a half-smirk. "No rest for the weary, they say, and I can't imagine there's anybody here more tired than you are with all that you've done." Again, with the sweet talk. He needed to get into her head, she needed to trust him. "I wanted to thank you once more for what you've done for me. I trust that you're not upset with me for having betrayed my orders of bed rest?"

A few miles away, so far unknown to the villagers, a small war party was progressing across the country side, hurtling in their direction. The orders passed down by Balthier had been met with an eager vigor from his troops, granting them the motivation, and permission, they needed to retrace their foot steps and cause more havoc in the places they had already devastated. Soon, their intentions would align with the shore and they would find their way straight into the heart of the Kelaria's make-shift medical operation and she had no idea, as of yet, that she was their sole target. They didn't know she would be here, but the moment she had to use her power to defend the innocent, there would be no escaping the ever-present and watchful crimson eyes of usurper King Balthier.

 

[Elora Krisara]

When Vonn approached, Kelaria was finishing redressing a woman's wound though it would likely be healed completely over the course of the day. Her gaze turned to his and she frowned. Her eyes narrowed and her frustration was obvious on her face. "you should not be out of bed" she crossed her arms across her chest. Despite her frustration that he had disobeyed her orders of bedrest, she was a bit touched that he- that someone- was stopping to check on her. It wasn't that the villagers and refugees didn't appreciate and value her but they were usually too consumed with their own troubles and pain to check on her.

Kelaria's gaze softened and she let out a breath. "How are you feeling? Are you having an easier time breathing? I suppose if you're well enough to stand I can put you to work." she gave a slight smirk. She had the perfect job for him and she had a feeling he wouldn't like it. A man who looked like him was a man who didn't like to be idle. A man of action and strength. She still needed him resting. "Come back to your cot so I can examine your wounds. Then I will have Kara bring by Some corn for you to husk. When you're done with that I'm sure she'll have potatoes for you to peel. She has to get to work making food for the refugees and the rest of the villagers. I'm sure she'll appreciate the help."

 

[AndrewS]

"I actually feel much better." He told her, though it was a half-truth at best. He still felt the lingering sting of his injury whenever he took a deep breath, but the progress towards recovery was clearly there, he probably just needed another half a day or so to let their magic do the rest of the healing. "If you wish to put me to work, I will do my best to repay to you my debt." The duties she outlined for him didn't seem too difficult, a man of his build and stature was more than qualified to husk corn and peel potatoes, especially given how well trained he was with blades of all sorts and sizes. He could make light work of the tasks and probably in half the time some of the other survivors here could, freeing everybody up to work elsewhere.

It was a small contribution in the grand scheme of things, but small contributions were better than no contribution at all.

She told him to return to his cot and so he did as he was told, walking a couple of steps ahead of her until they were both relocated to the place he wasn't supposed to have left. Vonn let out a low chuckle as he sat himself back down. "I guess I should have known you wouldn't let me get too far from this thing. Can't say I complained. I slept like a babe last night for the first time in a while."

He angled his body, turning so that she could reach the place where the bandages had been pinned for easier access, shrugging his tunic gingerly down over his shoulders for her. He expected to feel her touch, to feel her use some sort of magic. He was looking forward to another chance to glimpse what she was capable of, but he never felt either of the two.

There was a commotion on the other side of the village, easily heard from her makeshift infirmary. The sound of hooves galloping, the cascade of steel and metal bumping and jangling with the uneven movements of their steeds. His eyes widened as he looked across at Ani. Was it about to happen again?

Bursting through the wooden gate was a small battalion of about eight men, all wielding weapons, one of whom seemed to be curiously unarmed yet was leading the pack. They immediately drew their weapons and began to look around, causing panic in the survivors who had just barely had the chance to forget about the first time this nightmare had accosted them. Vander stood back up, pulling his tunic over his shoulder, peering outwards to get a better look. He let his arm drift outwards, holding it before Ani as if to tell her to stay back. "Arellians? Again?" He asked, underneath his breath. What did his brother want now?

"We are not here to hurt you, but we may be convinced otherwise if you do not co-operate." Came the voice of the leader, speaking loud enough to be heard over the noise. Suddenly, the village fell quiet, listening in fear to the words spoken by the peculiar man a top a beautiful, pale white mare. "We have come in search of a survivor from the capital. We have reason to believe that they may be among your ranks. There need not be any more bloodshed this morning. All you need to do is turn them over to us and we'll be on our way. Resist, and the mercy you have been granted by your new King will not last you long." His eyes seemed to be surveying the crowd that gathered for anybody that matched the description of the Princess, but all he saw were beggars and peasants, injured and barely holding on to the life they had left.

"Well, is there anyone with something to say? My patience grows thin with this silence..."

The survivors began to look amongst themselves. A survivor from the castle, here among them? It was certainly possible, but nobody stepped forward, nobody had revealed their nobility.

"Very well. There must be somebody in charge of this little gathering of strays, is there not? Step forward. I would like to have a word with you."

Somebody in charge? Would that be...? Varen stood fast, keeping his arm in front of Ani, looking at her with a shake of his head as if to silently tell her not to step forward.

Seeing no response, and letting his patience run out, as he had warned, the man on top of the white horse lifted his hand in a fist and suddenly, one of the villagers nearby was yanked forward as if by an unseen force, pulled to the front of the crowd and hoisted upwards. Black tendrils surrounded his body like strings of a puppet, lifting him upwards as he gasped for air, his own hands around his neck as if trying to remove an invisible hand that was forcing the air out of his lungs.

"How about now? Has that loosened your tongues?"

 

[Elora Krisara]

The sound of the approaching battalion tugged at the memory of Kelaria's dream. Her heart pounded in her chest. She had never been as talented a diviner as her mother would have likes. She was a novice at best. She hoped that still held true. She hoped her dream had only been a dream and not a premonition. Her hands froze before she could touch Vonn. Her hands trembled slightly as she silently prayed that her disguise would hold up. Her only hope was the chance that none of these men would have seen her in person before. She turned with Vonn to follow the sound of the approaching men. Her eyes flickered briefly to Vonn as he held his arm in front of her, before turning her eyes back to the men with their weapons drawn.

Though she felt like she should do something. Anything! she felt herself rooted to her place. She could hardly hear the leader speak over the sound of her own pounding heart making the blood rush in her ears. Her. They were looking for her and these people would be hurt because of it. She looked to Vonn as she felt his gaze on her. He shook his head at her, warning her not to move when the soldier called forth their leader. Intending to head that warning, Kelaria stayed put and watched until a villager was pulled forward by an inviable magic force. This wasn't just a raiding party anymore. They had magic, dark magic, on their side.

Kelaria let out a gasp as the people around her screamed. She pushed past Vonn in order to step forward. "Stop! Stop! I'm in charge here! My name is Ani. I'm in charge here. Speak to me but leave them be! We don't have any survivors from the capital! We've been keeping a list, none among us are from the capital, only outlying villages. The woman you're looking for isn't here! He has done nothing wrong! Please release him!" Kelaria's eyes were pleading and there was a desperation in her voice. she would have liked to come across as commanding and threatening but right now she needed to play the part of a scared young woman who had her life torn apart. Just a normal village woman in over her head. In a lot of ways she really was.

Kelaria's heart somehow raced faster. Her hands itched with magic that begged to be set free. Magic that begged her to help protect these people. Magic that if used too soon, while there was still a chance to avoid bloodshed, would doom them all.

 

[AndrewS]

"Don't." He warned her, but far be it for her to listen. Once he saw the villager be yanked into the air by a dark force, he knew it was inevitable and that she would show herself. His attempt at keeping her in place failed and she rushed off towards imminent danger to try and save the life of an innocent man. It would have been commendable had it not be so incredibly stupid.

The man a top the white horse was one of his brother's favorites. He was one of the fastest rising soldiers in their army, having been promoted to the leader of one of his battalions in less than six months thanks in part to his affinity with the dark arts. Gifted to him by Alzahar, as many of the men in their ranks had been once proven worthy, Finey Chamberlain had learned to control sinister magic faster than anybody outside of the Albright brothers but it had also given him a bit of an ego. He knew he was good, he knew he was untouchable, with the favor of their leader and the strength to back it up. And what was worse? Finley knew Vander's face. The moment he stepped out, he would be recognized for who he was, and the past night of playing Vonn would have been for nothing.

So, was he to stand idly by and watch as Ani got herself killed trying to save the people she cared for? What action could he take and would he even be of any aid to her in his condition?

"Ah, Ani. Finally, somebody with some spine. Very well, as you wish..." Finley moved his hand aside. The man held aloft was brought to the ground, but it was far from a peaceful drop. He was flung aside, smashing into the dirt with a thud, his body bouncing as it made contact, likely breaking at least a couple of the man's bones but leaving him otherwise alive and capable of being treated later. One of the other villagers tried to move to check on him but another guard rode their horse forward, blade extended downwards, blocking the route forward.

The entire vibe of the village had changed when Ani stepped forward, intensifying their fear. To lose her would be to lose everything they had left, the final bit of stabilization in their worlds turned upside down and now, it was a very real possibility.

"None of the people here are from the capital? Not even one? Not even you?" He asked, prying for more information, doubtful of the validity of her claims. "I find that difficult to believe. We have on good authority that people from the capital city were seen fleeing in this direction...am I really to believe they would have passed this little...beacon of filth?"

Finley looked her over, now, taking her in from head to toe as if trying to analyze her. He lifted his hand again and with it, those black tendrils flared outwards again, moving towards Ani. As his finger inched, they got closer to her face, tugging at the scarf she was wearing.

"Why the need to hide, Ani?" He asked, beginning to undo it from afar. Vander was ready to move, at a moment's notice, expecting this to get ugly. Though he was as eager as Finley was to see who was underneath the scarf, this had gone on long enough. If he could reach Finley in time, maybe he could strike before he recognized who he was. Already, he was looking for a means to conceal himself, or a weapon he could use. Before he moved, however, somebody else stepped forward from the crowd.

"It's me. I'm the person you're looking for." He called out, pushing through the crowd. A man in his late thirties, his children a few paces behind trying to reach him only to be pulled back by onlookers. The interruption drew Finley's attention away from Ani for now, leaving her scarf in tact.

"You? You're from the capital?" Finley practically laughed. This man looked like he never had a single gold piece to his name. He was one of the people Ani had helped, she had treated both of his injured children, sparing them from a horrible fate. Now, seeing her in danger, he thought this was his chance to try and repay her, stepping in front of the proverbial bullet. She had done so much for these people that they were willing to tempt fate for her? This only made Vander more sure that this Ani wasn't who she was trying to pretend to be.

"Yes. I'm but a poor man, however, I owned a woodworking stand. I saw the likes of your people invade and tear apart everything we had built, from those of fortune to those who could barely afford a place to sleep." He was shaking as he spoke, mustering every bit of courage he had. "It's not her you're looking for, it's me...I will go with you."

"Unfortunately, the person we're looking for is a woman, I believe my king would be far more interested in your leader instead."

"No...she isn't from the capital. I would know! I've never seen her before I came here! She's..."

Finley motioned towards one of the nearby guards, not bothering to waste his magic on this man. They approached him from both sides, pulling him away as he argued and struggled. His two boys tried to make it to the front of the crowd, calling out for their father as he was dragged into an alleyway, the sound of clanking metal following shortly after. The two guards walked back out towards the crowd, one of their blades dripping with a red substance as it dragged across the dirt, carving a path from the scene of the crime to where they had been posted, returning without remorse to where they had been standing moments before the order was given.

"Now, if there aren't any more would-be heroes amongst your midst, I humbly request that you come with me, Ani. We have some place very important to be..."

 

[Elora Krisara]

As the dark tendrils made their way to her Kelaria froze in place, hardly even breathing. Surely they couldn't identify her from her hair alone! It was a distinctive feature of hers but there were other people in the world with dark hair though few with the blue and purplish undertones of her own. Whether they would recognize her hair or not, Kelaria had resigned herself to it's imminent reveal. She made no attempts to stop him.

The refugees voice cut through Kelaria's concentration at the same moment it stole the battalion's attention. She let out a gasp and squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment. "No" Kelaria groaned silently to herself. It did no good for these people to try to defend her. It would result in their demise. Slowly, she opened her eyes to look to the man who had just doomed himself. Her eyes were apologetic and desperate. "No!" Kelaria gasped out loud as he was dragged off to be killed. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. Her eyes scanned the faces of the villagers, willing them to stay put.

This time when she looked to the leader of the assaulting battalion her eyes were filled with anger. "You didn't have to kill him. He wasn't who you wanted." Panic shot through her as he indicated that he would be taking her into his custody. These people needed her! That man who had been hurt needed her. She couldn't be captured. Not yet! "Please! I'm not from the capital. I'm from Calisia. From the other side of the river! I was an alchemist there. I'm not who you're looking for nor do I know where to find her!" she felt the rush of magic surge down her arms as her body prepared for a fight. She held that power at bay until she knew there was no chance to escape without it.

 

[AndrewS]

Vander could feel Ani's magic beginning to come to life, crackling within her body like an electric current barreling outward through every inch of her angered form. She was willing to fight for this place, that much was obvious. It even seemed like some of the people here were willing to fight for her in return, but it would be a massacre. He didn't know how powerful she was, but he doubted she could take down somebody as skilled with the dark arts as Finley, which meant they would take her, willingly or not, back to Balthier one way or another if he didn't do something.

"Far be it for me to condemn somebody for being a poor liar but you're not the least bit convincing, Ani...but that isn't up for me to decide, it's up to your new king. If you have a problem with his decree, feel free to take it up with him in person once you meet him but do be warned, he isn't nearly as accommodating and open minded as I am." Finley smirked, knowing he was far from either of those things, yet he spoke as if he wholeheartedly believed that he was.

He motioned for the guards to apprehend Ani and they began to walk towards her in the same menacing fashion they had the man who spoke out, two of them closing in on her from either side. Vander immediately began looking more seriously for something he could use, finding a rusted pitchfork and a couple of knives, none of which seemed sharp enough to break skin. This village wasn't equipped for battle and he refused to call upon his magic, fearing the corruption it might bring. Could he really let her handle it on her own?

No, he couldn't stand by. He couldn't be a bystander as his brother laid siege to another village. Grasping the wooden handle of the farming tool he had found, he moved towards the front of the infirmary, peering around it's edge, trying to prepare himself to move before it was too late, deciding to accept whatever consequences would come afterwards.

 

[Elora Krisara]

Clearly Kelaria wasn't getting out of this without a fight. She couldn't- no wouldn't - be meeting the false king today, not while there was something she could do about it. The glamour that protected her eyes fell in an instant and the purple eyes that stared down the leader turned bright with the power that surged beneath them. Her eyes were no longer scared. They were angry. "Gods Damn you! You damn Arellians have destroyed everything! I won't let you destroy them. I don't think I'll be accepting the False King's invitation today." Bright swirling lights of purple and white began to wrap their way down Kelaria's arms as she finally set her magic free.

Kelaria threw her hands towards the two guards closing in on her. They were suddenly thrown several feet, knocking on of them into one of his companions. Kelaria's eyes glowed as she brought her right hand, hand shaped as though it was grasping something. Slowly she began to sweep her hand upright. As she did, the ground surrounding them men on their mounts began to tremble and rumble, leaving them all unstable. "GET BACK!" she shouted to the villagers and refugees behind her.

Bit of earth began to shoot up from the ground. Large rocky outcroppings shot up around the battalion as though they were trees spouting instantaneously. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vonn inching closer. "GO!" she shouted to him but was able to maintain her concentration on the rumbling earth.

 

[AndrewS]

Vander found himself in awe at the purple and white eruption that followed Ani's defiant declaration. He wasn't close enough to see her eyes change color, but he had a front row seat in watching her send two soldiers, fully clad in heavy armor, flying in alternate directions as though they weighed the same as a feather. Next, the ground began to rumble, causing the rubble of the village to shake and move. The horses carrying the men began to buck and flee in terror, casting them down onto their backs, against the dirt.

Finley seemed just as impressed with her as Vander was. He placed his palm against his steed and passed magic through it, steadying it. It's white hairs began to tinge purple, steadying the horse so that it was unaffected by the tremors, matching her strength with his own. Ani turned and instructed him to leave, warning him to stay away as she had the other villagers, villagers who were stumbling over themselves to heed her warning and put some distance between them and the display of magic, but Vander wasn't a villager and he wasn't going anywhere.

He would need to do the same as Finley, if only to steady himself. He hated to use the dark magic he had been cursed with as what once had been a gift became a temptation, but he used it to steady himself as well, no doubt to the surprise of Ani, as he walked out of the infirmary unscathed by the trembling of the earth, directly towards her. The closer he got, the better look he received at the change of her eye color. This strength, that hue...could it be?

He was gripping the pitchfork still, in his hand, like he was ready to use it. One of the guards that had fallen tried to catch his balance as Finley extended the reach of his magic to the men remaining. As they realized they had solid footing, one of them rushed straight towards Ani. Despite the pain in his body, Vander parried the blade with the handle of the pitchfork, using it like a staff. He disarmed the man of his weapon and buried the prongs with all of his strength through their armor, aiming it towards where he knew there would be vulnerability. If she hadn't figured it out by now, that would have given it away immediately. He was no merchant, and he wasn't unfamiliar with these attackers.

Finley's eyes narrowed on the male who had joined at Ani's side. His smirk seemed to widen.

"That would be an act of treason you've just committed, exile." He told Vander, laughing to himself. "Balthier will not be happy to learn of this."

"He'll be fine. I don't plan on you making it back to tell him..."

Finley had brought with him seven men, two of whom had been sent elsewhere by Ani's magic and one that was impaled on the end of the pitchfork Vander had brought. That left four more, plus Finley himself, still a top his horse. Those who were on the ground and now steady, began to close in on them again, looking to do so as a full unit to push their numbered advantage. Vander's eyes dropped to the sword he had parried away from the guard. He could have used magic to pull it towards him, but he had done enough. He'd need to be quick enough to retrieve it and use it in self defense.

"If you're who I think you are, you now know who I am as well. None of this is going to make any sense to you, but today, we are not enemies. We cannot let him leave. If he returns to the castle, we are both in grave, grave danger. Will you fight with me, at least for now?"

 

[Elora Krisara]

As Vonn stepped forward on completely steady feet, Kelaria's jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed as they found his. Obviously, as she had expected, he was no mere merchant. He had the gift of magic. Dark magic. Magic that couldn't be trusted. Was he any better the men she now fought? How could she trust someone using demon magic? She wasn't given much time to ponder it as one of the men rushed towards her. One of her hands moved to defend herself but Vonn quickly disarmed the attacker and impaled him with the pitchfork. It was comforting to know that she was right about him being a trained fighter. At least she had gotten that much right.

Finley's words shot ice through her veins. Of course. Those golden eyes. She should have known. The last time she met either of the Albright Princes face-to-face she had been a child and so had they. It had been so long ago that it would make sense for Kelaira not to recognize him right away. However she should have recognized those eyes. Those eyes that were as telling as her own. Only one family had eyes like his.

The image of her mother's body across the marble floor of the throne room and her father's desperate eyes as her blood pooled around his feet, filled Kelaria's mind. She had to stop herself from unleashing her rage onto Vander instead of the attacking men. He could be dealt with later. Now she needed him.

Kelaira didn't answer his question, instead she looked anywhere but at him. "Behind you!" she called as two of the remaining guards rushed towards Vander. She then turned her attention, momentarily forgetting Vander and his fate, to the guards nearest to their leader. Kelaria collected the magic around her and shot a hand out towards the ground. The purple and white swirling lights seeped into the ground. The ground trembled and a purple runic shape formed beneath one of the guards. Suddenly rock and dirt shot up around him, encircling him in shards of earth that prevented his escape. Kelaria closed her fist and his cage suddenly collapsed in on him, crushing him into the ground in the process.

The stirring wind whipped rock and dirt in the direction of their leader, impairing his vision.

 

[AndrewS]

Vander found himself at a crossroads where he was vulnerable to Ani's judgement. Either she decided to work with him for now and he faced down the threat of his own people, or she tried to kill him and he was trapped between both powerful enemies. Either way, he knew he was risking his life, and so much more, by even choosing to get involved but as part of his attempt at redemption, he knew it wasn't right to standby and let his brother's tyranny continue to ruin the lives of more innocents. Time felt like it had slowed to a crawl as he awaited her decision, trapped between the glare of Finley and the evasive gaze of "Ani" as she was forced to make her decision quickly.

"Behind you!"

Instinct kicked in with her warning, giving him a chance to react to the fact that during the commotion, two of the guards had gotten into position to try and ambush him. When they began to rush towards him, Vander had barely just enough time to respond, dodging the first swing while the second grazed his shoulder. He felt the blade slicing through, though barely, drawing blood but not causing any real damage because she had warned him in time. He didn't have the opportunity to see what Ani was doing to the other guards, he was already outnumbered and unarmed, forced to deal with the situation at hand.

"You little bitch!" He heard Finley yell as he recoiled from what she had done and Vander smirked at the sound.

If she was paying attention to him at all, she would have noticed how it seemed like Vander was holding back. He could have unleashed his magic at any moment, tearing the guards inside out in an instant, but he refrained from tapping into it at all. His hand was being forced, however, as the two attackers eventually got the better of him with their onslaughts of swings. He dodged the best he could, but without a weapon to parry with, and his body still not fully recovered, one of the guards decided that if they couldn't hit him with their blade, they'd use their body to knock him to the ground.

Vander groaned as the air was knocked out of him as a result of a heavy, metal-clad man tackling him down to the ground. He lifted his blade upwards with intent of jamming it down into Vander's shoulder but the sprawled Arellian turned his head, spotting the sword he had disarmed earlier, just inches away. He looked towards Ani, wondering if she could help him, but she was busy on her own and he had no choice.

His eyes began to glow and purple energy whisked around the handle of the errant sword, shooting it across the ground and into his hand. This act was so fast that it caught the guard by surprise and Vander was able to bury the blade upwards, into his rips. His attacker gasped and groaned as he slumped over onto his side and Vander pulled himself back up to his feet to face his second attacker, this time with a weapon in hand.