Fire Emblem: Last of the Manakete

"Magic, in its simplest form, is the ability to solve problems. When you leave here, you will be able to help those who need help. To help heal this broken world."
-Archmage Lenora Thundercrier to her first class at the Marble Hall


"Please, I need to speak to His Highness," you say.

You're once again standing outside Archduke Letoro's office, facing off with a new pair of guards. This time, being alone and without a prior appointment, they're not quite as willing to let you in.

"His Highness is a busy man," one of the guards says coolly. "Honored guest though you are, that does not give you carte-blanche to go wherever you wish."

Pushing back a sigh, you smile. "Please, I don't think it'll take long," you ask. "Could you just ask if he's busy right now? It really is important."

Before the guard can respond, the Archduke's slightly irritated voice comes from inside. "Who is it?" he calls.

The guard opens the door slightly, blocking your path with his spear. "Lady Artemis's young friend is here asking to see you, Your Highness."

"Send her in."

The guard nods and immediately removes his spear. "Thank you," you say, nodding politely as you step into the office. Curtsying as best you can, you smile at the Archduke. "Your Highness."

He raises an eyebrow. "Ryza," he says, gesturing you to sit across from him. "Is there something you needed?"

You hop up onto the seat. "Well, I was talking to Artemis about your offer," you say.

"I assume before you became upset with her," the Archduke says mildly, but with some ice in his eyes.

You wince. "Yes," you say. "I'm so sorry about-"

He raises a hand. "Artemis made it clear that she does not blame you for what happened," he says. "And you reined yourself in before you did anything harmful." His eyes narrow. "However, be sure to keep your temper under control in future; not all will be as forgiving as my daughter is."

You nod at the rebuke. It's especially important for manakete to remain in control of themselves. "Of course," you say. "It won't happen again."

The Archduke nods back. "Then the matter is closed," he says. "You wished to speak about my offer."

"Yes," you say. "Well, I was talking to Artemis, and we both agreed that I probably wouldn't be very happy as a knight. I don't really like fighting, which is a knight's job."

"Very well," Archduke Letoro says, nodding. "I cannot say I am surprised, but I was duty-bound to offer."

You ponder for a moment over his wording before shrugging: humans do some odd things for duty. "Well, there is something else that Artemis and I were thinking I could do to help," you say. "Artemis said that the head mage was… isn't around anymore, thanks to the Talons."

The Archduke grimaces. "Yes, Master Shadebringer was killed in the ambush," he says. "And Artemis suggests that you might replace him?"

You nod. "Yes. Did she tell you that yesterday?"

"No, but the fact that you're bringing it up, along with the fact that she has described you as being very talented at magic, makes the point of this conversation easy to determine." He leans back in his chair, studying you. "I will further assume that she told you about the accreditation process?"

"Yes," you say, slightly wrong-footed. You're certain that Father and Mother often knew what you were going to ask before you asked it, but they would let you speak your mind before commenting. You're not sure if Archduke Letoro just wants to finish this conversation as quickly and efficiently as possible, or if he has some other reason. "She mentioned that I'd have to get someone to vouch for me, and I was thinking Mistress Flarestone from Legerius, since I was planning on talking with her about fighting some of the rumors about manakete."

"She will likely be your best contact, yes," the Archduke says. "Perhaps, when the time comes, you could escort Sypha home, as you promised to. That would also remind the Legerians of what you've done for them, despite the rocky introduction."

You wonder if all Archdukes are like this. Before you can think if it'd be a good idea to comment, Archduke Letoro stands and walks to one of the cabinets along the side of the room. "However…" he says, studying the contents for a moment before plucking something out. "As Master Shadebringer told me once, there is more to magic than just casting spells." He walks back to the desk plonks a fancy golden cup down in front of you. "What does this do?"

Frowning, you study it. Aside from the obvious purpose of holding liquids, you quickly notice the unpowered runes woven around the cup. Wincing at the knowledge of what is in those runes, you reach forward and give them a brief flare of charge, just enough to let you look at them in action. The reaction lasts much longer than usual, likely the result of the lingering magic from the dragonstone fragments (your stomach churns at the thought, but you force it down, you'd promised…)

You quickly determine that there are two rune-structures, slightly clumsily woven together. The top one, around the lip of the cup, shines with Black magic, while the main body contains White magic. You can't read them exactly, not at a glance, and Archduke Letoro is staring at you intently.

Thankfully, Father always said that a good runewright doesn't have to read every rune, so long as they remember the principles of magic. Black magic… too obvious to be illusion, and unlikely to be intended to weaken or harm… detection, then. It's looking for something, then it would send a charge to the White magic rune. White magic… healing? No, more curing… sending another flare of charge through it, you note that the energy is directed inwards, to the contents of the cup.

"It's meant to make the drink healthier," you say after a minute of checking for specific signs to confirm your suspicions, which is easier than reading the whole rune-structure from scratch. "The Black magic is looking for anything dangerous or unhealthy in the drink, and the White magic is meant to get rid of it."

A mildly impressed look crosses the Archduke's face. "Well done," he says. "Yes, that is the intended purpose." He smiles faintly. "Of course, the cup never worked as advertised. Can you figure out what went wrong?"

Frowning, you look back at the cup. The runes all looked stable, if somewhat inefficient. There are no chips or cracks or wandering grooves that would make it not work, and as you follow the lines you don't see any obvious errors. "It doesn't?" you ask, confused.

"Perhaps a demonstration will give you a clue," Archduke Letoro says, grabbing a bottle of the reddish liquid you've learned is called "wine." "If you would charge the runes fully." Confused, you do as ordered; you've seen people drink wine all the time. Even Artemis has…

As he pours the wine into the cup, you watch in horror as the Black magic flares in recognition and sends its warning signal and the White magic begins to clean the liquid. "Wait, that's-" you say, looking over at the other crystal cup filled with more of the wine that the Archduke had been drinking from! "Something's wrong with the wine!" you say. "We should get Healer Clara; I don't know what's in it but-"

For the first time since you've met him, Archduke Letoro laughs. It's a quiet thing, but genuine and full of humor. "Peace, girl, I am in no danger," he says. "The wine is perfectly safe in moderation." His eyes glint as he stares at you. "Does that help you with why the goblet didn't work?"

You look back at the cup as it continues to purify the wine that was apparently perfectly fine… in moderation… "It's overly sensitive," you say finally. "It takes anything that's even slightly dangerous and treats it like a threat."

You should have seen that coming. Hadn't Father always said that runes do what you tell them to do, not what you want them to do?

The Archduke nods. "Indeed. My mother had this made for my father, and the only thing it doesn't react to at all is water, and even that can trigger the runes if it's the slightest bit unclean." His smile returns, a soft one almost seeming to be at a memory… "Of course, knowing my mother, it could be that the goblet works exactly as she intended it: she never liked how much Father drank, and it would be in character for her to send a subtle message of displeasure."

It's interesting, to get a glimpse at the man Artemis's father is behind the title and the responsibilities. "So you're okay?" you ask.

"I am. In many places, wine and other alcohols are safer than water." Standing, the Archduke drains the cup with a grimace. "Diluted," he says, putting it back in the cabinet. "Come with me, Ryza."

"Where are we going?" you ask as he leads the way out of the office. You hear the two armored men falling into step behind the pair of you without a word, and you hurry up a little to avoid getting trampled.

"While you will not be able to officially assume the responsibilities of Head Mage until after you have been accredited, you should at least meet the people you will be working with. Master Shadebringer had two apprentices. Responsibility for them will fall to you once you take his place."

You frown. "I thought all mages were trained at the Marble Hall?" you say.

"All accredited, official mages with mage-names, yes," the Archduke says. "However, it is permitted for them to take their own apprentices to aid them. Particularly talented apprentices can be sent to the Hall themselves, while others simply become hedge-mages: not fully accredited, but useful to those who cannot afford a more skilled magic user."

The four of you make your way through the castle. Thankfully, nobody seems to notice you, they're too busy bowing to the Archduke as he passes. A few minutes later, you find yourselves outside a heavy wooden door lined with etchings that you quickly recognize as not being true runes, just decorations. The Archduke doesn't knock as he opens the door and leads the way in.

"Siri, that better be you and you'd better have those records," a boy's voice comes from inside as you follow the Archduke in.

You see a faint flicker of stiffness in the man's shoulders before he smooths it out. "Perhaps it would be best, young James, if you were to check who you were speaking to," he says.

As you look around, you can sense the threads of magic in the air. They're faint, but present, as if you were back in one of your father's laboratories. A line of thick, heavy books along the wall seem to exude most of the magic, marking them as tomes. You flinch as you wonder just how many stones went into making them.

Your thoughts are drawn from that dark place, however, as a young man who looks about Artemis's age turns from the rune-covered box he'd been poking at with a start.


"Y-Your Highness!" he cries, bowing. "I- My apologies, I thought you were Siri, coming back- I mean-"

The Archduke lets him stutter for a few more seconds before raising a hand to silence him. "I understand that you are still under a great deal of stress," he says. "But that is no excuse for carelessness or disrespect. I expect better from you, and so would Master Shadebringer."

"Sorry, Your Highness!" James says, bowing again. "Is there something you need, Your Highness?"

Archduke Letoro gently grabs your shoulder and pulls you to stand next to him. "I am here to introduce you to someone. Ryza, this is James, Master Shadebringer's elder apprentice and acting Head Mage of Agrithe." You wave. "James, this is Ryza. Perhaps you've heard of her?"

The young man studies you for a second before his eyes widen. "Wait, isn't she- isn't she the one who saved Lady Artemis? Siri was talking my ear off all of last night about her, something about her flying around-"

You nod. "Yep, that's me," you say. "It's nice to meet you, James." Stepping forwards, you look at the box. "Whatcha working on?"

He grimaces. "This is one of the Healers' storage boxes, the ones meant for sensitive, short-lived things," he says. "It's been acting up for a month, and I-" he glances at the Archduke, who's listening quietly. "Well, I was hoping for Master Shadebringer's guidance, but… well…"

You pat him on the arm sympathetically. "I'm sorry," you say. "I never met him, but Artemis always spoke highly of him." As he splutters slightly, you look over the box. "Is it safe to pulse magic through the runes?" you ask.

"Yeah, but you won't get far. Pretty sure the dusting's worn out, it's been slowly dying all month."

As he continues to speak, you send a pulse of magic through the runes. As you watch it, you notice something. "I think this is your problem right here," you say, pointing to the spot where you see magic bleeding out. "Looks like someone banged it and chipped the structure a bit, right there."

The boy crouches down and peers at the mark. "A chip that small shouldn't do anything," he says. "Runes are tougher than that."

"Normally, yes," you say. "But unless I'm misreading this, this is a major central feedback amplifier. Any damage to that causes issues down multiple arcane streams, and with that many streams failing, the rest get strained trying to keep working." You quickly check one of the unaffected branches of runes. "Yep. Early burnout signs further up this one, though not too bad yet. We can probably get another few months out of this before it needs to be reworked if we just fix that one issue."

James stares at you. "How-"

"Father didn't have time to teach me everything," you say. "And I haven't had time to do some of the reading yet, but I watched him a lot when I was younger, and I remember a few things."

As the pair of you sit for a moment, Archduke Letoro speaks up from behind you. "Well, it looks like the two of you have things well in hand here. James, be sure to show Ryza around, you'll be working together a lot in the future." With that, he turns and leaves.

After a minute, James sighs. "I'm guessing you're replacing me, huh," he says.

"Sorry," you say.

"It's alright," he says. "Master Shadebringer never had the chance to teach me everything, so I knew someone was going to be coming to clean things up." He glances down at you. "Wasn't expecting her to be shorter than me, though." He looks you up and down. "Is it true you're a dragon?"

"Manakete," you correct. "But yes I am. How did you know? Artemis said she and her father were keeping the rumors down."

He swallows slightly. "Siri," he says. "She's always got her ear to the ground for rumors. No matter what His Highness and Lady Artemis have done, there've been whispers. Some guys swear they saw a dragon landing up at the hilltop grove a few days ago, and next thing we know, you're around, and Lady Artemis and His Highness are saying that you're an honored guest and nobody's to give you any trouble." He's scooting slightly away from you as he speaks.

You scoot closer determinedly. "It's alright," you say. "You don't have to be worried or nervous: I'm just Ryza. I'm not going to do anything bad; those old stories aren't true." You smile. "I hope we can be friends, James. You and Siri. Will she be back soon?"

After a moment, the boy sighs. "Spirits only know with that girl," he says. "She's nice, she's bright, but her head's stuck firmly in the clouds." He gestures. "Alright, let's see if we can fix this mess."

It takes the two of you nearly three hours to figure out how to fix the chip into the feedback amplifier. You even have to run and get Runewrighting. After all, not having had time to read it yet, you don't know how to fix the problem you diagnosed, so you and James have to puzzle over it and some of Master Shadebringer's own books before you finally sort everything out.

However, despite the challenge… it's fun. It's been so long since you've gotten to play with runes, it's nice to spend time with them again. Besides, as one of the healers smiles warmly at you both when she and a few servants come to pick it up, you feel like you've done something good. You don't know what things will be like at the Marble Hall, but this… you think you can enjoy this.

---

Over the next few days, you fall into a routine that gives you some much-needed stability. You've finally started eating in the main hall with everyone else, though the sheer amount of noise can sometimes be overwhelming. However, it is nice to feel like you're part of the tribe. The large, loud, chaotic tribe.

People seemed to be getting more used to you. The first time Artemis walked you to the table at the front of the hall, a hush had slowly spread as people stared at you, making you squirm uncomfortably until Dione had pointedly cleared her throat. She hadn't said anything else, but her meaning had been clear, and slowly the conversation had restarted. Now, aside from some furtive glances as you pass, most people will simply give you a nod and be on their way.

After eating, you would always be sure to spend some time with James and Siri. You didn't want to completely step on their toes, at least not until you actually got the job as Head Mage, but they seemed to enjoy your presence. As the older of the two, James took it upon himself to show you around the castle. While there aren't as many runes as there were at home, there were still quite a few. Thankfully, you're not being asked to make any more: you'll need to do a deeper reading of Runewrighting to be able to make any runes of your own.

Siri, meanwhile… well, that had been an experience.


You're whistling as you walk into the magic room. You'd had fun yesterday, helping James fix the healer's box, and you were wondering if there was anything else interesting-

"GASP!"

You stumble back as a blur crosses the distance and skids to a halt in front of you, very nearly running you over.


"Oh spirits it's you!" the girl says, only looking a decade (year, you remind yourself) older than you. She's wearing a bright, eager grin as she bounces on her feet. "Hi, you must be Ryza, I've heard so much about you! My name's Siri, and James said you were going to be working with us now! What kind of magic can you do, I'm learning how to use lightning and James can't really help me because he does dark magic like Master Shadebringer! What's your favorite color? Are you really a dragon? What's that like? How old are you anyways?"

You gape at the vibrant girl in front of you. You'd met a fair few humans by now, but none of them had been this energetic! None of them had seemed this utterly fearless.

James looks up, sighs, and walks over. "Hey, do you think you could take me flyi-Owowow!" the girl whines as James grabs her by the ear and starts dragging her back to the desk she'd been sitting at.

"No bothering Ryza until you're done with your lines," he says, pushing her down into her seat.

"But I've wanted to talk to her since she got here but Lady Artemis said nobody was to bother her but now she's here so surely-"

"Lines. Now."

Huffing, the girl turns and starts copying from a big book at the top of the desk, though you spot her sneaking glances at you every now and then.

James, meanwhile, walks back over to you with a sigh. "Siri," he says, somehow understanding the question behind your wind-stunned expression. "Sorry about her. She's a good kid deep down, but she does not know the meaning of the word restraint or subtlety."

"I can hear you!" Siri calls.

"Lines!" James shoots back. "Master Shadebringer would have given you a whack for disrespecting a guest!"

You squirm. "That's not needed," you say quickly. "She's just trying to be friendly."

"Nosy, more like," James says, but you see him smile slightly. "Well, we should probably get going: the blacksmith is complaining about his forge again." He lowers his voice. "Besides, we should get out of here before she starts rushing and making mistakes so she has an excuse to talk to you again."

"Okay," you say. Still, you feel a little guilty as you spot the dejected look on Siri's face, so you give her a wave as you leave. She grins immediately and waves back enthusiastically.

"You've done it now," James says as the pair of you leave. "You've encouraged her: now you'll never get rid of her." However, you hear the fondness behind his grumbling, so you're not worried that your new friends are actually fighting.

New friends… you've been blessed with so many new friends…


In the afternoons, you would still take some time for yourself. You'd chat with Artemis and Sypha whenever you could, but you would also take time to read Practical Magic. You'd promised yourself that you'd learn White magic, so that you could help people who need it. As a bonus, it'd be nice to show Mistress Flarestone that you could cast more than one color of magic.

Step one, of course, is figuring out how to bring out the White magic itself. You were born for and of Yellow magic, so even when you were struggling to control it, conjuring up lightning came nearly as easily as breathing to you. White magic, however, requires a very different mindset. Peace, happiness, serenity… these aren't exactly easy things to come by. For all that you're welcomed here, for all that you like and love some of the people here… this isn't your home. This castle doesn't have nearly a century of memories built up. Maybe one day, you will truly be able to call this place home, but not today.

However, you persevere. Father and Mother wouldn't want you to wallow in sadness; they would want you to be strong, to find joy again. So you seek out happiness in the little things.

You find it in Artemis coaxing you onto a horse to try and teach you how to ride, the uncomfortable swaying mitigated by her gentle arms around you.

You find it in Sypha's music as she tells you stories from her past. Sometimes Bernard even drops in. He doesn't say much, but you can tell he feels more at ease around you now.

You find it in Dione helping you get out some of the tangles and snarls in your hair from weeks of inadequate care just as Mother once did.

You find it in Archduke Letoro's respectful nod as he drops by to see how you're doing in the magic lab, after hearing about how you and James have been working together to keep everything running.

You find it in Siri's laugh of joy as you help her cast a spell from her little practice tome, your churning stomach mitigated somewhat by the fact that at least the stone that went into the book is bringing happiness rather than sorrow.

You find it in continuing to work on the shrine to your parents' memories, talking to them as if they were there. Maybe it's not healthy how you occasionally pretend they're answering you, but you think you're due some fantasies.

Day by day, you find your joy, you find your peace. You search within yourself… until finally you find your Light.

You're sitting on the roof of one of the towers around Castle Agrithe, watching with interest as Archduke Letoro and Artemis greet another arriving noble. You're not close enough to hear exactly what's being said, and you're okay with that. While it's nice to meet new people, it's also really nice to just sit in the sun, let your wings soak up some rays without anyone staring or pointing.

As you watch the portly man follow Archduke Letoro into the castle, gesturing animatedly with his hands, you notice Artemis giving you a wave. You smile slightly; it seems that no matter how far away you are, she almost has a sense for you. You suppose that's what it means to be best friends: Father and Mother always seemed to know where to find you when they wanted to talk to you.

Basking in the sensation of being loved and loving in return, you feel a soft tug in the back of your mind. Focusing, you follow it, deep within yourself, just as the scroll told you to. You'd sensed it before, several times, but it was stronger now…

Reaching into yourself, you finally find what Practical Magic had described: a steady thread of gentle light coiling through your soul. Carefully tugging on it, you ease a little piece off, not a lot, but enough that, as you pull it to your hand, a shimmering light flashes into being. Softer and smoother than the glaring, harsh shine of your lightning balls, the raw White magic makes you smile just looking at it. You love being a Yellow manakete, but there's something just so soothing about staring into the light…

Shaking your head, you pull yourself out of your stupor. Letting the light fade away, you rest for a moment before reaching in and finding it again. It takes you a little longer, but as you repeat the process time after time for the next ten or so minutes, it gets easier and easier. Never as simple as calling lightning, which you can do without a thought, but easier.

Finally, when you feel confident, you take the final test: you need to go find Healer Clara. You'd read the lesson on casting Healing magic, but from experience you know that no scroll is a substitute for a teacher. Carefully cradling your light, you glide down from the tower and go looking for her, carefully keeping both trails of your mind working. Keeping the light in the palm of your hand as you focus on other things.

If you can maintain your concentration while you focus on other things, then you'll be ready to use White magic.

The light flickers a few times as you search, especially when people stare at it in awe when you ask them where to find Healer Clara. Finally, after a few false starts, you find her near the training yard.

"-really sorry about this," a young man dressed in the heavy, clumsy-looking padded armor that seems designed for training says as she uses her staff on another trainee. That one's sitting in a chair, clutching his head as if trying to hold his brain in. There's no wound anymore, but from the bloodstains on his hand and face he must have taken quite a wallop.

"I will remind you that this is a training yard, not a smash your opponent's head yard!" the older woman says sharply.

The other man groans, but smiles wryly, "Can't really blame Van, Healer," he says. "All the boys get a bit overexcited when Lady Artemis shows up to practice, we tend to go a bit overboard… if he hadn't done it to me I'd probably have done it to him."

You nearly abandon your plans to go see how Artemis is doing, but as the light flickers in your hand again you stabilize yourself and wait patiently.

"Well if that is the case, I will have to impress upon Lady Artemis to never visit again while you are in session! You are training to be soldiers, you are not little boys with sticks anymore!" The two men look down, shamefaced, as Healer Clara continues to tell them off.

As you hop up onto a table to wait, you watch the magic play along Healer Clara's staff. Now that you look closer, you see the thin runes carefully etched into the metal, channeling and amplifying her magic. As you study it, you realize that, aside from a little bit of modification at the end, Healer Clara is actually not doing a lot of shaping of the spell. She puts a small amount of White magic in at the base of the rune-structure, lets it flow down the runes to amplify and weave it into a healing spell, then directs it out of the large crystal at the top to finish the spell. Idly, you start trying to weave your own light into a similar shape, but it all gets tangled in your hands.

Something must have drawn attention, however, as the standing guard (Van?) looks over and stiffens. "Lady-"

"Just Ryza," you cut him off immediately. "Sorry to bother you all, don't worry about me, I'm fine," you say.

Healer Clara looks over to you, her eyes widening as she sees the unruly knots of magic coiling around your fingers. "That's-" she shakes her head. "Just stay there one moment, I need to finish with this one."

"Sorry to bother you," you say.

She nods before looking back at the injured soldier, her own White magic continuing to play over his head. After a minute, she nods. "There," she says. "Now I'm confining you to bed rest for at least a few days, head injuries are not to be taken lightly. Van, take him to the barracks and make sure he stays there."

As the two soldiers leave, throwing you glances as they go, the older woman hustles over to you. "I didn't know you knew light magic, Ryza," she says. "From what young Lord Bernard has said in his checkups, you're a lightning mage."

You nod. "I'm a Yellow manakete, yes," you say, still trying to untangle the spell. "But I can learn all colors of magic. I've been working on White magic, and I finally got it to come out." You give the botched spell up as a bad job, dismiss it, and then resummons a fresh batch of White energy and show it to Healer Clara proudly. "I was hoping you could help me learn how to actually heal people with it."

She stares at you. "Incredible…" she whispers. "I've never seen such a strong light before…" she shakes her head. "I wouldn't say no to more healers, but I'd thought you were more interested in being a mage."

"I can do both," you say. "I probably wouldn't heal full time, there are a lot of runes around that need maintaining, but if something happens and I'm nearby, I'd be able to help and save you some trouble."

The woman nods. "You're a good girl, Ryza," she says. "Very well; I do have other people I need to visit, but if you want you can come with me. I can show you a few tricks. Do you want to try channeling through the staff-"

"No!" you say, sharper than you intended. "I… no. Please, I don't want to use that, I want to heal without it."

Frowning, Healer Clara pulls a chair over and sits down, brining her to eyelevel with you. "You don't like the staff?" she says quietly.

You squirm a bit. "You… know what I am, right?" you say. She nods. "Well… you know what goes into those staves and other magic things, right?"

Her eyes widen. "Oh," she whispers. "Yes, I suppose that would be very upsetting for you."

The pair of you sit in silence for a moment before you speak up in a small voice. "How many lives has that staff saved?"

Healer Clara considers for a moment. "I don't know how many it helped before me," she says. "But lives saved… five. With many more permanent injuries averted." She jerks her head towards the door. "Those two foolish boys… it's likely Robb would have had ongoing issues for years, if he ever recovered, had I not been able to heal him."

It… makes you feel a little better. You still feel sick whenever you think too much about what happened, what was done… but you hope whatever poor White manakete's stone went into that staff can take some comfort in knowing that they're saving lives. At least until you can figure out a better way. "Thank you," you say.

Healer Clara glances out the window before standing. "Do you still want to learn from me?" she asks.

"I do," you say, sliding off the table. "The more I understand, the more I'll be able to help people, and one day figure out how to make everything right."

"You don't think small, do you child?" Healer Clara says, smiling warmly. "Well, anything you need from me, feel free to ask." She offers you a hand. "Now let's go show you how to use light magic."

For the rest of the day, and even into the night a little, you follow Healer Clara around, watching as she cures the sick and injured. There are a lot of sick and injured around! How do humans keep hurting themselves like this!? No wonder Ardan was so convinced nobody was going to hurt her: if humans are this accident prone you're surprised that the healers don't run everything themselves from being the most needed people around!

Thankfully, you're making progress in taking a bit of the burden off the healers' shoulders. By the time you go to sleep, you've learned to weave a rudimentary healing spell under Healer Clara's guidance. It will be some time before you're able to do it without her right there, but thankfully not too long. The same magic-weaving skills Father taught you for lightning can be used for White magic as well, meaning you don't have to start at step one. You also have a good teacher, and permanent runes on the staff that you can follow.

Maybe in a week or two, you'll be able to do it yourself.

Hopefully before anything else goes wrong.

---

It's almost a week after your return when your routine is disrupted.

You're sitting next to Artemis at the long lunch-table, staring at your hand. Or, more specifically, the faint light weaving itself between your fingers. You're practicing your Healing spell, and it's not quite right. Frowning, you undo a few connections and rework them: there are subtle differences between the human healing spell and the one described in Practical Magic, and getting them mixed up can cause the whole thing to-

The bigger girl nudges your arm. "Trying to burn a hole in your own hand?" she asks playfully.

You blush: Father and Mother always told you not to play with magic during meals, but with so many other people around, it's easy to feel overlooked enough that you can get away with doing it. "Sorry," you say, letting the White magic fade away.

"Does it feel different?" another voice asks from your other side, and you start as you remember that Alejandro was your other lunch-neighbor today. This table didn't seem to have any set seats, other than Archduke Letoro always being at the center. Otherwise, everyone seemed to move around based on some strange ritual you couldn't fathom, save for the fact that the newest arriving lord or lady from the other Kingdoms always had a seat next to the Archduke on the first dinner they arrived. You always just focused on getting a seat as close to Artemis as possible.

You've had several odd conversations with some of the visitors. They never tell you exactly what they want, but they poke and prod with their words. No matter how you answer, you get the feeling that they're taking something else from the conversation, especially when you start falling back on old habits of not talking too much about your manaketeness. Artemis never really liked it, occasionally interjecting herself if you started getting overwhelmed.

Alejandro… he's okay. Artemis clearly finds him annoying, but you never get the same weird, uncomfortable feeling of being judged from him. He smiles, he jokes, he sometimes even makes you laugh. You haven't spent much time with him, more focused on other things, but you don't dislike him. Better than that Lady Tremaine you'd sat with at dinner yesterday, certainly! She'd made feel positively slimy with her leading questions about your plans and what you thought about everything, her cold eyes seemingly trying to stab into your brain and drag all your secret feelings to light.

"Yes," you say. "I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but it feels… fuzzy? I guess? It's hard to describe."

The man smiles cheekily. "Fuzzy, huh? Very fitting for you, it seems," he says with a grin. You flush a bit, but pat Artemis's arm as you hear her faintly growl.

Before you can say more, however, a throat is cleared behind you. "Artemis, Ryza, with me." Archduke Letoro says shortly. You hadn't even noticed him getting up! His eye falls on Alejandro coolly. "No testing my patience today, Rignali."

Alejandro swallows slightly. "Understood."

As you and Artemis get up, you glance at her in confusion. She frowns, but shakes her head: apparently whatever's going on isn't something she knows about. "Father?" she asks softly.

"Not here," he says, continuing down the table. You glance back at Dione worriedly. She doesn't seem upset, and indeed gives you a soothing smile.

Meanwhile, the Archduke stops by Sypha and Bernard, who are talking with another Kingdom noble. "Lady Miranda, I'm afraid I need to borrow young Lady Sypha and her escort for a moment," he says. The woman nods immediately, though Sypha looks at you and Artemis in confusion.

"Is everything alright?" she asks as she falls into step with the rest of you and you make your way out of the hall, flanked by several guards.

"I do not know," the Archduke says. "We have a guest."

Sypha's face lights up. "Mother?" she asks.

"No, I'm afraid," Archduke Letoro says. "Mistress Jenna Flarestone is here. However, she did not ask about you." His eyes turn onto you. "From what she told the guards who met her, she is here to see Ryza."

"Me?" you say. You hadn't met the woman when you were in Legerius, Sypha had told you about her, of course, but you hadn't expected to meet her this soon?

"What does she want?" Artemis asks, her eyes narrowing and her hand gripping your shoulder slightly.

"She didn't tell the guards. She simply presented herself under the flag of parley and asked to be allowed to speak with her."

You frown. "That's what Robert tried to do, right?"

Artemis growls. "Yes, that's what he tried to do," she says.

"… please don't shoot an arrow in front of her. I actually want to talk to her."

That gets a laugh out of Artemis. "I promise I will not shoot an arrow in front of her," Artemis says. "Especially since you're the one she wants to parley with. You'd be the one who would be permitted to reject the meeting with prejudice."

Sypha, meanwhile, is frowning. "Why wouldn't she ask about me…" she asks in a small voice. Bernard pats her on the shoulder. "I…"

You frown: that is kind of a mean thing to not ask about. "Let's go ask her," you say.

Archduke Letoro, however, puts out an arm to stop Sypha and Bernard just as you reach the door to the entrance courtyard. "Wait here and let Ryza speak with her first," he says. When you start to open your mouth to object, he meets your eye firmly. "Mistress Flarestone came for you. As soon as she sees Sypha, whatever she wanted to say will be forgotten. It is important that we determine why she came, and why she felt the need to come under parley. That choice tells me she thinks you will be actively aggressive, and I would know why."

A part of you wants to argue with him, but he's using the sort of tone Mother does, when she's enforcing her authority not only as Mother, but as Matriarch and the one who deals with outsiders. Not even Father could talk her down when she used that tone. "Yes, Your Highness," you say in a small voice.

Artemis frowns, but doesn't push back either. "And myself?" she asks.

"I thought it prudent to provide a united front," the Archduke says. "Besides, you have a personal stake in this, and I am not so foolish as to try and keep you from supporting your friend." Turning, he pushes the doors open. "Let's go see what Mistress Flarestone wants."

Following after Artemis and her father, you get your first look Legerius's Head Mage, standing next to a covered wagon with a white flag sticking out of the top.


It's a bit mean, maybe, but Mistress Flarestone… doesn't look all that different from anyone else. She's pretty enough, with bright, curly red hair and a face with plenty of smile lines. She's wearing a nice dress and a fancy red cloak that was probably hard to make. However, she seems like an ordinary human.

As you approach, however, you start to notice the weaves of Red magic around her. It's subtle, more so than the Black mage in Miau, but it is there. She's staring at a book in her hand, but you can tell she's not actually reading it, as she looks up the instant you and the others enter her line of sight.

"Your Highness," she says carefully, curtsying a little less deeply than others you've seen.

"Mistress Flarestone," Archduke Letoro says coolly. "Welcome to Agrithe. I must say, I was not expecting a response to my invitation just yet. Nor was I expecting a mage to be Countess Mantrae's representative."

The woman blinks. "Invitation?" she says. "I-" She takes a breath. "That must have been the pair of riders I saw not long after I left. I'm afraid I cannot speak for any request you might make of my lady."

Archduke Letoro nods slowly. "I see," he says.

Mistress Flarestone looks past him and meets your eye. "Might I presume this is Ryza?" she asks. There's an odd mixture of fear and… longing? Interest? You're not quite sure how to describe the emotions on her face. She starts to open her mouth, only to glance at the few guards that are loitering around and remain silent.

As the silence starts to become awkward, you realize that the Archduke is letting you take the lead. "Yes, I am," you say, stepping forward. "And you're Legerius's Head Mage, right?"

The woman nods, crouching down to be eye-level with you. "I am," she says. "I… hope, that you are well."

Okay, what does she want? "I am. I've made a lot of good friends here in Agrithe." You want to add that Sypha's among those friends, but as the Archduke shifts behind you, you remember he wants to figure out what's going on before that lightning bolt gets dropped.

"That's good to hear," Mistress Flarestone says, and you hope that little smile is an honest one. "I will admit, after I learned you were in Legerius, I did want to speak to you…" she grimaces. "Of course, before I could, you… left. I… do apologize, for the less-that-gracious greeting you were given…"

"I was treated fine," you say mildly. "I think Artemis needs and deserves your apology more than I do."

Mistress Flarestone pales slightly, but forces a smile. "Of course," she says, looking up at Artemis. "I… am sure more will need to be said, depending on what the message His Highness is sending to my Lady… but I apologize for your treatment." Looking back, you see Artemis's jaw clench as she nods but doesn't say a word.

Another long moment of awkward silence fills the air before you speak again. "How are Lancel and Axton and Actaeon?"

The woman lets out a breath. "They are all well," she says. "As well as can be expected, given the circumstances, but they have not and will not be harmed. That was never… something that was going to happen." She shakes her head. "But I am probably not the best person to ask; I came for a different reason."

You want to keep pushing about your friends, but after a moment you decide to let the Archduke's message sort things out: he knows Sypha's mother better than you do. "You came to speak to me," you say.

She glances around again as she nods. "It is about… your nature. I do not know how much you have said, but if you would prefer we speak privately-"

"Anything you want to say to me, you can say to Artemis," you say. As you're speaking, however, you notice the Archduke giving a few quick gestures to send the guards backing away, giving a ring of relative privacy.

"Of course," Mistress Flarestone says. Taking a deep breath, she continues. "After you… escaped, Countess Mantrae was very curious as to how exactly you'd done that. Since you and Lady Artemis were gone, and the yeomen were not speaking, the best source of answers was to look at where you came from. She tasked myself with following that trail."

You frown. "You went to my home?" you ask.

"I did," the woman says, a smile starting to cross her face. "And it was incredible! We only were able to explore part of it, and I have so many quest-" she stops, clears her throat, and softens her voice. "My apologies, I… sometimes get overexcited. I've been studying ancient draconic culture for most of my career, and-"

"Manakete."

She pauses. "What?"

"Manakete," you repeat. "That's what we're called. Manakete."

She nods slowly. "Manakete," she says, opening her book again and flipping through pages, fiddling with a wood-wrapped piece of charcoal. "How do you spell that? If you don't mind me asking?"

You start to open your mouth, only to pause. "I… actually don't know, in Common," you say. "I can tell you in Makai-"

The Archduke clears his throat.

You and Mistress Flarestone both flush. "Sorry, got distracted," she says, closing her book. "I… well, I found a lot of things, but one of them made me think that I should probably back off and come talk to you." Grimacing, she pulls a bag out of her pouch. "I… maybe shouldn't have taken this, I'm not sure if it was part of some burial ritual, but when I found it I wasn't alone, so I was worried if I left it it might not be there when I got back…" she holds the bag out to you. "And… well, I was hoping to smooth over any hard feelings…"

Confused, you take the bag and open it, glancing in.

Your eyes widen as you see a faint yellow light glinting from within.

Mistress Flarestone is still talking, but the blood is rushing through your ears so you can't hear her as you carefully, with trembling fingers, pull out the two pieces of a dragonstone.

Dragonestones are unique. Everyone's is different. As you put the two pieces together, as they fit smoothly, you know who this is… who this was…

"Opsôla…" you whisper.

Father.

This is Father's stone!


[] You dash forward and hug Mistress Flarestone. "Thank you thank you thank you…" you whimper into her shoulder. She brought a piece of your family back to you, she kept it safe, and you're so grateful…

[] Swallowing your pain, you push all the feelings and hurt into the back of your mind. You have to be strong. "Thank you," you say, tucking Father's stone into your pocket next to yours. "We… should talk elsewhere. There's a lot to be said."

[] A flare of anger weaves its way through the hurt; for all that she brought this to you, this human should not have been in your home! "What do you want?" you ask sharply. Your tolerance for niceties is exhausted.

[] Write-in

AN: For the vote, you're deciding Ryza's basic feelings. She'll always talk to Flarestone, but what form will that discussion take?