Carol
Levi Cortez
Northwind

Levi smiled softly as the girl poked fun at him, but as he thought he realized just how tired he was. He hadn't slept since the girl collapsed in his arms. He had been by her side, listening for any sign of her breath to falter. He wasn't going to let another family member down. 

"I suppose I am tired. So, maybe you will have to keep me awake during our ride. Maybe you can tell me a few stories, and I the same." He said, before yawning again. "Though, that can wait. We have a long day ahead of us." He said, grinning. 

Levi left the young girl and entered his tent. The night's air was cool, and he stripped his armor off of his scarred body and placed it on its rack. He pulled a soft tunic over his head and doused the flames that were glowing in the hearth, before laying his head in the soft furs that had made up his resting place for the last two months. 

Levi closed his eyes as he laid down, and his mind slowly began drifting as exhaustion began catching up to him, overtaking his limbs and easing his restless thoughts. As he fell asleep, he began to toss and turn, unable to find comfort in any spot. 

*"Why did you leave me? Why now? I need you more than ever and you chose death over me. There is a small child sitting outside who needs a father, not someone like me. Not some criminal on the run from his own past. She doesn't need someone who makes their way through life leaning on other people's sacrifices. Damn you, Roryk! I've lost too many to lose more. Why do I always live? Why couldn't you have walked off of that field? Why me?!" Levi said, tears rolling down his face before dripping off of his chin and pooling on the ground. The ground he now stood on was wet, but warm. He pounded his fist into it, splashing the murky substance all over his arms.*

*As he spoke aloud, two figures appeared. Roryk's friendly face smiled at him, before a soft hand lifted Levi's face up. Two piercing blue eyes gazed at him, and a soft hand wiped his tears off of his face. "We never left you. When the wind cools you after a long day, or when the sun guides your path, we are there. I have been there, Levi. I promise you. I loved you. I love you still." The woman said, placing her hands on his shoulders and kneeling to be at his level. 

"I will never leave you. Roryk will never leave you. We will always remain by your side, helping you guide your daughter. We will keep her safe. But we need you there. You cannot help her from here. You are alive because someone out there needs you, and right now that's that little girl." She said, placing her forehead against his. "It's not time for us to be together yet. But even if I'm not with you, know that I am still beside you."*

"And so am I, brother. Do not fear death, but do not embrace it as I have. As Aleqar has already said, it is not your time yet. I cannot allow you to give up, not yet." Roryk said, walking over and kneeling beside him. Levi couldn't keep himself up any longer. He fell into Aleqar's soft embrace, and closed his eyes.* 

"I love you too."

*Another presence became apparent to Levi as he broke down into Aleqar's arms. The feeling that someone was staring at him grew stronger, and it wasn't long before it felt as if they were boring a hole straight into his very being. He leaned backwards out of her soft embrace, trying to force back the tears that flowed freely down his face. 

"Pitiful. Just pitiful. I thought better of you, Leviticus. The man who had the power to strike me down cannot even take care of a young child. How... Pitiful." The man said, stepping forward and making himself known to Levi.*

*The imposing figure of Tharn Skorn walked forward, but Levi didn't feel malice or contempt coming from him. In fact, Tharn seemed content, almost happy. Levi looked up at him, and the man held out an hand to pick Levi up.

"I need you, Levi. Someone must take control of my brothers; those left alive need someone to guide them. They are built for fighting, not slaving away in some camp. And the only way you can take control of them is if you are strong, unyielding, and unafraid of them. I need you Levi. And that little girl, she needs you. So stop skulking and take your place as both a father and a leader before I come back and finish the job that I started." Tharn said, picking Levi up and steadying him. 

"You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. There aren't many men out there who can take a beating and get up every time, still eager to fight. Call it stupid, call it crazy, but I call it bravery. It takes strength to keep fighting, even as your life is fading. So use that courage, that strength we know you have inside of you, and become the man we all need you to be."

Roryk smiled, and walked over to the pair. Aleqar stood, and all three of the figures began to look over into the distance. Levi's eyes widened as he saw the last figure that began to approach them. 

"My dear Eradius." The voice said softly, and slender arms reached forward and embraced his neck. A single tear began to roll down Levi's cheek as he reeled in shock from the embrace.*

*"Flowers. Warm skies. Lavender.. No.. Something else. The same smells as the day I lost you." Levi said , resting his head on her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around his mother, and all of his barriers began to melt away. He wept softly, and she caressed his back, softly consoling him. 

"She is beautiful, strong. I'm glad to call her my granddaughter. Please tell her to carry my name strongly, and know that I love her. But, my dear Levi, I love you as well. The others may have already told you how strong you are, but I know even more. I've raised you. It's time for you to be the man I raised you to be. I love you so much." Levi couldn't focus on her words. It had been years since his mother held him, and now her fingers ran through his hair as if that time had never passed. 


As he rested, everything around him began to fade. It was like smoke drifting in the wind, but he didn't mind. This was his chance at a goodbye.*

"Oi, he's awake." Frederick laughed as he shook Levi awake. "It's time for you to be headed off. You said you wanted up at dawn, and it's past that. Not by much, but you need a good start if you want to make it as far as you want to." The man said, laughing. Levi yawned as the wolf pup came bounding into his tent, jumping up onto his chest and licking his face. Levi sputtered, trying to push the young wolf away, but failed and gave up. He scratched the wolf behind the ears and laughed, before rolling out of the furs. He moved about the tent, gathering up his essentials before strapping his armor against his chest tightly. He pulled his hood over his head and walked outside.

"Oh! Levi! Those things you wanted for your daughter is ready!" Frincilla yelled out, walking over and placing a bundle of clothes in his arms. He smiled softly and asked for Loralie to be led to his tent. He walked back and placed the clothes on his bed before sitting on the small chest in front of it. He thought about his dream for a moment, pulling the hood off from his head, before looking up at the young girl who had just entered. 

"Hello. Did you sleep well?" He asked, rubbing his own eyes.
Jill
—The Final Part—

Paladins of the White Rose
A village on the western border of Northwind

Paladin Esquire walked slowly along the ranks of young people in the yard.  At his side was the Scribe, Fendris.  A young man, still freshly shaven from his morning routine.  The pair held stoic faces as they watched the teenagers follow the archery drills of the day.  Fendris made marks on a piece of parchment, but that was the only alteration to their uniform path.

"Knock!  Draw!  Loose!"  The call was repeated every few seconds by an elevated member of the village's fighting guards.  He wasn't quite a Paladin, but the squad stationed here listened to his advice when it came to training regimes.

"Almina shows improvement every day."  Fendris observed, marking on his paper.

"Hm."  Esquire replied, not giving any idea to the inner thoughts he had.

"Loose!"  Another volley of arrows struck home.  The majority of arrows hit the target near the center, but one child missed completely.

"Hold a moment!"  Esquire called out, raising his hand to the Sergeant to side.

"Cease fire!"  Called the officer, and the children lowered their bows.

"Mr. Anderson, would you mind telling me why you missed the target entirely?"  Paladin Esquire walked behind the boy, clasping his hands behind his back.  The child stiffened at the sound of his name, snapping to some sort of attention you'd expect from someone with minimal training.

"Sir, I didn't miss the target I was aiming for, Sir!"  The response caused Esquire to raise an eyebrow.

"You were instructed to fire at the target before you."

"Sir, I was also instructed to improve my aim as best I could, Sir!"

"Then by all means, Anderson.  Show me how exactly you're improving your aim."  Esquire chuckled, fully expecting the Cadet's excuse to fall through once they reached his arrow.

"Sir, Yes, Sir!"  Anderson began briskly walking out into the field past the targeting range.  Scribe Fendris gave a quizzical look, but Esquire didn't see it.

The pair walked over 30 yards past the line of targets.  As they got close, the Paladin could spy the arrow's fletching, but Anderson knew where it landed long before they reached it.  When the child pulled the shaft from the ground, there was a small creature on the end, a grey squirrel.

"You saw that from the yard?"  Esquire was impressed at the boy's eyesight.  Anderson nodded in reply, holding his kill proudly.

"Could you make that shot again?"  He pursued.

"I think so, Sir." The boy shrugged.

Esquire looked around the field they were in, seeking a target.  However his eyes landed on a bird in the sky.  It had black feathers, but it was the size of an eagle.

"See that bird?  A raven.  Take it out and I'll advance you to the next class without any further tests."  Anderson's eyes brightened at the thought of less studies, and he nodded confidently.  The lad took his stance, drew his arrow, and waited.

Esquire wanted to mention that the bird was getting away, but thought better of it, he would only ruin his concentration.  The bird was flying West, getting further and further away.  It was just about to escape the pair's sight, when the *Thrum* Of the bowstring rang out.  The Paladin watched the arrow arc into the sky, until he lost sight of it.  He waited, following the path with his eyes.  The black shape of the Raven seemed to twitch, before plummeting to the ground at terminal velocity.

Esquire put a gloved hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Well done."  He said, "Let's go see your kill."

Anderson was proud, but he knew better than to show such arrogance around Paladin Esquire, who would destroy that confidence and attribute it to nothing but his training.

The pair walked for quite some time in silence, only looking at the shaft of brown and black feathers that stuck out from the ground.  When they drew close, Esquire spied something on the bird's leg.

"Hold here, boy."  He instructed, patting the child's shoulder.

Esquire took a few more steps, and knelt down next to the body.  The object he spied was a scroll carrier, an important one.  He didn't show the symbol to the child behind him, stuffing the parchment into a fold beneath his breastplate.

"Well done, Anderson, return to the barracks, you'll be getting an extra helping of rations this evening."

"Did I pass the test, sir?" Anderson asked, to which Esquire laughed.

"With flying colors, my boy, literally."  He held the Raven aloft with his left hand.  "You'll be in the advanced class by tomorrow morning!"

—

Later the same evening, Paladin Esquire approached the garrison within the village.  The treaty the Paladins had written with the villages of Northwind they held Dominion over, was one of protection.  You could find these garrisons all over the northern border, however they weren't miniature fortresses that you might expect, in fact most were nothing more than two rooms and four beds set aside for the White Rose to live in.  Esquire entered the first room to find Ostiary Vindark, a large man, fat off of his position, in the middle of prayer.  The figure knelt before an altar adorned with candles and a cloth that looked like it was woven out of silver and pearl.  The cloth held the symbol of a white rose in bloom, layers of petals flowing out in perfect symmetry.  The rest of the altar was a simple box of stone, once used for sacrifice until the Order declared the washing of your hands in the blood of sacrifices a sin, now only the *Quipeccatum* Practiced sacrifices.  After his prayer was finished, the Ostiary rose from his kneeling position, and looked up as Esquire entered, with a raised eyebrow.

"You are scheduled to return at sundown for the evening meal."

"I have urgent news.  News that warrants breaking our schedule."  Esquire produced the scroll, laying it before his superior on the desk.  Ostiary Vindark plucked the parchment from the table and looked it over, his eyes growing wide at the message within.

"We have to alert the Grand Crusader, right away."

"Agreed, I shall prepare the resources for an expedition into foreign borders."

Vindark nodded grimly, pondering the multiple outcomes this letter brought.

"I hope Taemar welcomes us with something other than arrows."  He muttered, folding the parchment in his hands.

***TO BE CONTINUED IN TAEMAR***
Katherine
Loralie Douze
Northwind

"Sweet girl, you father wants you!" Frincilla called over as she passed where Loralie was crouched on the ground. The girl was playing with Gabriel, using a stick to trail along the dirt as he batted it with his small, sharp claws. Everyone else was packing their things, but Loralie didn't have anything to her name except Gabriel and the bow and dagger that Levi had given her.

*'Father.'* The term was so foreign to Loralie. Would she ever be able to call him that? "Oh! Yes, okay." She tossed the stick over into the grass, then clicked her tongue as she held out her arm expectantly. Gabriel squeaked and flapped his wings, then landed on her arm before walking across to sit at her shoulder.

She entered Levi's tent and saw that he was sitting on a chest. She started to speak before Gabriel gave her a playful nip on the ear. "Hey!" She frowned at her griff, who had the audacity to give her earlobe another light nip. He seemed to not like being the center of attention. Loralie gave him a disapproving scowl and covered her ear with her hand before turning back to Levi with a sheepish smile. "Oh, um, I slept very well, thank you."