C15: The Old Team (P3)

"Now! Now... Everyone... Greet the newcomers as Owl did. They are your last teammates."

Winry kept hiding behind her big sister. She kept clinging on to her back like she had seen a monster.

Elijah looked around to see the faces of her new team members. All of them looked quite friendly, so she smiled at them.

"Hmmm...." a mysterious voice came through. All the teammates gazed at the tall cupboard near the wall.

Elijah's gaze went to the cupboard too. A boy with long red hair was sitting on top of the cupboard. He was just sitting there in the utter darkness, silently.

He slowly raised his head and his eyes glowed with a bright crimson. Snap! He snapped his fingers to make a fire on the top of his finger, erasing the darkness around him.

He was a fair and handsome boy with long red hair. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and some black trousers.

"Welcome to the squad, Rayworth sisters." He jumped down from the top of the cupboard and approached Elijah. She was slightly sweating when the boy walked up to her, but she managed to stay calm.

"Thank you..." she said, nervously.

"Hi, Elijah, if I'm correct. I'm Rox Ridger, nice to meet you..." he extended his hand to greet Elijah.

-

"Elijah! Winry is here!"

Elijah instantly opened her eyes. She was daydreaming about the moment she first met the Shadow Phoenix, or the moment she met Owl and Roxy...

Such a wonderful day it was, but she wished to share this wonderful journey with Roxy... But, now they had priorities. The first day they started it, they promised each other one thing.

"No matter how many times we fall, we'll get back up... As long as we're together, Argoth is not enough to defeat us!"

"Elijah! Are you okay?" Riza asked her once more.

"Oh yeah yeah... Where is that brat? I've been waiting so long!" She came back to her senses and pulled the horse back into place, putting her gaze upon Winry.

Aether and Winry were standing there with Alan in cuffs. Aether took a horse for him and there was only one more horse left.

"Huh... Winry, are you going to take him?" Elijah asked from the little sister who had a tight grip on the chain. She didn't want her sister to hurt Alan anymore.

"Yes, sister! I will..." she said, shy as ever.

"Ok then... Don't let him get away though." Elijah turned the horse around and glanced at the distance. Large trees covered the land far to the West.

Winry turned to her old teammates and waved them hi. It has been so long after she had met them and she had grown slightly shy towards them.

All the squads of the Woodland Foxes in Hysteria were sent in different directions so they won't be easily caught. All of them decided to head out at different times so no one would notice the strange behavior.

'So this is the squad I have to stick with, huh?' Alan asked himself, taking a seat behind Winry on the horse. For now, Winry was the only person he could put his trust on... But soon enough, he could place his trust in some others; if he managed to gain it.

All of them were at the stable near the exit of the village of Hysteria. The kings and queens did not intend to put many guards on villages because they believed that many rebels were from the great cities. Besides, Hysteria was only popular for late nights spent on inns.

Even Alan was regretting thinking that. However, it's the reason he could easily slip out of the village without any unnecessary commotion.

The four horses started to ride West, where their vast journey lied. The team banded together once more, but they did have many doubts about things because they haven't seen each other in years.

Many things to talk about and many memories to enjoy on nights beside a campfire.

However, the members had one question unanswered. Who was the guy behind Winry? Why was he in cuffs?

"Elijah, who's the guy in cuffs?" Luke asked Captain Leaf. He had quite a suspicion about him. He didn't know whether he could trust him or not.

"Oh... He's the one who ratted out the castle of Telor. He's a quiet guy who needed to tag along. Don't worry... He won't be..." Elijah paused and closed her eyes, wishing not to lie to her brothers and sisters again.

...won't be any trouble."

-

-

The sun was about to set once more in Hysteria. The children in the streets, running back home and disappearing from the roads.

One farmer sat at the steps of his large house, waiting for the sun to set completely, puffing out rings of smoke.

Suddenly, he heard an unusual sound of hooves. Those hooves came alongside a clinking sound of fine metal. A ray of reflected light fell through a window upon the face of a lonely wife who had been waiting for her husband since the day he had ridden North.

The woman covered her eyes and slowly took a peek below.

Two men in shining silver armor were sitting on the saddle of a royal horse. Just by looking at them, anyone would know where they were from.

"Sir, the bar that old man told us about. It's this one." The knight with the silver helmet spoke. However, the other knight did not have his helmet.

He had golden hair and a half-grown beard of a man who had restless nights.

"Miles and miles we traveled for this very mission... We cannot go back now." The man ordered the knight. 'Not now... We can't disappoint General Richer.'

The sun was almost out and the streets became empty. The two knights placed their horses on the stable and welcomed themselves into the inn.

"How may I help you, gentlemen?" As witty as ever, the old man Endier grinned at his new customers. The shining armors took the attention of the men inside and everyone started to whisper about these two.

"Knights from Telor... Never have I seen such a man with fine hairstyle..." some young maidens gossiped.

"Bloody hell! It is true... Those two are really from the castle of Telor!"

"The capital?! What do the Kings' men have to do with Hysteria?"

The handsome young man with golden hair pushed back a chair in front of the old Endier and made himself comfortable.

"Old man... Can you tell me who rode out of this village, in this very day?" The man with golden hair asked him.

The whole inn filled with utter silence.

"Some youngsters seeking the peak of their levels, to help protect this village," Endier spoke with pride, serving them a jug of water.

Then, he placed the two jugs on the table and the fully armored knight swept the jug away with his hand. "No need, thank you very much."

"Very well... Is that all of your questions, my lads?"

The blonde-haired knight narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on the table, showing him a letter with beautiful handwriting. It read;

"Dear Gordon,

If the common folk try anything funny, you have the right to kill them. Find the head of the Woodland Foxes, Captain Leaf....

General R. RICHER,"

Old man Ender's expression did not change. "Who may that be? I do not know of any woman called Captain Leaf."

Thump! Suddenly, the man placed a bag of coins on Endier's table. Endier's eyes darted to the bag of coins and mended to it. Endier sighed and placed his hand on the bag of coins.

"Captain Leaf... Is Elijah Rayworth."

The man's smile turned into a grin, as old man Endier placed the bag of coins down on his drawer. But little did the man know, that he was sitting on a hanger between the hideout.

Endier flipped the silver coin in his drawer and they disappeared.

-

Sir Gordon lifted his head to thank the old man, but he could only see a wooden wall in front. "What?"

"Sir! Run —" a spear ran through the heart of the knight who was standing beside him. Gordon pushed back the chair and instantly summoned his blade to his hands...

But it was already too late. A long sword had run through his chest right at that moment.

-

Endier finished writing the letter with the feather and rolled it to hang on the bird. Then, raising his mug he declared;

"To Captain Leaf and the Woodland Foxes!"

All together the crowd repeated his words, hitting cheers with their beers.

The owl flew out of the house, carrying the little letter tied to its tiny legs.

It flew out of the window and into the night skies. But two red eyes were glaring at it from the house next to the inn... One man, with the mask resembling a crow's face.

"Hmm... Endier, goodbye. And Captain Leaf... I'm coming for you." The man spoke, raising his hand and signaling the mages who were on the roofs of either side of the inn.

That night, a large explosion took place and the inn was destroyed, alongside Endier and the fellow Foxes.

Author's Note;

[A Lonely Phoenix Arc ends here]

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