Her back crashed against the door as he pressed her against it, a cold and sharp knife on her cheek and its edge bit at her skin. "The Valentines sent me." a familiar voice.

Slowly his hands loosened around her neck and she coughed as the blade moved away from her cheek. "Bastard. Couldn't have just set up a meeting like normal people?" she stared at him and his small eyes pierced back.

"I cannot risk anyone seeing us." He held the knife close by his side, poised and ready to lunge.

"Valentine expects a report."

"I've only been here for three days, what does he expect?"

The man remained silent and her jaw tightened as realization set in, it was Vincent's right-hand man, the bastard who killed her friends. 

"They are right to suspect him, he doesn't like the royal family, doesn't like nobility."

"He is not acting alone, find out more, find something incriminating. An idea of who his allies are."

"My parents?" she mounted her sternest expression.

"Alive."

"I give information, I get to send them letters and I will receive their replies, I am not divulging otherwise."

The man shook his head slowly as his eyes stared at her.

"Please."

"You're in no position to bargain." he placed the knife on her neck as he leaned his face close.

"You bastard, I don't know anything else, not yet."

She kept her stare as her heart raced, she was pushing it.

He lifted the blade off her neck and sheathed it, "Leave a letter at the church to Father Patrick, he is an agent of ours as well, and be discreet about it."

"Discreet? And how do you suppose I do that?"

"Little bird, I am here to check up on you not teach you how to do your job." The mask hides his face though she is certain he had just smirked, "Are you so holy that you've never sinned before? A confession would be one way to do it."

He shoved her off to the side and opened the door, bastard, "Be seeing you." he walked out and closed the door behind him.

---

She woke up as sunlight cast heat on her face, everyone else had already left the room, she got up and took a shower. She could still catch breakfast before they ride for the abandoned fortress at noon.

A knocking on her door as she had done suiting up, she turned to look out her window, he would not come for me at this time. Would he?

She approached the door and placed her hand on its knob, she pulled open the door and her hands clenched as every muscle in her body tensed, it was Cassandra.

"Hey." 

A sigh of relief escaped Alice, "I thought you were going back to the capital?" 

"Change of plans, a mission had been assigned to me." Beautiful sapphire eyes watched her apathetically, "You were rather tense, someone bothering you?" 

Alice shook her head.

"Not going to invite me in?"

Alice's eyes widened as she took a step back, "Ah, come in." she turned her face away, "I am sorry I was-"

"It's fine." Cassandra entered and scanned the room, "Why are you in the Death Corps?" she turned to face her, "Tell me the truth."

Alice closed the door behind her and faced Cassandra, "I am not sure I understand."

"It's no place for you, you don't belong in the military, the Death Corps more so. Did your father put you up to this?"

Alice's jaw tightened.

"My father? Cass, do you think me a traitor?"

"I don't know, but I am a royal military police officer, you know what that means. Right?"

Alice lied her back against the door as she hung her head low, the RMP's duty is protecting the Royal family, "Whatever you may hear of my family, my father I mean, do know that I am nothing like him. Nor do I share his sentiments."

"I care about you Alice but if duty calls, I will cut you down."

"I am not sure what to say."

"Stay away from Commander Hawke, I am saying this as a friend."

"Are you stalking me?"

Cassandra smiled for the first time, at least it was the first time for her to have witnessed it, and it was a sight to behold. 

"Words spread, Alice." Cassandra took a step closer, "And that's a good thing, saved me camping on your doorstep."

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

---

She went to an empty table and placed down her food, "A rumor has been bothering me." her eyes widened at the voice, Peter sat beside her. What is it this time? "I can only wonder what a new member of the Death Corp could possibly be doing with its Commander."

"We were in a hurry to meet someone."

"Meet someone?" He tilted his head to take a better look at her, "How did you become someone so important in just three days?" she turned to stare at him. "Pardon the intrusion but, I am just worried."

"Worried about what?"

"He looks like a taller Christian, more muscled."

She rolled her eyes and resumed eating.

Arthur sat in front of them, "You two are close huh?" he took a bite from the apple in his hand and watched her with gleaming eyes, she had not realized how charming he looked before. Ethan sat beside him, also eating an apple.

"Please, I saw her naked without even feeling carnal about it."

Her cheeks burned as she smacked Peter, "What the hell?" She glared at him, "It's true."

"That was when we were children." she looked at Arthur, "Then we lived different lives, We met again in the academy."

"Lavellan, that's one of the Thirteen families, isn't it?" She turned to look behind her, it was Rowan. "You're not obliged to serve in the military, why do you?" he took a seat beside her.

"It's only fair I do."

"What about you Peter?" Arthur leaned forward, "What brings you into the military?"

"Unlike Alice, my family is obliged to serve, it's only natural I step up. My brothers wouldn't have made it." Peter smiled proudly, he was the weakest among his brothers, it was more likely that he felt the need to prove something. "What about you Arthur? Tell us your story." Peter shot back.

"We were..." Arthur turned to Ethan, "Street Urchins." Ethan did not react, "It was a hard life, I figured being soldiers wouldn't be half bad, we were on the brink of starvation when the military draft was raised." It was most likely a lie, Arthur's eyes watched past her. "Jon was a pit fighter."

"A pit fighter?" She turned to look behind her, it was Jon and Nana. "You do look the part." Nana inspected Jon before they too joined her table. It was crowded.

"Heh, my story is nothing, wait till you hear why Rowan enlisted." Jon smirked, His face riddled with scars and gashes, they were subtle as his thick facials and long hair hide them. Barely.

"To dedicate my heart for the empire, it was only right." Rowan closed his eyes in salute with a smile, "I am a patriot." Jon let loose a loud laughter.

Every one of them was not keen on sharing their stories, their real story, a bunch of liars sharing a table. A smile escaped her.

"Oh come on Rowan, changing your story in front of the girls?" Arthur raised his brows as if daring him to tell the true story.

"Nana, I mean, team leader." Rowan smiled, "What about you?"

"I dirty my hands so others don't have to, to protect my home, though I have lost it." Nana's smile withered, "It does not break my spirit though, if anything it made me stronger, I will not let anyone else feel the pain of losing their home." She placed a closed fist above her heart as her eyes closed.

"Are you...alone?" Nana turned to look at her with soft amber eyes, "I mean..." Alice turned her face away, "Are you the only survivor in your family?" her voice but a whisper.

"I am."

"It must have been hard..."

"It was, but I lived, Are you all ready for our mission?" Nana looked to everyone, they were more than ready, she could see the excitement in their eyes at the thought of it.

---

Two days had passed as they traversed the wartorn outskirts of Ivalice, the Abandoned Fortress finally within sight as it loomed larger and larger. How are we going to take it with just three teams? The sky darkened as Nana dismounted and everyone followed suit.

"Reeves, you know what to do." Nana looked to Reeves, he simply nodded and moved out with his team, they were all veteran members of the Death Corps. "Any volunteers to watch the horses?" Everyone looked to one another before placing their attention on her.

"Really?"

"No offense but." Arthur smiled.

"You got to be the worst fighter out of everyone here." Jon placed a hand on her shoulder as he nodded solemnly.

"Thank you, Jon." Alice smiled before she pulled a frown.

"Do we have to? We never needed to." Annie watched her coldly, "She's Death Corps, I never thought you'd be giving special treatments." she turned to Nana.

"Are you up for it, Alice?" Nana watched her softly.

"I am Death Corps, Aren't I?"

They sneaked towards the dimly lit fortress under the cover of darkness, it was barely guarded, Alice bumped into Jon. He turned to look at her with annoyed eyes, she tilted her head slightly to the side as she met his gaze. "How was I to know you'd stop so suddenly?" her voice but a whisper.

Jon gestured before turning back to face his front, eyes forward, that was the idea she got from his gesture.

Annie took out her longbow and aimed it at the guard watching their perimeter, "Now." Nana bolted as the guard turned his attention elsewhere, they all bolted and flattened themselves against the fortress wall, she could not see Annie from where she now stood.

"What was it?" she could hear the guard asking.

"I am not sure but be on your guard, it could be our enemies prowling in the dark."

Nana unslung the bag over her shoulder and placed it on the wall, so did everyone else, twelve bags of black powder placed in close proximity to one another.

Nana signaled and they followed her quietly, they are well away from the black powder, a fire was lit in the dark and revealed Annie. She had lit a torch. The guard fell down the wall as an arrow caught him by the neck, Annie fired another, a burning arrow this time.

Alice's ears rung as she coughed, thick black smoke suffocated the area following the explosion, "Death Corps!" Nana rallied as she dove into the thick smoke, the others close behind her.

Alice unslung her musket and aimed it above the walls, there was no one. She could hear fighting behind the smoke but could not see it, Annie ran up past her and disappeared into the smoke.

God save me. Alice braced herself as she walked through the smoke, coughs escaped her and she held her breath as they finished, she stepped out of the fog and panned her aim to a sound of steel cutting flesh.