Trying to change the Course

John returned to Nesiara's side finding Guts sleeping while Nesiara and Casca were looking over him when John says, "I killed the scouts that were spying on the situation of the camp. It should give us two days to move the camp before they notice that something is up."

"Scouts? They really want to exterminate this little group. What have you done for them wanting to exterminate you?" asks Nesiara looking at Casca.

Casca was uncomfortable answering that question when Guts slowly wakes up and asks, "Where am I?"

"You are finally awake," says Nesiara as she looked at Guts when Casca falls over him because Nesiara pushed her forward.

"*groans* You know that I am wounded Casca. I don't need you to reopen my wounds," says Guts as he thought that Casca fell over him on purpose.

"Which wounds?" asks Casca as Guts raised himself.

He looked down on himself and saw no wound inflicted on him when John says, "You haven't noticed that your wound closed while fighting and that you grew stronger and didn't feel exhausted the longer the fight went on?"

"No, I didn't," says Guts as he was surprised about it.

"The pain you feel is quite real never ignore it or you will lose yourself. It is nice to have such power but never become greedy for more power. My son learned a forbidden technique that would make him stronger but he didn't know the consequences of learning it. He lost his life in a battle using the power he obtained and dragged the enemy with him into hell," says Nesiara leaving the part of him resurrecting out to lecture Guts not to search for more power than he already have.

"That is horrible," says Casca as John nods.

"It was," says John as he looked sad.

"Anyway, we should stop talking about our son and talk about why they want to exterminate your little gang?" asks Nesiara as she looked at Casca.

"Yes, what happened after I left for the King to go after the Band of the Falcon?" asks Guts wondering what happened after he left.

"*sighs* The day you left Griffith changed. They said he entered Princess Charlotte's chamber in the night and slept with her angering the King. He was imprisoned while we were summoned to a trap," says Casca explaining everything to Guts and the others as John seemed to be looking towards the forest.

"I think that your dreams were too far over your heads. If you ask me Guts' dream is more possible than the dream you were following," says John as he looked at Casca.

"Do you mean we shouldn't have dreamed of riches and living with the nobles," says Casca angry as John nods.

"Yes, you shouldn't have gone for such a dream standing on the same stage as royalty. That was your commander's sin. If he hadn't slept with the princess he wouldn't have been imprisoned and you wouldn't have to struggle to survive now," says John laying the cards on the table.

"It was fine being a noble, but a noble and a king are two different things. If you don't believe me ask Nesiara's Ancestor. He was nobility in Thedas but never royalty," says John as he read the story of Logan in the Library.

"Well yes, Logan never reached royalty until the end of his path but he needed patience and an unbreakable will," says Nesiara looking seriously at her husband.

"What do you mean?" asks Guts as Nesiara told them the path Logan had to take to reach his throne making Casca and Guts turn pale.

"He fought against the impossible and still didn't give up even when he was about to die. The same could be said about Jack, John's Ancestor," says Nesiara as John now looked seriously at her.

"Anyway, my point is that he rushed it instead of waiting until the title landed on his lap like any other noble. Every King dies and hearing from you that this Princess slept with your leader without fighting it means she loves him. That means that after the King had died she would have married him most likely," says John pointing out the truth about the whole matter.

"We should think about fleeing from here. Maybe we should take them to Paradise until they are all healed," says Nesiara as John shakes his head.

"No," says John as he looked at the other two, "They would all die if they encounter one of the tailed beasts or my pets. You know that they love to roam around the plains. Only Ronnie can stop them and he can't leave the courtyard."

"But we could take them to Godot's place and let them sleep in the yard," says John as he left a mark near Godot's house.

"That should help them more than enough. We can heal them there and plan our next move," says Nesiara as Casca and Guts felt left out even if they are supposed to decide for the best of the group.

John walked towards Nesiara who began to mutter something in a language they didn't understand before something began to brighten up under their feet until John put his hand on her shoulder and they seemed to be pulled away forcefully from where they were.

The thing under them disappeared and Casca asks, "What was that?"

"A Teleportation Spell, it was easier than using John's method since that way we needed to go one after the other through a portal. Anyway, we should begin to heal the people," says Nesiara as she looked at John who scared Guts and Casca.

He cloned himself and suddenly ten John's were standing in front of them when John says, "It's not the fastest way but the best way since I can regrow missing limbs that way."

"Yeah, magic wouldn't help there by using mass healing since it would cripple the person," says Nesiara leaving the other couple out of the conversation again.

"Can we have a say in this?" asks Casca pitifully.

"No," say John and Nesiara as John and his clones left.

"You should talk with Guts about your feelings before we begin to plan to get your commander out of prison," whispers Nesiara into Casca's ears making Casca blush a bit as she didn't know how to start that conversation.

"Just tell him straightforward and he should know what to do. It worked with me and my husband once I told him," whispers Nesiara before leaving the tent to help John in healing the people.

After healing the people they returned to the tent finding not only Guts but four more people inside.

"Other commanders of the band?" asks Nesiara already knowing the answer to that question since Casca wouldn't have let them in if it wasn't so.

"So what now? We or better said you can't stay here for long or Godot will be in danger because of you," says John as Casca takes a map out.

"We will go and rescue Griffith," says Casca as she pointed at a city named Wyndham that lays in the kingdom of Midland.

"You are clinging too much on your leader it will be your doom," says John as the group gave him a glare but John didn't care about it.

"I'm just stating the truth here. He brought you this problem," says John as one of the people walks forward.

"If it was someone's fault it would have been Guts'. The moment he left us Griffith changed," says the man that looked like a rat to John.

"Really, if you can't stomach a friend of yours leaving your side to pursue his dream you aren't worthy to be his friend from the beginning," says John as he looked at the man who wanted to make Guts feel guilty.

"You are responsible for your own actions. Not God, not me, only you can decide what you are going to do. Your leader made the wrong thing and now he is sitting in. If you really want to help him you will become what they are saying about you," says John as he now intimidated them by using his aura.

"You will become criminals. Is that what you want to be. There will be no country that will allow criminals to live within their borders out of fear they will usurp their throne," says John making clear that there won't be a place to call home if they advance in that direction.

"John, we shouldn't meddle in their decision," says Nesiara looking at him seriously.

She read the book and knew what would happen if they succeeded in saving Griffith. It is no wonder to her that John was trying to manipulate them in not saving Griffith.

"It is their path, not ours. If they want to save their leader, they should do so. But we won't help them any further," says Nesiara as she looked at them.

She leaves the tent with John as the group began to plan their break-in to get Griffith out of prison.

John and Nesiara entered Godot's house who sees them and asks, "You are not going to help them?"

"No, they plan on becoming criminals and we won't help them in this matter. Once they need our help we will give it to them," says Nesiara as John sighs.

"You should have let me continue," says John as Nesiara shakes her head.

"It wouldn't have helped. They all see Griffith as their savior. Like Jesus Christ in your religion. You couldn't change their mind since they are as stubborn as the Christians following their faith," says Nesiara as she got into a heated conversation with her father who prayed to the Maker while her mother prays to Brimir.

They had a discussion when she was little since she wanted to know why her father wasn't praying to the same god as she and her mother only to get her father furious with her for a little moment before he apologized to her.

"Anyway, we shouldn't meddle with their history and just help them when the time comes like always," says Nesiara with a smile on her face when she sees Erica.

"In the meantime, you can smith with Godot while I teach Erica," says Nesiara leaving John's side.

"Well, you heard her. Do we go back into the smithy and make some new swords or even an armor," says John as he looked at Godot who smiled since he knew that they would produce another masterpiece with John's help.

"Of course," says Godot as they both enter the smithy.