Gambling Winnings And Chapter 13

I was asked to make a post about some stories within the Casino grounds so I thought I'd share. I have many so I'll do my best to pick the better ones.
Some back information: I've been a Casino Dealer for 11 years, I've been a supervisor for five years, and I've been a Surveillance Operator for one year. I've worked at three properties, none of which are connected or owned by the same company. I've worked on : Government/Private/Native American owned casinos.

From Hero to Zero.

At my first Casino, I was one of the first group of people who were trained to deal Roulette . After 4 weeks of working 6PM-3AM then doing roulette training from 3AM-8AM (Not paid) , I actually really enjoyed the game and after about six months I became extremely quick at the number game and the pace of the action was steady with very low margin of errors. Young man walks in, cashes in for $500. He buys in for $2 chips and just loads the board. After a few spins and pretty decent hits, he then changes his chips from $2 to 5$ then to $10 and racks his winnings up to $10,000. It was then, five spins in a row, he loaded the board with some pretty gross bets, and every spin I would hit the ONE number with either NO CHIPS on it, or maybe 1 chip , He lost all $10,000 in a matter of minutes. He leaves , and I go on break. After my break I was going back to the same table and wouldn't you know it, the same young man walks in and cashes in another $500. He tells me he just sold his car outside and this is all that he had left. So we do the same deal, buys in for $2 chips, then slowly starts betting $5 chips, $10, $25...and he makes $10,000 AGAIN. Within the next 25 minutes it was straight agony. Every spin, same thing, he would bet $2500 in chips, and win only $250, $400, and after about a half hour he lost it all . Never saw the guy again.
2) Man down
At this property, we are 24 hours for table games. It's currently 5AM , and I'm dealing some $25 Blackjack to this guy. He's probably early thirties , heavy guy. He's sober as can be, but right away I can tell he's been losing. We know how much you've bought in for, how much your down, or up, and I could see he was down $2000+. After about twenty minutes of pure losing, his temper starts to flare.At this point I now have two other guests at my table. Drinking coffee, not saying a word, just losing their money. After losing hand, after hand, this guy looks me straight in the eye, seized up, starts shaking, he can't move. He tries to punch towards me and smashes his stack of chips all over the place and falls backwards to the floor. I call for security, we cannot touch him due to liability . I can't move from my table because, well, liability / casino cash property, all I can do is try to talk to him. As I'm doing so, these other two woman who are sitting at my table just look at me and one says "OK, dealer, cmon lets go " as she taps the table telling me to start dealing and forget about the guy having a stroke on the floor. As security takes him to the ambulance out front, I had to stay behind for a couple minutes and give a statement. I go on break. I come back, and 45 minutes later, he comes right back in with a oxygen tank and keeps gambling for the remainder of the morning.
3) You get a dildo, and YOU get a dildo!
On a late summer Saturday night, we had a large event for these massive muscle guys/strongman competition type thing. After their show, I'm at the roulette table , and five of these boys come over to play. They were absolutely hilarious. They were feeling pretty good, cashed in somewhat large amounts and I could tell this was going to be a fun time. After about a hour of dealing to these guys, it's almost midnight, everybody is pretty hammered , I spin the ball, and all five of these guys take out these god damn (what I can only tell was) two feet purple dildos from inside their pants, and wiping them around in the air. The ladies were just loving it, one of the dildos landed in the roulette wheel and we had to shut the table down to re-calibrate the wheel to make sure nothing had been changed. I just remember that night was so much damn fun, I couldn't believe what I was seeing and I would never forget it.
4) Full Moon
On this day, I was actually training dealers / supervising them on small games like Three Card poker. We opened the table at 10AM, and this older man came and sat down . He played all day. The jackpot was $21,000 and that was pretty high for this table. He played, and played and played. He's one of the players where you know he's wearing a diaper because he's been drinking coffee/pop all day and hasn't moved in eight hours. As the day went on, this man never moved from his chair. Getting closer to midnight, he was aggravated and said "I need to go have a smoke, I'm getting killed in here". He left, and the very next hand, the lady beside him was dealt the jackpot . He didn't say much, but you could just tell he just hated life at that very moment because had he not gotten up, it would of been his hand. The man calmly took his cane , his hat, jacket, coffee, and left. The next morning I found out when he did leave he drove his car straight through his bank and was arrested.
5) Slick Robber
I actually give props to people who can actually pull this off. This story may confuse you so I'll try and explain things as best as possible. A lot of casinos have machines as soon as you walk through the front doors. A man walks up to one of these machines and sticks in HIS $100 bill. He doesn't gamble it, instead he hits the cash out button and gets a $100 TITO ticket where he then takes the ticket to the ATM machine to get his $100. Now remember, his Original $100 is in the slot machine. He then takes the $100 from the ATM and goes back to the same machine, and repeats this process over a hundred times. Essentially he's taking money from the ATM, and loading up the Slot Machine . Now he knows he can't do it too much because if the slot machine gets full of money, the machine will shut down and the slow attendant will have to take all the cash out. So he deposits over $10,000 , then has a small crowbar, he cracks the machine open and makes a run out the front door. To my knowledge he was never caught . But damn, that was pretty smart .
EDIT:
6) Mental Health is a thing.
10PM man walks in to play some high limit BlackJack. This guy knows the game and played well. Dressed nice, drank juice/tea , a little bit of a attitude, cashed in over $10,000. When this man was half way down his buy in, he said something a long the lines of "If I don't win here tonight, I'm going to go set myself on fire." I wasn't sure if he was serious because when people are down, they tend to say a lot of nonsense. I actually left early that night, and from a third party was told he did exactly that in the parking lot. The next day it was clear something terrible had gone wrong in the parking lot .
EDIT:
7) Nothing good happens after midnight
After a busy Saturday night, I was dealing a mix of games, and during this story I was in the middle of Blackjack. I had one young kid (probably 19) sitting in the middle, one older male probably in his later 40's sitting beside him on his right, and I had a really nice couple in their 20's sitting together at the other side. This young kid wasn't playing just sort of watching, and ever time the old man won he would give this young guy some of his winnings. The older man, was a wine drinker, and he had black between all of his teeth, I'll never forget. He's a little drunk but nothing terrible. As the night goes on, the older man goes and uses the washroom, at which point the couple asked the young guy "Oh was that your dad?" and the young guy says "Hah, no I wish!". The couple and I just looked at each other. This old guy, was in complete control over this kid. Absolutely disgusting. The night ends, and I find out the couple called a few of their friends, and they all waited outside by this old mans truck and beat the living hell out of him. 40 years old, sleeping with a 19 year old, completely brain washed . Very weird.
8) That one co-worker where you just wish they would quit.
One of our co-workers, nice guy but had a very big ego and we as employees just sorta left him alone. One day he had enough of the atmosphere and quit. Now usually when you quit, you cannot come back until you paperwork is finalized. How ever, HR was in that day, and he was given the paperwork the very next day. He came in, cashed in $1000, and made $50,000 in about a hour at the Baccarat table. My manager, was extremely annoyed, because now this guy is just mocking the casino and having the time of his life (Thanks for the big tip by the way :) ) and so he decides to call it quits. He wants to ban himself and he wants $50,000 in cash. The casino says Nope, we are going to give you a cheque. Now here's the thing, most business people will take the cheque, how ever you CANT CASH the cheque until the following monday because it's on that day where the funds are available. The casino on the other hand will cash their own check in anytime , because they want you to play. So this guy pretty much said go to hell I want my cash, and he called the police. Police show up, and management promptly gave him the cash.I though it was absolutely hilarious .

9) No good deed goes un punished
I was dealing Three Card Poker, and the jackpot was around $17,000. This old man (a regular) was sitting there all day grinding it out. Super nice guy, always a pleasure to deal to. Well, after hours of playing, he stands up and says "Hey john!, can you come here for a minute?" so his buddy John comes over. He says to John "I need to go take a piss real quick, can you play my card until I get back?" John agrees . John takes the chips and I stop him and explain he can't play his friends chips, he needs to cash in and play his own. And he does. Welp, second hand out and bam, doesn't he win it. The old man comes back and is so happy, he can't believe it. John, took his $17,000, didn't say a word to his "buddy" and walked away. I never felt so much hatred in all my life. Didn't give him a dollar, not a thank you, nothing. The old man sits back down again, the progressive resets to $2500, and he sat there grinding away again.
10) The Top Knot
I had this player , young guy, who was born into a fortune. One of his relatives passed away and left him a pretty big sizable amount of money, so he played poker every single day for the rest of his days. I will add, he IS a good player. I did not enjoy his company just because of the "Know-it-All" attitude, but he was good. We'll call him John. John is 5'10, and well build, with muscle. John also decided today was the day to show off his Top Knot. (google top knot if you're not sure what I mean) So he sits down, and he's absolutely KILLING the table. Every hand, after hand, after hand. And because he's in such a good mood, he's playing any two cards, calling any $500 bet, and he's just dominating. This one guy at the table decided he had enough. He got up, without saying a word and left. A moment later, he comes back in, walks behind John, and takes a pair of scissors , and cuts off his Top Knot. I for one couldn't believe it, dying laughing inside, and it just turned into one big brawl. That was a good day.
11) That one bad seed
One of my best friends who I haven't seen in YEARS ended up being part of the crew. Was kind of nice to catch up. We never really got along as we grew up because he has a very high picture of himself . He wanted that 10/10 woman. A mansion, and a new Corvette. So every month or so we would all go up to the other casino to play. I myself would bring no more than $500, but I couldn't understand how this guy (we'll call him Kyle) was spending THOUSANDS of dollars at the tables. So this wen on for a few months. Well, one day, as we're closing the casino, he and I are in the High Limit room and we're getting ready to close the tables. We are told to take the chips out, count them, put them back, sign this piece of paper and that's it. Well as the supervisor was locking the tray, the piece of paper fell to the floor, so she asked Kyle to grab the piece of paper. As he bends over, a great big $500 chip falls right out of his sock. Kyle was fired immediately , but it all made sense. They offered Kyle a deal where if he replaced all the stolen chips they would not make it public. Not sure how that turned out.
12) If I ever decide to write a book, this will be the last chapter: <3
After working at my first Casino for five years, I met a Indian woman who was visiting from another part of the country. During this time I was explaining a game to her, which honestly I don't think she even cared. She explained she was visiting and sight seeing , and that was that.Well, two years later I ended up moving to the other side of the country and transferred casinos, and low and behold she worked there as a Dealer. We got married , and it's been 5 years.
13) The Tip
One of our tables that we've had for a couple years had a progressive jackpot that had reached $100,000. The dealer at the table was sitting pretty lonely. Nobody really played the game because people knew it was extremely difficult to win the jackpot. My memory is a tad foggy, but you somehow needed to flop the royal flush. This young guy sits down and says to the dealer, we'll call him John. "John, if you pay me that jackpot, I will tip you $10,000" Well John started dealing, and about a half hour into his shift, he F*cking did it. He dealt him the royal. And you know something?This young lad, kept his word, and he made sure there was a audience, and he tipped exactly $10,000. That was a moment right there. That pay cheque was real nice. I think we all got about $500 more than usual. The moment that jackpot was awarded they got rid of the table because the money it was making was not near what the casino wanted. I'm sure there have been bigger tips at other casinos, but that was something special .
14) The Lawsuit
Now this story I'm going to have to beat around the bush a bit due to the nature of what happened. I can't won't answer any questions that you may have on this topic other than what I have to say because it had a lot of publicity . The waitresses at this casino had to wear very thin sexy clothes. Not borderline legal, but it was noticed. One day they called all the waitresses to come in and explained they were changing their outfit to something even more sexier. Now these new dresses were very very borderline legal . The staff said No way. We're not wearing that.So , friday night comes, and the staff work their whole shift, then at the end of their shift were called into a meeting and were all fired. Welp, one of those ladies father was a pretty big time lawyer. Brough the casino to court and won. They won big. Good for them. We had no waitresses for a couple days haha.
Thanks for reading along, I have many more I can add as the day goes on, those were just some off the top of my head. Feel free to ask any questions of the Casino industry. I don't really have many stories about the surveillance department because that's the one area where I can't really say a whole lot due to its privacy and contracts I was and still am under.

[Repost] XP Breakdown for the EP1 ACT3 Battlepass

Question About Gambling Losses

[A Fractured Song] - Book 2 Chapter 19 (83) - Fantasy, Isekai (Portal Fantasy), Adventure

Cover Art!
Story Summary: After years of beatings and neglect from her parents, 13-year old Frances was summoned with her entire class to the fantastical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the "Demon King." If she succeeds, she might have the home she never had. But if she can't overcome the trauma and self-loathing inflicted on her by her abusive parents, Frances will die, and be summoned back to the home she escaped, on the day that she left.
Teaser: The conspiracy thickens, but the good guys are catching on!
[The Beginning] [<=Book 2 Chapter 18 (82)] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Book 2 Chapter 20 (84)=>]
Index of Windwhistler Family Members
Fractured Song Discord Server so you can ask me questions and just hang with other fans. We have a meme channel. It has memes of the serial. I am also planning to post art later :)
The excuse that Basil Voidsailor made when he needed to meet with James Seaskimmer in private, was that he was visiting one of Erlenberg’s Houses of Light. In Erisdale and other places on the continent of Ravorna, they were called “Recreation Halls,” or “Courts of Satisfaction.”
His stuffy older brother Oliver would sigh and wave him off. Basil’s wife, Li would shrug and go back to her gossiping and needlework. She also kept her own lover on the side. It was better for them both that way. They did care for each other, and she knew of his plans, but they’d both also known for some time that neither of them were each other’s type.
Ravorna’s pleasure houses weren’t simply for activities in the bedchambers, though. In Erlenberg, they were more a combination of lavish restaurant, gambling den, dance hall and duelling hall. You start with a nice dinner before going for a dance, perhaps meeting someone interesting who you might ask to join the night. Or you could roll a few balls into the spinning circle and try your luck, before getting frustrated and asking for a sword, or magic duel to resolve a dispute, or just to work out that frustration.
The Houses of Satisfaction were essentially a one-stop for all your recreational needs, but in Basil’s case, he was more interested in how they could also serve as a discrete meeting place.
After all, there was nothing like having a discussion in plain sight where everybody was too drunk, or interested in each other, to actually overhear you.
James Seaskimmer, the patriarch of the Seaskimmer family, stood up and shook Basil’s hand before they both sat down. “You’re early.”
“Considering things I’m a little more nervous than usual,” grunted Basil. “Did you know the Windstorms and Windwhistlers were working together?”
The human-orc’s gaze wandered for an instant, before he met Basil’s eyes. “From what I heard, this wasn’t actually the case. Rachel and Eleanor only joined forces recently. It was that new grandchild of Eleanor’s, Frances, as well as Rachel’s son, Robert, that seemed to have picked up a lead. They were the ones who foiled our attempt. We can only be glad that those saboteurs didn’t know who their employer was.” James crossed his arms. “Where is Aiva, if that is her name.”
“If there is one thing I expect her to be, is on time,” said Basil, smirking slightly.
A waitress in a corset that left very little to the imagination bent down and set a pair of glasses on the table.
“Compliments of the lady of room thirteen,” she said.
James and Basil exchanged a look, downed the glasses and left to find room thirteen.
‘Aiva’ if that was her name arrested James and Basil’s attention the moment they entered the room, more because the rather voluptuous half-orc, half-troll woman was wearing… nothing much.
“Shut the door boys. We have business,” said Aiva, her voice husky, words rolling off the tongue.
“Put something on, Aiva,” James said, arching an eyebrow as Basil shut the door.
“What. Like what you see?” she asked.
“Aiva, we don’t have time to play games,” Basil hissed.
“Oh? We don’t have time for games? Oh so that’s how you see this. You think exposing Alavaria’s involvement for all to see, failing to assassinate the Windwhistlers, and forcing them to unite with their mortal enemies as a more productive use of your time?”
Basil swallowed, whilst James stiffened almost imperceptibly as Aiva stood up and stalked to the males. Only to reach right between them and take her cloak hanging on the doorhook, and putting it on with a swirl.
“But that’s fine. That’s fiiine.” She sat down on the bed and crossed her legs, letting her bare legs show. “You’ll be glad to know the deal is still on, but we have changed the terms slightly.”
“How?” James asked, in a low, dangerous tone.
“Oh the Seaskimmers will still be given pre-eminence once we conquer Erlenberg and you’ll be protected from any… stupidly loyal family members. You Basil, your immediate family is still going to be spared and we’ll do our best to protect Erlenberg’s public institutions. We like the cut of the Great Library too.” Aiva pointed her perfectly manicured fingernail at the two. “But given your inability to uphold your end of things, we have a task for you.”
Jeffrey and Basil glanced at one another before nodding. When they heard the task however, their eyes widened in shock.
Aiva meanwhile, shrugged at their expressions, her almost fox-like red tail wagging, slowly.
“It’s not that hard. The final match of the tournament will provide you enough cover.And either way, provided you don’t do something stupid, we’ll get you out if something bad happens.”
“You and what army?” Basil asked, but his eyes were already narrowed in thought. “We can manage this, but it can go wrong.”
“As you know, I am a woman of many, many skills and talents,” she said, smiling almost nostalgically. “Don’t worry your pretty little heads.”
“Understood. We’ll update you with the details. Same dead drop?” James asked.
“Aw, but don’t you want to stay longer? Enjoy my company?” Aiva leaned forward and spread her cloak aside slightly, but Basil was already turning on his heels and was out of the room.
James on the other hand, sighed and gave a slow nod. “Always a pleasure, Aiva. If that is your real name.”
“It is real enough for my purposes. And not even you too, James?”
The half-orc’s lips thinned as he seemed to give Aiva a considering glance.
“Not today, Aiva. Thank you.” With that he left.
As James exited, he found Basil waiting for him, frowning. “Did you seriously consider it?”
“Yes, she is a beautiful woman and very talented. But I declined for the same reason you did I believe,” said James coolly. The pair continued to walk down back toward the bar of the restaurant.
“Because she’s crazy. Good, but crazy,” said Basil.
James arched an eyebrow. “While I see why you think that, and I do think she’s eccentric, she’s not mad, or unstable.”
“Why not then? I mean you… we certainly enjoyed ourselves last time?” said Basil.
The half-orc stopped walking and stared at Basil, “Did you not realize she could have killed you that night? She’s all muscle. That and she’s a mage. The Kingdom of Alavari don’t just send anybody to do their espionage work.”
“Oh.” Basil shivered. “Do you think we can pull it off?” he asked, switching topics.
James nodded. “Yes, but we’ll have to be careful.”
City Council Chambers…
Eleanor leaned back in her seat in the Erlenberg’s City Council chamber and took a deep breath. The chamber was made up of circles of chairs that slowly expanded and were set higher, kind of like a smaller colosseum. As the Windwhistlers had one of the permanent seats in the city council, her seat was in the front two rows, where the permanent seats were.
She was actually seated directly across from Rachel Windstorm because they’d previously gotten into too many shouting matches before. Now, though, they were ironically on the same side.
Oddly enough there was less arguing and hawing than usual as the City Council proceeded down their agenda. Then again, given all the proposals were security-related and a reaction to the sabotage attempts on the stadium that wasn’t surprising.
The Military Expansion bill that Oscar had been worried about passed unanimously once Eleanor threw her weight behind it. Indeed, the Erlenberg had only seven permanent seats out of the total of fifteen, five of them occupied by the founding families, one of them by the Windwhistlers and a sixth by the Lovestrike family. However, since those families that were elected to the non-permanent seats could only hold office for two years, and needed to take a five year gap before they could hold office again, they relied on those that held onto the permanent seats to follow through with legislation.
Oscar, the current Chairperson of the City Council, stood up. “Alright, with the agenda items over, are there any other proposals that we want to make before we end the session?”
Eleanor glanced at Rachel. Now that she thought about it, the Windstorm troll was actually distantly related to her. Rachel, having caught Eleanor’s glance, nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Eleanor a deep breath raised her hand.
“Eleanor, what would you like to propose?”
I can’t believe I’m doing this. Eleanor sighed and set herself against the table. “I and representative Rachel Windstorm motion to discuss the topic of the Winter Tournament and whether we should delay or cancel it.”
In the small chamber, the astonished gasps, and other various reactions of the other council members were far too audible.
“Wait, Eleanor, why are you proposing this?” Oscar asked.
“She and I are proposing this. As to why, I think the reason is rather obvious,” said Rachel, grimacing, though that seemed more at the wide-eyed stares of the other representatives.
“The sabotages, a conspiracy we still haven’t found the root to, how all the roots seem to lead back to the Kingdom of Alavaria who have shown they intend to go to war with us…” Eleanor smirked. “It seems like a bad idea.”
“Eleanor Windwhistler, you’re saying that on the year you have a good chance to win the Winter Tournament, you are entertaining the idea of cancelling it?” James Seaskimmer asked in an incredulous tone.
“Yes. Now are we discussing this or not?” Eleanor asked.
The half-goblin patriarch coughed officiously and drew himself as tall as he could manage (he was standing on a special chair). “Chair seconds the motion. Since you have both so clearly laid out your points, who would like to offer a dissenting opinion?”
“I would,” said James Seaskimmer, standing up. “The Winter Tournament has never been cancelled in Erlenberg history and is a founding institution that brings our city together. Cancelling it sends a rather disturbing message.”
House Pacha’s representative, Julian nodded. “There are also economical considerations. The tournament makes a huge amount of money for our merchants and citizens. Cancelling it is without cost.”
“Given the situation however, I agree with Councillor Windwhistler. It’s not a matter of if Alavaria will attack, it’s a question of when. It’s even possible they’ll attack the next campaigning season after winter,” explained House Antoine.
“So can we afford to cancel the tournament now? As leaders of the city we need to make sure the city is behind us,” House Lovestrike’s representative noted.
The discussion continued to wind on and while Eleanor and Rachel both tried to sway it to their side, they didn’t quite have the majority. A significant group of their fellow councillors, more than both women had expected actually, thought the tournament should be cancelled.
But when Oscar Voidsailor and James Seaskimmer both thought that the tournament should go on, there was not much one could do to change the path of the discussion. Eleanor and her unwilling ally both left the meeting quite disgruntled.
“I still can’t believe for once, we are actually agreeing on something,” Rachel hissed.
“That so-called plebeian food is good?” Eleanor asked. The pair had simply gotten sandwiches at a local vendor. Rachel had sniffed at hers for a moment, then had taken a bite and started scarfing it down.
“That and the meeting. Seas and Sand, if there’s no convincing the council, what are we going to do?”
Eleanor sighed, “We’ll think of something.” And she promptly shivered as she realized she was comforting her long-held archnemesis.
Rachel swallowed her bite of sandwich and coughed. “You know all too well that my father was an dick. He was a dick to us too. I do not mean to excuse our behavior, especially since you deserved some of it—”
“What are you trying to say, Rachel?” Eleanor hissed, glaring at the Windstorm house head.
“That maybe we should dig a hole and chuck the rotting pile of crap between our families away. Start anew,” snapped Rachel.
Eleanor blinked and stared at the Windstorm woman. The… Windstorm woman she was distantly related to. They didn’t share the same eye color, but Rachel didn’t look too dissimilar from Eleanor’s own daughters.
“Aye. I’d like that,” Eleanor said, quietly.
They both looked away from one another, quietly eating their food. Too many years of bad blood keeping the conversation from blooming further, but it was a start.
“Eleanor, Rachel, can I have a word in private?” asked a familiar voice.
Eleanor and Rachel turned to find a grumpy-looking Oscar Voidsailor approaching them, leaning on his cane.
“This is going to be interesting,” said Eleanor.
“Alright, what is your deal? Working with the Windstorms, cancelling the Winter Tournament? You’ve wanted the Winter Tournament for years and now you want to cancel when you have a shot of winning?” The half-goblin looked rather cross and somewhat more threatening, well, as threatening as someone his size could look. He barely reached Eleanor’s chest.
“Oscar, I don’t bullshit like the other councillors. I’ve already stated why,” said Eleanor.
“Really.”
Eleanor winced slightly. “Look, I’m not going to put my grandchildren up on a chopping block when it’s not safe. Frances—and Ayax for that matter, have already suffered enough.”
Oscar blinked, hard and turned to Rachel. “And you actually are working with Eleanor? She didn’t blackmail you or anything?”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but no,” said Rachel. “Can we just get to the reason why you need to talk to us?”
The half-goblin smiled ruefully. “Well I was asking first to check if you two were pulling my leg. If you weren’t, I wanted to let you know about why I wanted to keep the tournament running.”
“Hold on, you’re saying you agreed with us?” Eleanor demanded.
“Not entirely. I agree with why you want to end the tournament, but keeping it running outweighs the costs.” Oscar took a deep breath. “And my reason is that I suspect we have a traitor on the City Council. I think you and Rachel suspect the same thing. Thus, it’s in our best interest to keep the tournament running and lure the traitor out.”
“By using my grandchildren, and the entire Winter Tournament as bait?” Eleanor asked in a deeply unamused tone.
Rachel nodded. “I somehow agree with Eleanor. This is a terrible idea. The final match will draw the most crowds. This won’t be able to resist attempting to sabotage it.”
“As bad as going into war with an influential traitor in our midst?” Oscar countered.
Eleanor grimaced. “Okay no, but I cannot agree with you about the tournament.”
“That’s fine, I don’t expect you to. I encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing though, you’re turning up results,” said Oscar.
Eleanor paced across the sitting room, cane tapping on the floor as she did so. Her husband watched her, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
Edana walked in, Frances and Ayax trailing her. The White Order mage lead with, “So I heard you couldn’t cancel the tournament?”
“We couldn’t convince Oscar Voidsailor. He wants to use the Tournament as bait to lure out whomever is working with the Kingdom of Alavaria. It’s… utterly ruthless reasoning and while I agree with it to an extent, it’s far too dangerous,” Eleanor hissed.
“Is there anything we can do to force him to reconsider?” Edana asked.
Eleanor didn’t meet Edana’s face, and she didn’t say anything. She just stood, quietly, looking at the ground.
“Mom, why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this idea, and why do I also suspect this involves Frances?” Edana asked, narrowing her eyes.
“It involves Frances and Ayax actually, and I don’t like it myself, but I can’t think of any other options.” Eleanor faced her nieces. “Just… hear me out first. All the matches including the final, have been scheduled. Frances and Ayax are now semi-finalists, with Frances facing Ophelia Voidsailor and Ayax facing Valeria Lovestrike.”
Frances realized what her Grandmother was going for instantly, but stayed quiet, keeping her thoughts to herself. She also caught a wide-eyed glance from Ayax.
“If Frances and Ayax win their matches, you can forfeit the final, which is what the conspiracy will be targeting, it’ll completely throw them off, and it’ll be out of Oscar’s hands then,” said Eleanor.
Edana stared at her mother. “They’ll be a riot. I mean, the Windwhistlers would have clearly won the tournament, but you’d be depriving the city of the final match.”
“Better than some explosion or assassination attempt that will take out something important,” Eleanor pointed out.
“Frances, Ayax, what do you think?” Edana asked.
Ayax swallowed and crossed her arms. “We don’t really have an option. I’m in.”
“I agree,” said Frances. She couldn’t bring herself to smile. She could tell her mother did not like this idea, but at the same time, the facts were clear. “You said it yourself, the tournament is unlikely to be sabotaged unless at the final match. This is our only chance.”
Edana sighed. “Alright.” She pursed her lips. “You might need to use your brigandine’s secret function. It was a really good idea on your part, but I think we have kept it in hiding for long enough.”
Smiling, Frances nodded, even as Eleanor and Ayax glanced at them curiously.
A few days later…
Near the docks of Erlenberg, Eileen, Edana’s older sister led a curious Martin and Elizabeth to a stone and wood building almost tucked away from street view.
“Our interrogations and investigation revealed the saboteur stored the gunpowder here. Unfortunately it’s deserted, but we are combing it for clues,” Eileen explained.
“And you want us to have a look?” Elizabeth asked.
Eileen smiled, “Well, you three, four if you include Ayax, have earned a certain degree of latitude given that you saved my mother’s life. You seem both smart, intelligent and possibly might bring a perspective we haven’t seen. That and Frances trusts you with her life.”
Alexander, Ayax’s father, and one of the leaders of the Windwhistler’s security forces chuckled, “She also said that ‘Elizabeth has amazing instincts. She just gets what’s wrong or what to do next,’ and that ‘Martin knows and can put together things faster than anybody I’ve ever met.’ Judging from what Ayax told me about the night at the stadium, I’m inclined to agree.”
Martin and Elizabeth both found themselves somewhat speechless at that and slightly red in the face. Frances had complimented them on this before, but it was rather flattering to hear that others agreed with her.
“And… what did Ayax say?” Elizabeth asked, hesitantly. She swallowed, immediately regretting what she asked. It didn’t seem appropriate, but she was curious.
“‘They were damn good,’” Alexander snorted as Martin and Elizabeth chuckled, and followed him into the warehouse.
The warehouse itself was simple. Two floors, the upper spaced far above, with a hole through the centre that allowed for a hoist to lower goods through. The floors themselves looked made of hardwood, with stone pillars holding them up. There were some other stacked boxes and goods in the warehouse, though, in the dim light, Martin and Elizabeth couldn’t quite make them out.
“Who owned the warehouse?” Martin asked.
“That’s the confusing part. Nobody technically does because the warehouse was on sale, and the seller has mysteriously gone on a long business trip to Roranoak on the other side of the continent and conveniently out of contact. That being said, this is the warehouse the City Watch and our own interrogators have revealed,” Eileen explained.
“You… you didn’t torture them, did you?” Elizabeth asked.
“Of course not. We did however point out that they’re facing conspiracy charges and possibly execution and anything they can tell us would make sure that they’d not face that,” Eileen said.
Elizabeth breathed out a sigh of relief and sniffed the air. Pacing over the wooden flooring, she knelt down. “Well the gunpowder was definitely here. I can smell it, and I can see some powder.” She sniffed again. “I also smell something else…” Getting up, the Otherworlder skipped over to the side of the warehouse and carefully began to inspect a few barrels off to the side.
“We can have them opened, Elizabeth, we have a warrant that exonerates us from damage.”
“Oh don’t worry. I got this.” Elizabeth pulled out her warhammer and with a violent wrench, she used the pick-axe end to pry open the barrel. The group peered into the barrel and frowns began to appear.
“Salted bar mackerel. Oh boy, yeah I can smell it now,” muttered Alexander.
“Why store bar mackerel along with your gunpowder?” Martin mused.
“Bar Mackerel is unique to Erlenberg waters and the city controls how much we can fish, sell and harvest tightly so that everybody doesn’t lose out. Whoever was using this warehouse was using it to store some other illegal goods,” Eileen explained.
“What are in the other crates then?” Martin asked.
The other boxes, bags, and crates all had a few other contraband. As they continued to examine the warehouse, Martin listed them out.
“So, aside from the bar mackerel, there is Alavari ice-spice mined from the Kingdom of Alavari’s mountains, Alavari sourflowers, Lapanterian cotton, fine-grain and Erisdalian luxury woods. Quite a range of contraband,” said Martin, one hand stroking his chin.
“Sourflowers?” Elizabeth asked.
“Very valuable magical ingredient for potions that’s native to Alavaria due to climate,” explained Eileen.
“Speaking of contraband, why is cotton from Lapanteria contraband?” Alexander asked.
“Probably because whoever was using this warehouse was selling the cotton to Alavaria,” said Elizabeth. She lifted a piece of the luxury woods, and blinked, “Huh, this is Lassa wood. My mentor Igraine taught me about this. It’s lightweight and easy to carve, but durable, used for smoking pipes and cases.” The Otherworlder frowned and quickly ran over to the other contraband, muttering to herself, and leaving Eileen, Alexander and Martin playing catch up.
“Is your friend alright?” Eileen asked.
“Yes. She’s realized something,” said Martin. Elizabeth was grabbing bits of the contraband material and using an empty crate as a table, she laid them all out.
“Right, sorry about that. But is it just me, or are all of these goods on the light side?” she hefted each corresponding piece of contraband. “Light wood, light cotton, light flowers, the heaviest is the mackerel and that’s dried out so it’s still quite light.”
“But that isn’t unusual. Most smugglers would want to run lighter cargo,” said Alexander.
“Not true, at least not with regards to cargo transported by sea, Alexander,” said Eileen. “There are a lot more valuable contraband one can smuggle to Alavaria. Weapons for one are super-heavily valued right now, as is armor. It… narrows the list of suspects down, a bit.”
Martin pursed his lips. “Well, let’s assume it’s a member of a major house that’s working with the conspirators. We know that someone wants to change the status quo in their house’s favor. Who has a trading fleet that is best suited to transport such contraband?”
Eileen winced. “Well that’d be our fleet. We use the fastest ships in Ravorna and have the best clippers, and the best barques. Yes, we do have a few fluyts, but no, if we really did want to transport contraband our ships would be the best for it.”
“Anybody else?” Elizabeth asked.
Eileen frowned. “The Seaskimmers… but that’s not a given. We modeled our strategy after theirs but with a few tweaks to create demand rather than simply service existing demand.”
“Well, all of this cargo can be purchased legally, right? They just can’t be sold between the Alavari and Human Kingdoms right?” Martin pointed out.
“No, because they’d undercut Erlenberg’s producers,” noted Alexander.
Martin’s eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. “So, where do the Seaskimmers trade?”
Eileen’s eyes widened. “Erisdale city, main export hub of Lehrbeck luxury woods. Cottonfort, the main hub for exporting Lapanteria cotton, Erlenberg for the bar mackerel, and Gweneth, Alavari’s main port for exporting sourflower and ice-spice.”
“They’re not the only company that trades there, though,” Alexander said.
Eileen shook her head. “No, but they have a route that runs precisely along those hubs that we, and many others, don’t service because they have that route nailed down anyway. It’s not definitive evidence, but it’s definitely far too coincidental.”
Alexander arched his eyebrows and grinned at the smiling Martin and Elizabeth. “Damn, you did good.”
Author's Note: I wish you happy holidays and a Merry Christmas! Stay safe and have fun if you can, responsibly... :P What are you having for Christmas dinner? I'm having the usual turkey.

Complete Timeline of Legends Novels and Short Stories

25,793 BBY
“Eruption” (Star Wars Insider #141)
Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void
“The Adventures of Lanoree Brock, Je’daii Ranger” [takes place between Chapters 2 and 3 of Into the Void]

5,000 BBY
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Skyborn” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)

4,985 BBY
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Paragon” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)

4,975 BBY
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Savior” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)

3,963 BBY
“Labor Pains”
“Interference”

3,964–3,963 BBY
“The Secret Journal of Doctor Demagol”

3,960 BBY
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Purgatory” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)

3,960–3,959 BBY
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Sentinel” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)

3,954–3,900 BBY
The Old Republic: Revan

3,667 BBY
“The Old Republic: The Third Lesson” (Star Wars Insider #124)

3,660 BBY
“The Old Republic: Smuggler’s Vanguard”

c. 3,655 BBY
“The Final Trial”

3,653 BBY
The Old Republic: Deceived

3,645 BBY
Red Harvest

3,643 BBY
The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
“The Price of Power”

3,643–3,637 BBY
“The Sixth Line” Part 1
“The Sixth Line” Part 2

3,641 BBY
“The Last Battle of Colonel Jace Malcom” (Star Wars Insider #137)

3,640 BBY
The Old Republic: Annihilation

3,638 BBY
“Surface Details”
“Wanted: Dead and Dismantled”
“Remnants”
“Bedtime on Concordia”
“One Night in the Dealer’s Den”
“Regrets”
“Vacation”

3,637 BBY
“Brothers”

3,631 BBY
“A Mother’s Hope”

3,630 BBY
“Trading Scars”
“Chasing Copero”

3,000 BBY
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Pantheon” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Secrets” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)

2,975 BBY
“Lost Tribe of the Sith: Pandemonium” (Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories)

1,032 BBY
“Knight Errant: Influx”
Knight Errant

1,006–1,000 BBY
Darth Bane: Path of Destruction

1,000 BBY
“Darkness Shared” (Star Wars Gamer #5)
“Bane of the Sith” (Star Wars Gamer #3)

1,000–990 BBY
Darth Bane: Rule of Two

980 BBY
Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil

67 BBY
“The Tenebrous Way” (Star Wars Insider #130)

44 BBY
Jedi Apprentice #1: The Rising Force
Jedi Apprentice #2: The Dark Rival
Jedi Apprentice #3: The Hidden Past
Jedi Apprentice #4: The Mark of the Crown
Jedi Apprentice #5: The Defenders of the Dead
Jedi Apprentice #6: The Uncertain Path
Jedi Apprentice #7: The Captive Temple
Jedi Apprentice #8: The Day of Reckoning
Jedi Apprentice #9: The Fight for Truth
Jedi Apprentice #10: The Shattered Peace

43 BBY
Jedi Apprentice #11: The Deadly Hunter
Jedi Apprentice #12: The Evil Experiment
Jedi Apprentice #13: The Dangerous Rescue

41 BBY
Jedi Apprentice #14: The Ties That Bind
Jedi Apprentice #15: The Death of Hope
Jedi Apprentice #16: The Call to Vengeance

40 BBY
Jedi Apprentice #17: The Only Witness
Jedi Apprentice #18: The Threat Within

39 BBY
“Restraint” (Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter 2011 edition)

36 BBY
“The Monster” (Star Wars Gamer #2)
“The Syrox Redemption” (Star Wars Insider #146)

33 BBY
“Darth Maul: Saboteur” (Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter paperback edition)
“The Starfighter Trap” (Star Wars Gamer #1)
Maul: Lockdown

32 BBY
Cloak of Deception
Episode I Adventures #1: The Search for the Lost Jedi
Episode I Adventures #2: The Bartokk Assassins
Episode I Adventures #3: The Fury of Darth Maul
Episode I Adventures #4: Jedi Emergency
Episode I Adventures #5: The Ghostling Children
Episode I Adventures #6: The Hunt for Anakin Skywalker
Episode I Adventures #7: Capture Arawynne
Episode I Adventures #8: Trouble on Tatooine
Episode I Adventures #9: Rescue in the Core
Episode I Adventures #10: Festival of Warriors
Episode I Adventures #11: Pirates from Beyond the Sea
Episode I Adventures #12: The Bongo Rally
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
“End Game” (The Phantom Menace 2012 edition)
Episode I Journal: Anakin Skywalker
Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala
Episode I Journal: Darth Maul

67–32 BBY
Darth Plagueis

32 BBY
“Deep Spoilers” (Star Wars Gamer #4)

44–29 BBY
Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: Deceptions

29 BBY
Rogue Planet

39–29 BBY
Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: The Followers

28 BBY
Jedi Quest: Path to Truth

27 BBY
Jedi Quest #1: Way of the Apprentice
Outbound Flight
Jedi Quest #2: The Trail of the Jedi
Jedi Quest #3: The Dangerous Games

25 BBY
Jedi Quest #4: The Master of Disguise
Jedi Quest #5: The School of Fear
Jedi Quest #6: The Shadow Trap
Jedi Quest #7: The Moment of Truth

24 BBY
Jedi Quest #8: The Changing of the Guard
Jedi Quest #9: The False Peace
“Reputation” (Star Wars Insider #136)

23 BBY
Jedi Quest #10: The Final Showdown
Adventures #1: Hunt the Sun Runner
Adventures #2: The Cavern of Screaming Skulls
Adventures #3: The Hostage Princess
Adventures #4: Jango Fett vs. the Razor Eaters
Adventures #5: The Shape Shifter Strikes
Adventures #6: Warlords of Balmorra

22 BBY
The Approaching Storm
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
“Precipice”
Boba Fett #1: The Fight to Survive
“Death in the Catacombs” (Star Wars Insider #79)
“Elusion Illusion” (Star Wars Insider #66)
Boba Fett #2: Crossfire
Republic Commando: Hard Contact
“Omega Squad: Targets” (Star Wars Insider #81)
“Storm Fleet Warnings”
“Duel”
Shatterpoint
“Equipment”

89–22 BBY
Legacy of the Jedi

22 BBY
“Hero of Cartao, Episode I: Hero’s Call” (Star Wars Insider #68)
“Hero of Cartao, Episode II: Hero’s Rise” (Star Wars Insider #69)
“Hero of Cartao, Episode III: Hero’s End” (Star Wars Insider #70)
The Cestus Deception
“The Hive” (The Cestus Deception paperback edition)
“Changing Seasons, Part I: Guardian of the People” (Star Wars Insider #76)
“Changing Seasons, Part II: People of the Guardian” (Star Wars Insider #77)

39–22 BBY
Secrets of the Jedi

22 BBY
SkyeWalkers
Jedi Trial
The Clone Wars
The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: Tethan Battle Adventure
The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: The Way of the Jedi
“The Clone Wars: Out Foxed”
The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: Crisis on Coruscant
The Clone Wars: Secret Missions #1: Breakout Squad
The Clone Wars: Secret Missions #2: Curse of the Black Hole Pirates
The Clone Wars: Secret Missions #3: Duel at Shattered Rock
The Clone Wars: Secret Missions #4: Guardians of the Chiss Key
The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: The Lost Legion
The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: Dooku's Secret Army
The Clone Wars: Wild Space
“The Pengalan Tradeoff” (Star Wars Insider #65)
“League of Spies” (Star Wars Insider #73)
The Clone Wars: No Prisoners

22–21 BBY
The Clone Wars: Grievous Attacks!

21 BBY
“Hondo Ohnaka’s Not-So-Big Score” (Star Wars Insider #144)
Boba Fett #3: Maze of Deception
Boba Fett #4: Hunted
Republic Commando: Triple Zero
The Clone Wars: Bounty Hunter: Boba Fett
Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth
Clone Wars Gambit: Siege

22–21 BBY
The Clone Wars: Defenders of the Republic

21 BBY
“Odds” (Star Wars Insider #87)
Republic Commando: True Colors
The Wrath of Darth Maul
“Speaking Silently” (Star Wars Insider #139)

20 BBY
The Clone Wars: Warriors of the Deep
MedStar I: Battle Surgeons
“MedStar: Intermezzo” (Star Wars Insider #83)
MedStar II: Jedi Healer

19 BBY
The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy
Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
Boba Fett #5: A New Threat
Boba Fett #6: Pursuit
Labyrinth of Evil
Revenge of the Sith
Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel
“Hammer” (Star Wars Insider #147)
“Lone Wolf: A Tale of Obi-Wan and Luke”
“Incognito” (Star Wars Insider #143)
Kenobi
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
“Pax Empirica—The Wookiee Annihilation” (Galactic Battlegrounds: Prima's Official Strategy Guide)
Imperial Commando: 501st
“Mist Encounter” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #7)
“The Last One Standing” (Legacy of the Jedi/Secrets of the Jedi paperback omnibus)
Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
“In His Image” (Vader: The Ultimate Guide)

18 BBY
The Last of the Jedi #1: The Desperate Mission
The Last of the Jedi #2: Dark Warning
“Ghosts of the Sith” (Star Wars Insider #88)
The Last of the Jedi #3: Underworld
The Last of the Jedi #4: Death on Naboo
Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows
The Last of the Jedi #5: A Tangled Web
The Last of the Jedi #6: Return of the Dark Side
The Last of the Jedi #7: Secret Weapon
The Last of the Jedi #8: Against the Empire
The Last of the Jedi #9: Master of Deception
The Last of the Jedi #10: Reckoning
Coruscant Nights III: Patterns of Force
“Two-Edged Sword” (Star Wars Insider #85)
The Last Jedi

17 BBY
“The Guns of Kelrodo-Ai” (Star Wars Insider #132)

10 BBY
“Dark Vendetta” (Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #8)
The Paradise Snare

6 BBY
“Turning Point” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #5)

5 BBY
“The Final Exit” (Tales from the Empire)

5–4 BBY
The Hutt Gambit

4 BBY
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu

3 BBY
“Passages” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #7)
“Out of the Cradle” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #2)
Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon
“The Lost City of Tatooine” (Archaeology’s Dig July 1999)
“Interlude at Darkknell” (Tales from the New Republic)

3–2 BBY
Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka
The Force Unleashed

2 BBY
“When the Domino Falls” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #3)
“Rebel Bass” (Star Wars Gamer #6)

2–1 BBY
Han Solo at Stars’ End
Han Solo’s Revenge
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy

1 BBY
“Tinian on Trial” (Tales from the Empire)
Death Troopers
“Death Troopers: Recovered Messages from Purge”
The Force Unleashed II
“Constant Spirit” (Star Wars Insider #145)
Adventures in Hyperspace #1: Fire Ring Race
Adventures in Hyperspace #2: Shinbone Showdown
Adventures in Hyperspace #3: The Big Switch

0 BBY
X-Wing: The Farlander Papers
“And Leebo Makes Three” (Star Wars Insider #128)
Shadow Games
Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire
Lost Jedi Adventure Game Books #1: Jedi Dawn

2–0 BBY
Rebel Dawn

0 BBY
“Ringers” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #6)
“Maze Run” (Star Wars Insider #131)
“The Adventures of Dannen Lifehold: Breaking Free” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #1)
“Wanderer of Worlds” (Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #9)
A New Hope [original title: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker]
Journal: The Fight for Justice
Journal: Captive to Evil

3–0 BBY
Death Star

0 BBY
“Imperial Troop Transporter” Story Booklet
“Cantina Communications” (Star Wars Official Poster Monthly #16)
“We Don’t Do Weddings: The Band’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)

4–0 BBY
“A Hunter’s Fate: Greedo’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)

0 BBY
“Hammertong: The Tale of the ‘Tonnika Sisters’“ (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Play It Again, Figrin D’an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“The Sand Tender: The Hammerhead’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Be Still My Heart: The Bartender’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Nightlily: The Lovers’ Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Empire Blues: The Devaronian’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Swap Meet: The Jawa’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Trade Wins: The Ranat’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Soup’s On: The Piper Smoker’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“At the Crossroads: The Spacer’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Drawing the Maps of Peace: The Moisture Farmer’s Tale” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“Spare Parts” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #11)
“The Adventures of Dannen Lifehold: Changing the Odds” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #3)
“A Certain Point of View” (Tales from the Empire)

0 ABY
Missions #1: Assault on Yavin
“Priority: X” (Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #12)
Missions #2: Escape from Thyferra
Missions #3: Attack on Delrakkin
Missions #4: Destroy the Liquidator
“Droid Trouble” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #3)
“The Occupation of Rhamalai” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #13)
“To Fight Another Day” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #6)
“Sandbound on Tatooine” (Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #10)
Rebel Force #1: Target
Rebel Force #2: Hostage
Science Adventures #1: Emergency in Escape Pod Four
Science Adventures #2: Journey Across Planet X
Rebel Force #3: Renegade
Scoundrel’s Luck
Missions #17: Darth Vader’s Return
Missions #18: Rogue Squadron to the Rescue
“Heist” (Star Wars Insider #138)
“Winner Lose All” (Scoundrels paperback edition)
Scoundrels
Jedi’s Honor
Rebel Force #4: Firefight
Rebel Force #5: Trapped
Allegiance
Rebel Force #6: Uprising
“The Most Dangerous Foe” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #15)
“Doctor Death: The Tale of Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
“The Great Herdship Heist” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #15)
“Fair Prey” (Star Wars Gamer #1)
Galaxy of Fear #1: Eaten Alive
Galaxy of Fear #2: City of the Dead
Galaxy of Fear #3: Planet Plague
Galaxy of Fear #4: The Nightmare Machine
Missions #9: Revolt of the Battle Droids
Missions #10: Showdown in Mos Eisley
Missions #11: Bounty Hunters vs. Battle Droids
Missions #12: The Vactooine Disaster
Missions #19: Bounty on Bonadan
Missions #20: Total Destruction
Missions #5: The Hunt for Han Solo
Missions #6: The Search for Grubba the Hutt
Missions #7: Ithorian Invasion
Missions #8: Togorian Trap
“Only Droids Serve the Maker” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #10)
“A Bitter Winter” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #5)
Galaxy of Fear #5: Ghost of the Jedi
Galaxy of Fear #6: Army of Terror
“Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd” (Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club)
Galaxy of Fear #7: The Brain Spiders
Galaxy of Fear #8: The Swarm
Choices of One
Galaxy of Fear #9: Spore
“Silver and Scarlet” (Star Wars Insider #148)
Empire and Rebellion: Honor Among Thieves
Galaxy of Fear #10: The Doomsday Ship
Galaxy of Fear #11: Clones
“Uhl Eharl Khoehng” (Tales from the New Republic)

1 ABY
“Finder’s Fee” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #6)
“Lumrunners” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #9)
“The Breath of Gelgelar” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #14)
Galaxy of Fear #12: The Hunger
“Pearls in the Sand” (Star Wars Insider #74)
Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine
“Lando Calrissian: Idiot’s Array”
Imperial Double-Cross

2 ABY
Missions #13: Prisoner of the Nikto Pirates
Missions #14: Showdown in Mos Eisley
Missions #15: Bounty Hunters vs. Battle Droids
Missions #16: The Vactooine Disaster
Lost Jedi Adventure Game Books #2: The Bounty Hunter
Splinter of the Mind’s Eye
“Crimson Bounty” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #14)
“Combat Moon” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #9)
“Do No Harm” (Tales from the Empire)
“The Capture of Imperial Hazard” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #10)
“Idol Intentions” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #12)
Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge
“The Last Hand” (Tales from the New Republic)
“Small Favors” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #12)
TIE Fighter: The Stele Chronicles
“Side Trip” (Tales from the Empire)
“Command Decision” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #11)
“Laughter After Dark” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #15)
“The Draw” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #15)

3 ABY
“Chief Chirpa Kidnapped!” (Ewoks Annual)
“Return of the Great One!” (Ewoks Annual)
“The Ice Princess!” (Ewoks Annual)
“Double Cross on Ord Mantell” (Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #5)
The Empire Strikes Back
“Hunting the Hunters” (Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #6)
“The Prize Pelt: The Tale of Bossk” (Tales of the Bounty Hunters)
“Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM” (Tales of the Bounty Hunters)
“The Emperor’s Trophy” (Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #11)
“Slaying Dragons” (Tales from the Empire)
“The Longest Fall” (Tales from the New Republic)
“Firepower” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #8)
“Desperate Measures” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #10)
“Vader Adrift” (Star Wars Insider Special Edition 2012)

3–4 ABY
Shadows of the Empire

4 ABY
“That’s Entertainment: The Tale of Salacious Crumb” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
Return of the Jedi
Journal: Hero for Hire

0–4 ABY
“A Boy and His Monster: The Rancor Keeper’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)

4 ABY
“Taster’s Choice: The Tale of Jabba’s Chef” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“A Time to Mourn, a Time to Dance: Oola’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“Let Us Prey: The Whipid’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“Sleight of Hand: The Tale of Mara Jade” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“And Then There Were Some: The Gamorrean Guard’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“Old Friends: Ephant Mon’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“Goatgrass: The Tale of Ree-Yees” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)

0–4 ABY
“And the Band Played On: The Band’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)

4 ABY
“Of the Day’s Annoyances: Bib Fortuna’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“The Great God Quay: The Tale of Barada and the Weequays” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)

1–4 ABY
“A Bad Feeling: The Tale of EV-9D9” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)

4 ABY
“A Free Quarren in the Palace: Tessek’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“Tongue-tied: Bubo’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“Out of the Closet: The Assassin’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“Shaara and the Sarlacc: The Skiff Guard’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)

4–5 ABY
“A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)

4 ABY
“Skin Deep: The Fat Dancer’s Tale” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)
“Epilogue: Whatever Became Of…?” (Tales from Jabba’s Palace)

3–4 ABY
“Payback: The Tale of Dengar” (Tales of the Bounty Hunters)

c. 15 BBY – 4 ABY
“Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88” (Tales of the Bounty Hunters)

4 ABY
“One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid” (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader

0–4 ABY
The Mandalorian Armor
Slave Ship
Hard Merchandise

4 ABY
The Truce at Bakura
A New Hope: The Life of Luke Skywalker
“A Credit for Your Thoughts” (Star Wars Gamer #2)
“Escape from Balis-Baurgh” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #1)
“Day of the Sepulchral Night” (Tales from the New Republic)
“Gathering Shadows” (Tales from the New Republic)
“Handoff” (Star Wars Gamer #10)
“Lumiya: Dark Star of the Empire” (Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #3)
“One of a Kind” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #5)
“Easy Credits” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #9)

5 ABY
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
Star Wars #1: The Glove of Darth Vader
Star Wars #2: The Lost City of the Jedi
Star Wars #3: Zorba the Hutt’s Revenge
Star Wars #4: Mission from Mount Yoda
Star Wars #5: Queen of the Empire
Star Wars #6: Prophets of the Dark Side
Dark Forces: Rebel Agent
Dark Forces: Jedi Knight
“Buyer’s Market” (Star Wars Insider #126)

6 ABY
“The Battle of Cadinth” (Star Wars Gamer #2)
“Fists of Ion”
“Deader Than a Triton Moon”
“Missed Chance” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #7)
“A Glimmer of Hope” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #1)
“Whispers in the Dark” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #2)
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron

7 ABY
X-Wing: Wedge’s Gamble
X-Wing: The Krytos Trap
X-Wing: The Bacta War
“Conflict of Interest” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #13)
“Chessa’s Doom” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #1)
“Big Quince” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #2)
“Explosive Developments” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #3)
“Starter’s Tale” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #4)
“Vengeance Strike” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #5)
“Kella Rand, Reporting…” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #6)
X-Wing: Wraith Squadron
X-Wing: Iron Fist
X-Wing: Solo Command

8 ABY
“The Saga Begins” (The DarkStryder Campaign)
“The Saga Nears Its End” (Endgame)
“First Contact” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #1)
“Crisis of Faith” (Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition)
“Crossroads”
The Courtship of Princess Leia
“Hutt and Seek” (Tales from the New Republic)
“Corphelion Interlude”
“A Forest Apart” (Tatooine Ghost paperback edition)
Tatooine Ghost
“The Trouble with Squibs” (Star Wars Insider #67)
“Mission to Zila” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #3)
“Shadows of Darkness” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #4)

9 ABY
Heir to the Empire
The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command
X-Wing: Isard’s Revenge
“Rendezvous with Destiny” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #6)
“Blaze of Glory” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #8)
“Betrayal by Knight” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #12)

10 ABY
“Retreat from Coruscant” (Tales from the Empire)
“No Disintegrations, Please” (Tales from the New Republic)

11 ABY
“Emanations of Darkness”
Jedi Search
“Firestorm” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #15)
Dark Apprentice
Champions of the Force
I, Jedi

12 ABY
Children of the Jedi
“Simple Tricks” (Tales from the New Republic)
“Shades of Gray: From the Adventures of Alex Winger”
Darksaber

13 ABY
X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar
“Murder in Slushtime” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #14)
Planet of Twilight

14 ABY
The Crystal Star

16–17 ABY
Before the Storm
Shield of Lies
Tyrant’s Test

17 ABY
The New Rebellion
“Two for One” (Star Wars Adventure Journal #15)

18 ABY
“Jade Solitaire” (Tales from the New Republic)
Ambush at Corellia
Assault at Selonia
Showdown at Centerpoint

c. 13 BBY – 19 ABY
“The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett” (Tales of the Bounty Hunters)

19 ABY
Specter of the Past
Vision of the Future
“Red Sky, Blue Flame” (Star Wars Gamer #7)
“Hunting the Gorach” (Star Wars Insider #133)
Scourge

21 ABY
“Judge’s Call”

22 ABY
Junior Jedi Knights #1: The Golden Globe
Junior Jedi Knights #2: Lyric’s World
Junior Jedi Knights #3: Promises
Junior Jedi Knights #4: Anakin’s Quest
Junior Jedi Knights #5: Vader’s Fortress
Junior Jedi Knights #6: Kenobi’s Blade
“Fool’s Bargain” (Survivor’s Quest paperback edition)
Survivor’s Quest

23 ABY
Young Jedi Knights: Heirs of the Force
Young Jedi Knights: Shadow Academy
Young Jedi Knights: The Lost Ones
Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers
Young Jedi Knights: Darkest Knight
Young Jedi Knights: Jedi Under Siege

23–24 BBY
Young Jedi Knights: Shards of Alderaan

24 BBY
Young Jedi Knights: Diversity Alliance
Young Jedi Knights: Delusions of Grandeur
Young Jedi Knights: Jedi Bounty
Young Jedi Knights: The Emperor’s Plague
Young Jedi Knights: Return to Ord Mantell
Young Jedi Knights: Trouble on Cloud City
Young Jedi Knights: Crisis at Crystal Reef
“The Crystal” (Star Wars Gamer #5)

25 ABY
The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime

24–25 ABY
“Boba Fett: A Practical Man” (Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice paperback edition)

25 ABY
The New Jedi Order: Dark Tide I: Onslaught
The New Jedi Order: Dark Tide II: Ruin
The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial
The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse

26 ABY
The New Jedi Order: Balance Point
“The New Jedi Order: Recovery” (Star by Star paperback edition)
The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest
“Emissary of the Void I: Battle on Bonadan”
“Emissary of the Void II: Dark Tidings”
“Emissary of the Void III: The War on Wayland”
“Emissary of the Void IV: Relic of Ruin” (Star Wars Insider #62)
The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
“Emissary of the Void V: A Perilous Plan” (Star Wars Insider #63)
“Emissary of the Void VI: Emissary of the Void” (Star Wars Insider #64)

27 ABY
The New Jedi Order: Star by Star
The New Jedi Order: Dark Journey
“The Apprentice” (Star Wars Gamer #8)
The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand
The New Jedi Order: Traitor

28 ABY
The New Jedi Order: Destiny’s Way
“The New Jedi Order: Ylesia” [takes place between Chapters 21 and 22 of Destiny’s Way]
The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic I: Remnant
The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic II: Refugee
“Or Die Trying” (Star Wars Insider #75)
The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic III: Reunion
The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy

29 ABY
The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force

35 ABY
Dark Nest I: The Joiner King

36 ABY
Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
Dark Nest III: The Swarm War

37 ABY
“Fate of the Jedi: Imprint” Story Booklet

38 ABY
Supernatural Encounters: The Trial and Transformation of Arhul Hextrophon

40 ABY
Legacy of the Force: Betrayal
Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines
Legacy of the Force: Tempest
Legacy of the Force: Exile
Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
Legacy of the Force: Inferno
Legacy of the Force: Fury

41 ABY
Legacy of the Force: Revelation
Legacy of the Force: Invincible
“A Fair Trade” (Star Wars Insider #129)
Crosscurrent
Riptide
“First Blood” (Star Wars Insider #125)

43 ABY
Millennium Falcon
Fate of the Jedi: Outcast
“Fate of the Jedi: Outcast” Epostcard 1
“Fate of the Jedi: Outcast” Epostcard 2
“Fate of the Jedi: Outcast” Epostcard 3
Fate of the Jedi: Omen
Fate of the Jedi: Abyss
Fate of the Jedi: Backlash

44 ABY
Fate of the Jedi: Allies
Fate of the Jedi: Vortex
Fate of the Jedi: Conviction
Fate of the Jedi: Ascension
Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse
“Getaway” (Star Wars Insider #134)
“Roll of the Dice” (Star Wars Insider #135)
X-Wing: Mercy Kill

45 ABY
“Good Hunting” (Star Wars Insider #142)
Crucible

[A Fractured Song] - Book 2 Chapter 12 (76) - Fantasy, Isekai (Portal Fantasy), Adventure

Cover Art!
Story Summary: After years of beatings and neglect from her parents, 13-year old Frances was summoned with her entire class to the fantastical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the "Demon King." If she succeeds, she might have the home she never had. But if she can't overcome the trauma and self-loathing inflicted on her by her abusive parents, Frances will die, and be summoned back to the home she escaped, on the day that she left.
Teaser: While Frances was busy recovering and introducing Ayax to Martin and Elizabeth, the adults and a bunch of other teenagers discuss the recent developments.
[The Beginning] [<=Book 2 Chapter 11 (75)] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Book 2 Chapter 13 (77)=>]
Index of Windwhistler Family Members
Fractured Song Discord Server so you can ask me questions and just hang with other fans. We have a meme channel. It has memes of the serial. They are glorious.
While the teens had been catching up, a number of far more serious discussions were taking place across Erlenberg.
The closest to the teenagers, was the one in the Windwhistler household. Eleanor had gathered the senior executives of the Windwhistler Household to their regular conference table. A rather comfortable room, warmly lit with crystal chandeliers and centered on a well-worn, but nicely varnished oval table.
Eleanor stood up. “Before we discuss the topic for today’s meeting… I’d like to thank Edana for… keeping my enthusiasm for the Winter Tournament reigned in.”
Edana barely kept her mouth from falling open. Her mother hadn’t said anything after she’d drawn her away and had only excused herself to prepare something for this meeting. That she was being thanked for essentially going against her mother’s wishes was… unexpected to say the least.
“You’re welcome, mom.”
Eleanor’s gaze dropped. “Look, I know I tend to be a bit—oh fine, very demanding, but that’s why I need your opinions. Frances was nearly killed yesterday. And as new as she is to our family, she’s family and we need—” Eleanor grimaced. “I think we need to respond to this.”
“Oh no, I think we can all agree on that sis,” hissed Eleanor’s younger sister, Emelia. “I’ve had our intelligence group scouring our contacts. We’re building a profile of the referee who was killed. I can share what we have.”
Eileen, Edana’s older sister, nodded. “Newspapers are going to be favorable to us in tomorrow morning’s issue. We are ready to smear the Voidsailors, Windstorms and Seaskimmers.”
Eustace, Edana’s older brother growled, “The strike fleet is standing by and ready for your orders.”
“So are our security forces,” declared Danny, one of Emelia’s two husbands.
“Trading fleet’s ready to buy out our rivals and run interference,” said Donna, Ayax’s aunt.
Elearnor and Edana blinked. As both women scanned the room, they realized that every single one of their family members had the same, or a similar, grim look.
“What… but she just met you a few weeks ago?” Edana stammered.
A few of her family members seemed to look slightly abashed, as if embarrassed. From beside Eleanor, Edana’s father, Paul, chuckled. “Edana dear, even if Frances was a brat, nobody hurts our family and gets away with it. And as you know, she is the sweetest.”
Eustace nodded. “I still can’t believe she got a gift for every single one of us. I mean, sometimes people forget me!”
“The children really like her too. Speaking of which, can they visit soon? Eva and Edmund are beside themselves with worry,” Edward, Edana’s younger brother asked.
“Oh. I’ll ask her. I think she’ll be happy for them to visit. She’ll be healed by tomorrow,” said Edana.
Elearnor nodded slowly. “Huh, if we are all in agreement, then what should we do exactly? Edana reminded me we don’t actually know who tried to kill Frances. Emelia, what do you have at the moment?”
Emelia shuffled her papers and narrowed her eyes at them, only to grumble as she couldn’t make out the words. Greg, Emelia’s husband, handed her her reading glasses, which she put on with a whispered thanks.
“Right, the late referee who tried to get Frances killed was Raven Tanner, thirty years old, unmarried. She’s not actually a tanner by trade, but an employee of the Voidsailor Banking Company. Not a simpler clerk either, she’s a manager who worked in an Alavari branch for a while. Before you start saying the Voidsailors did it, let me finish!” Emelia hissed, glaring at her family, who closed their mouths sheepishly. “Raven looks like just some ordinary woman at first, but we have some contacts in some of Erlenberg’s Pleasure Houses, and well, she has a money problem. Gambling, clubbing, drinking, she’s in need of cash. Now, the Voidsailors could indeed have paid her, but it’s highly unlikely they wanted her dead.”
“Go on…” said Eleanor.
Emelia grinned. “Because she was at one point, the mistress of one Oscar Voidsailor. They’re not together right now. He’s seeing someone else, but I have it on good authority that he is not happy that she’s dead.”
Eleanor and Emelia’s brother, Ethan whistled. “Well that’s scandalous.”
Eileen nodded. “Oh yes, but it also means that he probably wouldn’t have authorized the hit, and if he didn’t authorize the hit, he certainly didn’t authorize the sabotage. Besides, it doesn’t fit the Voidsailor’s particular patterns. These murder attempts are far too brutal and it breaks Erlenberg law. They will bend the rules to their advantage, but break one? No way.”
“Then maybe it was the Seaskimmers or Windstorms?” Paul suggested.
Eleanor shook her head. “The Windstorms possibly, but it’s probably not the Seaskimmers, though. They’re whiny, but open assassination isn’t their style either.”
Edward frowned. “Wait, but the Windstorms haven’t killed anybody openly for years, and why would they risk it? Last time they did it, they paid a terrible price.”
Erin, Edana’s younger sister nodded, “Besides, this is a terrible time and way to piss us off. The Winter Tournament is sacrosanct. They hate us, but they have to know that this will reflect terribly on them.”
Eleanor nodded, fingers drumming on the table. “You’re right… but… if we’ve ruled out the Voidsailors, the Windstorms and the Seaskimmers… then who the hell tried to kill Frances and killed Raven Tanner?”
Across the city, outside the solarium of the Voidsailor mansion, a warmly dressed Ophelia Voidsailor was spying on her grandfather and the people he probably was going to be shouting at.
She was outside the solarium because it was a room on the very roof of the Voidsailor mansion and there were no other rooms next to it. Lying flat on top of the solarium, stomach against the tiled roof, Ophelia cast a spell on the glass window she was sneaking her way to. The spell would make it look like there was just sky on the other side, even when she poked her head over the edge of the window. Finally, she wriggled a playing card, spelled to be a sound conductor, through the gap between the window shutter and pane, and made herself as comfortable as she could.
Her grandfather, Oscar Voidsailor, for such a short half-goblin, looked like he was about to reach across the round table he was seated at, seize the female troll he was seated across and strangle her.
“Are you saying I orchestrated this sabotage? Are your pointy ears full of fish shit right now Rachel? I literally gain nothing out of this!”
Rachel Windstorm glared back, “Oh don’t lie, Oscar. You’ll make sure you’ll win the Winter Tournament—”
“Ophelia winning the Winter Tournament doesn’t matter when the city thinks we did it underhandedly or did you forget what happened to your father, Jack?” Oscar roared.
That silenced Rachel, who glowered at Oscar, but said nothing else. Oscar didn’t sit down however, and it took Oliver, Ophelia’s father, to gently pull his father back.
“You made your point loud and clear, dad.” Her father pushed his glasses back up and said in a quiet voice, “That being said, we demand to know if someone among us here authorized this nonsense.”
Rachel downed her glass of water and shook her head. “No. I liked Raven, and I assumed you were still friends. I just thought you had a falling out or something. And yes we have had differences, but you know I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Ophelia blinked and felt her stomach squeeze uncomfortably. She thought the referee had looked familiar. Raven had visited their mansion and her grandfather quite a few times. It wasn’t a good relationship by any means, Oscar and Raven sometimes would break into very loud arguments, but there were times she’d see the pair together, genuinely happy.
Oscar glanced at the elderly orc male at the table, who raised his hands. “I’m just as confused as you Oscar. I’m checking with my sons and daughters to see if they know anything about this, but so far they seem to be genuinely shocked.”
Oscar sighed. “Thanks James. I… apologize for being so short, this is… infuriating.”
“It is bizarre how much it looks like we did it,” said Basil, Ophelia’s uncle and Basileus’s father.
“Basil what are you saying?” asked Jacob, Jeffrey Seaskimmer’s father.
“Well what if this whole thing was a Windwhistler setup? What if the Windwhistlers had their own champion blasted?” Basil asked.
Jacob shook his head. “No, way too risky. I was in the stands. Ophelia hit Frances with a full fireball. She could have killed her and that would have jeopardized their chances at winning the tournament. That and assassination? Did you see how furious Edana Firehand was? If Eleanor did orchestrate this she’d just piss off the White Order.”
“That and the entire Windwhistler family is up in arms about this.” Rachel shuddered. “I received a report that they’ve mustered their strike fleet.”
Oscar scowled.“Right, so it isn’t one of us, and it isn’t the Windwhistlers. We don’t know who it is right now, we’re going to find out but what matters is making sure the Windwhistlers don’t use this as an excuse to attack us. We need to appease them.”
Basil groaned. “Dad that’s a terrible idea—”
“No, Oscar, that's an excellent idea,” said James. He stroked his long white beard. “If we make it public enough, then the Windwhistlers can’t attack us without consequence.”
Ophelia’s father Oliver shook his head. “A public apology would lose us too much face. Let’s talk to the Windwhistlers first. I’ll go to Eleanor and discuss with her what we can do to make them understand we weren’t responsible.”
“That’s a good idea. What else can we do?” Oscar asked.
The meeting wound on for quite a bit and Ophelia, tuned most of it out. What she did notice however was that Rachel Windstorm seemed to be distinctly uncomfortable about the discussion.
When the meeting was finally over, everybody left, except for her grandfather, who was finishing up writing a note. Seeing the coast was mostly clear, she began to get up.
“Ophelia, did you get all of that?” Oscar hollered up.
Ophelia froze.
Oscar pointed at the window Ophelia was using. “I know you’re at that window over there. I can see your breath misting it up.”
Cursing herself, Ophelia scrambled down the solarium and entered in the normal way, head bowed appropriately.
“Sorry grandfather—”
“I would tell you not to do it again, but you’re going to do it anyway, so… what did you notice, and what are your thoughts?” he demanded.
Ophelia pursed her lips. “Well aside from what you discussed, Rachel seemed… nervous about something.”
“I agree. I don’t think she was involved in the attempt, but...she might know something we don’t,” said Oscar.
“Not like I can just ask Robert. He’s not talking to me anyway.” Ophelia tilted her head slightly. “Rachel and James were rather understanding of the Windwhistlers anger today. Usually, they’d be blaming them for everything.”
“You’re right. I wonder why…” Oscar glanced at Ophelia and frowned. “You don’t have to feel responsible for what happened to Frances.”
The young mage looked away. “I wasn’t.”
Oscar gave his granddaughter a knowing look. “Suuure.”
A day later…
Eleanor shook Oliver’s hand and watched him stride away through narrowed eyes. As the Voidsailor got into his carriage, the Windwhistler matriarch turned her back and strode to the practice grounds.
Frances was engaging in another practice duel, but this time, she was fighting Nobbo and Ayax together. She was losing, but through a combination of using a heavy magic shield, and some smaller offensive spells, she was staying in the fight.
Edana was watching her daughter with a look Eleanor could only say, seemed torn between worry and pride.
“Edana, can we talk?” Eleanor asked.
Edana glanced at Eleanor and nodded, before turning to Edward, who was also watching. “Have them go for some back and forth sprints before taking a break.”
“That’s going to make them happy,” Edward said airily, but he nodded and Edana went with her mother to the smoking room.
“So what’s the occasion, mom?” Edana asked.
Eleanor crossed her legs and drummed her fingers on her knee. “Oliver Voidsailor. He came to us with an offer for reparations, even though he quite vehemently states that the Voidsailors didn’t sanction this.”
“Do you believe him?” Edana asked.
Eleanor sighed. “I can’t see why I shouldn’t. I don’t trust the Voidsailors, or the Windstorms and Seaskimmers, but the attack… I thought it was them. It looked like something they could have done, except… it’s not really something they would have done. And… they offered us some pretty hefty concessions. All of this makes me inclined to think that they didn’t do this.”
Edana lifted her right hand, as if she was going to touch her nose, only to clasp her hands together.
Eleanor frowned, noticing that her daughter seemed...reluctant. “Edana, you have an idea.”
The head of the White Order winced. “It’s not a good one. Like really, it’s a terrible, terrible idea.”
“Then why do you look like you want to say it?” Eleanor asked.
Edana stood up and slowly began to walk from one wall of the library to the other. “So… we’ve quite quickly managed to put significant doubt on whether the Voidsailors, Windstorms or Seaskimmers were responsible, right? We can’t say we’ve eliminated them as suspects, but it does not seem like they did it.”
Eleanor leaned forward, moving her hand in a circle. “Yes, yes, get to the point.”
Her daughter, frowning so hard that her features were almost scowling, sighed. “You’re not going to believe me.”
“Oh for the love of the Gods of Sea and Sand Edana, just tell me!” Eleanor exclaimed.
“I think the Kingdom of Alavaria is behind this,” Edana said.
Eleanor’s ears stiffened and her eyes widened. “Fishshit.”
Edana shook her head and turned for the door. “Told you you wouldn't believe me.”
“Wait, wait, no just…tell me why,” Eleanor took a deep breath. “Firecracker, Alavaria hasn’t interfered with Erlenberg politics for a long time. So your suggestion is… like a ship appearing from a fog bank.”
Edana spun herself to face her mother, a pensive look on her features. “That is a rather apt analogy. Anyway, you recall that Raven Tanner is a manager at a Voidsailor bank branch in the Kingdom of Alavaria right?”
Eleanor had actually forgotten, but she schooled her features and said, “Yes… but that could just be an interesting coincidence.”
Nodding, Edana sat down across from her mother and pulled her chair in closer. “It could be, but let’s consider this. Who would stand to gain if four of the most powerful houses of Erlenberg, two of which were considering voting for the same military expansion bill, started to feud with one another?”
It was as if the floor had fallen from underneath her to reveal a void. Eleanor felt as if she was falling, her sense of gravity all gone, overwhelmed by sheer horror.
She’d known that the Kingdom of Alavaria were unhappy with her city, her home. But the sabotage… if it was then, it would mark an unheard-of escalation.
And yet, despite her horror, Eleanor stilled her features and nodded.
“If it is the Kingdom of Alavaria, what do you suggest we do?”
“Be on guard, and start to actively share information with the Voidsailors. They stand to lose a lot if Erlenberg is attacked. For the moment though, we have no other real options. Only suspicions,” Edana said. She pursed her lips. “I would like to offer White Order mages to help oversee the rest of the tournament. Most won’t be more than trained apprentices, but the more trustworthy eyes the better.”
Despite her worries, Eleanor forced herself to smile. “That would help a lot, Edana. I’ll talk to Oscar about it.” Pursing her lips, Eleanor asked, “Do you think we should tell Frances about this?”
Her daughter sank into the sofa across from her. “I don’t want to, but as this involves the war, she should know.”
Eleanor blinked. “You are very open with Frances,” she remarked.
It was something that she’d realized after seeing her daughter and her granddaughter interact for a few weeks now. If say Frances wasn’t sure about something, or committed a minor faux pas, she’d immediately tell her mother. Edana for her part, kept Frances informed about anything important, never even hesitating to let her know about the politics of the city.
“It’s why we trust one another. She even knows about my wild days,” said Edana.
“I see.” Eleanor smiled. “It’s good you’re not making the same mistakes as I am. I always hid too much from you.”
Edana smiled sheepishly. “You’re at least trying to learn now. You were even trying to do so before Frances and I arrived. That’s what counts.”
Eleanor chuckled and got up. “Well, I need to talk to Oscar, you better get Frances ready for her preliminaries.”
“I think she’ll be able to ace them. Don’t you worry, mom,” said Edana.
Late that night, Rachel Windstorm rapped frantically on the door to her son’s observatory. After a moment, the door swung open, revealing her son in a bedrobe.
“Mom? What’s going on?” Robert asked sleepily.
“I’ll explain.” Rachel strode in, dress billowing behind her as she took a seat at the study table. Her son, looking rather lost, took the other. “Have you by any chance thought of any less than strictly legal ways to turn the tournament to our favor? Be honest with me.”
Robert’s ears stiffened and Rachel knew her answer, even as he nodded. “Well, yes.”
The Lady Windstorm grimaced. “Right, you need to abandon them. I know I told you to win at any cost, but there’s been a development.”
Her son spluttered, eyes wide. “Abandon—but without them, I won’t have a chance—it’ll be much harder, to defeat that upstart Frances and her cousin.”
Rachel sighed. “Son, I’m sorry, I made a big, big mistake. There are far larger powers at play here and right now, the Windstorms cannot afford to anger our few allies right now, or infuriate the many enemies we have.”
Robert stared at her, before his eyes narrowed. “Does it have anything to do with that teatime you had with Raven Tanner a while ago?”
Rachel stood up so fast the chair scraped back, hard. She was around the table in a flash, her hands grabbing her son by the shoulders.
“What do you know about that meeting?” she demanded.
“Just that Raven was asking you for advice about something and you told her to go ahead with it.” Robert’s eyes widened. “It couldn’t have been—”
“No. It wasn’t. We had nothing to do with it,” Rachel cut in.
“Then why do you look so scared?” Robert stammered.
“Because it does not look good, Robert. Don’t say anything to anybody about this. Not to Ophelia, or Jeffrey,” Rachel hissed.
“But… but they’re my best friends,” Robert stammered.
“Robert, the problem is that a Voidsailor, or Seaskimmer… someone from the houses might have tried to set us up, and not just us. They’re trying to set the entirety of Erlenberg up. I am not yanking your yardarm to say it would be safer to tell Frances and Ayax Windwhistler than them right now!” Rachel released her son’s shoulders. “Promise me you won’t tell your friends.”
Robert swallowed and nodded slowly. Rachel smiled, hugged her son briefly, before bidding him goodnight and storming to her bedchambers.
If she’d dallied a little longer, or been a little more focused, she might have heard the sound of someone breathing outside of the window to her son’s observatory.
Jeffrey Seaskimmer, clad in shorts and tunic, slipped in, eyes wide. “Robert. What was that?”
Robert quietly restored the silencing spells to the observatory and shook his head. “I have no clue. Something… something serious is afoot. It’s all to do with Raven’s death and the attempt on Frances’s life.”
Jeffrey, trembling partly due to the cold, grabbed the spare blanket from where he’d thrown it aside in the scramble to get out. “I remember you telling me about that meeting before… all of this. You said Raven was asking your mom if she should go ahead and accept a job from an “Uncle Andy.” They didn’t discuss the details of the job, though.”
“Not that I know of. I… it had to be the sabotage of Frances’s safety ring.” Robert narrowed his eyes at Jeffrey. “You know nothing of this, right?”
“No.” Jeffrey winced. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but… it’s only fair for you to know my dad gave me a similar talking to earlier this afternoon. He… he wasn’t as alarmed as your mom, but he suspects something is afoot.”
The mirror in Robert’s room pulsed softly. The two boys exchanged a glance, quickly pulled on better shirts and sweaters and rushed over to it.
The image of Ophelia in a nightgown swam into view. Her hair, normally braided into pigtails, was a mess.
“Robert I couldn’t get—Oh, having one of your sheet-wrestling nights I see?” she giggled slightly as Robert and Jeffrey blushed. “Anyway, my dad—”
“Came into your room telling you not to talk about what you know about Raven Turner’s death?” Jeffrey quipped.
“And told you not to talk to your friends?” Robert asked.
Ophelia arched an eyebrow and popped, “Yes.”
“Wanna exchange notes?” Robert asked.
“Definitely!” Ophelia exclaimed. She swallowed. “Robert, Jeffrey, sorry about the ball thing um—”
Robert sighed, “Look, I was… being an ass. I’m sorry too.”
Jeffrey nodded. “I’m sorry as well. Though, you do have a nice ass Robert—”
“Jeffrey, not the time!” Ophelia hissed. “Apology accepted, let’s get to work boys.”
Author’s Note: We kick into high gear!
Unfortunately, Vren55 is ummm has an announcement to make. Nothing's changed per se but I'm giving advanced warning.
So everybody, I'm actually feeling a bit under the weather due to the graveyard (10:30pm-7:15am) shifts I've been working this month. I expected they would help writing but they bit into it instead. At the moment, normal chapter updates will continue, but I'd just like to let you all know a break will be necessary if I lose the buffer I've been keeping up. Hopefully, it won't come to pass. I like updating! But I do feel like I should let people know.
For the question of the update: I found out not too long ago that stage fighting and combat in fiction is all about conveying a particular aspect of the story. What's your favorite fight/battle scenes in a fictional medium? A few of my favorites... well a lot of my favorites.
- The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya vs. Wesley/The Dread Pirate Roberts
- The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Will and Elizabeth get married
- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Ride of the Rohirrim
- Pacific Rim, Gypsy Danger vs. Leatherback and Otachi
- Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood and Manga): Everybody vs. Father
- Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - Jen vs. Shu Lien (the one where Shu Lien goes through a metric ton of weapons)
- Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Korra vs. Kuvira, everybody vs. mech.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Last Agni Kai.

What changed in chapter 135 and what to expect on chapter 136.

You might remember my post about chapter 135 and my predictions. You can read them here if you'd like.
I'm not going to repeat them. Here's a few things: Most of what I predicted to happen in 135 didn't happen yet. Although I didn't say it, I expected the flying titan to show up later, so my timing was off on that as well. One thing I got exactly right was that the beast titan had already been defeated.
I did those predictions expecting the manga to end at chapter 138. For reasons I am going to argue later, I no longer think this is the case. This is going to be a bit long, and I'll section things by characters again.
Ymir
Like chapter 134, my favorite page came right at the start. We learned Ymir was no blameless martyr. Naturally, her punishment did not fit the crime, but the narrative of the helpless girl who did nothing wrong is gone. We now know that, at least in the past, Ymir had rebelled against her station. My friend piksoulet argued that Ymir's face seemed to be of fear when she freed them, but I read pity on her eyes. I think she freed the pigs as an act of rebellion against the eldians. I remind you that Ymir was enslaved during a raid, which means she is likely of Marleyan origin, not Eldian. To her, the people around her were enemies. Freeing the pigs was just as much about getting back at them as it was about desiring freedom. Ymir is not merely Eren's convenient power up. She has a will of her own.
Eren
I'll dedicate this section to a discussion I had with my friends u/purple-strict and misunderstood_9gager. To purple, Ymir's appearance strenghtened his idea that Ymir is in control of things and Eren is asleep/unconscious/has regressed to a childlike state. His reason came from the page where Armin says that the one that wants to kill him is Ymir. Both purple and gager argue that Eren doesn't want to kill his friends at all, and that kid Eren is a representation of Eren's inner struggle. The "real" Eren would not fight his friends. He would continue with the rumbling and not allow them the freedom to fight them, because the "real" Eren values his friend's lives more than their freedom.
My arguments against this were as follows:

The one that talked about moving forward to see what comes after hell was adult Eren. (Therefore, adult Eren sought the rumbling.)
The one that did the declaration to all subjects of Ymir was adult Eren. (Therefore, adult Eren sought the rumbing.)
Adult Eren knows of Sasha's passing and either did not send memories back to change the event or he knew of her death and still went along with it. (Therefore, given the choice "some dying now" versus "all dying later", he chooses the former.)
Kid Eren allowed his friends the freedom to transform, not Ymir. (Therefore, Ymir is not in control.)
Ymir did not kill/eat Armin but chose to capture him. (Therefore, Eren is in control.)
Ymir was also turned into a kid when she went into paths. (Therefore, kid Eren isn't a mental regression, but something about being in control of paths.)

Armin
Armin forgot what manga he was on again and got perv'd on. Jokes aside, he was hesitating to nuke, or at least contemplating the consequences with his head down. Not a wise move on the battlefield, as he later recognized. For those that didn't get why Isayama chose this turn of events, think back to Eren on the restaurant against Mikasa and Armin, or Eren on the jail cell against Pieck. In both times, he pre-cut himself as a threat, to allow him to shift at any moment. Armin did not do so (apparently), so he had no way to transform when time called, since he was immobilized and couldn't even bite his tongue. Interesting to see the 3/10 wits character outwitting the 10/10 wits and judgement Armin. Eren has surely grown.
There are two angles to approach this event from. Now, let's flip the board and see things from Isayama's perspective. Why would he separate Armin from the rest of the alliance? Right now, Armin seems to be the only one that is aware of Ymir's existance. Plus, immediately after his capture, Levi started concluding that he was captured merely because he didn't shift. Leaving aside the obvious leap in judgement from our dear captain, it seems Isayama wanted to nail the idea that "Armin has been captured" instead of "he is going to die". We also saw a return of Bertholt, which is an interesting development, because it seems that Eren wasn't lying completely when talking that Bertholt has gotten into Armin's brain. In any case, the more important part of that to me is the timing. Right after Bert cries, he is summoned by Ymir, so it seems like whatever remnant of a person is passed along the spinal fluid is being pulled back from that person and into a titan for Ymir to use. It's possible this was the mechanism behind "the royal oath", that made the following person inherit the king's will. In any case, why did Isayama want to make that clear?
To me, this is to allow the following reasoning: Since Ymir only summoned dead people, Zeke is dead. The counterpoint to that logic is that only Zeke seemed to have that umbilical cord, while the others were free to move. As such, he might still be alive. However, it seems Isayama is at least wanting to hint that he is dead. Let's gather what we've learned.

Isayama wants us to think Zeke is dead.
Isayama wants to show that any previous shifter can be summoned. This might mean Grisha, Frieda, Uri and Eren Kruger might show up.
Isayama wants Armin isolated, the only one who knows of Ymir's existance, for some purpose.

I predict the following. On chapter 136, Armin and Eren will meet. It might be on paths or otherwise. Armin will ask about Zeke, and Eren will reveal he ate him, with a small flashback similar to Eren eating Grisha. During it, Eren explains he needs to eat all nine titans to end titan rule over mankind. This will lead Armin to ask about the founder, and whether Eren is being controlled, but Armin himself will realize that can't be it, because it seems that the one that wanted Armin there was Eren himself. Then, Eren will allow Armin the opportunity to talk him out of the rumbling. This is when we will finally hear Eren's motivations clearly. This is where we get the flashback that continues where 130 left off, which will make Armin accept there is no way to talk Eren out of the rumbling. He'll have to try to stop him from drawing breath.
Jean
Last post, I argued that it seemed we still needed two things for Jean. A better reason for why he is fighting Eren, and a conclusion to the plotline of him being in love with Mikasa. I feel like Isayama decided he was already done with the first, given how Jean acted this chapter with Reiner. The second, however, seems like it might happen next chapter. My reasoning being that Isayama decided to bust Reiner's and Jean's ODM gear. This means we can expect that some people are no longer battle ready. This downtime in battle is the perfect opportunity for Jean to grow the balls to, like Falco did, confess before he dies.
Levi
I assume Levi is out for good this time, and the fact that other people need ODM gear will cement this. I predict he will be left behind. He'll give his ODM gear to Jean. Since they need to make this trip to save Levi, I believe a reunion with the warrior parents might happen.
Onyankopon
The reason I say "might" instead of "will" is because Onyankopon has survived, which makes it seem as if his new role is the messenger who will inform the world about the paradisian devils who are fighting on their behalf.
Connie
He goofed up. Got Levi hurt. He should still be fight ready though. I maintain my prediction, that Connie will die. I don't know anymore if it is fighting colossals, however. Ancient titans also seem possible.
Mikasa
Looks like Mikasa won't learn about Ymir, or talk with Eren in paths. It is a very weird choice from Isayama. Naturally, the trio has always been together, and all of us expect Mikasa will face Eren again. But Yams chose to isolate Eren and Armin and sideline Mikasa for now. This is... sus. It makes me feel like Isayama wants to keep Mikasa ignorant of Ymir so as to have her take some action due to ignorance. For example, having Mikasa betray the alliance. There's enough build up for that. Mikasa saying she won't kill Eren, she will bring him back. Armin having to convince Mikasa that Eren will survive the nuke because he expects it. Mikasa this chapter asking Pieck not to blow up Eren.
Let me put it this way. Ymir was great for the role of absorbing Mikasa's hate. Like my friends misunderstood_9gager and purple-strict who decided to not blame Eren but blame everything on Ymir instead. If Mikasa knows of Ymir, she will focus on her. It seems this isn't what Isayama wants, he wants Mikasa to think Eren is the one behind all of this.
There are two ways this can be interpreted. Isayama wants Mikasa to give up on Eren, or he wants her to betray the alliance to help Eren somehow. I don't know which it is, the only ones who'll know are the ones who read the next chapter.
Annie
So it seems a few words from Ms. Kyomi were enough to convince her to fight after all. Will her ability to be able to use part of the power of other shifters be useful here? She might become a chimera by chowing down a bunch of ancient titans.
Pieck
Loved her this chapter. Like I saw someone on 4chan say: "she's the only one in the whole alliance with a functioning brain". Will she manage to trigger the explosives? The leaker gave the impression she was basically dead but it was clearly not so, as the trident didn't seem to pierce her nape but her chest. Given that she can't transform again, the only thing we can guess about her is that she's dying. The only question is how. My friend u/piksoulet believes that since she is wearing the SC uniform, her death will be a sacrifice, in SC fashion. I hope not, since I want her death to be about herself and not a symbol of a division of the enemy forces. Still, it's looking plausible.
Gabi
She came all the way and she didn't bring an anti-titan rifle. Will she do something like trigger the bombs Pieck left behind? It's either that or she's grabbing one from Fort Slata. I'm guessing she'll down a few ancient titans before Ymir brings in the flying squad to get her.
Falco
On the first episode, the anime revealed an interested tidbit about Falco dreaming of flying in the air and fighting titans with swords. While it isn't impossible that the swords could refer to his claws as the flying titan, it is more reasonable to assume that this is referring to ODM gear and the twin blades used to slash a titan's nape. Since we know usage of that equipment requires training and Falco wouldn't have the equipment to use this at this point in the manga, we can assume this was a memory he was having of someone else, similara to when Eren remembered Grisha's memories of Dina and cried about her death.
The real interesting part to me is that this doesn't make sense chronologically, because Falco had yet to eat the jaw titan, meaning that he should not be capable of receiving memories yet. Of course, this is not the first time we have seen something like this happen. Eren suffered the same, back in chapter 1, when he sees the itterashai scene with Mikasa. This means that the scene from chapter 1 wasn't retconned and will still come. I will address the issue with the chronology of this event on the section "Why I predict Eren will win".
Why the manga doesn't end on chapter 138
Like I alluded before, I do not believe the manga ends on chapter 138 anymore. Here's why:

We have still not gotten confirmation this volume is the last. It is customary to have such an announcement come so as to boost sales. Since it did not come, then we can expect that there might be another volume after this.
There are simply too many plotlines to close in three chapters. Chapters have 45 pages. Yet we're still supposed to see the alliance prepare to return to battle. The result of Armin's capture. Armin/Eren's conversation. Eren's POV and motivations. The explanation behind kid Eren and Ymir. The explanation for the itterashai (chapter one) scene. Jean's confession. Historia's POV. The father reveal. The rest of 130's flashback. The conclusion to Mikasa's character arc (fighting or defending Eren). The rumbling being finished or not. The actual battle. The nuke. Where Zeke is/his death. Bertholt's scene. Dropping off Levi. Gabi's role. Eren sending memories to the past and manipulating events. Connie's mom and the CTs being turned back into humans or dying. The final panel.

Point being, there's simply not enough space to do that in three chapters. Just the battle might take 2 chapters. Now, it might be possible to end things by 139, but that's if there isn't an epilogue chapter. There's also the fact the number 139 is significant to the story. (13 and 9). However, given that we didn't get the announcement that this is the last volume, it's also possible there's simply another volume coming up.
Why I predict Eren will win
This section is dedicated to u/hisoka_lover92 and other fellow EH shippers who are disheartened by the delay in the father reveal and the overwhelming focus on the alliance perspective from recent chapters.
First, I will address the Falco theory that he eats Eren and thus gains memories from him flying in the air and killing titans. The reason I am not worried about this turn of events is that Falco logically could not have received that memory from the regular way we are used to. While we still don't know what triggers memories, we do know of one titan that is capable of sending memories to the past. This means that if Falco received a memory from the future, then the logical culprit was Eren himself. This also means that for Eren to receive the memory of the itterashai scene with Mikasa, he was likely the one who sent it.
Second, we can know that there are no more attack titans. The reason for that is that the rumbling occurred. If someone who was against the rumbling inherited the attack titan, they would send memories so as to manipulate the previous inheritors to avoid the rumbling. Since it did not come to pass, and since Eren did not receive future memories from anyone besides himself, then we can assume he is the last inheritor of the attack titan. This being the case, it is fair to assume the titan curse ends due to his efforts.
Third, we still do not know the mechanism behind memories being sent. Falco just had a dream about being able to fly on chapter 133, just in time for him to manage to save the alliance. This is convenient for the alliance, but it also brings all 9 titans to the same place. The theory that all 9 titans need to be inherited by the same person to end titan curse seems stronger now. The idea that Falco got this dream randomly and conveniently is fishy to me, because it seems much more likely that this was someone's plan. I supposed it isn't impossible that this was Zeke's idea, but given that Zeke being behind the sending of memories wouldn't explain the capacity to send them to the past like when Falco dreamt of flying with swords before he inherited the jaw titan, then Eren is the most likely candidate. That is to say, Falco showing up is part of Eren's plan.
This is why I don't feel worried about the revelation, and it actually renewed my conviction that Eren is winning.
Still, I might as well mention the other relevant reasons for why I think Eren wins.
We have seen the final panel. It contains a person holding a baby, telling the baby "you are free". The only candidates being offered besides Eren seem to be Grisha and Zeke. At least, I have not heard anyone argue with conviction for someone else. The reason I believe this isn't Grisha is because the baby is neither Zeke nor Eren. As it so happens, we have seen Isayama draw baby Zeke and baby Eren, and we know this isn't how they look like. Being even more specific, Isayama drew eyelashes on the baby, which he has only done for one other baby so far. Annie. It is likely the man is not Zeke as well. Even if Zeke is alive, which is looking doubtful right now, Zeke's worry was never freedom. Even more so, there is only one pregnant character about to give birth, and it's hard to think of a reason Zeke would be holding her baby, even from a "it's your uncle" angle. This leads me to believe that Eren is the man on the final panel. Since the baby is yet to be born, then it shouldn't be a flashback, meaning we can expect Eren to live through the rumbling.
Another reason I believe Eren wins is the scene in chapter 133. He claims he is capable of stealing the alliance's power to transform, but he says he won't to steal the freedom of his friends to fight him. Yet he also said he won't gamble Paradis future. If he isn't being contradictory nor bluffing, the most likely deduction is that he is assured of victory. While this could be told to be about being cocky if this was a villain on a third-rate series, given that this man has memories of the future, we can assume this isn't unfounded.
Yet another reason to not lose faith is that the state of battle has fundamentally not changed during chapter 135 except by weakening the alliance. They will be missing Levi for the final confrontation, Armin is captured and they already used one of their trump cards in the flying titan. Besides Annie's titan, it is hard to think of what else the Alliance can pull off right now.
Furthermore, we have seen that Eren reacted to the approaching blimps on chapter 133 (with the founding titan's eyes). Yet no such reaction occurred when Pieck was about to blow him up. This means he either knows he won't be blown up, or he does not feel endangered by the explosives. In fact, all throughtout the battle Eren hasn't looked back once. Of course, it's possible he is observing everything from the ancient titan's eyes or from Piecks own eyes, but the lack of reaction from the founding titan itself speaks of his self-assuredness, at the very least.
Besides this, from a narrative/moral standpoint, Eren has already won. If Eren were to be defeated now and this led to a peace treaty between nations, such a peace treaty would only have been possible due to the annihilation of the majority of the world's population. As such, the narrative that "Eren will lose because Isayama can't deliver the message that genocide is acceptable" has already fallen apart.
Lastly, Armin was taken to the back part of founding titan. (His ass, as the manga put it). This means one of two things. Either Eren is somewhere in the back of the titan and is bringing Armin for a 1-to-1 non-paths talk, which agains cements that the explosives on his neck aren't a danger because he isn't there, or Armin has been relocated to a place where, if he did nuke the FT, it wouldn't matter. The second seem less likely, but the first makes sense to me.
Summary of predictions
Since I am no longer firm on which chapter the story ends, I am going to hold off on trying to predict things on a chapter by chapter basis, and will simply list the events I believe will happen in the order I believe they will take place.
The alliance prepares to return to battle. They decide to drop off Levi and Jean takes Levi's ODM gear. This might be when we see Jean confess. They try to stop Gabi from joining, but she says they need Falco for the upcoming fight and there's no time for him to bring her behind the rumbling line, so she's dead if they lose to Eren anyway and the safest place is on Falco's back. She grabs a rifle from Fort Slata. The warrior cadets reunite with their families. Since they are unaware of Ymir and they see that Armin has been captured, they believe Armin is alive. We see the result of Armin's capture. Armin/Eren's conversation. The flashback of Zeke's death. Eren's POV and motivations. Historia's POV. The father reveal and the rest of chapter 130's flashback. Armin's release. The nuke. The remaining battle. The deaths. The conclusion to Mikasa's character arc (fighting or defending Eren). The explanation for the itterashai (chapter one) scene. The rumbling being finished. The explanation behind kid Eren and Ymir. The explanation for Bert's scene. Eren sending memories to the past and manipulating events. Connie's mom and the CTs being turned back into humans or dying. Eren's return. The final panel.
I'm sure I forgot a lot of things but this is long enough and took me a couple of days so I'll leave it at that. Thanks for reading.

HRP Trip Report: The Pyrenees on steroids

PROLOGUE(TLDR): I’m one of the many PCT 2020 NOGOs. My naivety and hubris made me embark on a beautiful but testing journey that took me 816km(507mi) from the sandy shores of the Atlantic Ocean through the heart of the Pyrenees crossing France, Spain and Andorra to finally arrive at the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The hardest 23 days I’ve ever done didn’t so much test my body but shake my mind. After the report follows an extensive gear section including a cottage gear jacket which is the first of its kind. But first some facts and stats to put it all in perspective.
What: The Haute Route Pyrenees (Pocket Guide Versio n)
When: 1st - 24th of September 2020
Total Time: 22 days and 22 hours (includes one zero)
Distance: total: 816km(507mi) / daily average: 35,6km(22,2mi) / daily max: 45,78km(28,45mi)
Vertical Gain: total: 49336m(161864ft) / daily average: 2153m(7063ft) / daily max: 2880m(9449ft)
Route: Map with waypoints of the HRP
Photos: 77 Pictures
Gear: Spoiler: 10.75lbs including a mirrorless zoom lens camera setup
Instagram: I’m posting photos with additional info on how climate change is affecting the Pyrenees. Surprise…it's quite severe. Follow along to find out more.
Strava: My daily itinerary including some clutch camp spots
Conditions: Daily highs at the start were around 23°C(73,5°F). Daily lows towards the end were around 6°C(43°F). Coldest nights were around 2°C(35,5°F). Very mild overall. Mostly sunny. Some days completely foggy, especially at altitude. A few outliers that brought in heavy winds coupled with rain. It hailed for a few minutes once. Luckily missed all the snow which started falling a couple days after I passed certain sections at the end of my trip.
Additional information: The HRP is an unofficial route which crosses the Pyrenees and can be hiked either West- or Eastbound. The trailheads are Hendaye, France (Atlantic Ocean) and Banyuls, France (Mediterranean Sea). The HRP has some sections in common with the GR10, GR11 and GR12. There is a Cicerone guide available. I chose to follow the Pocket Guide rout e by Paul „Whiteburn“ Atkinson. His guide keeps higher and crosses more Cols (passes). For every difficult section and Col Paul usually has an alternate which is easier and passes through more valleys for additional resupplies that should be considered in bad weather. At this point I have to thank Paul, who put an incredible amount of time and knowledge into his guide and provides it to us completely free of charge. Thanks Paul! If you are ever in Hamburg I’ll buy you a beer. I chose to do the whole route without any alternates and stay high. On his website you can find GPX files for all sections and PDFs for both directions with detailed route descriptions and resupply options.
For navigation I only used GAIA Premium with all French and Spanish IGN maps downloaded. This would eventually bite me in the ass. But more on that in Chapter 3 of my report.
The trip report will not be structured by days but by sections between resupplies.
Feel free to skip any part. I know this trip report is way too long and I guess it’s more for me to remember. But maybe you’ll find my journey interesting enough or use it as a reference for your own future Pyrenees hike.
If you have any comments or questions, ask away.
TRIP REPORT
Chapter 0: Hamburg - Hendaye
Wait, doesn’t the HRP start in Hendaye? Yeah well, bear with me for a minute. The adventure started before I even arrived at the trailhead. I wanted to reduce my carbon footprint a bit and chose to take the train down to Hendaye from Hamburg, Germany. The whole journey should have taken 14,5 hours instead of 5 hours by plane and a quick bus ride. Well, the German and French train companies had other plans and decided it would take me 30,5 hours instead.
I had been waiting inside my train in Hamburg for 30 minutes before the conductor announced that the train had some defect and would not be taking me down to Paris. Good start… I quickly rebooked my journey to Paris but had to rebook my train from Paris to Hendaye directly in Paris.
F*ck it. Let’s give it a shot. Little did I know that the train down to Hendaye had already been cancelled by the French.
The next train thankfully took me to Paris. While trying to find the metro station some guy on his bike abruptly stopped and started talking to me in french and pointing at my back. Once it was clear that I was oblivious to what he was saying he thankfully switched to English. He asked me if I was an ultralight backpacker and showed me his X-Pac pack on his back that a friend of his had made. I was carrying an X-Pac pack I made as well. So we got to talking and I told him that I was going to be stranded in Paris for the night and didn’t have a place to stay yet. He generously offered for me to stay with him and his mom who he was visiting. We exchanged numbers and decided to meet up later as I had to rebook my ticket for the next morning.
The three of us spent a lovely evening having dinner and talking about all things life. Thanks Ulysse for approaching a stranger on the street. I appreciate your friendship very much and I hope we get to hike together soon! Hiking and ultralight has yet again proven how well it connects people.
The rest of the “approach“ went smoothly and I arrived the next day at 12:30pm in Hendaye.

Chapter 1: Hendaye - Lescun - Day 1-5
Before starting I obviously had to take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean. The water was lukewarm. Would the water be as pleasant on the Mediterranean Sea three weeks later? I wasn’t sure if I’d find out… After being quite excited for the trip something shifted two days prior to leaving Hamburg. A tight feeling in my chest settled in. I lost all excitement. I didn’t want to go anymore. This feeling would not go away for the first couple of days out on trail. I never had that problem before on any of my other multi-week trips…
My pack was way too heavy. Last year my kit was hovering around the 7lbs mark but after adding a few luxuries and finally settling on a proper camera it was more around 10lbs. Doesn’t make a big difference to me. But I really screwed myself on the food I took for the first few days. Unfortunately, I’m really lazy when it comes to planning my food for trips so I went no-cook. I went to the grocery store an hour before it closed the night before leaving for Hendaye. I just grabbed some stuff I thought I’d like not looking at the g/Kcal food lists I actually had from past trips. I grabbed two heavy-ass glass jars containing PB and Hummus. What was I thinking!?! Glass jars…
I thought the food I bought would last me 3 days… It lasted 6.
Okay, let’s start walking!
Starting at 2pm, I left Hendaye behind me pretty quickly. The vert didn’t wait to introduce itself. Right away you do some steep ascents on forest roads and then out of nowhere you are bushwhacking through some thick brush. The vegetation is very lush and green in the Basque Country. Water was scarce though and my 2 litre capacity was depleting rather quickly in the heat. The first time I managed to find water was around 7pm from a kettle pond. I threw in two of my Micropur tablets and continued the ascent up to Larrun. For the first time I was close to 1.000m(3.300ft) above sea level. After the descent south of Larrun I found a nice meadow. I imposed one restriction on myself for this hike. No night hiking like I usually ended up doing. I just didn’t want to miss anything.
The night was mild and clear. I decided to cowboy camp. A decision I regretted due to all the horses with bells around their necks grazing around me. Whenever I heard a bell come closer I’d jump up and look around me. I was scared shitless of being trampled to death. That would not be the only night I was accompanied by that fear but the last I cowboy camped…
The next two days were more of the same, occasionally passing through a little village of ancient stone-walled houses. I met a dutch hiker, Gun, who was carrying a ÜLA Catalyst. He was a bit skeptical regarding the ultralight approach. I shared my troubles getting into the hike and not being in the right mindset. He knew the feeling and said I should give it a couple more days and hopefully find my groove. I was skeptical but what was the alternative? The logistics of getting back home were more complicated than continuing on. But I think the main reason I went on at that stage was because I had shared my plans of hiking the HRP with so many friends and family… I couldn’t admit defeat, especially since I was in good shape, doing 40km(25mi)+ days right from the get-go.
Lost in conversation, we made some navigational errors but eventually arrived at a decent flat spot to pitch our mids (he was carrying a Duomid). I was happy for the company and I think the main reason I had trouble getting into the hike was the thought of being out there for three weeks… alone. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done more hikes solo than with friends but at that point in time I wanted to share the beautiful, fun and hard times with somebody, and I knew the hike I had planned would have a minimum of that. That night was only one of two in which I camped with someone else…
The next morning Gun and I said our farewells and I grinded on. Yes, it was a grind these first couple of days.
I passed more bells than I cared to hear. I kept thinking this must be the soundtrack of the Basque Country. Ha, how wrong I was. It was the soundtrack of the Pyrenees! I’m not sure if I saw more shepherds or hikers during my trip.
Despite my mental state during the day I was a very happy camper when I decided on my camp spot for the night. Five stars! I sat there, watching the sunset, overlooking the peaks of the Basque Country… smiling. Is this what I needed to turn it all around?
I was actually kind of looking forward to Day 4. Lots of vert and climbing my first minor peak at 2000m(6560ft) above sea level. But Pic d’Orhy would not come easy. First I had to tackle a pretty steep climb and scramble up some ridges. I was exhausted and during a tough scramble looking down a cliff I encountered a german couple who were day hiking and had just come from Pic d’Orhy. It was quite funny how I just started blabbing on without pause as soon as I had people to talk to. They were lovely and after sharing my hiking plans they gave me all the food they had left. I appreciated the fresh apple the most. Thanks Kati and Michi!
Day 5 was the day everything finally came together and I started to feel the trail. After descending down to Refugio Belagua I had a quick Tortilla (the first thing I bought after starting in Hendaye).
The following section will always stay with me. The sun was breaking through the leaves of a magical forest that opened up to a pine tree splattered granite landscape. It was one of the most beautiful sights I got to experience up to this point in my life. My enormous grin just wouldn’t leave my face. No chance. Arriving on the top of Col d’Anaye and looking over my shoulder I knew I didn’t want to be anywhere else in that moment. Crazy how nature’s beauty can totally change your perspective.
On the descent to Lescun I used my 6th and final Micropur tablet of the trip. It seems my confidence went up in every department in these hike defining hours.
After a quick road walk I arrived in Lescun.

Chapter 2: Lescun - Gavernie - Day 5-9
Lescun is a cute little village with a small super market that has a pretty limited selection. I quickly stocked up for the next stretch to Gavernie and got in another one and a half hours of hiking. I was never really sure where I would camp the following night. My itinerary usually evolved during the day depending on the terrain and the miles I managed. I got to a Cabane (unstaffed shelter) which was being used by a shepherdess I scared to death when I looked inside. I apologized and asked her if she’d mind me camping on the meadow next to the Cabane. She didn’t and I was glad when another shepherd arrived a few minutes later to hopefully rid her of any fear that was left about some weirdo arriving unusually late to camp right next to her.
I left early in the morning and embarked on a day that was dominated by clouds and fog. I managed to get above the fog for ten minutes which opened up the view to mountain peaks piercing through a plush white blanket of clouds. It didn’t feel like something real at all.
At Ibon de Estanés I passed a fellow ultralighter with a simple hola. I think he was wearing a KS Liteskin pack. Still kicking myself for not introducing myself.
Down in Candanchu I had my first proper town food. A very average Pizza. I’m only mentioning Candanchu as it’s one of the many deserted ski resort villages which look extremely off-putting and depressing during the summer. Funny to think that these sterile artificial places only come to life a couple of months a year. And seeing how climate change doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, will surely suffer in the years to come and maybe turn into permanent ghost towns.
While eating I requested the weather forecast from my dad, a hobby meteorologist. Since he was tracking me online through my Spot he always provided me with very accurate predictions for the next few days. I was always in the know and trusted his expertise. Who needs an InReach if you have your own personal weatherman?
After some road walking I once more climbed into the familiar fog. Due to the lack of views I started to jog down the occasional descents. No point to linger. Trying to fall asleep I just thought to myself how many beautiful landscapes I probably missed due to the fog. But you win some you lose some.
I was completing one week on trail the following day.
I’ve been cruising up to this point and getting a bit cocky. I was already calculating that if I keep up my current pace I will probably finish in 18 days instead of my roughly projected 21 days.
Little did I know that the “real“ Pyrenees were just about to start.
And I was definitely not prepared for what the HRP had in store for me that day.
Heading up to Col d’Arrious I had one of a few conversations with a shepherd. They are quite interesting people and come from all walks of life. Arriving on top of the pass the wind hit me hard. I quickly put on my wind shirt and headed down to Refuge d’Arrémoulit where I had a serrano sandwich with an omelette. While I was enjoying the view of the neighbouring lake a Bonelli eagle passed 15m(50ft) over my head. A rare sight. Could life get much better? I’m not sure, but it could definitely get much worse...
After my break I started to gain elevation again and headed over Col du Palas only to be greeted by a huge boulder field. Keep in mind, there is no trail at all at this point. Occasionally there were a few Cairns scattered around which didn’t really help to define a clear path. After scrambling down for a bit I had to head up those boulders to Port du Lavedan. This is where I made my first major mistake of the trip. I was kind of eyeballing the direction and not really checking GAIA. Well, due to my navigational error I missed the pass by a good 10m(33ft) and climbed up a small ridge I thought was the pass. Once on top I looked over to the other side I had to descend.
“WHAT THE F*CK!?! What the hell is this Whiteburn guy thinking to send people over this crap without advising them to bring some climbing equipment. No, don’t blame him, what where YOU thinking following some made up route from a guy on the internet. JESUS CHRIST. This is f * cked!“
I looked back - yeah no chance I was going back down the way I came. Not much better than what lay before me. Whiteburn mentioned that this section had three major Cols increasing in technical difficulty. This wasn’t one of the three but I thought it was the first and the thought scared me shitless. How was I going to survive the other two IF I made it down this one alive!?! Adrenaline rushed through my body. Focused like I’ve never been before I slowly moved my hands towards some slightly protruding rock to find any grip. Then looking for a decent foot hold. It took me a good five minutes of intense sweat to go down the worst part. I wasn’t going to do something like that again anytime soon, I thought to myself.
Well, I totally would. Kids, triple check your navigation before deciding to climb some stupidly steep ridge.
Not long after the worst part I saw the pass I was supposed to take a couple meters to my right. I was alleviated and angry for making a mistake that could have ended quite badly.
Those five minutes had depleted my energy to zero. I was shaking. That day I had my second shortest hiking day of the whole trip.
After a good nights sleep I was ready to tackle the three technical Cols of that section: Col de Cambales, Col d’Arratille and Hourquette d’Oussoue.
The experience from the day prior boosted my confidence substantially which made those cols a breeze to do and made me enjoy the wide mountain landscapes a lot more. I took my usual hour brake in the early afternoon and washed my shirt and socks. After the last col I tried to get as close to Gavernie, my next resupply. I ended up staying in my first Cabane of the trip which was just a simple rectangle stone hut. Nothing inside. I wanted to get up as early as possible and break down camp quickly so I could arrive early in Gavernie and not lose too much time in town. I managed to arrive around 10am the next day.

Chapter 3: Gavernie - Bernasque - Day 9-12
Gavernie is a little mountain town that is the hub for a lot of hiking loops in the area. It has a small outdoor shop you could definitely get a pack or shoes if you have trouble with your equipment.
I headed straight to a restaurant. I needed to charge my power bank to 100% and that would probably take 3 hours. With a quick 30min charge during my pizza break in Candanchu it had survived 8 days without charging.
I got to talking with two hikers that were sitting at the table next to me. They had started the Cicerone version of the HRP 33 days prior from the Mediterranean Sea. From what I could gather the Cicerone version is more in line with the alternates Whiteburn suggests for the Pocket Guide version.
After writing some post cards and stocking up on food at the small super market I had a big steak with fries and a fried egg.
I left Gavernie at 2pm with renewed energy. After the steep descent down Hourquette d’Alans the valley is accompanied by a nice stream that leads into the Lac de Gloriettes dam. Many of the turquoise lakes in the Pyrenees are actually reservoirs or hydroelectric power generators. It takes a bit away from the magic sometimes.
Right around Gloriettes a drizzle started to build. The fog from the days prior was back. And you know when you miss that moment when you should have put on your rain jacket but instead hope that it stops to rain? Yeah, that was me.
Completely soaked I looked at my map to make out potential campsites for the night. I made out a Cabane I should reach right around sunset.
Too bad it was being renovated and bolted shut. Luckily I saw Cabane des Aires a half hour up ahead on my route. I picked up the pace and moved on. I would regret my decision on many levels in the hours to come. I should’ve just set up my tent…
I was hiking a bit above 2000m(6550ft) and the fog was getting thicker to the point that I could only see what was 5m(17ft) around me. Combine that with mostly grassy trails and you have a navigational nightmare on your hands. I was looking at GAIA non-stop and still getting off-course. It was getting pretty cold. I managed to arrive just in time before it got dark.
Exhausted I put on my headlamp to check out the little stone hut. Something moved in my peripheral vision. I moved my head back to where I thought I saw something.
“OH COME ON! REALLY!?“
A freaking mouse. I really didn’t want to deal with these little pests right now. I shooed the thing outside. As the huts’ steel door wouldn’t close I built a barrier out of wood pallets and a nose from a snowboard (how the hell did that get there?). The sleeping area was in the back of the room and thankfully half a meter elevated from the floor. I set up for the night, put my food right next to me and left the rest of my gear on the table. After climbing into my quilt I scanned the hut for unwanted critters again. F*CK! The mouse had brought a friend along… I conceded right then and there. There was no way I was keeping them outside and the night was about to get worse.
When I went to charge my phone nothing happened. I unplugged and plugged my phone back into the power bank a couple of times. Nothing. I was using a micro USB cable with a Lightning adapter. After testing the cable on my headlamp the culprit was obvious. I never trusted 3rd party accessories for the iPhone before. Why did I take this little piece of shit anyway?
My phone was at 7% battery and I had no way to charge it. How was I going to navigate out of this thick fog? I only had one choice: wake up early and head back down the mountain to an Auberge 6km(3,7mi) away and hope that someone was willing to sell me their cable. For that to happen I needed a phone for navigation or clear skies. I knew the general direction but there were so many turns and lakes separating me from my destination that I would likely get lost pretty quickly, especially without any visual orientation. I guess physical maps weren’t such a bad idea right now.
The night was obviously terrible. I was on edge hoping for my phone to survive until the next morning and the two mice were having a serious domestic fight all night long. I kept following them around the hut with my headlamp. I spent most of my headlamp battery during the trip looking for mice. Thankfully they stayed away from my food.
After barely sleeping I woke up the next morning to unchanged weather conditions. F*ck. Too afraid to check my battery during the night I unlocked my phone. 4%. Yes! I can make that work. I just need 40 minutes to get to the road that will take me to the Auberge. I packed up as quickly as I could and headed out praying for no further navigational f *ck ups on my end and more importantly a kind soul willing to part with their charging cable.
I lost the trail a couple of times but eventually managed to get to the road with 1% left.
Arriving at the parking lot of the Auberge I saw a young couple getting ready to head out for a day hike. I told them of my dilemma and hiking plans. I probably looked quite pathetic. But thankfully they had a spare cable. They weren’t willing to take my money though. Damn was I relieved. I hiked up the way I came and I started blabbing the same way I always did on this trip as soon as I had company.
This iPhone adapter debacle could have cost me a day or two. It scared me enough that I will probably always take separate brand name cables for the rest of my life.
Even though the new cable had given me some much needed mental energy the next climb up Col de la Sede took the energy right out of my legs. This was probably the most exhausting climb of the whole trip for me. No trail, just 60-70% degree slopes of grass for 400m of elevation gain.
Looking back, this was probably the hardest day physically for me. On top of the pass I had to cross some steep scree that made me slide down with every step and sharp rock just waiting to cut up my ankles. After that it got a bit less technical for a few kilometers, but the ascents didn’t stop.
At Lacs de Barroude I had a decision to make. Take the alternate down to Parzán for some easy hiking on the GR11 or head east another 10km (6.2mi) with 900m(3000ft)/-1050m(-3450ft) of vert for some technical ridge walking. I was completely depleted and it was already 4pm. At the same time I wanted to complete the prettiest and hardest route possible. Three snickers later I started climbing up the ridge anyway. Sometimes I’m just too stubborn for my own good. For the first time that day I wasn’t walking in complete fog. The clouds still gave me pause. I didn’t want to be caught in a lightning storm as there was no easy or quick way off the ridge. Half way through I started hearing thunder. I couldn’t place it though and didn’t see any lightning. I picked up my pace as much as you can while scrambling up and down a ridge I guess. For the night I was betting on a green spot on my map that looked rather flat looking at the elevation lines. I just had to get there. The ridge walking got more technical as I progressed, but the clouds stayed tame. I moved north off the ridge and got to my planned camping spot.
My bet had paid off. Five stars! My favourite camp spot of the trail overlooking the heart of the Pyrenees. It was the first and only night that was completely silent as well. No bells, no mice, no nothing. I slept like a baby.
But not even good sleep could restore my energy after Day 10’s events and very steep and technical off-trail hiking. And Day 11 had more of that in store for me.
Climbing up Port d’Ourdissétou on one of the rare maintained trails of the day I noticed that I couldn’t keep this up for much longer. I needed a proper break. I decided to take a zero at my next resupply in Bernasque. That was still one and a half days away though. Luckily the second half of the day was a bit easier until a late climb up Port d’Aygues Tortes and the descent down to Cabane Prat Caseneuve. After my last, rather unpleasant, Cabane experience I actually wanted to avoid all further ones. But Prat Caseneuve was a very nice one with a second storey and proper mattresses. My fear of bedbugs made me sleep on the floor, to the great bewilderment of the Frenchman I was sharing the Cabane with. I was realizing that the Gavernie-Bernasque section was probably the hardest of the whole HRP.
The next morning we got up at 6am and I headed out at first light. Sleeping inside to get up early was the right choice as I had a very hard day ahead of me. I was going to tackle two of the highest and most technical cols of the HRP: Col des Gourgs Blancs and Col Inférieur de Litérole. Both just under 3000m(9850ft). I had heard horror stories about Litérole from other hikers on trail and in online forums. Especially descending the east side, which I was going to do. I didn’t buy it though. The crap I had already done to this point was hard to top, in my opinion.
It was a very pretty day and after passing another storage reservoir I headed up Col des Gourgs Blancs. Navigating through huge boulders, following scattered cairns and scrambling up scree had become second nature. I was cruising through one of the hardest hiking the Pyrenees has to offer. Heading down I could see Lac du Portillon, another reservoir. I took a 45 minute lunch break at Refúge du Portillon and talked with some locals about barefoot ultramarathon training and dream races. The sun was warming up my cheeks. On to Col Inférieur de Litérole!
The climb up was steep and I made one bad choice in circumventing the snowfields by climbing further up some steep scree. Every step I took I triggered a rock slip. I tried heading down as quickly as possible. That was not fun at all. I continued on the edge of the snowfield. The last climb up Litérole was easy enough. Looking down the other side though I understood what everyone had been talking about. Daaaamn that was steep. It didn’t manage to faze me anymore though. The HRP had made me quite confident. I found my way down with a quick glissade into a scree field. What followed was the longest boulder hopping adventure of my life. Pure fun. I headed down the Remuñe valley. That’s where I took my favorite picture of the whole trail. After a long descent I hit the road that would take me to Bernasque. I asked two Spaniards from Barcelona for a ride. With our masks on and disinfected hands we headed down into the valley.

Interlude: Zero in Bernasque - Day 13
Bernasque is a picturesque village in the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees. Its village centre consists of beautiful stone buildings and a wide selection of hotels and restaurants. Two outdoor shops which offer everything you’d desire makes Bernasque a fully featured mountain hub for tourists.
After saying goodbye to my ride I headed to a one star hotel. Mid September is the end of the summer season for most Pyrenees tourism. That was my hotels last day and so they organized another hotel a few minutes away for my second night. I had to buy groceries for the next stretch to Arinsal as my zero was going to be on a Sunday and I wanted to head out early on Monday.
I checked the news for the first time on my trip. Crazy how things can change in such a short time. When I went down to Hendaye the Covid numbers had been consistently low for a few months now. But France and Spain’s numbers were exploding again. Over 10k new infections a day in France alone. I found the French and Spanish much more responsible than the Germans though. Everyone was wearing a mask in public. In Germany people were demonstrating in masses against the Covid measures of the government. Without masks and social distancing…
I had a big dinner and went to sleep. I was looking forward to my zero. No hiking would surely do me good. A day before arriving in Bernasque I started having a bit of pain in my right outer knee as I was going down technical terrain for a prolonged period of time. It was knee pain I hadn’t experienced before, so I had trouble placing the cause. I used the day to stretch myself a bit more and applying KT tape. During the first half of my trip I consistently rolled out my feet and did the Viranasa pose which I think was a big factor for staying mostly pain free.
Besides my knee flaring up I had to take care of my trail runners (Topo Ultraventure). After 200km(125mi) I first looked at my sole and saw that the Vibram lug on the right heel had unglued half way. Now, after 400km(350mi), the lug was only hanging by a rubber thread and the left heel lug was half way unglued as well. At a souvenir shop I found shoe glue and glued the two lugs back onto the sole. The tread in general was already very smooth and two holes were opening up where my big toes meet the balls of my feet. In hindsight I should have just chosen a new pair of trail runners from the huge selection on offer at the two outdoor stores.
The rest of the day consisted of eating, laying in the sun, eating, sleeping, eating, you get the idea…
The last bus of the season headed up the mountain that Sunday. As I wanted to leave at 6:30am the next morning and didn’t want to wait around for a hitch I had to book a 25€ shuttle back to trail.
Chapter 4: Bernasque - Arinsal - Day 14-17
The next morning I arrived back on trail a bit before 7am. Civil sunrise had not arrived yet. I guessed I would have to do a few minutes of night hiking after all. 6km(3.7mi) in, I arrived at the half way point of the HRP.
The day went by smoothly heading over one of the highest cols of the route, Col de Mulleres. The rest of the day had a lot of vert and turquoise lakes in store. Around 4pm though I started to feel my right knee again. The light pain soon turned into severe one. F*CK… I was happy to be hiking again, grooving through the trail, enjoying the views and now this?!
I wasn’t surprised though. Of course there was some issue to rise up when I was doing anything between 4000-6000m(13123-19685ft) of accumulated vert every day.
The pain didn’t subside. Maybe I had applied the KT tape with too much stretch? I removed it. It got minimally better. Could just as well been placebo.
I went up my last climb of the day, very nervous that my knee would end my hike. Half way up I met a German hiker named Andreas. A fit and experienced hiker. He had started the HRP (Cicerone Version) but after a few days switched to the GR11 as he started to feel uncomfortable with the terrain and passes that he had to hike through. I understood him completely. We exchanged a bit of food and camped together. That was the second and last time I would camp with another person. Before sleep I devoted a bit more time than usual to stretching.
The pain was gone in the morning. But all the little niggles I had had on this trip had gone away after a good night’s sleep. I didn’t trust my pain free knee yet.
After half an hour the pain came back in full force.
Panic hit me full force. The pain and my fear of not being able to go on consumed me. And I had no idea what the hell was wrong with my knee.
Going down into Salardu, I called my dad. I vented my frustrations and asked him to look up my symptoms for me as I wasn’t getting an internet connection. He started reading out a diagnosis of what seemed to be the cause of my pain. IT Band issues. I had only heard about it. Alright dad, how do I fix it? I can’t quit now. No way.
He tried to explain to me some google images and a youtube video he was watching. I guess I was being crewed over the phone. After cheering me up a bit I got my usual weather fix. Thanks dad!
In Salardu I sat down in the shade and started to brutally roll out my outer thigh with my trekking pole. I kept that up for five minutes. Afterwards I got up and carefully took some steps.
Magic! The pain had subsided significantly. Okay, let’s see how long this lasts.
I picked up my pace again and did 1000m(3280ft) of vert in a span of two hours over 10km(6,2mi). My knee was doing fine. Not good, but fine. I set up camp beside a lake just before sunset. Not a minute later it started to rain. The first drops hitting my tent in the Pyrenees. After 15 days.
With my new phone-taught skills I kept my knee pain in check so it wasn’t bothering me any longer. Occasionally I had to stop on a long downhill section and do some extra work with my trekking pole though. Day 16 I passed my biggest waterfall on the trail. Quite the sight.
I’m still annoyed with myself for passing on a camp spot that day which would have been in the Top 3. I took a gamble thinking the next lake would have an even better spot. It didn’t. Still beautiful though.
Checking GAIA before sleep, I knew I had to do some negative vert in the morning. Not something I ever look forward to. Especially not with my knee issues in the mix.
I only had one objective for Day 17. Get to Arinsal in time to resupply and call my grandmother in brazil for her birthday.
The day was marked by a lot of vert and constantly thinking about food. Hiker hunger had set in after a week on trail and daydreaming about grocery shopping had become my main pastime.
Around 5pm and some decent views later I got to Arinsal in Andorra.

continued in comments

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