In an age long past… evil flooded over the land. Creatures awash in the dark tide ran wild, pushing mankind to the brink of annihilation. In its despair, mankind appealed to the heavens, and from a blinding light came hope. The Sacred Stones. These five glorious treasures held the power to dispel evil. The hero Marin and her warriors used the Sacred Stones to combat evil's darkness. They defeated the Demon King and sealed his soul away within the stones. With the darkness imprisoned, peace returned to Magvel. But this peace would not last…
"Boooor-ing!" Tana called out. Fado looked up from the scroll he had been reading, and at the wide-eyed princess of Frelia he was caring for. Tana had a shorter attention span than his own daughter, Princess Eirika of Renais, but her optimistic personality made her a welcome guest at Castle Nadaku whenever she so wished.
"Tana… this is important to your kingdom. One day, you will rule over Frelia, and it is important you know what came before you," Fado explained gently. Eirika had heard the tale and knew it well, which is why she was not currently present.
"Not before Innes gets the crown. I'm ruling over Renais when I'm older, and Ephraim will be able to help me with all this history nonsense," Tana claimed. Of course, her claim was difficult to substantiate- Ephraim was always out and about whenever Tana came to visit Renais. Today, he was off investigating harsh rumours surrounding the Grado Empire's military plans. This endeavour had actually lasted longer than Fado had expected, but it was still the case that Ephraim was absent.
"Frelia's crown may be yours yet. Eirika and Ephraim intend to rule jointly, and as harsh as Prince Innes may seem to you, brothers care for their sisters," Fado explained to her.
"Nuh-uh. Not Innes," Tana contradicted. Fado gave a weary sigh. Tana's mind was not going to be swayed by a simple lecture. At the very least, footsteps at the door told him he would have something to distract himself from Tana's adamance. The door opened, and a soldier burst into the room. His armour had a speck of blood, as did his beard.
"Your Majesty, I bear bad news. The castle gate has been breached. Emperor Vigarde's forces are within the castle walls!" the soldier reported. Tana cried out, and Fado stood to place a hand on her shoulder.
"I understand. How do our forces fare?" Fado asked.
"The garrison has fallen, and we have no way of contacting Ephraim's forces," the soldier reported. Tana looked between the two in fear.
"…Then it appears we have no choice. Call the order to surrender. I may only hope my sacrifice allows Tana and Eirika to escape this castle unharmed. Tana, run to Achaeus, and escape by skies. Watch for Grado's wyverns, though," Fado ordered. Tana nodded, running down the halls as fast as her legs could take her. Fado could only hope that Tana would have the sense to evade enemy detection… he could tell that Eirika was restraining her urge to follow Ephraim very strongly already. Were Tana to be captured by Grado, Eirika would rush in without hesitation. And that would spell disaster.
"Seth," Fado requested. Seth, Fado's most trusted knight, stepped forward. Although he had been reading, he was not without sufficient armour for his duty.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Seth asked, ready for his order.
"You are to take Eirika and head for Frelia. King Hayden will care for her as I have for Tana. I must also ask that you ensure to the safety of the Lunar Brace and Princess Tana, as well," Fado requested. Seth gave a deep bow.
"What of Your Majesty?" Seth asked, knowing the answer.
"I must remain here. I must know why Grado has made this decision to attack. I must know why I have failed to keep Renais safe. Now go. See to the safety of Princess Eirika," Fado ordered. Seth nodded, and made his escape. He narrowly avoided encountering Grado's commanders- the mighty Emperor Vigarde himself, and his son Prince Lyon.
Seth looked around outside. Grado's forces were at a minimum- clearly they were all taking control over Renais. Eirika followed behind him, ill at ease. Seth could hardly blame her- the fates of Ephraim, Tana and Fado were all unknown to her. The young soldier Franz galloped up to him.
"Franz, ride ahead and bring word of our escape to Frelia. I fear that reinforcements from Hayden will be necessary. A single rider will have better odds of reaching Frelia in time," Seth ordered.
"Understood… but who will accompany you?" Franz asked.
"Go!" Seth ordered, and Franz bolted. Seth took another view, and noticed something swooping. He ordered Eirika to flee to the mountains, and pulled out his lance. The three wyvern riders landed, and the lead one peered down at Seth. His gaunt body showed clear signs of some affliction, but his cold, calculating eyes said anything but.
"That girl with the blue hair that just fled… that was the princess of Renais, was it not?" the wyvern rider asked.
"I will neither confirm nor deny the identity of the fleeing woman. It is my duty to fight to the death to ensure her safety- and that means killing you," Seth boasted, readying his lance. The arrival's two dragon riders began to follow Eirika, but one poke each knocked both off their mounts.
"You show some talent, knight. But you're just a corpse who does not know of his own death. I am Valter, Grado's own Moonstone. And control over Princess Eirika has already been promised to me by Emperor Vigarde!" Valter roared. Seth lunged with his lance, and Valter swung with his sword. Both missed, and the two fighters got a feel for the other. Seth knew he had the advantage in weapon choice, but when it came to battle, he knew he could not risk a battle of skill. The cost of duelling Valter here today, no matter who fell, would be Eirika's safety at the least. Seth set his lance down into its battle sheath, and drew a javelin. He tossed it forward, tearing a massive hole in the side of Valter's mount. Valter's strike hit Seth's right side, tearing a massive gash into the arm. Seth let out a yell, before his left arm grabbed the reins of his horse, and he dashed to follow Eirika. Valter watched them go, his wyvern unable to give chase.
"Such a horrible wound… and he holds to his duty still? How entertaining. Fly, strange little man. Fly. Try to outrun your death. I will savour the hunt… and I will definitely savour your lady," Valter growled.
Seth followed Eirika up a seldom-used mountain path that Fado had painstakingly ensured was open in the event of an emergency. Eirika was seated behind one of the many natural-looking walls that concealed her from pursuit- if Seth had not made sure he checked each one, he would've overlooked her. And from the way Eirika was stretching her legs, it seemed her pause was done with the intent to continue when she was more fully rested.
"Princess Eirika, Grado doesn't seem to have men in place to offer pursuit. We should be safe for the time being, but we mustn't neglect our pace until we have found Princess Tana," Seth stated in a business-like manner.
"Don't be ridiculous, Seth. Your wound is bleeding far too much. I didn't have time to grab my good bandages, but I've a few rags and such that might be used to staunch the blood flow? It would be unwise to press on until we have made sure you will survive the journey," Eirika replied, reaching into her pouch.
"No, Eirika. Until we find Tana, we must not stop longer than necessary," Seth repeated.
"Tana's tougher than you give her credit for. Besides, you called reinforcements from Frelia- if they arrive, they will find Tana first," Eirika told him. Regardless of Seth's objection, Eirika pulled away Seth's shirt, and began wrapping Seth's arm in a makeshift sling. It was far from perfect- in fact, it was unlikely he'd be able to enter any round of combat- but with the resources available, it'd have to do.
"Now come, Eirika. We must make it to Frelia. The efforts of King Fado and Prince Ephraim will surely be in vain if you fall here," Seth told Eirika. Eirika nodded, and helped Seth aboard his horse. She took a moment to consider riding double, before voices from the direction of Renais told Eirika to reconsider.
"Pursuers," Eirika told Seth. Seth reached for his sword, only to cry out as his wound struck him.
"Eirika… there's a rapier in the saddlebags… please… can you…" Seth muttered. Eirika nodded, and pulled it out of the bag. The rapier was rather light, and suited her style of fighting well- seeing as how she learned her craft from a lance user.
"Renais dogs… cornered at last," the leader of the attacking force growled. Eirika steeled herself for the coming battle- against axemen, sure, but there were three of them. Eirika took in a deep breath, before lunging forward into one of them. The fighter was nothing special, and fell to the ground. His brother stepped forward, only to tumble on the wrist of the first and fall onto jagged rock. Eirika thanked her lucky stars, and turned to focus on the third, the leader. He looked much sturdier than his minions.
"Do you think you can take me, wretched lordling girl? I am the legendary O'Neill," the fighter boasted. Eirika neglected to respond, keeping her mind firmly on the battle. She watched the axe fly around, and dodged the heavy blade. O'Neill's axe flew back into a resting position easily- Eirika could see no advantage to a dodge-counter.
Or maybe she could.
Eirika stepped backwards, forcing O'Neill to clamber over the corpse of the first fighter. Eirika knew this portion of the pass well, and led O'Neill towards one of the outcrops. She feinted towards the left, and O'Neill responded with a heavy axe swing. Eirika dodged the axe, and the blade found itself lodged in the outcropping itself. O'Neill grunted, and reached over with his second hand to dislodge the axe. Eirika thrust quickly with her rapier, piercing his leather armour and separating him from his axe.
"Phew… I think that's all of them…" Eirika whispered, looking between the first fighter and O'Neill. The second, the one that had stumbled, appeared to have stirred, but Eirika didn't have the heart to strike him with a safety blow.
"Are you hurt, Princess?" Seth asked, looking around, and again cursing his shoulder.
"Hurt, no. Shaken, maybe… my only experience with battle has been against my brother and Lyon. I never knew how it would feel to stand on a battlefield… to strike a man down. A man who… no, best not to think about that, if I plan to see this war through. I must see Renais restored. I must see my father and brother again. Seth, we must press on to Frelia… we must find Tana," Eirika described. Seth nodded in agreement, and beckoned with his good arm. Eirika quickly cleaned off her rapier with a spare cloth, before sheathing it and joining Seth on his back.
There was no time for rest until they arrived at Frelia.