A/N- This is my entry for the fe_contest "wager" theme. I'm kind of worried about this one as it involves a few characters that I've never really tried to write before and a couple that simply don't come easily to me. And I'm unsure whether the scene really works like I'd hoped that it would. I'd love feedback. ^_^
Disclaimer: The Fire Emblem series and it's characters do not belong to me.
"No. No, that idea will not do at all," Marth growled angrily, his jaw tight as he looked between Caeda, Malledus, Jagen, and Nyna. "I will not send any more brave warriors to die because you wish to gamble with their lives. Enough lives have been lost already!" His eyes were a worrying mix of fury and sadness as he looked around at his four companions.
Silence fell over the room for a moment under the weight of Marth's words, before Nyna's soft voice broke the spell.
"No one is trying to send anyone to their deaths, but if we do not act quickly then five brave soldiers, whose only crime was being loyal to Archanea, will die. The warp staff is the best way to get someone over there to help them before they are executed." Nyna wore a tragic look as she spoke. "I... I cannot simply stand by and watch them die. I do understand the risks involved..."
"Will you be the one taking the risk?" Marth interrupted heatedly, aware in the back of his mind that his words might have been unfair. "It's a gamble at best. I will not consent to this plan." Marth leaned forward and laid his hands across the map spread on the table in front of him.
"Marth," Caeda responded softly, taking a step closer to him, laying her hand on his shoulder. "I do not much like this idea either, but we should at least hear it out fully before rejecting it."
After a moment, the young man nodded stiffly, clearly still not happy with the situation, but unable to dismiss the Talysian princess's request so easily. "I will listen, although I doubt that I will change my mind. I will not put another in such tremendous danger by going along with this plan of yours."
"But isn't that what you do if you choose to take the long way around and are too late?" Nyna whispered, her voice so soft that it was barely audible. "At least your solider will be armed, which is more then can be said for those who are being held prisoner right now.
"It is not an ideal situation, sire," Malledus admitted, looking his prince in the eye. "In an ideal situation, we would have all the time necessary for this battle, but, as Princess Nyna has pointed out, we do not have that option. Any delay could potentially cause more deaths."
Marth opened his mouth to protest before slamming it shut again. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes in an attempt to collect his thoughts. "I... am aware of that, but it still does not feel right. If this truly is the best strategy then I will be the one to go."
"No, sire," Jagen's voice was gentle as he spoke, but also very firm. The tone that he used now was one that Marth had become very familiar with over his life and knew that there was little point in arguing with the older man when he took that tone of voice. "That will not do at all as you well know, my prince. It is far too dangerous and we cannot risk your being lost."
"I... I suppose that you might be correct," Marth admitted regretfully, closing his eyes again, feeling for a moment like a foolish child. This was not the first time that had heard that and he certainly understood the logic behind it, but he still couldn't bring himself to be satisfied by the response. It was against his nature to ask another person to face danger that he would not face himself.
Silence fell over the group for a second time until Jagen spoke again.
"Sire," Jagen started gently, taking a step towards his prince, "Although it is not easy to think of things in these terms, technically every decision that we make here is a wager of sorts because even when we have planned things out to the point where we think that we know precisely how the battle will play out, the risk still remains as things can always go wrong. Rarely have I seen a battle that went exactly according to plan and I have long since concluded that the battlefield is the wrong place to look for certainty. At the end of the day, we simply must prepare ourselves as best we can and hope that things turn out in our favor."
The young commander could not speak for a moment as he turned the words over in his own mind. Although it was hard to accept, there was a great deal of wisdom in the old warrior's words. He stared at the map again for a long moment before speaking again. "Then we will prepare ourselves as best we can. Perhaps we cannot have certainty, but we can at least lessen the odds. We will bring two staff users, so that two knights can be sent to fight. Although it is too much for one person to use the warp staff twice in such a short period of time, it should be able to be used again if handed off to another person after the first use. The two knights sent will be equipped with the best weapons that we can manage. At least this should mitigate the danger a bit."
"Perhaps we can do even better than that," Caeda suggested. "What if we send weapons along for those held prisoner? They are knights as well. If we arm them, then they can help with the fighting, which should make things far more even."
Marth eyes lit up at this idea and he quickly agreed, smiling for the first time since the day had begun.
There was no more to be said and no more time for planning. Their scouts had reported back that the enemy had not yet moved against the prisoners, but that could change at any moment. They had to move quickly and efficiently if they were to take back the palace that Nyna called home without losses.
Regret and worry gripped Marth's mind as he left the planning tent, but he forced them away. Allowing himself to get caught up in his emotions would only interfere with his ability to think clearly and lead. If he must make a wager such as this then at least he had done his best to tip the odds in their favor before the battle began. It was time now to see how it would play out.
...
The battle started off on a strong note with the acquisition of a new warp staff, which made the plan easier to execute then they had originally believed. Some took this as a sign that their plan was destined to succeed, but Marth was not ready to announce victory yet. There was still far too much that could go wrong and destiny was rarely so straightforward.
Marth's heart lightened at hearing Caeda's cry of joy as she entered the small area leading to the castle's prison. As he saw Cain and Abel rejoin the army unharmed along with the Archanean knights who had been prisoners at the start of the invasion, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it had hurt to send his two loyal knights into such danger, he had chosen the two skilled cavaliers because they were used to working as a team and this would give them a better chance at success then knights who were unused to working together.
Exhilaration rushed through him at this victory and, with renewed confidence, he made his way to the throne room, determined to add another victory to the day. It was not long before Marth found himself able to seize the throne and end the battle.
Although the battle had worked out in his favor, the experience had proven to be a painful reminder of the inherent dangers of this war. Jagen's words to him before the battle still ran through his mind.
Perhaps there is no certainty in war, but at least I will not allow myself to be caught unprepared. If I continue to focus on tipping the odds in our favor, then hopefully any future decisions of this nature that I must make will end as this one did.
That was his hope at least. He knew that whether it would be his reality remained to be seen.