Disclaimer: I hope one day I will walk along the street and see something in a shop. Something small, rectangular, and with the following label: "Fire Emblem, Greil's past"... I'll stop dreaming now. Enjoy!
Note: I know Greil isn't supposed to know Petrine. I just want it to be that way, what is fanfiction for anyway? XD
Begun and Ended in Blood
How it all started…
It was yet another end of a peaceful summer day in Daein. In this late afternoon, peasants were casually chatting as they walked around their fields, watching over their farming before retiring to their houses. Cereals were to be harvested and stocked soon, before the summer storms came around, and many a horse would produce an heir next month.
The farmers only stopped talking to salute four horsemen who happened to ride that way. The little group waved back before resuming their calm walk along the path. They were known of all, their names were famous all over Daein. They had been chosen by the King to be his four lieutenants a couple of years ago, and were given the title of Rider. The Four Riders of Daein. Some said they weren't human, and others thought they were just the best warriors to have ever lived on Tellius. Some respected them because of their strenght, and others feared them for the same reason.
But all in all, the people of Daein liked them. The Riders worked to protect them and although they were considered as nobles, they willingly mingled with people and could often be found in small villages on their rides across the country. They were pillars of strenght, and whenever they were around everyone felt at ease.
"Hey stop," one of the Riders spoke up, stopping his mount. He turned his upper body so he could look behind him, his deep blue eyes scanning the path. He sighed. "Let him catch up."
The nearest horseman stopped too and groaned, annoyed. "Gawain, why did you have to take him along?" he asked, whining. His mount, a stallion of the same vivid chestnut as the man's hair and eyes, neighed as if to agree. "He's slowing us down, you should have left him at the barracks."
"He's my apprentice, Tauroneo, he'll never learn anything if I leave him at the barracks all the time," the one called Gawain retorted. "Besides, I promised him he would come with us for once, he wanted to." When Tauroneo groaned again, Gawain threw him a dark glance. "I admit that it seems strange, for once you're not the one slowing us down."
His friend growled angrily as the two other riders chuckled. The first had long deep green hair, and was in fact a woman. Her smirk was clearly amused as she toyed with her reigns and ran her fingers through her black mare's mane. "I totally agree with Gawain, don't you, Bryce?" she asked the other horseman who had stopped next to her.
"You bet I do," the young man nodded as he ran a hand through his dark hair, grinning in a way that made his chestnut eyes light up.
"Thank you Bryce," Tauroneo grumbled. "And thank you, Petrine."
"I live to serve, my lord," the woman mocked.
"Wait up!" a panting voice was heard. Gawain turned his head to see his apprentice, a young sixteen years old boy, running up to them. He stopped and fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath so he could resume speaking. "I... can't... catch up... ugh..."
The Rider sighed as he looked down at the blond teenager gasping on his knees. He never knew why he had agreed to take an apprentice, it just occured, and Korgan had been with him for a few months now, but there still were things he didn't understand aboutthe boy. Gawain wondered if his children would ever be that complicated. "Really, Korgan, why didn't you take a horse?" he said.
"I don't know how to ride," Korgan admitted, his deep blue eyes downcast.
Gawain sighed and patted his horse's back behind the saddle. "Just hop on, we can't have you running around and spitting your lungs on the ground. Try not to fall off."
"Thanks!" Korgan wasted no time and hopped behind the saddle. He grabbed one of Gawain's belts for support and prayed the Goddess he wouldn't fall off like last time. It had been rather... embarassing.
Petrine chuckled but suddenly grew serious once again. Her gaze pierced over Gawain's shoulder and settled upon something in the distance. "Is that smoke?" she asked as she motionned to a high tower of black smoke behind a hill. "Where could it be coming from? It can't be a fire, there are no trees over there."
Tauroneo came to a stop next to her and stared at the smoke. "It is coming from the Fronter Lands," he muttered.
Gawain cringed. The Fronter Lands were, as their name stated, lands that were situated at Daein's fronter with Begnion. The latter, however, had always claimed the lands as his, although they were the former's, and so an endless war was fought for those mere plots of land. The Daein King was willing to settle matters and share the lands, but Begnion wanted them all. Which got him to wonder... "Wait, didn't the King say something about negociating today?" he asked out loud.
"Yes," Bryce nodded, "I even saw some generals and the Count of this land leave this morning. They were heading there to negociate with Begnion's generals."
"I don't think they are just lighting a campfire," Petrine growled dangerously. She tugged at her reigns so her mount turned around. "Let's see what is happening there." Without wanting for her partners to answer, the violet-eyed woman nudged her horse along the path.
"Hey wait!" Bryce called as he sent his own mount running. Tauroneo was quick to do the same, leaving Gawain with no other choice but follow.
"Hold on," he advised Korgan as he nudged his horse into a fast gallop. The teenager settled his jaw and held onto Gawain's waist as the mount ran and finally caught up with the other Riders. "Just what do you intend to do?" he shouted at Petrine, whose horse was galloping next to his. "We are not supposed to be there! Negociations are none of our business!"
"Just shut up, Gawain, and forget the orders for once!" Petrine shot back.
"Fine! But when the King asks what we were doing there, I'm not the one doing the talking!" the dark-haired Rider snarled.
"I swear Gawain, you sound like you have a spear stuck up your a-"
"Hey, lovebirds, I don't want to interrupt anything but we are nearly there!" Tauroneo yelled at them.
Indeed, the pillar of dark smoke seemed to be coming from behind the next hill. The Riders pulled their mounts to a stop and hopped down. Korgan fingered the empty saddle nervously, wondering if he should do the same. "Can I-" he began.
"No, you're staying there and keeping watch over the horses," Gawain ordered. "This might be dangerous."
Korgan sighed and reluctantly got off of the horse to grab the reigns. The black stallion's muzzle rubbed his cheek and the boy grinned, ruffling the perfectly-trimmed mane. He hoped one day he would have a horse too, and why not be a Rider like his master was? Gawain was the strongest man he had ever met, and even though he hadn't managed to defeat him – or even touch him with a sword – he was sure he would be just as strong one day. Korgan would put all the hard training and practice to good use and make Gawain proud.
Meanwhile, the Riders were making their way down the hill. They could see clearly where the smoke was exactly coming from now; a heap of grey material next to a small house, which door was wide open. It was too dark to see inside, but Gawain guessed there was nobody home.
"It doesn't look like leaves," Tauroneo noticed, looking over at the burning heap.
"Well it doesn't smell like it either," Bryce added as he sniffed. He made a face. "Ugh, it's putrid! I think I'm going to throw up."
"Go away," Petrine grunted, disgusted, as she walked away from Bryce whose face was turning a little green. She was nearing the shapeless heap now, Tauroneo right behind her.
Gawain's attention had been caught by something else; some trees in the nearby woods seemed to have things hanging onto their branches. It looked like bags, big bags, but then it was too dark to be absolutely sure. Maybe they were just broken branches, a recent storm's work, that was all. Gawain wasn't sure, he had a bad feeling about this, so he made his way over to the suspicious-looking trees.
At the same time, Bryce decided to inspect the house so he would avoid being near the vomiting smell of the burning heap. He pushed the partly opened door all the way and walked in. He could see nothing in the dark, so the brown-haired Rider searched for a potential opening to get some light in. A few seconds later, he caught sight of a window and got to work to try and open it in the dark.
In a few seconds' time, Petrine and Tauroneo reached the heap, Gawain found himself under the trees and Bryce managed to open the window, and their four audible gasps could be heard as one.
Petrine stumbled back and collided with Tauroneo's chest, not even registering as she grabbed her friend's forearm for support. The taller man was still staring at the mass, mouth slightly agape as his brain slowly acknowledged and accepted the scene. Those were no leaves, no branches, and the two Riders watched in morbid astonishment at the half-charred remains of what should have once been human bodies. Tauroneo gagged when he noticed the bodies were all missing their heads, and the only thing still clearly visible was the Daein's symbol on those whose clothes hadn't burned yet. Soldiers, all of them.
Gawain also took a few steps back, believing at first his eyes were deceiving him. Surely, it wasn't Count Erdick of the Fronter Lands hanged to a branch by a rope around his neck. And those weren't three powerful generals of Daein either, he was just seeing things. Ashera's blood... this can't be true... this is impossible... Dead, they were dead. Their mouths twisted in an ultimate grunt of pain and their necks bending at anormal angles. Their ankles had been tied together as well as their wrists so they wouldn't struggle much and suffer a slow and horrible death. What... what the hell happened here...
Gawain turned heels and ran back to his comrades; half-way to the heap he met with Tauroneo and Petrine who looked equally shaken. "They hanged them!" he nearly cried out. "They hanged the count and the generals!"
"And they killed the soldiers who were with them!" Petrine said, her voice trembling with rage. "Those are their bodies burning!"
"I can't believe it," Tauroneo muttered.
"Over there!" Bryce called from the house's door. "Come here! Quick!"
The three Riders strode as fast as they could to the house and there they saw a look on Bryce's face that gave away that he too had discovered something very bad. In his urge to get some light in so his partners could see better, Bryce broke the window and late afternoon light poured in.
If Petrine and Tauroneo wondered where the heads of the soldiers were, then their question had just been answered. The ten heads had been nailed to a wall, two lines of bleeding horror. Something was written on the wall, and Gawain reluctantly stepped nearer to be able to read. The words had been written with blood – the soldiers' obviously – and said: Begnion will rule over.
"They are not even trying to hide it," the Rider growled as he returned to his friends' side. "They are even claiming responsability."
"What are we going to do?" Bryce asked quietly, frightened as much as he was furious.
Tauroneo crossed his arms. "This is war they seek. I say, let's give them what they want! Let's get rid of them so we can have peace!"
"This is exactly what they expect us to do," Gawain shook his head. "Whereas it may not be as powerful, Begnion's army is bigger than ours. We'd soon be outnumbered and defeated, this is something we can't risk."
Tauroneo and Bryce stared at Gawain as if he were mad. "Are you out of your mind? We can't leave what they did unpunished!"
"I agree, we have to avenge our comrades!"
"You two shut up!" Petrine ordered. "Gawain is right, we can't run head first into this without some thinking before! Let's head back to Nevassa and inform the King."
A Rider was going to speak up when a clanking noise was heard. Gawain drew his sword and Tauroneo brought his silver spear up. The noise had come from the door; was one of Begnion's soldiers still here? If that was the case, he wouldn't live long enough to recognize the Riders of Daein.
As soon as he saw the shadow of the person standing in the doorway, Gawain tensed up and raised his sword. "Come out, whoever you are!" he shouted.
The man did. Upon seeing the face of the intruder, though, Gawain put his sword away and ran to the door. "Korgan!" he said sharply. "What are you doing here?"
The blond teenager didn't answer, for his eyes were glued to the heads on the wall, slightly widened. The young man barely registered the Rider had spoken to him, focused on the blood and torn flesh exposed so obviously for everyone to see, and his legs began shaking.
"Korgan!" Gawain tried again, grasping his apprentice's shoulders.
Korgan was thrown out of his thoughts violently, so violently in fact that he believed somebody was attacking him. "No!" he yelled as he tried to punch Gawain, but to no avail. The well-built horseman took hold of Korgan's upper arms and half-pulled, half-dragged him outside and behind the house so they were out of sight of both the heap of bodies and the hanged generals. "Let me go! No!"
"Calm down, Korgan, it's me!" Gawain said as he shook the boy a little. The young man finally recovered from shock and stared up at his master, breathing heavily. "That's better, now tell me what you were doing here? I told you to stay with the horses!"
"I... you weren't coming back so I decided to... Goddess what happened here," Korgan stammered, his mind a swirl of emotions. He hung onto Gawain's forearms because he didn't trust his legs right now and didn't want to fall to the ground. "They... were supposed to negociate... how could they kill them... how could they..."
"It is what is called war, Korgan," Gawain answered softly, or at least he hoped he sounded reassuring to the shaken boy. "Don't worry, they are gone, and something is going to be done about it. Now go back to the horses, we are coming soon."
Korgan shakily nodded and started off uneasily up the hill. Gawain followed him with his eyes until the boy was out of sight and sighed. He really didn't have to see that; sure, sooner or later, he would have been confronted to this sort of sight, but later had been until then a more appealing solution.
"If war can't be avoided," Gawain thought out loud as his three friends exited the house, "then war it will be."