Fire Emblem: Dusk of Verias
Chapter One: Fall of Haddas
A hundred Isles surrounded by an endless scenery of sapphire waves with hints of teal, the sky echoing the color as best as it could possibly could; a blue clearer than any crystal. Strong arid winds came swirling from the south however, creating a much more desolate climate than one would think of this hidden paradise. These Islands, bound together by pacts forged in blood and comradeship, is the land of Verias.
Verias, the broken continent, made of a hundred Isles. The land had once been in great turmoil with each island fighting its neighbor…many had died for the cause of glory to their island…but many more died by the evils of the legion of monsters lead by a giant of a man, a pirate lord of the Exiled Isle of Shale. He had been given many a name, but the one most known throughout history is Vladamir…He had gained control of the islands of Verias and began his tyranny that would simply be known as the Nightmare.
Soon, however, five warriors would be known as the Enlightened Ones. Each hailed from a different Isle but all of then joined together along with their fellow comrades. They stormed the Castle of the largest Isle, Bezoa. In a bloody week long siege, Vladamir was thrown from the highest castle spire, his body breaking upon the rocks below. The Monster controlling tyrant was no more…The five warriors returned to their respective Isle, to convince their people and their neighbors to all rally under their tutelage.
Gannon, the headstrong General from the small southernmost Isle of Volsci, would become a great leader of a country to be called Marshel, the people known for their fearlessness and determination.
Aero, the serene Wyvern Lord from the volcanic eastern Isle of Raja would become the charismatic queen of the new country of Zephyr, known for their mounted knights who sail the skies.
Verdandi, the pious Valkyrie from the stormy northern Isle of Klein, would be hailed as the empress of the just formed country of Naia, where magic wielders live idyllic lives.
Uthur, the gentle Paladin from the western desert Isle of Vanir, would accept responsibility for the nation of Haddas, where the hardiest of people thrive.
And finally, Riverra, the quiet Sniper hailing from the central Isle of Bezoa. The people revered him as the creator of Seras, the country whose people were unsurpassed in the ways of the bow.
Twenty years had passed since the Nightmare had ended, twenty years of thriving civilization with no sightings of monsters or major conflict of any kind. But an evil breeze whispers of dark tidings to come, the time of the resurrection of the Nightmare has been reached and those who were loyal to Vladamir will take up arms once again to shatter the hopes and dreams of the living…starting with the Enlightened Ones. Strange ships enter the main port of Haddas, the reasons for their arrival shrouded in uncertainty and edged with the sour taste of death, though to whom this death would be aimed toward remains unseen, the darkness begins its march to former glory here.
Our story begins here.
Port Dias, the capital city of Haddas, the desert Isle of Vanir, with its majestic buildings made of sandstone, worn down by sandstorms and failed past attempts to claim the Jewel of the West during the Nightmare twenty years ago. The streets were bustling with activity with merchants peddling their wares, with music filling the streets with an air of celebration spun by the traveling bards and minstrels, the music being interpreted into movement by the dancers whose sensual gyrations charmed many a man out of more than a few gold pieces. It was Prince Lissom's nineteenth birthday and the people's love of their King and his son were the triggers for such a celebration, but the guest of honor was not present, not even for his own holiday feast at the Castle.
Instead, Lissom was helping travelers delivering supplies to villages in need of supplies they could not produce themselves. It was not that he openly disliked the attention; it was that he believed he was not yet worthy of such frivolity. Thus, the son of Uthur, King of Haddas was toiling in the desert in guise as a mounted guard assigned to protect the supply line. With a turban to protect his head and a mask to protect his nose and mouth from sand the young man blended in with the rest of the group.
He looked at the expanse of sand to the east where the village they were delivering the goods to would soon be visible. The air shimmered with heat and the prince blinked a few times, shaking his head. Now is not the time to be seeing illusions. With the sun's location where it is now, I judge we'll arrive before nightfall, barring any interruptions… Lissom thought to himself as he turned his chestnut horse around to return to the ranks of the slowly moving supply line which consisted of ten people leading mules loaded with vital supplies, including tools needed by the village Blacksmith, whom Lissom knew well.
"Ware! Something approaches from the south!" The other guard called out, snapping Lissom out of his thoughts. Lissom turned to the south and saw small shapes closing the distance between them and himself.
"Understood, Captain Clifton!" Lissom replied, readying his lance, a lightweight shaft of hollow metal with a solid iron head, counterbalanced with a solid end cap on the opposite side of the iron lance. His horse tossed its head, chomping at the bit and stamping its hooves; clearly the horse was as anxious as its rider.
The Captain, a paladin like the prince's father, had a silver sword in his hand but unlike Lissom, instead of a turban, the man had a headband instead to wick the sweat out of his eyes. The man's sun bleached hair was slick with sweat, clinging to his face as he urged his black horse forward, next to Lissom. "Sire, remember your training and if this gets violent, you should fare well. What you have there is a lance, so you have an advantage over swords." He spoke in a low tone to his prince and student.
Lissom nodded his head impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, I know! You drilled that into me ages ago!"
"If you understand everything, you must be misinformed, but we shall see…" Clifton chuckled and motioned Lissom to follow. Together, they charged the oncoming figures. Three rugged looking men plowed their way through the sand to meet them.
"Give us the goods and we'll think about letting you live!" The head man yelled at them, brandishing a lance.
"Good grief! You mean you can actually think?" Lissom exclaimed.
"Lissom…" Clifton warned, but the huge brute of a man who was the head of the three roared in anger. "Bring me back their heads, men!" The other two charged forth, one wielding a sword, and the other an axe.
Lissom whistled and urged his horse forward into a run across the sand. "Leave this to me, Captain Clifton!" He charged forth with a yell, running straight at man with the axe. He lowered his lance and struck…nothing but air. He ran right past, wheeled around, only to have the axe the man had hurled at him from what Lissom thought was a safe distance. The axe grazed his shoulder, cutting through cloth and biting into his flesh. He yelped in surprise at both being hit by the axe and the fact that he had been quite a bit away from the man who wielded the axe.
"You fool! Axes beat lances, did you forget? You must remember the weapon triangle!" Clifton shouted. His horse reared into the air, kicking its front hooves out as Clifton spun his blade and raised his sword into the air, pointing it at the axe wielding man. The horse churned its legs through the sand as it powered thunderously toward the brigand. Before the brigand had a chance to defend himself, the Captain mowed through, slashing fiercely at the man. The man fell to the ground with a thud that only a corpse's dead weight could make.
"So swords beat axes…right. Got it" Lissom replied his voice almost hushed as he watched his teacher take down the brigand so skillfully.
"You alright, sire?" Clifton called out in concern.
Lissom nodded. "I am well enough, Captain. It is nothing that a Vulnerary can't fix!" He replied as he pulled down his mask, searching his pack and taking out a small brown bottle quickly taking off the lid, downing the healing liquid and sighed as he felt the pain subside and his bleeding staunch. By the time he was ready to fight, the next foe was almost upon him, leaving Lissom with barely enough time to ready his lance. The swordsman slashed at him with his blade, but Lissom's horse reared out of the way, answering with a quick stab of his lance in return, smiling triumphantly to himself, a flash of white teeth against his tanned skin.
His strike did not kill the man, but his somewhat poorly aimed strike did incapacitate the swordsman, tearing the muscles in the sword arm needed to hold the weapon.
"It seems that you have actually put some of your teachings to use, Lissom!" Clifton sounded somewhat pleased for once, relieved that his pupil knew at least the rudimental skills of the lance, returning his attention to the final enemy, the leader. "If we take him out…consider this skirmish won!"
The leader, however, dropped his weapon and turned tail, fleeing before he could meet the fate of his men. The injured man hobbled off after his leader. Lissom looked at the Captain. "Do we follow them…?"
Clifton shook his head in negation. "There is no need to. Our mission is to guarantee the safety of the others above all else. Let us return to the line; we'll probably have to catch up with them, if they moved on like they're supposed to"
Lissom returned the mask to its original position with inclination of his head to show he understood. "Yeah…but what about the dead man?"
"The sand shall become his coffin. Leave him be. We've no time to waste, Prince Lissom" The two then turned to follow their tracks to come back to their positions as guards of the line.
By the time they rejoined the line, the sun had almost fallen completely to the west, causing strange shadows to be cast by sand dunes around the expanse. The heads of the mules and horses were drooped, exhausted as Lissom and Captain Clifton trudged through the sand on foot, leading their horses toward the village of Thyra, the heat of the sun fading as the moon began to rise up in the sky to show to all its pale glory, a slim wedge against the starred navy curtain of the night approaching sky.
"Captain Clifton! Captain Clifton…!" A faint voice cut through the quiet like a knife. Lissom and Clifton whirled around to see a Cavalier and a Pegasus Knight racing towards them.
"State your names and purpose!" Clifton commanded, wiping his brow with the back of his gloved hand, his headband having ultimately failed in its purpose to keep the salty sweat out of his eyes. Lissom looked at the two arrivals and recognized one of them instantaneously. "Wait...! Lithia is that you…? It IS you, Lithia!" He exclaimed, his sea foam eyes widening was the only sign of surprise that could be seen.
The rider of the Pegasus motioned for her mount to land, and hopped off, not immediately recognizing Lissom. The Cavalier dismounted his brown horse and sighed in relief. "Am I ever glad to see you, Captain! I am He—"
"Helio!"
"Who is that interrupter, Captain? I've half a mind to shut his yapping!" The cavalier retorted angrily. Lissom abandoned his mask and pulled it away from his face, his expression a very annoyed scowl. "Helio, you blasted arse! Is that how you treat your best friend?"
"Li-Lissom! You're h-here?"
Clifton raised a hand and everyone fell silent. The supply train all had their eyes on Lissom, who resisted the urge to squirm. "Yes, it is Lissom, and why he is here is not important. Like I asked, state your purpose."
Helio's expression turned to one of dismay. "Sirs…I have grave news. Port Dias has been taken…King Uthur…has been killed" His voice fell in the dead silence that followed. Lissom was the first to respond. "I'm sorry friend…that is the worst joke that I have ever heard in my life!" He crossed his arms across his chest and waited for his friend to retract his statement, but his dismissive expression slowly fell as Helio hung his head miserably.
Lithia, the Pegasus knight, looked saddened as well. "Lissom, it is the truth. Port Dias has been taken by the Shale Pirates, and to save the people, your father became a martyr…"
Clifton growled savagely upon hearing that which was responsible. "Blast! Those Shale dogs have been planning something, but I could not have predicted this!"
"…my sister…"
"Lissom?" The others turned to face Lissom, who had fallen quiet.
Lissom looked at Lithia and Helio, his expression clear of any emotion. "Gabriella…is she all right?" He repeated his voice edged with tension that was tangible. Lithia looked like she had been dealt a physical blow. "I-I don't know how to say this, but…"
"So not only have they taken my home from me, but they had to take my Father and my little sister as well…"
Clifton took a step forward, probably to comfort his pupil, but Lissom shook his head. "Don't. Instead, a-answer me a question…" Lissom's voice and stature began to waver, his resolve crumbling like sand.
Clifton hesitantly took a step back, his expression one of concern. "What is your question, Prince Lissom?"
Lissom looked Clifton straight in the eyes showing his uncertainty, which was threatening to drown himself into a stupor. "Why? What did I do to deserve this…? What did my people do wrong to bring this upon ourselves?"
Only silence answered him.
Please…Read, Review, and…um…have a good day? I wasn't quite sure where to end the chapter, so I ended it where a friend of mine showed me. Sorry if this is a jumbled mess…most of my writing is anyway…my apologies for wasting your time.
Depending how this chapter goes, there may be a second one or not.
I do not own Fire Emblem, or this would not be fan fiction…
This is Pegasus Knight Salvo, signing off for now.