Okay, after going through this and realizing how stupid it looked with all the effing line breaks screwed up, I decided to resubmit the entire thing and fix it...I'll be ocpying the author's notes and everything, not much should be different, but hopefully now it's easier to read!
Author's Note:
Something very important to know about this fanfiction: It is a what-if story that takes place during the same time that Radiant Dawn would normally take place, so it uses some of the same events, but a lot of things are different. Major note: This was originally written as a sequel to a what-if Ike x Zelgius fanfiction I wrote a while ago, which took place during Path of Radiance. So, in following that storyline... Zelgius resigned from the Begnion military and married Ike. They have a ten to twelve year old adopted daughter named Elena, who is Hawk Branded. Don't like, don't read. Okay, I'm done.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, except maybe/kinda/sorta the OCs. Believe me, if I owned more than that, Radiant Dawn would've been waaaay different~
~Prologue
August 1st, 648. Late afternoon.
It rained. Huge buckets of water had fallen from the sky in the early morning, and it was pouring even harder by the time Ike returned to the Greil Mercenaries' Fort. The sky had truly opened up, and showed no signs of stopping.
He slammed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, wiping the sweat and rain from his eyes. Then he paused and listened. He couldn't hear anybody. "Zelgius?" he called.
A second later a young blue-haired girl shot out from beneath the table and crashed into him. "Dad!" Elena cried happily, nuzzling her face in his chest.
He laughed and patted his daughter's dark hair. "Hi, El." he said with a weary smile. "Where's your father?"
"Mia challenged him to another duel. They should be done soon." she replied, jumping back again, practically bouncing on her feet. "How was Melior?"
"Fine." He shrugged. "Elincia sends her regards."
"Ike!" The mercenary turned to see his red-headed deputy commander come downstairs. "Good to see you!"
"Titania," Ike said, attempting to look cheerful as he walked over to her, Elena tagging at his heels. "Good to see you too."
"How was the queen?"
"I think she's feeling better. The Ludveck Rebellion was unsettling, but she's doing fine now. When I left the Royal Knights were just setting off to seek out the last of Ludveck's supporters. She decided to go with them."
"Good for her. She looked really pale when we saw her... she should get out more."
"Hey, Ike!" Mist called, popping out from behind Titania. "It's great that you're back!"
"I was only gone for a week," he complained. "Why is everyone acting like I've been gone for ages?"
"Commander!" a high feminine voice shouted as a door slammed.
Ike sighed and turned around. Mia stood posing dramatically in the doorway, wet and bedraggled, her hair flying in the wind. "Prepare yourself!" she shouted, charging Ike.
The Hero sidestepped and caught her as she stumbled. She laughed as he swung her back to her feet. "Better work on your form, Commander! Zelgius was much faster!"
"Speaking of him—" He was interrupted when someone hugged him warmly from behind.
"Hello, love." Zelgius said softly around Ike's shoulder.
"Zelgius." Ike replied, his face brightening in an instant. "Do you have a minute?"
His husband nodded. "Of course. If you'll excuse us, ladies...?"
Titania laughed and nodded, wandering off. Mist took Elena's hand and led her upstairs to bed, and after a few seconds Mia stumbled off towards Rhys' room, presumably for healing.
Ike pulled his husband outside and checked to see that no one was watching. "Ike? Is everything all right?" Zelgius asked, concerned.
The Hero pulled his right glove off, exposing the mark that had appeared on the back earlier that day; three black triangles, stacked on top of each other to form one larger triangle, the bottom right one pulsating with a faint gold light. "What is this, Zelgius?" he asked, the rain plastering his hair across his face, over his tired, almost frightened eyes. "What is happening to me?"
August 1st, 648. Late evening.
It still rained. Queen Elincia Ridell Crimea was standing in it. It was pouring in Port Toha, and though it was almost ten at night and most of her troops were either sleeping or on guard, she sat on a barrel looking out at the sea, dressed in only in a nightgown, just enjoying the air.
"Goddess, how I missed the sea." she whispered to herself.
She heard a few light footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn. "My lady?" a young man's voice asked.
"Geoffrey." she stated.
A few more footsteps and she turned. Geoffrey was wearing his ordinary clothes, minus the armor and weapons he usually carried. It made him look... different, to say the least. He was carrying a blanket, which he wrapped around her gently. "It's late, my lady. You should rest." he said softly.
"I'm sorry if I woke you," she murmured, turning back to the gray waters. "I... I missed the sea. I didn't realize it until we got here."
He stood over her, his hands lingering on her shoulders for longer than was necessary. "You were at sea with Commander Ike?" he asked.
"Yes... perhaps that is why I think of it often." she replied. "But... it doesn't make me feel sad. Just... happy. Which is odd. I... used to think I loved Commander Ike... and he's married to someone else now. So you would think the sea would make me sad... sad for the one I had lost."
Geoffrey was silent for a few moments. "I don't think that's odd at all." he finally said.
"Why?"
"Because you never did love him, not like that. You only thought you did. You already know that." he stated firmly. "The sea only reminds you of one of the few happy times you had during the Mad King's War—or at least, during the beginning of it."
Neither of them said anything for a while.
"I... I think you're right." she murmured at last. "Thank you, Geoffrey. I feel better."
He abruptly picked her up bridal-style, causing her to yelp slightly. "Well," he said cheerfully, "it really is late now, and there'll be more time for musings tomorrow."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly, then laughed playfully when he blushed. "If you insist, my dashing Knight Commander." she said coyly.
Half a mile offshore, two lonesome Crimean pegasus knights were out on patrol.
"Why do we always get the lamest jobs?" Sharon complained loudly, twisting a loose strand of her sea-green hair around her finger. "Patrolling inblizzards, patrolling in th' rain..."
"Oh, stop complaining." Marcia said in frustration. "You should be thankful that we even have jobs, after what that bastard Ludveck tried to pull off. He probably would have disbanded the pegasus knights... we all know how he hated them."
"But still!" Sharon insisted. "I understand Ludveck and all, but who—or what—does th' queen think is gonna be out here this late at night?"
Marcia shrugged. "How should I know?"
"You're her friend! You're dating th' second-in-command!"
The pink-haired knight blushed. "I am not dating Kieran, we're—we're just friends!"
Sharon rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Marcia. D'you think I'm daft? We all know about you and Commander Kieran, an' that green-haired knight too, y'know."
Marcia's blush deepened. "Look, Sharon, Kieran is not my boyfriend, and neither is Oscar. We're just... friends. Acquaintances!"
A laugh. "Marcia, you shouldn't bother trying to hide it. Everybody knows that you're th' only one that can make Oscar consider Kieran his rival in anything! What's th' story with you three?"
"Oh, alright!" The pink-haired knight laughed, then sighed. "I met Oscar when I joined up with the Greil Mercenaries, when they were escorting the Princess to Begnion. We... spoke a bit. Not much time for dating, but we hung out. Then we broke Kieran out of jail, and he saw me and Oscar flirting one day. I... suppose he thought Oscar wasn't worthy—that's what he told me, anyway, Oscar I mean—but he sought me out later that day to spar, and sometime after that, in Begnion, he insisted on taking me on a date. I brought Oscar along... not one of my brightest ideas... and, well, I've kinda been dating them both ever since."
Sharon laughed so hard her pegasus nearly shied. Marcia glared. "It's not that funny! Well... okay, maybe it is."
"You... Oscar... Kieran... ha-ha!" Sharon paused to catch her breath. "S-sorry! But, ha-hmm... why don't you just pick one and go with it?"
Marcia shrugged. "I don't know... they're both good people... noble, smart, handsome... kind... I really just can't decide. I don't feel any difference between my feelings for the both of them."
"You should decide soon. I might want to date one of 'em."
Marcia laughed. "Well, maybe if Oscar came back to the Knights it would be easier..." She slowed her green-maned pegasus, Jewel, to a halt. "Let's take a break, alright?"
Sharon nodded, still giggling slightly under her breath, and gently stopped her silver-maned pegasus. "Good girl, Bree." she crooned. The pegasus whinnied, and the knight leaned down to check on its left front leg.
The pink-haired pegasus knight smiled. Sharon wasn't too fond of dealing with harsh conditions, but if anything could be said for her, she loved her pegasus. "How's her leg?" Marcia asked.
"We've gone through worse," Sharon replied. "That was quite a tumble last week. But as long as I make sure not to land her too hard, she should be fine."
"Well," Marcia sighed. "Another hour to go, and then—" She suddenly frowned.
"Marcia?" Sharon asked.
"What's that?" the girl asked, pointing to her right, out to sea.
Sharon looked. There was a dark blob out in the murky waters, almost invisible in the pouring rain. "I don't know," she said worriedly. "A ship?"
Marcia laughed. "Well, you were wrong when you said that nothing was going to be out here. Come on. Let's check it out!" She nudged Jewel's sides and the pegasus flew forward. Sharon patted Bree again, then followed close behind.
It indeed was a ship—a light sloop, Marcia guessed. She could faintly make out the words "Sea Cat" on the bow, though any kind of figurehead was long gone. All its lights were out and she could see no crew on deck. "That's odd. You'd think there would at least be a watchman." Marcia commented. "Anything to add?" (Sharon's father was a sailor, so she knew quite a lot about ships.)
"Look at th' sails," Sharon said, pointing at the mainmast. "They're torn and damaged. That yardarm has been burned, but th' other one isn't touched—that's not natural. Th' rigging is shot through in several places, and th' top part of th' main mast is gone—but not the rest. A catapult can't do that. Th' remaining sails haven't been stowed properly. And the hull—it's been damaged beneath the water line. How did that happen? A ballista could hit it, maybe, but I doubt a catapult could get the right angle, and ballistas don't have enough strength to punch through water and wood like this."
Marcia lowered Jewel down, then spotted a fitting open space near the aft of the ship. "Let's check it out," she said, bringing her pegasus in low.
The landing was easy enough, but it made more noise than Marcia would have liked. She warily drew her lance and motioned Sharon down.
The other girl landed easily, though Bree almost stumbled on her injured leg. Sharon slid off and pulled out a lance. "Someone was bound to have heard that." she whispered.
Marcia nodded. "Leave the pegasi here for now. I'm going to check the hold; you go check the cabin."
Sharon nodded quickly and darted off, her feet falling lightly on the boards of the deck. Marcia looked about and spotted the stairs down. Pulling out a torch, she headed for it.
It was dark below decks, and when she lit her torch she was only confronted with darkness, rotting wood, and the smell of blood. Trying not to inhale through her nose, she went down to the next deck.
At the bottom of those stairs, she hit water. It was about two feet deep and chilled her to the bone. She shivered and looked about. "Hello? Is anybody here?" she called.
There was a loud splash and somebody cursed. "Hello?" she called again.
More splashing. Then somebody came into her field of vision, shielding his eyes with his hand against the bright torchlight.
Wow, was the first thought that came to her mind. Then; Wow, again.
He was about six feet tall and would have been very handsome, if he was cleaned up a bit. Presently, however, he was a mess. His blue hair was ragged and long, his clothes—probably once royal finery of some sort—were torn and soaked through with blood and seawater, and his face was pale and weary. His sapphire eyes were tired and slightly unfocused, and his hands were bandaged with bloody rags. "Who are you?" he asked softly.
"I was going to ask you the same thing." she replied sternly.
He squinted, and his eyes finally focused. "Did the Shadow send you?" he demanded.
She frowned. "Who? No! I don't know who you're talking about."
He sighed and practically fell sideways, leaning against the wall. "Thank the Goddess," he breathed. "I can't handle this as it is. I don't need more—more problems." Then he looked at her suspiciously. "Who are you, then? What continent is this?"
"Marcia, of the Royal Knights of Crimea. Tellius." she replied automatically. "You?"
He straightened. "Tellius? I-I've never heard of Tellius... Akaneia was the only..." His eyes narrowed suddenly. "You are from the Shadow, aren't you?! I swear, I don't know what you want—"
"No!" she insisted. "I swear, I don't know who you're talking about! Tellius is real!"
He moaned and fell. She rushed forward and caught him at the last second. "Tell me your name." she said. "I'm going to help."
His head slumped forward and she noticed the gold circlet that he wore—she hadn't seen it before. "Marth." he murmured. "Marth Lowell III. Prince of Altea."
"Altea? What's tha—"
He looked back up at her pointedly, and she stopped. "Oh. Right."
After a moment of awkward silence, she said "Come on. Let's get you back on deck."
He nodded and staggered to his feet, then nearly fell again. She supported him up the stairs.
"Are you all by yourself?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No. There were about fifty of us, when we got on the ship. The Altean Royal Knights, or what was left of them. Then the Shadow attacked us with fire and steel." He paused to catch his breath, and Marcia noticed a bloody wound in his left leg.
"He gave me that," Marth remarked when he saw her looking. "He probably would have killed me, but my mother..." He fell silent.
His right hand accidentally banged against a post, and the bandage slipped. As he moved to fix it, she noticed that it bore a peculiar mark on the back. Three triangles, stacked atop one another to form a bigger triangle. The bottom left one pulsed faintly with golden light. What an odd mark, she thought.
When they got to the deck, Sharon was waiting. "Marcia! I—" She frowned. "Who—?"
The pink-haired knight set Marth down. "Marth Lowell III, of Altea... What did you find?"
"More survivors." Sharon said quickly.
"Where are they?" Marcia demanded.
"Well, er... they're in the cabin, but... they blockaded the door, and they won't reply when I talk to them." Sharon admitted.
Marth sighed and pushed himself to his feet, staggering over to the door. "Roy!" he called. "It's me! It's all right!"
There was a moment's pause. Then a loud bang and some groaning, and then a red-haired teen pulled the door open and grabbed Marth just before he fell over again. "Marth!" he cried. "It's not the Shadow?"
The Altean prince shook his head and gestured to Marcia and Sharon. "They're friends."
A slender blue-haired girl poked her head out of the door behind the boys and looked at the two pegasus knights. There were about ten people behind her, who the pegasus knights couldn't quite make out. "And you are?" the girl demanded.
"Marcia and Sharon, of the Crimean Royal Knights." Marcia replied. "The continent back there is Tellius."
"Elice Caeda Lowell of Altea." the girl replied. "Hmm... Tellius? I haven't heard the name before. We thought all other land had been lost in the Great Flood."
"We thought the same, until you showed up." Marcia countered.
"Point taken."
"My lady?" someone called from inside the room. "Are you sure it's safe?"
Elice Caeda stepped around the boys and said "Yes, my lady, it's safe. Come on."
Marth got to his feet and stepped aside. The teen got up with him. "Goddess, Marth, you should have let me go instead. Why did we need to repair that damn hole anyway? I mean—you freaked me out! I got scared! When those girls showed up, we panicked, I locked the door, that girl started banging hell—"
"Roy." Elice Caeda said gently. "Please. Language."
Roy rolled his eyes. "To hell with language!"
Sharon laughed. Roy shot her a suave glance and smiled slyly, causing her to blush.
A viridian-haired woman, apparently in her late twenties(though her ears were pointed), stepped out and smiled faintly. "Well met. My name is Tiki. Are... are you here to help us?"
"Yes." Marcia said confidently. "You're safe now, I promise."
August 1st, 648. Midday.
In northern Akaneia, it is snowing. Snowing in high summer—another sign of the vast changes sweeping across the desolate landscape. Huge wet flakes swirl in the winds, covering the ground in white. But the snow does nothing to stem the raging fire that consumes Castle Altea—have consumed it for months, and have yet to stop burning.
I will not look back at the carnage I have inflicted. I will not look back at the destroyed castle, at the blood of kings that stains my sword, at my limitless army that marches across the snowy plains. At my mistake.
I look at my left hand. My black, cold hand. Marked with three triangles, stacked to form a great one. The triangles are gray against the dark of my skin.
I press the top one, and it begins to glow with an eerie golden light. I subconsciously see a young man... a prince with a golden light... on a continent far away that had been thought to be lost. I smile.
I know I made mistakes with this continent. I attacked too early. I let my emotions get control of me. I should have waited...
And I was sentimental and foolish. I allowed the Altean Prince to escape.
But I will not make the same mistakes twice.
"Come, Shard." I say, in that dark and twisted hiss of the Hero's voice that I have come to know so very well. My mark burns as I speak, but I pay no heed as I draw my blade of Tears. My mighty dragon with scales of red and black comes to stand beside me. "We fly for Tellius."
~End of Prologue