This is my first fanfic, so R&R please. Hope you like it.

Chapter 1

Ike couldn't believe how quickly it had ended. He thought it would be more dramatic. Somehow, someway, he was almost sure that Ashnard would get back up, shrug off his injuries and leap back into battle. That is what the evil antagonist always does.

But he never did. He fell on that day, at that moment by Ike's blade, never to reign over the countless minions he had conquered, the huge army he had corrupted, or the great amount of others he had frightened, ever again.

Finally, Ashnard was dead.

Ike's reality sped up and spiraled into different directions at that point. He lost sight of everything around him and only vaguely remembered hearing screams of joy before losing consciousness.

Ike awoke from his haze to almost the same noises, but a completely different atmosphere. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he could hear the merry singing of Crimeans, the loud cries of joy from his acquaintances and even the uncorking of whiskey bottles for what was to be a long day of celebrations on the day after the fall of the Evil King.

Except, instead of still being passed out on the cold hard stone in the courtyard of Castle Crimea, Ike was laying on a warm, comfortable bed. Apparently, since he had destroyed evil in Crimea, he now had a personal chauffeur.

And as Ike finally decided to open his eyes, he was greeted by many in the form of a barrage of hugs. Though he wasn't sure because he was still very drowsy, he thought that most of these people he had never seen in his life until this moment.

Over the constant and continuous "Thank you!" and "Congratulations!" ,though, Ike heard a beautiful and majestic voice he had come to know. Even though its holder spoke in a voice no louder than that of everyone else, Ike heard this voice over all others. He heard it because it was the serene voice that had gave him the courage to go on, to give Ashnard a chase, and eventually bring him down.

"Alright, everyone, out!" Said the voice. "Give our Hero some air."

With a little more persuasion and coercion, the room was finally empty but for Ike and the bearer of the voice.

Ike smiled. And it was a genuine smile. One in which he had not been able to use since before Daein, before Ashnard, before his father's death…

"Thanks, your majesty."

It was amazing how regal Elincia could look. She look like a genuine queen. She had her hair out, and slightly curly, with a classy tiara on her head. That, and the elegant green dress she had on, made her breathtakingly beautiful.

"Don't thank me. That was nothing. Let me have a formal chance to thank you first, hero." Elincia said.

"Elincia, don't. The last thing I need is more thank you's."

Elincia was humorously shocked. "Ike, do you know what you just did? You killed Ashnard! That is no simple feat! That, and you freed Crimea, nay all of Tellius from the shackles of tyranny! Of course, as the princess of the freed nation, I have to thank you!"

"Alright, alright, but please, not too formal."

"Sorry, Ike, but I'm princess, and I have to make it formal. I'd probably be run out Crimea if I didn't thank you in front of thousands."

"What? Why?"

"Well, Ike, you may have not have noticed the huge mob of adoring Crimeans in here just a second ago, but the people love you! If I don't thank you, the people will think that I'm against you, and they will turn against me for it."

"Oh, wow, I never thought of that. You're really good at that politics stuff."

She smiled. "I've been training my whole life."

"Alright, when are you going to do it?"

"I was thinking sometime next week. I'll let you know when I do formally schedule it. And Ike?"

"Yeah."

She walked up to where he lay on his bed and kissed his forehead. "Take that as my informal thank you."

"Thanks, Princess." Ike said as Elincia began to walk to the door.

"And one more thing Ike. Quit with the formalities. We've known each other for a while and I think you should call me by my name from now on."

"What? But you're the Princess! I need to show my respect and loyalty to you."

"I know what I am and I still want you to call me by my name. Everyone garners the same respect in my book."

"Well, if you really want me too, E-Elincia." Even though Ike had known he name for a while and even heard a few times, nothing prepared him to actually speak it. It was a whole different feeling, and not to mention, he had pronounced it very wrong.

Elincia had to try hard to suppress a laugh. "Come on, Ike, it's not that hard to pronounce!"

"I know, I'm sorry, just give me some time to get used to saying your name."

"Relax, Ike, I'm just teasing. Is there anything you need? If not, I need to get back to the throne room; it is probably in complete pandemonium at the moment."

"No, no, I'm fine."

"I assume you don't want me to let the mob back in, do you?"

"No, but if you get the mercenaries, that would help."

"Just because you can use my name now does not mean that I am your new messenger, Ike!" Elincia teased.

"But you are a princess! Surely you have a messenger that can find my company."

"Alright, if that is all your majesty, I will take my leave." And the sarcastic Elincia was gone.

It took one look at Mist's gleaming smile to know that he could finally be happy again. For as long she was happy, so too was Ike.

She and the rest of the mercenaries turned up in Ike's room as soon as they heard he was up after a day of rest. Shinon even came, though one could tell from his body language that he was only there because someone made him. And since he kept shooting Titania dirty looks, Ike suspected in was Titania who made him come.

And as they all walked in, Ike was soon suffocated by hugs from his friends. Well, it was mainly the girls; the guys just gave him a pat on the back or something of that sort. Though Gatrie was the driving force behind the intensity of the hugging, what with his massive bear hugs. It was getting so exhilarating in the room that it was at the point of them almost being as bad as all his other admirers.

"Alright, guys, let the man breathe." There was that voice again. It was once again saving him from almost similar circumstances.

"Princess Elincia!" gasped a very startled Mist.

"Hello, Mist."said Elincia. After she made it to the foot of Ike's bed, she continued. "Felling better?" she asked Ike.

"Yes, Princess, I just need some rest, that's all."

"It's Elincia now, or have you already forgotten." She joked.

"No, Elincia, I'm sorry, it's just…different."

She smiled. "I know, Ike. But what I really came here for is tell you that I have found out when we're doing it. It is scheduled for a week from today. And Ike, I'd like for you to stay in the castle until after."

"Well, if I must…"

She smiled a smile of pity. "You must. Take care, Ike." And, once again, she was gone.

The tone in the room instantly changed from one of celebration to one of curiousity. Soren, always the impatient one, was the first to speak out.

"What is 'it'? Ike, what is she talking about?" he said.

"Well, as you might imagine, you all were not my first visitor. I was swarmed by tons of people by the time I opened my eyes. That's when Elincia came in and asked me if she could thank me in front of all Crimeans."

"Wait, so you accepted?" Mist asked, baffled.

"I'm not doing it for personal glory. I'm doing it so that Elincia can remain queen."

"Oh, that's right," Soren, the only one of them who at least kind of understood politics, said. "The people love you, and they would hate her if she didn't seem to love you. Smart, Ike, you are getting good at politics."

Ike grinned. "Funny you should say that, Soren, because that is almost exactly what I said when Elincia explained the situation to me."

Boyd smirked. "So you didn't come up with that? I guess the smart Ike is just too good to be true…"

Ike grinned "Yeah, ha-ha, but do you have any understanding of politics?"

"I stick to the fundamentals. I don't need politics; only my axe so that I can hack down my enemies. Who needs politics when you can do that?"

"Something tells me you would not make a good king, Boyd…" Oscar pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't want to be king anyway. Too much politics and not enough hacking."

"Hey, where is Ranulf? I haven't seen him in a while." Ike questioned.

"I don't know. The last I saw him was this morning at breakfast." Mist answered.

It was no secret that Ike and Ranulf had developed a fierce friendship. No offense to Mist and the others, but they could get boring. When Ranulf was around, there was always a humorous atmosphere.

"I'm going to go look for him." Ike said.

And despite much resistance, mainly from Mist and Titania, that is what he did.

Ranulf was still sound asleep when somebody opened his door and barged into his room.

"Hey, what are you doing-Ike!" Instantly, any anger washed away. A smile plastered on his face, he said, "How's it going, buddy?"

Ike grinned, walking over and sitting in a chair near the foot Ranulf'd bed. "Oh, you know. I just saved the world, but no biggee, nothing interesting. What are you doing, still sleeping?"

"I'm a cat, remember? Sleeping is what I do best."

"Well, you must be pretty good at it because you are damn good at mauling, I have noticed."

"Yeah, and you best be careful that I don't maul you for waking me up."

Ike smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

Ranulf grinned. "Normally, I'd jump on a threat like that. But I'm out of it right now. Rough night."

"Why? What happened?"

He sighed. "Lethe, that's what."

"What about her?"

"We were chatting together in a room that consisted of us and your mercenaries. Most of them were too drunk to even care what we were talking about. But Lethe got pissed when a couple of them snickered at a joke I made about her."

"What did you say?"

"Well, basically, I called her stubborn. But it's not like I came right out and it so bluntly. I said it as a joke and she slapped me because of it! We haven't spoken since."

"Ranulf! Even I know not to say something like that to Lethe!"

"But it was a joke. She was supposed to laugh."

"Ranulf, when's the last time you saw her laugh at herself?"

"Well…"

"In the short time that I have known her, I have never seen her do so. She's quick to mock us for our mishaps, but she has too much pride to laugh at herself."

He sighed. "I know…But she's knows that it was a joke. You can never take me seriously."

Ike smirked. "That's a fact. But seriously, pride is as much a part of her nature as humor is part of yours."

"Yeah, I guess you are right…"

"How where you two getting along before that? I always thought that you two would get together."

"Oh, no, it was never that serious. We were on speaking terms, but that's about it."

"Oh, well, you need your sleep. I'll see you later."

"No, Ike, wait! I'm ready, just let me get changed really quick and we can do whatever the Hero of Tellius wants to do." He smirked, putting extra emphasis the 'Hero of Tellius' part.

After a little discussion as to where to, Ranulf and Ike, accompanied with Boyd, decided to go for a leisurely stroll through the woods surrounding the castle.

As soon as the trio made it out of the castle gates, Ike started full out laughing.

"I can't believe that they bought it!" He said. "A weekend campout in the woods…Priceless! I thought Mist would know me better than to think that I would want to do something as boring as that!"

Boyd grinned. "Yeah, but when she asked to join us, I thought we were done for."

"Yeah, Ike, you solved that seamlessly!"

"Yeah, well…" Ike said, modestly. "What we're doing is kind of a "guy thing" right?"

"Damn right!" Boyd said. "I still can't believe Elincia hooked us up! And agreed to cover for us!"

"Well, we should start going. Elincia said the trip should only take an hour or so, but we should try to get there as soon as possible, so we can warm up."

And so the trio began walking down the path toward a little town by the name of Cibola. It was not a big town, but it did have a main attraction, which was what Ike, Ranulf and Boyd were headed there for. Once a month, it held a one on one dueling tournament, with the winner walking away with ten thousand gold.

"Why was it that Oscar wouldn't come?" Ike asked, once they had begun walking.

"I don't really know." Boyd replied. "I remember him saying that he didn't want to because of the risk of getting hurt. But, that's just dumb, with all that money on the line."

The tournament was quite dangerous. The contestants use their own weapon of choice, and the winner is basically the one who out lasts his opponent. The duel could be made quicker if you disarmed your opponent, but usually, it was a long battle of attrition.

Recently, the tournament's rules had to be changed as Laguz gained the right to participate. For a Laguz versus Beorc battle, the Laguz has until his transformation time is up to land a clean bite on the Beorc. If the Laguz does, he wins. If he doesn't, though, the Beorc wins. For a Laguz versus Laguz battle, and neither land a bite when their transformation times are up, they wait until they can transform again, then start all over.

"Speaking of the money," Ike said, "if one of us wins, let's agree to split the winnings. The actual winner will get four thousand, the other two will get three thousand. Deal?"

"Yeah, that's sounds fair." Ranulf reasoned.

"Yeah, that means I'll get three thousand, because Ike will definitely win!" Boyd said, excited.

"Don't say that, Boyd, we don't know yet…" Ike said.

But Boyd ignored that. "What are you going to do with your winnings, Ike?"

"Well, I was going to buy something nice for Mist for her birthday coming." But a glint of the son reflecting off something metallic made him change the subject. "Boyd, what is that on your finger?"

"Oh, that…" he said, blushing. "Well, it's a ring Mist gave me after I gave her an early birthday present yesterday."

"Aww, it's so romantic!" Ranulf joked, smirking. "So do you want to wear that thing, or is this just a sign of relationship tying you down?"

Boyd was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Ike grinned. "Don't worry, Boyd, that's just Ranulf being the nutcase that he is. How's Mist anyway? Things getting serious yet?"

"You know, Ike, you're not helping either."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop."

"Thank you," said a relieved Boyd. "It's your turn now, Ike. Find anybody yet?"

"Me? No, not yet."

"Oh, come on Ike," said an exacerbated Ranulf. "You are probably the most popular guy in all of Tellius now! Thousands of beautiful, young girls would love to have the chance to hook up with you!"

"Yeah, well, I'm going to let things settle down a bit first. But what about you, Ranulf? Enlighten us in the ways of love."

"Oh, no, I'm not ready to be tied down yet! The bachelor's lifestyle is for me!"

And on that note, the small town appeared on the horizon, just as eager for the tournament to begin as the trio.

The three found out when they got to the sign up list that there were sixty four names entered in the tournament. Which meant that the tournament would probably take the rest of Friday, all of Saturday, and most of Sunday.

The trio signed up as soon as they got there, and turned out to be the last to sign up. The brackets were devised soon afterwards. Ranulf had two duels that day, one as the very first match, and one later on at night. Ike and Boyd both had only one.

The actual dueling complex was very nice. It was big, and had four match rings, where the duels were to take place. And they were told that if you went out of the lines in the ground that marked the boundaries to the rings, you were automatically disqualified, even if you were pushed out. That was another way that you could claim victory.

"Okay, Ranulf, you ready for this?" Ike asked as Ranulf' first match was drawing near.

"Oh yeah!" Ike could tell he was getting pumped.

"Well, Ranulf, you have the benefit of nobody knowing who you are. But I've asked around about your opponent, and most of them seem to agree that he is very good. Some say he even has a shot to win this thing. His greatest asset is his speed, so don't do anything stupid, and wait for your opportunity. I think it is time for you to get out there. Go get him!"

So Ike and Boyd watched from a distance as Ranulf's match, as well as three other matches, were under way. Ranulf opponent did turn out to be very quick, but he was also unorthodox with a blade. Ranulf soon landed a bite on his left leg, drawing a little blood, ending the battle. But it was all legal, seeing as they were at a dueling tournament. Besides, they had healing clinics for the hurt.

The rest of the day went well for the trio. The only scary point was when Boyd almost carelessly stepped out of the ring.

By the beginning of the second day, only twenty fighters remained. Ranulf had one match, Boyd had two, and Ike had three. All the matches resulted in victories.

So going into the third day, only six people remained. If Ike beat Donovan, the two time returning champ of the tournament, he was in the finals. Donovan was a big, powerful axe-wielder, but lacked speed. All in all, Ike didn't think he was all that imposing.

The road was a little tougher for Boyd and Ranulf. If both of the won their next match, they would have to face each other in the semi finals. Boyd had to face a featherweight spear-wielder, so he was good to go. But Ranulf had to face a surprise entrant.

And Lethe was fighting with a grudge on her shoulder.

An inspired Lethe is a damn good fighter, and Ranulf did not stand a chance. And neither did Boyd. So when Ike made short work of Donovan, it was an Ike-Lethe final.

"Watch out, Ike." Ranulf advised, as the finals were about to begin. "She is mad and ready to fight."

"Good luck, Lethe." Ike said, offering a hand to shake before the match was to begin.

"Hss, just get ready to fight, Beorc." She replied, rejecting his handshake.

So the two took to their positions, and upon the official's signal, the battle had commenced.

An inspired Lethe, Ike soon found out, was a very aggressive fighter. She would leap, and he would do all he could just to dodge, then she would just turn right around again and leap again. But Ike knew that if he kept this up, she would have to revert soon, and he would win.

Lethe soon realized this and began to change her tactics. She began to incorporate slashes with her paws as the main focal point of her attacks. Knowing he had to block her, as he only had so much room to retreat, he decided he needed to use his blade. But being the kind man that he is, he didn't want to hurt her, and decided to just use the flat side of his blade to fend off her attacks. And it was working too.

Lethe was beginning to become frustrated. She couldn't land an attack, and her time was running out. But she noticed that he was holding back. He was going hard at her, because he didn't want to hurt her. And that just made her more infuriated.

With her leaps, she began to hurl herself almost right at the blade, knowing he would do anything, just trying to dislodge.

But an excessively mad Lethe is prone to making mistakes. And she made a very bad one that cost her the tournament.

She was becoming so mad that she leaped directly at his face, intending to strike. But at that angle, she left her exposed chest wide open. One thrust with the flat side of Ragnell, and she was out of the ring with no blood spilt, ending the match and the tournament.

Massive cheers and applause broke out among the spectators, but Ike wasn't interested in that. He quickly rushed over to where Lethe lay and offered her a hand to help her get up.

"Good battle, Lethe, I thought you had me."

Lethe ignored the comment and his hand. She quickly sprang up on her own, with something totally different on her mind.

Revenge.

With the speed of a cat and the strength of a tiger, Lethe connected with a devastating right hook to Ike's left jaw, leaving him staggering. But that wasn't all. He soon felt a sharp pain in his left knee as she connected with a kick there.

The kick had knocked Ike's feet out from under him, sending him flying. He made contact with the ground, sending a shot through his left wrist, and that was all he remembered before passing out.

"I assure you my Liege, now would be the optimal time to attack."

A Commander and his King spoke alone in a gigantic throne room. Amaros, the Commander, was not the type of person you'd want to get into a fight with. At about six and a half feet tall, with long flaming red hair and a big body, he intimidated everyone he met, except for the King that is. The king himself is only about five and a half feet tall, a little overweight, and had short, somewhat receding gold hair. Not the typical image of an 'ideal' King, but King Theo had his heart set in the right place. He is fair and just, as any ruler should be, and is loved by all of his people.

"Amaros, the last time you said that, we got into a long and bloody war with Dynastia that got us nothing. Two-hundred and fifty thousand of our men killed, and we got nowhere. How do I know that's not going to happen again?"

"While it is true that I was wrong last time, the circumstances in this case are much different, my Lord. The land of Tellius is in utter shambles at the moment. They have just emerged from a large civil war in which almost the entire land was part of. Crimea and Daein have almost been destroyed as it is, and all of the subhuman races have taken their tolls in numbers. Begnion took only light casualties, and they remain our only real threat."

"Forgive me, but what is a subhuman? I have never heard of them before."

"Now, I don't claim to know a lot about the subhuman, but they are half man, half animal. From what I have heard, they can only fight in their animal form, which is a plus for us, as they have a limited transformation time."

"One more thing. Why do you want all this land? Why do you wish to attack Tellius?"

"My answer has not changed from the last time you asked that. I only wish to unify the world under one ruler. You, my Lord."

"Very well, take your men and go. But Amaros, do try to keep the casualties to a minimal."

Ranulf and Boyd, nay the entire complex was in utter shock after what happened. Most had not seen it take place, but one look at Ike and one could tell that foul play had taken place.

"Lethe!" Ranulf hollered. "What the hell are you doing!"

"Pff, spare the rants, Ranulf, I was just giving to him what he deserved."

Boyd was further infuriated by this comment. "Lethe, he saved the world! Without him, we'd all still be enslaved by Ashnard! Do you really think he deserves that?"

"Yeah, Lethe, stop being so damn selfish-"

Ranulf soon realized that was not the right thing to say. She was becoming as mad as he had ever seen her.

"You're always accusing me, Ranulf, of everything! And Ike is always backing you up and he always thinks he is better than everyone else! Somebody had to put him in his place, so I did!"

"Ike is the most selfless man I know!" Ranulf hollered at Lethe, who was quickly leaving at a furious pace. "He would never do anything to hurt you, so why would you hurt him?"

Though she left the building without so much as looking back, and though she didn't want to believe it, that comment got to her.

Now Ranulf or Boyd were never one to be good at healing injuries, but one look at Ike and the blood that was oozing out of his mouth gave them a good indication that he needed to see a healer, and quickly.

"And when I first saw her, I thought she was a good lass…" A man Ranulf and Boyd recognized to be one of the officials said, joining them in the inspection to the extent of Ike's injuries. "Do you two know him?"

"Yeah." Ranulf replied.

"He's a good friend." Boyd added.

"Well, don't worry boys, this young man can stay here until he heals."

"No, but we can't stay. We have to leave now. We have to get back as soon as possible." Boyd said.

"Where?"

Ranulf saw no reason to lie to the man. "To Crimea castle."

"So, is what you said true? Is this really the Hero? Ike?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"And he was friends with this woman who did this to him?"

"Acquaintances, to say the least." Boyd replied.

"Well, if you must leave, than you may. Can I trust you with his prize money?"

"Thank you very much, kind sir."

"Don't mention it. And when Ike awakes, tell him that I said thanks and that I hope for a speedy recovery.

"You-did-WHAT?"

Mist, when she was angry, was indeed a very scary sight. But Ranulf and Boyd had already endured her. Titania, though, was in a whole different league.

"We…went away to a dueling tournament for the weekend." Said an ashamed Boyd.

"Unbelievable!" Said Titania, rage mounting. "It's no wonder that Ike is over here on his deathbed."

"But…he's not dying." Ranulf pointed out.

"I realize that. But he just as easily could be. What you two did was both stupid and very risky. And I would have expected better from the two of you. When we get back to the fort, I am docking you a week's pay. As for you Ranulf, I can't punish you, but just know that I would if I could. What exactly happened to him?"

Knowing that Lethe would probably end up coming back, Ranulf and Boyd decided to cover up her dirty act with a lie. That way, she would get killed upon sighting.

"The other finalist beat him up while he was off guard, probably because he was jealous and wanted the money."

"Poor Ike, the hardships that poor boy must overcome…" she sighed. "You two are staying in this room until Ike is awake again. I hope you two learn a sense of responsibility."

And with that, Titania left the room, closing it and locking Boyd and Ranulf in the two-bed bedroom.

"Ha!" Ranulf said as Titania left. "You lose your wage and I get off scott free!"

"Shut up!" Boyd smirked. "Besides, my share of the money is way more than my weekly wage!"

Ranulf grinned. "Good thing we conveniently forgot to tell her that we got the prize money."

"Yeah," Boyd added. "She probably would have taken it from us if we told her."

Silence filled the room as the laugh died down.

"I hope Ike will be okay." Ranulf said, breaking the silence, only for the room to be filled with it once more.

"Did you do what I asked?"

Four men sat around a big round table in a gigantic room. It was the type of room that sent shivers down your spine. It had no candles, and only one tiny window with blood red drape to let light in. It was so dark, that a man could be ten feet from you and you wouldn't know it.

Amaros sat at the head chair, as leader of the group. The group, unknown by King Theo, shared similar ideals, such as destruction, chaos, and death. He glanced around at his generals. To his left sat General Hogan. Hogan is considered by many to be the greatest tactician in the world. Not only that, but he is also an accomplished dark magician. He was short, had jet black hair, and always wore a piercing stare with his cold, black eyes. To Amaros' right was General Darod. Darod was definitely the most intimidating of the group, being at least seven feet tall and muscles that would put that of a body builder's to shame. Directly across from Amaros sat Aileana. She was a formidable swordsmaster, and what she lacked in strength, she made up for in stealth. She always lurks in the shadows, waiting for the opportune time to attack.

"Yes sir, Commander Amaros." General Hogan replied.

"And?"

"Well, Daein was a complete wreck. Much of the countryside is in ruin and it is going to be a long time til they're back on their feet. As for Crimea, they still have a long rebuilding process, too. But all work has stopped in Melior, their capital city. They are beginning preparations for a festival to commemorate their hero."

"Hmm. What of this hero?"

"He is about average height, and has brilliant blue hair. He has a pretty muscular body, but nothing compared to Darod."

"Did you see him in action?"

"Yes sir, I managed to spy on him while he was sparring with an orange haired sub-human. It seemed he was trying to teach her something instead of full out sparring, so naturally, he was going easy on her. But even from what I saw, he seemed to be a very dangerous opponent. He is very graceful and poetic with a blade, and not mention powerful."

"Hmm, interesting. Hogan, do you have any suggestions for a plan?

"Plan?" roared Darod. "We don't need a plan! We just need to go in there, take out the hero, and then it will be downhill from there!"

"We can't do that, not without finding out more about this hero. Did you ever think that he might be able to take you down?" Aileana countered.

"Ha! Him, take me down? I'd like to see him try!"

"Quiet, you two. Hogan, what do you suggest?" Amaros asked again.

"Well," Hogan answered. "if we want to keep the surprise attack alive, we must attack either Crimea or Gallia. We'd have to travel through their territory to attack anywhere else first. While Gallia did suffer some pretty major damage to their warriors, they did not have any structural damage. Since Crimea lost more men and are in ruin, I believe we should attack them first to establish ourselves. That being said, what's left of the Crimean army is going to very confident at this point, as they believe their hero can save them from anything. The solution is simple, take out the hero. Not only will we take out a very dangerous opponent, but we will also destroy the army's moral in one fell swoop."

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"We must first see what the hero is capable of. We should send a small force to meet the hero, no more than fifty men. Through my detective work, I learned that the hero is returning to his mercenary fort, near the village of Caldea, by the end of the week. So we take those men to have them fight against the hero and whoever is with him while two people, preferably Aileana and I, to watch and report back here. If the troop manages to kill him, it is a huge plus for us. But if he holds the force at bay, as I expect, at least we'll know what we're up against."

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Amaros said, then called out, "Servant!" to the man standing just outside the door leading to the hallway.

"Yes, sire?"

"Fetch me Marshall Lenard."