FIRE EMBLEM: UNLIKELY HEROES

Rated 'K' for all Audiences

The heavy clinking of metal plates banging together as knights marched, the clang of their iron-shodden boots as they stomp the ground, the scraping of their swords as they are drawn from their sheath and the screams of the innocent as they are cut down brutally. These sounds were no stranger to Ajax, Nixas, Bone and Naralex. the sounds of their countrymen being oppresed by Grado. They banded together along with fellow freedom fighters, Jared and Babza to fight Grado. Babza was the cheiftan of a bandit clan while Jared led the crimson lance, a band of former Grado legionnaires turned mercenary's. For three weeks their lives were uneventful but then, fortune struck, A company of traders bringing a shipment of weapons and armor to the northernmost Grado outpost guarded by eight soldiers and two Knights passed right through the village of Ide, which met with the mountains leading straight to Babza's fortress in which they were staying. one of the Knights, a man called Sepiel just happened to be an old contact of Jared's who informed them of it, he agreed to help them raid the caravan in return for a third of the coin and anything he could carry, Babza however was furious with this agreement and ordered his execution along with the caravan members, but not until after he had helped slay the other guards. the days passed quickly and soon they were hiding in the forests surrounding Ide waiting for the caravan, one hour came and went, then two...the caraven was very late, then...the rolling of wheels, a caraven approached, it bore the house sigil of Rensis...a truly clever disguise, Jared and Nixas argued that it was the wrong caravan while Ajax and Bone insisted that it didn't matter, Nixas and Jared outright refused to fight while Ajax, seeing no sense in attacking where there was no hope layed down his warhammer in submission, Bone however wished to appear the hero to Babza, he had a plan. ''Bone took his axe and his troops and led them into the mountains overlooking Ide, we followed them for a while then turned off into the valley basin to watch the fight unseen from above, the warriors protecting the caravan looked well equipped but lost, he decided to try and draw them into attack first, he sent several of his bandits to recruit some of the villagers from the towns around it, his plan failed and the villagers retaliated, Bone's troops razed the villages and the warriors rushed to the aid of them, the peasants themselves, led by the former general of the Rensis armies Garcia and his son Ross joined in the fray and together they totally routed the bandits, Bone, while attempting to escape, was slain in the fray by the woman...'' finished Jared, ''Woman? you saw her?'' asked Babza ''Yes Babza, we saw her, she had pale...'' Jared was cut off by Baza's excited roar ''Yes! finally, our ticket out of this hellhole and back to civilization' Jared was confused and so spoke again ''Babza, who is this women with the blue hair?'' Babza turned with the ghost of a smile lingering on his face ''Jared, she is the wayward princess of Rensis, the bounty on her head will surely ensure the life of luxury. But...sadly.'' his face turned into a frown, Jared and Nixas, realising what was about to happen drew their weapons but Ajax, forever slower than the others did not, and as Babza uttered the last words of his sentence, ''Only for one of us.'' his guards thrust their spears and swords impaling Ajax, Jared cut the hand off the first swordsman and dodged the thrust of a spearman as Nixas slammed the guard in the throat with his shield, then spun and decapitated another, Babza had vanished and only the spearman who had missed Jared lay, clutching his throat gasping for air, Jared lifted his two handed greatsword and slammed it down hard on his skull, cracking it. ''Traitorous dog!'' roared Nixas in his deep, booming voice. ''Calm down friend, we are alive, we can still give Babza what he deserves, come...he will be in his chambers, we are in the basement...there should be a door leading out of here somewhere.'' and together they set off exploring the dark room, only a few glimmering torches upon the wall to light the way, Nixas dropped his shield in favor of one and began to lead the way, sometime later he stopped and rummaged around in the half light, ''Locked'' he said, ''Hmmm'' muttered Jared, ''This, it is a ladder leading to the upper floor, but the trapdoor is locked...'' ''I see, then we must find another way, come'' and as he turned a silent figure jumped from his left and stuck his face in his, the boy laughed as he uttered ''Sorry, but i need through that door...your master has some interesting treasures that...i desire.'' and the robed and hooded thief stuck his dirk in Jareds throat, Nixas did not hear a thing and by the time he turned to see Jared slump to the ground, dead. It was too late, the thief jumped from the shadows, this time weilding two dirks and thrust them both into Nixas stomach, he gave another short burst of laughter ''Colm, you did it again, this time Neimi will have to be proud of you.'' and he sheathed his dirks, he climbed the ladder and withdrew a small instrument from his pocket, beginning slowly and getting faster he moved the object around, eventually he heard a faint click and pushed upward, the trapdoor's lock was picked and Colm clambered out of the darkness into the light and was met by another two of Babza's guards, dead...impaled on the sword of a knight in shining armor and a girl with pale blue hair, behind her stood Neimi, crying...as usual. In the distance, a caraven thundered past unheard in the excitement, a knight called Sepiel looked worried as he walked beside it...waiting for friends who would never come and thinking ''If only the wheel hadn't splintered...''.