The Vermillion Crusade
Chapter 1: Shadows of Gilt
Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm desperately waiting for Fire Emblem to come out. I have decided to write my frustrations away by making a Taito version of Fire Emblem, because why not? Everything in my mind is super shippy and the scenery is all Fire Emblem and all the classes are boringly the same, but I hope you will enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and I don't own Fire Emblem. The main characters are from Digimon, and the class system is from Fire Emblem.
Garulu Keep, Midnight
One by one, the night guard fell. Garulu Keep was a small political power stationed on the smallest of the icy islands of the Matias Archipelago; being guarded by nature made them terribly sure that a proper army would not be needed. Why would a military power want to attack Garulu? There were many other nations out there to be conquered with an overabundance of wealth, yet they were now under attack.
The head priest heard the warnings first during his evening vigil. He made haste to inform the prince of the chaos that would soon ensue, clutching the royal seal to his chest. His old bones ached, but he had grown used to it with the help of the cold region. There was no time to tell the prince of the dangers that he would face as time wore on.
All those living in the Keep were required to practice a modicum of stealth. As such, the head priest moved swiftly and silently through the stone palace, ignoring the cries of the fallen soldiers. There was no time to help them. The priest could only pray that he could make it to the prince before the assailants; he could not spare even a single word for the dying. They were simply unprepared for a massacre.
He made it to the prince's quarters. It was quiet. The head priest sincerely hoped that it only meant that the prince was still asleep and the attackers had not found the secret room. Garulu may not have had numbers for their military, but they prided themselves on staying hidden. Such precautions were necessary when you were the lordling of the isolated keep. Garulu was a proper political power by day, feigning the title of princedom to a small nation; but those in the know were aware of its shadowy secrets. There was a throne, yes, but it belonged to a man whose blood was royal in a different sense, one that would not be observed by so-called actual nobles.
The lord of Garulu Keep happened to be the greatest thief of all Genna, a young man whose quiet wit and quick fingers won him his very own crown. The name Lukos spread fear and admiration through the was said that whatever he decided he was missing in his life, he would take. Of course, no one in Genna would ever guess that Lukos was also the gentle Prince Yamato.
To the public world, Garulu Keep was a small palace on a small island, a meager gift from King Devim to ensure total control over all regions of Genna. The only resource worth speaking of was their old religious sites. To see them as a threat was a laughable matter.
They stood corrected.
The head priest first pried open a secret panel, sending off a silent alert to a bodyguard the prince never knew he had. After a few moments, the cry of a wyvern sounded from the highest spire of the keep. Taking a deep breath, the high priest quietly tried the door after uttering the password.
A pale hand shot out, grabbing the head priest by the neck. Breathing softly, the old man tried to ignore the cold steel on his skin. "You are in danger, prince," he said, keeping his courage and desperately hoping that he was indeed speaking to the prince. "You must flee."
"Ah, sorry about that, T'suno," came the apology. "I can't imagine why I'm jumpy, can you?"
"Your sarcasm is not appreciated, Prince Yamato," T'suno said curtly. "At least your rooms are dark. It seems no one has come to this corridor yet, so you have some time to escape. I have already called upon your personal guard to escort you off of the island."
"Please, T'suno, you act as if I'm a novice," the prince said with a grin. "And since when did I have a personal guard?"
"You've had one since you were born, your highness. Would you kindly make sure your bright hair is tucked away in your hood? It doesn't suit a thief lord to have such easily seen hair. Honestly, I don't understand why you don't just shave it off."
Mock gasping, Yamato covered his golden hair with a dark bandana. "Surely you jest! And besides, my beauty must be warning enough, don't you think?"
Groaning inwardly, T'suno rummaged around the dark room, locating the pack in another hidden panel. He pulled a few vulneraries from his person and stuffed it inside. "You've got your knives, I see, so that's a plus. There are some dried foodstuffs in here, some healing salves…" muttered the high priest.
He was stalling on purpose. Yamato had the tendency to stop listening to the old man when the rambling started. The high priest knew of this dreadful manner, but was able to use it to give him time to slip the royal seal into the bag as well. It was a ring, thankfully, which meant that once Yamato found it, he'd wear it and would never lose it. The boy was terribly weak when it came to shiny things.
"…And that should be enough to get you where you need to be," concluded T'suno, finally looking up at the prince, who was facing the wall that would slide away to become a window. "Are you troubled, Prince Yamato?"
The high priest was rewarded with a meek smile. T'suno was surprised, but hid it well, like most things in Garulu Keep. It was rare for the thief lord to show any sign of fear.
"I apologize, T'suno," he said softly, accepting the pack with a bow. "I do appreciate all of this. My hope is that you know most of my bravado is a front. To be perfectly honest, I am afraid. I have no idea who's attacking us. As for the why, well, that must mean I've been had, haven't I?"
T'suno had no time to spare. The sounds of rowdy soldiers were nearing the prince's chambers. Wordlessly, the high priest opened the wall, hoping that he'd heard the wyvern's cries amid all the uncertainty.
The bodyguard had impeccable timing. A heart-stopping cry resounded from the scaly winged animal, most likely alerting the rest of the troops to the prince. T'suno motioned to the wyvern rider with an open hand, which Yamato used to steady himself as he mounted behind his personal guard.
"This is Taichi of the Yagami clan," explained T'suno hurriedly. "He will lead you to safety. Whatever you do, please, keep yourself safe. Lose nothing. Stay hidden. If anyone asks, you are not Prince Yamato, but Lukos. Play your part."
Shouting soldiers were now in front of the prince's door. The last thing the prince saw before the wyvern took off into the inky black sky was T'suno, bravely turning to face the last notes of his ancient melody.