Against the Dark Knight
II
Fateful Day
Darkness covered the western horizon. It was a cold, chilling gloom that lingered on despite night's departure and the coming light of dawn in the east. The sky was a soft shade of blue throughout but still the darkness in the west remained. It wasn't going to sacrifice its hold quite so easily. But as the crescent moon dipped away to the west, the sky brightened and rays of bright light streaked across the eastern horizon and the blackness in the west was banished for good. A few moments later the sun poked its fragile head like a timid child peering out to see if it was safe to come out of hiding. It rose higher and the light spilled across the land, chasing away any shadows that still remained and glinted off the calm waters of the Ribahn River. It was such a beautiful sight, the horizon awash with color and light, which would make even the most miserable man in the world weep joyful tears at the wonder of nature's beauty. Such grandeur would put anyone's mind at peace almost instantly.
But then again, the Black Knight was rarely at peace.
He stood upon a hilltop on the northwestern side of the Ribahn, solitary and silent, unmoving, fully armored and familiar hilt of Alondite gripped tightly in his right hand. Only his head was left exposed, the black, T-slit helm placed in the grass to his right. His black and crimson cape wafting gently in the morning breeze, he stood overlooking the Ribahn and the lands beyond. His gaze was fixed intently on the latter. Lands he knew so well; lands he longed to return to once this ordeal was over. The cold and mountains of Daein did not please him so. He was glad to be rid of them and stand upon Begnion soil once more. He brushed aside his sentimentalities for such things the moment they surfaced and instead turned his eyes back to the still-resting Daein army.
His eyes were filled with scorn and disappointment. These men in the army were nothing. They possessed a mere fraction of the power that the Daein army three years ago boasted. While some of them were veterans from the war, their skills were weak and unpolished, their techniques and form rudimentary. Not like his. His form was perfect, his skills and techniques flawless, both in the manner of offense and defense. Swordplay was an art he had perfected over the years and with each blow he landed, with every strike, he executed with the elegance and surety of a master painter's brush stroke upon a blank canvas. There was no strategy he couldn't exploit a weakness in. There was no defense that he couldn't shatter. These lesser men on the bank of the river were lucky to have him. With him at their side, they would turn aside any onslaught that came their way.
Yet for all his certainty, there was still something that bothered the Black Knight. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something odd about this entire situation. The Laguz Alliance would attack them at the river before midday and attempt a crossing before being sandwiched in by the Begnion Central Army. The attack would be direct and forceful, its purpose fully laid out and exposed. But this troubled him. It was something far less clever to be expected from those under the advice of Gawain's son. Wouldn't they have prepared some kind of diversion to get across, like they had done in the past? Was this attack the diversion? Would the diversion occur elsewhere? He could find no answers and shelved the thought away for later so he could retrieve it if the need arose.
But there was something more. It was something elsewhere, something…elusive. The Black Knight couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he could feel something strange. His own intuition told him that much. There was a sense of familiarity in it. It called for him, overwhelming him with the burning desire to kill everything in his path. Something would cross that path later today and move against him. Or worse, move against the Maiden of Dawn herself.
Regardless, something was coming for him.
The minutes ticked slowly by and the sun continued to rise higher. The army began to stir at the base of the hill and it would soon be abuzz with activity.
Whether it was his or someone else's, fate would be decided at the river today. The Black Knight was sure of that.
Let it come, the Black Knight vowed silently to himself. He bent over and retrieved his helm from the grass and placed it back on his head, wrapping himself in obscurity once more. By choosing to face me, you merely rush to your death.
Whatever it was, he would face it and destroy it.
-X-
On the other side of the river, Shinon felt oddly at peace.
He had slept surprisingly well last night and had been awake since dawn, up earlier than some of the other early risers such as Soren and Mia. He had been walking through camp for hours, wandering alone and lost in his thoughts. There was no sign of Boyd, Gatrie or Haar, but he figured the three of them were getting in as much sleep as they could. But for whatever reason, Shinon couldn't force himself to go back to sleep, despite how desperately he wanted to. He was too anxious; an unusual feeling for him. He wasn't thinking about drinking. He wasn't thinking about this damn war he was fighting in.
He was thinking about the Black Knight.
Shinon cursed his name. How he hated that man. The Black Knight, the man who had stolen so much from him, was the only person Shinon hated as much as Ike or the sub-humans he was forced to fight alongside. He had taken the life of the one person that Shinon could ever have called a father; driven him on a path of self-destruction during the Mad King's War, left only with his drinking and a complete sense of betrayal when Ike was chosen to lead the mercenary company. The Black Knight had stolen everything from him.
But now, Shinon thought with a smile, he would have his revenge. How he longed to strip away the Knight's helm, reveal his naked face and look into his eyes before he got to die. Only then would the Black Knight understand just how much he had cost Shinon in the end.
His thoughts turned to the attack he and the others would undertake later this morning. Their plan was simple, but often times the simplest plans proved to be the most effective. They would hit the Knight fast and hard, catch him off balance and drive him back before he would even know what was happening. Gatrie and Boyd would lead the attack, with Haar following in later, but only after Shinon had taken the most crucial step of all. This was where things got really dangerous. The sniper would get close enough to the Black Knight to where he was within firing range, all the while knowing that the slightest misstep would reveal his position and leave him completely at the mercy of the Black Knight. He would have to take the first shot to ensure that their attacks would have some kind of effect. Meanwhile, the others, namely Boyd and Gatrie, would wait somewhere far enough away so that if things took a dire turn, they could still flee. Conversely, if things fell through the way they were supposed to, they would still be close enough to attack. As it was, Shinon would be the one taking all of the risks while the rest of them rested at a safe distance.
The plan, of course, had been Boyd and Gatrie's.
He ran over the entire plan in his mind once again, having already committed the entire strategy to memory the previous night. Gatrie had insisted that Shinon refrain from drinking at all until he was convinced that the sniper had the plan thoroughly memorized, right down to how away far Shinon would need to be before taking the first shot. The plan itself didn't have any flaws from what Shinon could tell, which was fortunate because Boyd had been the one concocting things from the start. Something might have fallen through if he hadn't recruited Haar and Shinon. The warrior was at least smart enough to realize that his plan wasn't perfect to begin with. The strategy they would use was solid. And with any luck, Haar's black armor of the Daein army would fool the Black Knight long enough into thinking that the threat against him was less severe than it seemed. But more than anything, the thing they depended on the most was the weapons they would choose to use.
Personally, Shinon didn't see the difference it would make what weapon he used, since arrows only got so far against armor. Axes and lances were far more effective. The strength of the arrow tips notwithstanding, if the wielder of the bow lacked skill, he might as well be as well be trying to bring down the walls of Sienne with an iron bow. But as it was, Shinon lacked nothing in the way of skill and precision, so whether he used steel or silver tipped arrows made no difference to him. However, Boyd had insisted that he use the strongest weapon possible to give them a better edge. So Shinon had chosen a bow of his own craft, the very same one he had sold to Aimee only days ago before Soren had bought it back at half the selling price. A masterpiece of craftsmanship, the Silencer was the strongest bow in existence. Shinon didn't think there was anything stronger. Hell, he knew that there wasn't anything stronger. He had made the bow and its arrows entirely by himself. Nothing, not even anything Daniel could make, could compare to the Silencer's strength, durability and flexibility. It would do just fine.
With nothing left to do until the army deployed and his legs numb, Shinon found himself an old oak near the main supply wagon and propped his head up against it. He could surely use a moment's rest.
"Don't you have something you should be doing, Shinon?" Shinon looked up. Haar and his wyvern landed next to him and there was a disapproving look on the wyvern rider's face. "Something of better use of your time? I figured that you would be elsewhere, brushing up on your skills or looking over the plan again, considering what we're about today."
Haar was scolding him for sleeping? Now that was odd.
Shinon shrugged. "Dunno, should I? Gatrie managed to drill that whole plan into my head last night before he even let me drink anything. I don't really need to go over it again. I figured you might be sleeping as well, since you know the plan better than the rest of us. And you're more laid back than the rest of us, so I figured you would understand that more than anyone."
"Normally I would be," Haar answered and dismounted. "But with a battle like this, even I find it difficult to find some sleep."
"Whatever. Still, you're far more relaxed than Boyd and Gatrie were last night. Those two wouldn't shut the hell up last night."
Haar actually laughed. "Well, it was their plan, so what do you expect?" He approached the supply wagon and grabbed a small crate of supplies. He also withdrew an enormous lance and carried both back to his wyvern and placed them on the ground. He began loading the supplies onto his wyvern. "I'm just afraid word of our plan might have leaked out to someone else. Boyd and Gatrie aren't the ones known to keep their mouths shut."
Truer words had never been spoken. "Yeah, I guess. By the way, Haar," Shinon said, getting to his feet, "how in the blazes did those two convince you join their mad little escapade and actually get you into thinking we had a fighting chance? It seems to me that you would just stay behind the lines and sleep rather than fight. I didn't think going on a hair-brained mission like this would even cross your mind."
"I have my reasons, Shinon," Haar replied without turning around. "Just as you have yours. We all have to something to be gained by doing this."
Shinon frowned. "Don't play dumb with me, Haar. We all know you better than that. You'd have to already have some kind of grievance against the Black Knight to agree to something like this. Like I said, you'd just be more content to sleep and wait for things to play out. Besides, you're from Daein. Why would you fight your own countrymen, let alone to something as ridiculous as this?"
"It doesn't concern you, Shinon," Haar repeated sternly.
"Why so serious all of a sudden?" Shinon raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize it was that personal."
Haar said nothing and continued to load his supplies onto the back of his wyvern, keeping his back turned away from the sniper. Something about the conversation must have struck a nerve, because he said nothing further on the matter. It seemed that Shinon had a knack for such things, whether he intended to do so or not.
He shrugged in indifference. "Fine then. Keep your secrets. I guess I'll see you on the battlefield later." He sauntered off, quite content to leave things were they stood. Shinon didn't really care, as a matter of fact. He had simply asked Haar about it out of boredom and to help calm his unusually nervous mind.
What he didn't realize, however, was that Haar's grievances against the Black Knight were far more personal and complex than he let on.
-X-
While Haar and Shinon were more composed, Boyd was more excited than he had ever been.
No, excited was far too passive of a word used to describe his elation. The warrior was ecstatic. He literally could not keep himself from sprinting through camp no matter where he went, whether it was across the way between rows of tents or clear across camp. He had barely slept a wink last night, for he had been too busy boasting and bragging about his coming deeds in the next battle and how he would prove himself to be superior to anyone else in the entire army. Now, Boyd was just burning off his adrenaline rush and finding some way to pass the time until he found Haar. Once he found the wyvern rider, it would be time to leave for the river.
He was moving so fast and completely heedless to where he was going that he collided head on with Mia as he rounded the corner of Muston's supply wagon. The two went down in a heap, tumbling to the ground in a flurry of arms and limbs. It was a wonder that their weapons didn't injure them at all. Boyd landed right on top of her and their foreheads smacked together, a wave of pain shooting through his head. But Boyd was back on his feet almost instantly and helped pull Mia to her feet.
"Sorry, Mia!" he shouted. "Didn't see you there!" He bent over and retrieved his axe and Mia's sword, offering the weapon to her.
Mia smiled and took the weapon, brushing herself off. "Psh! It's fine! But what are you so excited about anyways, Boyd?" she asked curiously. "I didn't realize you got yourself as psyched for battle as I did!"
Boyd's face beamed with pride. "You just wait and see, Mia! Be sure you're keeping an eye out for me when we cross the river later!"
"I'll be there, of course!" the swordswoman replied. "I wouldn't want to miss out on a battle like this! But why should I be watching you? Are you going to do something amazing?"
"You bet I am!" Boyd exclaimed. "Because you're going to witness my fighting prowess at its very highest! You'll have to be close by to get the full effect!"
"Sounds great!"
"Yep! And I'm not the only who's going to be in on it, either!" Boyd spotted Gatrie and waved him over. "We're both going to show just who's boss around here, right, Gatrie?"
The knight lumbered over to them, fully clad in azure armor, silver lance held loosely in his right hand and his gold-trimmed shield in his left. "You bet we will, Boyd! Nothing will be able to stand in our way after today!" Gatrie flashed Mia one of his dazzling smiles and winked. "Maybe I'll even impress someone enough that she'll allow me to buy her dinner tonight!"
Mia laughed. "Ha ha! Well, we'll just have to see about that! But whatever you guys are up to, you can totally count me in if you need any help! Any opponent you two are teaming up against is a worthy adversary of mine!"
"Oh, will do!" Gatrie exclaimed. He turned to go. "I'd best go find Shinon to make sure he doesn't try and skip out on us! See you later, Boyd!" He was gone in a flash, moving surprisingly fast for all of his bulk. Boyd watched him go, knowing that with Gatrie's impenetrable frame on their side, there was no way that they could lose.
"Now, I'm serious, Boyd," Mia said and Boyd looked her in the eyes. "I don't know what you're up to, but if you need any help you can always call me over! I'll gladly cut down anyone who gets in your way!" She sheathed her sword and smiled at him before dashing off.
Boyd considered the idea for a moment. Would things be easier if they had Mia with them? Other than Ike, she was probably one of the best sword fighters he had ever seen. But Haar had deliberately told him that more people would only complicate things. Besides, Mia hadn't figured into his plan in the first place. With so many weapons flying around, one of them could get hurt needlessly.
But if things took a turn for the worse, Boyd decided, he wouldn't hesitate to call her over. He turned and spotted Haar across the clearing on the other side of the supply wagon and bounded up to him, waving to get his attention.
Haar frowned when he got close. "I thought we were clear on not telling anyone else about what we were up to, Boyd," he stated offhandedly.
Boyd was confused. "Huh?"
"You and Gatrie essentially just told Mia what we going to do."
"Wait, you could hear us?"
Haar nodded. "You were only twenty feet away and you were shouting."
"Right, yeah." Boyd grinned sheepishly. "Anyways…" He grabbed the safety harness on the saddle and vaulted up onto the wyvern. "Are we all set, Haar?"
The wyvern rider yawned and jumped up onto the saddle in front of Boyd. It looked like he was going to let Boyd's slip-up fly, since there was nothing to be done about it now. "As ready as we'll ever be, Boyd. I'm still having difficulty understanding how I let you drag me into this."
"I was more surprised when Shinon decided to help us."
Haar shrugged. "I wouldn't hold that one to his word, though. If worst comes to worst, it may just be the three of us out there."
Boyd grinned. "It won't matter. We'll win!"
"For your sake, I hope you're right," Haar said. "But remember, if it turns out that you were wrong about the Black Knight's armor, we're pulling out. I don't have much interest in getting myself killed in a battle I had no chance to win from the beginning, not matter what weapon I had."
"You mean a battle that we'll win."
"Right, whatever."
"Speaking of weapons, which one are you using?"
"This one," Haar said, reaching for an enormous lance lying on the ground next to him. "Silver greatlance. Most powerful one of its kind, too. It should work just fine."
"You're not using an axe?" Boyd asked questionably.
Haar shrugged. "I'm just as proficient with a lance. I feel I'll have a better chance at piercing the Knight's defenses this way." He paused. "But...I'm guessing that won't matter to you at all?"
Boyd hefted his axe and rested it on his shoulder. "Nope. You know that I can't use anything other than axes! I'm using this one that Daniel made me." It looked to be nothing more than a common steel axe, save the fact that its huge blade was a dark red color. "He worked through the night on it and got it to me early this morning. A little too early, though. Woke me up before dawn."
Haar smiled. "Never can get enough sleep around here, can you?"
"Nope. Anyways, he didn't have enough stuff to make a silver axe, but he forged some steel with the silver to make it stronger. It'll be enough to cut through the Black Knight's armor!"
Haar shook his head. "Boyd, even with only one eye I can tell that axe won't get you far. It's still mostly made out of steel and iron. What damage will that thing do?"
Boyd took the comment the wrong way. "Do you doubt my strength?"
"Well no, but—"
"He's right, Boyd."
The two of them turned as Oscar rode up next to them. "Just because your weapon is unique, it still won't cut through the strongest armor," the paladin said. "Even if you're strong enough to use it, it won't help you in the long run."
"Whaddya mean, Oscar?"
"You need something stronger," Haar said with an obvious tone of annoyance in his voice.
"Exactly," Oscar said. He reached for the larger-than-normal saddle bag behind him and produced an axe. But it wasn't a typical sharped-edge axe. With a long handle, it had a head that was flat and fat on one side and a curved spike on the other.
He reached over and handed the axe to Boyd. "Here, take this one. You'll need it."
Boyd took it and admired it, sliding the handle of his other axe into the small sheath on his back. "This is…"
Oscar nodded. "Yes. It's a Hammer. It's specifically designed to combat armored foes. You've used one before but never against enemies like the Black Knight." He paused. "I…just thought that if you had it, you might stand a better chance…"
Boyd looked at the axe and then back at his brother. "Oscar…" He paused briefly and suddenly realized something. "But how did you find out what we were up to? This was just supposed to remain between me, Haar, Gatrie and Shinon!"
"I told him," Haar cut in. Boyd looked at him curiously. "I knew that it would have been best to not tell anyone else about what we were up to, but I thought keeping a secret from Oscar wasn't very smart, especially since this involves you, Boyd. If you suddenly turned up dead after the battle, how was I going to explain things to him?"
The warrior nodded in agreement. "I guess that does make sense…but you just yelled at me for letting things slip to Mia! How can you do that after telling Oscar about this?"
"I just told you why," Haar answered. "This is for your own good, Boyd. And Oscar's as well."
"Besides, your constant gloating about this "brilliant plan" and your enthusiasm about the next battle weren't the best screen to use," Oscar added with a tinge of humor in his voice. "I would have caught on to things eventually."
"Right…but you won't be going with us? I thought that you might like to watch!"
Oscar shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. I'll be with the main force where there's more solid footing." He patted his horse on the back. "This guy here doesn't do well in the water. Besides, watching you try something this crazy isn't something I think I could force myself to stomach. So, as it is, I'll be waiting on the other side for your safe return." His gaze turned toward Haar. "All of you."
The wyvern rider understood. "Don't worry, I'll look after him. And Gatrie as well." He smiled faintly. "And Shinon if I have to."
The paladin nodded. "Thank you, Haar."
Boyd hoisted the axe over his shoulder. "You shouldn't worry so much, Oscar. We'll be fine!"
But Oscar shook his head again. "Boyd, please listen to me," his brother said, solemn once more. Oscar dismounted and Boyd jumped down off of Haar's wyvern as well. They stared at each other for a few moments, waiting for the other to say something. Boyd knew what his brother was thinking and no words would have been needed.
Oscar spoke anyways. "I give you this axe in return for a promise, Boyd." He placed his hand on Boyd's shoulder. He had such a sad look in his eyes. "You must promise me to come back alive. This entire thing is crazy, but I suppose I should expect as much from you. I know I can't talk you out of doing this but I can at least ensure that you have a better chance at coming back. If you don't, I don't know if I can…" He trailed off and looked away.
Boyd thought he saw tears in his brother's eyes. The sight actually made his heart ache. Boyd wasn't the one to feel sentimental very often, even in situations like these, but Oscar's words hit close to home. It reminded him that it was always Oscar who had looked after him and Rolf. If he lost, he would fail Oscar worse than he could ever fail himself.
"Promise me, Boyd. If you find yourself in a situation that threatens your life, you must flee! Don't leave Rolf and me alone."
Boyd smiled and pulled him into a tight embrace, patting him on the back. "I promise, brother."
Oscar pulled away and remounted his horse. He looked back down at Boyd one last time before riding off without another word.
Boyd watched him go until he was out of sight. "He didn't have to do that," he said softly.
"He's only looking out for you, Boyd," Haar remarked. "You're his brother and he loves you. Don't let him down by dying."
Boyd closed his eyes and gripped the axe tighter. "I won't."
-X-
The army set out within the next hour, splitting into two factions as it approached the river, the main force heading northeast in attempt a crossing at a different point while the diversionary team went to meet the Daein army on the river's northern banks. Shinon and Gatrie marched silently along with the diversion force, their minds focused solely on the enemy that they would meet when they crossed. They cared nothing for the rest of the war. Only their fated encounter with the Black Knight mattered. When at last the southern banks of the river came into view and the Daein army materialized on the opposite side, did they know that this was for real. The small force of mercenaries spread out along the shores of the Ribahn and prepared to launch their attack.
Shinon wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight. Already he hated this place. This filthy mudhole was where they would be attacking the Black Knight? It had sounded far less distasteful when the four of them had simply discussed it amongst themselves. Sure Haar had gone out scouting the night before to see what exactly they would have to work with, but he had failed to address the finer points of the terrain. The Ribahn wasn't the dirtiest river Shinon had ever seen but it sure as hell wasn't the cleanest either. Having been carried across the river by a group of Hawk sub-humans at their first crossing, he hadn't gotten much more than a glimpse of the river. Perhaps things disgusted Shinon so because two-day old rotting corpses from the previous battle were still floating in the water, their blood mingling with the sediment at the bottom of the river. The air was acrid and smelled of death and to make matters worse, the blood-water mix had evaporated into the air and left a metallic taste in Shinon's mouth each time he took a breath.
Haar and Boyd landed off to his right and the latter motioned him and Gatrie over once he was sure that Ike had his back turned. They were far enough away that they wouldn't be overheard, but there was no harm in being cautious. The wyvern rider dismounted as the two approached. He was clad in his black armor of the Daein army, his face hidden behind a spiked helm.
"You want to go over the plan again, Haar?" Shinon complained. "I think we've been over it enough times."
"No, I don't," Haar replied. "I just wanted to make sure we're all clear on what we're supposed to do here."
"Fine. You know that we all are. Let's just have the Black Knight's head and be done with it."
"We have to be patient, Shinon," Gatrie reminded him. Shinon shot him a glare. He didn't need to be reminded. He was just tired of waiting around. Nothing was going to happen if they didn't do something.
"Right, Gatrie," Haar said, nodding. "Remember though. Your defenses have to hold long enough for Boyd and me to make our move. You can hold the Knight off for a minute or so, can't you?"
The knight nodded. "Got it, no sweat. My defenses are rock-solid! And Shinon'll act as my back-up, right?"
Haar nodded again. "Correct." He turned to Shinon. "Other than being Gatrie's support, you'll have the most crucial job of all, as you well know. You have to approach the Knight completely undetected to take the first shot or this entire mission is compromised. I trust that you can handle it, though. Be swift, Shinon. Be quick."
The sniper nodded wordlessly and Haar remounted his wyvern, taking flight without another word. Shinon and Gatrie watched him go until he was out of sight above the clouds. Shinon turned his gaze back to the river and what lay beyond. Gatrie move up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. His voice was soft but determined.
"Come on, Shinon. Let's do this."
Shinon nodded. "Yes, let's."
-X-
The Black Knight stood motionless on the northern banks of the river, standing protectively in front of the Maiden of Dawn. He didn't know what to make of this situation. Such little time had passed since the battle's start, not even an hour, but already the Daein soldiers were crumpling under the force of the attack. The Black Knight had been correct in his assumptions of the Daein troops: they were nothing and their defenses shattered like glass against the onslaught of their enemies. The Black Knight desperately wanted to abandon his position and join them on the battlefield and show them and his foes true power.
But he wouldn't move. His orders had been clear: he was to protect the Maiden of Dawn. Only if something threatened her safety would he move from his spot. She was the most important thing to him right now and for the time being, he must not allow anything to harm her.
And still nothing approached him. Disappointment welled up from within. What of the impending attack he had sensed this morning? The rest of the enemy was still embroiled in combat with Daein's soldiers and were not focused on crossing the river or even trying to get to the Maiden of Dawn. He had figured that some fool would at least try to make a move against her and attempt to slip past his defenses. He longed for something to happen. Anything at all.
But still nothing came.
He had almost given up hope entirely when something furtive moved within the reeds to his right, a movement so quick and subtle that he almost missed it. It was there, watching him, sharp eyes fixed on his solitary form. There were others, of course. The blue armored knight several dozen yards away was watching him as well, feigning interest in the rest of the battle. But the Black Knight knew better. He was no fool. Not only was the knight waiting on him, but the Black Knight had seen the dark shape of a wyvern glide across the eastern sky four times in the past twenty minutes.
Their target wasn't Micaiah. Were they intending to go for her, they would have done so by now. He couldn't have held them all off at once and protected her at the same time. They meant no less than to attack him, the one who would give them the clearance to cross the river. Gawain's son wasn't among them, which left him disappointed. But perhaps these other mercenaries would prove themselves worthy of his attention.
This was what he had been waiting for since this morning. This is what he had sensed was coming for him; a chance to rend his foes. The Black Knight was sure of it. He felt a deep sense of satisfaction. This pathetic rabble of sellswords meant to bring him down.
The Black Knight smiled under his helm. It was a cruel, sardonic smile. Fools, one and all. He would let them come; let them think they had a chance at stopping him. They would soon learn that foolish pride and arrogance only got you killed in the end.
The Black Knight waited.
-X-
Shinon crept amongst the reeds, keeping himself well hidden from the other soldiers, both allies and enemies alike. It hadn't taken him long to reach this point and he had used the rest of the battle as a means to move stealthily across the river. As promised, Haar had successfully cleared the path in front of the sniper and retreated, pulling back well beyond the front lines where he would appear to be of little concern to the enemy. The other mercenaries were embroiled in combat with the remaining Daein curs behind him, allowing Shinon to focus solely on his goal. He disappeared within himself, becoming the sniper he had always been destined to be. Everything around him melted away and he was only aware of Gatrie, positioned behind him and to his right; and the Black Knight, no more than ten yards in front of him.
Shinon sunk even lower, wading silently through the water for several feet before reaching his post. He pressed his back against the dead, waterlogged tree and held the Silencer tightly against his chest. He peered cautiously over his shoulder, sharp eyes searching. The Black Knight appeared enormous even at this distance, his presence alone enough to fill the entire island on which he stood. The Knight stood protectively in front of the Maiden of Dawn, his armored frame rigid and unmoving, his sword gripped in his right hand and planted into the earth.
Admittedly, there was something…odd about his armor. It didn't radiate with power now like it did during the Mad King's War. Even Shinon could notice the difference. Ilyana had been right, it seemed. The Knight's armor wasn't blessed anymore. Taking confidence in that, Shinon spied out the weak point that Boyd had said would be there and looked away.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A plethora of emotions flooded through him, taking hold of his body: anxiety, arrogance, determination, hate. They filled him up and he turned them all against the Black Knight, the man who had stolen the closest thing Shinon ever had to a father. This was the moment he had secretly trained for over the past several months after learning that the Black Knight still lived. His one chance. And this time, Ike wasn't here to get in his way.
The sniper smiled arrogantly. Perhaps Boyd had been right all along. The Black Knight had no idea what was about to happen. If his shot went through, they would be across the river in minutes and the Black Knight's corpse would be floating down the river.
His eyes found Gatrie. The knight nodded and Shinon nodded back. Everything was in place.
He remembered Haar's words. Be swift, Shinon. Be quick.
The time for doubt and skepticism was over. He needed to do this now. One clean motion, no hesitation. Just as he had told Rolf weeks ago in Crimea.
"All right, you bastard," Shinon muttered softly to himself, "let's see you worm your way out of this one!"
Clenching his teeth, he withdrew a single arrow and pulled back the bowstring, stepped out from behind the tree, and fired.