Chapter Four: In Which We Become A Legion

Lyn—Chapter 3: Band of Mercenaries

And so, after ten days of walking, I was back at the foot of the Bern Mountains. But this time I was on the south side of the jagged mountain range. I was in Bern.

Every step I took on Bernese soil was a reminder of what I had left behind and why. An overwhelming part of me wanted to abandon Lyn, head south to Rion Village, and find my husband. The only thing that stopped me was the knowledge that he would never forgive me for leaving him.

I plodded along the rocky path beside Lyn. Kent and Sain rode their horses a little ways ahead of us, arguing about something trivial. My stomach let out a low growl. I glared down at it. We'd only eaten traveling food for the past few days, and now I couldn't eat another bite of those disgusting dried berries, no matter how hungry I was.

"Are you feeling all right, Nora?" asked Lyn. "You look a little down."

"Do I?"

"I guess this brings back bad memories," said Lyn.

I stared at her, wondering if she'd figured out my connection to Bern and if she somehow knew the reason why I'd run away.

"Being attacked by bandits from the Bern Mountains was a harsh experience," said Lyn.

"Oh. Yes." In all honestly, I'd completely forgotten about how Lyn and I had met. The drama of Lyn being the heiress of Castle Caelin and becoming the owner of the Mani Katti had completely overshadowed the bandits.

"This area's filled with bandits, unfortunately," said Lyn. "The worst of which are the Taliver. They wreak havoc on both sides of the mountains, in both Bern and Sacae."

"Oh, I've heard of the Taliver," I said.

"Where?" asked Lyn. "I didn't realize they were so famous outside of Sacae and Bern."

"I don't remember," I lied.

After a couple more hours of walking, we came across an example of mountain bandits' atrocities—a ruined village with its homes burnt down, its walls crumbling, and its people hiding inside the two houses left standing. Some brigands, their axes strapped to their backs, were still wandering around the village streets, talking in loud, gravelly voices.

"This place," murmured Lyn. "It's…"

"The entire area is in ruins," said Sain, frowning. "Why doesn't their marquess do anything to help?"

"The Taliver Mountain is home to a gang of vicious, ruthless bandits," explained Lyn, her voice tight. "No marquess holds power here. My village was near here, on the other side of the mountain. My people were…" She gulped. "The Taliver bandits came at night. That's all it took. One night. The survivors numbered less than ten, including me." She gritted her teeth. "The Taliver are soulless beasts. I will never forgive them. Never."

"Lyndis," murmured Sain, pity in his hazel eyes.

Kent was half-turned in his saddle, watching Lyn carefully.

"I am not running away to Lycia," said Lyn, grimly. "That's not what this journey is about. I will be back someday. I'll be stronger. I will break their axes beneath me like twigs beneath a stallion's hooves. I will avenge my people."

Sain was uncharacteristically serious when he said, "When the time comes, bring me with you."

"Sain…" Lyn looked moved to tears.

"Don't forget me either," said Kent.

"Kent…"

Kent and Sain both turned to stare at me, waiting.

What? Did they expect me to come back here in a few years and invent bandit-killing strategies?

My first instinct was to say no. However, Lyn had the blazing look in her eyes again, making me feel small and petty. Part of me wished I could be as bold and proud as her, even though I knew it wasn't and never would be in my nature. Still, it might be nice to try being noble every once in a while.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Bring me along too, I suppose."

"You too, Nora?" Lyn looked a little too thrilled at the idea of fighting more bandits with me. "I…you're…thank you."

And then, with perfect timing, a loud, raspy voice cut through our emotional scene. We turned to see a gray-haired bandit, holding the reins of a winged, white horse.

"Silly twit!" he shouted at a petite girl who stood, cowering, in front of him. "Pegasi can only be found in Ilia. They're rare beasts, worth more than you by far! We can sell it for a mountain of gold. Let it go?" He let out a bark of laughter.

"No," said the girl. "Please, don't…"

"Migal," said one of the other brigands. "We need to head out soon."

Dragging the pegasus away from its owner, the gray-haired Migal, who seemed to be the leader of the bandits, said, "C'mon! Let's get packing, boys!"

Kent maneuvered his horse next to Lyn. "Be on your guard, Lyndis. There seems to be some sort of commotion over there."

"That's…" Lyn squinted at the winged horse and its owner. "That's a pegasus. Could it be?" She took a step forward and then another. "Florina?" she called out. "Is that you, Florina?"

The girl with long, wavy, lilac-colored hair turned at the sound of Lyn's voice. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of us. There was a pause, and then with a soft cry, the girl rushed down the street towards us. Desperate to follow its owner, the pegasus wrenched its reins out of Migal's grasp and hurried after the young girl.

"Lyn!" Florina cried as she threw her arms around Lyn's neck. "Is that really you? I…I…" And then, to my horror, the girl burst into tears.

Oh, I thought, as I watched Florina and Lyn hug each other. So this was why Lyn was so ready to hug me when we first met, this was her experience with female friendship. I felt a wave of revulsion as I watched Florina weep openly in her friend's arms—as if I would ever act like that.

"Come now," said Lyn, patting Florina's back. "No crying."

I nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry." Florina stepped away from Lyn and wiped her eyes. Her pegasus nudged her shoulder comfortingly with its nose.

"You are acquaintances?" asked Kent.

Florina took one look at Kent and all the blood drained from her face.

"She's my friend," said Lyn. "This is Florina, a pegasus knight-in-training from Ilia. She's a little uncomfortable around men." Lyn turned back to her friend and asked, as gently as possible, "Tell me, what happened here?"

"Well, um…" Florina glanced nervously at Sain and Kent. She gulped. "When I heard that you had, uh, left Sacae, I decided to follow you. Then I saw this village, and I, um, thought to fly down to ask if they had news of you. But I didn't see these two brigands, and…well…"

"Did your pegasus land on them?" asked Kent.

Florina turned white. "Well, I…a little…"

"Aha!" cried one of the bandits, who had followed her down the street. "You heard her! She admits her fault! She stepped on my friend, and now she's got to pay!"

Lyn scowled at the brigand before turning to Florina and asking, "Did you apologize?"

"Oh, yes," said Florina, speaking only to Lyn. "I told them I was sorry many times over. They just wouldn't listen…" The tears started to well up in her eyes again.

"Don't cry," said Lyn, wrapping an arm around Florina's shoulders. "It's all right."

"Lyn…" wailed Florina.

"Listen." Lyn addressed the bandits. "She's obviously sorry. Can't we just let this pass? You don't appear to be injured or anything."

Migal sneered. "No chance. The girl goes with us—by force if need be!"

Kent and Sain drew their swords, ready to defend Lyn, Florina, and Florina's pegasus.

I sighed. Did they expect me to create a strategy to take on two bandits? I wasn't really necessary in this fight. Maybe I could visit one of the still intact houses and see if the cowering villagers had any food to share.

Migal took one look at Kent and Sain's swords and started backing away.

"Hey! C'mon out now, boys!" he called out. "The men are fair game, but don't put a scratch on the girls!"

At Migal's command, bandits emerged from the ruined houses. There were nine of them in total—three swordsmen, two archers, and the rest brigands. I groaned. We were outnumbered. Again.

"We've got to fight back!" cried Lyn.

"Don't we always," I muttered. So much for my plans of looking for food.

"Lyn…" said Florina. "I…"

Eyes burning with passion, Lyn turned to Florina and said, "You're a pegasus knight of Ilia, aren't you? You can fight, I know you can."

Florina looked taken aback by Lyn's outburst, but then, she lifted her chin and said, "Yes!"

"Listen carefully," said Lyn. "We're facing bandits. They're underlings, but we can't take them too lightly. The layout around here might make it difficult to fight. The same holds true for our foe, too. If we use these walls just so, they may ensure our victory."

Easy for you to say, I thought as I examined the village. Florina's ability to fly would come in handy since she could cross the walls; however, the bandits had archers with them. One arrow to its wing and Florina's pegasus would be useless.

"Kent, Sain," I said. "You two take the front."

Florina caught sight of me for the first time. "Lyn, um, who is that?"

I scowled at her. I didn't appreciate being referred to as "that". She should learn not to insult me—I could always fly her into the range of an archer and claim it was an accident when she died.

"This is Nora," said Lyn. "She's an apprentice, but still, she's my tactician."

"Oh." Florina glanced at me. "Well, Nora…I'm pleased to meet you."

I nodded before turning my attention back to the battle at hand. There was an archer to the east who was too close for my liking.

"Kent," I said. "Can you take care of the archer? Sain, follow him."

The two knights spurred their horses forward, and before the archer could fire an arrow, Kent drove his lance through the bandit's chest. Blood spurted over the archer's clothes as his legs gave out beneath him and he crumpled to the ground. I winced and looked away.

Come on, I chided myself, even Florina could watch a man die without cringing.

"Should we check inside the houses?" asked Lyn, examining a thatch-roofed house beside us. "We should warn the villagers to stay clear of the streets."

"Sure," I said. "And while you're at it, can you see if they have any spare food?"

Lyn looked affronted. "Their village was raided by bandits, and you want to take their food?"

"I can't strategize on an empty stomach."

Lyn knocked on the front door of the house. There was a pause, and for a second, I wondered if the bandits had killed everyone inside. But then, a series of voices called out, "Leave us alone, you thugs!" and "Go away! We've no more gold for you!" I think someone might have cursed at Lyn, but the door muffled their voices, so I couldn't be certain.

"No, wait!" cried Lyn. "We're not bandits! We want to help the village! Please listen!"

There was a pause, and then, a male voice called out, "Everyone, stay in the house! I'll go take a look!" The door opened a crack and a young man with messy brown hair poked his head out. He looked Lyn up and down before saying, "Not bandits, huh? So, who are you?"

"My name's Lyn. My companions and I are just traveling through here." Lyn glanced around. "We're going to deal with the bandits, but we need you to go and warn the villagers to stay clear."

Failing to ask about food, Lyn turned away from the house and started walking away.

"Hey! Wait!" cried the young man, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him. "My name's Wil. I'm a traveler of sorts too. Listen, these villagers have been kind to me and I want to help them. Do you mind if I fight with you?"

Lyn beamed at him. "We need all the help we can get—welcome aboard, Wil!"

Wil followed Lyn into the street and she introduced him to me. Wil's eyes lit up with interest and he said, "So, you're the tactician? I am Wil, master marksman."

I glanced at his iron bow, and then at his face, which was glowing with anticipation. Great. Instead of food, Lyn had managed to bring back a kid overeager for a fight.

"Master marksmen don't brag about being master marksmen," I said. "I need you to take out the swordsman to the north."

"Can do," said Wil. He strung his bow and headed to the top of the street, where an enemy mercenary was visible over the stone wall. Aiming over the top of the wall, Wil fired an arrow at the bandit. It struck the swordsman's arm.

"What happened to being a master marksman?" I asked.

Wil turned red around the ears. "Well, I'm a master marksman-in-training."

"Uh-huh." I turned away from Wil. "Florina, can you fly over that wall and finish off the swordsman. Then, go knock on the door of the house to the northwest and warn them to keep clear of the streets. And ask if they have any food."

Avoiding eye contact, Florina nodded. Her pegasus spread its wings and took off. It soared over the wall before lunging down at the bandit. Florina's lance went through the bandit's chest and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for his last breath.

"What about me?" asked Lyn as Florina went to visit the house.

"Follow Kent and Sain."

Wil, Lyn, and I moved along the street to where Kent and Sain were waiting for the bandits to reach them.

"Everything taken care of to the west?" asked Kent.

"Of course," said Sain. "Our fair ladies would never leave an enemy untouched."

"Sain," I said, ignoring his words. "Draw your sword and wait in the gap between the walls. There's tall grass there, so you should have the advantage on the bandits."

"As you wish, o fair and married one," said Sain, urging his horse forward.

"Wil," I said. "Follow Sain and support him. Shoot any bandit who comes within range. The walls should protect you from any swords or axes." After Wil left to do as commanded, I turned to Lyn and Kent. "You two will wait behind Sain, when there's an opening, you'll charge past him and quickly kill the remaining bandits."

Lyn nodded grimly before she and Kent moved into position. I had barely a moment to recollect myself and evaluate the situation, when Florina returned, her pegasus landing sloppily on the uneven ground.

"The villagers were kind," said Florina. "They gave us two-thousand gold and, uh, said we should use the armory to the southeast."

I took the bag of gold from her and peered over the wall at the armory. "Well, they gave us money, so we should do what we can to support their economy."

"Uh…yes…" Florina glanced around. "Should I, uh, go fight?"

"The archer will kill you," I said. "Wait."

"Oh right…" Florina sat back on her pegasus. Suddenly her eyes widened and she cried, "Ah! What should I do? There's an archer over there!"

"What? Where?" Lyn overheard our conversation and started looking around for the enemy archer. Then, when she saw who Florina meant, Lyn laughed aloud. "Oh, that's Wil."

I stared at Florina. "What were you doing when Wil helped you kill that mercenary?"

"Huey was being fussy," said Florina, patting her pegasus' neck.

"Hello," said Wil. "You're one of Lyn's friends?"

Florina looked down. "Um…"

Wil frowned. "What is it? Are you unwell?"

"I'm sorry, Wil," said Lyn. "Her name is Florina. She's timid around men, and you…well, you've got a bow."

"Oh, I see!" Wil grinned over at Florina. "I apologize for frightening you, and I can understand your fear of bows."

Florina refused to meet Wil's eyes. "I, um, I'm sorry. Even looking at a bow…frightens me ever so much…"

"Of course," said Wil, waving away her words. "I understand. But you should really only fear enemy archers, not your own."

"Yes…" murmured Florina. "Of course…"

Wil turned his attention back to the approaching bandits, and I was left alone with Florina. I glanced at the girl, who looked like she was in agony, and sighed. "That was painful to watch."

Florina blushed bright red. "I'm…sorry…"

"I'm not stupid enough to send you in range of an arrow."

Her eyes widened and she turned to look at me directly. "Really?"

"Unless, of course, you do something to irritate me," I said thoughtfully. "It's never a good idea to annoy your tactician—speaking of which, did you remember to ask for food when you visited the house?"

Florina looked on the verge of fainting. "N-n-no…"

I didn't respond, since the bandits had reached Sain. Just as planned, Sain killed two brigands using the iron sword he'd gotten from Lyn. Then, Kent moved into the open area and, with some help from Wil, killed the last axe-wielder. Lyn followed Kent and managed to get a critical blow against the archer. With only two swordsmen left and Migal to the north, I had Wil fire on one of the swordsmen, and then Florina deal the final blow. The second swordsman managed to scratch Florina's left forearm, but Kent quickly stabbed the swordsman from behind.

"All right," I said, moving around the dead bodies to stand between Kent and Sain. "Just the leader left. Florina, use a vulnerary. Sain, go buy yourself a new iron lance." I handed him the bag of gold, which he took before riding over to the armory.

"Wil, Lyn," I said. "You two are going to deal with the leader."

We moved around the charred ruins of someone's home and found Migal protecting the bandits' belongings. His eyes widened at the sight of us, and he gripped his iron axe.

"Draw your swords," yelled Migal. "We're not listening to any of your stinking apologies!"

"'We'?" I repeated, faintly amused. "You're the only one left."

Migal's face was white, but he held his ground. Well, I had to give him credit for courage.

"Um, excuse me…" said Florina, barely audible.

"Huh? It's you." Migal barred his teeth. "So, you changed your mind about coming with us, eh?"

Florina stared at the back of her pegasus' head. "Well, no…but, um, this really is my fault…really. So, uh, can we…"

Migal looked as annoyed as I felt by Florina's stammering. "Come on, lass—out with it!"

"I'm sorry…" said Florina. "Can we, uh, can we just stop fighting now?"

"You've got to be kidding." Migal looked at me as if he expected me to have an explanation for Florina's sudden desire for peace. Then, he turned back to her and said, "After you've made me look the fool? No way! You're coming with me, I promise you that. Now, if you don't want to get hurt, give yourself up."

I snorted. That was a stupid statement to make, considering we had killed all his allies.

Wil let fly an arrow. It landed in Migal's left thigh, causing the bandit to fall to his knees.

Lyn stepped forward, holding the Mani Katti next to the bandit's throat. Her eyes flashed with rage as she said, "There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Begging for your life so soon, wench?" sneered Migal as if the sword to his throat didn't exist.

Lyn ignored him and asked, "Are you Taliver bandits?"

"Taliver? Those greedy monsters?" Migal spat on the dirt. "We're nothing like them. Those fiends will even kill women and children! We're from Ganelon, and we know a little something of honor. We don't harm women, for one thing." He laughed, a croaking, sickly sound. "After all, why kill what you can sell?"

Kent looked repulsed. "Killing or selling, which one is worse do you suppose?"

Lyn's nose wrinkled in disgust, but she only said, "If you're not Taliver, there's no reason for you to die here today, Migal. If you would like to tuck your tails and flee, do so now."

"You…you…" Migal's face was turning red from rage. "No more courtesies! You're going to learn to hold your tongue!"

Pushing the Mani Katti away from his throat, Migal leapt at Lyn, but she dodged his axe with ease and then killed him with two swift strokes of the Mani Katti.

"You'll live to regret this…" hissed Migal. "My brothers, the Ganelon bandits will not let this stand."

He died face down in the dirt, his blood pooling beneath him. I stared at the back of his head for a moment before turning around to face Kent and Sain, who had returned from the armory.

"No one dies quietly anymore," I muttered. "They all have to say something."

"At least that's taken care of," said Lyn.

"Lyn!" cried Florina, dismounting from her pegasus.

"Florina," said Lyn. "Why did you follow me into Bern? It's dangerous here."

I felt a wave of indignation for my homeland. Bern wasn't a dangerous country…unless you were me. I was amazed that no assassins had found me yet. Though, to be fair, we were taking the mountain roads, rather than passing through any cities or major towns. I tugged on the fabric of my traveling cloak and glanced around the village. For some reason, I imagined one of the villagers recognizing me. The sooner we left, the better.

"Milady," said Kent. "We should leave before any more of these Ganelon bandits turn up looking for their allies."

I nodded. All thoughts of food had vanished from my mind. I just wanted to get out of Bern as soon as possible.

"Can we leave the village like this?" asked Lyn, looking around at the ruins. "If more Ganelon bandits come, they might punish the villagers for the death of their allies."

"We don't know how many bandits are part of the Ganelon group," said Sain. "Staying here might very well be the death of us."

"It's all very well to help out when we can," said Kent. "But we cannot put ourselves in such danger."

"Yes," said Lyn. "We should be going." She glanced around at the debris of what had once been a companionable, mountain village. "What if the Ganelon bandits were too distracted by a different target to punish the villagers?"

Kent's eyes widened. "What are you thinking, milady?"

"No," I said bluntly.

"Nora," said Lyn. "We can handle ourselves. If the villagers blame the deaths on us, and direct the Ganelon bandits towards us, then perhaps the bandits will spare the villagers."

Sain's eyes widened. "So we'll have the villagers send the bandits after us."

"Lady Lyndis!" cried Kent. "It's not safe!"

I nodded. "I would like to sleep without the fear of the Ganelon bandits hanging over me."

"Then what was the point of saving these villagers if we're just going to leave them at the mercy of the Ganelon bandits?" Lyn's eyes were flaring up with passion and justice again. "We will take the burden on ourselves. We are strong. We will survive these Ganelon bandits—even if they chase us to the borders of Bern." She sheathed the Mani Katti and said, "Come. We must hurry and tell the villagers what to do before we depart. The more distance we put between us and this village, the safer we will be."

I wanted to protest, but Kent and Sain had already started packing their bags and preparing to depart. It looked like Lyn's order had won out. Grumbling to myself, I adjusted the straps of my rucksack and prepared to start our flight.

"W-wait." Florina tried to make her voice as loud as possible (which, is to say, still not very loud).

"You should return to Ilia as soon as possible," said Lyn. "I'm grateful you are concerned about me, Florina, but this road is dangerous."

"Y-yes," said Florina. "The Ganelon bandits…" She hesitated and then asked, "Lyn, do you remember what I told you of the knighting ceremony of the Pegasus Knights of Ilia and what comes after?"

With a puzzled expression on her face, Lyn nodded. "Yes, you join a band of freelance soldiers to further your training. Is that what brought you here?"

"Uh-huh." Florina nodded. "I, uh, I wanted to talk to you before I set out to join my own band of mercenaries, but when I went to Sacae, I heard you had left with some, uh, strangers, and…"

"You were worried about me?" asked Lyn with a smile. "Thank you, but I'm more worried about you."

"Me?" squeaked Florina.

"Listen," said Lyn. "Most mercenaries are men, right? Bands of men? I can't imagine you being at all comfortable around them."

I had to admit, Lyn had a fair point. From what I had seen, Florina seemed like a decent pegasus knight, but all the skills in the world couldn't make up for a paralyzing fear of men.

"I know, I know," said Florina, staring at the ground. "It's just, um, I've always dreamt of being a pegasus knight. I imagined I would just, um, work it out. Somehow."

She's a ditz, I groaned inwardly. However, looking at the determined faces of Kent, Sain, and Lyn, I had an ominous feeling that our ragtag group was about to gain a pegasus knight. Great, just great.

"But after today," said Florina. "I'm not so sure I can do it. Maybe I should just give up…" And then she burst into tears. Again.

"Florina, don't cry!" said Lyn, pulling her friend into yet another hug.

"Yes!" cried Sain, unable to hold in his excitement any longer. "There's no reason to give up your dream!"

"Hm?" Lyn looked over at him.

"Lovely Florina!" cried Sain. "I have the most brilliant idea!"

"Sain," groaned Kent.

"You should come with us!" Sain gestured about wildly. "With the addition of Wil here, we're a fine group of soldiers—and freelance to boot!"

"Wait," said Wil. "Did you just include me?"

Completely ignoring the possibility that Wil might have other plans, Sain said, "Of course! We were destined to meet here! It's fate! Come now, Lady Lyndis' band of mercenaries is as good a training group as you will find anywhere!"

I glared at the idiot knight. "If you're volunteering me as a trainer, I'm going to throw you in the path of a mage first chance I get."

Sain laughed as if I was joking.

"Sain," said Kent. "This is no light-hearted matter."

"Lady Lyndis?" Florina was looking around her with a confused expression on her face. "Um, Lyn? Mercenaries?"

Lyn patted her friend on the shoulder. "I can give you details later. We do need to leave this village as soon as possible. However, Sain is right. If you must join a band of mercenaries, then join ours. Will you come with us, Florina? The road will be dangerous. We will be pursued by bandits until the border. But if it will help you with your fear of men, then you should come with us."

Florina's face lit up with excitement. "Travel with you? Truly? I would be so happy to!"

"Fantastic!" cried Sain, leaping down from his horse to greet her. "Beauteous Florina, I am Sain, a knight of Caelin—"

Kent hit Sain on the side of the head before the green knight could get too close to Florina.

For her part, Florina shrieked and cowered behind Lyn. "P-p-please, don't get so close!"

Groaning, I ran a hand through my hair. What was worse for Florina: joining a group of all men or joining a group with Sain in it?

"Ah!" cried Sain, recovering all too quickly from the blow to his head. "Florina…so beautiful, yet so modest!"

"I beg your forgiveness, milady," said Kent, addressing Lyn. He shot an irritated glare in Sain's direction. "Calling us mercenaries…"

"No, I approve," said Lyn. "And besides, we can't leave Florina on her own. She requires special attention though, because of her fears. Can I count on you to help her, Kent?"

Kent straightened in his saddle. "Yes! You have but to ask."

"So," said Wil slowly. "Is it all right if I travel with you?"

"Well," I said. "According to Sain, you'll be forced to join whether you want to or not."

"Nora." Lyn's tone was warning, but she was smiling as she spoke. "Of course, you can come, Wil."

"Actually, I'm grateful," said Wil. "Truth be told, all of my money was stolen when I passed through a town just south of here. I'm at a bit of a crossroads now. I would be honored to count myself one of Lyndis's Legion!"

"'Lyndis's Legion'?" Lyn turned to me with a bemused expression on her face. "This is getting stranger with every day."

I sighed. "In what country does this count as a legion?"

Lyn laughed, completely forgetting about the Ganelon bandits for the moment, and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. "Thank you for everything, Nora! To think we've come this far!"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "Now let go. We need to have a talk about the appropriate distance for friendship."