Chapter Three - Pirates Aground
Ike opened the door to the command room and saw his father already seated at the table as well as Boyd, Rhys, and Oscar. "You wanted to see me, Father?"
Greil nodded and gestured toward the chair opposite. "Sit down, Ike."
Ike sat down nervously. He had been dreading this conversation since he had got back. Yeah, he had saved Mist, but he had still disobeyed direct orders; and he wasn't stubborn enough to not recognize that it probably would have ended a lot better without any scares if they had followed those orders.
"We haven't had a chance to speak yet," Greil started, making direct eye contact so that Ike would not look away. "Titania told me what happened while I was gone…about the kidnappings."
Ike nodded solemnly. "I take full responsibility for my actions. I'm ready to accept my punishment," Ike said. Which will probably be a demotion to trainee status after what I did, Ike thought.
"No fair, playing the martyr like that, Ike!" Boyd suddenly said. "Nobody made me go with you. I left of my own free will! I'm ready to accept my punishment, too!" A silent pause followed his noble statements, but he had to mess them up. "Wait, what am I saying?" he muttered, though loud enough for them all to hear.
However, Rhys took the torch and continued. "Please, Commander Greil! Titania entrusted me with her orders. If anyone's to blame for this whole mess, it should be me. I'm the one who should be punished," Rhys declared.
Oscar shook his head and added his own thoughts. "I set a poor example, Commander Greil. Any punishments should be mine alone."
The Commander turned a stern glare on each of them in kind. "Regardless of your reasons," he retorted, "you disobeyed the orders of a superior officer. You are confined to quarters for ten days."
Ike felt a little pressure lift, since the punishment was not nearly as bad as he thought it was.
A crash followed as Mist fell through the partially closed door. The red blush filling her cheeks gave away that she had been eavesdropping. "Wait, Father! You can't do that! They did what they did to help me and Rolf!" she exclaimed, jumping back up.
Greil gave her the same stern stare that had made the rest of them cower, but Mist stared back defiantly. "Rules exist for a reason, Mist. If this was the army, they'd all be flogged for what they did. Men won't survive on a battlefield if they do as they wish without so much as a by-your-leave! We are more than just members of an army, though. We are family, and not following orders can and will place the others, your family members, in grave peril."
Mist winced at her reprimand and quieted down. Ike came to her rescue by taking the attention off her. "I understand, Father. And I accept the reprimand and punishment."
Greil let the words sink in for a moment before he continued. "That being said, we've got more work than we can handle at the moment. We'll need all hands on deck, so until things calm down some, all of your punishments are deferred until things calm down." His expression softened a little as he looked at them all again. "However, I'm pleased to see that you are willing to shield one another, even if it would have done no good.
"Now, we've got work to do. Oscar, Boyd, and Rhys are to come with me. Ike, you'll be joining Titania, Shinon, and Gatrie," Greil said, getting up from the table.
Recognizing they had been dismissed, the grateful mercenaries scattered to get ready.
Rolf cringed as his arrow missed the mark once again. He thought it might have been closer than the last one, but it was still a miss.
He cringed once more as he heard a sigh beside him. "You're too tense. Relax your arms and stance some," Shinon corrected from the side.
"I-I'm trying," Rolf murmured as he put another arrow to the bow. He pulled back and shot the arrow at the target but still missed. Not again! he distressed. He felt his body begin to shake again at failing all over again. He hadn't been able to hit a single time today.
Shinon sighed once more and placed his hand on Rolf's shoulder; the boy immediately stopped shaking and looked up at him. "Look boy, what's wrong today?" he asked, trying not to let his agitation come out in his voice.
"It's just…Yesterday, when we were kidnapped…I felt so s-scared, even though I know I shouldn't have," Rolf admitted quietly. "I tried to stay calm and stuff like you told me, but…I couldn't. If I couldn't do that…what if I can't shoot a bow in battle right?" Rolf looked down dejectedly, his excitement over learning the bow killed along with his confidence.
"Is that any way for you to talk? I've taught you better than that," Shinon reprimanded, tapping the boy on the head. "Listen, boy, so you didn't do good? So what? Learn from it and do better. You couldn't have done anything without a weapon, but if you take that mentality into a battle, you're going to get someone killed."
Rolf flinched and seemed to grow smaller at the reprimand, but at the same time, Shinon knew he was listening closely.
"There's nothing wrong with fear," Shinon added, making Rolf look up in surprise. "Fear gives you an edge in battle. Without it, we make all sort of mistakes. Nothing can really prep you for a battle except one, but there's one thing you can do: practice until you can shoot with your eyes close." Shinon gave a rare half smile as he added, "You'll probably too scared to open them when you do fight."
Rolf gave a weak grin and nodded. "I…I'll do my best, Uncle Shinon," Rolf replied, grabbing another arrow.
"And remember, emotions don't belong in a fight," Shinon lectured, watching Rolf as he aimed. "Emotions only cloud your judgment, make you hesitate, and slow your reactions. Keep emotions away from the field if you want to survive."
Rolf nodded slightly as he let his arrow fly. This time, the arrow hit the target, and while it wasn't a bulls eye, it was rather close. Rolf looked excited at Shinon, and Shinon patted him on the head as a reward.
"Now, I'm heading out today, but you practice hard," Shinon said, walking away, "and you better not let this slip."
The pirate took a deep breath, savoring the salty taste of the harbor. He looked down at the silent, single pier and the small town around it. It didn't take much for the citizens to be fully put down a couple days age. Now, not a single soul could be seen that argued at their presence there. It was already good raid, like the last couple this season. A good load, without a single soul loss. Then again, the less that come back, the more share for me, he thought, grinning.
The pirate's stomach rumbled loudly. He laughed and called his first mate over. Like they had all learned from a young age, the first mate made his way quickly to him despite the rolling motion of the deck.
"Aye, captain?" he said, coming up to him.
"My belly's emptier 'n me first mate's head! Fetch me some grub, now, me matey!" he commanded, waving him off. As his first mate ran to give the orders, he shouted to him, "'Ey, see if ye can surface up 'ome rum while ye at it!" His crew was soon heading off into the town to see what they could rummage up on top of the plunder they had stolen the previous day. Feeling good, the pirate climbed up onto the railing, using the rigging to keep his balance. "Yar har ho!" he shouted into the wind, laughing.
Echoes of his crew repeating him loudly in the town came back to him, making him grin all the louder. With a ship and a good, if not completely loyal, crew, what else did a man need in life? His placed his hand on his stomach as it growled again. We can't forget food and rum, too, he corrected himself laughing wildly again. Yes, it was good to be alive.
The small group of mercenaries met the man a little way out of the town. He was old, but looked more than fit enough as he led them toward the town, filling them in. "They sailed into port a few days ago and have been causing trouble ever since. I pray that you and your companions can drive them away. They're probably scouring the town for more goods as we speak."
They came to the edge of town, and they could see the large ship in the harbor on the other side. "That's the pirate ship in question, correct?" Titania said.
"Aye," the mayor told them. "And it looks like I was right about them being out and about, too."
Ike could see the couple of dangerous looking men wandering around the town, weapons at hand. There didn't seem to be many, but there were probably more on board the ship.
"I understand," Titania told the mayor. "We'll do all we can."
"Feathering sea scum is like shooting apples off a tree. Let's do the job and get out of here," Shinon said, checking the arrow he was holding at the ready.
The mayor thanked them profusely as he stepped to the back to wait. Gatrie laughed as he stretched, looking much better than when he had run cross-country the last day. "Ho, Deputy Commander! You want the standard thunder and lightning maneuvers here?" he asked.
"Er, thunder and lightning?" Ike questioned as Titania nodded her assent.
"Yeah! I crash into 'em like thunder, making all the noise and distraction. Then, Shinon shoots 'em down in an instant, like lightning!" Gatrie explained.
"Well, what should I do?" Ike asked Titania, as Gatrie and Shinon got ready to charge.
"Let's hold back and let Shinon and Gatrie soften them up, first. They can focus on the town itself for now, but we'll have to rush the ship quickly after that," Titania said. "If enough of the crew is out here, hopefully, they won't be able to set sail fast enough before we do."
Ike nodded, covering one flank as Gatrie rushed the nearest two pirates to their great surprise. True to form, both reacted to him, their attention completely taken. Before they even got the courage to try and hit the huge blue figure, Shinon had feathered both of them in the neck, stopping their struggle before it started.
The strategy was brilliant, but…Ike felt almost as though there was no need for him or Titania this way. In fact, with the speed Shinon had let the arrows fly, he probably didn't even need Gatrie.
A scream from a nearby building, a tavern from the looks of it, got Ike's attention. Rushing to the doorway, he saw a pirate with his axe out threatening the bartender for the casts behind him. Obviously the ruckus outside had gone unnoticed. Taking his opportunity, he rammed the man right through the back just as the pirate began another threat.
The barkeep saw the pirate slump dead in the blood and passed out himself. Ike checked on him to make sure he was okay and headed for the door. A voice stopped him, however. "My, my, what a lively little town. So unruly, wouldn't you say?"
Ike turned to see a man coming out of a room. The man quickly looked over the situation, but didn't seem prone to passing out as the barkeep had.
"Is it always this dangerous? Have the pirates decided to attack again?" the man asked, coming over to Ike.
"We were hired to rid this town of their little pirate problem, actually. I'm Ike of the Greil Mercenaries," Ike introduced, holding out his hand.
"It is nice to meet you," the man replied, shaking his hand in return. "But if you're going to attack the ship, you can reach the pier much quicker through the back entrance here. Let me take you."
Ike followed him and found himself right at the pier and the pirate ship. "Thanks, sir," Ike said.
The man nodded in reply. "No need. But do hurry, please. I came all this way to see the world-famous fish market, but I don't think I'll ever be able to with this ruffians around. Best of luck to you." And with that, the man went back in the building.
A little farther from the pier, Gatrie and Shinon were taking care of the last few pirates hanging around. Titania was keeping an eye out for them. The path to the ship was clear and open. A few men were laughing at the far end, not conscious of their friends demise yet.
All of a sudden, a shout split the air nearby. "Hey! You!"
Ike looked up to see a pegasus fly up to the ship, a young girl riding it. The pirates onboard looked up at her aggravated. "What?" one of them called.
"You boat monkey! You tricked me, didn't you!?" she shouted angrily.
"Tricked ye? What a vile and nasty thing that is to be sayin'. Don't ye agree, matey?" a pirate replied, his voice easily carrying to Ike.
"Yar, that I do! There be nothing but honest pirates aboard this ship, missy," another said in indignation.
"You said you knew the whereabouts of my older brother! That's why I came all the way to your ship!" the girl shouted.
The first pirate nodded in confirmation. "Aye, and we do know! …Maybe. He was on board for a while, and then…. Do ye recall where he went, matey?"
"Yar, that I do," another confirmed. "He was a penniless oaf, so we tossed his worthless carcass into the rolling waves. Yar har ho!"
The girl said something softly, looking aghast.
"Horrid!? Did ye say horrid? Yer scurvy brother was the horrid one! He lost a game o' chance, he did. If ye lose, ye must pay, but the scallywag tried to cheat me! By Shanty Pete he did!" the second pirate cried out, offended.
"Arr, calm yerself, me hearty!" the first said. "After all," he added. "His darling sister's come to pay us a visit. What say ye work off yer brother's debt?"
The rest of the pirates started to ready their weapons. Ike didn't like the look of this.
"What say I run you through with my lance and call it a day?!" the girl said, her weapon flashing forward and almost running a pirate through.
The first pirate laughed, however. "Yo ho har! It matters not that ye be a pegasus knight, lassie. A wee minnow like yerself is no match for us sea dogs! Prepare yourself, ye flying wench!"
The pegasus fly back out of reach of the quick attack one of the pirates tried. "Pff! I'm not afraid of you, clambake!" the girl replied. "If your axe is as dull as your wit, this will be over in no time!"
Despite her claim and her advantage of flying, the five pirates still onboard were still overwhelming for her. They were getting closer and closer to a hit, while she was unable to move on openings as she dodged.
Ike rushed up the plank to the ship, not allowing it to continue. "Hey! Don't you think one on five is unfair?" Ike shouted, getting all of their attention.
"Yar! Who be ye?" one shouted. "Never mind, charge 'im lads!"
Three broke off from the girl and came for him, not yet wary of his sword. Their recklessness let him slice right into the first one. But he had never been on a ship before, and the swaying deck threw him off balance. One of the two tried his luck and came at him, but tried over his companion, falling on top of Ike instead.
Ike groaned at the pirate's heavy weight, struggling to get out from under him. The pirate got up, his knees pressed on Ike's stomach as he lifted his axe to smash into the boy. Ike brought his sword up into the man's open side, killing the man instantly.
Ike pushed the pirate off him and got up, only to see the last of the three charging him already. The pirate was too close to block or dodge, and Ike was sure he had finally met his death when an arrow flew into the man's neck, killing him.
The plank creaked as Gatrie ran up next to him, sweating from the exertion of the day. "You just had to try and save the little beauty, over there, didn't you?" Gatrie teased.
"It wasn't like that at all!" Ike refused.
"No matter, let me finish this, alright?" Gatrie said, moving toward the last two pirates with sure footing on the moving deck.
"And you think you're ready to be a mercenary," Shinon mocked, passing him by on quick, silent feet.
As Gatrie got the last two pirates' attention, the pegasus rider flew away from them looking thoroughly harassed and battered from the fight. "Crackers, there was too many of them," she murmured as her steed alighted near Ike for a rest.
"Hey, are you alright?" Ike asked.
"…So cold…so…huh?" her head snapped up at his question. She relaxed when she saw it was him. "Who are you, anyway?"
"I'm a mercenary. The villagers hired us to get rid of these pirates," Ike explained.
"Thank you for helping me," the girl said, smiling at him. "Because of you and your friends, I can get away safely. Thank so much!"
"You don't have to say anything," Ike replied, feeling his chest rise in pride a little. "It's all in a day's work."
The girl giggled a little at his reply. "Well then, I should show my gratitude somehow…I can't think of anything, now, but I'll come talk to you later about repaying this debt, alright? What's your name, handsome?"
Ike's face grew red at her praise. "Um…I-I'm Ike. I'm with the Greil Mercenaries."
"Ike, got it. And I'm Marcia, a pegasus knight of Begnion. Don't forget me! I'll be seeing you later!" she said, her steed taking off.
Ike watched her go for a moment, her figure soon disappearing in the low clouds.
A hand suddenly slapped his back. "Should have gone for the kiss, bro," Gatrie said, shaking his head in mock shame. "Who knows when she'll be back, but she was totally in the mood then. You had her hook, line, and sinker!"
Shinon sauntered up, smirking. "Looks like little Ikey-wikey has found a girl," he teased, Gatrie added a wolf whistle on the end.
"Oh, shut up," Ike muttered, embarrassed as he headed off in ship. One look at Titania's knowing smile, and Ike veered away to avoid his friends' harassment.
Titania went to the mayor to report their success. "We've driven off all the pirates. Your people will suffer no more indignities at their hands."
The mayor looked ecstatic as he shook Titania's hand. "Oh, that is joyful news! Joyful news indeed! And here is your pay, as promised," he said, handing Titania a large bag of gold.
"Thank you very much, but…oh," she said, weighing the bag of gold with her hand. "I think you paid too much," she admitted, handing the bag back.
"Oh, no, no," the mayor insisted, refusing the bag. "Consider it a bonus. We have a new ship in harbor as our own type of loot for ourselves, you see. Also, your reputation does not exceed your skills at all, I may say. All of you put on a most marvelous show. Such combat skills! To be honest, I was expecting Commander Greil to be here," he admitted with a small smile. "When I saw just you, nothing more than, no offense, a band of children…well, I will admit to being a tad nervous."
"I apologize for troubling you. Unfortunately, Commander Greil had other pressing matters to attend to," Titania replied.
"Oh, no, don't apologize," the man said. "There's no need. After all, you got rid of those brigands, and you did it impeccably well! All of you fought marvelously!"
Titania inclined her head humbly. "It's a fine compliment you pay, sir, but it was our pleasure."
"Feathering someone's always a pleasure," Shinon said nonchalantly, coming up with the others.
The mayor moved to shake each of their hands as he continued. "As a matter of a fact, I'd say you're more than good enough to be in the army, even the royal army if you so desired. Especially if what I've heard about Commander Greil is true. He's far and away better than most any general I've ever seen hereabouts," he said. However, he grew more serious as he asked, "But, what I mean to say is, if you don't mind, that is…don't you think running off pirates is a bit…beneath you all?"
"That's not-"
But the mayor interrupted Titania. "Don't get me wrong, now. You certainly helped all of us simple folk out. Even so, it seems to me the proper place for you and your Commander Greil is in the service of the Crimean throne, don't you think? Well, that's what this old man thinks, anyway."
Titania looked slightly uncomfortable. "We, and Commander Greil, are quite satisfied with the work we do now," she answered carefully.
The mayor shook his head slowly, but with a smile. "You've nary a selfish bone among you, do you? Well then, rest assured we'll speak again if any problems arise. Thank you again," he said, heading back to town with a skip in his step despite his age. The other townspeople were starting to come out now with the danger gone.
"Titania? Is something amiss?" Ike asked, coming up to her.
"No, course not," Titania replied. "Our mission is complete, and that's all that matters. You did well today, every one of you."
"Even if the little pup almost got himself killed," Shinon added just loud enough for Ike to hear. "Oh, well. Jobs like this barely make a dent in my incurable boredom. It's like that old buzzard said; there's better work out there. Something with a bit of a challenge."
"Shinon!" Titania reprimanded.
"I'm joking. J-O-K-ing!" Shinon replied.
Gatrie, however, looked like he agreed. "Come, Titania, be honest. Don't you find the work we do to be a bit…disheartening? Unglamorous?" he said.
"What, you too, Gatrie? What's gotten into you two?" Titania asked, staring at them as though they were aliens.
"Please!" Gatrie said, undeterred. "Look, we're not a band of money-hungry recruits. We're professionals, and we're very good at what we do. Shinon and I have discussed this at length." Shinon scowled when he added him as an accomplice. "All of this mundane mercenary work is unworthy of us. We're wasting our talents doing this."
Titania seemed furious as she gave her tart reply, though her voice was steady and low. "I see. You're telling me that you think Commander Greil is mismanaging us. Do I have that right?"
"Whoa!" Gatrie said, backing off. "Hold it right there! That's not what I'm saying at all! Why are you all furious all of a sudden?"
Titania looked away, still angry. After a moment, she replied, "It's just that I…. Look, we do good work, and we help people. I want you to be proud of that. I felt like you were saying work that doesn't bring fame and fortune isn't worth doing, that's all." After a moment, she added sincerely, "Sorry."
"No," Gatrie admitted, "you're right. We are the ones who ought to apologize. Sorry." He nudged Shinon, but only got a glare in return.
"Enough," Titania said, ending it. "Let's get back, shall we? I'm ready for a rest. We can't go into the next battle exhausted after all."
"Now that's a plan!" Gatrie agreed. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a wyvern!"
Ike grinned. "Just watch. I'll get more down then you will tonight!"
"Oh, you're on!" Gatrie laughed. "You'll have to get there first, though!" he shouted, running ahead, though not much faster in his heavy armor.
As he drew out of earshot, Ike turned to Titania. "Titania!"
"What is it?" she asked kindly.
"If you're looking for pride...I have it."
"Hm?"
Ike struggled to try and explain. "You and my father have kept this mercenary group together. And I'm…just…proud to be a part of it. That's all," he said.
Titania smiled and rubbed his head affectionately. "Good," she said. Ike grinned and ran ahead, catching up to Gatrie in no time.
Shinon, though, walked a distance back from the others, preferring solitude. "I'm surrounded by idealistic fools," he muttered. "What's so wrong with fame, anyway? And what's wrong with having a little bit of money to live well? Nothing, I say."
A shadow seemed to pass over the castle as though a foreboding of the imminent events. A screech split the air from a flying creature overhead, grabbing the attention of every citizen that heard it. The silence afterward was soon broken by a different sound; stomping. From the wall, one could see a long line of black armored men marching directly toward the city. Behind them were many siege weapons, ready to take out the place in one fell swoop. Several wyvern flew in the sky, their armor bodies also black.
A man ran to a balcony high up to see what was happening. His face started paling constantly until it was almost a white sheet. He cursed under his breath and turned to see his commander already charging into the room behind him.
"Curse that black dog," the king muttered. "Lord Renning, what is the situation? How did that mad man get a whole army this far without warning!"
Lord Renning bowed his head to his king. "We do not know how, Your Majesty. The attack was unwarranted and swift." After a moment's pause, he replied, "To be honest, I do not think the city's defenses will hold long under such an assault."
The king turned to view the approaching black mass once more, staying silent. The army would reach them in four, maybe five hours by their speed. His defenses were spread throughout the country and there would be no reinforcements coming.
"That man's mad," the king repeated. Turning to Lord Renning, he addressed his heir and brother. "Order the city evacuated of all citizens outside of the militia and troops. Accept any volunteers. I want them all out an hour before the enemy arrives. Then take the troops and set up a defense. They need to be far clear of this battle."
"Yes, my Lord and Liege," Lord Renning answered, turning after a quick bow to carry out the orders. He pulled out his blade and steeled his nerve as he prepared for battle. Crimea would not fall, he would make sure of that. But first…first, he would have to make sure she was safe.