Fire Emblem The Unifying War
Chapter 7 A Plot Revealed
Author's Note: For those of you that have asked, yes, Kratos is the Tales of Symphonia Kratos. And no, this time he's not a ZOMG SPOILERZ angel. He's just a regular guy...
Kratos trudged forward towards the estate of Count Reglay, a thousand different thoughts swirling about in his mind. What could Bern possibly have in store that would allow them to neutralize all resistance in their path? How on earth had he possibly gotten mixed up in all this? And the one that seemed to be screaming at him the loudest: What were his feelings towards a certain purple haired swordswoman?
He knew better than to focus on that now. There were much bigger things going on right now that some simple crush or whatever it was that he had developed for her. The fate of the continents themselves hung in the balance for Elimine's sake! But the more he tried to push it from his mind, the more insistent it became. "You sure do know how to pick 'em, huh?" Kratos thought, listening as Mia shared the events of their journey so far with the newest members of their group.
"How on earth did THAT happen?" Edward asked, facsinated by Mia's tale.
"We still haven't figured it out yet," Mia replied. "The only thing we could come up with is that the force of our weapons colliding caused us to lose our grips."
"I wish I could have been there to see that," he commented. "That would have been something."
"You have no idea," Kratos interjected. "Do you have any idea how much further it's going to be unil we reach Count Reglay's estate?" He asked, eager to change the subject. As fond as he was of that particular memory, it led him to thinking about HER more, and he knew that right now he had to focus on the task at hand. At least until things calmed down...
"I'd say we're about half a day's journey away," Leonardo answered. 'He's expecting us, so we shouldn't have too many problems geting in to see him."
"Really?" Serra's eyes lit up. "Finally? Great! Now I won't have to sleep on the cold, hard ground anymore! You've no idea what havoc these conditions have been wreaking on my delicate frame. I'll have you know that..." Kratos zoned out. He had discovered recently that emptying his mind and allowing himself to drift was quite an effective shield against a Serra ramble. Of course, letting his mind wander often brought him back to things he wasn't ready to face...a Catch 22 if he'd ever encountered one.
At any rate, the group pressed on. Leonardo's assessment proved accurate, and at about a quarter mark past four they arrived at the mansion of one Count Pent Reglay, current Mage General of Etruria. Leonardo and Edward approached the gate, where they were stopped by the guards stationed there. "Halt!" one of them called, gestruing with his lance. "State your business."
"We are envoys sent by Queen Micaiah of Daein," Leonardo answered. "We have been instructed by her royal Highness that we are to deliver a message of the gravest importance to the Mage General."
"Is that so?" the guard said, skepticisim permiating his words. "And what proof do you bring?"
"I have it right here!" Edward declared, reaching into his pocket. He fumbled around for a few seconds, then moved on to his other pocket. When that search proved fruitless, a look of panic spread across his face. "I...I mean I thought I...oh man..."
"DON'T TELL ME YOU LOST IT?!" Leonardo bellowed.
"It's not my fault!!" Edward exclaimed, panicked. "It must have fallen out of my pocket one of those times we were running from those Bern soldiers that you got on our tails!"
"How was I supposed to know they'd just start attacking us for no real reason?!" Leonardo countered. The soldier was watching this display with a degree of annoyance. Just who were these idiots?
"My, my, what seems to be the fuss?" a delicate voice said from beyond the gate. The soldiers quickly whipped around and kneeled.
"My lady," the soldier said solemnly. "These two were here claiming to be envoys from Daein. They lack proof of this claim, so I was about to remove them."
"Envoys from Daein, you say?" she replied, stepping into view. She was clad in a light pink dress, a cape of similar coloration tied around her neck. A gentleness shone through her violet eyes. "We were expected some, yes. And you two claim to be those envoys?"
"Yes, Lady Louise," Leonardo answered, bowing his head slightly. "We come in the name of Queen Micaiah, XV Queen of Daein, as envoys bearing news of the gravest importance."
"I see..." she said, contemplating their statement. "Guards," she said, turning to the soldiers. "You are to allow these two and their companions into the mansion. My husband and I would hear their message."
"But my lady! These men lack proof of their identity and..."
"I believe what they say," she cut him off. "If they were spies, I highly doubt they would be traveling with such a large retinue," she indicated the rest of the group. "I'm sure that our own defenses will be enough to ensure our safety within our own home. Come inside," she said, motioning them forward. "Welcome to our home." The group stepped forward into the courtyard. It was magnificent, flowers and shubbery arranged in an intricate patter. Servants wandered to and fro, watering the flowers or trimming the hedges. "Quite the fancy place..." Kratos thought.
Nothing on the outside, however, had prepared him for what lay within the mansion. High ceilings were supported by granite pillars, and his boots made a deep echoing sound as the clacked against the spotless marble floors. Artwork and sculptures of all kinds lined the walls as they followed Louise through the mansion. Eventually, they reached what appeared to be the main audience chamber.
"Wait here for a moment," Louise said. "I must announce you all to my husband." She departed inside, and the group was left on their own to marvel at the opulence of their surroundings.
"What a place!" Mia said, adressing Kratos. "I've not seen anything this fancy since I spent some time in the Begnion capital! Wow!"
"You've been to Sienne?" Kratos asked, amazed. Very few people ever got the chance to visit the capital of the Theocracy of Begnion.
"Yeah, it was back when I was with my old troop," she told him. "We spent a few months there as personal guests of the apostle herself." This made Kratos even more intrigued. Apostle Sanaki Kirsch Altina, Empress Begnion XXXIV, had extended an invitation to her palace to a group of mercenaries? He was about to ask her about this when a soldier stepped out of the audience chamber.
"You may now enter," he told the group. "Be warned, however. Do anything untoward and we will cut you down where you stand."
"Yes, we understand," Leonardo replied. The group made their way inside the chamber and were just as impressed by it as they had been the rest of the mansion. Various portraits lined the walls. One featured the Count and his wife standing together, smiling. Another featured the Countess holding a small child, a boy, in her arms. The final one that caught Kratos' attention was of the the Count, His wife, an older boy, and a small girl all standing together. His attention was brought back to reality by the Count adressing Leonardo.
"Speak your business," he said formally. "My wife tells me you are envoys from Daein."
"Yes, sir. We have come in her name to inform you of events most dire. If left unchecked, they could threaten not only Etruria but all free peoples across the world." This drew a murmor from the crowd of servants who were scattered around the audience chamber. Lord Pent silenced them with an upheld hand.
"What, pray tell, could prove to be so threatening?" he asked. "Surely you do not refer to the recent Bern invasion of Lycia. Bern may be formidable, but they hardly pose a threat to us all."
"Alone, no, they would not," Leonardo replied. "But they have enlisted some...darker powers. Queen Micaiah has sensed that they are seeking items of great power. Are you familiar with the Legendary Weapons?"
"Of course," Pent answered. "The weapons that the heroes of Elibe used to defeat Dragons back over a millinea ago in the Scouring. In fact, one of them rests here. Forblaze, the purest fire..."
"Yes, I've heard as much. Bern seeks to increase their power by collecting these sacred weapons and using them to do great harm. It was the reason they invaded Lycia. There were three of them resting there. They already possess Durandal and Armads. The Sol Katti, however, escaped, along with its wielder."
"Hmm...this situation is graver than I thoiught," the Count reflected.
"It gets worse. Through some unknown means, Bern has developed a method for draining the power of these weapons. Micaiah sensed this, and sent us here. She fears that they are somehow going to combine the energies of all the sacred weapons into an unstoppable super weapon."
"This is the second time you've said your Queen has "sensed" something." Louise stated. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"It may seem to strain credibility, but our Queen has the ability to see into the future," Leonardo explained. "I myself was skeptical at first, but having seen her proven correct time and time again has made me into a believer."
"I believe what you say is true. My old teacher had such an ability." Pent paused. "If what you say is true, them matters are dire indeed. I suppose we should expect Bern here eventually, if what you say is true." He stood up. "We thank you for this warning," he said. "Would you not have come, we would have had no inkling of what Bern was up to. Everyone," he adressed the rest of the room. "These travelers are to be treated as guests in my home. Rooms are to be prepared for them at once."
"Yes, my lord," came the reply. "We shall see to it at once." Kratos just stood there for a moment, not entirely sure what had just happened. Bern was draining the sacred weapons? How could such a thing even be possible? Finally, the Lycian invasion began to make sense. And after they had learned Lady Lyndis had fled to Renais, they had concentrated more of their troops there. He now had no doubt that Renais would be their next target. Not only was the Sol Katti there, Renais itself was in possession of two Sacred Weapons, Sieglinde and Sigmund.
"Someone had to warn them," Kratos muttered. "Bern can't be allowed to get away with this."
"Eh? Boss, you say something?" Mia asked.
"Yeah. Someone has to warn Renais. They're going to be Bern's next target. They have to be."
"That does make sense...so, do you think we can get there in time?" she had spoken the question so nonchalantly that Kratos almost missed the implications.
"Us? You think we should do it?"
"I don't see who else could do it," she replied. "We're the only ones that know of this plot. Besides, don't you have any sense of adventure?"
"Of course I do! I just...umm..." he paused, unable to think of what to say. He had known the instant he had come to that realization that he would have to be the one to do it. He had been fooling himself if he had thought otherwise. "You win," he said, relenting. "I should know better than to argue with you. As soon as you set your mind on something, that's it."
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Mia asked.
"Oh, come on," Kratos said. "You and I both know you can be more obstinate than a Begnion Senator about some things. Not that I'm any better, but..."
"You..." he could hear the anger rising in her voice. He let out a small chuckle. She was so much fun to tease...when she finally realized he was just provoking her, she gave him a shove. "We'll see about that, Boss," she said. "You just wait..."
"Oh, jeez. Last time she said something like that I had to listen to Lute ramblem for hours...what have I done?"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
And that's all folks! I'm really enjoying writing this story. I hope you're enjoying reading it! If so, let me know in a review. Thanks!
