I do not own the Fire Emblem Characters...except for Hawk, and Tenebris. The rest go to Nintendo...yay!

enjoy.


Ch. 8

A Warrior Falls

"Is the second dose ready?" the unknown man asks as he enters my cell.

"Yes, Master; but, if I may ask, why use a second dose if the first one had no effect?" one of the soldiers asks. As far as I can tell I'm strapped to a table, in a fairly empty dungeon, surrounded by four soldiers, and a man they keep calling Master…he has to have a name though right?

"What…What are you doing to…me…" I manage to say trying to stay awake.

"Oho…he's still awake? Well, my little experiment… you don't need to worry about that." The man says laughing as he brings a vial of that 'elixir' closer.

"Get..away…" I say as I begin to struggle, and the leader laughs.

"GET AWAY!" I yell casting Wind and breaking my restraints. The force of my magic, and catching them off-guard, knocks the soldiers, and leader to the floor… I leave as fast as I can trying to find a way out.

"AFTER HIM! If he escapes, Ashnard will not be pleased!" I hear the leader yell. Ashnard?

I found my way outside and began running away, without knowing where I was, or where I was going. For a tower, I somehow escaped rather easily. I better pick up the pace before they catch up.

"He went this way! Come on, we can't let him escape." A soldier says as I duck behind a tree. How long are they going to pursue me?

After a couple minutes the footsteps faded into the dark and I began walking again.

"I can't believe I escaped that tower. I hope Tenebris is ok; but without knowing where I am, I don't think I'll be able to find him again." I whisper as I continue walking. Next thing I know; I'm falling and everything turns black.

I open my eyes to see Tenebris shaking me. "Hawk! Hawk! Wake up!" he says as he looks worried.

"What? Are we under attack?" I ask trying to shake off the fact that I'm tired.

"No, we are not under attack. You began yelling in your sleep. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah…just another memory." I say laying back down. The sun is beginning to rise…time to get up…wonderful. I feel like I haven't slept at all.

By the looks of things around the camp; I either: woke everyone up, or no one slept very well.

"Want to talk about it?" Tenebris asks.

"Not really, anyways…we should probably help pack up; we will most likely continue our search for the commander soon." I say, standing up.

"All right; well if you change your mind you know that I am here for you… Oh, I wanted to give you this." Tenebris says handing me a sheathed dagger.

"What's this for?" I ask. I mean I use magic…weaponry isn't a strong suit of mine.

"It's the dagger you bought me…I thought you could use it…in case an enemy gets too close for you to use magic in time,

"Oh, thanks, Tenebris." I say as I watch him leave.

We packed up fairly quickly, and began searching for the commander as we continued to travel east. By noon, I was tired and beginning to lose hope in finding the commander. And I think we all knew that if we continued searching, we were more likely to run into Daein soldiers than our commander.

"They're not here either…" Ike says trailing off as we stop to take a short break.

"Ike, pursuing them any farther maybe be dangerous. I think it would be best if we returned to Gallia for now. It's possible the commander may have followed another road into Gallia. It's something we should consider." Soren says. I guess we are all thinking the same thing.

"Ike, there's a fort over there. Just now, for a moment only…I thought I saw someone. Shall we investigate?" Titania asks, somewhat excited.

"What? Really? Yes, let's go take a look." Ike says excitedly. Guess he's worried about his father. The fort wasn't too far away but it seemed so…empty…and definitely looked abandoned.

"This could be a trap, Ike." I say as we walk into a large room inside the fort.

"It seems as though this place has been abandoned for a long time." Soren says looking around. He seems very paranoid. Although, it does feel like something…or someone…is watching us.

"There's no one here…hm. I could've sworn I saw a silhouette, but…I guess it was a trick of the light." Titania says disappointed.

"Let's continue looking. If we don't find anything here, we'll head back to Gallia." Ike says.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I ask as I try and listen for any movement inside the abandoned fort. "I think we should prepare for battle just in case." I say pulling my tome out from under my robe.

"I agree." Titania says as everyone readies their weapons. A couple seconds later, I hear footsteps running towards us. Could it be Commander Greil?

"Here they are! I've found the Crimean mercenaries! Surround them!" The Daein soldier yells as he readies his lance. Wonderful…go from one problem to another.

"Curses! Daein troops!" Ike says as we get into combat formation. "All right, everyone. Hawk, Tenebris, and Boyd you three will come with me. We'll head by the stairs and circle around, hitting the enemy from two sides. The rest of you will head straight and take that side." Ike says as we begin moving to face the enemy.

We began attacking the enemy. Ike, Tenebris, and Boyd took the front lines keeping the enemy at bay while I attacked from afar. Unfortunately, I could here a few people fighting up stairs, which meant that if we didn't hurry we could have enemy reinforcements soon. But, who could be upstairs? We haven't seen any sign of the commander's team. It only sounds like there's maybe three or four people.

The fighting wasn't hard, even though they were military, our group had more skill and experience. Well…most of us had more experience it seemed. Boyd and Tenebris began fighting more enemies at once while Ike took a quick break.

"You ok, Ike? You seem tired." I say casting Wind on a small group of enemies up in front of Tenebris and Boyd.

"Yeah, I just thought I heard something upstairs, and got distracted." Ike says as a woman runs down the stairs, and stops in front of Ike.

"Who are you; and what are you doing here?" I ask suspiciously as I prepare to cast a spell.

"Your name wouldn't happen to be Ike, would it?" she asks ignoring my question. I decided to go back to casting magic to help out Tenebris and Boyd while those two talked. I decided I would listen to them talking while fighting.

"It is, but…who are you?" Ike asks. Why am I the one that gets ignored?

"I'm Mia. I'm a mercenary, hired by Crimea to bolster the army's numbers." Mia says.

"An army mercenary, huh? So, uh, what are you doing here?" Ike asks suspiciously.

"I got careless and was captured. They were about to send me to a prison camp when Greil saved me." Mia replies.

"You've seen my father? Where?" Ike asks relieved and surprised.

"Just a little bit north of here. Not too far away, though." She says as a soldier runs at them. They seemed distracted, so, I cast Fire to get their attention and take care of the soldier.

"Thanks, Hawk." Ike says as he continues his conversation with Mia.

"Tell me, who exactly are you guys?" Mia asks looking at how many of us are fighting the Daeins.

"We're the Greil Mercenaries. As you can see, we're fighting against Daein." Ike says, looing around to see how his squad is doing.

"Yeah, we could use some help, Ike." I say somewhat angrily, as more soldiers got past Boyd and Tenebris.

"Give me a minute, Hawk."

"Huh…you're taking on a whole Daein battalion with these numbers? Nice. That settles it then!" Mia says enthusiastically, unsheathing her sword.

"What's settled, exactly?" I ask as I cast Wind on more soldiers.

"This battle. I'm coming in on your side. You don't mind do you?" Mia asks.

"It's fine with me, but…I don't know if you'll get paid just because I let you fight." Ike says.

"We'll worry about the details later! Great, so that's all taken care of. What's next, boss man?" Mia asks.

"I got an idea! How about some help?" I ask sarcastically.

"Everyone! Regroup at the center of the room!" Ike yells so that all the mercenaries could hear him. Once we all gathered at the center of the room, our luck had a turn for the worse. Enemy reinforcements came.

"Ha ha ha…found you at last." One of the female soldiers says. Why is she the only one on a horse? And what is that lance…I don't think I've ever seen a lance like that before. "You provided more entertainment than I thought you would." She says looking at our small group. Luckily for us, we were able to take care of most of the enemy soldiers, before the reinforcements came.

"Who are you?" Ike asks as the Daein reinforcements close in on us. "Me? I am General Petrine, and my arrival marks your doom. Lament your fortune, dear children, for all hope is lost. You will not leave this place alive." Petrine says with an evil smile.

"Petrine…of the Four Riders?" Soren asks. Four Riders?

"Do you know her, Soren?" Ike asks turning to face our tactician.

"She may be one of the four generals who are King Daein's most trusted confidants. She is said to wield a flame lance of terrible arcane might." Soren answers. So her weapon is a magical lance that shoots fire? Great…just what we needed…a powerful general with an even more powerful weapon. I just had to ask 'what's the worst that could happen' didn't I? Well today definitely can't get any worse…unless I die.

"Ha ha ha…you've heard of me? Why, I'm flattered. I'll try to make this easy on all of you. Give me the princess, and do it now. If I roast the girl along with you curs, I won't be able to present her head to His Majesty." Petrine says. Oh boy…just what I wanted…a death threat…

"Sorry to tell you this, but the princess isn't here. She's been in Gallia for quite some time now." Ike says with a small laugh.

"What…nonsense is that? Do you expect me to believe you? There's no way mercenary scum like you could get passed my troops." Petrine says angrily.

"They say that blind arrogance sows the field of its own destruction. Something tells me they were talking about you." A voice calls out from one of the halls. I know that voice…could it really be...

"Who-?" Petrine begins to say as Commander Greil enters the room, with Shinon and Gatrie right behind him.

"Father!"

"What're you doing back here, you dumb pup?" Greil asks. I can't tell if he's angry, or surprised.

"We got the princess safely into Gallia. When you didn't rejoin us, we decided to look for you. The mission wouldn't be complete until you returned." Ike says.

"…What am I to do with you? Still, you did well. Good work, Ike." Greil says. At least he's proud that our part of the mission is complete.

"Ha! Ignoring me proves you've got more guts than common sense. So you're the commander, eh? Hmph! And I was waiting for some great hero. You're just another sellsword." Petrine says pointing her lance at the commander.

"Am I?"

"Ha ha. You know, I think I'll keep you! His Majesty, well…let's just say he enjoys strong men. Yes, I do think you'll make a grand souvenir. You don't have to come along quietly, but I must have you alive. Dead men have no value, after all." Petrine says. Is it just me or did she just challenge Commander Greil to a fight? If I liked her I might feel sorry for her…I would never want to face the commander in battle.

"…so the rumors of mad King Ashnard's twisted games are true, are they?" Greil asks calmly. Ashnard…the name from my dream…so he's the king of Daein? That means…it was Daein that captured me in Begnion.

"Um…what are these 'twisted games'?" I ask. Could it have anything to do with what I went through?

"It's rumored that the Mad King gathers strong men from around the continent and pits them against each other. Whoever wins, no matter their birth, are given influential positions. No idea if it's true though." Soren says.

"That's terrible!" I say surprised. I am slightly relieved that it has nothing to do with what I went through, though.

"Ike! Meet up with Shinon and Gatrie; then get out of here!" Greil orders readying his axe.

"But, Commander, we can't just leave you here. That general looks dangerous." I say. I have no doubts that Commander Greil would win but, leaving him could get him killed.

"Don't worry about the commander, Hawk. He's a much tougher opponent than you might think." Titania says looking at me with a smile.

"Yeah, in all the years I've know the commander, he's never lost a fight." Boyd says.

"Move it! We'll regroup in Gallia!" Greil barks.

"You said your name was Petrine, is that right? Listen up. This place is nowhere near big enough. There's not enough room for a true contest between the two of us. I'm going elsewhere. You coming?" Greil asks looking at Petrine. Is he serious?

"Do you actually think I'm going to fall for such a simple ruse?"

"You and I, we've got more power than the average person. We don't come across a chance like this too often. I'd like to flex my muscles without any distractions getting in the way. You?" Greil asks.

"Ha ha…you really do know how to sweet talk a girl, don't you? All right, I'm coming." Petrine says as she watches the commander leave the room.

"Over here." The commander calls after her.

"All right, men. I'm leaving you in charge here. Don't let even one of these Crimean vermin escape! Understood? I want them exterminated by the time I return." Petrine says following after Greil. I have a feeling she won't be returning.

All of a sudden the soldiers that had surrounded us began charging at us. Soren and I acted on instinct, and began casting Wind in opposite directions, to push them back, while the others engaged them at close range. When they were on the ground, Ike and Tenebris would impale them, with their swords before attacking the, still standing, enemies.

I began casting Fire on groups of enemy soldiers. When the spell activated the burst of flames would catch some of the other soldiers on fire as well. Unfortunately while they had the chance they began running at us, to try and catch us on fire. Usually they were stopped by Ike or Tenebris, but when they weren't I used Thunder on them to finish the job.

"Hawk! Watch out!" Oscar yells as I turn around. A soldier got past Oscar and was running at me…not enough time for magic.

I closed my eyes and waited for it to be over. After a couple seconds I opened my eyes to see my arms stretched outwards, and a dagger sticking into the soldier's chest. When did I pull my dagger out? Was it instinct? I pulled the dagger out of his chest as I watched the Daein soldier fall back in a pool of blood. I almost yelled out…I'm not used to seeing blood up close…my magic usually burns them to ash or just kills them.

Trying to ignore the fact that I just stabbed someone, I tell Oscar thanks for the heads up and begin casting spells on the enemy soldiers again. On the other side of the soldiers, Gatrie and Shinon went to work trying to reach us as well. Most of the soldiers were concentrated in front of the door that lead to where the commander and Petrine went, so after taking care of the soldiers surrounding us we went to take out the enemy commander, who looked to be a powerful mage.

"Hawk, I have a plan." Soren says as we continue fighting our way through to the enemy commander.

"And what's that?"

"The enemy commander is a highly trained mage. His magic will be far stronger than what we're used to. If we both cast Wind at the same time, it should give one of the others a long enough opening to finish him off." Soren says as all but the enemy commander was slain.

"Sounds good." I say as I watch everyone trying to get close to the mage. The only one getting close was Gatrie, and that was only because of his armor.

Soren and I began chanting in unison, next thing I know a gust of Wind hits the enemy commander knocking him to the floor with a thud. Without hesitation, Shinon fires an arrow into the mage's head to finish the job.

"Let's go find my father!" Ike says as we run through the exit Commander Greil took.

We entered into another large room where the warriors stood facing each other. Are they taking a break? Although, it would appear that Petrine is tired…

"Titania! Is my father…" Ike begins to ask, as we watch the two warriors continue their battle. I was surprised to see Commander Greil fight like this…I thought that Titania would be a good match up for him, but it would appear that I was mistaken. Neither warrior could get a hit on the other; although, Commander Greil was slowly gaining an advantage.

"Don't worry. Commander Greil's the better fighter. He'll be fine." Titania says as the two warriors stop fighting.

"Dog's breath! Who are you, man? You look like a common sellsword, but you fight like a demon!" Petrine says. I suppose that's the best way to describe it. I have never seen anyone fight like Commander Greil. He was almost like a completely different person than I had first met.

"What's wrong? Ready to surrender?" Greil asks.

"And admit defeat? Me? Don't be absurd…" Petrine says as a Daein soldier runs through one of the exits.

"Here they are! Over here!" the soldier calls. A couple moments later a squad of soldiers runs through the exit.

"Blast. Enemy reinforcements! Father! Let's get out of here! There are too many-" Ike says.

"…Looks like I've got no choice." Greil says as we turn around to leave. I think my day just got worse…as we turned to leave 3 more squads of soldiers entered and blocked our exits.

"Ha ha ha ha…so now, the tide has turned, hasn't it? All troops, attack! Kill them! Kill them all!" Petrine orders as we turn back to back to face the enemy.

"Hm…looks like our luck's run out." Greil says readying his axe.

"Father!"

"You have to survive this, Ike. I'm not going to lose you, not in this place. Are you ready?" Greil asks as the rest of us ready our weapons.

"Yes, Commander!"

"You've nowhere to run. Curse whatever gods you hold, for they have abandoned you!" Petrine says with a laugh. Right after Petrine said that a roar echoed throughout the fort.

"What was that?" Ike asks as an even louder roar is heard.

"B-b-beasts! Gallian beast soldiers!" one of the soldiers yells, obviously scared. The laguz have come to help us? But how did they know where we were?

"R-r-run! We're going to be torn to shreds!" another soldier says. Are the laguz that powerful?

"Stand your ground, all of you! Don't panic! I will personally slaughter the first man to turn his back on the enemy!" Petrine barks as another roar echoes through the fort.

"Noooo!" a soldier yells as three of the squads run back through the exits trying to escape.

"Pfeh. Worthless cowards, one and all." Petrine says angrily.

"B-b-beasts!" a soldier yells staggering back into the room. When he fell I could see the claw marks in his back; and shortly after, Gallians entered through one of the exits.

The blue cat transformed into his human form and began speaking. "Attention, Daein soldiers! Leave this place at once! If you do not comply immediately, you will face Gallia's full strength!"

"Threaten me all you like. It's not going to frighten me off. If I leave, His Majesty will have me executed. I'd rather die here in battle, with my honor intact." Petrine says, glaring at the Gallians.

I heard heavy armor hitting the ground walking down one of the paths. Next thing I see is an armored knight in pitch black armor, with a red cape. "Withdraw, General Petrine." The knight says as he enters the room. Something about his voice scares me. Although it could be that I can sense that he is a strong warrior.

""The Black Knight…" Petrine says staring at the knight in confusion.

"As for your king, you have nothing to fear. I'll explain things to him. Take your men and go." The Black Knight orders as he turns towards us.

"All troops, fall back!" Petrine orders as her soldiers retreat.

"He's staring at you, isn't he, Father?" Ike asks knowing the answer.

"Yeah. He is."

"Hey! Are you planning on taking us all on by yourself?" the blue cat asks as the Gallians face the Black Knight. Ignoring his question, the Black Knight turns around and walks away.

"Father?" Ike asks.

"Do you know who that was, Commander?" I ask. What was it about that knight…he seemed…almost demonic. Who could it be?

"Come on, let's head back to Gallia." Greil trails off as we leave the fort with the Gallian soldiers.

The rest of the mercenaries, and Gallians, spent the trip in silence, while Tenebris and I began talking about that black knight.

"So who do you think he could be?" I ask.

"Who? That knight, that ordered the retreat of Petrine?" Tenebris asks.

"Yeah…Who is he…and what do you think he wants with the commander?" I ask in a hushed voice.

"To be honest, I have no idea. Although…he seems familiar somehow…" Tenebris replies thoughtfully.

"You think you've met him somewhere before?"

"Not likely, he just seems familiar. I wonder if that knight knew the commander, though." Tenebris says as the group in front of us stops.

"Maybe… All right, let's catch up to the others. No point dwelling on it…for now…" I say running to the rest of the group. We had been greeted by the princess, Mist, and Rolf.

"Father! Brother!" Mist says hugging them, relieved that they came back safe, as Ike had promised.

"Master Greil, my lord Ike…I am pleased you are well." Elincia says looking at our group with a small smile.

"Princess Elincia…Why did you return here?" Ike asks confused.

"The princess came and requested Gallian aid for your mercenary company. That is what brings us here." The blue cat says walking up next to the princess.

"Are you one of Gallia's sub-humans?" Ike asks. The blue cat gives Ike a look that could scare almost anyone.

"Sub-human? Ha! What arrogance it takes to coin such a name! you think yourselves the only ones worthy of the name 'human', and so we laguz must be beneath you? And thus you call us 'sub-human'. We are less than human to you, is that it?" The blue cat says angrily as roars are heard from the other laguz.

"Ike, remember what I told you? Laguz consider anyone who calls them 'sub-human' to be an enemy." Tenebris whispers to Ike.

"I'm sorry…I don't know any other name for you. If I have offended you I apologize. What should I call you? Laguz? Would that be more appropriate?" Ike asks trying to apologize for angering the Gallians.

"Huh? You show manners? How odd. I like that. Now, you are…who, exactly?" he asks, while looking at us as if he were studying us.

"My name is Ike. Ike of the Greil Mercenaries." Ike says introducing himself.

"I'm Ranulf, a warrior of Gallia. We did not know what to think when this group of beorc came tramping through Gallian fields…Imagine our surprise to learn that one of them is Princess Elincia. Now, that was a shock. Two days ago, Daein proclaimed their conquest. We thought Crimea's royals had all been killed." Ranulf says looking at Elincia.

"Wait, so the Daeins have laid claim to Crimea?" I ask sadly.

"I…also heard this news from my lord Ranulf…After…after I fled the capital…My lord uncle Renning…He…I…I am…all alone." Elincia manages to say between sobs.

"This is why our king ordered extra patrols along the nation's border. It wasn't mere chance that brought my warriors here to offer you support." Ranulf says. "Before you all can meet the king, I must present Princess Elincia to the king. As for the rest of your men, Ike, I must get orders from my superiors. Until then you may rest at an old castle inside Gallia. Sorry, but I cannot bring so large a group of foreigners to the palace without warning."

I wonder why the commander hasn't spoken, I think to myself as I look around, to find the commander looking off in the distance as if deep in thought.

"I understand. Commander, that's not going to be a problem, is it?" Ike asks his father. "Commander?" Ike asks again after a few moments of silence from his father.

"Hm? What was that?" the commander asks, snapped out of his thoughts.

"What's wrong? You're not paying attention. It's not like you." Ike says.

"I was thinking about something. So, what's been decided?" the commander asks looking at Ike. What could he have been thinking about?

"Princess Elincia is going to the palace with Ranulf. We're going into Gallia and setting up camp at an old castle." Ike says before turning to Ranulf again. "Which way to this castle, Ranulf?"

"I shall prepare a guide to take you. One of you! Quickly!" Ranulf orders.

"No, don't go to the trouble. If it's nearby, we cross the river on the border and head west. It's Gebal Castle, right?" you go ahead. Get the princess to King Caineghis as fast as you can." Greil says. How does the commander know where the old castle is? Has he been here before?

"…Understood. What thoughtful guests you are. If you'll excuse me. Oh, and if it's not too presumptuous, I'll have food delivered to you later." Ranulf says. Yay! Real food, not rations!

"We'd appreciate it. The road has been hard, and we had little time to pack more than salted meat and hard biscuits." The commander says.

"Then we shall provide!" Ranulf says turning to the princess. "Princess Elincia, shall we leave?"

"Farewell, everyone…Until later. I will see you soon, won't I?" Elincia says as the Gallians begin leading her to the capital.

"Take care!" we all say in unison waving goodbye to the princess.

The walk to Gebal castle was short, and spent in silence. By the time we got there a couple of Gallian soldiers were waiting for us with some food.

"We have brought some provisions, courtesy of the king." One of the Gallians said handing the food to Ike.

"Thank you, we appreciate it." Ike says as the Gallians leave.

I spent the next few hours walking around the castle with Tenebris, as we began talking and getting to know each other…again.

"So how exactly did we meet?" I ask as we stop in front of the entrance to the castle.

"Well, if I remember correctly, I was running away from the city guard and as I turned a corner I ran into you." Tenebris says laughing. "The guards saw me standing up and thought you were one of my allies, so they began chasing you as well."

I couldn't help but, bursting out, laughing. "So you mean to tell me we met, because YOU were being chased?" I ask laughing waiting to hear more.

"Yeah, we spent the whole day running for our lives. We're still wanted in that town because you cast Wind, launching a fruit cart at the guards so we could get away." Tenebris says laughing so hard that he began crying.

"Do I want to know why you were being chased?" I ask not knowing if I would regret asking.

"Uh…yeah, I guess the men there don't appreciate other guys flirting with their wives…" Tenebris says with another laugh. I began laughing with Tenebris until I saw Ike heading out into the forest alone…

"Where's Ike going? Come on, Tenebris, let's follow him." I say as we stand up and run after Ike. When we caught up to them we saw Ike standing just before a clearing…in the clearing was Commander Greil…and the Black Knight.

"Here, use this blade." The Black Knight says tossing a golden sword to the commander.

"What are you doing?" the commander asks looking at the sword.

"I have been waiting for this along time." The Black Knight says unsheathing a silver sword. "I would prefer it if you use your proper weapon so that I might see you at your full strength; General Gawain, Rider of Daein." The Black Knight says pointing his sword at the commander. Gawain? But his name's Greil…

"That was my name…once." Greil says pulling the golden sword from the log it had stuck in. "But I…threw it away." He says tossing the sword back. "The only weapon I need…is right here!" the commander says picking up his axe and preparing to fight.

"Do you…want to die?" The Black Knight asks.

"Your voice…I remember you…think you can defeat me? The man who taught you how to fight? What a fool." The commander says with a smirk. Running at the knight the commander says "Come on boy, come try me."

The two warrior were soon locked in a fierce combat again, the Black Knight blocking the commander attacks using just one arm. After parrying four of the commander's attacks the Black Knight drew back his sword and thrust it as hard as he could. I watched in horror as I saw the silver sword protrude from the commander's back.

"Is that all there is? No challenge? No…resistance?" the Black Knight says, removing his sword from the commander. As he staggered back Ike ran to his father and tried to hold him up.

"Father!" Ike yells as they fall down together. "Don't…Don't leave me…FATHER!" Ike yells out in sadness, and anger, hoping to keep his father alive. Tenebris and I couldn't move…we were horrified, angry, and most of all…sad.

"...Unbelievable. Is this truly what has become of my teacher?" The Black Knight asks in disbelief.

"Father! Father!...Hold on!" Ike says desperately

"Now then, will you give me what I came for?" The Black Knight asks holding out his hand. What could he be looking for?...could it be me?

"I...don't...have it... ...I threw...it away..." Greil says through coughs, as he tries to breath. What did he throw away? What could he want so badly?

"Ha. You, who knows better than any what it truly is, threw it away? Surely you can craft a more plausible lie. You're not even trying anymore." The Black Knight says with a small laugh.

"I'm done talking to you." Greil says.

"So there's no way for me to get my answers, is that it? The dead keep their secrets, or so it is said. But you, however... You are not dead yet. I wonder... Will watching your son's face grow pale, his eyes grow dim as his life bleeds away... And then your daughter... Oh, the horrors I will visit upon her. Will that loosen your tongue, perhaps? I suppose we will simply have to see." The Black Knight says preparing his sword to attack.

Tenebris and I couldn't stand by anymore…we ran out to face the Black Knight…

I cast Fire hoping to at least stop the Black Knight. To my surprise it had no effect; even his armor had no burn marks on it. The knight turned towards me and raised his sword swing it down towards me. Tenebris raised his sword to try and block the attack pushing me out of the way.

Tenebris had told me that, like I had my magic, he had more strength. However, even using one hand the knight overpowered Tenebris quickly, almost as if he were as strong as me. The force of the collision drove Tenebris back, and down onto one knee as he grasped his arm.

I cast Thunder trying to help but again, nothing happened to the knight…he began laughing as he hit me with his fist. Somehow I maintained consciousness, but I was unable to move as the knight turned back to face the commander.

"I will not check my hand again. Give me what I am after. If you offer no more resistance, I will leave them alive." The Black Knight says holding his hand out once again.

"S-Stop…You will not touch them!" the commander says as a powerful roar echoes in the night.

"…What is this? The king of beasts? How bothersome. Do I retreat? Eh?" The Black Knight says turning towards the sound of the roar. King Gallia is here?

"You're not going anywhere." Ike says as he draws his sword. Tenebris and I managed to stand up and join Ike as we faced the Black Knight.

"Tell me, is the son as stupid as the father?" The Black Knight asks with curiosity in his voice. Ike turned around when he heard his father cough again.

"Ike, Stop. There's no way you can win." Greil mutters gasping with each breath he took.

"But, Commander." I begin to say, not wanting to give up, and let this bastard get away.

"You will not continue? Then I will finish…" The Black Knight says raising his sword. The roar is heard again as the king of Gallia drew closer to us. "So close. Now is not the time for me to deal with him. You get to keep your head today, boy." The Black Knight says looking at Ike. Next thing I know, there is a magic circle underneath the knight just before he disappears. Can he use magic like me?

Almost, as a sign of sadness, it began to rain as we stood there helpless to aid the commander.

"So willful. So arrogant…Of course…the one who…made him that way…was…m-me…" Greil says as he loses consciousness.

"…Father? Father! Hold on! I can't do anything here…We've…We've got to get him back to the castle!" Ike says pleadingly looking at us.

"I'll help you carry him." Tenebris says walking over to Ike as they put the commander's arms around their shoulders. I decided to pick up the commander's axe, and the sword the Black Knight had thrown to the commander.

We began walking back through the rain, trying to get back to the castle as quickly as possible. Ike and Tenebris got about halfway before they collapsed, too tired to move anymore.

"Hawk…Go get help!" Ike says. As I begin to leave the commander spoke, and for somereason I couldn't move anymore.

"I-Ike."

"Father? You're awake!" Ike says looking at his father.

"I…There's something I need to tell you." Greil says weakly. Somehow, I knew that getting help at this point would do no good.

"Tell me later. Right now, I'm getting you back to the castle." Ike says trying to hold back the tears.

"Forget about revenge…Leave that knight alone…Stay away…" Greil says.

"What? Father?"

"Stay with the king of Gallia…Live here. Live in peace…" the commander says, his voice getting weaker.

"Father, stop talking. You're wasting your strength. Please…" Ike says pleadingly.

"I need you to take care of everything…the company…Mist…" Greil says coughing some more, with struggled breaths. I hadn't even thought about how Mist would take this news…

"Wait…You mustn't say such things! It'll be light soon. You'll be fine…" Ike says as tears begin to form in his eyes.

Ike and Tenebris picked the Commander up again and we made our way to the castle. When we reached the castle steps, Ike and Tenebris collapsed as Titania and the others came running out. I was too stunned to speak when I saw everyone. I had no idea what to say…


My least favorite scene to write...I hope you all enjoyed it.

By now you should know the shameless plug-ins...if not send me a pm or check the previous chapter...this is the last update before I go back to college so I apologize in advance if I do not update on time.

And as usual...I thank all the people who have reviewed my story and hope that you continue to read and critique my work. I enjoy the help... :D