Chapter 8: Siblings Abroad
by SodiumChloride12, derived from Fire Emblem, owned by Nintendo.
A/N: I'm surprised I was able to get this off on Super Bowl weekend. Considering how boring that game went, I might've had more fun writing instead. Regardless, I hope y'all enjoy this next installment of Son of Mind and Bane!
N: The Legion decide to help a pair of siblings. Doing so, they come into contact with the infamous Black Fang. Here, Mark begins to suspect something sinister is at play.
I found myself sitting on a plain wooden chair, but as I looked around me all I could see was darkness. Nothing.
A glowing red eye appeared directly in front of me, and I could make out the silhouette of a tall man. My eyes locked onto the figure, and couldn't look away. It spoke with an ominous tone.
"You are not to feel. You do not have free will. You were made that way. Your only purpose is to serve me. Do you understand that? I gave you abilities for the sole purpose of becoming my tool...to enforce my will upon others. Your life is mine. All of it. You are incapable of denying that. Don't trifle yourself with my other, emotional creations. They are imperfections associated with those inferior beings...humans. You have no imperfections, and will never be human."
Somewhere in the Lycian wilderness...
We were hiking through a dirt trail in the Lycia woodlands. Anyone with a blade was busy hacking away at the dense vegetation, while I busily tried to breathe under the blanket of pollen. Our progress had been hindered greatly, and I predicted that we'd only be able to cover about 5-10 miles today. After a full morning of grueling work, I secured a moment with the always-serious knight Kent.
"Why are there no paved roads?" I asked.
Kent looked at me, his eyes suggesting he was puzzled by my remark, "A road? Why would anybody want to build one of those?"
I nodded, "Why not? The ease of travel would allow for improved trade between cities. You said that the Lycian cantons are bounded in a league of defense right? Would this not allow for easier transport of troops?"
Kent shook his head, "Sometimes Lycian cantons would wage war with each other...the league is only instated during a conflict with another nation...like Etruria or Bern. The Ostian marquess is the leader of this alliance."
I raised my brow, "Why would a nation with a similar culture and ideals want to war against each other? It's like fighting against your brothers...your family."
"A truly united Lycia...that's a fascinating thought. However, the games of royalty, of power, are truly ones rigged against ordinary people. My service is to Caelin and Lyn, and for now, I will defend my canton to the death," replied Kent.
These internal conflicts within Lycia were counter-intuitive to the success of this nation. The beauty of this country, it's bountiful streams, bustling markets, fertile farmlands, all being utilized in the games of these noblemen. But what could a man like me do against a social order so ingrained in this nation? It'd be impossible. Impossible.
I looked out into the dense forest that laid ahead of us and frowned.
Kent said, "I wouldn't worry about this forest much longer, we'll be clear of it by the end of the hour."
I gave a sigh of relief, "Thank Elimine, if I have to stay in this forest any longer, I th- a-achoo!"
A large wad of snot fell onto the ground. Kent looked away and pretended to not see it. My face went red with embarrassment...
I laid my head down in silence as we continued on our journey to Kathelet, a canton just north of Caelin.
In an inn nearby...
Nils parted his lips from his flute amid the dancing crowd. The inn he and his sister have decided to rest in had been pretty promising in terms of donations. The kind innkeeper that gave them this opportunity was happily selling drinks in his built-in tavern. Nils took the moment to lift some of his light blue hair from his red eyes. His dancer sister, Ninian, breathed short quick breaths amid sweat coming down her brow. Her energizing dances have taken a lot from her. A burly lumberjack, with wood chips covering his shirt, approached the duo's donation pot and laid down a midsized bag of gold.
"You two make me feel like I can chop down trees all day! Keep it going!" he exclaimed with a smile.
The lumberjack had every reason to have them continue. Their music and dances were magical in nature and revitalized the tired muscles of their patrons.
Ninian nodded at her brother. Nils blew into his instrument and fingered for perfect C. His ears perked up as the note came out flat. He pushed his head joint in, shortening the instrument to turn it more sharp. Satisfied, he took a deep breath and returned his lips on his mouthpiece.
SLAM! A trio of hooded men slammed open the door of the tavern.
A man's threatening voice took everyone off guard, "Where's the innkeeper?!"
Time stood still, and no one spoke a word. The silence was so deafening, one could hear a pin drop. One of the men looked towards the innkeeper, who still had a mug full of rum on his right hand.
The man growled, "If no one will speak..."
He took a knife and pointed it towards the innkeeper. The innkeeper raised his hands over his head, dropping the brandy and shattering the mug on the floor. He gulped.
"We're looking for a pair of blue-haired siblings..."
He allowed the blade to drive a small cut into the man's throat. His sweat caused the cut to burn.
"You wouldn't know where they were...would you?" he snarled.
Without hesitation, the innkeeper pointed towards the blue dancer amidst the crowd, "S-She's over there s-sir."
Ninian turned to run but was tackled down to the ground before she could. The fall caused wooden splinters to puncture her right arm.
"Eeek!" she screamed.
One of the strongmen pinned her to the ground, immobilizing her.
"And the other one you rat?" asked the man. He scanned the room for the blue-haired bard.
"H-He was just there." said the innkeeper.
Off to the corner of his eye, the kidnapper saw a flash of white and blue. He threw a knife in that direction.
The knife hit the wall with a thud. A monk barely sidestepped away from the blade. His blonde hair brushed up against his white robe. Although the man was most definitely male...something about him seemed feminine. Similar to the long gone fabled race of elves.
"It's frowned upon to hurt a servant of Elimine...you should know that." said the monk.
The monk's gaze drifted towards the lumberjack huddled in the back of the crowd. The bandit didn't seem to notice.
The bandit scoffed, "I don't believe in that crap."
The monk shook his head, "You Black Fang should concern yourselves with things more important than a couple of young travelers...but if it's relevant to you...the small one got out through that window."
The fangsman smiled, "Thanks for the advice holy man."
He turned towards the other two, "You, wrap up the girl. You, help me find the boy!"
The monk observed with worried eyes as the dancer girl was forced away with those men. He pushed away his guilt.
You wouldn't have been able to fight them on your own. All that matters is that we were able to save the boy.
His gaze went towards the lumberjack that had the bard hidden in his coat. His hand was covered over the boy's mouth to prevent him from screaming for his sibling. The monk heard the door of the inn slam into its frame. The assailants were gone.
Gone as quickly as they came.
On the road...
We had cleared the forest and found ourselves traversing through some nice terrain. Some large mountains dotted the landscape, with isolated pockets of trees and other vegetation. Despite that, rolling hills still made up the majority of the terrain. I breathed in the refreshing mountain air. My sinuses had cleared up.
Finally, some fresh air.
I looked over at my traveling companion nearby. He was busily reading a book. While walking. The title of the book read, Wind Magic: The fourth magical element?
I asked, "Hey Erk, I'm bored, let's talk about stuff."
Without his eyes leaving the book, he replied, "Why don't you talk to Lyndis? You two are awfully close."
I looked over at Lyn who was chatting away with our newest recruit Rath. Despite the man's quiet nature, Lyn was [somehow] able to solicit a fruitful conversation from him. The other alternative was Florina...
Yeah no.
I pleaded, "I kinda want to talk to you. There aren't many other smart mages in this army, and I feel like I'll just get harassed by Wil or Sain. Come on man, do me a favor."
Erk closed the book he was reading and put it in his bag.
He said, "What do you want to talk about?"
Wow...did not think I'd get this far. What do I want to talk about it?
I said, "Hmmm...I wonder what you think about magical applications in non-combat situations."
Erk gave a big smile, "I see you too are an intellectual."
I nodded, "Books are hard to come by on the road, but I managed to procure one about using a fire tome to do help do laundry. It got me interested in the subject."
Erk nodded, "I see. Well, I'll tell you everything I know. Although magic was initially used for combat situations..."
Before we knew it, it was already midday and we had reached an area nearby an abandoned fortress. The sun rode high in the sky, and it was a couple of hours after midday. We had since joined the others, and we decided to rest near some dwellings.
"I think we're a few kilometers walk from Kathelet proper." I said.
"About a ten days ride south to Caelin." said Sain.
Lyn looked out towards the rolling hills in front of us, and for a brief moment, was lost in her thoughts. I thought I heard her whisper, "Ten days..."
A blue-haired boy emerged from the inn. He had red eyes and boots that seemed to take up half of his leg. He had a small flute with a red case secured to his body. With his worrying eyes, he seemed to be looking for his mother.
He approached us, "Excuse me..."
Lyn replied, "Yes? Can we help you?"
The young boy nodded his head, "You and your friends...are you mercenaries?"
Mercenaries? Last time I checked we didn't fight for someone else's coin. Oh well...
Lyn gave a puzzled look, "And if we are?"
The boy fell to the floor on his knees. On his back, I could see some small remnants of wood chips.
"I need your help!"
"Milady...one should not let their guard down. Not even for a child." said Kent.
"Ah yes...I'm sorry but we're in a rush. Is there someone else you can ask?" said Lyn.
Maybe we could spare a moment to help him find his mom?
"Lyn, pardon me for intruding. But perhaps we could spare a moment to help him?" I said.
The bard came towards me, "There's no time! Ninian...my sister's been abducted by some men!"
As if on cue, Sain erupted from the rear of the group. "Your sister?!"
Somewhere in the back, Serra broke into a cold sweat.
The bard replied, "Yes! She's been taken by some awful men! I fear the worst!"
Kent shook his head, "We haven't the time! If the Marquess is as ill as suspected...we can't lose precious hours."
Lyn observed the boy. For a moment, she put herself in the shoes of the bard. The thoughts losing your family. Maybe even his only family. She knew what the pain of living alone was like. Survivor's guilt, the nightmares. No...there was only one thing to be done.
"Kent...I want to help this child." said Lyn.
The entire legion exclaimed, "What!?"
Lyn looked over at the crowd, then at the boy. "It's just that...I can't stand the thought of someone living in this world alone. Especially if that person was taken away from you."
The legion erupted in agreement.
"You know...she has a point." said Erk.
"I miss my family sometimes." said Wil.
"I don't know what I'd do if I lost my sisters." said Florina.
"It's a knight's duty to save fair maidens!" said Sain.
I gave a sigh of relief. We were going to be able to help this boy after all.
She spoke to her red knight, "I'm sorry."
Kent shook his head, "I'm your royal retainer. There are no apologies needed."
Lyn looked at her army, "Thank you...all of you."
Sain lifted the bard up and placed him on his horse, "You're in luck laddie! Let's go get your sister!"
The musician nearly fell from the animal, "Woah!"
I asked the bard, "Can you lead us to your sister?"
The bard agreed, but he hesitated as he froze.
He immediately pointed behind me. "Look out!"
I turned just in time for a stiff shoulder to bury itself into my shoulder. I lost breath as it lifted me up and slammed me into the floor. A strong arm pinned me to the ground. I looked up at my assailant and was caught off guard by his rough garb. He was a bandit.
He yelled, "I got one boss!"
A duo of armed men immediately arrived to join him. Everyone drew their weapons.
One of the men exclaimed, "Freeze! Move another inch and this man's a goner!"
I felt my attacker's grip double, and my hands went numb with the lack of circulation.
Another bandit nearby snickered, "Hehehe...our luck...we found him! It's back to Nergal with you! Come quietly now Nils, and we'll let the little man walk."
I'm not that small...
I pushed back against the bandit's grip, but it was in vain
This feeling of familiarity. Nergal...why does that name sound familiar? Ugh, It doesn't matter! We have to protect the boy!
The restraining bandit looked up at Lyn, "So what will it be? The boy or this man? Of course, if you need some beckoning, I could break his arms."
Lyn's shaking hand was on the hilt of her sword. She looked at the needful eyes of the boy, and the struggling body of her best friend. One wrong move and Mark was dead, but she couldn't allow these men to take the boy away.
Her voice quivered under the stress, "Ah...Um...I..."
A large drop of sweat traveled down the side of her face. She didn't know what to do. Two choices, but neither was desirable.
I chose the path less traveled by.
The allergens surrounding us had produced for me an adequate amount of mucus. I dug into the abyss of my throat and discharged a thick loogie into my assailant's face.
He instinctively reached for his skin, cursing loudly as he did so. The sticky substance latched onto his face like a parasite.
I had bought myself a brief window of opportunity. I took out my tome with my left hand and began chanting quickly. I placed my right hand on the bandit's chest.
You can't miss when you're this close.
"What?!" exclaimed the bandit.
I whispered the last few words of my incantation, and I added, "You let your guard down. Burn!"
I shotgunned magical flames into his body, thrusting him a few meters away from the group. I looked towards his smoking body.
There's no way he survived that.
"Mark! You clumsy oaf! You're on fire!" exclaimed Erk.
I looked down to see the right side of my cloak engulfed in flames. Immediately, I panicked and started patting the fires down. Erk rushed over and threw down my cloak before the flames could sear into my flesh.
The other bandits nearby stood shocked about what just happened to his companion, Lyn exclaimed, "Let the boy's sister go!"
The ruffians began to back away slowly, "T-This doesn't concern you. Do you wanna die for something that's meaningless to you?"
Lyn pointed at the burning ashes of his companion, "Do you think we look weak to you?! I think you're due for some justice!"
One of the hooded men replied, "Justice?! Do you know who we are?! I'm done playing games! Time to get serious!"
He nodded towards his companion, who smirked evilly. His companion dug into his pocket and received a large red gun. He pointed to the sky, firing a glowing red orb high above us. After a brief moment, it reached the height of its journey and exploded, illuminating the sky with a red tinder.
The bandit laughed, "Hahaha! Stupid girl! You'll learn to never mess with the Black Fang! Take em' down boys!"
In the rolling hills and mountains around us, I could see a half a dozen bandits emerge. Some brandished axes, swords, magical tomes, and bows.
"A-Archers." squeaked Florina.
The bandits ran away with the bulk of their forces, and a lone hooded figure stood in our path. Despite his small stature, he had an disgusting aura to him. Evil even.
Lyn pointed towards the man, "Careful...that's a shaman. I hear that practitioners of the dark arts contain a forbidden power. Please be careful."
Erk nodded his head, "Yes, we anima users are at a disadvantage with dark magic users."
"However do you mean?" I asked.
Erk replied, "Just like how axes, swords, and lances have the weapons triangle, we have the magic triangle. Anima beats light, light beats dark, dark beats anima."
That's nice to know.
"So...Light beats Dark right? We don't have a light magic user though..." I said.
"Yes, so we must exercise extreme caution. Their power is said to rival even the mightiest beasts." said Kent.
From the inn, I observed as two men emerged. One was a blonde woman...[man?] wearing a white cloak, and the other was a muscular lumberjack.
"That's the last time I come over here again! Lousy innkeeper! I'm going home!" exclaimed the lumberjack.
The lumberjack turned and walked away, while the woman came towards Lyn. She spoke with an...unusual tone.
"Um...excuse me?" she said.
"Yes?" replied Lyn.
"I saw what happened to the boy...and I couldn't sit idle. Would you allow me to help you rescue her sister?" asked the woman.
"Don't tell me...you can use light magic." I asked.
The woman nodded her head, "Yes...how did you know? I'm a monk by profession. My name is Lucius."
"Just a gut feeling." I replied.
A monk...so that's suggesting she's...a he? I'm confused now.
"Oh, so you're a servant of Saint Elimine?" I asked.
He nodded, "Yes. If you wish to repent anything to me you may. However, judging from the situation, I believe there are more pressing matters."
Repent? For what?
Amidst my confusion, I ordered Lucius to attack the shaman. The shaman began chanting in a language that I couldn't understand while Lucius did the same. Two epic balls of energy, one covered in darkness, the other covered in light, collided in a flashy show force. The wind gusts caused by the altercation sent up a screen of dirt and nearly made me lose my footing. Regardless, we saw as Lucius' magic went straight through the ball of darkness and into the shaman. When the dust settled, the only thing that remained of the shaman was his boots, still standing in the dirt as if a human was still using them. Lucius turned towards our legion.
"By Elimine's light, I will deliver her judgement." he said.
My mouth gaped at the small crater that Lucius had just caused. My heart skipped a beat as I realized the full depths of magic's power...
The battle had progressed well. We knocked out an archer and some other hostiles nearby [much to Florina's relief] and began making our way to Ninian's location [the abandoned fortress]. With Nils leading the way, we found ourselves bogged down on a chokepoint of some hilly terrain.
Matthew and I waited behind a long line of our soldiers.
"What's the hold-up?!" I exclaimed.
Matthew pointed at the two knights, "Those two can't go up those hills, it's too steep for them and they'll fall over. That leaves this small opening of flat land for those two to advance on. You said those two have to be in the front at all times didn't you tactician?"
Well, he was right about that. My reasoning was that if we ever were caught from a bind in the front then those two, being our armored units, would be the best to take the initial blow. They could also charge into the enemy lines if we ever wanted to stage an ambush. I never really put into consideration how this would slow down the whole line if we ever ran into some bad terrain.
"Ugh...crap. Next time I need to deploy fewer troops. Where's Florina? She can just take me to the front!" I said.
Matthew shook his head, "You sent her scouting, remember?"
I...did.
"We'll just have to wait a moment for the traffic to fix itself." he added.
So, the company thief and I waited. And waited. And waited. I silently swore to myself for my incompetence.
A lesson for the next time I send knights through rough terrain.
In a nearby village...
"Oh, have we visitors?" asked the village magistrate.
I shook my head, "As much as we'd like to sample some of your hospitality, there are more vital issues at hand. Close your gates immediately. There are bandits afoot."
We had finally cleared that last chokepoint as a group, and while I sent the rest the of the legion to deal with some threats south of the river, Lyn and I decided to warn these villagers of the situation.
"A battle? I will inform the villagers and close the gates immediately. " said the magistrate.
We turned to leave but he paused and took something out of his pocket. It was clear water in a vial.
"We were going to use this for service today...but it might help you in a pinch. Please take this..." he said. He placed a small blue vial of water into Lyn's palm, who graciously accepted.
"Pure Water...we'll treasure this." said Lyn.
On the battlefield...
Kent watched cautiously as Florina dug her lance into one of the enemy mages. Although he knew Florina has an affinity for magic resistance, he still felt uncomfortable with letting Florina take on a mage on her own. Much more so against men like these.
Florina swiftly dodged a stray firebolt. She felt some warmth as it disintegrated a dirt mound nearby. For a split second, she almost panicked as an arrow whizzed past her, digging itself into her foe's chest. She calmed her mind as she remembered of Wil's presence, and he gave her a thumbs up for reassurance. All they had to now was standby for new orders.
Kent smiled. Florina was perfectly capable of handling herself. He turned back towards his foes standing on a bridge. A trio of swordsmen. He turned towards Sain and Matthew, who were backing him up.
"You guys ready for this?" he asked the green knight.
Sain pressed his lance confidently against his chest, "Always..."
I returned to the bridge to see Serra conducting a healing spell on our knights. Three dead men laid dead nearby. I looked at the path ahead.
"Well, we should carry on once you two are okay." I said.
Sain agreed, "It's going to take much more than a flesh wound to slow me down."
Serra's staff dimmed, and she put her hands on her hips.
She had a sassy tone, "Oh? So you don't need this then?"
Sain panicked and nearly fell off his horse, "N-No! I need it please!"
After Serra healed up our insistent knight, we successfully crossed the river and found ourselves...having one more bridge to cross. As expected, we had company.
I counted three fangsmen this time, two shamans and one axman. I gave a look to Erk.
This is too easy.
I turned to motion Matthew to bait the axman. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Um...where is he anyway?
"Has anyone seen Matthew?" I asked.
Everyone looked around, and sure enough, he was MIA. I couldn't help but wonder where he went...
In a house nearby...
Matthew left the group as soon as he managed to slip away unnoticed. Given the low profile he's been maintaining since his debut, he deduced that he'd have about thirty minutes to send a message back home. As instructed, he let himself go unannounced.
He had entered a specific house in a predetermined location. As expected, sitting in a chair was a large man with dark blue hair. His armor probably made up over twice his body weight.
"Milord." said Matthew.
The man stood up, "Ah...Matthew...I've been waiting for you. Despite that...I was hoping that you'd be Eliwood. I've been waiting for our monthly bout."
It was true. In addition to the message, Hector and a Pharearean lordling sparred here once every month. As a warrior, there weren't many people that could compete with him like that red-haired swordsman.
Matthew replied, "The friendship you two share is solid, I don't know many people willing to travel this far once a month for a spar."
Hector laughed, "Well, he's running late, regardless, what message do you need delivering to my brother?"
Matthew cleared his throat, "It's about this dispute. Lundgren is dangerous, if he's left unchecked, he could become a problem us. Although Uther already supports the granddaughter's claim, my continued involvement in this dispute is vital to our interests. I'm afraid I'll have to delay my return to Ostia."
Hector agreed, and thought of how his brother would react to this news.
"I see. I'll make sure to tell him. You should report back now. I'm sure they'll require your assistance." said Hector.
Matthew said his farewells and hurried back to the others. He was certain they'd suspect his absence now.
Just outside Castle Kathelet...
I observed the handful of fangsmen that were guarding the abandoned fortress.
What was the black fang doing guarding that abandoned fortress? Surely, Marquess Kathelet would've noticed by now?
Regardless, we went ahead and took out most of their number. The bodies by the bridges are evidence of that. All that was left was the ring leader. A shaman.
We approached the entrance of the fortress, and Kent whispered in my ear, "We should remain cautious, we don't know how capable he might be."
I shook my head, "Nonsense, if the rest of his entourage expressed anything, it's the misgivings of this organization. We need to act now. I don't know what they did to Nils' sister, but for all we know, she could be in pain."
Lyn agreed, "I don't want her to be in any more pain that she has to."
Kent bit his lip, "Shall I prepare the troops for a rush?"
I nodded as he informed everyone of the order. We began running towards the shaman. Noticing our boldness, he began chanting...
BOOM!
He threw a black orb straight through our ranks, injuring Wil and throwing dust in the air. No...not dust. It was some type of black amorphous substance. We were struck with pitch darkness. I could barely see a foot in front of me.
"What the heck..." I said.
I looked around for my troops but couldn't find them. I wandered around to find Lyn, Erk, anybody.
Thump!
I stumbled over something. A person. I locked eyes with this man. He was not an ally. He grabbed on to my cloak as his eyes had nothing but pure fear.
The man spoke, his voice trembling, "A-Azazel...how is this possible?"
Matthew saw a large black orb engulf Lyn's legion in front of him. Whoever did that was obviously far stronger than any of those other shamans they've dealt with earlier.
There's no way that any normal person could see through that.
Of course, he wasn't any normal man. He was a thief, and with his eyes, he knew he could put a stop to this.
He lurched into the black blob, and his attention went towards two nearby figures.
"Azazel?! What do you mean?! I asked.
"Y-You should be gone. Y-You should be dead." he trembled.
Unexpectedly, he swung and laid me out on the ground. Blood began dripping down my face. He clutched his tome with a ferocity that made his veins pop out. He seemed to have broken out of a trance.
"It seems like Limstella failed to give you the Fang's judgment, regardless, I will make up for her mistake." he said.
He began chanting, and as I tried to grab his legs to knock him off his balance, he delivered a swift kick to my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.
"Nice try, but you will die today...I-"
Suddenly the man gasped and crouched forward, with a large dagger protruding from his stomach.
"W-What..."
The darkness surrounding us began dissipating, and gradually the rest of the group came into view.
The shaman fell onto the ground, blood spewing from Matthew's keepsake.
He mumbled, "Curses, blinded from my own darkness. I-It's too late, the girl...she's already..."
The shaman spat out a pint of blood and spoke no more. He was dead.
"M-Matthew..." I whimpered.
He helped me up, "You can thank me later when we're at the bar."
I nodded in agreement, and I felt a searing pain from my head.
Serra rushed over to me, "Let me see your head...you're bleeding."
A comfortable glow surrounded my head, and I gave a sigh of relief. I had not suffered another concussion.
As Serra tended to my wound, a familiar green nomad nearly startled me, "What the heck Mark! You got yourself hurt again?!"
Her tone shifted to something more tender, "Ugh...What am I going to do with you? You're always so reckless."
"It's fine..it's not grievous or anything like that. Er...how's Wil?" I asked.
"Erk gave him a vulnerary right after the blow, he's still a bit jumpy, but he's fine." she replied.
I thought about what that shaman had said to me.
Azazel...why is that name so familiar? Another clue of my past...was I affiliated with these bandits? I didn't like the thought. A name like Azazel didn't sound too good either. Isn't that the name of a demon?
I looked around, "Hey...where's Nils?"
Apparently, the boy ran inside while no one was looking. The moment we realized that we ran inside, unsure if her sister was truly alone inside that fortress.
Inside the Fortress...
The moment we entered the fortress, we were consumed by the eerie feeling of dread. Walking through the damp corridors, cracked walls, and mossy hallways, I felt that we were being watched. We made our way to a lighted portion of the castle, and a spider crawled around in a blown out window. Sure enough, this is where we found our bard.
"Nils!" exclaimed Lyn.
Nils was crying, "My sister...he saved her."
Carrying an unconscious woman with light blue hair was a noble-looking man with fiery red hair.
"I saw this woman being taken by this gang of ruffians. I snuck in through the back and knocked out the guard. She seemed in need of rescuing. Was I wrong to involve myself?" he asked.
Lyn shook her head, "No, you saved her life. Thank you."
A brief moment of silence inflicted the group.
Lyn extended her hand towards the stranger, who took shook it.
She introduced herself, "I'm Lyn from Sacae and that's our tactician Mark. I'm Marquess Caelin's granddaughter..."
Lyn explained to the man, who introduced himself as Eliwood, of our story. I realized she had a knack for explaining long drawn out stories.
Probably better at it than me.
"I know it's hard to believe...but it's true." she said.
"No, I believe you." he replied.
"What?" said Lyn.
"At first glance, you seemed to be of plainsfolk. But the more I think about it, you have your grandfather's eyes." said Eliwood.
Were her eyes really that prominent? Now that I think about it, it's probably the most captivating part of her. Wait...I can't say that. Ugh...
Eliwood offered up his assistance after hearing our story. He left to talk to some "men in higher power."
Whatever that means.
Ninian eventually woke up and the twins were reunited, and to top it all off, as we left the fortress, a rainbow appeared over the horizon. I was floored by this development.
How is that possible anyway? It hasn't rained at all.
We were staying at a nearby village while Eliwood went to send off some letters. In the village square, the others loafed around while I went to buy a new cloak. When I returned, I found Lyn sitting on a park bench.
"Um...Mark." said Lyn.
"Yes?" I replied.
"Ninian lost a keepsake from her late mother, and we suspect it was stolen by the Black Fang. While she hadn't requested that we go get it back, I'd like to." she said.
"And what of your grandfather?" I replied.
"It won't take long, the Black Fang hideout is only a few hours ride. We should go." she said.
I rolled my eyes, "I'm not sure If I want to go storming fortresses full of weird people Lyndis."
Lyn sighed, "But Nils and Ninian are so unhappy."
I looked over at Nils and Ninian. They were both somberly sitting by on a bench. I felt my heart give in.
"Fine. We'll leave immediately. But on the first sign of serious trouble, we're leaving."
End
