Cakil finally appears in this chapter!
Chapter 9: Saving Talegra
The CRG and DLF marched side by side through the nation of Daein. However, in doing so, the already ruined nation suffered even further. Young men, surely talented and strong enough to rebuild the nation, stood beside the Daein Revolutionary Army, unwittingly destroying all that was accomplished. Shortly after the Battle of Bachen Fort, Sothe and Ike observed that Palmeni Temple had been destroyed. Apparently, the DRA ransacked the place in search of treasure. Worried that the loss of important regional figures such as Bishop Tomenami would dishearten the wretched populace of Daein even further, Jill ordered Sothe to attempt to aid the peoples of the area. But whatever aid that the CRG attempted to give, the people would refuse, citing that it was because Crimea destroyed Daein that the Daein Revolutionary Army was given enough power to cause even more havoc. Once again, the people of Daein could not forgive Crimea for its crimes, even though many Daeins knew of Ashnard's sins.
Marching along, the army finally reached the border of Talegra province.
"Now we've reached my hometown... Oh, I shudder when I think of what may have happened." Jill groaned as she looked around.
"Milady, please remain calm, my men and I will do what we can to provide assistance to the people." Sothe tried to calm her.
"It's no use... What can we do if no one is willing to take what we will give? All we can do is press on. If we can kill those filthy... beorc who did this, then all the pains these people have experienced can be remedied." Lethe lightly hissed.
Meanwhile, only fifteen miles from Ike's position, General Cakil stood on the battlements of Fort Nuchen. Standing beside him was Minister Jorhasten, formerly Minister of Finance in the court of Duke Haar. "Look at this! Talegra is in ruins! And all the men of the Daein Liberation Front can do is sit and stare! We must attack those filthy traitors!" Cakil growled.
"General, be sensible. We've sheltered as many families as we could into this Fort, and we have local Bishops who are caring for the wounded. As for troops, there are fewer than 40 of us here. How can we possibly hope to fight the DRA?" Jorhasten spoke.
"You speak the truth, but still, I cannot sit by and watch those who failed to reach us suffer further. We must slay these traitors!" The General spoke.
"Enemy units have been sighted!" The watchmen yelled.
"Wait... It couldn't be! Good man, how many do you see?" Cakil called.
"Between 60 to 80 enemy soldiers. They've seized several ballistas, and I see a large band of calvary units approaching." The watchman replied.
"Thank Ashera we had the prudence to build that watchtower. We cannot send everyone to fight them. Gather as many men as you can and fortify our inner defenses, Minister, while I will take our 15 veterans and create a defensive blockade." General Cakil ordered.
"May Ashera protect us all." Jorhasten muttered.
"This mud is a pain, but at least all it can do is slow us down. Those idiots will die soon enough. The DRA is winning this war, and all of Daein is virtually ours. All units, are you ready to die for the honor of Daein? Once Daein is completely unified, we can wipe out the Crimeans, the Gallian Sub-Humans, and the traitorous Half-Beasts of Kilvas. Lord Izuka has provided us with plenty of Feral Ones to rip our enemies apart. They will be unable to stand before us!" General William of the DRA laughed.
"Sir, I see several banners heading toward us from the west! They seem to carry the Crimean insignia!" A soldier spoke.
"Wait, could that be the Crimean army that is escorting the Duchess? Perfect! If we deliver her to The Black Knight, we shall be rewarded quite well. Be sure to intercept them, men, and kill them all... Only Jill shall remain alive!" William cackled.
"Father Tomenami? No, you should not risk your life..." Cakil spoke as the Bishop emerged from the fort with several of his brothers.
"General, it is only proper that we repay our debts to you. When the DRA attacked our temple, you rescued us and gladly took us in. We may have cared for several soldiers, but that is nothing compared to saving our lives. No, we will stand by you in the front lines. The enemy is powerful, and they outnumber us three to one. For the good of the people of Talegra, I must aid you in crushing their advance here." Tomenami replied.
"In that case, I am overjoyed to have you. Men, the possibility of reinforcements arriving is practically zero. We have no information whatsoever of the whereabouts of Duke Haar. The Duchess is safe in Crimea, and though I loathe the idea of her standing by them, I believe that they will not dare to harm her. We are alone, and if we die, few will remember us, but we die with honor! We die defending Talegra from the traitors in our midst! We will die as martyrs, as heroes! I would rather be pierced by a thousand arrows than stand beside Izuka, The Black Knight, and all of their mad schemes. My honorable warriors, stand beside me... For Talegra!" Cakil shouted.
"FOR TALEGRA!" His soldiers cheered. They stood strong before the onslaught of enemy troops.
"Looks like Fort Nuchen has only recently been under siege. That is surprisingly good news. Fort Nuchen was the strongest DLF fort in this area, and it looks like it's the only one left, but with it still under DLF control, it means that we will find powerful allies there. Ike, it would be more than enough to convince the rest of the DLF (besides Haar and Tauroneo) to join you Crimeans if you rescue this particular fort." Sothe spoke.
"Then we'll do it. Jill, stay back, if you are hurt all we have accomplished would be in vain. The rest of you, move out!" Ike shouted.
General William ordered his less-trained troops to hold off the Crimeans while he and 30 of his best warriors engaged General Cakil and his small band of defenders. As the two Generals fought, Ike found it not difficult to wipe out the attacking army. Tanith quickly had him saddle onto her Pegasus, and the two of them quickly arrived near the besieged blockade.
Cakil finally bested William, and the latter died falling off his horse. The remaining DLF troops defeated their attackers, and immediately noticed Ike's presence. "The Crimeans are here. All units, prepare to face an even greater foe." Cakil raised his lance.
Ike put down his sword and stepped forward. "General, we are not your enemy. I am General Ike of the Crimean Royal Guard. We are here to aid you." Ike spoke.
"Aid us? Hah! You are lying! Since when have you ever 'aided' Daein?! You've ruined Daein! Look at this, look at the damage done to Talegra! General Shiharam is dead. General Bryce is dead. All those brave warriors who fought so gallantly to protect Daein are dead. They were heroes, and you killed them." Cakil sneered.
Ike could not hold his temper: "Then what of Ashnard? Petrine? Dakova? Mackoya? Schaeffer? Do you consider them to be heroes? They were all ruffians. They were not honorable warriors by any means. Each of them insulted the good Daein people, and yet you still speak for them?!"
"True, those you speak of were in the majority of the Generals Ashnard picked. I admit that his majesty Ashnard was a cruel king to Crimea and the outside world, but that gave Crimea no right to destroy the lives of civilians of Daein. I believe that Ashnard deserved his fate in Melior, but the attack of Crimea upon the populace of Talegra and Nevassa was cruel and heartless. You might despise the right people among the Daein generals, but you have no idea how much of a ruffian YOU are!" Cakil replied.
"If you detest Crimea so, why do you adore Haar? Why do you declare loyalty to the Duchess? If the Crimeans were as terrible as you say, then why would both Jill and Haar fight alongside them, even though they saw how badly Daein had been ruined? Where is the logic of your argument? You speak from prejudice!" Ike snapped.
"True, true... Some Crimeans may prove fairly good, but the majority are heartless, for people who have some sense of compassion and humanity would not slay innocents who suffer from a war that they themselves do not support. Because Haar and Jill were able to make amends with and stand by such people, they prove their greatness. They were so forgiving when they saw how you destroyed Daein!" Cakil replied.
"Well, if Daein is so great, then there should be nothing wrong with it... But there are plenty of crimes that the Daein people commit almost daily. General, you would keep the wrongful persecution of the laguz, wouldn't you? You would keep those detestable ways of killing, wouldn't you?" Ike spoke with raised eyebrows.
"Yes... Yes... I agree that killing the laguz is cruel, but that has been the way of Daein for centuries." Cakil nodded sadly.
"Wait, you don't sound like you were born here." Ike replied.
"I was, but you must realize that not all Daeins think the same. I was born here in Talegra, in fact! But my story is different from that of the commoners. I was raised by a family who left Begnion and settled here. When my parents here heard of how the Daein people were treating the laguz, they feared the wrath of the Goddess and had me taught at home. My father was a well-known Sage, you see, and his vast library let me learn without acquiring the hatred for laguz. Of course, outside of the home I had to keep such a facade, but inside of me, I knew the truth. I learned swordsmanship and jousting from a family friend, and now, I am a General of Daein. You, young Crimean, cannot be so arrogant as to assume that you can change everything in Daein culture... Especially since the people of Daein curse your name!" General Cakil growled.
"Silence! That is not so, General!" Bishop Tomenami emerged from behind General Cakil.
"You're, you're the Bishop from Palmeni Temple!" Ike spoke.
"Yes, young General. I must thank you for coming here and aiding General Cakil. I will never forget your services against Schaeffer, nor the rescuing of every single one of our priests." Tomenami bowed.
"Father, you mean that the Crimean General here is the very General whose small band of warriors rescued you and all the other priests of the Temple from that filthy ruffian Schaeffer and his minions?" General Cakil asked.
"Yes, General, and I believe he deserves some respect for that deed. It is clear that he does not hold any quarrel with the people of Daein. The only thing Ike detests is the current government of the Daein Revolutionary Army. Am I correct, young General?" Tomenami asked.
"Yes. One of the top Generals of that force slew my father." Ike nodded.
"Wait... I saw you on the battlefield as I fought General William. Your swordsmanship resembles the style of one of Daein's former Four Riders... Gawain... The same man whom General Tauroneo holds in high esteem." Cakil spoke.
"Yes, I am Gawain's son... The Black Knight of the Daein Revolutionary Army killed my father... I have battled him in the past, but have failed to successfully kill him. Now, he ravages Daein with his mad schemes, and with Izuka helping him, the situation only grows worse." Ike replied.
"Yes, Izuka. It is ironic that he was once a Bishop in an earlier time. The way he tortures the laguz and creates Feral Ones from them... It is so horrid... The Goddess must have sent you here to punish us... Yet, you tried to aid the people of Talegra long ago, and you saved my life when I betrayed your trust. You are truly a better man than most Generals." Tomenami spoke.
"... I acted in haste, and rage. Pray forgive me, son of Gawain." Cakil sighed and bowed.
"He is not the only one whom you should ask forgiveness from..." Another voice called.
"Milady? You are alive? Ike, so you are the leader of the Crimean army who has been escorting the Duchess. Milady, forgive me for insulting your protectors." Cakil kneeled before Jill.
"Good, good, so you acknowledge your error. General Sothe, which one of you outranks the other? You, or General Cakil here?" Jill asked.
"That would be General Cakil. He was appointed by Duke Haar as governor of Talegra province." Sothe replied.
"General Sothe... Ah... I am overjoyed to see a fellow comrade." Cakil nodded.
"Same to you, sir." Sothe replied.
"Sothe, you shall hereby join Cakil's battalion. General Cakil, I would like to learn everything about your current fort and any soldiers who may be in your army." Jill spoke.
"Yes, yes, right away." General Cakil replied. They opened the gate to find Minister Jorhasten ready to fight with nearly 20 additional soldiers.
"Milady? We are overjoyed to see you!" Jorhasten bowed along with his troops.
"Yes, and it is a blessing to see you alive and well. Perhaps with you among us, Minister, we can restore Daein to glory." Jill smiled.
Now, our heroes are finally united with the faction that they came to save. (At least, a significant portion of it.) Read and Review!