It would seem as soon as things were beginning to become resolved... they had to be forgotten; left behind for matters far more important.
The few days of traveling only reminded everyone of the upcoming ordeal they would soon be facing and while spirits tried to remain high... it was only a matter of time before it would all come crashing down. Most of the days were spent in silence as thoughts and words were kept to themselves, no one really wanted to discuss the upcoming closure to this war, he knew he did. And yet, there was a feeling down inside that they should really be talking about it, just to last minute words and tactics off their chests.
The lingering silence was almost comforting though.
Not as comforting as the site of another campsite coming up ahead of them. Not as comforting as the sound of the other armies giving a brief cheer when they came into sight and offering to help where they could. From what was reporting, Ike's team had arrived first and set up a base camp in wait for the others; Micaiah's group arrived just a few days before... they were the last to arrive but that seemed to be a given. With all the obstacles they ran into, they were lucky enough to show up here in the first place.
"Queen Elincia, it's good to see you finally decided to join us." Ike remarked as he slowly moved to approach their unpacking group.
"Sir Ike... I'm glad to see you are well." she replied in a soft return, one hand moving to tuck aside a thick lock of hair. "I apologize for our late appearance, we gathered a lot of injured on the way here and had to break longer than imagined."
"That's expected, I'm surprised we got here when we did." he nodded, moving to cross his arms for a brief moment. "You should've seen this hit Oscar took, Goddess it knocked him right off his horse and broke his elbow out of place."
She offered a slightly sympathetic grimace before a short nod followed. "We encountered some Feral Ones in the swamp and had some... trouble dealing with the Dragons present. We're still trying to get Kieran back to full health and Geoffrey... well you can see for yourself."
He hadn't really been paying attention to the conversation all that much, more focused on getting his horse under control, but the mention of his name slightly pulled him back in. "For the last time, your Majesty, they're not that bad; there's no need to panic." tying off the reigns to a nearby post, he glanced back over to her in time to see her stifle a light giggle. She was impossible sometimes... that kind of behavior only riled up when she was around Sir Ike though and it was easy to see why.
"It's completely understandable." Ike started. "Ask Gatrie about the scars on his face and you'll get quite a story."
If the blonde-haired Marshall was anywhere to be found, he just might take up on that request. Until then though, he had other things to deal with. Running his hand down the stallion's nose, he watched as the animal gave a heavy shake of its head but seemed to be enjoying the momentary risk; after days of constant traveling, he had no doubts the animal was nearing the point of exhaustion. Moving back over to where the convoy was still unloading a few boxes, he watched as a familiar face was apparent in the small crowd and couldn't help but to offer a brief chuckle at the quick appearance. "Normally, I would say that this heavy lifting isn't a place for a lady but... I know better than to try that."
The red-headed woman looked up at the remark and offered her own chuckle in response. "Commander Geoffrey, I'm glad to see that you're well and that you survived those grueling days of travel." Titania remarked, helping to unload a crate or two off the back of one of the wagons. Her usual, blood-red armor had been removed to reveal the fitting uniform underneath, a mix of different fabric layers and strings that kept the thick covering together. He figured their camp must've avoided most signs of attacks or else the woman wouldn't have shed her armor.
"And the same for you." he nodded, taking the next crate that was offered down before he set it aside. His muscles were still tired and ached from the journey but his job would continue on throughout the day from here; there was still plenty to do and this was only the start of it. "How have things been holding up on this side?"
"So far so good, we haven't had any sightings of the Golden Army in this region for now... I get a bad feeling about it though." she answered, fingers pushing aside a few of her loose bangs as she tucked them behind one ear. "We're this close to the Tower and not a single soldier."
Now that she mentioned it, it did seem odd.
It sounded like Ashera had another thing up her sleeve...
"Well, now that we've finally arrived, we can put an end to all of this madness." Geoffrey started. "Hopefully."
She offered a reassuring smile and moved one hand to rest on his shoulder. "I don't think we have any other choice at this point. Just look at all the people around you, we can't risk failing them, right?"
He guessed he surprised himself when the first thought to cross his mind at the question was about Amy... he couldn't risk failing her, that was for sure. Maybe he should've considered Lucia or Elincia or maybe even Bastian first but... they could all defend themselves and each other; Amy was just an innocent little girl caught up in a mess caused by the world around her. "It's no wonder everyone looks to you for some kind of guidance. It seems like you always have the right answers."
"Not always, I assure you." Titania chuckled. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, that's why I have so many solutions."
"Don't listen to her when she talks like that, she doesn't give herself enough credit." the additional voice drew attention to the new Paladin who was joining their small, brief group. One hand had been in the midst of ruffling his dark-green hair, pushing it away from his face for a moment. He was dressed in a similar fashion to his red-headed counterpart with the exception of darker material making up his uniform. It was noted that black bandages were wrapped tightly around his left arm, probably to brace his elbow in place from its recent break.
"Shouldn't you be looking after Rolf?" she questioned.
"Rhys is keeping an eye on him; he said his fever's gone down remarkably fast and that he should be fine by nightfall... I don't really feel comfortable with him feeling ill this close to the battlefield, but there's nothing I can do about it right now."
"We had several battles out in the snow and then the rain... needless to say, about three days ago, everyone was down with some kind of illness." Titania explained, watching as the wagon next to them eventually pulled away once its load had been unpacked to make space for another one.
"Having a cold and a broken elbow was not really fun to deal with." Oscar commented, touching briefly at the black bandages on his arm. "I kept knocking it out of place that first and second night, I think I aggravated Rhys since he had to keep resetting it again and again."
He offered a brief chuckle at their recollective stories and shook his head. "Believe me, I would have much rather taken fighting in the snow and rain over fighting in a swamp-"
"Commander Geoffrey."
Yet another voice to join them... except this one he recognized almost immediately. When he turned around to greet the man, he found himself almost immediately face to face with him instead, which startled him briefly. "Sir Renning... is there something I can help you with?"
"The Queen appears to be preoccupied with a man from one of the other armies... he looks remarkably like you so I must ask that you tell me everything you know about him." the man answered. "I will not allow for my niece to prance about with a man who is unknown to my knowledge."
This was going to be yet another long day for him.
It would be an understatement to say that it was easy relief to feel when they finally arrived at the new campsite. She offered assistance where she could but wanted to keep her attention on Amy, who seemed willing to dart off at any given moment. Marcia offered to take her off her hands for awhile, promising to take her on a short and low to the ground ride on her Pegasus to keep her entertained. She was willing to let the Pegasus Knight take her for awhile, at least until the unloading process was through and things were properly set up. Not to mention, the girl just seemed so excited about the prospect of the ride, she didn't know if she had the heart to deny her.
It was nice to see everyone again though.
"Lady Calill, I'm glad to see ya again." Nephenee greeted, stepping out of one of the tents just as she was passing by. "How were your travels?"
"Terrible." she chuckled. "But we're here and that's all that matters right? Seems like you guys have been settled in for awhile now."
"It's felt like years." the green-haired woman remarked.
"I know the feeling."
"Calill!"
She glanced up at the call of her name and watched as a flash of blue and yellow ran towards her. She barely had time to brace herself for the impact and felt the way the slender thief placed hands on her shoulders and lifted herself up slightly in a brief, celebrated jump. "Heather, Heather, I understand your enthusiasm... but please, I just finished several long days of traveling, give me a few minutes."
"Sorry, I just can't resist the returning sight of the most beautiful woman in all of Tellius." the woman grinned as she settled back on her feet, keeping herself purposely close to her. "So tell me, do I finally get a chance or have you wooed the Commander over yet?"
"H-Heather, ya just can't ask her that." Nephenee scolded lightly.
"It's alright. We're all aware she would've asked it eventually." Calill assured. "As for your question, Heather, I'm sorry to inform you but the Commander and I-"
"I knew it." she interrupted, faking a brief look of disappointment. "I guess I just don't have what it takes to compete with a... 'man' like that."
"Maybe you should get one of your own and see what it's like." she offered with a teasing grin.
The thief rolled her eyes along with the comment and gave one of those 'you must not really know me' expressions. "Please, I have enough men trying to grab at me regardless of what I say, I'd hate to see what would happen if I gave them the satisfaction of courting me and acknowledging it."
Well, she can't say that she was supposed to be surprised with that kind of response, if anything it was a little humorous and gave her something to laugh at. "I'm glad to see the war hasn't put a damper on your spirit Heather."
"Oh no, it will take a lot more than a few simple skirmishes to change me." She assured, flipping a long lock of hair behind her shoulder. "I can't say the same about Nephenee here though; she probably hasn't told you yet, but she's got a boyfriend."
"I-I do not!" the country girl quickly defended, a deep shade of crimson moving across her cheeks. "We... we ain't exactly datin' yet..."
The news caught her off-guard for a moment before she ushered a quick grin to appear on her lips. "Oh ho ho, what is this? Is my little Nephenee finally growing up without me? I can't believe it. So tell me, who is this nice, young man- hopefully- you're speaking with?"
Right when the girl was going to speak, the other woman butted in.
"It's the green-haired, barbarian-looking one." Heather answered.
She knew that one... and she guessed she wasn't really surprised by it. She had witnessed the two of them together before and the boy certainly seemed like he was interested in her and she returned the feelings once or twice. The green-haired girl looked like she wanted to die though, her blush having spread further across her face and had deepened a shade or two. "You don't say? Well I'm glad for you, it's about time you found a boy of your own. You're gonna need someone to take home to your mother."
"I'm in the same boat; my mother won't get off my back with the whole 'bringing someone home' thing." Heather retorted playfully enough.
"You two are too much." Nephenee remarked.
"Someone's gotta keep you in shape when we're not out on the battlefield."
As much as they all would have loved another resting period, another day to just... take in these final hours, there were plans to make and look to; there were news that needed to be passed around and objectives they had to set out before they could take on the Goddess herself. It would seem as though the tent wasn't going to be big enough to fit all of them... how they managed to get this many people into it without it combusting at the seams was beyond him.
Queen Elincia, Lucia, Bastian and himself formed one small group.
Ike had Soren and Titania had his sides, as well as Micaiah- or rather Yune- with Sothe close by her.
The Apostle Sanaki was guarded by Commander Sigrun and Captain Tanith who stood so still it was difficult to tell if the women were present or if mere statues had been set down in their places instead.
King Tibarn stood with his thick arms crossed, Leanne and Reyson stood close by while King Naesala kept his distance from the trio.
King Caineghis brought with him his own Shadow, Giffca, and Prince Skrimir.
Queen Nailah kept Rafiel close to her side and showed little emotion during the proceedings.
Prince Kurthnaga said very little and appeared slightly pale while Ena stood close to him, a matching solemn expression danced across her face.
"Eleven of your best warriors is all I can manage." Yune started.
"Eleven?" Ike repeated, his tone mixed with half disbelief and skepticism. They had an entire camp of fighters and all they were granted were eleven spaces to take into the Goddess tower itself? How could anyone make that kind of decision?
The white-haired, possessed girl looked in his direction before she gave a nod to assure her words were not mistaken. "You are to accompany the leading assault regardless, Sir Ike; we'll want both Dragons present to follow us as well... and one member of the Heron tribe... and the Apostle of course... I do wish to keep Sothe with me too."
It still seemed difficult for the man to comprehend and accept, a reaction he could understand. How were they expected to narrow down every fighter they had to an unit of just eleven people?
"With all due respect... I'm not going to cut corners here..." Ike started, moving one hand to push through his blue strands. "King Caineghis, King Tibarn, King Naesala, Queen Nailah, will the four of you accompany me?"
"That's not a question." Nailah answered. "We all knew you were going to pick us regardless."
"You do need us." Tibarn added on.
"Believe me, I know that." he chuckled briefly. "What does that leave us with? Six more to go? ... Apostle Sanaki, is there someone here you wish to bring with you?"
The younger girl pressed her lips together for a moment as she carefully considered her options before she gave a light nod. "Commander Sigrun."
"Forgive me, Apostle, but I must decline your consideration." Sigrun spoke, catching the girl off-guard for a moment. "I feel as though Captain Tanith will do a much better job at protecting you; she is far more violent and willing to take on any challenge for your safety... I know you will be in good hands."
"You can't be serious." Tanith quickly spat, disregarding appointed positions at this moment as she turned towards the green-haired Commander.
"Please Tanith... I'm asking you to take my place at the Apostle's side; I must stay behind and ensure that there will be something left to return to when you come back victoriously."
The other woman seemed to be at a momentary loss for words, failing to complete any sentence that followed after before she eventually gave into silence. Taking in a deep breath, she let go of an approving nod but said nothing further; sealing the deal for where it stood now.
"Queen Elincia, do you wish to step into the tower yourself?" Ike questioned, looking up to catch the eyes of the green-haired woman.
She gave into a light smile before a small shake followed. "I apologize, Sir Ike, but I will have to decline your invitation. I do not believe it's in my place to take on such a battle like that, not to mention I'm sure a more well-equipped warrior will be needed instead. If I might make a suggestion though, if Commander Geoffrey wishes to take my place then let it be."
The sudden announcement caught him slightly by surprised before he was quick to answer. "With all due respect, my Queen, my place is at your side... if you do not wish to step into the tower, then neither will I. However... if I were to make another suggestion-"
"No, just... please don't tell me what I think you're going to." Ike interrupted.
"Kieran would make a suitable substitute." he finished.
The look on the other man's face would almost be humorous had it not been a shared expression with a few of the others. Yes, the red-headed man could be a bit... out there and energetic, but he was a noble fighter just the same. He had been completely healed just that morning so he was in top shape right now, he was a suitable match for an ordeal like this; he would serve Crimea well in this battle. It seemed to take a few moments before the other Commander gave in to a defeating nod. "Alright... that still leaves us with four open slots. Titania, I need you in there with us."
"I'll do my best." she nodded.
"This is Ashera we're going against, it's not going to be easy to get to her. We'll need a healer to accompany us." Yune reminded. "Who's your best one?"
"She brings up a good point." Tibarn agreed.
The blue-haired man showed a momentary sense of distress as he was forced to check off another number, dwindling down their already small army to a lower unit. "Alright uh... remind me to speak with Rhys later about this then." Ike eventually responded, moving one hand to push through his loose locks for a moment. "Two more people."
The tent was filled with another pocket of silence as everyone tried to find a suitable match for that last spot. They had a pretty good group going in but... what last warrior would help to push the odds in their favor?
"If you're having difficult making this final decision, might I offer one more name to help you with this choice?" Caineghis offered, eventually breaking the silence for the moment with his thick and heavy voice. "Giffca would prove to be a suitable ally against the Goddess; his strength is upper-handed only by my own."
One more Lion certainly couldn't hurt them...
Giving into one last nod, Ike approved of the final name before he turned to make the more difficult decision of the night. "We still need one member from the Heron tribe..."
"Rafiel is a fitting choice-"
"Whoa now, who said you were given the chance to make this decision?" Tibarn interrupted, cutting the Wolf Queen off in mid-sentence. "As dangerous as this operation will be, I believe Reyson would be better prepared for this mission."
"I'm sorry but did you forget about Leanne too?" Naesala remarked, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.
"Excuse me, but do we even get a say in this?" Reyson interrupted.
Fingers moved to massage his aching temples for a moment before Ike glanced around to look at the others in the tent. He could only offer the younger man a sympathetic shrug, knowing this kind of argument could go on all night if it was needed. The Bird tribe was notorious for fighting with one another for days on end, but now with Queen Nailah added to the mix... this kind of decision would no doubt end in bloodshed. And quite possibly an empty spot on the team.
"We won't be striking until tomorrow morning, I'll let you guys settle this out but try to do so tonight... and inform me of your decision when it is finally reached." Ike started, as he waved one hand to dismiss the short meeting. "I think it's true to say that we would all like to take this remaining day to get in some last minute rest before tomorrow. I'll probably still be here if you need me, but the rest of you are free to go."
One by one the groups started to dissipate, most of the Laguz Royalty members were the first to leave, still engaged in their heated debate, before the Apostle herself guided her way out; Sigrun and Tanith followed silently behind her, the both of them seemed almost uneasy at the change of pace that would be crashing down on top of them tomorrow. Queen Elincia ushered them ahead of her, saying there were a few things she wanted to discuss with Sir Ike first; Lucia pushed them along on the way out, that all-knowing grin of hers toying with the corners of her lips the entire time.
"So tell me, are you going to be kicking yourself in the morning for not taking up on that offer?" Lucia questioned as they stepped out into the darkness outside. "I mean, only eleven fighters can go in... they'll be the ones to go down in the history books."
He shook his head briefly at the ridiculous question. "I stand behind my answer, Lucia; we all took the oath to stand at Queen Elincia's side and I intend to do just that, regardless of what I have to turn down in order to do so. Besides, the Royal Knights need me out here as well."
"So noble of you, Sir Geoffrey." Bastian remarked.
"And the two of you need me to be out here to keep you guys alive."
"... And the feeling is lost."
Chuckling lightly, he continued on his way in another direction. "I'm going to be in my tent for the rest of the night if I'm needed; I'm hoping you two don't get yourselves caught up in... whatever it is that you're going to do."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Lucia called after him.
He merely waved her off and continued on his way to his tent. He needed to take some time to clear his head and get his thoughts together... tomorrow was it, this was all the time they were granted. A lot of people would be taking advantage of this... which was good and bad at the same time. He would do the same... only if he knew what exactly to do about it. They said that they would wait until after the war was over but... with the recent talks, there was speculation on whether or not there would be a tomorrow. Titania advised him to take a more optimistic look on the situation, he guessed the least he could do was make an attempt at it.
Sighing briefly to himself, he worked his way down the massive camp and started to push into his tent before something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
"Ha ha, Amy you can't just roam around like that!" Calill called after the pigtailed girl, who successfully managed to keep a few steps out of her reach at all times. One hand had tightly gathered a small bundle of her dress and held it up to keep the hem from tripping her as she chased after her daughter. "Now come back here!"
Still though, despite the Sage's decent speed and agility, the girl managed to outrun her still; weaving in and around the boxes that had yet to be put up, not that they really had time to do so anyways. It looked to be a game for them though, the both of them were laughing at one another as each attempted capture only ended in failure and eventually restarted the same process again.
"Sir Geoffrey, Sir Geoffrey!"
Oh no.
Before he could even get in a word of objection, the girl immediately made a beeline for him and threw herself behind the protection of his legs; putting him in between her and her mother, who was still in pursuit.
"Hey now, that's cheating." Calill reminded with a soft chuckle as she slowed her pace just briefly before she came to a stop a foot or so in front of him. "You know I can't risk putting a dent on the Royal Knight Commander."
"I know, that's why I'm using him."
He watched as she shook her head before those eyes of hers moved up to him. "She hates it when I try to brush her hair around this time of night."
"I can see that." he started, watching as Amy quickly peeked around him to see what was going on.
She made eye contact with the younger girl and watched as she ducked back out of view once more. Oh, how the girl could be a handful sometimes... "I'm guessing you just got back from that meeting... is it appropriate to ask for the details of it?"
Everyone was going to know about it by tomorrow anyways, so there didn't seem to be any harm in telling her now. "From what Yune was able to tell us, we're only allowed to take in eleven fighters, plus six others who were already chosen." he started, already watching how her previously outgoing expression changed dramatically at the words. "Ike's already picked out those outfitted to go but... we left before they finished debating which one from the Heron tribe was going to accompany them. Hopefully we'll get an answer by tomorrow morning."
It was impossible to deny the slight frown that touched at the corners of her lips. Only eleven fighters could take on the Goddess? Well technically more than that but still... it would seem more suitable for everyone to rush in there; she guessed Yune could only take in so many people with her, which did cut them down quite a bit actually. What were the rest of them to do then? Sit out here and hope for the best? "Will you be going?"
"No, I... actually passed up the chance." he answered.
"Why would you do that?" Amy questioned, peeking from around his legs once more as the ongoing discussion tipped her curiosity.
"Well, seeing how you keep running from your mother, someone's got to be able to keep an eye on you."