Of Sorcery and Strategy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of the characters, Nintendo and Intelligent Systems do. All I own are the minor plot changes.

Chapter 11: The Big Bow

Mark had Nils play a quick song, for he didn't want to wait in the tunnel before moving on. He had Sain, Kent, Lyn, Dorcas and Florina head to the front, with Nils, Ninian, Serra and the ranged units behind them. He instructed them to fan out in a half circle after passing through the door into the mountain. This formed a protective shield for the ranged units who had weaker defenses.

There was no one in the entrance hall, and there were two separate hallways leading out of the room. Mark left Serra, Sain, Lucius, Nils, Ninian and Dorcas to guard the tunnel back to the farmhouse, and split the rest of the group in two. Kent, Erk, Matthew and Rath went down one tunnel, while he, Lyn, Florina and Wil went down the other.

They proceeded cautiously, but there wasn't a need. Not one Black Fang member was found as they checked each and every room. They finally got to another room, which they figured was the dining hall (because of the big table in the middle), and there they met up with Kent, Erk, Matthew and Rath, who had searched the other half of the fortress and found nothing. There was one room left to check, and Mark guessed it to be the throne room.

He was half-right. There was a man in the room, and he was dead. He was obviously the leader of this small offshoot of the Black Fang, as his clothes and weaponry were much nicer. So the room was the leader's room, but there was no throne. Which made sense for a group of assassins. At first Mark couldn't tell what had killed the man, but then he saw the bottle.

The leader was obviously poisoned. Mark extended his senses, and could feel the tell-tale signs of magic-use. The leader didn't look like a mage of any sort, and so there was most likely someone in the room with the leader. Mark didn't like the looks of this.

"Okay, that bottle there is probably what did the guy in. Now I can feel that someone used magic in this room recently, and I don't think it was the dead guy. This unknown could have poisoned said dead guy, or the dead guy might have taken his own life for whatever reason. Either way, there's no one alive here, and I think we're dealing with something just a little over our heads. Let's go."

No one argued, and everyone filed back to the entrance hall where Lucius, Serra, Dorcas, Nils, Ninian and Sain were waiting. Everyone trooped back to the farmhouse and out into the fresh air. Mark did a headcount to make sure no one was lost, before directing everyone back to the main road.

"Alright, from here, we make haste to Caelin. A recent revelation has led me to believe that time is now of the essence, and so we will be moving faster. Everyone mount up."

The horses, which had been stabled outside when everyone went inside, were saddled and made ready for travel. Ninian and Nils had to double up on Huey with Florina, Wil, Rath, and Erk were all on Rath's horse and every other horse carried two people and supplies. Mark made a mental note to get yet another horse as soon as possible.

Lyn was riding with Mark again, as she seemed to enjoy driving him crazy. He was still convinced she knew exactly how she affected him and continued to do so for her own pleasure. Still, only about a quarter of him wanted to complain, and the other three quarters told that quarter to shut up. Thus, Lyn was again riding with Mark.

No one but Rath seemed to care about this, and Mark actually couldn't tell what Rath thought. The nomad was frowning in Mark's general direction, but then, he always did that, so it might not have anything to do with Lyn wrapping her arms around Mark's waist to keep from falling off, or her laying her head on his shoulder because she was tired. It could just be he didn't like Mark. Or it could be that he was jealous. Either way, he was pretty much ignored.

Most of the group descended into idle chatter with the person they were partnered with. In Serra's case, she was yapping away to Dorcas, who was holding his head in his hands. For some reason Mark couldn't fathom, Serra seemed to like Dorcas. Mark was just glad it wasn't him.

Lyn was finally comfortable around Mark to talk about her life before her village was razed. She and Mark spent most of the trip talking about their early lives and ignoring everyone else.

"The Lorca had this tradition. Every year, they'd have this big bonfire in the middle of the village, and there would be a feast, with dancing and games for the little kids. Then, after the sun went down, the little kids would be put to bed. Kids ten years old and up could stay awake with the adults for another two hours listening to ghost stories. The little kids that got sent to bed had a tradition to go along with this. Kids ages six to nine would organize, and they would form some sort of plan to stay up without getting caught."

Mark was listening with rapt attention. He very rarely heard anything about Lyn's life, and so considered stories like this one a special privilege. Lyn was talking animatedly now, waving her arms and drawing diagrams with her fingers on his back for emphasis.

"When I turned nine, I was put in charge by the other nine-year-olds. There were two of them, and since I was the chieftain's daughter, they deferred to me. I had a brilliant plan. You see, all the little kids were in different tents, so we had to sneak to each tent without getting caught. The older generation knew this was going on, because this tradition was very old, and they had once been 6-9 yr olds. It was all a game to them, but to us, it was our chance to prove our worthiness to sit outside with the adults."

Lyn stopped to gather her thoughts, and then continued.

"My idea was to cause a distraction. I went out the back of my tent and circled around to get the other nine-year-olds. We got back together in my tent, and I explained the plan. They thought it was brilliant too, and we set to work. We went out the back of the tent and into the open fields and found some grubs and other insects. We brought them back to the tent, and I sent the others to get in position."

Mark thought he knew where this was going, but he didn't interrupt. The story was valuable in that it allowed him to look at Lyn and just listen to her voice, even if he did guess what she was going to say.

"I went to get my father. We often got roaches in the tents, and the adults always dealt with them quickly. If they didn't, the roaches could get into the food stores and spoil them, which could be deadly come winter when we relied on stored food to survive."

Again she paused, but this time to catch her breath.

"Roaches always held everyone's attention until they were dealt with, so the other two kids broke into the other tents from the back and got everyone else marshaled. Meanwhile, I was with my father showing him the roaches, and here's the brilliant part. We didn't actually bring roaches inside, but I'm just a nine-year-old. I don't know the difference between a fly and a roach. All I know is that roaches are bad, and something was in the tent. To this day, I don't believe my father realized I played him."

Mark was impressed. It was a well thought-out plan. A diversion that would attract attention, using her own supposed naiveté to ensure the diversion didn't even have a chance of going wrong and causing big trouble, and apparently good acting skills as well. Though, he could see Lyn easily pulling off the 'innocent girl' look. Lyn finished her story.

"After we had all the kids rounded up, we headed to the bluff. It's a small hill overlooking the village. We couldn't really hear what the adults were saying from there, but that wasn't the point. Early that day we put some water canteens and strips of meat up there, and had our own little bonfire without a bonfire. It was the pinnacle of success, to have planned an excursion that went off without a hitch."

She was flushed, simply from remembering the excitement of that night, and the pride she had felt at her success. Mark was wondering how the kids got back down the bluff and into bed without the adults noticing, but that was a story for another time. Lyn made this clear by putting her chin on his shoulder and saying "Your turn."

Mark thought for a minute about a story to tell Lyn, and decided on when he first decided he wanted to grow up to be a tactician.

"Back when my parents were alive, we lived in a small village on the Southern Plains at the base of the mountain. During the summer, we'd head north into the Northern Hills for a festival that happened once a year there. It's where I met Kyle, and it was the one time I saw him every year. Anyway, when I was eight, I was allowed to do some wandering of my own."

Like Mark before her, Lyn listened intently to this snippet of Mark's life. She knew more about him than he did about her, but then she thought that made sense, as his life was much more interesting. She enjoyed everything he shared with her.

"I was walking around aimlessly, when I saw two people staring at something intently. They were sitting opposite each other, and whatever held their attention was in between them. I was curious, so I moseyed on over, and saw my first game of chess. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I'm quite bold when I want to be, so I walked up to one of the spectators and asked what they were doing. He starting explaining the game to me, and as I watched them play, his instructions started to make sense."

Mark thought Lyn's attention would be wandering by this point, so he stopped and looked back. "You are listening, aren't you?"

Lyn was paying attention, and she nodded at him, so Mark continued his tale.

"So there I was watching this chess game, and the guy playing white was losing. At the end of the game, the guy playing black set a trap, and the white player fell for it. He used his knight to take the black guy's queen, but now the knight was out of place, and the black player used the black-square bishop to win."

Lyn was still hanging on to every word. She didn't know where the story was going, but knowing Mark, it was somewhere good.

"It wasn't until my family got home later that day that I realized I could have beaten the white player, who obviously wasn't new to the game. I had seen the trap that he walked right into. I got more interested in chess upon this realization, and my dad found out. He encouraged me to play some games against him. He'd played before, but only as a slight hobby. He wasn't a professional or anything. Still, I was surprised when I won all three games. After that, I got interested in all things strategy, and it culminated with my application to Military Academy with strategic planning listed as one of my areas of interest."

Lyn was impressed that he could beat his father at chess at eight years old. Her father had taught her to play chess as well. Sacaens love chess, as it stimulates the mind. She was taught when she was seven, and she had always thought herself fairly good, but she had never been able to beat her father. She said as much to Mark.

"I've played chess before. I was never able to beat my father though. Perhaps we should play a game some time."

Mark was interested. "Yeah. After this whole heir-to-the-throne business is over, we'll sit down and play a game."

The two traded a few other stories from their early childhoods as they rode along. They had gotten on the road around midday, and it was nearing sundown when Kent and Matthew, who were paired together, came riding over to Mark and Lyn.

"Milady, welcome to Caelin. We've just officially crossed the border."

"Is that so? It doesn't look any different."

Lyn and Matthew laughed at Mark's joke, but Kent looked confused. He then realized Mark was kidding around, and chuckled nervously before heading back to the front of the line. Mark turned to Lyn and shrugged, who giggled as she walked Kent and Matthew gallop away.

It was another half hour before anything exciting happened. Mark had pulled his horse next to Sain's, who was riding with Lucius. Lucius and Lyn started chatting about Lucius' faith, versus Lyn's. Mark was sure it was an interesting conversation, but he was chatting with Sain.

"That pass have a name?"

He pointed to where the road traveled between two mountains. The mountain on the left had a ledge and sloped down on the other side. If one put a spotter on that ledge, he/she could prepare an ambush on the other side of the mountain.

"Yeah, it's called pincer point. You can see why. However, given the peace that's reigned in Lycia for ages, there aren't fortifications there."

Mark wasn't really religious, but what happened next was a heck of a coincidence. Right after Sain said 'there' a bolt flew out of the sky and impacted near Mark and Lyn. It was so close Mark had felt it as it whizzed by his ear.

He immediately went into 'tactician mode,' and his quick mind realized there was a ballista hidden behind the mountain, with a spotter on the ledge, probably with a spyglass, giving the ballista coordinates.

"Everyone get under cover! Head into the trees to the left, now!"

They made record time following his orders, and everyone was safe under the trees in less than 30 seconds. Mark turned to Sain.

"No fortifications, huh?"

Sain was stammering and not making much sense, but Mark didn't have time to hear him out. He turned to the others.

"We all stay in the trees. The spotter for the ballista will be hard pressed to find us here. Kent and Sain in front, Dorcas, Lyn, Florina, Matthew behind them, Wil, Rath, Erk, Lucius, Serra, Ninian and Nils in the back. We proceed slowly alongside the path, until we get to the other side of the pass and cross the road."

The legion moved silently through the trees until they heard the sound of horses galloping. On the path, cavalry and infantry units were clearly visible and heading towards them. Mark immediately told everyone except Kent, Sain, Florina and Rath to dismount. He changed his orders.

"Alright, ranged units move deeper into the trees. Fire at the enemy in the road, don't bother with anyone in the woods. Ninian and Nils, stay up front and keep the melee units from exhausting themselves. Lyn, Sain and Matthew, move to the back in case they try to flank us. Florina, make sure you stay on the ground. If that ballista sees you and targets you in the air, you're done for. Melee units up front, keep the enemy from entering the forest as much as possible."

The enemy reached the edge of the woods and clashed with the legion. Kent, Florina and Dorcas were up front fending them off. The legion was more skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and the three managed to keep the enemy from entering the woods, which gave them an advantage. Wil and Rath were raining arrows down on the enemy, and Erk, Lucius and Mark were sending fireballs, thunderbolts, and lighting at the enemy.

A few foot soldiers had entered the woods further up the road, intending to surprise the legion from behind. However, Lyn, Sain and Matthew were in the back to defend against this strategy, and combat ensued. There were seven enemy units in the back woods. Lyn swung at one and scored a hit on his shoulder. Sain thrust his lance at another, and struck the enemy in the stomach. The lance went straight through the man and came out to stab a third man in the thigh. Matthew, meanwhile, had climbed a tree, and from the branch above dropped two knives, each striking a different enemy in the skull. With three down and two injured in a matter of seconds, the three were in good shape.

Up front, Florina had gotten a stab wound in the stomach. Mark acted quickly, frying the man who injured her before carrying her back to Serra, a few feet behind him. He then drew his sword and took her place on the front line.

It looked different up front. Mark could acutely sense the danger here, where flailing swords and stray axes could easily end up causing injury. He was a mage first and foremost, and so was used to being in the back, having time to react to a situation by targeting the weak spots on an enemy's line. Up front, you stabbed whatever was in reach.

He managed well enough while Serra got Florina back on her feet. He had downed two enemies with sword thrusts and managed not to get struck back when she returned. He gratefully retired to a spot behind her and returned to sending fire and electricity into the enemy.

After awhile he looked around. Lyn, Sain and Matthew had dealt with the two soldiers who were alive and healthy when last Mark checked, and they had tied up the injured ones. Wil had apparently observed Matthew's methods, as he had found a sniper's perch in a tree and was firing away. Erk was starting to tire, as his fireballs were fewer and farer between. Lucius seemed okay, but his attacks were slower anyway. Rath was out of arrows, but the nomad had a small knife. He had hopped off his horse and made like Matthew. He hid in the trees and struck at the enemies that got too close.

In total, it took about a half hour for the legion to finish off the enemy. When the last soldier fell, Mark got everyone on the move again. The ballista had been inactive during the fight, probably because a ballista was rather inaccurate, and the archer manning it must have feared hitting an ally.

The group stayed in the trees and got to the other side of the pass. As they turned and looked, the ballista became visible in the distance, and they saw something else as well. The forest ended, and the path entered a wide, open valley that had no cover. The road was blocked by a regiment of soldiers. Mark could see four cavalry, two armored knights, and seven foot soldiers. It was a small battalion, but the fight would still be difficult.

Mark quickly formed a plan. "Okay, Wil, do you know how to operate a ballista?"

"No, but I'm a fast learner. I'll figure it out."

"Okay, you, Dorcas, Erk, and Lyn will run across the road into the other side and head for the ballista. Disable whoever's manning it now, and figure out how to use it. When you do, start firing at the knights. Aim for the soldiers in the back. Dorcas, you'll stay with him in case there are any more enemies in the area, while Lyn and Erk head for the front. Rath, once the ballista is in our hands, go retrieve some of your arrows and join the rest of us. Everyone else will wait at the edge of the trees, and when Wil starts firing we'll break cover and meet them in the open field."

The indicated people left to do their job, while everyone else trekked to the edge of the forest and waited anxiously. After about fifteen minutes, a bolt flew from the ballista and headed for the enemy army. It struck one of the cavalry units in the chest, and the enemy forces descended into chaos. Kent and Sain chose that moment to charge, and battle was joined.

Florina struck first. Huey had been forced to stay aground during the entire fight in the woods due to the threat of the ballista, and he was antsy. When the opportunity came, he took to the air and flew top speed for the armored knights. Florina, however, knew that was a bad idea and steered him towards the foot soldiers. He flew low and straight into three of them. Two were hit dead on, and killed instantly, while the third had his arm broken when he was hit on the side. As she flew by, Florina proved that she had excellent reflexes by spearing a fourth soldier in the ribs.

The three enemy cavalry still left all had javelins, and they tossed them at Huey. However, the pegasus was moving far too fast, and not one scored a hit. Meanwhile, the cavalries' backs were turned to Kent and Sain, who slew two as they rode past. They circled around and prepared for another charge when another bolt from Wil landed. It struck the horse of the last cavalryman, and the soldier was thrown off. He was still in fighting condition though, so when the rest of the legion got there, they faced four foot soldiers and two armored units. Mark told everyone to stop.

"Kent, Sain, Florina, pull back. Those armored units are strong but slow. Everyone keep out of range of their lances while shooting down the foot soldiers."

It was a simple plan, but it worked. Of course, Mark had shouted this plan in the middle of the battlefield, so the enemy heard it too. However, the beauty of the plan was that it didn't matter. The foot soldiers stayed close to the knights, and were picked off at range by the archers and magic uses.

Lyn and Erk arrived to a rather funny scene. The legion was basically playing a cross between hit-and-run and keep away with the knights and infantry soldiers. Mark, Rath and Lucius were running away from the enemy. Once they were a good distance away, they'd turn and fire a fireball, an arrow, and a lightning bolt respectively. Meanwhile, Kent, Sain and Florina all had lances out. They would gallop/fly up to the foot soldiers, jab at one with a lance, and gallop/fly away before the knights could retaliate. Erk joined in on the fun, but Mark made sure Lyn didn't get anywhere near the fight.

"Stay out of range. By the time you get close enough to take a swing at the infantry, you'll be in range of the knights' lances. You won't do any good in this battle, so don't get involved."

Lyn had learned not to argue with Mark, especially in the heat of battle. She wasn't happy being told to wait out a battle, but she did so anyway because she knew Mark wasn't coddling her. He would have told Dorcas to not get involved either, but Dorcas wasn't there in the first place. So, she moved back to the tree line away from the battle with Ninian and Nils, who were also waiting for the battle to be over. The three watched as Mark's plan worked spectacularly.

The four foot soldiers didn't last long against the attack from multiple directs. They could parry blows from the melee units and dodge arrows and magic, but they couldn't do both forever. One soldier fell to a thrust from Kent, another to Florina, a third to an arrow from Rath and a fourth to Lucius' lightning.

After that, the two knights realized the futility of continuing the fight. They dropped their lances and surrendered. Matthew wanted to kill them, but Mark stopped him. He told the two knights to take off their armor. When they had, they were tied up and left in the field with the injured foot soldiers who were still alive. After that was taken care of, Mark paused to catch his breath. Lyn was next to him, so he turned to her and said,

"Welcome home."

A/N-chapter 11 done. It occurred to me near the end of the chapter that Matthew isn't in this fight in-game. I originally planned to stick to that and have him disappear, but I wrote him in without thinking about it and I'm too lazy to go back and change things, so I'm changing the script a little. Never fear, Matthew will leave the group for awhile at the beginning of the next chapter.