Disclaimer: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and its characters belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.
Warning: This story takes place after the end of the game, so if you're not there yet, please read at you own risk.
Knights of Renais
Chapter 11: Vanessa, Dutiful Rider
A young captain of the Pegasus Knights of Frelia sat silently in the Great Hall of the Frelia Castle, patiently waiting for Prince Innes and Princess Tana to make their appearance. The young captain had just gotten back from the desert kingdom of Jehanna after having been stationed there for a few months by the order of the king himself, in order to aid in the reconstruction of the destroyed villages. Since most people in Jehanna had either died or been seriously wounded during the war with the Demon King, the kingdom desperately needed all the help it could get. The young King of Jehanna, Joshua, still had a lot to learn if he wished to govern his country properly so that it may, once again, flourish just like during the reign of Queen Ismaire. Currently, the King was being trained and instructed in the government of his country by a sage from Caer Pelyn.
The young captain did not know the sage very well even though they had traveled and fought together during the war. "It was because he rarely spoke." The captain whispered to herself, sighed, and continued. "He kept pretty much to himself and never expressed his emotions; although, he seemed to be very knowledgeable and wise. Also, many believed the sage to be a man of wisdom, so I should have nothing to worry about."
Despite her own reassurance, the captain was worried. She was wondering how the King and the sage got along, especially since they were completely opposite. She would not have left Jehanna had it not been for King Joshua. He had assured her that she had helped him and his country tremendously, but her service was no longer necessary, and that she was needed back in Frelia. She began to wonder what King Hayden would say if he heard that she had come back disobeying his command.
Before the young captain had time to ponder more on the matter, Prince Innes walked into the Great Hall, his sister following not far behind.
The young captain was glad to see the Princess once again since the two were good friends. She was about to smile when she was shocked by the dramatic change in the Prince's countenance. Prince Innes had been known by many of his subordinates as a man who rarely smiled, but despite that, the Prince was kind. He never once had a stern look on his face, but he was having one now. This was not the only change that the captain noticed. Today, the Prince was dressed entirely in black with a tint of red unlike his usual garment of silver gray and white. What could have happened during the time that she had been gone to change him so? The captain wondered but did not dare look at the Prince.
It was Princess Tana who spoke first. "I am so very glad that you came back safe and sound, Vanessa. I have been worried since I never heard from you"
Vanessa looked at the Princess and smiled. "I thank you, Your Highness, for your concern. My sincerest apology, but Jehanna was short on soldiers let alone Pegasus Knights to deliver my messages. There was no way that I could have sent a soldier to Frelia. Their men were not experienced enough to take on such a long journey."
Tana just smiled and said. "There was no need for you to apologize to me. The situation in Jehanna must have been very severe. But since you came back, does this mean that Jehanna is doing well now?"
"The kingdom is now faring quite well under the reign of King Joshua who is now being trained and instructed by the Great Sage Saleh. Even though I had initially objected to coming back to Frelia and had insisted on staying to help with the villages, King Joshua would not hear any of it. He had assured me that my service, though greatly appreciated, was no longer needed in Jehanna. He insisted that I come straight back to Frelia, for more work still needed to be done here."
At that moment, Prince Innes who had been staring intensely at Vanessa ever since he entered the room suddenly spoke. "So you came running back when that bastard told you to? Which kingdom do you serve, Captain? I expected better than this from you."
Vanessa was shocked, not because she was scolded for deserting her post and disobeying the King's command, but because of the voice coming from the man that was now standing in front of her. She could not believe her ears. Prince Innes' voice was so cold and filled with such hatred! Vanessa could not explain it, but instinctively she knew that something was definitely wrong. She was certain that the Princess noticed this as well but chose to remain silent, which was very unusual for Princess Tana who always spoke her mind.
Prince Innes continued to stare intensely at Vanessa as if he would like to hit her, but Vanessa knew that Prince Innes would never strike a woman. Nevertheless, Vanessa felt uncomfortable.
"Vanessa, you must be very tired. You need not resume your duty right away. You must get some rest first." Tana moved closer and placed a hand on Vanessa's shoulder.
Vanessa noticed that Tana looked upset. Something was bothering her.
Vanessa nodded her head. "Yes, Your Highness. I will do as you command."
But before Vanessa could walk away, Tana whispered softly. "Oh Vanessa, I have so much to say to you. Please come see me after you are well rested."
"What were you whispering to the Captain about, Sister? Am I that untrustworthy to hear what you had to say?" Innes sneered.
Normally, this would start a heated argument between the siblings, but today, Tana only replied weakly, "N-Nothing, Brother. I just wanted Vanessa to know that I missed her very much these past couple of months."
The abrupt change in Innes' expression was startling. "That is enough! Must I remind you of your station? I am so sick of this." Innes was visibly very angry with his sister. "I will no longer tolerate your behavior. From now on, you are not to behave in such a friendly manner towards the captain of our Pegasus Knights. If anyone were to find out that my sister, a princess of a wealthy and powerful kingdom no less, associated herself with a mere commoner, captain or not, I would be embarrassed, so do keep that in mind."
Innes turned to look at Vanessa and spoke coldly "You are dismissed, Captain."
Vanessa could not, for the life of her, fathom what was happening, but since she did not dare anger the Prince any longer, she simply replied "Yes, Your Highness" and walked away heading to her own bedchamber, regretting that she had to leave the Princess to face her brother's wrath alone.
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In the bedchamber,
Vanessa was tossing and turning in her bed. She could not rest her mind and forget what just took place in the Great Hall. Instead of trying to go to sleep, she tried to remember the words that King Joshua had spoken to her just two days ago back in Jehanna:
"Vanessa, I understand that you had been sent by King Hayden himself to aid me in the reconstruction of my kingdom, and for that I am very grateful."
"Your Majesty, there was no need. It was my duty, and it was an honor to serve you."
Joshua smiled. "Well, I thank you nonetheless. With the way my luck is going, it looks like it will take some time before the kingdom is well again."
Joshua had not forgotten his old habit, and occasionally he would take out his lucky coin and begin tossing it in the air, which he was doing now.
"I understand that my kingdom is unstable, and that currently it needs the aid from other kingdoms." Joshua looked up in the sky. Tonight was not a full moon and many stars were visible from the balcony where he and Vanessa were standing.
"Are they not beautiful? When I used to travel from place to place, I would look up at the stars and let them guide me."
Vanessa was not certain where the conversation was headed, but out of respect for King Joshua, she followed along and looked up at the sky as well.
"Yes, I suppose they are, Your Majesty. Although, I do not understand what this had to do with governing your kingdom"
Joshua suddenly laughed. "Ha ha ha ha, oh Vanessa, you are ever so serious. If you were not a captain of an army, I would kiss you silly." Joshua could not stop laughing.
Vanessa turned red. She was puzzled. She did not think what she said was funny. After all, it was the truth.
Joshua managed to calm himself down. "Ahem, sorry for my outburst, but I just could not help myself. I promise that I will not laugh anymore."
Vanessa doubted Joshua, since it was obvious that he was about to have another fit of laughter. However, his expression changed abruptly.
"Now, you might be wondering why I had asked you to come see me tonight." Joshua looked at Vanessa and waited for her confirmation. Once she nodded her head, he proceeded. "As you are well aware, Saleh is a wise man, a great sage. With his powers, he is able to sense and know things that have not happened."
Vanessa nodded her head again before Joshua continued. "Today, he told me that he had been sensing evil presence in Frelia for some time. He did not approach me with this matter immediately since he had thought that the monsters roaming around Frelia were the source of the evil presence that he felt. However, as the time passed, the evil presence did not diminish but continued to grow, and that worried him. He suggested to me that I send you back to Frelia to find out the source of this evil power, and I agreed with him. As I have said before, I really appreciated what you have done for my kingdom, but this urgent matter needs to be resolved immediately, so I am sending you back to Frelia tomorrow morning."
Vanessa did not want to abandon her duty. She was about to protest when Joshua put a hand up to stop her. "Please understand this, Vanessa. I cannot be selfish and keep you here. At present, your kingdom needs you, so you must go." Joshua smiled sadly.
Vanessa nodded her head, "I will leave for Frelia tomorrow morning, Your Majesty," and walked away. Had she turned around to look at Joshua, she would have seen the look of worry on his face.
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Back to the present, Vanessa's bedchamber
Vanessa sighed. "The evil presence in Frelia. Could the changes in Prince Innes' behavior have anything to do with this?" With that thought in her head, she finally fell asleep.
TBC